Ginnie and Dan arrived on Saturday (after battling with a flight cancellation, etc). We celebrated Ginnie’s birthday with a belated Happy Birthday cake. Grayson was really excited to “help” her blow out the candles. We spent the night at the condo and started toward Lake Arenal the next morning. The drive to Lake Arenal was pretty uneventful. The roads were paved most of the way so it was a smooth ride. We did encounter one of the precarious bridges that made Dan and Ginnie shift in their seats a bit (hee-hee). We stopped for a snack at a soda we saw [View Full Entry]

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We visited Grecia which is northwest of San Jose. This farming town has been described as the “cleanest town” in Central America. We met with Randy (a real estate agent we met last October while visiting Costa Rica) and he gave us a tour of Grecia. There are no street names in the towns. Directions are given by landmarks. There were signs on the main road which led us to Grecia and the big red metal church in the center of town was not hard to miss. We were right on time and Randy was gracious enough to offer us a [View Full Entry]

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We know you are expecting to read the adventurous stuff like: surfing, rainforest trips, zip lines, beach outings, national parks and volcano tours. That will not be the case for a few weeks. We are trying to find a place to potentially land for the future and we are creatures of habit so we need to find the things that will keep us and Grayson happy. So hopefully the following will sound sort of like home (minus the crazy driving and language barriers). Had breakfast at Bagelmen's. It was 6:30am and the roads were busy with the morning traffic, but the [View Full Entry]

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Apparently our car hit a drunken bicyclist carrying meat in his pocket and some red sauce used to make mixed drinks. Luckily the car had not been delivered to us yet (Ha-ha-ha). We rented a car from a local (tica) to try and save money (cheaper than Avis). Maribel (tica) arrived Saturday as promised (a bit late.... Costa Rican time), but she delivered the car as discussed. She requested Kilon fill out and sign the contract (which he did). Then she does not get a copy of the contract and we keep the original (go figure). The car turned out to [View Full Entry]

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Saturday: We met 2 Canadian couples by the pool....both have children. Grayson met a little girl, Mckayia. He promptly informed her "I have a girlfriend". (hee-hee). The pool is a big hit with Grayson! We went to a local pizza place (Gino's Pizza) Saturday night. We've made quite a few trips to Auto mercado (local grocery store). We also visited the farmer's open air market yesterday.....fresh fruit and veggies galore. The prices were unbelievable. We got a head of cabbage and a 2 onions for .45!!!! My favorite item.....strawberries.... YUMMY (.75 for a bunch)! We also visit [View Full Entry]

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Yahoo. We left Charlotte, NC at 5 am EST and arrived in Costa Rica at 3:20 pm CST. We flew from Charlotte, NC to Houston, TX, but for some reason they put us on a small jet that had to stop in Mobile, AL to refuel. We had a layover in Houston. We boarded the plane for San Jose and we were told they had to replace something cosmetic on the plane. Another delay while we waited for the parts to be delivered and installed. It was a long day. We were able to get through customs in about 10-15 minutes. [View Full Entry]

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We got a lot accomplishment this past week, but there are still a few things to get organized before Friday. Grayson's last day at pre-school was Friday. My last day at work was Friday as well. I felt an overwhelming sadness my last day at work. I was an emotional wreck.....very excited at the thought of the upcoming weeks, but very sad to leave my co-workers (some I've worked with for 10 years). We were able to find a home for the fish tank so we said good-bye to the eel on Saturday afternoon (Grayson was sound asleep when the fish [View Full Entry]

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One step closer. Most friends and family have been informed of our upcoming adventure. I turned in my notice at work today. Daycare notice has been given as well. My better half has been getting things in order (things I would never think of so I have to give him credit where credit is due.....he's a smart man). 19 days and counting !!!!! [View Full Entry]

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Our first visitors, during the 8 week time frame, have confirmed flight reservations. YAHOO!We are excited to tour Costa Rica with family members. We've been busy making an itinerary. The excursion will include memorable places we've visited along with a few unexplored areas as well (La Fortuna, Lake Arenal and Manuel Antonio). 26 days and counting! [View Full Entry]

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Finally pinpointed a time frame for our 8 week vacation (March 2 - April 27). We found a short-term rental in Santa Ana to call home while continuing to visit different areas in Costa Rica. Santa Ana is in the Central Valley which is very close to hospitals, schools, etc. We are definitely excited to start our adventure! [View Full Entry]

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