While Grayson visited with Paw-paw Kilon and I packed our remaining clothes and necessities into suitcases. The items that didn’t fit into suitcases were disposed of or donated. We were able to get it down to 4 suitcases (1 for me, 1 for Kilon, 1 small suitcase for Grayson, 1 for toys). We will live out of suitcases until our container is delivered…probably some time in September. The house closed on July 31st. There was a little drama the night before and the day of the closing, but it was minor and we survived! Tom Burnett was nice enough to book [View Full Entry]

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We had to decide what we would do with “our stuff”. This was not an easy decision. Most of the feedback we had received from people living in Costa Rica was to sell everything and buy new in Costa Rica. After much consideration we decided it would be best to have familiar objects around us. It will be hard enough to adjust to a different culture/life and maybe “our stuff” would make the transition a bit easier (this was to amuse Grayson and myself). Kilon did all the research and organization to make the move happen. I did contribute to the [View Full Entry]

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My in-law’s arrived from Indonesia. The first part of their trip was spent in PA. My father-in-law was sick so we weren’t sure if he would make the trip to Charlotte, but he was a trooper and managed. The original plan was to bring Grandma Minnie from PA to Charlotte, but we found out upon their arrival that Minnie was sick as well and unable to make the trip. They arrived at our house on July 1st. Luckily, the main part of the house remained assembled because our concentration had been on organizing and packing the garage. It was great to [View Full Entry]

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We decided to sell the car first. We wanted the trucks to haul items around if needed. So, the Audi A6 listed first. A young gentleman came to look at the car on June 23rd (day of Grayson’s party) and purchased the car. It was a long day for Kilon. Most of Saturday afternoon was spent running around with the new car owner (getting the car checked and finding a notary). The mechanic told him it was like new and he should buy it. I think the word new may have been a stretch but it was in nice shape. The [View Full Entry]

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Grayson’s birthday is July 11th, but we decided to have Grayson’s birthday party on June 23rd. We explained why we were having his party early but not sure he understood. He kept telling everyone he was just “having a celebration” and “I’m not 4 yet”. Grayson wanted a dinosaur party theme. It was great…. Grayson and I were able to shop together for the party supplies! Grayson’s imagination about his birthday party theme had me in stitches. He was able to clearly communicate his birthday cake design at the bakery. This was a new ex [View Full Entry]

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We completed the application for Blue Valley School and emailed it June 4th. We also had to write a few paragraphs describing our child. This was actually fun. We were informed on June 8th that Grayson would be part of the Blue Valley Family! YAHOOO! Included in the acceptance was a request for the admission fee to be wired to Interfin (their bank in CR). Grayson doesn’t understand that Blue Valley is located in another country. He just thinks it’s a trip down the road. He also continued to proudly tell anyone who asked “my school is Pritchard”. [View Full Entry]

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The documentation consisted of: birth certificates, marriage certificates, and a ‘good conduct report’ from CMPD. Once the official documentation was obtained the paperwork had to be mailed to the corresponding secretary of state to verify documents were legal. Then once the secretary of state verified the paperwork we mailed it to the Costa Rican consulate in Washington DC to verify the secretary of state signature. The good conduct report expires after 90 days from the issue date. This is the short and simple version. There were many phone calls, emails, and also a visit [View Full Entry]

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The weeks following we began to mentally process what we would need to transpire for the move. We had more questions than answers. We would need to gather official documentation to apply for residency in Costa Rica. A decision had to be made about what would and would not go to Costa Rica. If we took our belongings which shipping company would we use? What would we do with the cars? Mail? We would need copies of our medical records. We would need to enroll Grayson in school. What to do with remaining properties in the area. What about Grayson’s birthday? [View Full Entry]

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After returning from our extended vacation we made the decision to make a more permanent move to Costa Rica. We felt it would be the best time while we are still young enough to enjoy the adventure (although it seems time is ticking away quickly) and while Grayson is still young enough to adjust. Of course there were many other pros and cons, but basically the above is the plain and simple version. We returned to Charlotte on April 28th and I believe we were speaking with Tom Burnette the first week of May about selling our home. Suddenly we were [View Full Entry]

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This was our last adventure in April that I never posted (shame on me). This is my vote for the best beach town in Costa Rica. The beach isn’t quite as stunning as the Pacific side, but the town itself has a lot of personality and is overall a great hang out! The trip to Puerto Viejo took us through some of the steepest mountains and heroin roads we had seen. After a 4 hour ride on mostly paved roads we arrived at Cariblue in Playa Cocles (just south of Puerto Viejo). Puerto Viejo has a Caribbean blend of spectacular beaches [View Full Entry]

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