I love you all and feel so bad about the dozens of you who were so very worried about us and who emailed and sent comments. Honestly our lives have been out of kilter – I really don’t know what words to use to describe the past several weeks. Quite the upheaval. It was beyond stressful and I often just did not eat ( no time ) and went to bed when exhausted. Not the proper way to lose 7 – 8 pounds, no time to weigh myself. Heck, I sometimes went 3 days ( and once 4 days ) without a shower. Just no time. I lived on the computer.
I had to force myself to get Colin’s pills sorted daily. And of course feed the twins, but Ciela is very certain to let me know when she wants to be fed. Perhaps she has been feeling the strain. Many days she wanted 2 of her 3 daily feedings at the same time. She insisted that her tummy be full. Carlie is always hungry.
Oh my, I just peaked out the window and there is an outstanding sunset happening. But I am committed to writing this post so no photos.
Speaking of photos, I have files & files of events in photos to share with you including Carnaval fireworks and the parade. Do you want to see this or just move forward?
Not sure I can do this in any sequence. I think I am simply going to express what comes to mind and move on from there. Hang on for the ride.
About three weeks ago, I purchased one of those grounding sheets you see all over Facebook. I LOVE it…..I am finally sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time. I have even slept up to 3 hours a few times during the night.
Oh….get to the point you are saying!!!!!!! We are all well. But it has been beyond frantic. I will never be able to describe it all to you. However Carlie did have an adventure with an iguana, not once but TWICE. The first time she must have bit the critter as she had blood all over her muzzle. The second time the iguana took two chunks out of her side, Thank goodness we have the best vet in all of Mexico. She came first thing the next morning and brought 3 medications, I already had the pain pills on hand, thank goodness. Her charge was only 60.00 CAD including coming here on the launcha and the medications. She was here this past Wednesday to check and the wounds are healing with no infections. No charge for that visit.
Colin thinks that by the time his foot is better we won’t have enough time left for RVing. We also figured out that this is our last year for our temporal residency. So we would have to get rid of of RV within the next 10 months unless we import it, which is extremely expensive. But as Colin can no longer drive it right now, we had to make a very difficult decision. The RV was put up for sale on the Monaco RV website.
We will import/nationalize our 2015 Jeep but that will cost us $4000.00USD. We would rather keep our vehicle than buy a used vehicle here in Mexican that we have no idea how reliable it is. But we still have time to get that done. Tons of research and phone calls just on this alone.
And of course we had to deal with our Canadian taxes, due the end of April. Done and paid.
Oh and then I realized that our Canadian passports were expiring early May. Colin did that research. We had to go somewhere in the middle of nowhere to get passport photos. Then Colin even went on his very own into Mazatlan to the Canadian Consulate to make sure we had crossed every T! We had not. Semana Santa was in the middle of all of this. Today ( a full month later ) we got our new ten year passports, very nice booklet, but no comment on the passport photos 🙁
We were very anxious to receive these passports as they were required at a meeting here with a Mexican notary to sign the documents re the sale of our house.
Yes we finally sold our home on the beach in Kelowna 😀
A huge amount of time online has been spent on the sale of this house. I think that it might have been easier to give birth to twin dachshunds 😳 So many back & forth with the buyers, the realtor and the lawyer and so and so on and so on. As of this past Monday, I believe that all is well and the sale will proceed with the closing on May 27th.
Enough said…..
Oh yes!!!! We had listed the RV 😎 Lots of back and forth but the RV is here in Mazatlan and the buyers are in the USA. Then suddenly a very bright and promising light appeared. A lovely fellow “M” from Colorado actually flew down here with his friend. We had nothing to hide as I have always been totally honest on this blog and “M” wife found my blog. Good for her. “D” I loved your gift and wished I could have met you in person. M and his friend Joe ( did that medication help ? ) were so delightful. They went thru the RV with a fine tooth comb. It took a few weeks to get the final news, but M & D decided to go in a different direction and did not purchase our RV. Honestly it hurt but M was open and explained that they liked our RV but their life took a turn. Good luck to the three of you.
Not too many days later we got an email……hey – now do you understand why I have been totally busy online and not able to post???
We will find out early next week, but it appears that yet another fellow might be flying in to purchase our RV.
We wake up every morning to new things that come out to be dealt with. Seriously no time to eat nor shower…
The plan was for us to get the RV moved to Arizona in August but people are interested and want to see it in Arizona. So with a huge amount of effort on Colin’s part a plan was made to transport the RV to Arizona mid May.
What????????????????
Where will we move to and when and how??? We were to be here a year and had to tell with our landlords ( they love us and cried ). We thought we would leave in August.
Suddenly we have secured an apartment for 3 months beginning May 1st, because of the RV being sold. The place we were hoping to get and WILL get is only available August 1st. Definitely tons of online effort.
So It appears to me that we have a place to move to on May 1 BUT the RV is not yet sold . Nor has the Kelowna house sold yet. Are you beginning to understand that we are living hour by hour as well as day by day!!
And that is just the top ten items…
Dozens more that I am dealing with….hour by hour.
Oh, I have been selling our things including patio furniture and plants and anything else you can think of. Stuff we will no longer need as we will be living in an apartment.
It took us a long while to come to terms with selling the RV, to having to leave the Isla and so on. However we have had 16 winters here on Isla de la Piedra. As you know our hearts are here, but logically it is time for a change. We have to move because of our permanate – we can no longer live in the RV. It certainly hit us hard once we realized the truth. But with Colin not being able to drive the RV right now, it was time for a change.
Neither of us can use the Playa Sur embarcadero which is a short walk away. So we have to drive to the main embarcadero and cross the shipping channel each and every time he needs to see a medical person and take Didi / Uber. That often adds an hour in each direction. Very tiring.
In the past 5 or 6 weeks we have added a few new therapists. The reflexologist was good for a few weeks as long she worked on his feet, which was her specialty. Then one day she worked on his hands and created a great deal of pain. end of that. Then a wonderful person came to us with her special therapist Sebastian. He is a kinesiologist and our chiropractor was ecstatic that we found him…..he is the only one in Mazatlan. Our chiropractor plans to use him for his clients. Long story short, Sebastian has made a HUGE improvement to Colin’s ability to walk. He is here twice per week, plus we have physiotherapy weekly ( she is the best ever ) and we see the chiropractor biweekly.
Yup, we are busy and we sold the house ( which involves a lot of things that I refuse to go into other than to say they are time consuming ). Hoping to sell the RV next week.
Meanwhile we have started to pack our personal times within the RV.
I apologize re falling behind in my blog posts. I honestly did not have free time to update you. I was just trying to survive each day and figure out how to feed us.
Truly I have no idea how the next 3 weeks will be – we don’t even have a move day yet.
But once we are get moved I can promise you sunsets like you have never seen. And I will do my best to post at least once per week until we move. You are my family ( we have no other ) and you mean the world to me. Please stick with me for a few weeks longer. Doing the very best I can……
😥
O M G Contessa, what a busy life you amigos have had & are having; just by reading about what you are going through I’m feeling worn out 😩. Glad that in the overall you guys are ok. Virtual huggs to you all; thanks for posting & letting us know about your status.💐
You are most welcome Lucy. I will keep you all updated from now on.
I think my reply got deleted. It was just 3 years ago, or perhaps less, that the head of Banjercito said that once a 10 year TIP is issued, it is valid no matter if residency status changes. In fact we had our RV in Mazatlan for a while with the permanent visa.
No your post is still down there in the comments, it was not deleted.
I have not been able to confirm what you say about the ten year RV TIP with anyone. We have spent hours doing research and checked in with INM. However as Colin can’t drive the RV, there is no sense in us keeping it here. And as I have explained before it has become much too difficult for us to go back and forth on the lanchas. It was a difficult decision to make but there is no going back now.
Appreciate your comments.
C
Good luck on your move
A new adventure to come
Great to see you both
Till next time
It was so wonderful to see you both last weekend, even if only for a few hours. We go back to being here together on the Isla since 2009 or 2010. Sorry we didn’t have more time to spend with you. Colin and I thank Randy for his help that morning. Every little bit helps. Safe travels to Canada tomorrow.
As always, you guys are amazing, and how you adapt and change constantly is inspiring. Hope Ceila heals quickly, poor thing. Times of upheaval are exhausting, but so happy to hear the house has a closing date and the RV will be sold next week. Most importantly glad Colin is doing so much better.. So much pressure on you both, but I hope that your time in the apartment is more relaxed and you get to enjoy the beautiful sunsets and get some much-deserved rest. Thanks for keeping us all updated, with all you have going on, taking time for an update is appreciated. Wishing you all the best!!
Gracias. I often wonder how I can keep changing and adapting and coping! Perhaps it was my trying as a registered nurse back in 1973. I decided way back in Grade 10 that I wanted to be an RN and the reason is that I love to help people and I truly do care about others. Perhaps it was that training plus have a policeman for a father and a teacher as a mother. I certainly am my fathers’ daughter.
WOW Contessa, you & I have 3 things in common: 1) Being an RN. 2) My dad was a policeman. 3) I’m my father’s daughter ( from my birth to the infinity,I adored my dad !! ). My nursing career began when I was about 7 years old I helped my grandma taking care of a blind lady, she was bedridden , her name was Francis. I also wanted to help people.
How special.
Wow was surprised to wake up to your update! Good job getting it done as I know it’s been on your mind! Hang in there your almost there to the condo and some relaxation! 😉🥰
Cindy you are one of the most special of all the people who walk this earth. I could not have got through the last 12 months and 9 days without you. You were there for me 24/7 and most especially these last several crazy months. I have so much respect for the person that you are and for your wonderful mind. I am blessed to have you in my life.
Thank you for your kind words. It has been a journey for sure and glad I was able to help you and Colin…it’s been a lot for you both! There is light at the end of the tunnel! Love you too!
I meant every word. We truly are blessed that you are in our lives.
I’m with you and will be till you say “no more.”
I have faith that everything will be ok.
Glad the cartel didn’t steal you away.
Till next time.
Love reading your blog
I hope that was a joke about the cartel! Things are very good here right now. You have been with me for so very very long and I know that you will be there until the end. And the end is a long ways off….hope that a Colin and I can get a few more trips in. Not sure where to in this crazy world.
Thank you so much for the update on your Busy Life! Even though many of us have never met you we feel like you are a Friend and so worry when you do not post. I do understand why you have not posted with so much going on, you are amazing the way you both adapt to all that life throws at you! I hope you get the RV sold next week and get settled in your apartment soon. Moving to the apartment will hopefully take away some of the stresses you have. Glad to hear Collin is doing so well and that the puppies are doing great, you need to take care of yourself also! I am sending hugs to you all!
How lovely to hear from you Gail. You have always been there for me over the years and you are indeed a very special friend. And a huge thank you for your hugs. That was the hardest thing for me when Colin had the stroke, as we were the only ones here and I had no one to hug me. We are positive that our life will settle down once we sell the RV. Already starting to pack for the move. Hope to be settled for good by May 10th or so!!
We totally understand the upheaval in your world and will wait patiently to hear from you. Our main concern is that everyone is okay. Praying that your house and rv both sell quickly so you can concentrate on moving to your apartment. Thank you for letting us know your crazy life.
Thank you my friend. Your prayers for the sales are greatly appreciated and very welcomed.
C
Thanks for taking the time to update us! I am so happy Colin is progressing with his walking, as that is so important in Mexico. The frantic times you are both having will slow down once you are in the apartment and everything will become so much clearer for both of you and priorities can be reset. It will be like a new life!
I am a little unclear if the RV has been sold, your post says it is both sold and unsold but in either case, I have a question. My understanding is a vehicle crossing the border must be accompanied by the owner or a direct relative of the owner. How are you going to do this? Are you or Colin going to ride to the border with the new owner or hired driver and then get back to Maz by bus or airplane (or Jeep)? No need to answer right now but I am curious. In the meantime, Congratulations on the sale of the house! I know it has been weighing both of you down for too long. Brighter skies are ahead!!
We are truly looking forward to the next part of our life.
As to the RV, a fellow came to look at it and was seriously interested, but then he and his wife decided to go in a different direction. However there is a huge possibility of someone flying out next week to buy the RV. We will have a better ida on Tuesday the 21st. If he does not but we are having the RV driven back to an RV dealership in Arizona to be put on consignment.
Colin is writing you an answer to your other questions. Mañana!
Hi you two,
So happy to hear that things are moving along. I can understand that it has been a huge struggle and very stressful for mind and body! Congratulations on the sale of the Kelowna house. We are vacationing on Vancouver Island for the month of April. Escaped all of the snow in Alberta for at least a month. I have family on the Island so it is a wonderful time when we are here. Plan to be staying and visiting more family in Kelowna on our way back to Alberta.
Thanks for the update and always appreciate your Blog, no matter when you send it.
All the best with your move, sale of the RV and look forward to more news updates!
Hugs, Sharon and Jim
Thank you. Much appreciated. Fingers crossed and prayers for the sale of the RV next week.
Hello Contessa and Colin,
Jan and I were talking about you both the other day and wondering how things have been going. We didn’t want to disturb you, but we have been thinking of you and hoping you’re doing well.
I also wanted to say how much we enjoy your blogs—they’re wonderful. It really looks like you’re living an exciting life in Mexico. We admire your sense of adventure; we’re not quite as brave! We do love where we live, but the winters can be brutally cold.
Wishing you all the very best with the sale of your RV, and congratulations as well on selling your home in BC.
All the best always…
Paul and Jan.
Hola to you both. Now you understand why I have even emailed you or anyone else. Writing that post last evening reminded how much I do love to blog. But right now I can’t push myself to blog and deal with the reality of our life. Plus any extra time is for Colin.
Glad to hear things are starting to come together. Just don’t over due it and take care of yourselves!
Definitely overdoing it. But if that is what it takes to get things sold, so be it.
Good to know you are alive and well. Everything else can wait. We’ll be here when you finally catch up to yourself.
Looking forward to catching up.
So happy for an update!!! Appears u r both doing well, if not busier than ever. Please take time for yourself. To wind down, to view the sunsets. Take Care and God Bless
Gracias. I think we are busier than ever. For certain once we get moved we are going to come to almost a dead stop. Certainly no rush to unpack the boxes.
This is like watching a movie. No small wonder you are tired! Glad to see that everything is slowly falling into place. Thanks for the update. Really appreciate knowing you are all well.
Good catch, it felt like movie. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
We also had an RV with a 10 year permit when we were close to having permanent residency. A Mexican lawyer/friend personally went to Banjercito, the agency responsible for permits, and was told it didn’t matter what our residency status was. A ten year permit is valid until it expires..
That was way back in the day. The TIP is directly attached to the residency card.
Amazing numbers; AI is telling me that 800.000 to 1.200.000 Americans have migrated to Mexico & 20.000 to 50.000 Canadians have relocated to Mexico as well !!
We are not immigrating here. We are just getting the right to residency to stay as long as want and to come and go as we please. We will always maintain our ties to Canada.
Oh how wonderful to see you posted today! But I’m so sorry we all bothered you asking for updates with all you’ve had to deal with. We’re all so concerned…just a quick two-liner saying you two are OK would do, but we do appreciate going into so much detail. OMG, no wonder you’re exhausted. Glad Colin is doing so much better! And glad that there was no infection from the iguana bite. Scary indeed.
Fingers crossed you’ll soon be in your condo, the RV and house sale will FINALLY be finished. Wishing you four good sleeps and improving health…daily.
I meant the four of you to have good sleeps.
Not only four good sleeps. (*grin*)
This made me laugh out loud.
Hugs,
C
No one was a bother, in fact it was an inspiration to me that someone really cared.
So very happy to see this post even if it did exhaust me reading all you have been dealing with in the last few months. Wishing you much success with the sale of your Canadian home and the RV and getting settled elsewhere. Colin is amazing in his recovery journey and you for keeping everything moving in the right direction. I hope in the future you have a few Margaritas and spectacular sunsets to enjoy.
Sending hugs to all of you as I cannot forget your babies.
Thank you Sandy. Yes Colin’s doing remarkably well. He works many hours every day on his exercises. He wants to get back to normal. Margaritas sound wonderful but would be better if you were sitting at the table with me. Remember those wonderful shrimp burgers the four of us used to enjoy at Tony’s at the mercardo!
So glad to hear Colin is doing better and that things are finally falling into order. Take care!
Gracias
My sweet, it was great to read your update – especially as most of it was positive.
I feel bad for Carlie, hopefully by the time you read this she will be back to normal with a healthy understanding to stay away from iguanas! What a reasonable vet cost it’s good you found her.
Also, great news about your “grounding sheets” though I had to google to figure out what it was. Sleep is very important.
You both must feel such relief now that you have a clear direction for this next chapter. I hope you find yourselves with lots of free time to simply relax and soak in all of Mazatlán’s sunsets. You will love, as we did, having your wine delivered by Amazon to your building!!
It certainly is expensive to import your Jeep. I can’t imagine how much it would have cost to import the RV.
I’m over the moon to hear you sold your Kelowna house — May 27th can’t come fast enough. I’m also eager to hear what the guy coming to see the RV thinks of it. Hopefully he falls in love with it on the spot and drives it away. Yes, I know it’s not that easy, but I can hope!
I’m surprised you are selling your patio furniture and plants – wouldn’t they have beautified your balcony? Maybe you need smaller stuff.
Most importantly, I’m so happy to hear about Colin’s continued progress. His devotion to his healing is remarkable, and it’s clearly paying off.
Sending the biggest hugs to you both!!
Cheers
Thank you!
Once we move we will feel much much less pressure. Might not even unpack at first. Certainly not unpacking what I won’t need until the August 1st move. I will use my own dishes and pots and cutlery. I iwll pack the airbnb stuff in a bin while we are there. Might even use our own bedding.
So please back to fingers and toes crossed for our phone meeting on the 21st. It would be simply perfect if he drove it away. I think that we can probably be totally packed up in 3 days. I did five toes of fragile last week.
We have a huge/long balcony but it is narrow. The plan is to bring 6 chairs with us and a few tables and 2 footstools. I actually made 7000MXN on the sale of my plants!! We already sold our UTV as well.
Love your hugs and gracias.
Contessa
I was wondering how things were going because it’s been awhile since you checked in. And now I know why, wow is an understatement. Thanks for letting us know what’s been happening 🙂
Wishing you all the best with the move and remember to take time to keep yourself healthy too!!