The year 2020 was supposed to be different. We had plans. Big plans. More adventures, more beaches to explore, more of Costa Rica to share with you, even a trip back to Canada! Instead, it became the year that taught us the most about adaptation, creativity, and finding new ways to connect with our community when the whole world seemed to stop.

March through June: When Paradise Hit Pause

The early months of 2020 brought uncertainty we'd never experienced. Travel restrictions, beach closures, and the general pause that settled over the world reached even our corner of paradise in Sámara. But by July, we'd found our rhythm for this new reality.

The Daily Dufresnes: Born from Necessity

On July 8th, we launched something unprecedented: Daily Dufresnes, a series that would run throughout the month and beyond.

"Good morning, this is the first video of a daily vlog this week," I said, not knowing we were embarking on one of the most ambitious and exhausting projects we'd ever attempted. For the first seven episodes, we filmed and edited each day's content in real time - shooting in the morning, editing all afternoon, and publishing the next morning.

It was absolutely exhausting. I'd be up at 4:00 AM editing the previous day's footage while simultaneously planning what we'd film that day. But it was also exhilarating in a way that nothing else had been. There's something raw and immediate about daily content creation that captures life as it actually happens, not as you remember it weeks later.

July 11th: A Different Kind of Anniversary

Three days into our Daily Dufresnes experiment, our three-year Costa Rica anniversary arrived. "Good morning, it's a three-year anniversary!" I announced, but this wasn't the celebration video we'd originally planned. Instead, it perfectly captured what Daily Dufresnes was all about - documenting real life as it happens, even when it intersects with milestones you never expected to mark during a global pandemic.

Episode by episode, we showed everything: how we shop for fresh fruits and vegetables at local markets, what it's really like to maintain a home in the tropics, how driving restrictions work during emergencies, and yes - even how to properly clean calcium buildup from your taps with vinegar.

"This is just one of those maintenance things you have to do living here because of the climate," I explained while pressure-washing our concrete patios. It wasn't glamorous, but it was real. And real turned out to be exactly what people needed.

Cooking from the Heart

When restaurants closed and ingredients became harder to find, we pivoted to something Shayna and I had always loved: cooking. But these weren't just recipe videos - they were cultural bridges.

"If you're moving down here, you're buying a barbecue, propane is different here," I explained while making Cajun pork tenderloin, turning a simple cooking video into a practical guide for future expats. "You don't buy a tank and then take it to the gas station to refill it. You actually buy the tank full and then when it's empty, you take it back and exchange it."

Every recipe became a lesson in Costa Rican life. When we made Thai curry using lime zest instead of kaffir lime leaves, it showed how to adapt international cuisine with local ingredients. When we grilled corn and made gallo pinto, we shared the cultural context that makes these foods special.

Street Food Adventures

Before travel was limited, we found fun ways to explore. "Today we're just walking around Sámara, I'm going to show you the different street foods and drinks that you can get when you're visiting a little beach town in Costa Rica," became the opening to one of our most helpful videos.

We introduced you to the ceviche guy, the solar-powered blue zone coffee bike, and the street meat vendor by the soccer field. These weren't just food reviews - they were introductions to the real Costa Rica, the one you discover when you live somewhere instead of just visiting.

Building Dreams Next Door

While the world was shutting down, we were building up. The container home project for Behdad and Michelle became a symbol of moving forward when everything felt stuck.

"Good morning, it's Leo's daughter's birthday today so he's not here," I announced on what should have been a routine construction update. But that perfectly captured what made our build series different - it was never just about construction. It was about community, about how life continues even during the most challenging times.

Every week brought new progress and new challenges. Leo and Alexis worked through pandemic restrictions, supply chain issues, and the normal complications of turning shipping containers into homes. We documented it all - the mudding process, the electrical work, the problem-solving that goes into any major construction project.

"They got the doors all framed out now for the extensions on the bedrooms," I noted, watching our friends' dreams literally take shape next door. "Like our house," I added, because that's what this was really about - creating a community where friends could live close enough to share adventures but far enough to have their own space.

The Consultation Revolution

Perhaps the most significant change came from an unexpected source: our comment sections. People weren't just watching our videos for entertainment anymore - they were using them as research for their own Costa Rica moves.

"We've had a few people ask us about pricing," I mentioned in one video, explaining why we didn't include specific costs. "We want our videos to be a little more timeless since pricing can change over time. We don't want to misinform people."

This led to something new: one-on-one consultations via Zoom. Suddenly, we weren't just sharing our experience publicly - we were helping people privately navigate the complex process of international relocation.

Each consultation was different. Some people wanted to know about residency requirements. Others needed help understanding the real estate market. Many just wanted to talk to someone who had actually made the move and could offer honest advice about both the challenges and the rewards.

Food Expeditions and Cultural Deep Dives

When we could travel again, our adventures had a different focus. The hunt for chifrijo became an epic quest that took us from local sodas to remote mountain restaurants.

"We're on the hunt for chifrijo and Shayna loves it, I love it, it's like a good meal," I explained as we headed to a restaurant that apparently had "one of the only places that does around the area."

But the real discovery came in Nicoya, where Gary introduced us to the chicharron master - a guy who goes through six pigs a day making what might be the perfect crispy pork. "There's no phone number, no website, no hours, so we're hoping it's open today," perfectly captured the spirit of authentic Costa Rican food culture.

These food adventures became cultural education. When we finally learned to make chifrijo ourselves at La Catrina restaurant, it wasn't just about the recipe - it was about understanding how Costa Rican social traditions revolve around sharing food and creating community.

Mountain Mornings and Perspective

Some of our most powerful content came from the quietest moments. The sunrise expedition to Chris's mountain retreat showed a different side of Costa Rica - and ourselves.

"I' haven't been up this early in a while," I admitted at 5 AM, but the pre-dawn drive through winding mountain roads led to one of our most beautiful time-lapse sequences and a reminder of why we'd fallen in love with this country in the first place.

Standing on that mountain as the sun rose over the valley, with Sámara visible far below, provided perspective that went beyond the visual. Even during a pandemic, even when plans changed daily, Costa Rica continued to offer moments of pure magic.

Urban Explorations: Proving Costa Rica's Diversity

When people think of Costa Rica, they usually picture beaches and rainforests. Our 2020 city adventures showed them something different: a modern, sophisticated urban landscape that rivals any capital city.

"If you guys are new to the channel and don't know, we do have these vacation rentals," I mentioned while showing the amenities at the brand-new Hilton Garden Inn in Santa Ana. But the real message was bigger: Costa Rica isn't just a tropical paradise - it's a fully developed country with world-class infrastructure.

Our mall tours at Escazús Multi Plaza weren't just shopping expeditions - they were proof that you don't have to sacrifice modern conveniences to live in paradise. "Yeah, you can get like pretty much everything just in this one store," I noted while walking through Siman department store.

The Brazilian barbecue dinner at Fogo, high in the mountains above Escazú with city lights stretching to the horizon, captured something essential about Costa Rican life: the ability to experience world-class sophistication and natural beauty within the same day.

Christmas Spirit in Challenging Times

Perhaps our most heartwarming content came at year's end, when we decorated our car and ATV with Christmas lights and drove around Sámara distributing candy canes.

"We're gonna go around Sámara and have a little Christmas joy to take out 2020," I announced, wearing a springy Christmas hat that probably looked ridiculous but felt absolutely right.

Not everyone was comfortable taking candy from strangers during a pandemic, and we understood that. But for those who embraced the gesture, the smiles were genuine and infectious. "Some people were super excited about it and some people were like no, don't give me a candy cane," I noted afterward.

It perfectly captured the spirit of what we'd learned in 2020: you keep trying to spread joy and build community, even when the world gives you plenty of reasons not to.

Technical Evolution

Behind the scenes, 2020 also marked a technical evolution. "Good morning, so this is the first video of a daily vlog this week, we haven't done this yet," I said, experimenting with new formats that would become staples.

We started filming some stuff in 4K for those with compatible TVs. We experimented with different editing styles. We learned to balance showing the beautiful with showing the practical. Most importantly, we learned that our audience didn't just want to see Costa Rica - they wanted to understand it.

The New Normal

By year's end, we'd transformed from travel vloggers into something more complex: cultural ambassadors, practical advisors, and real-time documentarians of expat life during a global crisis.

"Hope you guys enjoyed the video, if you did leave a thumbs up," became more than a standard outro - it was an invitation to join a community of people who understood that sometimes the best adventures happen when you're forced to slow down and pay attention to where you are rather than where you're going.

The Daily Dufresnes series proved that ordinary life, when lived authentically in an extraordinary place, could be just as engaging as any beach adventure. Our cooking videos showed that food is culture, and culture is connection. Our consultation services demonstrated that helping people achieve their dreams could be just as rewarding as achieving your own.

Looking Forward

As 2020 ended, we weren't the same content creators who had started the year. We'd evolved from entertainers into educators, from adventurers into advisors, from expats into locals who happened to share their experience with the world.

The pandemic that was supposed to limit our adventures had actually expanded them. We'd discovered that Costa Rica wasn't just a beautiful place to live - it was a perfect laboratory for showing how to adapt, how to build community, and how to find joy even when the world seems designed to make that impossible.

Most importantly, we'd learned that our audience wasn't just watching for escapism anymore. They were watching for inspiration, for practical advice, and for proof that it's possible to build the life you want, even when that life looks nothing like what you originally planned.

2020 taught us that the best adventures aren't always about going somewhere new - sometimes they're about discovering new depths in the place you've already chosen to call home.

Experience our complete 2020 transformation through our Season 3: Costa Rica Adventures playlist, where adaptation became adventure and everyday life became extraordinary content that helped thousands of people understand what expat life really looks like when the world gets complicated.