OOOHHH!!!

More on better (but not good or best necessarily)>>>>>>> I often have trouble falling to sleep at night or falling back to sleep when i wake in the middle of the night. So, being a big 5 year old, i play games in my head to bore/entertain myself into falling asleep. When we owned the condominium in Washington, DC, i used to play the "better here or there" game. I would review things/activities in both locations and compare which was better. For example, the zoo in DC is better than the zoo in Albuquerque. The bed/mattress in DC was better than the one in Albuquerque. My friendship circle was better in Albuquerque than in DC. The weather was better in Albuquerque than in DC. But, we no longer have the condominium...and i still have the sleep delay issue. So, to calm my racing mind, i play it with life in Costa Rica and life in US (and mostly the Midwest where my family and best friends live).>>>>>>> The latest entries? The weather is better in Costa Rica than in Ohio/Indiana, especially in any month not October (i'm a hot house flower..i cannot do the cold!). My closest friends, however, and my mom/sister and my mom/sis-in-law are in Ohio/Indiana. I can get Cool Whip and good cheese and Jiffy corn mix in Ohio/Indiana (not here!). But, the eggs here in Costa Rica are a lot cheaper and more tasty. I have yummy bananas, plantains, uchuvas, and tomatoes growing year 'round in my yard/garden in addition to three kinds of citrus and five avocado trees. We have no ethnic restaurants to speak of in the area nor, really, "good"restaurants. We have "sodas" (local cafes) and less fancy restaurants but a good "dining experience" (for Hubster, i like eating at home generally) is not easy to come by without a 1+ hour drive and even then, rare. There is no JoAnn fabrics (or, really, any sewing stores/supplies at all) or DollarStore (but we do have Pequeno Mundo, kinda like a DollarStore/BigLots hybrid). I have toucans and monkeys and coatis and hummingbirds and social flycatchers (and vultures) in my yard, year round. No pretty snow at Christmas. I had to leave my much-loved hot tub in the US and cannot really get one here. And....i don't speak Spanish (tried!! tried sososo hard!!) so talking to locals (the nice woman behind me in the line at the grocery! the woman that pass every day on my walk!) does not happen. No crime here to speak of...but the drivers are super-frustrating. We have no nightlife here (at all) but with "night" falling at ~5:00, we don't miss it. We weren't big "partiers" ever. >>>>>>> So, usually by this time, i'm falling to sleep but every time i come up with something new, depending on how that day/week has been going. The big advantage here? Retired and spend the day with Hubster and kitties and reading/enjoying all day, every day. The big disadvantage? My friends and family are in the US (including that cute grandbaby that i have yet to scrunch!!). What would be the things that you would like to get away from where/how you are currently living? Would it be worth the trade to not have Diet Dr Pepper or access to Olive Garden (although there is an Olive Garden in San Jose....1 hour from Atenas)?