Finally Have Internet, Thank you ICE

Kurt went into ICE 19 days ago to request that Internet be set up at the house.  The wiring and such was already here as the previous owner had it. So, they basically had to come turn it on, which has to be done in person.  We had about given up on it, and today, they showed up!  Did some work at the street and in the house and VOILA!  Wireless internet.  I can now use my laptop and iPad and hook up everything.  Hooray!  Before we were limited to our phones and this plug we had for one computer.  We are shocked, yet thrilled.

 

 

Headed out after that on a mission to find King Bed Sheets.  Mission accomplished.  We were using a blanket as sheets before and it was annoying.  Sheets on bed, done.  I don't think many people have king sized beds here, because they are a hard size to find.  Stopped at this little store in Tarcoles I read about online as well and found 4 new pieces of art for the house.  FAB place.  Way lower priced than the Jaco stores and better quality and craftsmanship.  They had some amazing doors as well, which Kurt may eventually go get.  We hung the pieces when we got home.

 

 

 

 

 

Hung out at home the bulk of the day, went running and to the gym, but just kinda relaxed.  Did two loads of laundry and hung the clothes outside, which is new for me.  Don't have the dryer hooked up yet, so hanging it outside.  Things dry quickly here!  :).

 

 

Sat outside a lot today as well.  There was a rain shower, and it was sunny through the whole thing, and really pretty to watch.  I was expecting a rainbow, but did not see one.  Sat out there until dark when the mosquitos start to come out.  Really need to buy repellant..............

 

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day.  Thank you to all the military people in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 7--First Week in CR Done!

So, my first week has been busy getting things done around the house, but awesome. I really wonder at this point why I allowed myself to suffer through so many Michigan winters.  Even Florida, California, Hawaii could have been US options that were not as hellacious as Michigan winters............Anyway, to say the least, the weather is absolutely perfect here.  I have really enjoyed wearing sundresses, sunglasses, and flip flops, as well as bathing suits sitting by my pool. 

 

 

Yesterday, I decided to saunter into town myself.  This was the first time I have driven the car since I have been to Costa Rica to live.  I made it just fine.  I had planned on getting a massage, but Sundays in Jaco are still kinda busy and the place I liked was booked (Nazareth), so I instead decided to walk through Jaco and look for some things I needed for the house.  I ended up finding just that. I needed a holder for my spatula, spoons and other larger utensils and found that at a store that sold all mango wood products.  Also found there were two holders for Q-tips and cotton balls in my bathroom.  In another store, I found the perfect covered bowl for my makeup and in another store, a trivet for the kitchen near the stove and a long decorative piece to hold my daily toiletries on.  I like things to be organized and in their place and am slowly getting there.  Stopped at the grocery store in town and got a few things and then headed home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got home and made Kurt lunch (I think he is liking all the meals being made for him and fresh costa Rican food).  I almost have no interest in eating out just because there is so much awesome food here you can make yourself.  Last night, I made fish, but also made grilled radishes, fresh from the farm.  Kurt said they were good and didn't really taste like radishes.  I read they were a good sub for potatoes, so maybe I will have to try them.  Made myself fresh green beans and those were awesome too.  Everything here is so amazing.  Every morning I have been making Kurt breakfast (which we never ate in the States) which generally includes eggs, fruit salad (which I create by cutting up the fresh fruit) and beans or something else.  Today, I made red skinned potatoes grilled. 

 

Some things are harder to find here.  I had the hardest time finding measuring spoons.  Tons of cups, but no spoons.  Also, had a hard time finding mustard until last night trying a newer grocery store. Still looking for crushed pepper (I could only find it in a tiny baggie type thing at the store and I need a container.  We use it a lot.  Also, our washer is HE, and I could not find the right detergent at first, but finally did.

 

Trash is weird here too.  Most people burn the paper products in their yard.  The rest, at least in my neighborhood, is bagged, and put in these bins on the side of the road.  But, they are open air bins of the ground.  You would think animals and bugs would get in them, but for some reason, they don't.  So odd.  So, when we have a bag, we simply take it there in the car on our way into town. 

 

I also have to get used to the new holidays.  In the States today, it's Memorial Day, but obviously, it's not Memorial Day here.  I need to get a calendar so I know the holidays here!  :).

 

We found someone to service our pool (meaning, comes once a week to put the correct chemicals in and clean it).  Eventually we may do that ourselves, but since neither one of us has ever owned a pool, we want it done right until we can figure it out.  The net is here so I have been cleaning it out once a day as well to keep leaves and bugs out.  Midas likes to help me do that. And then he takes a nap, because it is hard work!  My sweetie.  Love him.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is me with a machete. I am supposed to look terrified.  I think I am more just excited to hold a machete.  LOL. Everyone uses them here for yard work.  The guys are pretty incredible with how well they use them to do stuff. They get stuff done more quickly then guys in the US who use power tools.

 

 

The guys for the Internet are finally here.  I have serious doubts it will be hooked up though, LOL.  But fingers crossed!  Kurt has not had the best luck with them yet.  They start, leave, don't come back, say they will be back, aren't.  But, they seem to be doing something.  I will keep ya posted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6--Date Night

Our custom made outdoor red chairs were delivered yesterday morning.  They are gorgeous.  Love them on the front porch with the rockers.  Talked to the guys who delivered them about building a storage unit for the bathroom and a bed for the guest room.  They are going to get back to us the price and time frame. 



Went to another furniture store in Jaco that I did not like. Everything was wicker and made in Mexico, which was odd to me.  I would rather buy stuff locally made.  Got Kurt a saw at the hardware store and a staple remover he needed. 

 

 

Decided to go into town for dinner after the gym.  Wanted to go to Bohio's but we drove down there and it was not open, which was odd.  Hoping they are not closed down.  Went back into the main strip and went to Caliche's Wishbone, which is a place I really like.  Had a mahi burrito and Kurt had a veggie rice bowl.  Went for gelato after that and had tiramisu gelato that was amazing.  Awesome night out.  Bought a hammock, clock and napkin holder while out as well.  Hammock shall be put between posts on the front porch soon and pictures later!  :).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 in Paradise

Woke up this morning and headed to the Jaco Farmer's Market which was awesome.  Kurt got a blackberry pie and a gallon of orange juice (freshly squeezed in front of us), then we got a variety of fruits and veggies as well.  I bought a passionfruit and tried it tonight and OMG.  Amazing.  I need to buy more of those next time.  It's like eating candy.  I need to buy more of those.  We also used one of the nectarines to make Kurt a smoothie, and he had some apples today as well.  Everything awesome and fresh from the local farms.



Came back to the house after the market and the guy to work on our lawn came over.  He worked all day, mowing the lawn and working on trimming our massively over grown bushes.  He did an amazing job. He is coming back tomorrow to do more.  A pool guy came over today as well to quote us a price on servicing the pool, but we are thinking about if we want to hire that out or not.  He is coming next week to clean our our AC units.

 

After that, more furniture was delivered by Monge.  We got a new frig, since ours was way too big for the space and the ice maker was broken.  New one is kinda small, but it is all we need since we are going to keep the other one outside anyway at the pool area once that is done.  We can store drinks in the bigger one, and food in the smaller one.  I almost don't even need cupboard space since I am eating nothing processed at all here though.  Speaking of cabinets, the cabinet guy came today as well.  The previous owner only has half the cabinets built in the kitchen, so the guy that built the first ones is building the second for us.  Those should be done soon too. We also got two new couches since the ones left here were kind of disgusting and old and a dryer.  I think Kurt is going to hook up the washer and dryer tomorrow.



I made black beans on the stove today for the first time and they turned out great.  I made a LOT by accident, but will just make them with every meal until they are gone.  So much better for you not buying them canned.

The house is really coming along now.  I am really excited for me other outside chairs to be delivered tomorrow (hopefully).  It would be nice if ICE ever showed up at my house to set up my WIFI, but it is what it is.  We have internet on one computer and on our phones so we survive.

Tomorrow, I plan on going on a different run by the house.  If you go the opposite way of where I usually run, I guess there is a trail up into the rain forest and monkeys and other birds are up there.  I am hoping to see some more wildlife.  Today, I was excited to see a motmot in the backyard and what I think was some kind of parakeet in the front yard.  There are a ton of butterflies around the front porch too.  I have seen our toucan once since we have moved in.  It's hard though as they hang out in the back yard and we are always in the front.

Went to the gym tonight and ran this morning, followed by a dip in the pool.  I love following up a workout with a swim!  :).

Midas is really worn out.  Our friend RJ came over for a bit today with his two Yorkies and Midas played a LOT with them.  He is now exhausted.  It's pretty cute.  XXOO.

Pura Vida.

 

 

 

Day 4--Bed Delivery, Gym, Dryer, Art work and More

The day started off with me going for a run and quick swim in the pool.  Since Kurt fell trail running yesterday, he skipped out since his leg kinda hurt from the cuts.  Wuss.  :)

After that, the people came with our new bed and put it together.  It is gorgeous.  I love it.  Went into town after that to the bank to cash in some money we needed to, and stopped at a place where we can open a PO Box.  They gave us an email address to put the request in at, which I did a little bit ago.  Hopefully they respond, as I need to order some things from the States and can't right now with no mailing address.



Went into downtown Jaco after that to look for some art work and order our clothes dryer.  Found some more pieces of art, and ordered the dryer.  That, our new frig and two couches are being delivered tomorrow some time between 11-3/.  Blocks of time, just like the US!  Ha.  Stopped at the grocery store, then came home for a while.



Worked on hanging the art work, and then decided to relax and head out so I could check out the gym for the first time.  Did a light workout, some abs, free weights and biking.  Can't wait to buy a bike so I can bike outside and not in a gym.  But until Kurt gets me some free weights, I like the gym for weight workouts.  Kinda busy and hot in there though.

Made dinner, this time adding in corn on the cob, which Kurt says was good.  I had fish, rice and fresh eggs, Kurt had the corn instead of the rice since I only had one serving left.  All was good.

Tomorrow I am excited to check out the farmers market in the morning!

PURA VIDA.

 

 

 

Day 3--Furniture Shopping in Sarchi and Meeting a Neighbor

We got up and decided to head to Sarchi to look for some furniture since we were not having a lot of luck in Jaco.  Sarchi was .about 1.5 hours from the house, kinda towards San Jose.  Anyway HOLY furniture stores!  This little town had about 100 furniture stores (or it seemed).  All handmade, local wood, gorgeous stuff.  I was seriously overwhelmed.  I really wanted rocking chairs.



We ended up buying a king size bed that is being delivered tomorrow, two fabric/cushion chairs on wood bases that are being delivered Friday or Saturday and being custom made for us, two rocking chairs with hand paintings of different costa rican birds, two bar stools for the kitchen as the ones the previous owner left were not attractive......We still need some other things, but that was a good start.  We still need a guest bedroom bed and mattress, and something for Kurt's clothes for our bedroom (like an armoire or dresser). Would also like some outdoor tables, but did not see exactly what I wanted so I will wait.    The prices were insanely cheap and the quality is the best I have ever seen. 

 

 

 

Came back and our neighbor, an American, who Kurt had met someone via facebook before I got here came over with his two Yorkies and a friend of his who does yard work.  Kurt is hiring him to do some things around the property.  The cost is about 1/3 of what we paid someone in the US to do the work, so that is awesome.  Can't wait for some landscaping and other stuff to be done as the last owner kinda let the landscaping go, even though he did mow the lawn.  We are having the lawn sprayed for ants and ticks and the like, he is then mowing it.  Then doing a lot of trimming of the bushes around the yard and hauling away of trash the former owner left in the yard.



Made dinner at home again, same meal as yesterday, it was super good.  Finished up that batch of fish, so I need to make another batch of something tomorrow. 

Went on a run tonight instead of in the morning and jumped in the pool after that to cool down, which was nice.  Midas came on the first step of the pool with me, I don't think it will be long before he is swimming with me and becomes a little water boy.  :). He is hilarious.



Another perfect day in Costa Rica.  Can't wait for stuff to start being delivered so I can start making this place more of my own.  I am already loving the front porch and that is with limited stuff done.

Tomorrow, we are looking into getting a PO box, and then probably hanging around the house.  Can't wait.  Pura Vida!

 

Day One/Two of my New Life

Woke up pretty early, which I guess is the norm here.  Sun comes up around 530 AM, so the pugs are ready to get up around then too, LOL.  I think we actually got up around 700 AM.  However, weirdly, I don't even really care what time it is here. 

Kurt started pulling all the luggage and bags in the house and I started unpacking it all.  Clothing, electronics, shoes, toiletries, jewelry, etc.  There are literally no closets in this house, so Kurt is going to turn one of the bedrooms into a huge closet vanity and storage area for us.  Right now, my clothes are separated on the floor in piles-dresses, skirts, shirts, shorts, undergarments, workout clothes, shoes.  Oddly organized.  Put all toiletries away in bathroom and jewelry is still in bags in a bookcase, need to organize that as well.



After all that, we decided to head into town to buy the most important item of the day, a mattress.  Went to bed/mattress store and bought a king sized mattress.  Could not find a bed I liked.  Still have not, so for now, we are sleeping the mattress on the floor until I find what I want or have Kurt build it.  Or hire someone to do it.  There is a guy building us the rest of our kitchen cabinets since they were only half done, maybe I can hire him to do something.  He makes all custom stuff and it's beautiful.  Anyway, also bought a new pillow and am teal bedspread.  Kurt was hungry, so we stopped for lunch at Mono Verde, where we bought had some appetizers that were incredible.  Awesome place.  After that, we headed to a store in town called Monge that sells electronics and furniture.  We bought a washer, as we don't have one.  Brought that home in the SUV.  Went back and bought two red couches as well as a refrig which will be delivered this week sometime.  After that, we went to the grocery store to buy some necessities for the house.  That night, we went and walked around downtown Jaco.  I bought an adorable sign for the front porch that says Pura Vida and has turtles on it, as well as an awesome painting by a local artist of two sloths that Kurt is going to hang soon.  Kurt had a milkshake and we came home and I made some rice for dinner.  Bed after that.

Slept much better on a mattress, LOL.  Woke up early again and decided to go for a run in my neighborhood with Kurt.  Went around 1.5 Miles as Kurt has not run in a long time and was getting tired because of the heat and just needing to build his endurance up again. It was still a nice run though.  We decided to head into town to pay the amount owing at Monge (they would only let us pay half on day one for whatever reason) and then Kurt had breakfast at The Coffee Shop, which is our friend Dean's fav place to eat in Jaco.  Left there, and headed to Escazu to go to the Costa Rican Lowe's called EPA and to Walmart.  Kurt needed a lawn mower desperately.  Found that and bought some other odds and ends there.  Then, went to Walmart and bought a ton of household and kitchen items.  It's weird because in MI I had everything I needed and here, have to buy everything. You don't even think about everything you use until you don't have it, LOL.  Bought two lounge chairs for outside and tested those out tonight and they are awesome.  Came home and unpacked everything and got it all set up.  Then made my first Costa Rican dinner of fresh tilapia, fresh eggs, and rice.  Ate it on the front porch and then chilled at the pool for a bit with Midas.  He just loves being outside.

Oh, I got my cell phone set up today as well at ICE.  So, I now have an iPhone 5s that can receive/send calls and texts and hook to internet, which is nice.  If you need Kurt or my numbers, just let me know.

My goal down here is to eat as little processed food as possible.  At the grocery store, I seriously would not even pick up anything in a package. Kurt bought some chips, and I think that was the worst thing we bought.  They have a fish market here I really want to go to soon, and on Fridays a veggie and fruit market. 

Kurt was exhausted after dinner and has been sleeping on the couch ever since.  I decided to take this time to catch up on my blogging.

Tomorrow, we are hoping to get a PO box here for mail.  Kurt is also hoping to mow the lawn.  We need to go back to Monge and buy a dryer, two bikes, and a grill.  I also want to get some more art work for then house, but that is not something we have to do immediately.  The owner left a couple pieces, I am just not crazy about them.  Will leave them up until I find what I want.

Anyway, I am getting tired now, so I am going to sign off.  I promise to post more pics of the house and area soon, just have been so busy getting the house set up and ready.

Hope everyone is doing well!  PURA VIDA.

 

 

 

 

Getting to Costa Rica

I am here!  And so happy to see my family.

The journey down here was long and exhausting.  It started on 5/18, with Ron picking me up from the house at 945 AM.  Loaded my 10 suitcases, 1 backpack, 1 camera bag, and purse into his truck and got to the Delta part of the airport.  Unloaded the suitcases.  Went to the counter to check in outside and was told that I had to go to another part of the airport and check in at Special Services because of the cat.  Begged the guy to help me, and he put my luggage onto a cart and took me to where I needed to go.  Waited in line there a bit.  The lady started checking me in, but then told me I could not leave the US one way without proving I had a return ticket. What the heck.  Now the US is trying to force us to come back when they tell us to?  Bought a ticket back to Atlanta for around the time of Ron and Erika's wedding in case I end up doing that.  Checked all my bags, paid for Lucie's airfare (an additional $125 to mine) and finally, headed to the security line.  Once there, they wanted me to take Lucie out of the bag and put her bag through security.  I asked if there was any other way as she was really nervous and I was concerned she would run away and be scared.  So, they let me go in this office type room and they searched her carrier in there.  Thank God.  Got done there, and we headed for our gate.  We were pretty early even after all the waits, so I settled in.  Mel's son, Drew, works at the airport now and he came to chat with me for a while, so that was nice.  Flight boarded on time and we were off to Atlanta.  Lucie was good on the flight, she only meowed a couple times.  Landed, and Lucie and I realized we had to walk a LONG way to our connecting flight.   We were in A and had to be in E.  So, we grabbed the tram and headed over.  Got there and had a wait, but this flight boarded on time as well.  Lucie did good in the second flight as well.  Slept most of it, and meowed some at the end, but I don't think anyone even noticed.

Landed in Costa Rica and went quickly through step one of customs.  Went to get luggage and hired a guy to help me with that.  Headed to the next step, where the luggage goes through a detector and they looked at Lucie's papers.  That went fine.  Then, they chose me to search my luggage.  Guy started looking at the bags & stopped after three. I think he got sick of sifting through bikinis and sundresses HAHA.  Next, headed outside where I was going to look for Kurt, but he was already looking for me.  Yay.  Hugged him and headed to the car were my bags BARELY fit, LOL.  Drove to Jaco in about 1.15.  Got there and I was starving after not eating much the entire day, so Kurt took me to a 24 hour place called Jaco Taco.  Had an amazing mahi burrito and then headed home.  The pugs seemed realllllly confused to see me, LOL.  But happy.  Went to bed right away before unpacking as I was zonked.  Had to sleep on this horrible air mattress that Kurt did not have pumped up enough.  First thing on my agenda, a MATTRESS. 

Anyway, what a journey.  I am very thankful that I made it here so easily and did not have many headaches.  It was pretty stressful for me travelling with a pet, always worrying how she was doing and having the extra stuff to carry around.  Glad I don't have to do that again. 

More on what I have been doing since we have been here in my next post........

Newest Member of the State Bar

This morning, Kory was sworn in as a member of the State Bar by Judge Connie Kelley in Wayne County Circuit Court.  It was a super nice ceremony and Judge Kelley made it really personable.  I loved it.  Ron was able to come to take pictures, Jennifer made it, and Angie got done with her hearing just in time to make it.  We are ran into a few other attorney friends while down there.

Here are some pics from the event:

Congrats Kory!

The Bar Results Are In and..........

Kory passed!  He got his results on Friday at around 300 PM.  Awesome news. I am taking him to be sworn in tomorrow in Wayne County.  He will be doing hearings the next day!  Yay!  I am bringing my camera, so hopefully I have pics from that event soon.



Had dinner with Rebecca and Lesley at Howe's Bayou in Ferndale this week.  It was super nice to see both of them and my soup was awesome.  Salad was good as well.  Drive to Oakland County was annoying in rush hour traffic, as usual.  Glad I never have to do that drive again.

Friday night, I had an awesome dinner at Crave in Dearborn with Ron and Erika.  Food was super yummy and the company even better.  I had the gem roll, a California roll spicy and miso soup.  All superb.



I ran a million errands this weekend and did some more packing.  Booked Dean's flight home as well for Monday.  Kurt will be alone for the first time after he drops Dean off on Monday, so he is really wanting me there. Bought some new earrings on super clearance while out.  I love them.  They have a screw back so I can be sure to not lose them in costa rica while doing tons of outdoor stuff.

I have to take Lucie in to the travel vet this week after Tuesday since she is out of town until then.  Then, I have to drive to Lansing to get the approval docs for Lucie to leave the country and enter Costa Rica.  Have to get some stuff done with the State in relation to the firm and bank accounts, etc.  Lots to do this week.  On top of lots of hearings at the office.

I did book my flight out of here though for Sunday at 145 PM.  Ron and his truck are taking me to the airport.  I think I am going to have a lot of stuff, like 8 suitcases and several carry ons.  Flying with Lucie first class, as I thought it would be easier for her to be around less people since she has to go in a carrier and everything.

Pic below is one Kurt texted me of Bugsy lying by the pool at our house. My indoor car apparently likes the outdoors now, especially the pool.  Too funny.

 

Suspense

Kory got notice today that bar results were mailed today, meaning he should have them tomorrow!

Once he gets those, I can start the process to move.  I cannot wait. I miss my family a lot.  Sounds like Kurt is getting a lot of things done though, so it will be less for me to figure out once I get there. 

I have so much to do once he does get his results though.  Have to within 10 days of leaving take Lucie in for her last appointment and get her approval documents from Lansing for customs in Costa Rica.  I have to get Kory sworn in at federal court and circuit and help him get things situated with the firm before I leave.

Was supposed to get a pedicure with Nancy tonight but she did not get my email and didn't make it.  I went anyway, and it was nice to relax. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow with Rebecca and Lesley in Ferndale.

In Da House! The Jaco House

Kurt moved into the Jaco house on Sunday around 200 PM.  Yay!  The pugs were excited to run around the yard and explore their new place. I am relieved he is there and things are going well.  He is now in the process of obtaining a cell phone, getting utilities switched into his name, and getting internet and satellite TV set up.  I have only been able to talk to him sporadically online and on the phone.  His one travel companion went home today to Florida & the other guy is staying on another week or so.  Oh, and Kurt said there were macaws in our yard today, so that is awesome.  I love macaws.

Last week, a group of women lawyers I am part of had a little going away dinner for me at FishBones in Detroit.  Had a blast seeing everyone and the food, as usual, was amazing.  Great service too.  Angie brought a cupcake cake, and it was super yummy as well.



I left work early today to get a massage.  Then came home to do things around the house. I packed more suitcases.  I was out at the pond feeding the fish, and was excited about 4 Koi I saw playing.  I saw movement in the pond, and looked up to see a goose.  Was then even MORE excited to see 5 baby geese!  They were insanely cute.  I was lucky enough to get some pics of them.  I was a little worried the Mama might attack me.  I don't think she was happy with my presence, but she stayed in the water with the little ones and left me alone.  It made my night.



Had a fabulous weekend.  Friday night, I went to a fundraiser for Paula's house with Ron and Jessica.  Great night with music, auctions, dinner and drinks.  Saturday, my Mom came home to visit and I spent the day shopping with her and having dinner with my family.  Sunday, I had brunch with my Momma, then dinner with my Aunt, Dad, and Carl for my Aunt's bday. 

Trying to keep busy, as it makes me forget how much I miss my husband and my pets.  Lucie is great to have around, but I miss the dogs and Bugsy a lot.  Boo.

Cannot wait for Kory to get his bar results so I can start planning my next steps.

  

 

 

 

Kurt's Blog and Trip Update

For those of you who are interested in following Kurt's journey to Costa Rica and his thoughts on living there, you can follow his new blog at: costaricakurt.BlogSpot.com.  We are also keeping this blog running, but it will mostly be my separate blog going forward!

For a quick update, Kurt left for Costa Rica on 4/24 at 600 PM and arrived tonight at 1000 PM in Jaco.  About a day earlier than expected.  Him and his travel partners, Barney and Dean, have checked into two separate hotels in Jaco.  Jaco is very busy right now and they could not find two rooms at one hotel that accepted pets.  The dogs and Bugsy are doing well, but Kurt can tell they really want to stop travelling and relax in one location.  Kurt will be going to the house tomorrow morning to check how it is doing and work out transferring utilities with the old owner who still resides there as our temp caretaker.  He has lived there and taken care of the property since we left.

Anyway, Kurt's blog details the journey from Newport, MI, to Jaco, Costa Rica.  He has be without Internet for some time, so he will update more once he is connected back up.

Next step now is me and Lucie starting our journey down there.  We are finishing up selling some stuff and getting the office ready for our departure as well as packing. No set date yet since we have to wait for Kory to get his bar results.

Pura Vida!

Moving Prep

Since my last post, we have a done a TON to prep for the move. We had a huge moving sale, where we sold the bulk of our furniture and a lot of other things.  We have donated a lot of winter clothes, given some stuff away, and I helped my Dad furnish some of his house with decorations since he had not much of anything in his house after my Grama died and the bulk of it was cleaned out.  It was crazy how many people showed to the moving sale.  It was 8-4 Friday and Saturday and on Friday, people were showing up to the house at 715 AM before I was even dressed.



We had a nice Easter weekend.  Friday, we left work early and went to Pinconning to visit Kurt's Grama, Mom, two sisters and niece.  We had dinner out, it was really nice to see everyone.  Kurt's Grama really needs some in-home care, she is kind of slowly losing her mind.  She thinks there is a family living in her house (ghosts).  I am scared she is going to burn the house down.  But, the family won't force her to have in home care or go to an assisted living because "she does not want to".  Sigh.  Nothing I can do about it, but I have a bad feeling she is going to hurt herself at some point.  Thank God she can't drive any longer.  Saturday, we went to my Dad's house in Canton and had dinner with the family. Got to see my two Aunts, my Dad, and my sister and her family.  Really nice day.



It was SO nice out here today.  I decided to work out outside in the driveway, just because I wanted to be outside.  Beautiful out.  I did jump rope and lunges for over an hour waiting for Kurt to get home from mediation.  He was there until 700 PM, ugh.

Kurt has planned out his route for getting to Costa Rica. I booked his first three hotel stays in Terre Haute, some city in Oklahoma and Laredo Texas.  Feels so close now. 

 

Had Kurt's going away party at Ron and Erika's, and that was a blast.  Huge turnout and a super awesome time.  My Mom and Ronnie were able to come down, and it was a great party, as usual.  Also went to Tigers opening day, with the tickets that Art Brand sold me.  Erika's Ohio wedding shower was this month as well, and I had a great time at that hanging out with Megan.  :).

Looking forward to booking my plane ticket with Lucie to Costa Rica. Not sure when that will be yet, but the sooner the better.

 

Costa Rican Car

What an exhausting day.

Got up super early to drive to Cuyahoga Falls, OH, to buy our new car for Costa Rica.  Had to go to the bank there first to get a cashiers check and deposit money to get this check.  A simply transaction ended up taking an hour as they could not figure out the transaction since I was getting a check made out from me and not the business to the dealership.  Super frustrating.  We then got to the dealership (finally) and that transaction seemed to take much longer than necessary as well, but finally, drove off with our new Nissan Xterra.  Stopped for lunch at a local Mexican place in Akron that was super yummy, and then drove all the way back home and to the office to briefly check in.  Check out the Meixcan place here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/rancheros-taqueria-akron.  I had the fish burrito lunch special and it was amazing.  Service was also spectacular and friendly.

Was insanely exhausted after all that.  Ugh.  Glad it's done now.  The problem is, Kurt is now ready to load up the car and leave NOW.  LOL.

Came home, fed my birds and outside animals and as we came in, three gorgeous deer sauntered into the yard.  That kind of stuff makes me SOOOO relaxed and happy to see.  They were just stunning, and it was so nice to stand and watch them saunter around and eat the veggies Kurt leaves out for them that my Aunt is always giving  us when her stuff goes bad.

Even though I was dead tired, I went to the gym and biked 12 miles.  Had no energy to do any more than that, but was glad I made myself do that!  Doing laundry now and trying to catch it up before I leave on Friday night for Florida.

Kurt spoke on two radio shows this week, here is the link to one of them with Jack Blood:
http://deadlinelive.info/2014/03/19/jack-blood-interviews-underwear-bomber-eyewitness-kurt-haskell/.  I love how he always says whatever he wants and is never politically correct.

Kurt bought a new supplement at GNC and he did not like it, but told me he thought I would.  I tried it and so far, love it.  I take it about 20 minutes before I work out.  It is ACG3, click here to see: http://www.gnc.com/NDS-PMD-ACG3-Charged-Blue-Razz/product.jsp?productId=25041546.  Anyway, it gives me energy after a long day of work when I dont feel like working out.  Highly recommend.

Update

Wow!  My last post was about not drinking caffeine, and I have not drank it since.  It was not a hard process at all.  I still crave it sometimes when I am tired, but I have avoided it.  Yay!

So, we have so much going on.  Tomorrow morning, we are heading out early to Ohio to buy our vehicle for Costa Rica.  We are buying a Nissan Xterra.  It is the best choice for us for Costa Rica.  Cannot wait to have that.  We are then going to renew our passports in Detroit at this place that does expedited passport renewal.

Kurt is planning on leaving April 24.  He has two friends going with me after his brother annoyingly backed out on him at the last minute, which I am still annoyed about.    Don't promise to do something and then back out because "your girlfriend won't let you go".  Either ask her first, or tell her no since you promised your brother months ago.  Whatever on that.  I plan on leaving in May, sometime after Kory gets his (hopefully passing) bar results and the office is running smoothly.  I will fly down with Lucie, and Kurt is driving the rest of the animals as they cannot fly since Pugs and Persians have a high death rate with being on planes.  He thinks the drive will take around 10 days, and he has to pass over many country borders, which will cause some delays.

So, the past few months have been busy to say the least.  Trying to sell everything in the house is going well.  The Saab sold and it going to be gone next week.  Only car left is the Porsche now.  We have had some people come look at the land next door and I think they will sell come Spring, since nobody builds in winter, especially this winter.

My Mom and I are going to Florida this weekend to visit my Grama and we have tickets to a Tigers game at the Blue Jays Florida Stadium.  Can't wait for that.  We will most likely eat at sweet tomatoes and Olive Garden as well since those are my grama's favs.  :).  Plan on running every morning and spending time at the pool.  It will be nice just to be outside & see the sun.

Went to a St Patrick's Party this past weekend at our friend Ron's house.  Super fun, as usual.  We all wore green, and had a blast.  Ate too much as usual, but you only live once......Had dinner at the Twisted Rooster with Auntie and my Dad on Sunday night which was nice.

I started using this awesome new machine at the gym, a stair climbing kinda thing.  Anyway, I freaking love it.  I work up a sweat far more than running and burn off calories twice as fast.  I have been doing it at least a couple times a week and I have gotten better and better with my times and climb.

Midas was fixed and had a nose procedure done last Friday.  We had to drop him off in the AM and pick him up Saturday AM.  He came home acting like NOTHING had been done to him.  I can't believe how fast he got better from surgery.  They told us he had to rest for a week.  Good luck with that with a puppy.  He is having none of that.  He wanted to play from the second we got home.  LOL.  Glad to have him home, hyper as usual!  XXOO.

So, that's my update for now.  Hope everyone is doing well.