May 2 2014

Making Summer Family Travel Plans

Our first day in Cozumel with the kids last year.
Our first day in Cozumel with the kids last year.

I’m trying to nail down what we can and can’t do this summer while the kids are out of school. Road trips around the Midwest are pretty easy and cheap because we can usually stay with someone. Jason and I want to try sailing lessons at a local lake, and there will be lots of camping and canoeing. What we all really want, though, is the ocean. Continue reading

April 15 2014

Why We Don’t Do All Inclusive Resorts

Part 1

When we took our first trip overseas in 2008 it was a destination wedding on a big resort.  I looked at the resort accommodations where the wedding party and basically everyone else was staying and figured it would cost us about $500 a night to stay there ($345 plus an extra $145 per night to have the kids with us.) Even with meals and entertainment thrown in, this seemed ridiculous Continue reading

April 8 2014

“Why Are You Moving to Mexico?”

where is cozumel
In case you don’t know where Cozumel is

I moved to Iowa in 1995 intending to stay about 6 months. Almost 20 years later, tired of the bitter winters and endless corn I’m soooo ready to go, but we’re still not quite ready to leave yet.  I promised my oldest that she could finish high school here. So as I countdown her final year I am preparing to make a big move. My husband and I decided that instead of simply moving to the coast next summer we will be taking our children to the island of Cozumel, Mexico not for vacation but for a year of living another life.

This decision didn’t happen overnight Continue reading