Musings on life, parenting, Jesus, and more...

The skinny road leading in and out of Tulum is busy with tour vans and people on bicycles (without helmets of course). The combination seems dangerous, especially with the way our driver has been driving, but maybe the danger and the thrill of things like that in Mexico is partly what makes it a fun and different place for people to visit. The ancient ruins of Tulum are an incredible site! I love wandering through thousand year old architecture for some reason. I always have, ever since I spent the summer in Italy during my senior year of college.  These here in Quintana Roo are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, probably largely due to the amazing scenic backdrop of the Carribean Sea.  After a 30 minute educational tour we were set lose to wander on our own for another hour. Here’s the two minute time lapse version if you want a taste of what it’s like here: This was our guide for the day. He gave the tour in English and French but also spoke fluent Spanish of course, and 2 o...

You might have seen our Facebook Live videos or the compilation I put together on YouTube , but I want to tell you the full story. It was such a crazy, fun experience for our family that we will never forget. We went out to Estrella Del Mar resort to visit our friend from Oregon who was staying there for the week.  When she booked her stay, I didn’t even realize there was a turtle sanctuary there but as soon as I found out, I knew I had to bring the kids. They had been wanting to see baby turtles ever since we heard about them last November on our first trip to Mazatlán. This is the time of year that the eggs hatch and we had heard that sometimes the public can participate in releasing the babies into the ocean.  However, when we arrived at Estrella Del Mar this particular Sunday, we were told that they weren’t releasing them that evening. We were still able to visit the sanctuary though and see some turtles up close in an outdoor pool. The kids loved it! So mu...

So I actually haven’t been drinking much coffee here in Mexico. It’s hot and no one else in my house drinks it... and i can pretty much nap every day if I want, so it hasn’t really seemed necessary. However, after seeing a post the other day by the  Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond   I was reminded how much I love her iced coffee... and what could be more perfect here in Mazatlán than any beverage over ice, really.  But her iced coffee recipe is one of my faves. You can find it  here  if you’re interested. It is a bit involved, and is the very best if strained through cheesecloth, so today that’s what I set out to find. First stop, the public market... the cremeria to be exact. I mean, a store that makes and sells cheese should have cheesecloth, right? Unfortunately, no such luck. However, the gentleman behind the counter was very helpful and after looking at my  google images  search to determine exactly what it was I was trying to find, he directed me to a...

Seriously... sometimes I look at my life and think, "Is this for real?" I'm in my late 30's, and I'm living in one of the best cities in Mexico (in my opinion). Miles of beautiful beaches, delicious fresh seafood, gorgeous weather, and a culture rich in traditions and history. Affordable healthcare. A safe place for our kids to go to school. The opportunity for them (and us) to learn a second language.  If I can offer you any single piece of advise, it's this:  Don't put your dreams off until tomorrow . Our family is not rich. We didn't win the lottery or inherit a bunch of money. We made conscience decisions and choices that have allowed us to move abroad for a season and live the life of our dreams now, while we are still young enough to enjoy it. Sure, we could have waited... continued working long hours so we could fund the retirement account, pay the mortgage, save for college, ect. But we choose to live this life now... becaus...

Like almost everything else here in Mexico 🇲🇽 it comes with a side of salsa - and while it may look a little different than most pizzas 🍕 in the States, it's basically the same thing (in my opinion).  This bad boy cost us 200 pesos, which included the 15 peso tip to the delivery driver (about $11 USD). And it's been a tradition since we first came to Mazatlán last November.  Actually, we've had a long standing family tradition of pizza and either watching movies or playing games on Friday nights. But when we moved to Mexico, I switched our Netflix account to Spanish, and only let the kids watch TV shows and movies in Spanish.  Except for Friday nights. Friday nights fondly became known as "English Movie Night" at our house. Even during our time home in the States for the summer, I did my best to have them watch everything in Spanish... except for on "English Movie Night" 🎥  🍿  Ordering the pizza was probably one of the biggest challenges we faced as...

It has always been a dream of mine to have my children become bilingual (while they are young and their minds are like little sponges.) Last winter, as many of you know, my family and I were blessed with the opportunity to spend six months in Mazatlan, Mexico. We loved the experience so much that we decided to come back and have the kids attend school here for at least a year, and see just how much Spanish they can learn being fully immersed in the culture and community here in Mazatlan.  We applied for, and were approved for temporary residency visas, which allow us to stay for longer than 6 months (and up to 4 years) at a time. I flew down last month and got the kids registered at a great private school, and Monday we all arrived here in Mazatlan to start this new adventure. I feel so lucky to be living out the dream I've had for so long... but like the title of this post reads, "living the dream isn't always dreamy ."  The last couple of days have b...