I Got Robbed & Engaged in the Same Day (story time episode for the girls!)

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What's up, you guys? Welcome back to the podcast. As you can tell from the title of this episode, we have some fucking catching up to do.

I got engaged! What? So we're going to do a full story time.

I'm going to tell you guys everything, exactly what happened. I got robbed and engaged in the same day in Costa Rica. You just can't make this stuff up.

So we're going to go through the whole thing and give you a well-deserved recap.

Obviously shared a little bit about the stuff of Jaime's wallet getting stolen and losing his green card and getting stranded in Costa Rica on social media, but I didn't share about the engagement because honestly, at the time, we were just dealing with so much trying to get all that sorted that I didn't have time to like sit and be in my feelings and write a sappy post and like give it the attention that it deserved. And I honestly didn't even have time to like really be that excited about it. Like, I didn't even tell my parents for a, like, a couple days, I think, afterwards, just because everyone was so concerned about like how long we were going to be stuck there and if we were going to be able to get back and what was happening with his stolen green card and all these things. So it kind of overshadowed the excitement post-engagement, not going to lie. But we'll talk about the whole thing. But yeah, now that we're finally back home and everything is fine and we've just kind of been settling in, I feel like I am now leaning into the love bubble and I've had time to actually like reflect and think about it. So I'm excited to tell you guys the entire story, exactly what happened from start to finish, all the details, how I was feeling, if I was surprised, everything about the ring, like just all the stuff, you know. So this episode today is for the girls, and if you're here for a story time, then tune in. Let's go!

Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daly, entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie, here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shift happen.

So let's start with the trip to Costa Rica in general. Now, before we went on this trip, I will confess that I told some of my friends, like, I think he might do it on this trip, like, I think we might get engaged on this trip, but I wasn't totally sure. But I did know that just based on our relationship, how much we love to travel, like, him knowing me really well, I just figured that it would probably happen on a trip of some kind. It just is very much not like us for him to just like propose to me at home or like just here, like, I don't know, out like to a dinner or something. I don't know, like it just— I felt like that that would just never really happen. So I kind of expected that it might happen on a trip, but we have a couple really like amazing trips planned this year, so I wasn't really sure which one it might be. But you know, if you've ever been in that season where you're like thinking that you're about to get engaged, you're just kind of like, any of these ones could be the one, so I better be prepared. And I was feeling like super pale before we were meant to go on this trip. And I was saying to one of my friends, I was like, this is— I feel, uh, bad admitting this, but I'm literally going to a tanning bed. I have not been to a tanning bed since I was like a teenager. And I know you guys, all the wellness girlies, are like freaking out right now. Trust me, I know. I told my best friend who's a naturopath, I was like, I'm about to go into a tanning bed and literally like take in these UV rays because I cannot risk getting engaged looking like a white pasty biatch, okay? And she was like, oh, no worries, like, I'm literally going to a tanning bed too. Because it was—

I don't know, like, it's— Florida is weird.

It's like, you would think that you'd be tan all year round because you live here, but actually, because you have the beach just at your disposal, like, when any day you could go to the beach, like, you don't go to the beach and lay out for a week straight to get like a really deep tan. Like, So anyways, I did go to a tanning bed, which is— judge me if you want to, but it was just like a few times. I just needed a base, okay? The girls who understand will understand. But actually, I will say, I felt so— guys, if you haven't been to a tanning bed since you were also a teenager, I'm, I'm expecting that like most of you are like, yeah, we stopped tanning because we realized it was like bad for you. But I have to say, it was so fucking nostalgic. Like, every single part about it, like buying the like bougie, like expensive fucking lotion that they always sell you. And I just— the whole experience literally transported me. Every time I went there, I felt like I was getting transported back to like high school. It was just crazy. The stickers that they give you if you want like to put a little Playboy Bunny sticker so that you get the tan line around it. I didn't do that, but, um, yeah, the smell of the lotion, just like the radio playing in the tanning bed. I don't know, the whole thing, the whole— the, the burnt marshmallow smell that you kind of have when you're like done, and like the way your ass just like sweats all over the tanning bed. I— it was really enjoyable, I'm not gonna lie. It was so—

and you get so tan so fast, and oh my God, okay, I'm not trying to be like a bad influence, but like low-key It was, it was actually a really good experience.

Um, and yeah, I think if I was like ever like in a desperate situation, like before my wedding, if I'm like not tan, like I will be doing it again. Like I just will. It's, it's fine. It's, it's worth it for just like those when you're in a pinch situations, you know, not as like a lifestyle but just as like a little okay, you know, just, just this one time. It's kind of like a crack pipe. Like I'm not trying to like hit it every day, but Yeah, it did bring back the memories. So anyways, I was like, just in case, just in case it does happen, I want to be tan. And I obviously got my nails done. They're like so grown out at this point, but like I got like a cute like little neutral nail in my like typical like almond shape. It's kind of like a light like pinky sort of pinky white situation with some like chromes. They're nice and shiny. So I was preparing. I definitely was preparing. So we get to Costa Rica and we started our trip in Arenal. Which is a little bit north. It's kind of like in more of a like wet, sort of like tropical kind of area of Costa Rica. And there's a big volcano there that you can hike that Jaime really wanted to see. So we were only there for like a day and a half. We basically just went for the volcano and we did the volcano hike. It was very cool. We got to the top. I like meditated atop the volcano. You can see like all the lava pathways from when it last erupted. And it was cool, but unfortunately, because it's— the elevation is so high, you know, you always risk whenever you're doing like a super high elevation mountain hike or anything like that, that the, the cloud cover is just gonna be too much where you won't really get to see the view that well. So that was a situation we didn't— we couldn't really see the peak or like the top of the volcano because of the elevation and just like there was too much cloud cover. So that was kind of anticlimactic, a bit of a bummer, but it was still a good experience and it was fun. Then we kind of moved over to another part of Costa Rica. We went to Tamarindo, which We honestly just stopped there because it was on the way to our final destination, which was Nosara. And I'll say like, we just stopped in Tamarindo because it was like the place that was in like driving distance, like in between that we could stop off for a couple of days just to see how it was. We've been to a lot, well, I won't say a lot. We've been to several other parts of Costa Rica. The last time that we went there, like we just explored like a bunch of the different areas in other parts of the country. Like, um, in like Uvita, if you've ever been there, or Manuel Antonio, or Corcovado, which is like the, the national park. And that's where we saw like the puma and like did all kinds of other crazy, like, cool stuff. Like, I think I told you guys that story in the podcast, right? We literally saw— we were like doing a tour through this like national park, and we literally saw a puma just like, just casually like walking through the forest, like in front of us. It was crazy. It was like so close to me, like from where I'm sitting to like the wall in front of me. It was crazy. So anyway, we've seen other parts of Costa Rica that we loved and enjoyed, but we wanted to explore new parts. Tamarindo, for us, we didn't love it. Um, the hotel that we stayed in had really incredible views, which was amazing. It was, it was beautiful views, but like the rooms, like it was supposed to be like a nice hotel, but like the rooms like weren't giving like that nice. Um, and yeah, just overall I feel like that part is very— it has like, it's kind of like cool, like hipster vibe, but it was a little bit too cheesy, like touristy for us. It's very like crowded. Um, and the, the beaches were just— they weren't, they weren't our favorite. They weren't the best. So anyway, moving on. After that we went to, um, and that was like, at this point of the trip was where I was like texting my friends being like, okay, I'm not really like getting the vibe, like uh, like between him and I and also just like the places that we were, I was just like, maybe he's like not gonna do it here because I'm not really getting the vibe. But then we went to our final spot of our trip, which was in Nosara. And I would say like so many people have told me such amazing things about Nosara, like it's so highly recommended when you go to Costa Rica. So I knew that we were like gonna love it there and there was, there was going to be a lot of places in terms of like restaurants and things like that that were very much like our vibe because I trusted the recommendations of, of these people. I think my conclusion of Nosara is like, it's very much like the Tulum of Costa Rica. Like, if you've ever been to Tulum in Mexico, you know that they understand very well their ideal client. Like, they have an ideal client archetype and it is crystal fucking clear, and they came to serve that person. And it's just so obvious. Like, everything in Tulum is built out for that kind of like boho chic, like spiritual vibe. It's all built around like yoga and breathwork and these different, like, just all the hotels are very like boho chic, like swanky luxury, like coastal. I don't know, like, you know the vibe if you've ever been there. And that's, I feel like, very much how Nosara is like being built up. And it's definitely exploded and boomed over the past couple of years, ever since the pandemic. Like, it's gotten so much busier. There's so much more construction. There's so much more luxury, like housing and apartments and luxury villas and, and hotels and resorts that are being built in this area of Costa Rica. So some of the people that we talked to that have been there for a while, they're like, they're kind of over it. They're like, it's so exploited at this point. Like, you know, it used to be like this, such a gem of like a little corner and like spot of Costa Rica, and now it's like a hotspot. So we definitely felt that, but it was still, it was still really nice. Like it was our favorite. It was definitely our favorite. Place that we went to, especially on this trip. The beaches were amazing. They're so big, so natural. Like, there's just something really special about the beaches in Costa Rica because of the landscape that you get. It feels so different. I feel like it's probably similar when you're in somewhere like Thailand or Bali because you have these huge, like, mountainous, like, green rolling cliffs that are the backdrop for— and then you're just like on the beach and it's just like ocean, which is so different to when you go somewhere in the Caribbean where it's just like white sand, blue water, but like nothing around you. So to have those like huge, like rolling, like green mountains and cliffs and, and hills and stuff as, as the backdrop, it feels very jungle-like because you're in the jungle. So that's what's cool about it. We loved the beaches. The sunset there on the beach is beautiful because the sun sets over the water. Here where we are, like the beach where we live, the sun doesn't set over the beach cuz we're on the East Coast of the US. So the sun rises over the water here, but it doesn't set. So it was fun to be in Costa Rica and kind of get like sunset walks on the beach and, and those things. We stayed at this place called Esh Hotel and Spa. It's brand new. They literally just opened like at the start of the year. So they've only been open for a couple of months, but it's a stunning boutique resort. It's like an aesthetic dream. You know, if you are a girly who wants like a luxury, like, boutique resort experience with, like, all the aesthetics and, like, the perfect pool setup and the sauna and the cold plunge. And, like, the food was delicious. Just everything, it was, it was really beautiful. It was great. So I do highly recommend. That was definitely our favorite place that we stayed. So, okay, the day that we got robbed and engaged, let's get into the story. So we go to this beach that was recommended to us. It's called La Barrigona, which means like the big fat belly.

Neither here nor there, but I will always remember it because, because of just this day.

So we go to— we go out to lunch before, and we eat lunch, we pay, and then we're like, cool, let's go to the beach. So we go to the beach, we park, and we're like, oh, this is beautiful. It's like very secluded. I would say it's not one of like the most popular, um, beaches in Nosara. So that was nice because it was a lot more like open. There was really not many people there. There was like no one there. There was a couple other like couples or like small groups of like a mom with like 2 kids or something, but just like a, like a handful of other people were on this beach. So we were basically alone. But what I realized later is that a lot of locals like a lot of Costa Ricans, they're not like out on the sand, like laying in the sun trying to sunbathe like us tourists are. They're kind of like, they will set up like chairs and little, like, not like tents, but you know, just under like where there's trees at the very back of the beach. I'm trying to think of how to describe this if you can't see it, but like, yeah, so you park and then you like walk out onto the beach and like most of us are going out like way out onto like the sand. We're trying to get sun. We're like laying out. We're just like in the middle of the beach area. There will be locals like tucked in the back of the beach, like kind of sitting under where there's trees to like stay in the shade. And so what I didn't fully realize was that there were groups of locals there, kind of like they just had the— they have like a bird's eye view of like what's happening on the beach, and they're sitting in the shade and you can't really see them because they're like underneath these trees a little bit. So I would assume that that is how they ended up stealing from us was because they were just observing and watching, and then they saw when we weren't paying attention, and then they came over and like stole our stuff, right? So we go to this beach, it's gorgeous. It's actually my favorite— I think it was my favorite one that we went to while we were in Nosara. We got the best pictures.

Worth it, worth it, because like the pics— the girlies will know— such good pics at this beach.

So we're just having fun, we're like, we're taking photos of each other, we're like playing in the water. And we kind of knew, like people had said, you know, be careful of your belongings things and stuff. But like, I don't know, I, I wasn't fully aware of how much like petty theft and like robbery that there is in Costa Rica. I didn't experience any of that the last time that we were there, and maybe it's because we were in more like nature, wild like areas. We weren't in these like, you know, hotspot tourist spots. But yeah, I knew roughly like to obviously mind your belongings, but I definitely wasn't like being paranoid, which if I were to go back, I would be so much more careful, obviously, because I know now that's what happens when you learn the fucking hard way. But anyways, I think when it happened was we were taking photos of each other, like, not far from our stuff. Like, we could see our stuff. We were out in the water, but like, we could see our stuff. And then we wanted to go walk to the other end of the beach because there were these like big like rocks and I don't know, whatever. We were just wanting to go for a walk. So we— Jaime was like, no, bring your phone and bring your camera just in case. So he brought his phone, I brought my phone, we brought the camera. We basically thought we were like holding all of our most valuable belongings. I didn't know that Jaime's wallet was in our bag. I guess he didn't think that it was important that it was in there because we were being mindful of like carrying our like most prized possessions with us just in case because we were going to walk to the other end of the beach. But— and I didn't know that the wallet was in there. But honestly, even if I did know that it was in there, I wouldn't have probably been like, oh yeah, carry that with you, because again, I wasn't being super paranoid. And I also didn't know that his fucking green card was in the wallet. Like, we— this is such an important document. Like, if you are an immigrant in America, like, it is such a coveted, important document. It takes years to get this thing. It is so expensive. It's such a grueling process. Like, there is no reason that he should be carrying that around in his wallet ever. Um, I wasn't aware of that, and he, he claims that he didn't realize that it would be such a pain in the ass if he lost it or if it was stolen. And I'm like, you're the one who went through the whole pain in the process— pain in the ass process to get it. Like, you should know that it's like like a fucking, like, hard document to get and to replace. But anyways, that's besides the point now because it's too far gone. So we go for a walk down the end of the beach. I, I'm guessing at that point someone was like, oh, they're so far away and they're not paying attention. So they probably— one of the locals probably came over, rummaged through our stuff, found what they felt was valuable, which was the wallet, and then they went and like started spending money on our cards. But we're still, you know, oblivious to this fact. We finish our time at the beach, we're like, yes, this is awesome, great day. We, we have a dinner that night. We go back to our resort, we're getting ready for dinner. I'm actually ready early, which I'm, if you guys know me, like 3 minutes late is my, that's me on time. Like I'm, I'm never early, but I'm like weirdly 20 minutes early. So I was like, okay, great. Like, do you wanna just go to the restaurant early? We can like maybe take some photos and then whatever. And he's like, yeah, perfect. But I can't find my wallet. Like I really can't find it anywhere. So he goes out to the car to check, can't find it, can't find it, can't find it. Then he starts looking at the app and he sees that he had been getting some alerts for potentially fraudulent activity. They're spending all this money on the cards and we're like, okay, it's definitely stolen. Fuck. Um, and so at that point we're like, okay, we have to immediately freeze these cards and call the bank and make sure that we dispute these charges as soon as possible. So we have 15 minutes before our reservation. I'm calling the bank, I'm freezing the cards. Um, we're talking to them, and then basically the process is like about to wrap up, and I'm like, Jaime, we're gonna miss our dinner reservation, we need to go, let's just finish this, I'll finish this conversation with the lady at the bank in the car, like, you drive, we'll just finish this. And he's like, no, I'm not leaving.

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Okay, but like, we're literally almost done. Like, what do you mean you're not leaving? Like, let me just finish this in the car. Like, we're, we're gonna miss— we're gonna lose our reservation. We're already like running late. And he's like, nope, I'm not leaving until this is done. And so then he was starting to piss me off. I'm like, okay, like, I, I get that like it's a stressful situation and like the wallet was stolen, whatever, but like, we're not gonna let it ruin our trip. Like, we can still go to this dinner and like have a good time. Like, what do you mean you're not fucking leaving? Like, get— like, let's go in the car.

Like, I was just starting to get actually really frustrated and annoyed with him. Like, what are you talking about?

And that is of course because this poor man had planned that this night was going to be the night that he was going to propose. And so little did I know, we did not have a dinner reservation and we were not going anywhere.

In fact, we were staying there.

So he was trying to get me to not try to leave. So I'm getting irritated, I'm annoyed with him.

I'm like, ugh, so annoying.

I'm finishing the conversation. I'm, I'm like, okay, we're finished, we're— it's wrapping up, let's go. I'm walking out of our hotel room, I'm like walking down the steps, I'm finishing the conversation with the, the lady, uh, that I'm on the phone with for the bank. And he's like, don't walk so fast.

Like, in my head I'm like, literally, I'm gonna kill him right now.

And then I'm like, okay, the phone call's over, let's go, let's go, let's go. And he's like, actually, let's go this way. And then it started to click. I'm like, oh. He grabs me by the hand. We're not going towards the car, we're like going further into— there was like somewhere else in the resort. And he walks me to like a villa that is not ours and opens the door.

I'm like, where are you going?

And he's like, we're going here. And we walk in and the villa is obviously for us. There's a staff staff member there waiting for us to serve us like a private romantic candlelit dinner on the terrace by the private villa pool. And then it's all clicking, right, of like why he was being so stubborn, like why he didn't want to go to the car. And so the emotions flip quickly, but I just still cannot believe in that moment that this is like, this is the moment. Like, of course, when we're like kind of irritated with each other and a really stressful thing is happening right now where like our money is being used, our cards have been stolen, like, and at this point I still don't know that his green card was in the wallet. So luckily we're not that stressed because it's like, okay, you can replace your driver's license, the bank will send you new cards, like it'll all be fixed in like a week's time. It's whatever. So that was a good thing that the night of the engagement, I didn't really fully realize how deep this problem was going to be. I think maybe he told me about it at the dinner, that the green card was in there, and he was like, but I'll probably just have to submit to like USCIS and they'll send me a replacement. We hadn't looked very deep into the situation yet because it had just happened, so we weren't fully like on edge and stressed— as stressed as we were about to become in the coming days. Um, which is a positive of that. So anyways, we go into like the villa. I see that they've got a private dinner set up for us by the pool. There's a guy there waiting for us. I feel so bad now because we're literally 20 minutes late. He's probably been standing there waiting for us to like, you know, come to this dinner. So obviously Jaime explains the situation and they're like laughing about it and whatever, um, but they like— there's incense burning and there's candles lit and it's just really beautiful. Jaime picked the entire menu that we were gonna have for the night. And yeah, it was just like a little intimate, just us, like surprise romantic dinner, which was so nice. And of course in my head I'm like, okay, so maybe this is it, like maybe he's gonna propose. But then we like have such a great dinner and we're sitting there and we're talking and like time is going by and we're like there for a while. So I start to think like, maybe he's not gonna do it. Like, obviously this is a very, like, romantic gesture, so maybe he was going to do it here, but now because of, like, the stolen wallet situation and the stress, like, maybe he's— maybe he's rerouting. Maybe he's, like, on the— on the cuff, like, changing course. Like, he's not gonna do it tonight, and he'll just let me think that this is, like, a really romantic gesture, and then it'll throw me off the scent.

Even further, and then he's gonna surprise me in like another moment with the engagement. So, you know, your mind is always just like going a million miles a minute.

And then eventually he got down on one knee and he was like, yeah, just, I don't like, I feel like you black out when you get proposed to. Like, I remember a few of the things that he said, but like, I, I don't remember everything. I think you just like go into like this other, like a vortex where you're like, it's actually happening. And I feel like I was just looking at him with this like stupid smile on my face.

Like, it's It's actually happening, it's actually happening. And like blacked out, like I don't remember anything else that he said from that point.

But yeah, it was really nice because he was, he was down there on one knee for, for a bit, just kind of talking to me about our journey in life together. And you know, the near decade that we've spent together and all the things that we've been through. And obviously we've had, we've encountered like a lot of challenges over the years with different things happening in our lives and my business and We've just been through like so many things together, um, and obviously like the beautiful times and the memories and all of that. And then asking me to spend the rest of my life with him and showing me the ring, which I was so, so excited about. I love it, it's beautiful. He picked it out all by himself. I had nothing to do with this, which is honestly amazing, um, and it fits really, really well. But I do think I want to get tightened just a little bit. It like fits really good. It's like snug going over the knuckle, but then when it's like on my finger, it like rolls around a lot, obviously because it's like heavy too. But I just don't ever want to like break it or like knock the diamond out of it. So I think I might at some point have to get it tightened a little bit. But like, it's perfect. It's perfect, and it's so beautiful, and he did such a good job. We did not go ring shopping together. We didn't pick anything out together. I think like maybe 2 or 3 times in, in our lifetime of being together, I've sent him, uh, rings or something on Instagram that I've seen, if I've seen something that I like really like, just so that he has an idea of something without me having to like literally say like, buy me this. Um, so he obviously had an idea when we were in New York last year when the pod— when he did like the surprise with the, the podcast being in Times Square. Um, we— I remember we went to Tiffany's and he was on the phone with like a friend or someone the entire time, but I just wanted to go in for myself just to like see things in person and see if anything caught my eye. Because I'm not really the girl that like has a Pinterest board of like my engagement rings or like my ideal proposal. Like, I literally had no idea what— I don't know, I just thought like, be in your feminine and like they'll plan it. Like So I didn't have like— I didn't know. I had no idea what kind of like ring I wanted. I had no idea that people even made— one of my friends was like, oh, do you have like a Pinterest board for like what you want for your proposal? I'm like, what? Like, I, I didn't know that like that was a thing that we could even be doing. Like, dead serious, not trying to be like a cool girl. Like, I literally just like didn't have that. So we— I remember we went into Tiffany's. So that was like in May of last year. And I honestly didn't really see anything that I like loved that much when we were in Tiffany's. It was all just kind of like whatever. But— and he was on the phone the entire time. But I remember like showing him just like shapes that I liked because that was the limit of anything that I saw that I liked. There was no ring where I was like, oh my gosh, like that ring, or just like that. No. But I do, I do remember like showing him the ovals and the pears, like that. Those are the only shapes that I really liked. And I guess he remembered that, um, and he just ran with it and he did his own thing. And he custom made the ring. I guess he had it made in Barcelona and then he had to get it here. I think he picked it up when we went to Spain, uh, around Thanksgiving time for my birthday. So like end of November, early December, he would have gotten the ring then, and then he's had it since then. So, and now it's mine and I'm not taking it off. So I do love it. That's one really good thing. I think he did a really great job with the ring. So, you know, people always say like, um, were you surprised? Like, did you know it was happening? And I think my answer to that is like yes and no. As I told you guys, like I had inklings. I kind of knew that it was coming. At the start of the year, I just claimed it for myself. I was like, this is the year that I'm getting engaged. When I did my Top Tier immersion event with the last group of girls that was in Top Tier, when they came in November, we went around the dinner table the very last night of the immersion, and we were talking about what our— what we were claiming for 2025 and kind of what our energy was going to be for the upcoming year. And I had shared with them at the table that, like, I was claiming that this was going to be the year that I got engaged. So I definitely— I was personally ready. I was manifesting it. Obviously him and I had conversations about it, but I didn't know when it was going to happen. When he was— he told me that he's been looking for the ring and like in the process of creating the ring since last—

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May or June, which would be around the time that I got back from Egypt, and I, like, I had no idea that he would even be thinking about getting a ring or trying to get one. I was hoping, I was like, I hope he is, because if he's not even like looking at stuff yet, this is going to be taking a lot longer than I thought. But I was just trying to be so mindful of not becoming overbearing or like pushing too much or prying or asking like, have you started looking at it? Or I just— I, I wanted as much as I could to really remain in my feminine energy and let him take control of that and let him lead and let him like be on the timeline. He knew that I was desiring it. I obviously communicated those desires, but I didn't want to be overly pushy because I also didn't want to get to the point of an engagement where I was just like rolling my eyes of like, oh, fucking finally, right? Like, I didn't want that to be the energy, but I knew that since we're coming up on this month, it'll be 10 years that we've met, that we've been together. So it was eventually going to get to a point where there was probably going to be some sort of like resentment there if it wasn't happening soon. And this is what I think has been interesting for me about this is for the past several years I have had, you know, zero rush and zero push towards anything like engagement, marriage, kids, any of that stuff. We've always been really on the same page of like, we see that future for ourselves, we're in agreement that that's where we're headed, but we're not in a rush to do that right now because I'm really focused on building this business and we were moving to America and buying a house. And there's just always been really big life things happening that we just weren't in that space to be thinking about, oh yeah, like, let's get engaged and get married, or let's get pregnant, or any of those things. So it hadn't really been on my radar. So for years I was like so chill and relaxed about it, even though we had been together for 6, 7, 8 years, and I still didn't feel rushed. I think it was just— I've talked about this before on the show too, like, as soon as I turned 30, I feel like a— and it wasn't even like an intentional thing of like, oh my gosh, I'm 30, so I'm running out of time now. It wasn't even that. It was really something in my biology. Like, it was something in my body that I didn't even have control over. Was like my body was just like sending me more signals and cravings and thoughts around motherhood, babies, marriage. And so naturally we started to kind of have more conversations about those things. And then I realized, okay, like, I actually am really desiring that season of my life now. And so we had those conversations, so he knew that, but But beyond that, I didn't want to be the person that was like super pushy because I didn't want there to be any resentment once we got to the place of a proposal. So, you know, I think some people will be like, oh my gosh, like you guys have been together for— like all of my friends that have been together for way less time than us, like already engaged, already married, they're probably pregnant. And so I think people from the outside looking in might be like, man, like he really made you wait like a long fucking time for that ring. Like, 10 years, like, damn, I'd be like out of there by now, or like I would have dropped him. But it's like, it's a different situation for our relationship because it was never a question of commitment, you know. I think if you are— if you've been with a man for like several years and you still feel like there's question marks around whether he's fully committed to you or whether you will be his wife someday, and that's what you're desiring, then I think it's a very different situation. Whereas him and I were so clear on the fact that we were getting married. We were desiring to be together for the rest of our lives. We knew that, you know, we both want kids. Like, we were painting the vision of the future, and I had no questions, no doubts in my mind that he was fully committed to me. And that allowed me to be so much more relaxed in my priorities of working on my business, you know, getting us to move to America, all the immigration stuff, buying a house. Like that just made sense for us at the time. And so there wasn't as much of a rush. But once I got to that, that period of having that like biological switch happened, I was like, okay, actually we're going to need to do this at some point or else I'm going to start to get—

I'm going to start to be annoyed with you if we don't.

And then I just voiced that and then I just let it, I just let it go.

And I was like, I hope he's doing it, cuz if he's not Man, oh man, that's gonna be, it's gonna be a rough conversation.

So luckily, of course, you know, he was, he was behind the scenes, he was putting in the work, he was getting everything sorted. And I'm really happy with the way that the whole proposal situation turned out. I did want photos and I told him that, that I think it, you know, it's really such a special moment and I'd love to have that captured to be able to like cherish that forever and to always be able to look back and remember the moment. Um, but there wasn't anyone there to take photos of us. It was also nighttime in the jungle, which is like pitch black dark, so I don't know how they realistically would have even gotten good photos of us at this like private dinner. And we were on like a little like patio overlooking like a pool. There was like— there was nowhere for anyone to like even take a photo of us with like a view of like literally the jungle. What are they gonna drop— jump out of the trees in the fucking jungle and like start paparazzi-ing? Or proposal. So, um, he told me afterwards, he was like, I know that you wanted— I know that you wanted photos, um, but I just— I, I really needed it to be just us and private in order for me to like speak my heart and like tell you what I wanted to tell you, because I was just gonna get too shy otherwise and like I wasn't going to be able to do it. So I respected that. And then he was like, we can do an engagement shoot and you can have like cute photos.

So I'm like, okay.

So we ended up taking like some photos just like the next day, like at the resort, uh, before we were going out to dinner that night. And those are like photos for like the memories of the moment. But yeah, people always ask like, you know, did you cry? Um, did you pick out the ring? So like I already said that no, I didn't pick out the ring. I also didn't cry cuz again, like we've been together for 10 years. I've I've been wanting this. I know that it's coming, sort of. So I didn't cry in the moment. It was not— I wasn't, I wasn't the girl with like the shocked face of like, oh my God, um, it wasn't me. I was just smiling at him like an idiot and my brain was like floating off into another dimension of just like, oh my God, it's happening, it's actually happening. But I did cry like a little bit later at the dinner after, after the proposal, we were sitting there and, you know, we were finishing our beautiful bottle of champagne that they gave us. And I was just getting like sappy, mainly thinking about our families and how our families were really going to be families for life now. And just feeling so lucky that we have such good people in our families. Like you guys, when I tell you, I feel so grateful because I hear all of the horror stories and like the challenges that people really go through. With their in-laws and just like family drama and things like that. And you know, you can never predict the future, what's going to happen. We can never say that there's never going to be like drama, but I just feel really grateful that we both have really, really healthy nuclear family dynamics. We don't have divorce or like anger or drama or people that don't get along. Even everyone that's like married into our families, we love them. Like my sister-in-law. I love her. She's like a sister to me. Get along with her so well. She has the best personality. Like, we mesh so well. My brother's wife and her and Jaime actually get along so well. Like, they're two peas in a pod. Whenever it's like family hangouts, like, Chelsea and Jaime are always together, like, laughing, cracking jokes. Like, they have very similar humor. Um, they get along really well. Her family is Italian and Jaime's obviously Spanish, and they have like similar cultures in that way of just like certain things. So they get along super well. Like, all of Jaime's family is super sweet. They've always been so kind and loving to me, especially when I was living in Spain and it was like the early years where I was just trying to get adjusted there. His cousins actually gave me a job when I was first there, when I was looking for like extra work to like make cash on the side. They have a law firm there and they were like, you should come to the law firm and teach our employees like a speaking English class, and you know, we'll pay you. So they would pay me in cash, and they were just always so generous and nice to me. When I got my phone pickpocketed off of me one time in Madrid, I had no phone, and I was supposed to be traveling home for Christmas in like a week. And I was like, oh my God, how am I going to deal with like international travel and like communicating with my parents to pick me up from the airport if I like don't have a phone? So they had extra phones at the law firm. They like gave me a phone um, his cousin— his one cousin really loves food. He's like such a foodie and he loves to cook. And so my first year when I was there, he was like, oh my gosh, let's do Thanksgiving. And so he literally had me send him all of my mom's recipes for American Thanksgiving, and he bought American measuring like scoops and tablespoons and cups and everything so that he could just follow the recipes with like American measurements. Friends, and he went to the American food stores and he like bought a turkey and he got all these things. And then like he invited me over and we like cooked the whole Thanksgiving dinner together and then served it to the Spanish family, who was like—

they're so sweet. Like, I'm sure they fucking hated it because it's just not— well, I can't say that they hated it, but it's just so not like Spanish food.

It's like not their vibe. Like, imagine a Spanish person eating like a super sweet sweet potato casserole that has like pecans and like brown sugar, like all over the top.

Like, it's just so funny. And then, like, for, for a couple more years, we did, like, Thanksgiving together, and he always was in charge and cooking the turkey and, like, making Thanksgiving with me.

So they're, they're the sweetest, and his parents are just so kind, and I love them, and they've always taken such good care of me. So yeah, I just kind of, like, teared up at the dinner just thinking about how beautiful it is that we get to be family forever. And that our families are just such good people, and that we have such beautiful people in our lives, like, supporting us in this next chapter. So yeah, that was probably my most, like, emotional moment of the engagement. Okay, so now we get into the whole drama that unfolded in the following days with the green card getting stuck in Costa Rica, the embassy, all of that shenanigans. But first, if you are watching this on YouTube, I apologize that the lighting just got super weird and changed because the sun just set. I really wanted to record this today. I wasn't going to wait until tomorrow. So anyways, that was our night of our engagement. The next morning we wake up, first thing we've got to go to a police station.

We have to file a police report for the robbery of the wallet and whatever.

So we do that. Um, they're super like slow and just everything is so chill there and no one's in a hurry, so it's really hard to like like get things done in like a timely way. So we spent a good bit of time trying to get the police report sorted. So we did that. Then we spent the morning hanging out by the pool like trying to relax, but it was so not relaxing because all we could think about was how fucked we were with this green card situation. Because before we went to bed that night, Jaime actually started like researching and looking on the USCIS website and like Googling, and everything was basically like, you're fucked. Essentially, that's what— that's what we were— that was what Google was telling us. And so we were like, oh shit, we're just really hoping that we weren't going to be in like a bad predicament. But nonetheless, we start trying to get in contact with the embassy. Everything is obviously like, you need to go to the embassy in San Jose. So Costa Rica is very like, when you go there, you fly into San Jose, but like, you're not going to stay there. No one wants to hang out really in San Jose. Everywhere from there is like a 4 to 5 hour drive away. So we're in Nosara, it's like at least a 4 to 5 hour drive away from San Jose. And this is— we got engaged on a Friday, we woke up on Saturday, filed the police report, trying to figure out how to get in contact with the embassy. But of course the embassy is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, and it would have been closed on— even if we called first thing that we realized that the wallet was stolen on Friday, they would have already been closed by that time because they close at like 4 or something. Um, they have incredible hours if you want to work for the U.S. Embassy.

Um, anyways, they're closed on the weekends.

We're like, we can't even get in contact with anyone until Monday, but like we're supposed to fly out on Sunday. So what are we gonna do? So we've— I finally am able, through ChatGPT— shout out, because Google was literally trash. Like, ChatGPT was so much more helpful— hooked me up with this like emergency number for the embassy for U.S. citizens, like if you're— it's after hours. So I was able to actually talk to someone, and they told us that we're gonna have to go to the embassy on Monday. I'm like, see, but the thing is, our flights are for Sunday. And they're like, mm, you're probably gonna have to change your flights. And I just didn't really want to accept that reality. I didn't want to believe that. I wanted us to at least try to get on the flights because at the end of the day, we still have our passports. So if we can kind of like fly under the radar and they don't check for his green card until we are like landing in the US, obviously then going through customs at the US border, then they're gonna ask for the green card. But at that point, they'll just like put you in a holding room. You explain the situation. They'll give you like some documentation and then you can figure it out from there. But at least we're like home, we're in the US, we're in Florida. So that was kind of like our temporary like working plan was let's just hope and pray that with his passport he can get on this flight and we'll just handle the missing green card situation with US, you know, customs when we land in Florida. So we spent the day, you know, obviously researching so much, like so many phone calls, researching everything, like it just kind of consumed our entire mind. We did go to the beach, we spent a nice day at the beach, and then I was like, we need to stop talking about this because it's making me kind of sad that this is like our entire engagement is just talking about the green card and the embassy and like what we're gonna do and like how fucked we are. So can we please just like— I need a break, I need to talk about something else. So we talked about wedding planning for a little bit, which is exciting and fun, and we actually like started making our list of like people that we would love to invite to our wedding, and we had some fun like dreamy kind of like conversations about that at the beach, which was nice. Um, and we took our pictures obviously, of course, to like remember the engagement and stuff before we went out to our last romantic dinner in Nosara. And we went to a beautiful place, super amazing views. It was a really nice dinner, but low-key we were just stressing because we knew we had to wake up early the next day, check out as early as possible because we have a 5-hour drive to San Jose. Don't know what traffic is going to be like want to be early to the airport. We have to return the rental car, then need to be early to the airport because we don't know what's going to happen when we get to the airport. So the first red flag was that the night before, on Saturday night, we were not able to check into our flights. You know when you like get that notice, you go through the whole check-in process and then it's like, sorry, we were unable to check you in, like you have to do it in person. And that's kind of when we sort of knew like the writing was on the wall, a like there obviously is some sort of missing documentation that they need to see. When you are not a US citizen, in order to travel into the US, you normally need something called an ESTA, which is basically like a, it's like a visa, but it's like super easy to get. You fill something out. I think you pay like $14 and within like minutes or hours, it's like in your inbox and it's basically just like a visa that allows you to to come into the US. So because Jaime is not a US citizen, if he's traveling with his Spanish passport, he needs either an ESTA or his green card. Because he doesn't have the green card, we're like, well, maybe you should just get an ESTA. But the more that we looked into it, it was like, you can't get an ESTA if you are a lawful permanent resident, AKA green card holder, because it can interfere with immigration's perception of what your intentions are coming into the country. So that's what fucked us over, was that he couldn't get an ESTA. And of course, if you are not a U.S. citizen and you are traveling to the U.S., when you get to the airports, they often have that flag there in their systems that say this person needs an ESTA or a green card. And because we had neither of those things and couldn't get them, they were like, you can't get on the flight. So that's what ultimately happened on Sunday. We were hoping we'd be able to sneak by and just get on that flight, but it didn't work out. They denied us and we lost our flights.

They did not get reimbursed.

So that was, that was, that was a painful zing. Um, and so then we sat at the airport for like a couple of hours, basically just figuring out what our next moves were gonna be. Obviously at this point we knew we were gonna have to go to the embassy. There's no other option. That's the only thing that's gonna be able to get us through cuz they have to give you this document called like a boarding foil and that's what allows you to travel., without the green card. So it's something that they put inside of your passport and then you're allowed to get on a flight. So we had to like start filling out all the forms. Jaime had to file the form, like pay the $575 fee. I was like figuring out, okay, where are we gonna stay? We always have to stay here in San Jose because we need to be near the airport and the embassy and all these things. Um, so I got a hotel for us for 2 nights cuz I just figured like there's no way we're gonna get this done in a single day. So bit the bullet with that, got a hotel, filed the paperwork, and then they emailed us saying, uh, okay, you have an appointment at the embassy on Tuesday at 8 AM. We're like, fuck that, we're not waiting until Tuesday, we're showing up tomorrow, Monday morning, first thing. We'll just see if we can like finesse our way in even though we don't have an appointment. So the night before, we're gearing up to go to the embassy in the morning. I'm researching everything. I'm up until like like 1 in the morning Googling everything, like reading so many reviews, people's experience at the embassy, like what you need to bring, what you can't have. I find out that you can't bring any phones, you can't have watches, you can't have anything on your person. I'm like, how are we gonna get like an Uber and like get there and not have— like, how am I supposed to show up like just me with like my clothes and like paperwork and a passport and nothing on me? Also, isn't that dangerous to just walk around San Jose with like not even a bag, but just like your most important documents and your fucking passport in your hand. Like, cool. So anyways, you can't bring anything with you, and there's no place— they don't let you store anything. So you have to go to— I was like mapping everything at night, like at 1 AM, like, oh my God, where's this fucking locker place that these reviews are telling me about? So you have to go to this place like across the street where they rent you lockers, put all of your valuable things in there, your phone, your wallet, your keys, your whatever. Lock it all up and hope, hope that it's fine, and then walk over to the embassy with all your important documents in your hand and just wait in line. So we get to the embassy, we lock up our stuff, we get to the embassy, and I ask to speak to American Citizen Services because the guy that I had talked to on the phone, the emergency number that I got that I was able to get in contact with him on Saturday, he was like, go to the embassy, ask for American Citizen Services, Um, tell them like what happened. And I remembered his name, so I like name-dropped him, was like, hey, I've been speaking with so-and-so, he told me to be here this morning first thing and to ask for American Citizen Services, just hoping that they would like give me like some time of day. All the workers at the embassy are Costa Rican, so everyone who's like outside, like the guards, the people managing like the lines and everything it's all like Costa Ricans. And so they're like, do you have an appointment? And like, if you don't have an appointment, they're basically like, fuck you. Um, but so I, I say that and I hope that they'll pay attention. So they go inside, they're like, okay, we'll ask, we'll talk to someone. So we're out there waiting outside for like a while, um, waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. And Jaime's like, I think you should ask again. I'm like, I'm just gonna try to exercise patience. We're gonna let— I'm gonna trust that they're taking care of it, they're gonna let me speak to someone. Like, I don't want to over-push And so we're waiting and waiting and waiting, and eventually they come out and they're like, okay, um, you can come in to Jaime, and they're basically going to start the process for him. He's going to be able to speak to an agent to figure out if he can get this boarding foil situated, but they won't let me come into the embassy. And at this point, because of everything that we had been through and just the whole stress of like the past several days of this like on our shoulders, and also probably feeling like a little bit sad for myself that like this is my engagement and this has been the entire focus of our lives for the past few days and I can't even like be happy. And now I'm like, people are being so unhelpful here, so rude, and I'm also not allowed into the US Embassy when I'm the fucking American. Like, I'm the one that requested American Citizen Services and that's the whole reason that you're attending to him and you're, you're really telling me that like I can't come into the embassy? And I see Costa Rican families, obviously they have appointments, but like there's people that are going in together. It's not like they have this policy where like it's like only one person can go in. And so I just got like annoyed with that, and the guard basically like opened the door for Jaime, and like I was trying to talk to him and he like edged me out with the door and like pushed me to the outside.

And I was just like, what the fuck?

So then I asked him, I was like, can I please speak with an American? I know there's American American citizens that work inside and who are like the actual agents. Like, I want to talk to American Citizen Services. I don't want to speak to like a goddamn bodyguard. And he was like, you can pick up the phone. I'm like, what? There's a phone attached to the outside wall of the embassy? Maybe this is like for emergencies or something, but you go and you just like pick up the phone. And I'm like, what do I dial? Who do I talk to? He's like, it's a direct line to inside. They'll pick up.

So So it's like, so just felt so weird just like picking up a random phone off the wall.

Like I'm almost like in a phone booth, but there's no booth. And there's so many people around, like it's crazy, the lines of people that are there to like get their travel visas to be able to go to the US or whatever. Like there's people everywhere, it's crazy. And so I pick up the phone and someone answers and I start talking to them. And you know when you are going through a really stressful experience, or you're like really sad, and then someone gives you a hug, and like you thought you were like okay, but then they give you the hug and you just like burst into tears, and you just like start crying, and you're like, okay, all the emotions are actually coming to the surface. That was what happened. I picked up the phone, the person answered, I started to explain what was happening, um, and then I just started crying.

I just literally started hysterically crying into this phone phone speaking to some random man in the embassy like, please, I just need help, I just want to be let inside. Like, I'm like stuck out here like in the hot sun. I really had to go to the bathroom, honestly, that was the main reason why I wanted to go inside.

But also like, I don't have a phone, I have no idea, like no way to communicate with Jaime while he's in there. I have no idea how long this process is going to take. Am I just going to be like locked outside here like in the hot sun for like hours and hours? Like, I don't know. So I'm crying on the phone to these people, and finally they send someone out to come get me, and they're like, okay, you can come in. And they tell me— because I'm like, I just am so persistent on the phone, like, I want to speak to American Citizen Services. I am an American citizen. It is the duty and the right of the embassy to protect and serve me as a, as a citizen who's been robbed in this country 'Who needs support and protection? I'm here on the steps of the embassy and you won't let me inside.' Like, how fucked up is that? I just felt like it was so counterintuitive to, like, what the whole purpose of having a fucking US embassy is in another country. It's like they're supposed to help you and they literally don't give a single shit about you. Like, it's all business, it's all money. If you don't have an appointment and you're not paying for something, like, they literally don't care about you. They could care less. And that was just starting to really kind of irritate me, that side of me that really cares about like justice and like fairness and integrity. Like, it just really made like— made my blood boil, quite frankly. And so the guy on the phone was trying to explain to me like that they have this policy and that's the reason why I can't come inside. And I'm like— and he's like, do you understand? I'm like, what I understand is that there is a young American woman who is stuck outside alone on the steps of the American Embassy, and no— and she's crying, and she obviously needs support. She's been robbed. Her partner is inside, and they're, you know, intentionally separating them and won't let her in. Like, I fully understand. Yes, I fully understand the situation, which is that the job of the embassy is to protect and serve me, and they could care less.

And he's like, that's not what I said, ma'am. Just like this whole thing. So finally they get—

someone comes out and like actually lets me in, and I'm like fully in like a trance at this point. Jaime actually comes out of the embassy at this point and sees me like bawling my eyes out on the phone, and he's like, oh my God, what happened? And at this point I'm just like so committed to like speaking to American Citizen Services that like I don't even care that he's like already gone in and come out and what—

whatever's happening with his situation. Like I'm just now determined, like I will get inside this fucking embassy if my life depends on it. I will speak to an American, like, I do not care.

Like, let me the fuck in. So he tells me, he's like, I have to go take a passport photo because it's used for the boarding foil, so I gotta go across the street to this place, I gotta do a photo. And then he was gonna come back, and he was, you know, trying to soothe me, and he like hates to see me upset and crying like that. So he was like, just hang up the phone, Sam, it's gonna be okay, everything's fine. Like, we're processing it. It's gonna be okay. Just come with me. Come with me to take the photo.

And I'm like, no, like, really in my— really in my zone.

So he goes to take the photo, and they let me inside, and I'm walking around like a literal zombie. There's like tears pouring down my face. I'm like kind of shivering because that's how like hard I was crying. All of these people— there's lines of people everywhere waiting for things. They're all looking at me. I'm like the center of attention. I'm also— I also look so American because I'm wearing like an activewear outfit that day, like leggings and just like— people in other countries don't dress like us, if you didn't realize. That is like not normal.

Everyone's in like jeans or like some of them wearing slacks because they like want to like—

I don't know, maybe they're going to work or they feel like it's an important appointment getting their visa to travel to America. So I'm sticking out like a sore fucking thumb. I have my New York Yankees hat on, like activewear, like leggings. I'm like bawling my eyes out. I'm like a hot mess. I'm walking around. They're like, you can go to window 3. I'm like searching for window 3. Like I can't find it. And I'm just like walking around aimlessly. I look like this lost, like little toddler, like bawling her eyes out. Um, and this like guard comes up to me and he's like, oh, over here, over here. So he sends me to the window. I go to the window. There's a very, very nice, kind Costa Rican woman. And I start telling her the situation. I say, I want to speak to American Citizen Services. This is what's happened. This is our predicament. We need, you know, an urgent boarding foil. Um, we have to get back to America. We, we cannot afford to just like be here for a week, just like waiting around for things. Like it's just not realistic. I have a dog at home that needs to be taken care of. That was a whole other thing. Like I had to text the Rover who was the, the dog sitter who was watching him and start to figure out backup plans if he couldn't stay there and someone to go get him. Like we don't have a big like community in Fort Lauderdale yet. Like I have like a few friends here. We don't have any family here. So I was just worried about Storm and like all these things. And she's like, okay, can you write your name and your partner's name on this Post-it? I write it down on the Post-it note. I hand it to her. She walks away. She's gonna go find someone to speak to. And while she was gone, I was just like— it, you know, you're behind like a glass. You're like sitting like waiting. She's behind the window. I'm in this glass window and I am just like— I, I put my hands in like the, the prayer position, and I'm just closing my eyes and I'm like trying to calm myself down and just like, I'm just like trying to think good thoughts and like be calm.

And, um, I opened my eyes and like the American woman is like standing there on the other side of the glass, and I'm like, she probably thinks I'm a literal like psychopath, that I'm like losing my mind because I'm sitting there praying with my eyes closed with like tears coming down my face. She's probably like, are you okay?

And to be fair, like this is, this looks like a gross overreaction because at this point, like, I know it's gonna be okay. It's not the end of the world. I really just think it was emotions coming to a head of, like, so many things happening at the same time and not being able to celebrate my engagement and not being able to, like, feel happy and then being worried about how long we were going to get stuck there and worried about Storm and worried about Jaime and like then kind of feeling like we've been mistreated or like discarded. And like, I'm, I'm the American citizen, hello, you're here to help me, and like no one gives a shit. Like, it was all of that just like coming to the surface. So anyway, she's standing there, she probably thinks I'm a literal psychopath, um, but I explained the situation to her and she's like, she calms me down, she soothes me. She's like, okay, so we're actually already in the process of getting his boarding foil, um, you know. And I was like, they told me it's gonna take 7 days because that's literally what Jaime said when he came out before he went to go get his photo again, he was like, it might take 7 days. And that was like— I was like, you're joking. That was another reason why I was really adamant about wanting to go in and speak to American Citizen Services, because I just felt like, you know, we're dealing with the U.S. government here. That is the— that is the restriction that we have. So me being an actual U.S. citizen, I feel like I could maybe get a little bit further and have a little bit more leverage than someone like Jaime, who's not an American citizen. He's, you know, a citizen of Spain. So that was another reason why I really wanted to go in and speak to them, just because I wanted to ask and figure out if there was a way we could expedite, or like, I will pay extra, like, I don't know, like, I just wanted to be able to talk to someone. I didn't want to just look at a security guard and like leave it up to them emailing me for my next appointment, and then like 7 days later we end up getting out of there. It's like, where there's a will, there's a way, and I was so fucking determined to like find this way. So I explained the situation to her, and I'm like, they said it's going to take 7 days, like, I, I don't have 7 days. I cannot accept that. Like, please help me. And she was like, well, that's in the worst of scenarios. Like, it doesn't normally take 7 days. It could take 24 hours. It could take a little bit longer. It depends on the case. Once he gets his photo done and he processes the whole thing, the agent will know more about how long it's going to take and whatever. So she soothed me, and then Jaime came back, and I went— I was able to— they told me that I couldn't— that I could wait in like the waiting area, but like I couldn't be there with him. But then I saw him walk back in to do the rest of the process after he got the photo, and I just went and stood with him. So I was at that point, I was like, fuck you guys, like literally, like don't tell me where to stand. Like, I'm— what difference does it make? I'm in here, I'm sitting over in a chair in a waiting area, or I'm like standing with my fiancé, who by the way, the whole reason that he can even get a boarding foil or a green card is because, hello, like I'm the US citizen. So I was just like, no, I'm standing here.

So we did that whole process.

They're like, okay, say, um, it's basically done, but, um, we have to wait to hear from USCIS, which is the immigration services, about, uh, making sure that the payment has cleared, which is the $575 that we paid on Sunday when we were stuck at the airport, not able to get on our flights. So we paid it over 24 hours ago at that point because this is Monday now. And they're like, yeah, once their finance department, you know, clears that payment and lets us know that was, you know, successfully made, then we can put the boarding foil in your passport and then you can be on your way. So again, it's like all just— it's just money. Like, the world moves on money and you can't, you can't deny it. Um, so we're like, okay, hopefully that doesn't take too long. So they hold your passport for you at the embassy, so you don't have a passport. So we go, we like get dinner, we stay the night in a hotel. The next morning we're just like— the— and the whole day and the next day we're like refreshing our email and, you know, looking for them to like send us this confirmation that the pay— that they got notice that the payment went through so that we can finally leave. I called my credit card company to make sure, like, and I paid my entire credit card balance even though it wasn't due. Like, I was just doing literally anything in my power just that might remotely help to like speed this process up. But my credit card company actually told me like, yeah, the payment is completely pending. Like, it's totally done on your end. It's nothing to do with us. So like they just at any point, like when they want to say that they've received it, they, they have received it. So after that we're like, let's make the most of it. We're in San José. Like, so we go to the city center, we got lunch, we went into one of the cathedrals there. We spent quite a bit of time praying in the cathedral. Um, and Jaime says that he actually prayed that day that we would please be able to get this boarding foil by Tuesday morning at 10 AM because the last flights out of Costa Rica direct to Fort Lauderdale that day, or to Florida in general, uh, were leaving at 1:30 PM. So with the time that it would take to, you know, get to the airport, the time we have to be there beforehand, he's like, the latest, latest, latest, latest that he could give me this boarding foil, and we could still make these flights, is if they gave it to me by 10 AM. So when we're in the cathedral, he was praying for that. This is on Monday. He's like, please, by 10 AM tomorrow, like, we need to have this boarding foil. Deal so that we can get on these flights. So we wake up on Tuesday morning, and if you remember, that was when our initial email said that we had an appointment at the embassy that we decided to disregard and go without an appointment on Monday. But since we technically had that email saying that we had an appointment, we're like, let's just show up.

We're so annoying.

So we're like, let's just show up and be like, oh, we have an appointment, because then we might be able to talk to someone and really like finesse, like, hey, like, can you just check like the payment situation? Like, we really want to get on these flights today. Like, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah. So we get there, we tell them we have an appointment, and then of course they're too smart for that. So like, oh, actually, you know, that was just your appointment, um, that like because you came yesterday it got like moved up, so that's like no longer your appointment. And we had all of our luggage because this is what we had to do, guys. We had to check out of the hotel where we were staying and we had nowhere to go at this point. And we're just banking on the fact that hopefully we can get this boarding foil by 10 AM so that we can get on these flights. Otherwise, we have to find another place to stay, get another hotel. So in the meantime, we like check out of our first hotel. We have all of our luggage, all of our suitcases. We bring all of the suitcases to the embassy. Like, this is just a picture of like a movie. I'm on the front steps of the embassy with 3 huge suitcases, my like giant Christian Dior bag.

I'm like, this is so like—

I do not want to be like out in the open here with like all of my belongings. This is like safe. But, um, that's what— that was the case. And everyone was like, you can't be here with all this luggage. Like, I understand now from the perspective of like if someone was trying to like bomb the embassy or something, like you can't just like show up there with a bunch of bags. Um, so they were like, ma'am, you, you need to get—

you need to get away, you need to get down. Um, and the one lady was like, email this email, and like, I don't know, like wishing us luck.

She was trying to be nice, but they wouldn't let us inside that day. So we had to leave, and we rolled away with all of our suitcases. We found a hotel that's like really close to the embassy, which like wasn't that nice, but I'm like, we just have to stay one more night, like fuck it. So we go to this hotel lobby, and at this point Jaime is like, Sam, I'm booking you a flight because I can tell that you are kind of like at your end of like your patience, of your rope, of like this whole situation. And I feel bad because it's my situation to deal with. You've done everything that you can do. Like you helped so much, being able to like get us into the embassy and like make people pay attention to us and like get them to really speed up this process for us. Like, you've done everything that you can do. Like, there's nothing more that you can really do. I really think that you should go home. We need to get Storm. Like, someone needs to take care of him. And I honestly was exhausted from the situation at that point and just getting really stressed out about how much time I was missing from work and taking care of the dog. Dog, and I had, you know, several really amazing guests that were supposed to be on the podcast, and we had to move those appointments. I had to reschedule all my client calls. It was just— it was like a very heavy sort of like week. And so I surrendered, and I was like, okay, I guess I'm gonna get on this flight and I'll go home. I'll get the dog, and you'll be home in like a day. Like, that's the max longer that this is going to take. Like, surely, right? Surely. All they have to do is fucking do their job and say that the payment cleared, and then we can leave. And so he's buying me this— these flights. We're sitting in the lobby of this hotel that we haven't checked into yet because luckily the guy was like, oh, you know, we don't have any early check-ins today. The earliest is noon, and this is like 9 AM at this point because we just went to the embassy at 8 AM for our supposed appointment. Um, so we're like, all right, we'll just sit in the lobby for now. The like figure out some things, charge our phones, and then I guess if I get on this flight, I'm just going to leave and, and go to the airport, and then Jaime will book into this hotel. And he's trying to book the flights for me. He's at the point of purchase where it's like loading to load the purchase, and it won't load. And he's like, oh my God, like, it's not, it's not buying your flights. And then suddenly he gets an email notification that the boarding foil is now ready for pickup. And I'm like, you're joking!

Like, cancel, cancel, cancel, cancel, cancel! Like, exit out of the flights. Like, thank God it didn't go through. He didn't purchase that them.

So he's like, all right, I'll be right back, because we're so close to the embassy. So he just like throws me his phone, starts running down the street to the embassy, and goes there, gets it, comes back. I'm like, did you get it? He's like, I got it.

I'm like, okay, let's get these fucking flights. Like, hopefully there's seats left.

Um, so we're like scrambling to buy 2 seats now on, on these last flights that leave at 1:30. We get the, the tickets. We're like, okay, now we just have to get to the airport. Let's hope traffic isn't too bad. We have enough time to like check in all the things. So we're like ordering Ubers, we're like rushing to the airport, and, uh, it all worked out from there. Like, we got there in time, we got on the flights, we got home, we were able to pick up Stormi, and, uh, happy ending. So it was a very stressful few days, but in the end it all worked out. And finally, once I got home, like, I felt like I was able to actually start to be really excited about the engagement, and I'm glad that that like came back.

Back because I was a little bit salty, and not gonna lie, that like this was gonna be my memory of the engagement forever, was just this like nightmare of me like crying on the embassy steps and just like the drama and everything.

But another cute thing, one of the nights when we were there in the hotel, Jaime was like trying to cheer me up and he showed me this song that he had made for me. He didn't like use it at the engagement because he's like, that would have been so cheesy, like I would have died.

But he he—

I'm sure you've seen these services before where you can like get in touch with like real musicians and artists and tell them your love story and they'll kind of like make a song for you. So he had a song made for me, which is so cute.

He chose for it to be a country song too, which is so cute, cuz country music is not a thing in Spain.

That's not a thing at all. But, um, we were listening to that the one night and we were just dying laughing cuz some of the lyrics were like so funny.

And it's very cheesy but like very cute and just so thoughtful and romantic.

And so there were definitely like moments throughout where We, we had a like a lot of levity throughout the situation, I must say. I think we handled it really well, besides me. I did not handle it well the day at the embassy, like crying my eyes out. But it all worked out in the end, and now we have a story— robbed and engaged on the same day. Can't make it up. So now that all the dust is settled, can finally share with you guys the whole situation, which I've been dying to do so, obviously. Um, and yeah, I think last things Just wedding-wise, I think people always want to like ask about that once you get engaged, like, okay, like, are you gonna have a wedding? Like, what are you thinking? So yes, I do think that we are going to have a wedding. The vision right now, and what has been the vision for some time, is that we'll get married in Spain, just because that's where our love story began. Just feels like the most beautiful, full-circle way to like memorialize our love is to get married in Spain. Spain. So we're thinking right now maybe Mallorca or Menorca, like one of the islands that we really love, just kind of like that vibe. Timeline, I have no fucking idea. Venues, no idea. Like, I haven't gotten too deep into it. That feels like a whole crazy workload, honestly, on top of everything else that I'm like managing and doing in life and business, is planning a wedding. But I am kind of getting excited about it now that it's real. I think before getting engaged, I just thought about, oh my God, I don't know if I'm ever going to be ready to have like set aside the time truly to like plan a wedding. Just feels so daunting. But now I'm kind of like, it's real, and like it feels more— it feels more exciting. So question for you guys, if any of you have ever had or been to a bilingual wedding, um, hit your girl up because that is a unique challenge that we are going to be presented with. Obviously half of our guests are going to speak Spanish and need to like hear everything in Spanish, and half of our guests are going to be English speakers. So not sure how that's going to look in a ceremony. I'm curious. I have to do research still. I'm sure so many people have done this before, so I'm going to need to look up some creative ways. But if you've ever been to a bilingual wedding, or maybe you've had a bilingual wedding, send me a DM on Instagram, please. I want to know creative ways to do this that are not cheesy and that don't double the length of a ceremony. Oh my gosh, I have no idea how we're going to do it, but, um, it's going to be exciting for sure. And I'm just really, really excited to bring you guys along the ride into this next season of, yeah, engaged life, wedding, bride era, all the things. So thank you guys so much for listening. I know this is a little bit of a longer episode, but I wanted to give you the full story time. So if you are still here, I so, so appreciate you. I love you guys guys. Thank you so much for tuning in. And I know some of you, like, have listened to this podcast since 2020, and you are just such OGs and ride or dies. So I love you, um, and I'll see you in the next episode. Bye, guys!