March 29, 2007 - We're Here!

After a couple of days of last-minute panic, we're *here*!

I was all set for our flight to beautiful Costa Rica on Thursday. I had the hotel set up, housesitter arranged, and plans for last visits with friends and family. I was part of the way through the process for getting Spanish school set up, and was all set with a comfort zone for last-minute additions to my to-do list.

THEN! The date on one of my lists caught my eye - the 28th?! Huh? But *Thursday* is the *29th*! I immediately checked my flight information - sure enough, our flight was set for *Wednesday* - arg! Panic now!

Well, I didn't expect my just-in-case day to be eaten up by the flight. But we still had some time. I called the hotel in Costa Rica, and got an extra day added (whew!), called to finalize the Spanish school, and emailed a couple of people to confess. The response was uniform - panic now, because you are not allowed to do this in Costa Rica (as one said, "check it at the gate").

We got up extra early yesterday and made some last-minute packing decisions. It's *hard* to pack for a new life with only 4 checked bags and 4 carry-ons! "Discovering" that coats don't count as separate items helps a *lot*! And my coat has an enormous pocket...:D

I've decided to blame this all on retirement - my brain thinks it can just turn to mush. Well, *wake up* brain - we've got Spanish school to get through!