Camp Yosi

Back in November my friend [that I met at the USU Interior Design program] Martha and I decided we would submit an idea/concept for an Alt Summit party.  Unfortunately, our concept was selected.  Come December we had been approached by my friend Morgan, who works for shoe designer Yosi Samra, to throw an Utah Blogger Event during Sundance.  Since we already had a theme and a concept still fresh, Martha and I went for it!

First we found a venue, which was the old Anthropologie store at the Gateway.  Then came furniture, supplies, and the details.  Martha found a company in Utah County that could do the “tenting” for the entire space and who could hang all of the lighting.  I did all the graphics:  the logo, large signage, camp directional sign, and the vendor signage.  We spent the day of the event at the space setting everything up, purchasing all of the food and supplies, and tying marshmallows.  The wall of “falling snow” was actually made of hundreds of jet puffed mallows.  We tied each mallow to embroidery floss to create the garlands.  I can confidently say I won’t be eating a marshmallow for a loooooong time.  Soon we were t-minus 1 hour until the event.  Once all the food was set out, all the swag was organized, and all the votives lit…we were ready for it.

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How gorgeous are Yosi’s new oxfords for his 2014 collection?  Gold snakeskin…?  I didn’t even know that existed until this night.

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One of the vendors at the event was Katie Waltman Jewelry.  She provided us with all the supplies for the DIY Anklet bar.  Each guest got to pick a few custom charms and create their own piece of jewelry.  Not only were Katie’s charms to die for, but her display was killer as well.  Who knew white sand in bottles could be so beautiful?

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After the ladies received their own pair of Yosi Samra foldable flats, they could snack on refreshments and roast marshmallows to make s’mores.

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Martha made these indoor marshmallow roasting troughs.  Because she’s amazing…

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There was also a photo booth, good conversation, and a meet n’ greet with the designer himself.

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Creating Camp Yosi with Martha was one of the funniest projects I have worked on.  Martha is insanely talented and I had such a great time working with her.  It was also a great opportunity to meet so many talented Utah bloggers.  Such beautiful and driven women.

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Thank you to everyone at Yosi Samra for letting us be a part of this!  I can’t wait to work with Martha again.  We had a pretty good time.

Event Design and Creative Direction: Martha Hatfield    Instagram: http://instagram.com/marthahatfield

Graphic Design: BASH studio    Instagram: http://instagram.com/partywithbash

Photography: Jessica Kettle
DIY Anklet Bar: Katie Waltman 

Last Day + Lola’s

Our last full day in Costa Rica we decided we wanted to venture out from the resort and explore a bit.  The boys went out early for a quick surf session and afterwards met up with all the wives back at the pool.

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Six of us decided we wanted to try out Lola’s for lunch.  Not only because of my niece Lola, but because it was rumored to be the home of the best fish tacos in all of Tamarindo.  So our little group [Sean, Siri, Travis, Lori, Zach, and I] hopped in a taxi and made the drive over to the restaurant.

We met the infamous mascot, Lolita, taking a mid-day snooze.

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Yes, the giant pink pig was unique…but so was the people watching.  Note to self…flesh colored swim suits are never a good idea.

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Mint colored bikinis, however, prove to be pleasing…

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Most of the local guests were ordering food, jumping in the water to do some surfing, and then coming back to their tables just in time to enjoy their grub.  We devoured our tacos and Coca Lights in the shade of a tree right by the water.

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After returning to the hotel, we spent a few more hours poolside before witnessing another incredible sunset.

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Afterwards we had a dinner reservation at an Italian restaurant at the hotel.  I wore my usual tropical vacation get-up and quickly realized that everyone didn’t think it was as fun and exotic as I did.  Zach said he loved having Tupac on his arm for the night.  I didn’t find it amusing…

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Towards the end of our dinner there was a firework show.  Not for us, obviously, but for the company retreat that was being held on the beach nearby.  We were just lucky enough to enjoy it from the balcony.

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Sounds really cheesy, but it was the perfect finale to our family trip.

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Costa Rica is one of the most amazing places I have ever visited.  Zach and I can’t wait to come back one day [with some mini surfers in tow] and enjoy this beautiful country.

I’ve learned a lot from the Hendo family over these last 5+ years.  This group of people have fun unlike any other family I have ever known.  Zach and I feel really lucky to have spent so much time with all of them in such a beautiful place.  Thank you Hendersons for such an amazing trip!

Resorting // Black Stallion Ranch

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The next day was a clone of the previous:  pool time, mixed drinks, lunch on our lounge chairs, and a heated game of pool volleyball.IMG_7953

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We stayed at the hotel for dinner that night and were lucky enough to catch another amazing sunset.

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While eating dinner, with the balcony doors open in the dining area of the restaurant, we had several encounters with this little rascals…

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I was literally warding them off with my steak knife.  Turns out I dislike these bad boys even more than spiders and mice.

The next morning the boys had us up bright and early for a little surf action.  We rented several boards for the group of us and all gave it a go.  The guys were so patient with us ladies:  pushing us into waves, telling us when to paddle, and dragging our surf boards all around.

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Zach and I attempted the double surf [not unlike the double wake surf] and were pretty successful.  Other than his GoPro being up close and personal (that’s never really a good angle) we had a fantastic time!

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If it weren’t for the time limit on the board rentals we would have stayed out all night.  Zach is already trying to con his brothers into an upcoming surf trip.

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This time for dinner we went off campus.  Our group split up and rode in vans to the Black Stallion Ranch.  It is this privately owned land where you can zip line through the trees just as the sun starts to go down.  This zip line adventure was a little different than our first, but just as enjoyable.  It also wasn’t as technical as our first experience, which left us to being chained to tree trunks rather than sitting atop a safe gated balcony.

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The amigos at Black Stallion were a little more lenient and let us ride the zip lines upside down!  Not the most comfortable way to ride, but definitely the most intense.  We finished our last line right before it went completely black outside.

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Then we all met up for dinner in the dining hall.  It was a really unique and delicious meal!  I especially loved the owner [who also served all 16 of us] who was from South Africa.  We got to chat about our recent trip and heard all of his outrageous surf stories.

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Although he served us Nacho Cheese Doritos for an appetizer, he did not have one drop of soda in the whole joint.  By the time we got back to our hotel we were all dying for a Coca Light.  So we hit up the hotel bar and ordered a round for all of us.  By some stroke luck, it happened to be karaoke night.  We didn’t waste any time.

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By the time I was double-fisting Coca Lights, Gina was already singing Justin Beiber’s Baby.  Sean delighted us with Girls Just Wanna Have Fun [with break dancing].  I helped with a little Journey and air guitar on one of the coffee tables.  And since we had to give the people what they wanted, we all delighted the suddenly growing crowd with Sweet Caroline and all formed a conga line and danced/cheered our way out of the bar.

Tamarindo

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Our first full day at the resort was spent doing a lot of the same thing:  lounging in the sun [Zach was creating a barricade against the sun] and drinking lots of non alcoholic mixed drinks.

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After hours at the pool [and too many Coca Lights] we all showered up and drove into Tamarindo for dinner.  We walked around the little beach town for a while, walking in and out of shops, until we got to a stretch of beach near Witch’s Rock.  The sun was just setting and we jumped on the chance for a family photo op.

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After the sun disappeared we made our way over to Panga’s – my favorite meal of the entire trip.  It was a little beach restaurant with fire pits and lamps hanging in the trees.  It was super romantic…

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The majority of the guys ordered steaks that you could cook on your own hot rock and the women ordered a variety of fish.  The fresh grouper I ordered was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.  If you are anywhere near Tamarindo, you MUST go to Panga’s.  Yes, I even gave a raving review on Trip Advisor.  It was that amazing.  Zach and I plan to return to Costa Rica one day, but stay in Tamarindo like beach riffraff.

River Rafting // the Springs // Floating the River

Our third day we boarded another bus from our hotel to take us to the River.  Which river?  We have no idea.  It was a very brown, raging river.  That’s the best I’ve got.  The 16 of us were divided into three rafts, strapped on our helmets, and grabbed our paddles.  Our guide placed Zach and I on the front, which I was really hesitant about, but that meant that Brad was behind me.  Which was not important until mid ride, where he saved my life.  But more on that later…

Zach strapped his GoPro onto his helmet and we were off.  Turns out the front left side of the raft was by far the wettest spot for the entire ride.  Thanks a lot Jairo [our hilarious guide, who taught us how to say “penis face” in Spanish]!  The rapids were pretty mild at first, but then got a little rougher about half of the way through our ride.  We hit a large rapid on the left side and I flew completely out of my seat!  Luckily Brad grabbed me right before I was about to fall in the river.  I think I was more afraid of getting a bacterial infection from the water rather than drowning in it.  But regardless…we pulled through.  All of us together, without any casualties.

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We stopped three quarters of the way through our route for a fresh pineapple and watermelon break.  Random fact #1:  Some pineapples are so sweet that the pineapple farms can’t sell them, so they throw them out.  Hundreds of pineapples a week are discarded for being TOO sweet.  Who knew?  We were lucky enough to be the recipients for these ultra sweet pineapples and I can say they were some of the best fruit I’ve ever had.  (Let’s not talk about how the guides washed their knives that they used to cut said pineapples in the river…let’s just forget that part.)

Then we were off again.  We got to the biggest drop on the river and Jairo asked us if anyone wanted to ride on the front.  I’ll give you one guess who climbed right on up, without even a second thought.  Raising his right hand in a lassoing motion…

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I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard, but that’s kind of what life is like being married to Zach.  One wild, hilarious, and crazy ride.

After we returned to our hotel we all decided to check out the Springs.  The resort was built around all these natural hot springs, which you can sit in at various locations around the hotel.  They range in temperature as well.  Apparently the darker the water color, the better for your skin.  It wasn’t until later that we realized the hotel was a host for ABC’s the Bachelor.  Pretty hilarious.  A little walk away from our room was a hot spring turned water slide.  You can’t stop a Henderson from sliding…it’s in their blood.  Classic Waterslides has nothing on these babies…

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The fastest slide was a favorite.  We congregated around it until everyone else that wasn’t a family member left, probably sick or our cheers and squeals.  Zach took this really attractive shot of me going mach 5, about to plunge.  You can’t hide the face of pure joy…

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We stayed until we got hungry enough to make our way over to dinner.  I am sure the rest of the resort was ready for some peace and quiet.

The next day we floated the river at Club Rio.  Guides directed us down a semi-manmade river route through rocks, little rapids, and waterfalls.  The views were amazing, literally floating through the rainforest.  The end of the river route led to another natural hot spring that cascaded into the river.  It was hot tub temperature and the perfect way to end the ride.

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That was our final day at the Springs.  We celebrated with one last order of nachos all around and boarded another bus for the next location.  We were leaving the lush rainforest for the beach.  Our four hour ride to Tamarindo went faster than expected, spirits were high…

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We arrived at our second hotel just in time to see the sun set and to enjoy a Costa Rican buffet.

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After dinner we made our way down to the beach, avoiding as many red crabs as possible.

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Arenal, Costa Rica

For the first time in years, all of the adults were going on the biennial Henderson Adult Trip.  Yes, all 16 of us.  Gina, our “family travel agent”, planned everything.  Planning and scheduling a family trip for almost 20 people can really wear you out…

We left her in peace to catch some well-deserved z’s.

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We flew from SLC > Dallas and then from Dallas > Liberia.  Sean and Siri [Zach’s brother Sean is doing his residency in Philly] met us at the airport and we all hopped on a bus for the three hour drive into Arenal.  We stayed at a resort called The Springs which was kind of in the middle of the jungle, but we didn’t know it yet.

When we woke up, this is what we found beyond our balcony…

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Our first full day in Arenal was spent at an incredible park.  Gina had scheduled a tour for all of us to hike around trails through the rainforest.  There were waterfalls, tons of exotic plants, and sky bridges stretching from one mountainside to the other.

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The views were incredible along with a few bird, insect, and scary black snake sightings.  We were in for even better views, though.

All of us [including my mother-in-law who has an injured knee and my father-in-law who just got rotator cuff surgery] braved the tram ride up the mountain for a zip line tour.  We strapped a GoPro on Gina’s helmet and made our way up to the top.

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Once to the observation deck and out of the mist you could see the volcano in the distance.  It started to clear up just in time for us to get our zip on.

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Once all of us were geared up and had our obligatory safety lesson and practice zip, we were ready.  Zach brought his Jazz socks…you know…for good luck?

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This was definitely my favorite activity in Arenal.  Ziplining from deck to deck through the trees of the rainforest was something I will never forget.  Speed, great views, and a cool breeze.  What more could you ask for?

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Once we returned back to our hotel it was time for dinner.  We ate at a local organic farmhouse turned restaurant 20 minutes from the hotel on the mountainside.  How fortunate were Zach and Kelly that this quaint little farmhouse had wifi so the boys could catch the end of the 49ers game?

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After dinner, with my chipper husband [the Niners won, obvi] some of us made our way down to the hotel bar to grab some Lava Flows and Coca Lights.

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As if my husband hadn’t been spoiled enough, there was a golf simulator on the lower level of the hotel.  He relived his high-school-golf-team-glory-days for the night and couldn’t have been happier.

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The Hendersons are tropical people.  They like going to places where the sun is always shining and the cold drinks are bottomless.  I’ve been the opposite my whole life, always preferring to visit the hustle and bustle of a big city instead.  But the first two days of this trip totally turned me around.  Or maybe I  just have a new-found respect for poolside leisure?  Either way, this trip was paradise for Zach and I in more ways than one.