We are waiting for Kais as he went car shopping today. Opening a bank account on Monday was a three hour process but we were one of the lucky ones - it only took us two trips. Buying a car can take several days - Kais is on day two. Yesterday we spent the day in the Southern zone. It is hotter there but we sure love the area and the people are super friendly. We were house hunting and will probably keep looking over the next couple of months. I have attached some pictures of the closest town where we attend church - Puriscal. There is an old church in the center of town as well as the park. Electronics are very expensive here as they are all imported. They also have the best bakeries. What do I miss: real peanut butter, canned albacore tuna and real maple syrup. The have real syrup but it is $30 for a small bottle. And...our shipping container arrived at the port this morning - now we wait for it to get through customs.

It's been another busy week in Costa Rica! Wednesday we went down South to meet with the designer regarding our property and home ideas. Felt good about the meeting but are still open to possibly buying if we can find the right place. Got caught in a downpour that washed out a dirt road we were taking home so we had to turn around and go home the highway. Then we got stuck behind a fatal accident at dusk with a semi and looked to be a motorcyclist. The motorcycle accidents here are atrocious. We sat in the car sitting for an hour waiting for the police to let us pass. Thursday. Celebrated Kraig's 16th birthday with his request, sushi and The Ghost Rider 2 in 3D. We came home and had cake and ice cream and then Kraig crashed before 9 pm. Friday while Kraig stayed home, the three of us went into San Jose to get our documents to the translator for our residency and then took Kasie to see Hunger Games. She was so excited to be able to see it here on the same day it premiered in the States. We made our first attempt to open a bank account now that our corporation is all set up but we were warned it can take three tries. Monday we will try again and hope we will succeed. We can not buy a car until we have this done first. Saturday, we attended a pool party in Escazu at the home of a lovely family we met at Stake conference last week. There were several American families there and the best part for me has been meeting the most amazing people. They are fascinating to talk with as most of them have lived all over the world. The worse thing this week - we really want our shipping container and it could be another 3 weeks before it arrives. YIKES!

On Thursday, Kim and I walked to a new high school opening five minutes away from where we live. As I was sitting in the crowded space watching many Tico boys I realized that most of them spend a lot of time doing their hair. My opinion: They all tend to spike up their hair to make them look taller as many Ticos are smaller than the gringos around here. On Friday, we went to the IMAX (which let me tell you, was ten times better than any movie theater around Washington), we saw the movie John Carter which, thankfully was in English. On Saturday, we hung out by the pool with the family (including kitty and Ruby). Both animals seem to really enjoy the sun. On Sunday, Kais, Kim and I drove into Escazu (which everyone always says is "the Beaverly Hills of Costa Rica") and watched State Conference in English!! We met many new English speaking families who gave us good advice on house building. On Monday, we seemed to do absolutely nothing as the pool is starting to get boring for me. Now, I'm waiting for Internet at our house which will be put in on Wenesday! Also on Wenesday we plan on driving down south where out property is and looking at houses to rent. Kais is meeting with the attorney so we can buy a car and cell phones. On Thurdsay we will be celebrating Kraig's 16th birthday and as for me, I can't Wait till The Hunger Games comes out on Friday!! Hope you all are enjoying the week and as for the Washington people, as you are all Suffering from snow I'm relaxing in the heat:). -Kasie

The last three days have been busy! On Saturday we ventured to Escazu (probably the largest Ex Pat community) to do some shopping at ... Walmart. It is similar to Costco in Washington with the ability to buy anything and multiple sample stations down every isle, just no giant sizes. I have never seen so many employees in a store before. We then checked out Price Smart, their Costco equivilent, and found it to be identical to Costco. Decided buying in bulk wasn't for us in this environment. We then headed to their high-end mall and found many of the stores you would find at BellSquare and then some. It was three stories tall and went on forever. An IMax theatre was nearby showing John Carter; we hope Hunger Games will be there later this month. On the way home we looked at an old Explorer for sell by a German Pediatrician. Kim and Kasie convinced Kais it was a no go.
Sunday we drove the 30 minutes into town to attend the Puriscal branch for church. We guessed it started at 9 am but were wrong. They start at 8 am but have their meetings backwords. We met the branch president and a few English speaking members. We were in time for Sunday school and then sacrament. All in Spanish of course but we did well singing the familiar hymns and following along in the scriptures. There were about 70 members present. One of the  young men is leaving at the end of this month for his mission in Long Beach, CA. There is one American couple at church from Montana who have lived here for 2 1/2 years. They invited us that night to join them and many other gringos who get together every Sunday night for dinner. The group included Americans, Canadians and French; a few retired dentists and a couple doctors and an artist along with others. We all enjoyed their company and they were most welcoming and helpful. We found our Spanish teacher through them as well as Kasie connecting with the horse whisperer lady who will be instructing Kasie in her horseback riding. This woman and her husband run a lovely bed and breakfast near our home for anyone wanting to visit.
Monday was a dirt road drive to Parrita beach while our house was being scrubbed from floor to ceiling. After lunch, we headed south to meet our attorney and then spend the remainder of the day at Playa Hermosa. The ocean water was warm as always and Ruby had fun with a stick on the beach. She is still getting used to the waves. When returning later that night, we heard Tigerlily in a cat fight. Minor injuries; I just think she is establishing her territory.

We arrived in San Jose early Thursday morning and after getting wickedly lost trying to find our rental house,we pulled in a little before 2 pm. We used the time we were lost to get much more familiar with San Jose (found out where to do our downtown shopping), Escazu and the little towns on the way to the property. We were a sight with a car packed full of suitcases and two large boxes and a dog crate strapped to the roof. Ruby and Tigerlily were happy to finally be out of moving vehicles. Went into town yesterday (about 18 km)to get stocked up on food and basic essentials and grab a bit to eat. 4 sandwiches, 4 drinks and 2 loaves of homemade bread for $13. We also found the LDS meeting house in town. Will spend the next few days setting up house.

Arrived in Denver safely. Drove over 1160 miles in the last two days. Kraig and Kasie are happy to be out of the truck and the pets are well. We were also blessed with beautiful weather. Leaving for Costa Rica Wednesday night.

Drove in 4 different states today: California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

Arrived in St. George, Utah - Day 4

Arrived in St. George, Utah tonight safe and sound. Missed seeing the Debenhams in Las Vegas by only one hour. Had a great time at Kais' sisters and now looking forward to spending a couple days with his brother in Denver. Should arrive there by tomorrow night. Kids have been amazing during the drive.

First night at Jasmine's house in Atascadero. Thankfully, we made it through it bad winter storm in Oregon but, it didn't last long. Now we have a few days to relax till we are on the road again.The worst part of the road trip has yet to come. As for the weather in Utah and Denver, let's just pray the storms pass.