Finally! WOO HOO! Success at long last!

 

The transfer from where my IRA is now to Schwab International is finally squared away on paper so I’ll fax or mail the documents tomorrow from Grecia.

 

I filled out the three multiple-page documents and then called the Schwab help line to get my last two questions answered, so now I’m ready to send the application, transfer doc and RMD request doc info to Schwab headquarters in Texas.

 

What a process, but at least it’s almost done and I DON’T (as feared) have to go to the U.S. Embassy to get any of my signatures notarized. What a relief (plus a time and money saver)!

 

I have no idea what faxing or mailing the docs is going to cost, but neither method will cost me as much as having to go to San Jose to get stuff notarized, so I’m counting my blessings, for sure.

 

I reckon that within weeks now my RMD should transfer to my credit union savings account and my balance there will be above $3K again. Relief squared!

 

And my tax return should arrive this week, too. But that will go chiefly to paying off my credit card. (My goal, always, is to keep that balance at zero every month, and so far, so good!)

 

I Walked Again This Morning

 

I’m at 10,911 steps as of right now (1:44 pm), more than 3,000 steps beyond my daily goal. That makes me happy!

 

Totally Relaxed Again

 

Having the Schwab and taxes done makes me feel completely relaxed again.

 

So, having reached that milestone, I just checked my immigration status again, and nothing has changed.  It still reads “RECEIVED.” When someone finally gets assigned to the matter, the status will change to “In Process,” but I don’t expect that to happen for another six months.

 

Still, I need to keep watching for the change because if the processor hits a snag, I will only have a short period of time to respond and correct the anomaly before I’d have to start the process all over again, and I certainly don’t want to have to do that!

 

Getting docs assembled and apostilled again (this time with me here in Costa Rica) would require friends or family having to do the legwork for me in the States, and that would be a real bummer. Not to mention having the waiting time for pensionado approval to get set back for at least another full year to get it approved so I can start paying into CAJA and have this nation’s medical, dental and health coverage, which costs a mere fraction of what it does in the States.

 

My Dog Bite is Looking Great

 

The redness has subsided to where I can barely see it anymore.  After I walk and the jeans have rubbed against it for 90 minutes, it gets a little bit redder, but that’s because the flesh is new, thin and still building, so the blood flow to it is active and visible following any friction. (It’s “blushing/flushing” as opposed to “infected,” in other words.)

 

HAPPY HAPPY UPDATE:

 

WOW!  I Got a $1000+ Tax Refund!!!

 

OMG!  The tax refund this year is slightly over $1000. I was hoping for (and kind of expecting) up to $600, but not this much! WOO HOO!!!

 

So, I paid off my credit card balance and was able to put $500 toward my liquid credit union savings while still keeping over $100 in my checking account to tide me over to April 1st. When I get the RMD sometime next month, my balance there will exceed $3K by several hundred dollars (unless getting the Schwab paperwork where it needs to go costs a lot) and I will be one happy camper.

 

I’m back to my minimum desired baseline financial fluidity!

 

And I intend to add to it every month from now on at the rate of several hundred dollars per month. It feels good!

 

I got up just now (4 a.m. on March 25) for just a few moments to see if Dale had responded to me about riding the bus with me into Grecia (he did, and he will) and to see if Lisa had reviewed the fundraising document I had edited for her and let me know (she hasn’t yet), but then thought I’d just check to see, real quick, if my tax refund had landed. I was gobsmacked when I saw it had and that it was such a large refund.  So, now I have Christmas Tree Brain and probably won’t be able to go back to sleep.

 

But guess what?  I don’t care!  I’ll just sit here grinning like a fool and thanking my lucky stars!  That’ll work just fine!

 

I’m on Cloud 9!