Thursday, July 21, 2011

July 21st, 2001-2011 Happy Anniversay y Buen Viaje!


Well! It has been a whirlwind week and today Rick and I celebrate 10 very happy and exciting (sometimes TOO exciting) years of marriage.

We had planned to depart for the US July 15th to do our summer visit.
And then we got to San Jose 2 days prior to departure and encountered glitch after glitch after glitch after glitch (I'm shortening the glitch litany for editorial reasons) to leave the country with the girls.

The process was very much complicated by a) the adoption finalizing but not being registered yet in the central Registry; b) Costa Rica's special system in their Immigration office, for all children leaving the country who are residents or citizens to prevent child exploitation and; c) the ineptitude, laziness and incomplete and/or incorrect work within the many bureaucracies that preceded us and had given us documents with which to use to get the girls new birth certificates etc....

Seriously, if not for the many many people also bending over backwards to help us, we would be here until next year sorting everything out. No joke. Long story short- in less than a week the girls got registered in the registry, new birth certificates and new passports and we got a permanent "permiso de salir" (permission to travel with the girls with either parent so we don't have to do this again prior to future travel outside of CR again! Ever!) and we only lost 1 week of our trip.

And so: here are some snapshots of our lives in CR just prior to leaving and reminders of what we will be missing while visiting family on the east coast of the US the next 2 months.

I am acutely aware that today is our 10 year wedding anniversary and I do not have it in me to celebrate UNTIL we make it on US soil. I am trying to decompress from a week of running back and forth to different offices and departments and pleading our case and thanking people (the thank yous were the easy part- we are VERY grateful to everyone who helped us do something in 1 week that would normally have taken many months).

I think I just need about 24 or so more hours and I'll be ready to FULLY celebrate!

Not just our anniversary, but that fact that the adoption finalized last month and is now visible with CONCRETE evidence including passports, birth certificates and the ability to travel fairly freely as a family. Whew!!!!!!!!!





Celeste, Sadie (her good friend who is moving back to the US!) and Francini as special guest to their recent homemade talent show.

Me with Caitlin and Maggie- good people, good friends, and we will miss some great people we have gotten to know. But all the more to look forward to when we return to CR.



Well hello there!
Celeste and Francini and I went to our employee's property to see the 14 piglets (Chanchitos) he had. OMgoodness, super cute and funny to watch. Apparently the piglets play with his dogs. Wonder how Daisy would respond to them and vice-versa... I think we will miss the beautiful countryside of where we live and especially these months: July, August and September are beautiful here in Nosara.



Speaking of Daisy- boy did we want to take her with us. We love her SO much. Rick and I adore her beyond description. But, she is enjoying herself in Costa Rica while we travel, staying with our employees and tracking mud in their house instead of ours. We can take small comfort in that. And when we get back, it's still rainy season so we can continue to enjoy her happy muddy self again.
Daisy- we love you!

Now, on to our next big adventure!
New York City and points beyond- here where come!

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