First guest of the season

We welcomed Chelsea from Denver, Colorado this weekend: our first guest of the season. Although Chelsea travels quite a bit, it was her first time travelling outside the U.S. on her own. She had never been to Costa Rica and found Hush Valley Lodge on Airbnb. Chelsea arrived on Friday and spent the weekend going on the coffee tour in Santa Maria, hiking our trails (still pretty muddy at the moment, and even though she slipped and fell in the mud, she was beaming with a big smile on her face), and she caught her dinner, too. I'm pretty sure if we awarded a prize to the quickest catch, Chelsea would have won hands down. The hook barely hit the surface of the pond and she got a bite. It was the first trout from this batch, too. Lots of 'firsts' this weekend.

Yesterday, I kept Chelsea company on a little road trip to Providencia to see a beautiful waterfall. Low misty clouds high up on the mountain ridge created a ethereal, magical feel, but by the time we got to the waterfall the sun was poking through. We stayed for about a half hour soaking up the sound of the rushing water and the peaceful surrounding. Then just as we were back in the SUV heading for home, it started to rain. Our timing was impeccable It was lovely to get a chance to chat and get to know each other a little better.

Chelsea works as a hospice nurse for terminally ill patients and I found her incredibly inspiring. She is extremely dedicated and has found her calling, but says she needs time on her own to recharge her batteries. To take care of others in such a profound way, she has to take care of herself along the way, too. Good advice for us all. Hosting Chelsea was a fabulous start to our season. We can't wait for her to come back for another visit.

If you want to read what Chelsea wrote in our guestbook, click here.