We left for Costa Rica technically on the 19th of August to stay at a hotel near Logan Airport. We had a very early flight and more luggage than either Elise or I had ever tried to fly with before. Locking the doors behind us in Plymouth for 11 months was a strange sensation, but we were packed and ready to travel. In our absence, there is a lovely family of 4, with two daughters of their own living at our house. They attend the same elementary as Gene and we are so happy that the space will be lived in while we are away.

We flew out August 20th for San Jose, via a 7 hour layover in Houston. It was a long day of travel, but two and a half movies later (Crime 101, The Drama and 1/2 of the Family McMullen), we arrived in a very warm, humid San Jose. After sleeping in an Airbnb, our landlord arranged for a van to pick us up and bring us to Monteverde. Before leaving though, we had our first taste of Gallo Pinto (“spotted rooster), which is a traditional Costa Rican dish with stir-fried beans and rice with tons of Salsa Lizano.

After a gorgeous 4 hour drive through the mountains of Costa Rica, we ascended to the heights of Monteverde and our new home. The girls rushed through the house to explore its every nook and cranny and we got busy unpacking almost immediately. By nightfall, we had already made the house cozy and ready to be lived in. It was a long day, but we were actually starting to live the dream that we’d been planning for so many months.

**It should be noted that no one really makes a trip without a tons of assistance. We had a great uber driver that took us to Logan who was able to jenga our luggage into his minivan in a manner that gave me confidence for the trip ahead that we’d be able to do the same. We met a man who was en route to Japan to share his thesis (the use of drones to monitor nitrogen levels in cranberry bogs) who was so kind in helping us get the luggage and kids from the hotel to Logan. Faced with $200 surcharges for our luggage, Elise opened up several of our suitcases and was able to magically balance them all out at 50lbs or below. Math is important! Lastly, Manuelito, our van driver was so kind and patient with us during the ride to Monteverde. We stopped along the way for some more traditional Costa Rican food and he allowed us to stumble through our broken Spanish with patience and understanding.