Rosie and Pete relocated from Pensacola, Florida to Nosara in 2011 after tumultuous change in their own lives. We sat down with them (well, mainly Rosie - Pete was out surfing) and talked about living the dream in Nosara, starting over, and the spotted skunk’s love for avocados. In their words, this is what they said.

"We never dreamed of leaving Florida – ever."

We never thought we’d leave Pensacola Beach, but there’s something about Nosara that once you experience it, you want to stay. We came for a vacation in April 2010 and just fell in love with the natural beauty, the way of life, the wildlife, everything.

We met Rich and Andrew from Surfing Nosara on the beach, which is how you usually meet people here. When we went to see property with Rich two days later, we were “just looking.” We had no desire to leave Pensacola. We had a great life there, and we were certainly never going to buy property or build a house in Costa Rica. That would be crazy...

A year later, we were living in our own home in Nosara. We bought property, started building in July and moved into the house the following May.

This was the grand adventure we’d been waiting for, but we didn’t know it yet.

Pete and I lost both lost our parents in 2008 and, I like to say, with great pain and loss came freedom. When they left this earth, it allowed us to explore options that we wouldn’t have

considered otherwise and that our grown sons encouraged us to pursue. Nosara was a very soothing and healing place to come.

It’s like we had a rebirth, and that’s what many people experience here - learning Spanish, surfing, helping at the monkey refuge, teaching exercise again, getting involved with the community. Costa Ricans are such beautiful, loving and kind people. And also people live here from all over the world, which creates a really unique community.

Rich helped us live a dream that we didn’t even know we had. He laid it out and gave us the key to this new world, and it’s pure bliss everyday.

"What do you need to have the perfect life in Nosara?"

Rich asked us, “What do you need to have the perfect life in Nosara?” I loved that. Rich and Surfing Nosara aren’t aggressive with their style. He truly looked for the best solution for us to be happy. He showed us everything - the mountains, close to the beach, right in the middle of all the action. The last piece of property he showed us was where we’d eventually build and live.

Surfing Nosara’s business and the way they treat their clients is a reflection of who they are. They take the approach of “If you want me to show you how I live and why I came to Nosara, come talk with us.” It’s not just about selling you property or a house – it’s about letting you experience a certain way of life.

If it wasn’t for Andrew, it wouldn’t have happened.

We were back living and working in Florida while the house was being built in Nosara. Andrew from Surfing Nosara was our eyes on the project. We felt so comfortable and confident that we didn’t have any concerns. We had meetings over video every week with Rich, Andrew, the architect and the builder. They sent us videos and photos of the construction. Anytime we had a question or concern, Andrew would get back with us immediately.

Early on, when the first designs came in for the house, the plans were 1,000 square feet bigger than we could afford. We couldn’t do it, and we were about to scrap the whole thing until Andrew stepped in. He said, “Wait a minute.” He met with the architect, and helped figure out how we could rework the plans to make the house more affordable.

It’s been 5 years, and Rich and Andrew are still the first people we call.

The team at Surfing Nosara becomes part of your family. They were there for the construction, they were the first people to greet us and take us to dinner, and they were there when we needed good recommendations for an attorney and insurance people. They are always available to help – with anything.

Pete used to own a company and I worked in sales and client services for years, so we know when someone is providing great service and that is what Surfing Nosara provides.

You’ve got to want an adventure.

If you are expecting this to be the United States or Canada, it’s not. The internet goes out and the power goes out, but it’s all part of the beauty of living in Nosara. What I love the most are the sounds at night – the insects, the owls, all the critters. We don’t use the air conditioner and one of the local spotted skunks figured out how to get in through the screen and eat our avocados off the counter for a midnight snack.

We have two dogs but this little guy so tranquilo that he doesn’t even spray. Now Pete is in charge of putting away the tempting food at night.

If you are thinking about coming to Nosara, know what you want out of the experience. Do you want to be close to the beach, or do you want panoramic views from the mountains? Do you want to be in an area where there is a lot of activity, or more laid back? Do you enjoy the heat? Can you appreciate all these wonderful critters we live with in the jungle?

In short...

The guys at Surfing Nosara made us feel secure, supported, loving – I have to say loving because they are.

A huge thank you to Rosie and Pete for sharing their story. You can find Pete most mornings surfing in South Guiones. You can find Rosie teaching Cardio Pump class at Bodhi Tree.