Christmas Trip - Day 18 Leaving for home

We all woke up this morning as soon as Desh woke up.  Cause, you know, as soon as one person in a small hotel room wakes up the rest of us do. We had a couple hours before we had to leave for the airport so we walked around old San Juan just a little bit more. We grabbed some breakfast at a bakery with yummy donuts, walked up to the beach, admired the capitol building that is actually built very beautifully and made of marble, Beck found a tiny Roostery at one of the shops, and loaded up on snacks for the flight. We realize that today is going to be a long day of flying and have tried to prep ourselves for it. 

As we drove to the airport I couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet pit in my stomach. On one hand, it’s always great to be home after a long trip. Getting back into a normal routine and sleeping in my own bed sound nice! But in the other hand, I DO NOT want to leave this place. I feel like we have been living in a little bubble of heaven placed here on earth just for us. We have had the funnest adventures, gotten used to being with our family and loving it, played games, met wonderful people, eaten new and delicious food, experienced a new culture and just had a blast. I feel a little twinge in my heart knowing that we are leaving that behind. We have loved this adventure and now know that we will just have to do it again!

Christmas Trip - Day 17 Old San Juan

We said goodbye to our house in Rio Grande this morning (sigh...). We also said goodbye to our new friends Kim and Hector that we have grown to love these last 10 days! It has absolutely been the best place for us to be this week and a half and we are really going to miss it. From the morning walks up and down the streets around the house to the sound of the coquis in the trees, the afternoons in the pool, the hours spent playing cards on the patio, the incredible view out the window...we’re going to miss every bit of it. It has stolen a little piece of our hearts and we’ll never forget the time we got to spend here. Kim and Hector have been the most gracious hosts and have let us into their lives so kindly. We are so grateful to have gotten to know them. We left with the promise that we will stay in touch and I know we will!

Not only are we saying goodbye to the jungle house but this is also our last day in the island. Our flight leaves tomorrow and we aren’t quite sure how we feel about leaving. It’s going to be bittersweet leaving this place. But we have a lot to go home to so that’s what we’re looking forward to!  We left La Lomita and drove to Old San Juan where we will be spending our last night at the Sheraton right along the water. The hotel is right downtown and a great location for us to walk around the shops and the town. We had a tour of the city with a cool guy names Tommy and his wife Stephanie. They drove us around the old fort and we got out and walked here and there while they told us about the old city. It was really cool to see it all as the sun was setting. It was a great night to be out and we enjoyed our time in the warm evening in the city. 

We had time to shop today and the kids finally got to spend their money that they’ve been saving! Lots of souvenir shops they were perfect for them to browse through :) We also found a yummy gelato shop with millions of flavors for everyone to choose from. The kids were in heaven! We had one more chance to eat Puerto Rican food and we even got in a night swim at the hotel!  All in all a busy but very fun day as our trip comes to a close. What a blast the past couple weeks have been! 

Christmas Trip - Day 16 Rio Grande

Today was our last day at our jungle house in Rio Grande. We spent the day doing all our favorite things at the house which started with a morning walk for Josh and me. We have gotten to know the streets around us pretty well and today we walked up to the very top of the hill just up the street from us and admired the view from there. Such a gorgeous spot we’ve been able to call home for the past week and a half.

Later this morning we drove down to the church that happens to be just a little ways down from us and found the sister missionaries there having their morning study. We were hoping that there would be a sacrament meeting but it turns out that the meetings are all still done over zoom. But we talked with them for a few minutes and walked around the cute tiny building before we headed back home for our own gospel study.

This trip has given us some good time to play lots of games. We’ve settled into playing scum and spades mostly every day and today was spent playing lots of both. We love sitting out on the patio in the warm sun and playing game after game. We never tire of it and with our music on and enough galletas to go around, we’re set! It’s the best. 

We’ve all gotten plenty of bug bites this trip and we must have gotten eaten alive yesterday at Gozlandia Falls. We compared our bites and figured out that we all have too many to count...

This afternoon was the ultimate “trick” showdown in the pool. The boys each gave their all and showed us their best stuff. We had a really good back flop, some amazing cannon balls and a few curly cues. But there was only one belly flop that ruled them all and that came from little Desh who had to show everyone up! 



The card games continued into the evening and we’ve come up with a really good Latin play list that we love listening to. Each of the kids has their favorite song but they’re all good and we keep adding to it when we find a new song. We had a couple of really big critters visit us tonight. This huge cockroach came flying into our game and scared half of us out of our seats! And Josh found a huge spider that he thought he killed with bug spray but then later couldn’t find the body! Yikes. 

We have loved this place. It’s been our favorite so far and we’re sad to have to say goodbye to it tomorrow. But we had such a good day here doing all the things we have loved doing one more time!

Christmas Trip - Day 15 Rio Grande (Gozlandia Falls)

We only have a few more things on our list that we want to do while we’re here and two of them happened to be on the west side of the island. So today we took the time and marked them both off the list in one day! We first visited Gozlandia Falls which is in a town called San Sebastián.  It took us a little over two hours to get there but when we finally made it to the end of the windy road, we were pleasantly surprised at this amazing gem! We found this beautiful waterfall emptying into a perfect emerald pool! It was such a fun spot to spend our day and we all jumped into the cool water and swam across to the cliffs near the falls. Immediately Liev and Rhen started jumping off the shorter cliffs and soon enough everyone else joined in. The short jumps turned into higher and higher jumps as we all got more and more brave. The good thing about the pool is that it’s super deep so there wasn’t really any worry about landing on rocks beneath us. We climbed up underneath the waterfall and loved the water splashing on us. And then jumped from behind the falls into the water below. Eventually josh climbed up high near the top part of the waterfall and jumped from there. It was higher than anyone had gone and before I knew it Rhen was right up there with him. After surveying it and before she could talk herself out of it, off she went! I was proud of that girl and her sense of bravery and adventure! Liev tried it a couple times but in the end decided it was a little too high for him. I watched Rhen jump off that 40 footer a few times and finally gathered up enough courage of my own to jump it once. It took me a little longer to pull it together and jump but I did it! The other kids had the best time jumping off the shorter cliffs and sliding down the side of the rocks. We also found a cool water cave and hung out in there too. 

Such a fun and beautiful spot to spend our day and definitely worth the drive!

After Gozlandia we drove over to Arecibo where we hiked up to a cave that we have been wanting to see. There are actually a series of caves that we got to explore a little bit and had a guide taking us through and giving us all the details of the area. The caves are home to three different species of bats and we saw and heard lots of evidence of them. We saw cool petroglyphs and some awesome stalagmites and stalactites. 

The final cave is called Cueva Ventana (window cave) and has an incredible view out to her valley below. I was so excited to be able to come to this place and it did not disappoint! So amazing to see out of this cool window!  Such a cool way to end our day on the west side of the island.

Christmas Trip - Day 14 Rio Grande (Christmas Day)

Merry Christmas!! 

As is the tradition, the kids slept in the same room last night and we’re up late talking about how excited they were and hoping Santa would find them in Puerto Rico. And then we’re up again early this morning (think 4:05 am) hoping that it was time to get up. I reminded them very gently and nicely that we still had to sleep for a couple more hours before it was actually Christmas. We got a couple more hours of sleep before we couldn’t hold them off any longer and decided it was ok to get up and find our stockings. The kids know that the trip is their actually Christmas gift but we told them that Santa would fill their stockings if he could find us. Well...he did find us in Puerto Rico and we had a fun morning opening gifts together and filling up on Christmas candy! Some of the favorite gifts: legos (of course) fir the boys, biking gloves for Rease, perfume for mom, bike shorts for Rhen, a new watch for each of the boys and a bike light for Josh. We loved the slow pace of opening gifts and admiring what every got this morning. It made for a simple and easy morning that we only had a few things to open and then enjoy what we got! 

The rest of the day was spent doing whatever we wanted! Josh made a delicious breakfast of juevos rancheros and the boys wasted no time busting out their legos. We laid by the pool, read books, played games, ate candy and folded clothes while watching basketball (multi-tasking at its finest). We also got a chance to FaceTime with our families back at home and it was fun to see those we love and miss. It was a wonderful day and a Christmas to remember. When josh and I were planning this trip we wondered if the kids would think it was worth it to not get gifts and have a trio instead. Well this morning as we were opening the few things we had and just enjoying each other, Keen said to us, “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”  I guess that’s our answer. Not to be too cheesy but it’s true what they say that Christmas isn’t about where you are, it’s who you’re with.  It really has been the best!

We took the kids out for dinner tonight at a really fun and delicious place called Rickies up on the hill looking out over the ocean. The scenery is fantastic and it was a perfect night to sit out and end our Christmas together. 

Tonight as we went to bed, Liev said the sweetest prayer about how grateful we are to have come here on this trip and also asked that we could remember that it’s Jesus’ birth today too. That’s what it’s all about. Remembering our savior and being grateful for what we’ve been given. I too am grateful for our Savior and that we can celebrate His birth and life that was given for us. Let us remember all year long!

Christmas Trip - Day 13 Rio Grande (Christmas Eve)

Today is Christmas Eve! And because we were all tired from a long day yesterday, we allowed ourselves a nice morning to sleep in. It was wonderful. It had been super rainy today and overcast so it made for a perfect day to just chill at home and do whatever we wanted!  The kids wanted to play cornhole so it turned into a tournament with the winner staying on until they had beat each of the other teams. I was lucky enough to get Desh as my partner and I loved having that cute boy on my teams. But it made for an early exit from the tournament so I was mostly a cheerleader for the other teams as they battled to the end. Josh and Liev ended up as the champions and it was well deserved  they were a tough team from the very start!

We also played a great big game of scum, admired Liev’s extra sunburned eyelids, had a laser gun battle and goofed off while we tried to clean up the house.  

It basically rained all day and at one point in the afternoon it was coming down in sheets! The boys got in their suits and jumped in the pool and the rest of us followed. We had a great afternoon of swimming in a huge rainstorm! It was sooo fun! We did tricks from the side of the pool and had splashing contests and laughed and laughed about how cool it was that we got to swim on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico in a warm rainstorm. The Best. 

After we warmed up and got all showered we started to get ready for our Christmas Eve dinner. Everyone pitched in a helped as we made macaroni salad, fruit and French dip sandwiches. It just wouldn’t be Christmas Eve without those sandwiches. Dinner was delicious and as we sat down to watch a Christmas movie together, Rease surprised us with a homemade Christmas tree since we don’t have one! She is so cute and thoughtful! One of our favorite traditions on Christmas Eve is to go caroling. We had to improvise a little bit but even that was able to be done from afar. We made a caroling video with candles and all and sent it to our friends and family that we love and miss back home. It was our little way of letting them know we love them and wish them all a merry Christmas! 

The kids couldn’t wait to get to bed tonight and are really hoping that Santa remembers that we are in Puerto Rico and not at home this year! 

Christmas Trip - Day 12 Rio Grande (exploring Culebra)

We woke up bright and early this morning (4:30 am) and drove to Ceiba to catch the ferry to the small island of Culebra. The kids were not super jubilant about getting up so early but we promised them that it would be worth it. I hope they agree in the end. 

We got to the ferry dock just in time and loaded on to the ferry just a few minutes before it pulled away. Josh and I have been to Culebra a couple times and, though I do love it and totally agree that it’s worth it, I always dread the 45 minute ferry ride over. I get pretty motion sick and today was no exception. Unluckily for us, we also have a few kids that have inherited the “car sick” gene from me. So a few of us had a not so fun ride over on the bumpy ocean and were all glad when we docked in Culebra!  We filed off the boat and walked a couple blocks to a panaderia that had yummy donuts and croissants and a good breakfast to fill out sick tummies. It did the trick. 

We had a snorkeling tour first thing this morning and our guide Lemuel picked us up from the bakery and we drove to Milones Beach where we got all set and ready to snorkel. It was a beach that I hadn’t ever been to but it turned out to be an amazing place to snorkel! First of all there was no one else around so we had the place to ourselves all morning. Also there was an awesome reef to swim around and see lots of fun and different sealife. I had never seen such a cool reef right close to the shore and I was so glad we had Lemuel to take us around and teach us all he knew!  The kids did awesome too, even the little ones, and they were all so cute and excited to see the bright fish underneath the water. Desh kept saying, “Hey I saw another fish!” 

The colors were so bright and vibrant! Lemuel picked up some cool sea creatures to show us. He found a couple of cool starfish that walk around on the ocean floor and picked some up for us to hold and see. So cool.  We saw a parrot fish that was super bright and colorful and also a trumpet fish that was long and skinny. Josh found a conch shell and followed a school of blue fish that swam right through our group. 

I had a stingray swim just below me and out to the open ocean that we followed for a while and watched. They are such cool and graceful creatures and we loved seeing it!

As we followed the stingray out a little ways, we found a pair of Eagle Rays that Lemuel was so excited to find. They swam together for a while and hung around us for a couple minutes before they headed out to sea. We got the coolest videos and pictures of these two cool guys! 

We went back near the reef and another stingray was there eating along the ocean floor. They fluff up the dirt along the floor and create a cloud around them as they search for food.  It was awesome to watch! I swam down there to get a closer look and it was really amazing! We could not get enough of watching all the creatures make their way through the reef. 

We swam back to shore and said goodbye to Lemuel and said a huge thank you for the amazing snorkel trip we had! 

Our driver for the day, Kenny, took us from Milones Beach and dropped us off at Flamenco Beach to spend the rest of the day. Flamenco is one of my favorite beaches of all time and I was so excited to be able to be back there for a few hours. The sand is so white and soft and the beach curves in along the cove creating the most gorgeous scene! I love this place!

We played in the water and loved the waves crashing in on us. The kids kept going back for more and soon enough their shorts and swim suits were filled with fine white sand. We took a walk to the end of the beach to see the old war tanks that are there, now covered in pretty cool graffiti.  We followed a huge iguana for a while and Beck kept saying that it looks like a dragon. I agree with him. 

We soaked in the sun, built sand castles, got washed away by waves, hung in the hammock, played frisbee and realized by the end that we had sand everywhere! In our box of crackers, in our clothes, our hair, our ears, and some of us handled it better than others.

 Unfortunately for us the showers at the beach we’re closed so we didn’t have much of a chance to clean off after we were done at the beach. We knew it might be a long ride back on the ferry with lots of sand and salt water on us. But it was worth it!  The beach was AMAZING. 

We had a long fun day in Culebra and the kids all agreed that getting up early to be there was totally worth it. A long day in the sun made for a sleepy ferry ride back. Luckily the ride back was much smoother than the morning ride and most everyone was able to get some sort of sleep.

At the end of the day we’re all trying to figure out who got the best sunburn. Was it Liev with his sunburned eyelids? Or beck with a farmer tan to rival all others? Most of us have the backs of our legs and shoulders red from snorkeling. But all of us have a sun kissed face from the shore of Flamenco Beach. It was something to remember that’s for sure. 

Christmas Trip - Day 11 Rio Grande (Charco Frio)

Josh and I have gotten into a daily habit of taking a morning walk. We explore the neighborhood, admire the gorgeous flowers everywhere and just talk about life. It’s become one of my favorite things we do. I love this man by my side and am grateful every day that he’s in my life! Partners in crime. 

Today we planned to explore a place we heard about called Charco Frio. It’s a swimming hole of sorts that is off the beaten path and full of adventure. We thought we’d give it a try!  The road to the river ends at a gated home that is owned by a man named Mr. Basilo. He’s a nice man who allows people to park on his property and make the trek up the path to Las Tinajas which has a great swimming area with a rope swing, lots of jumping areas and even some natural water slides in the rocks. It is a hidden gem and we felt so lucky that we found it and got to know Mr. Basilo. We walked for about 15 minutes and it ended up being pretty muddy the whole way. Beck even got stuck so far in the mud that it sucked his whole shoe off! It was hilarious how we started out on the path trying really hard to avoid the mud, then got to the end and we were all covered. But a beautiful spot awaited and it was worth the effort to get there!

The rope swing was a big hit with all the kids and they went over and over and over. Brave kids. The water was cool but felt amazing in the hot sun!

After we played at the rope swing and swimming spot for a while we continued up the path to find the rock slides. And when I say path I actually mean the “rock and tree and boulder and mud trail” because it was definitely an adventure for all 8 of us to get up there. The kids were amazing and blazed on with no fear. The boys especially thought it was amazing that we got to climb and jump and slip all over. My mama heart almost gave out a couple times but I kept reminding myself that this is good for them! The reward at the top were these amazing water slides in the rocks. We had such a fun time riding these and even Beck and Desh could not get enough! I was so proud of all my kids and the adventurous spirits they have. This is my idea of a good time!



Cliff jumping was on the docket of course as we wound down after a day of swimming and rock sliding. Everyone jumped from some height or another. And Josh took the grand prize jumping from the top of the 50 foot jump. It looked high from the bottom so I’m sure it was from up there! We had THE BEST day at Charco Frio and spent most of the day there. It was so fun and refreshing and an adventure that we will never forget!

We made our way to the grocery store for a stock up of Fanta Pina and pan de agua. We had tacos for dinner and swam in the pool the rest of the evening. I don’t know how the kids had enough energy to swim still but they never seem to tire of the pool. I, on the other hand, am tired tonight. So I’m sitting here doing this blog post and watching the BYU bowl game. Right now we’re killing UCF 42-10. Looks like the nights going to end on a good note :)

Christmas Trip - Day 10 Rio Grande (exploring El Yunque)

Today was a blast! We had a reservation to go explore in El Yunque the national rainforest on the island. We are staying really close to it so it didn’t take long to get there. We started out on a short hike just off the road to a waterfall called Juan Diego Falls. It was a super short, simple hike but so fun when we got there! We all jumped in after a few minutes of debating whether the water was too cold or not. We all eventually decided that it was worth the moment of chill to get in there and play in the water and underneath the waterfall. We stayed and explored around this beautiful spot for a while before we hiked back down. It was such a beautiful little place just right off the path and I’m glad we took the short detour!

After Juan Diego Falls we drove up the road to the trail for Mount Britton Tower. It’s a tower you can see at the top of the peak and the kids weren’t sure if we would be able to make it up that far. It looks like a pretty good distance but the trail is nice with rock stairs and a nice path so off we went. It was uphill the whole way obviously but it actually went much faster than any of us expected. We hiked almost a mile and before we knew it we were there! The path and all the flowers and foliage along the way made for a really beautiful hike so it went quickly. 

The tower itself is really old and cool with a neat stone spiral staircase that leads up to the top. Up there on top of the tower it feels as if you can see the whole world! In reality, we could see the ocean on three sides from where we were so that was really cool. And the most was blowing in and out at that high elevation and the boys kept saying that we were in the clouds. Super cool view and a great time for us!

We LOVED being in El Yunque and seeing the gorgeous greenery all around us. It was such a fun morning for us to explore and be outside and take in all the beauty of Puerto Rico. 

When we got back to the house the kids promptly got into the pool and swam the afternoon away. And after dinner, back they went into the pool for “night swimming”. It is really cool cause the light in the pool changes colors so it feels like the pool is constantly changing. It made for a fun night and tired kids after a long day of hiking and swimming!

Christmas Trip - Day 9 Rio Grande

Today is Sunday and we took the “ day of rest” literally today. We told the kids that there was no swimming in the pool today so we filled the day with all types of games! We set up an epic game of settlers, played cornhole, scum and exploding kittens among some. All great family games. We also spent time reading, napping and zoomed in to our ward this afternoon for sacrament meeting and Sunday school. It was really great to be able be back with our home ward for an hour or two and see the people that we love! 

Tonight we had a zoom meeting with the family and did our cousin gift exchange from afar. Again, super fun to see the people we love and miss while we’re gone! 

It was a good day.

Christmas Cards 2020