Pura Vida: A Memoir about International Love and Growing Up

This is a multi-genre book outlining one eventful semester spent abroad, in Costa Rica. I was a shy midwestern daughter of recently divorced parents when I decided I needed adventure in my life as well as to get away from the drama going on around me. At the end of my freshman year of college I applied and was accepted in the semester abroad program. I left with visions of adventure, learning and service -something I would be able to look back upon fondly the rest of my life and something that would give me a leg-up in my future career as a Catholic family counselor.

My vision and reality are very far removed from each other. I definitely found adventure, learning and service, but I found so much more. After several exciting mishaps, I found true love on a public bus. I loved in a way I never knew possible. Life seemed so easy with Pablo -until I found myself pregnant in a foreign country by a man not easily welcomed into my country. My life and career plans took a drastic turn. This is the story of how Pablo and I found each other and what we did to overcome family, educational, border, and economical roadblocks in order to build a life together. I hope this book inspires you to do whatever it takes to make a life with your true love. If you already have a life with your true love, I hope it inspires you to get back to your roots and remember why you fell in love to start with.