Week 21 in PR

This week was amazing and wonderful, fast and furious. We did so many things and also enjoyed every minute of being together with our friends who we love and have missed dearly. Lots of highlights on the way…

One of the first stops was to Charco Frio which is a spot that we love. Lots of the group had been there before but we wanted everyone to have a chance at it so we went again! It did not disappoint. It was one of my favorite days of the whole week. The river is so beautiful with lots of spots for cliff jumping, water sliding and rope swinging. We couldn’t get enough of the fresh, cool water and spent most of the day there. Everyone was super brave and tried all sorts of new, adventurous things including a “40 footer” jump that Beck literally talked himself into with positive words and a nerve squashing attitude. He did SO AWESOME. He’s typically one that is nervous but didn’t want to miss out on being one of the big kids that were doing it. So proud of that kid. It also happened to be Izzy’s 16th birthday that day and she also joined the 40 foot club and jumped right at the last second. 

It was a beautiful day and we had tons of fun being there together. A few of the boys got super muddy on the hike and looked like mud monsters for the rest of the hike back until they could wash off. And Melissa ripped off a nail (like the whole nail, too and natural nail together) and it was a nasty looking injury. She handled it well and wrapped it up tight as soon as we got back to the house. Poor girl is probably going to be hurting from that one. 

Overall this was such a fun spot to be together!

We laughed and talked and did crazy hair and ate yummy food and made our way to açaí bowls pretty much every day. All the good things in life made their way into our days this week. We loved having our house full of loud and crazy loved ones!

We took a trip to Seven Seas Beach one day for snorkeling and conch shell hunting. Some of us (Melis and I) sat on the shore and watched while the rest of the group snorkeled their hearts out. They all found fun shells and saw lots of tropical fish. Later that night we took them to Old San Juan to our fav place Bari’s for pizza and on to Anita’s for gelato after. It’s always a hit and we never get tired of it! 

One day we made our way across the island to the west side to visit a favorite beach of Morgan’s. She took us to Crashboat beach in aguadilla and one that we have ever been to before. It was really fun and we loved trying out a new spot! The beach is separated in half by a big long pier and jumping off the pier was a favorite for all of us to do. It was a really beautiful day to be at the beach. 



After the  each we drove about 30 minutes to one of our favorite spots on the whole island, Gozalandia Falls. We haven’t been back there for so long and it was a blast to be there again! There’s lots of fun jumping spots for all ages which makes it great for everyone to be able to do whatever they’re comfortable with. Luckily for us, our boys are super adventurous, daring and crazy so they like to jump from anywhere! Liev and Rhen immediately climbed up to the top jump (35 feet) and jumped off followed by Tay, Bry, Kar, Jack and me. The others swam to the waterfall and climbed behind and jumped from other spots along the rock wall. I love this place so much because it’s great for everyone and it’s absolutely GORGEOUS! 

We swam and played and jumped and loved every minute of our time at this beautiful spot. It was a great way to end our day on the west side! After swimming and jumping all day we were tired on the long drive home. We stopped for dinner at a roadside taco stand (delicious) and all made it home just in time to fall into our beds. Such a good day. 

One morning a few of us got up early and packed a day pack to hike the trail El Toro. It’s a trail just outside of El Yunque and I’ve been wanting to hike it but never had anyone to go with. Jordan, Bryson and Karson saved the day and said they’d let me go with them! We went into it knowing it would be a muddy trail and it certainly was! We tried to navigate around it as much as possible but there was no way to do it without getting absolutely messy. We embraced it and made it to the top to see the amazing overlook in front of us. It was so cool to be able to see every direction from the top of that mountain. I LOVED it! 

The rest of the day was spent at the beach and relaxing around the house and the pool. Katie and Bryson were so cute and happily took all of my kids to the beach with them while I got some laundry and dinner started at the house. The kids had such a fun time with them and were so happy to be able to go. 

We loved eating meals together and playing games and sitting around the deck watching sunsets and rainbows appear. Favorite game of the week? We loved the game of Left, Right, Center that ended up with Melissa winning the 95 $1 bills. It was a hoot. We also took a trip down to the basketball court and played spikeball and paddle smash along with the basket ball game we had going. The good thing about having a big group of people is that there’s always some sort of game being played that anyone can join. That’s how the week went!

Friday morning we jumped on the ferry and headed over to Culebra to spend the day at Flamenco Beach. To say the ferry ride was bumpy would be a huge understatement, and though most of us were sick the whole way (with some puke making it’s way into the pukebags) we finally made it and we were all so happy to be on dry ground. 

Flamenco Beach never disappoints and we had a beautiful day sitting in the sun and building sand castles. The water there is perfectly clear blue surrounded by white sand. It’s the perfect beach in my opinion and one I could go to any day of the week. I LOVE this beach and I’m so glad we made it there with our group. 

Josh and I took our boys back on the ferry Friday night but the girls and the rest of the Hammer Family ham kicked overnight on the beach and came home early Saturday morning.  They said it was a great night with no rain which I’m so glad to hear! It’s been rainy on and off all week and it looks like the clouds cleared on just the perfect night for a sleep out! 

Sunday we had a really sweet day at church with everyone there with us. Being the first day of the new year, Liev was old enough to be sustained and set apart to receive the priesthood and become a deacon in our branch. I felt so much joy as I watched this sweet boy of mine (who is growing up way too fast) surrounded by a group of men who have known him since he was born, all lay their hands on his head to give him the priesthood. Having the Hammers there felt like we’d come a full circle as we’ve been a part of each of their ordinations over the years. And now they were there for Liev’s and it was such a special moment to see and be a part of. So proud of this boy of mine who is growing up right before our eyes! 

We hated to say goodbye. It was bittersweet to see them drive away from us once again, but we are SO grateful for the week we had and the memories we made together. Until next time Hammers!

Week 20 in PR

Christmas is over and now we’re feeling the need to get a few big projects done before the first wave of visitors come. Next week the Hammers will be here then a handful of others one right after the other. So we’re getting the house completely ready before all the fun starts! 

The first big project this week was painting the downstairs. We decided to do it all white and make it look new and fresh and bright down there. We taped and covered everything in the main room and sprayed that whole room with the sprayer. It worked good because of all the pipes and tubes on the ceiling. It covered everything up great and looks so nice! We rolled the rest of the rooms and finished up with all the paint by Wednesday. I’ll tell you this, I don’t want to touch a paint brush or roller for a long time now! We’ve had enough painting for a while. 

Josh and the boys mixed cement and filled in the open area on the driveway that was cut away for the electrical. They all worked hard and did a good job getting that done!

Other highlights of the week included a new cooking class from Hermano Vasquez (I learned how to make empanadas and arroz con gandules),  Rhen and Kim made wind chimes and had a great time together, Liev perfected his monster truck drawing and Rease made a mess of the kitchen. 

It was a good but long week getting lots of things done and the house ready for a houseful of visitors. I’m so glad to have it all done but now I need a nap to catch up on it all! 

New Year’s Eve was so cool as we sat up on our deck and watched fireworks all over the valley below us. And they were literally all over.  Everything was lit up below us and it went on forever as people were celebrating a new year. It was the best sitting up there watching it! We loved bringing the the new year and also wishing Josh a happy birthday from here. 

Sunday afternoon the Hammer family arrived!! They had a long trip over with delays and long layovers but finally ended up at our door! We were sooo excited to see them all and welcome our second family into our life again. Everyone settled in quickly and the boys took up their normal spot right next to one of the big Hammer boys and Rease and Rhen next to Izzy and JT. It was just like normal again :)

We had cake and ice cream for Josh’s birthday (the big 44!), had Hammer/Beutler Christmas with gifts all around (Rhen made custom sea glass wind chimes for each of the girls) and then settled in for an early movie and early to bed for everyone. It has been a long 48 hours for them traveling and we’re all ready to rest and get ready for the week ahead. We can not wait to spend the next 7 days together. Welcome to our home Hammers!!

Christmas 2022!

Christmas looked a little different this year and we just embraced it fully! After getting food and everything ready on Christmas Eve, we spent the rest of the day in the pool. It was a perfectly warm, sunny afternoon and we took in every ray of sunshine we could. It was so delightful. We had a traditional Christmas Eve dinner of French dip sandwiches and we’re joined by our good friend Carlos as he was headed to work the night shift that night. We are and enjoyed having home there then changed into pjs to wait for Santa to try and find us in our new home! 

Turns out he had no problem finding us in Rio Grande! We woke up to lots of presents and such a fun morning of opening them all together. Favorite gifts of the day? Rease - a harry styles t shirt (from rhen)

Rhen - a dremmel and sea glassing supplies

Liev - bae blades

Keen - Nintendo pro controller

Beck - Pokémon binder

Desh - pool toys

Dad - A new machete (which is basically a sword)

Mom - new sunglasses

Such a great morning together!

It also was Sunday on Christmas Day this year and was such a treat to go to church and remember the real reason for celebrating. We loved being able to take the kids to church and see the people we love and remember our savior who’s birth we are celebrating. Such a sweet part of our morning. 



After a long nap in the afternoon, Laura and Carlos came and spent the rest of the evening with us. We ate more food and played games and the kids showed them all their new gifts. They stayed until late and we loved having them there. They’ve become like family to us and they were just the people we wanted to spend our Christmas hanging out with! 

Merry Christmas everyone! 

Week 19 in PR

The project of the week was finally getting our shelves ready to put up in the kitchen. These shelves turned out to be a labor of love as they ended up being a lot of work before the finished product was finally installed. It started with a trip to the lumber yard and actually hand picking out the exact 10 foot pieces of wood that we wanted. Next we had them measured and cut just right to fit along all the walls and around the corners in the room. They needed to be sanded, then clear coat stained, then sanded again, then one more coat of stain. A day of drying in between each stain and then finally they were done and ready to be hung. We had ordered some heavy iron brackets to hold the shelves and those were put up first. All 22 of them. Measuring and leveling and measuring just a little more to make sure they were right on. And then finally the wood was put up onto the brackets and…tadaaaa! They were done and beautiful! So so happy to have shelves in the kitchen now and get a few things up off the countertop. They look so good and I love to see the kitchen all complete!

We made it to the beach and spent a few hours before the sun set just hanging out and basking in the warm sun! Beach day is a fav. 

We have a list about a mile long of projects to do and finally we narrowed it down to projects we “must” do before we start to have a long trail of visitors over the next few months. On the “must do” list? Painting the basement, finish painting all the outside of the house, build the garbage can platform and de-junk. First things first was paint downstairs. And to do that we had to first put some brackets up to hold up the pipes in the ceiling. They were originally being held by some ugly old rusty wire so I promptly removed that and put in the extended brackets to hold them in place. It was a big, sweaty job but we got it done! 

We called on Pepo to help us with the garbage can area and it turned out beautiful! 

Henry came by and taught us how to use the pool and when and how to change chemicals. It was an exciting day to be able to use it officially! 

Rhen and Josh had a master plan for water tank and this week it was finally put into action. They took an idea from some of the painting in the downtown area of Rio grande and went for a colorful, mosaic look to accent the house. It didn’t actually take them long to tape it off and then paint and it turned out soooo good! I love the way it looks and how it all progressed throughout the day. Such a fun water tank now!

Rhen and Josh ended the weekend with a date night to eat fried cheese and shop. They ran into the lighted car club while they were out and got to check them out up close in the parking lot. And were also rewarded with an absolutely beautiful sunset to end the week! I will never get tired of sunrises and sunsets on the island. 

Lots of work this week but I feel like we’re nearing the end of big projects…maybe? Whether we are or not, we’ll continue to enjoy this journey as we’re going!

Week 18 in PR

Today we cancelled beach day and took the family through the temple instead. It turned out to be the perfect night for it and we LOVED being able to be there together. They kids asked lots of questions and we spent a good amount of time in each room as we took in all the colors and paintings and all the things that make it so beautiful. We are so excited to have this special place here on the island and so glad we got to participate in the open house these past few weeks. It has been really amazing. 

The poo progress has been amazing and this week we got to see them pour the smooth finished cement in the bottom of the pool.  It's getting so close and we are sooo excited!

Josh and I worked hard a couple mornings this week to lay some sod around the pool to help eliminate the mud.  It was hard, hot work and we were so ready to have it done.  But now that it's all down it makes everything look so finished.  I love how it turned out!

And then just like that, the pool was done and we got to fill it up.  We had the hose in it as much as possible to get it filled.  When we would hear the pump kick on and knew we were taking water from our cistern, then we'd turn it off until the city water was back on.  With the stoppage time it ended up taking almost three days to fill! 

The elementary school had a Christmas program and each of the grades had a part in the program.  It was a fun day to be there and watch the kids do their thing and participate with their classes.

One day Beck was out of school so he, Josh and Hector cut down some branches from Hector's house for us to plant in our yard.  We will love having some of Hector's plants at our house!

Our other big project of the week was getting the shelves ready for the kitchen upstairs.  It has been quite the process getting the open shelving done up there.  We spent one morning at the lumber yard picking out the exact pieces of wood that we wanted.  Then we had them cut to the measurements we gave them that would fit perfectly in the kitchen.  When we got the wood home, we sanded them twice then painted them with a clear glossy coat.  And then painted another coat.  This is the final product just waiting to dry and be put upstairs.  Oh I can't wait to see how these turn out!

Once the pool was full, it didn't take long for us to want to be in it.  We technically weren't supposed to swim yet because our pump isn't hooked up yet (electrician coming Monday), but we couldn't resist! The kids jumped in without a second thought and we had a fun day enjoying the new addition!

Saturday the boys drove down to Humacao and picked up some Foxtail Palms to plant and we spent the rest of the day getting those and a few other plants in the ground.  We're so anxious to get our yard growing now that the pool is done and we know where everything can go!  It has been so fun to see all the progress we've made!

We have Josh's cousin Heidi and her family in town this week and they came tonight for dessert and games at the basketball court.  Oh how fun it is to share our home with friends and family!  We love having them here and look forward to a fun week together!

Week 17 in PR

We welcomed our dear friends Matt, Christine, Bennett and Neal to our home this week and were so excited to have them in our world again! They got in late late Saturday night so were able to go to church with us before zonking out again to catch up on their sleep from the red eye flight. Monday morning we were all rested and ready to explore! We took them to one of our favorite little trails near El Yunque called the Angelito Trail. It’s a quick hike down to the river and then lots of fun to be had throwing rocks, climbing down the river, making rock towers and exploring the jungle. It was a beautiful morning for it. 

Beach day was a blast with these cute visitors and Bennett and Neal couldn’t get enough of the sand and water. The beach was pretty much empty so we had the place to ourselves and got to take plenty of crazy pics without being disturbed. :)

We had lots going on this week that we squeezed in while the Swensens were with us. Here’s just a few:

We ordered sod from the sod farm and got to see a live alligator that they had just caught. 

Josh rented a concrete saw to cut a trench through our driveway. We have the electrician coming to pipe electricity out to the pool pump so Josh worked hard getting that all prepped. 

Christine taught the kids how to play Cups and Beck was diligent about learning from her. Good news…he learned super quick. Bad news…he learned it backwards by watching Christine do it. He was mirroring her and learned going left instead of right. Yikes. I have no doubt he can just as quickly learning it the right way!

We took them down to our basketball court for frisbee and a few games of speed. Always a hit. 

Christmas is in full swing on the island so we joined in and had a friendly ginger bread house competition. We gathered into groups of 3 and designed, architected and decorated these beautiful gems! 

Each of the schools had a welcome to Christmas fiesta going on this week so we went to lots of programs at the schools and met friends, listened to musical numbers, checked out art projects and saw all the things the kids have been working on so far this year. Desh earned an award in his class for being the fastest reader in his class! That’s pretty great and his teacher is so sweet and kept saying how proud of him she is for that. 

We showed the Swensens around our town and took them to all the schools, the church, our favorite açaí food truck and everything else we could think of. They were such good sports to just join into all the things we were up to! 

We ventured out to our favorite beach on culebra one of the days and had a glorious day in the sun on beautiful Flamenco Beach. It was a dreamy day with white sand, blue water, pina coladas and lots of sand castles. Just the things that make a perfect beach day. 



Progress continues to be made on the pool. The crew has worked so hard everyday coming early and working until the job is done. They worked on the stone around the walkway this week and also put the tile in the inside around the water line. It’s so exciting to watch the progress!

Keen was honored this week a a member of the honor roll in his class. It was quite a ceremony and turned out to be a really big deal. I’m so proud of him! Josh and I were also asked to be a part of the ceremony and got to sing the national anthem for the group. We asked Rease to join us so we weren’t quite so nervous :) They had other singers, groups of dancers, short plays and all sorts of other things to celebrate these honor students. Desh was in a small choir as well so it turned out to be quite a deal for the Beutler family! So so proud of this boy and this accomplishment!

The last night the Swensens had in town, we took them downtown to Old San Juan. We played at the park by San Felipe del Morro and the boys had a great time throwing the football and frisbee around and running around the huge field. As the sun was setting we had the most beautiful view out into the ocean and took so amazing silhouette pics of the boys. We really just live in the most gorgeous place! 

Dinner at our fav pizza spot and then gelato down the street. And we found out that during the Christmas season they have the road down to the governors mansion open and full of Christmas decorations. We walked down and got there just in time to watch a little movie they had projected onto the mansion for Christmas. It was so fun to see this and be there during a fun season! 

We LOVED every minute that the Swensens got to be here with us! They are the best and easiest guests and wanted to just be a part of all that we were doing. We are so glad to have these amazing memories together with them! 

The week ended with Christmas lighting ceremonies at each of the schools and lots of songs, dressing up, and partying and the Christmas season is just starting! 

When we went to Rhens school she showed us through the art room and all the projects they’ve been working on as a class. Rhen had some of the best ones and we loved seeing it all! 

Such a good week for us with lots and lots going on. So fun to share it all with some really great people! 

Week 16 in PR

Back to reality this week after a great thanksgiving holiday week! Kids headed back to school and Josh and I worked on our one hour projects each morning. But nothing stops us from going to the beach on Mondays and taking crazy pictures. Why are jumping pictures so fun? And funny?! My kids are hilarious. 

Josh and I drove to Dorado early Monday morning to find a Christmas tree (palm style) at a big jardenaria. We successfully found one that would be perfect for the house for Christmas and then would fit perfectly in the yard after! Monday night we decorated it with a few lights and the ornaments that the kids picked out. We had each of them choose an ornament for the tree here that we could take home with us as a souvenir for all the Christmases to come. Simple and islandy is what we ended up with! We love it!

A few other things from the week:

Becks class had a welcome to Christmas party this week and all dressed up in Santa hats and red and green clothes. Puerto Ricans love their Christmas holiday and celebrate it as long as possible!

Josh and I primed and painted all the spots around the house that needed it and applied red oxide to the places with exposed metal to prevent rusting. It seemed like a small project but weirdly ended up being a lot and took us a few days to do it. 

Rease worked on her online work turban-style. No idea why. 

Found a huge iguana in Laura and Carly’s yard when the boys went to play Nintendo with him one night. Besides the iguana being awesome, the boys had THE BEST time being there. They are the best. 

Josh and I put in the rest of the french drain around the pool before the coralline stone goes in next week. That was a big, muddy, sweaty job. 

The pool guys are working hard and getting a lot done. This week they finished doing stucco on the walls and built up the wall between our house and Wilfredo’s house so we have a little not privacy. Don’t worry. We asked Wilfredo and Mara and they said it was fine :)

By the end of the week we had the pallets of stone dropped off and also all the materials for the inside of the pool and the pool pump and filter. It’s all ready to go for the last week of finishing touches! Liev and Rease pressure washed the concrete all around the pool to get it ready for Monday. It’s starting to look so nice!

The temple open house started this week and Josh and I volunteered as ushers. It was so fun to be there and be a part of this huge blessing that has come to the island. So many members have been waiting for years to see a temple and it’s pretty cool to see how emotional they get when they go inside for the first time. Such a sweet experience that we’re so happy we get to participate in. 

And Rease and rhen left Friday afternoon with Laura for an overnight youth conference camp! They were a little apprehensive about it but knew they would have fun no matter what since they would be with Laura. It ended up being a really fun weekend for them and camping is something we haven’t been able to do since we got here so they loved that. We just couldn’t be more grateful for the people in our life here that love us for who we are and take us into their lives no questions asked. Laura and Carlos are some of the best and we just love them like family.