It's Happening

As stood on my front porch for the last time in Galveston, Texas, the tears finally came. Not cute ones either... the full-body tears that come with grief, because in that moment that's what I felt, no matter that the next steps I would take would be leading me somewhere amazing. I felt grief for ending the chapter of my life that has brought me the first house I ever bought, which my construction contractor husband turned into my favorite place on Earth, and to the island and friends that had been my home for the last 9 years. I don't know if I can adequately explain how much I loved it here (both the house and the town). A 1925 Craftsman-style bungalow, three quarters of a mile from the Gulf of Mexico, and 9 years of the best people and experiences.

Our house in Galveston, Texas, USA

I cried all until we were well on our way out of town and only stopped once we crossed over the Causeway onto the mainland. But then, as we drove through the marshy lowlands of coastal SE Texas, I was able to finally look ahead at where I was headed and what laid ahead for us.

This is where this story begins...

Well actually, the story started 3 years ago while my husband and I were on vacation in Costa Rica for the third time. We had visited first in 2018 for our honeymoon, during which we spent some time north of San Jose in the La Fortuna area famous for the Arenal volcano as well as at the bottom of the Nicoya Peninsula in the surf town of Santa Teresa. The next visit we stayed in downtown Tamarindo and we've been coming here for almost every vacation since.

Visiting Costa Rica for vacation is not the same as living here full time, but we fell in love with the area and the Pacific northwest coast in general. On this third trip to CR, second time in the Tama area, we were in the pool at our AirBnB and my husband, Bob, said, "I don't know, I think we should maybe move here." Not me, totally shocked but always ready to quit my job at a moment's notice, looked back at him and said, "I'm in."

Since that moment in the pool, we have been scheming and dreaming, navigating endless paperwork, documentation, logistics, new Spanish vocabulary, cultural differences, and overseeing a construction project from 3700 km (~2300 mi) away.

This blog is a chronicle of our experiences emigrating from the US to Costa Rica, purchasing land and buying a house here, and the realities (good and bad) of living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

We are so glad you're here for the ride!