Archive for May 2011
The countdown has begun – 20 days!
Posted on: May 31, 2011
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! Today marks 20 days till the The Really Big Adventure begins! Lots of mixed emotions: excited, sad to leave friends, but eager to make new ones, how will the dogs handle the transition, how will we ever get along without our “stuff” till the shipping container arrives…you know, minor things like that.
Cheryl, a friend from many years ago when we lived in Monmouth, IL is going to be my traveling companion; she’ll most likely want to “haul” Sofi and I’ll be handling Oliver. I think as long as they can see me, they’ll be fine on the plane. Anyone that knows these two dogs, know they don’t want me out of their sight for long.
Mark will follow on July 1 with Terri helping him with Derby; anyone that knows Sedona, knows she can be a handful!
Still packing; hopefully, one or two days more in the sewing room and that will be empty; then on to the kitchen; figure I’ll pack clothing last. Gonna be nice not to need seasonal clothing.
I have my appointment with the attorney in Costa Rica to set up a corporation to buy a car. Can you believe that Mark trusted me to go home shopping there and now car buying? LOL Yes, we are taking the Smart car.
Container will arrive on June 28th and then go by rail to Miami and then by ship to Costa Rica. Can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks. WOW!
Off to Cracker Barrel for a breakfast with a friend, Pat.
Now you know the rest of the story…
Posted on: May 5, 2011
- In: dogs | misc. stuff | Travel | Uncategorized
- 2 Comments
Early last fall Mark and I began talking about the possibility of retirement. Knowing we lived high on the hog with traveling, we also had not saved (according to Mark) enough money for retirement. The way things are going in the US, we knew we could never make it on Social Security and savings; this began the quest to find somewhere in the world where we could live.
Both of us grew up in Michigan and it’s a given that we both feel if we want cold and snow, we will go to it, cold and snow does not have to come to us!
Having received numerous emails, etc. regarding retiring outside of the US, we began to look a little more closer at these options.
Traveled to Costa Rica after months of exploring and reading internet “google” sites, and many week-ends at Barnes and Noble going through books, we thought this could be a real possibility.
We absolutely fell in love with Costa Rica! It’s about the size of West Virginia; has no military to fund, cheap taxes, excellent medical care, but most of all any kind of weather you want! We chose the Central Valley to locate because of the weather…65 degrees to 85 degrees year around; no need for furnaces or air conditioning. We must have made a great choice because people are moving there like crazy!
A friend went back to Costa Rica with me to house hunt; we decided if we found a place, it could be a vacation home till Mark reaches full retirement age. Yep, we found a place…small Tico style home about 10 minutes from the center of Atenas. It’s in a gated community.
Decided to go ahead and put the house up for sale because we’ll need to downsize anyway; thinking we’d be lucky if had a nibble or two by next winter; lo and behold, we had a verbal offer within 3 days! This has caused major whiplash for both of us. We requested a 90 day possession and the buyers agreed, another unheard of….now what do we do? Certainly purchasing a smaller house in this market is not on the table so we began the search to rent. Go figure….difficult to find a place with 4 such well behaved dogs as ours.
After much cussing and discussing, sleepless nights, etc., we decided to chuck it and make the move now. Of course, me saying, well, I know where I can live! We have a home that’s paid for in Costa Rica. I told him if he wanted to stay and work till full retirement age, he could rent a place here. Maybe things were happening because it was a sign; I kind of believe in karma and perhaps that’s what this is.
We’re having our 3rd garage sale this week-end; jeez, you accumulate a lot of crap in 43 years of marriage! And of course, it’s all necessary to keep; this has been the hardest thing for me to give up some “stuff”; but I’m working on it; however, my sewing room will be moved with all the crap I’ve got in there!
Yes, all 4 dogs will be moving with us! I have two friends willing to go with me and each be responsibile for a dog; Mark will follow when the shipping container is here, loaded and on it’s way. He’ll be bringing Sedona.
Our life has always been full of adventure and we’re about to begin the biggest one of all….learning Spanish will be a biggie but it’s so much easier to learn when you’re immersed in it. I’ve gone over my conversation with Edgar, the guard at the gate, many times in my head….yep, in Spanish!!! Very proud of myself for thinking ahead on this.
In Costa Rica you own your home in a corporation for tax purposes. Since Mark went there to close the deal, his partner in the corporation is Cynthia Castro, till I get down there and get that changed! LOL And your corporation has to have a name….our’s is named……Sedolsoder…Sed (Sedona), ol (Oliver), so (Sofi) der (Derby). We’ll be having a sign made so when you come to visit, you’ll know you’re at the right place!
Ya’ll come visit, ya’ hear!
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