164. Headed North for a Wonderful Wedding: Part 1 🛫

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    Friday 9/27- You may recall from our last blog, we had to get an early start today to head north to the airport to catch our flight even further north to go back to Minnesota. While we had just about everything ready to go last night, we had the few last minute, morning of travel things to do like pack our toothbrushes & put our pillows in the dry room so they don’t get moldy while we’re gone, and left our house at about 5:15. 

Ramie had to shut the water off to the house

We built in enough time that, as long as there were no major problems in the first half of the drive, we had time to stop for breakfast at the place we always stop at just before we get to the first toll road. Things were moving along well so far this morning, so we were able to stop and eat. Then it was back on the road for the 2nd chunk of our drive. We got to the rental place to drop the car off at about 8:45am and caught a shuttle to the airport. Surprisingly, and probably since its low season, they didn't even make us wait to fill up the shuttle, they just put our bags in the van and told us to get in. At a recommendation from one of our Tico friends who thought that morning traffic on a Friday in San Jose would get us there right in the middle of rush hour, we left plenty early, however it turned out that today there was almost zero traffic and we made it to the airport much earlier than we expected. Today’s drive through the city was actually not stressful at all like it typically can be, let’s hope the rest of this trip stays this smooth! 

Our flights out of San Jose to Minnesota always have a layover somewhere in the south of the US (because we can’t afford the direct flights) and today we would be flying from San Jose to Miami, then finally to Minnesota. If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll recall that we typically seem to have some sort of issue or delay flying American Airlines, but this time everything went super smoothly, it was a refreshing change to our typical travel day! 

We finally landed in MN at about 11:30 pm, got our bags, and were outside waiting for our pickup by 12:15 am (about a half hour ahead of schedule even!). Weeks ago when we were planning our arrival in MN we asked Hieu, our brother in law, if he would be able to pick us up. He’s a night owl and would probably be naturally awake at that time, so that part of it worked out beautifully. On the drive back we didn't talk a whole lot because Ramie and I were completely drained, but we’d have the rest of the weekend to catch up on all of the things. We made back to their house, took a quick shower, and were in bed at about 1:15 am. I’m one of those people who, when I’m so absolutely exhausted, doesn’t fall asleep quickly, and it was probably about 2am the last time I checked the time. Ramie, on the other hand, probably fell asleep less than a minute after his head hit the pillow. From alarm clock at 4:30am to asleep at 2am, with a 1 hour time change in there, makes for quite a long day, but we’re glad to be back on the ground, much further north than we woke up this morning. 

    Saturday 9/28- After only 4 hours, I was awake at 6:00 (stupid body clock knows it’s 5am Costa Rica time and time to get out of bed), and Ramie was awake shortly after me. This is going to be a tough day with the short sleep, but some coffee would help us out with that, at least for a little while. 

We had 2 little ones, Elodie and Luca, who were very excited to see us, so it would probably be quite an active couple of days.  Since it has been a long time since we’ve seen them, they started out very shy but it didn't take long before they were ready to play! We didn't get to play long this morning, though, because it was time to go pick up our next rental car of this trip. After yesterday’s travel day went so smoothly, we hoped for smooth sailing until it was time to fly south again, but we ran into a little bit of a hiccup with this rental car situation. We set up our car reservation online months ago, we reserved a Toyota Rav4 or similar to be picked up today at this exact location, but when we got there, they didn't have anything like that on the lot. In fact, they only had 1 vehicle available that was not already specifically spoken for by a different customer- and it was an Ford Expedition, which is probably about the biggest SUV on the market. We definitely didn’t need or even want something like this since we would be putting on a lot of miles during this trip and it would cost an extra arm and a leg in gas. After about 45 minutes of going round, it turned out that they couldn’t even rent that vehicle to us for some reason, and told us to just go ahead and pick what we wanted from whatever was sitting out in the lot, at no extra cost.

Car Fast Car GIFfrom Car GIFs

During all of this waiting, I had been looking at the notebook that the lady kept referring to, and saw the word “Jeep” on there a couple of times. I asked what they had, and it turned out that there was a Jeep Grand Cherokee ready to go. Ramie and I exchanged a glance for a split second, I think we both got a big grin on our face, and told her we’d take it. SWEET! Ramie gets to get back into a Mopar for a couple of weeks! Even though it was a little bit of headache and waiting around this morning, the rental car situation ended up working well in our favor.

After getting our Jeep, we already had some shopping to get started on. Mainly, we needed some toiletries and supplies that we didn’t bring back with us. First stop: Target. Unlike the last time we were home, we didn’t feel as overwhelmed by all of the people and choices, and this time we actually had fun walking the aisles and seeing all the variety available. We managed to get what we needed to get this trip going, and since Harbor Freight was nearby and we knew that there were some things on our “while we’re in the US, buy and bring back to CR” shopping list, we stopped there as well.

When we were done shopping (which took a few hours and longer than we were expecting) we headed back to the first temporary home-base and spent the rest of the day with Nicole, Hieu, Elodie and Luca. It was an easy afternoon of playing with the kids and catching up. 

Playing with phone filters with Luca

Elodie wanted to join in too!

We also got a surprise today. Ramie got a text message from his sister Taryn asking if he was at Nicole and Hieu's he responded that yes, we were. The next message said come to the front door. He did, and there standing in the porch were Taryn, Tawnya, and Janice, the girls of Ramie's family. They had gotten together for a girls weekend and were on the way back to Taryn's house when they just happened to be in the area. Even though we'd be going to their house in a couple of days, Taryn said she couldn't wait any longer and wanted to come se us now. They only stayed for about 10 minutes, but it was a very nice surprise.

    Sunday 9/29- This morning we started out a little bit more productive than we were yesterday afternoon. Since we’d be living out of our suitcases for the next 3 weeks, we had to organize all of the stuff that we currently have with us. Everything was a mixed jumble of stuff to make the weight of the suitcases work out for the flight, and this morning’s task was to find the clothes that we would be wearing and get those into one suitcase, get the stuff we brought back for the family organized so that we can distribute that, and figure out exactly what else we might need to get us through the next week or so. Since we really didn’t have that much stuff yet, it didn't take long at all, so we had plenty of time to spend with the family again.

This afternoon we had plans to get together with Taylor, Dylan and Dylan’s parents, Brad and Chris to go over the remaining “to-do list” for the wedding.

Jazz Emu Jazzemu GIFfrom Jazz Emu GIFs

It was a beautiful day so we decided to meet at the Elm Creek Park reserve to sit outside and enjoy the day while also being productive. While we are in Costa Rica preparing for a trip back to MN, Ramie and I always talk about what things we most look forward to when we’re back (other than seeing family and friends). Without hesitation, Ramie’s answer was “Six Pack and a Pound from Taco Johns”. Since there was a Taco Johns on the way to the park and it was about lunch time, we stopped and picked up exactly that. Yum! Yeah, I guess we were looking forward to junk food back in MN, stuff that we don’t really have access to or eat when we’re in CR. 

This will not be the last junk food stop over the next few weeks, we’re just getting started! Yes, I’ll be splurging while we have the opportunity! Once they arrived, we found a nice picnic area and a table where we could all sit and go through the details. Ramie and Taylor had a special moment when seeing each other for the first time in about a year, since Taylor visited us last October, and some tears may have been shed.

Superbad Crying GIFfrom Superbad GIFs

We didn’t waste any time and got right down to business, it was time go over all of the wedding details to determine what is done, what needs to be done, and what might get scrapped altogether. I think we spent about 3 hours sitting together in the park talking and catching up while also going over the wedding planning fun. By the end of our “meeting” Ramie and I were all caught up and on the same page with the rest of the group regarding the wedding plans, we have received our assignments and know what needs to be focused on and finished.

    Monday 9/30- You would think that since we are on “vacation” I wouldn't have to work, right? Wrong! I won't be working as much as I normally do, but I do have to log on to check things and put fires out. This firm truly would have a very difficult time operating (or honestly be completely unable to operate) without me! 

I spent a few hours working this morning, and the big news of the day is that we fired our newly hired admin guy. Yep, he lasted all of one week. He oversold himself on his technology know-how and we quickly came to find out that he really knew nearly nothing about basic computer, Microsoft & Adobe stuff. This is not ideal, and it certainly would have been nice to have someone on our team to take over the admin duties, especially while I’m hoping to work short days, but, truly, we were no better off with him and it's no loss since we had to walk him through every tiny itty bitty thing anyway. The timing was not great because it would have been difficult for me to train him while I was only working a little bit anyway, so maybe it is all for the better!

After I was done working, we got to relax & visit more in the afternoon. Even after a couple of days, we still are completely drained from the travel and change of routine. It’s also very apparent that the air is quite dry here in Minnesota compared to what we are used to in the tropics, that we are very stuffed up and our sinuses don’t like it very much. We have been getting occasional messages from our pet sitter to update us on how Skye is doing and send some pics or videos. This is the first one we have received since dropping her off. 

Skye has a little puppy bestie that follows her everywhere

The Official Casa Costa Breeze end of September rainfall total was 19.03 inches

    Tuesday 10/1- Today we were up early (I think that will be a theme of this trip, and most of our life in general) and on the road with about an hour drive through Minneapolis. Since we are back in MN, I make it a point to go to the VA for my annual checkups and all that goodness so I can keep up to date and continue my care there. If you do it right, you can get all of the VA appointments scheduled in the same day, which is exactly what I wanted to do because it’s about an hour out of the way even from the nearest relative that we’ll be staying with. Since I had multiple appointments, I wasn’t finished with them all until around noon. Once we were done with that excitement, we headed to Woodbury to do some more shopping for things on the “buy in MN for CR” list at some particular stores that were in the area. 

Before that, though, the first stop was IKEA to get some picture frames that Taylor needed for the wedding. After that, we did the shopping in Woodbury, then met up with Taylor to deliver the frames and for a late lunch/early dinner. One of the other foods that we miss down in CR is “good” Chinese food, so we chose to go to Stillwater and eat at our old favorite Chinese place. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with Taylor and just talk and catch up. We ended up spending longer than we were expecting but in the end it was worth it.

By now, it was now about rush hour in the cities and we had an hour drive ahead of us, even without taking traffic into account. Instead of heading back to Nicole and Hieu’s where we had spent the last few days, we would be spending the next few at Taryn & Steven’s house. By the time we arrived, they were already home from work and school and were very excited to greet us. It was great to see them and catch up for a few hours this evening, but we were tired (probably another theme that you’ll hear over and over for the next few weeks) and went to bed fairly early, not to mention they all had work/school the next day too, so no late night of gossiping tonight.

    Wednesday 10/2- With Taryn and Steven at work and Will at school, we had a nice quiet house today and I was able to get online and get a few hours of work done this morning without interruption. (Nicole & Hieu both work from home, so while I can go escape to the bedroom to work in the quiet, when other people are home I would rather socialize. I have built in “work mode” when everyone else is gone!) While I was knocking out the most important work things that have come up over the last few days, Ramie was in the basement going through all of the Amazon and other online shopping packages we had shipped here over the last couple of months. These are all things we knew we needed, were easier to buy online, and would be bringing back to Costa Rica with us. He first got all of our suitcases emptied out, and then started laying out and packing things into the suitcases for, what we like to call “the first round”. We also had a bunch of Amazon returns, things like shoes, clothes, and other items that didn’t fit or we decided we didn't really want or need any more, so he got those things set aside for now, until the end, when we can go make one big return run to the UPS store.

One thing that was an absolute must for this first day at Taryn & Steven’s, and that that I was really dreading, was trying on all of the potential dresses that I ordered for the wedding. Taylor was specific about what color she wanted me to wear, but not about the style. Since there really are no clothing shops to find something suitable near where we live in Costa Rica I decided that the best option would be to order a whole bunch online, have them delivered, try them all on ASAP, and then if none of them worked out, I still had a bit of time to go look for something in person in MN. I had something like 20 dresses, some from Amazon and some from Shein, that I had to try on and then decide if they made it to the “next round”. One by one I tried them on and modeled them for Ramie. For each one, we narrowed it down to 2 categories: No, or “next round”, but I actually kind of made it 3 categories, with the “next round” picks being ranked higher & lower. The next step will be to model them for Taryn for the second round to narrow it down even further and hopefully make a final decision. I will spare you the photos that were taking during this exercise- I didn't look very thrilled in any of the pictures, and honestly, even I don't want to see these! lol.

When Will got home from school, it was time to play and he asked Ramie to play catch with the football outside before dinner. Being tired out already, this completely exhausted Ramie even more, but he was happy to spend time with Will. Just before dinner Will perked up and looked at Taryn, and asked "can I?"... We were a bit confused, but this picture explains it. 

 After dinner it was time to play Wii football before Will had to get to bed. 

    Thursday 10/3- Yesterday afternoon, I received a call from the VA that they needed to re-do some stuff and do some more other stuff, and I had to come back. So up and at ‘em, and back on the road early again today to go back down through Minneapolis. 

Definitely not the same kind of view as when we have to drive somewhere in CR!

I spent about 2 hours going through the whole process and getting done what needed to be done, and since we were on that side of the cities again we figured that we may as well do more shopping in the familiar places that we used to shop when we lived in Oakdale. For the 2nd time in 2 days, we made the big loop around the metro area. I honestly couldn't tell you all of the places we stopped, but we did know that we needed to find Ramie a white dress shirt and a green tie for the wedding and got that checked off of the list. This evening, I did the second round of dress modeling, this time for Taryn, and we narrowed it down to two finalists. It ended up being two of the three dresses that were in the “top picks” of the 3 previous categories from when I modeled for Ramie. Ramie told me to keep both, but at the end of the day, only one was going to win. I had some deciding to do! While Taryn and I were going through the dresses, Ramie and Will were downstairs playing Mario Kart, making the most of their time together.

Its On Donkey Kong GIFfrom Its On GIFs

    Friday 10/4- Since I didn’t work again yesterday, I had to put in a couple of hours this morning. Once I was done putting out the fires and catching up on the important things that have come up recently, it was time to pack up our bags and move to the next house. Today we would be going to my mom and dads for the weekend. We made a couple of shopping stops along the way, but still got to their house at a little after noon, and they were already there waiting for us. We didn't do anything exciting, but we sat around and caught up on all of the things that are going on in all of our lives.

    Saturday 10/5-  Happy Birthday Hieu!

This morning Dad and Ramie took off to go buy some equipment that dad found for sale online, and later in the morning, Nicole, Hieu and the kids came to join the party. We didn't have any plans for the day, and since it was such nice weather we spent part of the day outside just hanging around. 

We celebrated Hieu's birthday while we were here

After dinner Nicole and Hieu headed back home and the rest of the evening the 4 of us continued to do what we always do, sit around and talked and just hang out. Evenings at mom and dad’s house might be the only time we get to relax while we’re back in MN!

  Sunday 10/6- The plan for this morning was to go through the bins and other things that we have stored here and downsize them some more. We do this each time we come home, the goal is to use or get rid of more and more things that are just taking up storage space. After that, Ramie and dad worked on some lawn mowers in the garage for a while. Last night while we were sitting around talking, mom and dad had mentioned they were having water pressure issues, so Ramie offered to dig into it for them. 

Originally he thought that this would be a fairly easy fix, but it turned into a bigger issue when he upset the water pipes and some large slugs of mud that must have been building up somewhere between the well and the house plugged up the water softener. Dad and Ramie worked on that in the basement for a good chunk of the afternoon while mom and I were on water duty upstairs. They would take a few steps on their end to push the gunk through, and we had to run the toilets and taps to get the lines cleared out. It was unfortunate that this happened when we thought it was going to be an easy fix, but it brought some attention that there may be bigger issues with the system than what Ramie originally thought. 

Once the water was restored to at least as good as it was before we started meddling, that was enough for one day so we called it quits. Since I have to work tomorrow, we decided to head back to Taryn and Steven’s after dinner so I could get a bright and early start. It was an early night for everyone, which really wasn’t so bad for us!

Pura Vida!