Alive & Kicking…

…and stressed beyond belief! While I am not buried in the backyard (though I am sure hubby has been tempted a few times and vice versa) I AM trying to hold it together. I cannot believe we are really doing it – moving out of the country in 19 days! We are both on overload – still working on the house to get it ready to sell, dealing with shutting the remainder of my old business and working on my new one and slowly but surely getting things crossed off The List! Instead of focusing on what is not done yet, which literally wakes me up at night, it will do me good to focus on what we have done… Continue reading »

Where is Nora?

That is the question being asked by some of our regular readers. Nora Schild is moving to Costa Rica… VERY soon… and has been contributing posts detailing her adventure.

The problem is… she has suddenly stopped writing! I have called her home in Missouri and chatted with her husband on several occasions. She is NEVER home! Now this is odd! For a woman only weeks away from the BIG MOVE, she seems to never be in her home!

This makes me wonder if she has been the subject of foul play! Perhaps her husband, driven loco by a woman bent on the expat lifestyle, has done away with her! Perhaps she is buried in the cold, cold Missouri soil behind the house!

Thus, I am making one more plea… Nora? Where are you? If alive, please write or call.

(signed)

Yo

Basset Hounds Get Frequent Flyer Miles

We have been back from California for awhile. Before we left for our trip, I made a list of what we had to start doing. I used the Real Costa Rica suggested list that Tim has online, and edited it to fit our situation. I refer to it simply as The List, many times accompanied with a descriptive expletive, and it is taking on epic proportions. I can’t imagine trying to do this move without it, though. I am feeling overwhelmed today by all we still have to do. Continue reading »

I Heart Colorado

I am home, but wrote this while we were still traveling…

I am writing this from Highway 70, somewhere in Colorado. We have driven through desert and mountains and have seen the best and worst the US has to offer, I think. I will start with LA – which pretty much is the best and worst all rolled into one! My son lives in Ventura, about an hour north of LA on the coast. I like it there, it is beautiful and I love the ocean. The town itself is cool, a little funky and fun right now, but they are trying to make it more upscale like Santa Barbara. I think it will probably be ruined in the process, but I hope not. The downside is that it is not very affordable to live there, at least compared to the Midwest and the weather is cooler than I like.

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A Post from the Road

Well, it has been an eventful week – not much related to our move, though. But I will try and find a connection. I am writing this from California, where we are visiting my son Michael, who is a student there. We flew out and we will be driving his car back to Missouri to get it inspected and licensed, he is flying in next week and driving it back. When he comes home, it will be his last chance to go through the house and rescue what he wants before we sell it all. And that is the segue, I guess – we ARE selling pretty much everything.

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The Countdown Begins…Day 80

Hola! My name is Nora Schild. My husband, Dan and our two dogs – Hannah Banana the Satanic Basset and Toby, the kinder, gentler three-legged Basset are about 80 days away from making our move to Costa Rica.

We are both in our 40’s and visited Costa Rica for the first time a scant 3 1/2 years ago. It was a fluke that we wound up there, it was winter and we wanted a beach vacation. It was the first out of the US vacation we had ever taken, and we wanted a country that was interesting and not necessarily “touristy”. We did not want an all-inclusive resort, but something we could explore without feeling like we were taking advantage of a poverty stricken populace – we wanted to relax, not get bummed out and not feel guilty.

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Fresh Blood!

As you can probably imagine, I get a ton of email from people who are thinking about making the BIG MOVE. Some are just sticking a toe in the international waters while others are in various stages of living the rest of their lives as expatriates.

Of course I made the move here some years ago and I remember I experienced the excitement, fear, doubts and panic that attend such a decision. I said my goodbyes to friends and family (my daughter did not believe I was really leaving until about ten days before I actually left). It was/is a scary thing experience for just about everyone I know who has done this.

So when I received an email from someone who was in the process of packing HER family and actually experiencing the emotions above… and when she further told me she wanted to BLOG her experiences, I jumped on it immediately! Welcome to Nora Schild who will be chronicling her family’s move to Costa Rica.

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