3 Things

While I was brushing my teeth tonight three importatnt things popped into my mind:

1. Kade has already started making his Cristmas list...God help him.
   
2. Avery has been sleeping through the night for a week now (usually from ~9-7) which is very good timing for mom and dad
   
3. I find it very ironic that no one in Costa Rica recycles.  Instead they basically just burn their trash in their front yards.  Al Gore would shit his pants.
   

That's it. Good night.

12 more days in paradise

Well, we only have 12 more days in paradise.  Time really has flown by.  We spent the past weekend on the beach down on the Carribean side near Puerto Viejo.   Both Jen and I spent this morning looking over the lush plants and the blue of the ocean for one last time.  Very sad indeed to be leaving.

But then...

As we were driving home we got pulled over by a transito cop.  Yup.  Apparently they decided to enforce the old "passing in a double yellow line zone" law today.  And that really is funny in CR since only about 1/10th of the roads actually have any lines at all.  But anyway, I got pulled over and expected a small ticket and on our way.  Nope.  Not anymore.  Apparently the police in paradise now think it is appropriate to suspend your drivers license for 6 months for passing in a no passing zone.  Yup.  That's right - they take your license right then and there. (as an aside, I happen to be using my CO drivers license right now seeing as how my CR license has already expired..oops)

Now, being a good self respecting USofA citizen...we just don't sit around in situations like this and take it up the shorts. So I got out of the car and went over to the transito cop's car to have a little side conversation. Apparently if your Spanish suddenly gets a lot better (yeah - usually faking bad spanish gets you off quicker) and you start saying things like "But I am returning to the states and I need my CO licenese" or more importantly "If I paid you the fine right here in cash could I leave with my CO license?" they will magically let you proceed as if the little known law never existed.  Ahhh, the sounds of paradise (can't you just hear the cha-ching of the pretty birds and cute little tree frogs?).

The moral of the story...it's a good thing we are leaving CR.  It used to only hypothetically cost ~$40 to bribe a cop...now it takes hypothetically about $100!  And that my friends is the REAL cost of the recession....fewer tourists means the tourism "tax" gets disproportionately placed onto the few remaining (hey - kind of sounds like the US tax system huh...but that's a whole different kind of fleecing for another day...)

So it looks like we bought a house...

We still have a few more hoops to go before we get the final-final on our MA home...but from here, only the inspection and financing stands in our way.  You can go check it out at:

http://www.redfin.com/MA/Hopkinton/8-Kimball-Rd-01748/home/8553111

This picture was from a few years ago...we plan to get it back to at least this good looking in short order ;-)  The current owner let the landscaping slide a bit (and Jen hates the color - so I suspect I will be painting soon).  We think it also needs some shutters...what do you think?

FYI - there is a link to the floorplan also:  http://www.yourplans.us/kimball8.htm

Tentative closing date:  July 15.

Lo Siento

I know that many of you have been wondering what the heck is up with us...I have failed miserably to keep everyone updated....here is the 5 minute version...I will try to get some pics and details up soon.

1. Joe and Ellen visited us and we went up to Arenal and had a great time (once again) at Los Lagos
   
2. Then we turned around after 1 day at home and headed out to the beach with the Stankos.  We ended up at the Hilton Papagayo which was indeed a very nice place to stay.
3. Then we had to get all of our residancy cards renewed...that was way not fun!  
4. Jen's friend Rory left...heading back to Canada
5. Payton's 3rd Ponyville Birthday Bash
6. The Eesay's left us - heading back to the states
7. Mother's day
8. House hunting trip in MA
9. Bought a new car in MA - Toyota Sienna, to be delivered straight from the factory when we return
10. The family got T-boned by an old lady who decided it would be fun to run a red light...everyone is fine (except that now I have to deal with massive amounts of paperwork)
11. Made an offer on a house in MA - no news yet...

And in the middle of all this we have been trying to coordinate an international one-way relocation (CR-MA), moving our car (NM-MA), moving our home storage (CO-MA) and selling all our CR stuff  (and raising 3 kiddos...one of which is a finicky 3 month year old). 

I am not quite sure if we will make it through all this...we will see.