Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Happy Holidays!

So, I loved sending out holiday cards in the States.  However, it is not very cost effective here in Costa Rica, and mail takes weeks to the States, so I have decided to do a holiday blog post instead!

So, Kurt and I had a pretty crazy year!  One filled with the most changes I have ever had in a year in our lives, I would say.

Our nephew Kory passed the bar exam and I did his swearing in with the help of Judge Connie Kelley before I left.  Kory then opened Haskell Law Offices, which allowed me to start making the move to get the heck out of Michigan!  Congrats Kory!

Biggest news, our move to Costa Rica!  Kurt arrived in Costa Rica in early May, after driving from Michigan to Costa Rica with the three pugs and Persian cat and two friends (this took him 9 days and he had to drive through the States as well as Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica).  I moved on May 18, flying from Detroit with our other cat.  We have been here since, getting settled in and used to life in a foreign country.  There are pros and cons, but for the most part, we are happier than we have ever been.  Life not working suits us for sure.  :).  We have slowly been making our house our own, by painting and doing work outside to the yard and pool area.  And as we speak, solar is being put in which will eliminate our household bills (no more electric bill, satellite, cell or home internet bills)! Super excited about that.  We have had friends from the states visit twice now, once over Labor Day and another time in early November.  We had a blast showing them around our little Paradise.  Looking for more guests in the future.  The pugs and cats have adjusted well to life here.  They enjoy being able to spend as much time as possible outside.  Our yard is fenced in, so they can play outside any time they want.  The cats spend a lot of time being lazy in the yard, and Lucie loves to look for creatures to stalk.  Luckily, she is not killing anything.  Yet.  We bought two scooters when we first got here and have fun zipping around on those as well.  We have had wildlife encounters in our yard, from toucans in the tree right outside the window, to macaws flying overhead daily, to poisonous snakes in the yard and a scorpion crawling up Kurt's stomach while he was taking a nap right day!  We are in the jungle, that's for sure........

I have been back to the States twice since I left--the first for a fabulous wedding and the second to visit my Maga in Florida with my Mom.  Both visits were nice, and I was able to stock up on things I cannot get in Costa Rica that I like to use here.   Kurt has not been back to the States at all.

I have been having a blast too cooking and taking care of my house here.  Had no time for that in Michigan, but it's so nice to be caught up on laundry, do dishes by hand in the sink, and cook all the time with fresh ingredients.  I try to buy almost nothing in a can or package, if possible.  We buy all our fruits and veggies at a local market on Fridays, and stuff is super cheap.  For example, a pineapple is around 80 cents!  We also enjoy the variety of restaurants in town, and eat out about twice a week.  Once on half off sushi night, and another night some place else. 

We are looking forward to our first full year in Costa Rica!  I hope everyone has an awesome holiday season and safe and happy New Year!  Pura Vida!

PS  We love hearing how everyone is doing, so feel free to write any time!  We can also call the States, so any time you want or need to talk, let me know and I can call you for free!  XXOO

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