Hola from Puerto Rico!

 

Helllllllo friends!! 

This little blog has been neglected for a while, but the memories we are making right now NEED a place to be remembered forever! I'm going to do my best to keep this space updated with all of our current adventures, because I don't want to ever forget them. 

***

Hola from PUERTO RICO!! We are just soaking up every moment of the sand, sun, and amazing culture on this beautiful island with our family.

Here's a little background info on how we ended up here...

At the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, we decided to homeschool the kids. I never thought I would be one to homeschool (we absolutely love public school, and have adored all of the kids' teachers so much!!), but with all of the Covid-related changes to school, we decided to pull them out. We kept fighting the feeling that we had to homeschool, but both of our guts just kept saying otherwise. We prayed and prayed to know what to do, and homeschool was the answer we kept receiving over and over again. 

So, homeschool it was! I was terrified, but we just went for it. And you know what? It's been AMAZING.

We've now been homeschooling for about seven months. It has had its up and downs (and moments where I hide in the pantry with my chocolate stash haha), but overall, we really have loved it. We enjoy learning together, being able to experience hands-on projects, taking field trips together, spending lots of time in outdoor play, and connecting as a family more than ever. 

The kids really are thriving. 

One of the weekly units we've been doing for geography and social studies involves learning about a different country each week. We read a book from that country, learn about their flag, learn about the history and geography, learn about influential people and artists from that country, and learn about the language and food. We have all loved it SO much! 

As we've learned about different countries, I've watched my kids' world open up. They ask a million questions and try and soak up as much as they can about each country--they just want to know it all!! They beg to learn about another place, watch another YouTube video about a new cuisine, learn about the history of an ancient civilization, or learn about a different wonder of the world each week--and it has been amazing. (Local Passport Family is a great resource!!)

After several of our weekly geography units, I knew I wanted the kids to know firsthand how it feels to see completely different and foreign with their own eyes-- and to REALLY experience it. To be somewhere with different sights, tastes, sounds, smells, and even a different language.

There is nothing that opens up your world like traveling, and I wanted us to dive in.

What better way to learn?

So, I started scheming. And then I pitched a wild idea to Jordan:

"What if we moved somewhere totally different for a month?"

And at first he was like, here's another one of your crazy ideas (I do this a lot haha)... but then, he went with it. And we both started to feel like this just might be crazy enough to work--and to actually be pretty awesome for our family.

We figured what better time (with him working from home/ anywhere and the kids homeschooling), then now? So we researched and researched, prayed, talked with friends in several countries, weighed all of our options, thought about how Covid would affect things in different places, prayed some more, and ultimately decided that Puerto Rico was the place! 

We wanted to immerse ourselves in a culture for longer than just a regular vacation, so we found an apartment where we could stay for a few weeks, and then we got our flights squared away!

We booked tickets, got our Covid tests out of the way, packed our bags, and headed off!!

Today marks two weeks since we flew into PR, and we have absolutely loved it. There have been adjustments and struggles, just like with anything, but overall, it has been exactly what we needed. We keep talking about how glad we are that we did it, and how happy we are to be having this experience with our kids right now.

We will always cherish these memories that we are making together!

Here's to saying YES now-- because tomorrow is never guaranteed. Book the trip. Start the business. Wear the dress. Jump off the diving board. Eat the cake. Just do it!! 

Life is worth living.