Moving To SLC Area

 Dear Kids, 

We talked with all of you on Sunday during our Palmer Family Council about moving to Northern Utah. Dad told you how we've been having impressions from the spirit about it and how much the Lord has pushed us to go. And you are all amazing! You listened and then Talia said, "Well, if the Lord is telling us to go then I know we should go, no matter how hard it might be to leave everyone. He led us here to be with Mimi before she passed away, so there is a good purpose for needing to move."

All the boys agreed - you all had such willing hearts to listen to the Lord and listen to the spirit and believe that your dad and I have had those very important impressions. I'm so grateful for all of you for that! You are all so faithful and good. I hope you know that your dad and I have CONFIDENCE in you. 

We are still looking for where it is that we need to be in the Northern Utah area. We have fasted about it and prayed about it a lot. We know that you are all reaching really tender ages, especially Talia and Gabe. There are going to be influences where we move that are going to be really important for you, and I know the Lord has a place in mind where it is going to be of benefit to our family, especially you guys. I also know that we get to be a blessing to the people wherever we go. I feel people praying us to them. And I didn't expect it to be Northern Utah - but I FEEL it. 

I don't know all the reasons for why the Lord does what He does. But I trust Him. That I do know. I trust Him and His help and His timing. We have so many evidences in our lives of when He has helped us that we get to be faithful in waiting upon Him of where we need to move to next. 

I know we will look back on all of this as a huge turning point in our lives and I'm grateful to go through the growing pains of it all. 

I love you kids, 

Your Mom

It's Been A Busy Month

 Dear Kids, 

wow - the last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind! We got back from Mexico - spent about 5 days in St. George staying with Shirlyn. We were able to hang out with friends in Diamond Valley. Gabe was able to go to baptisms for the dead at Cedar City with a group from Diamond (I LOVE DIAMOND VALLEY! I want to live there). Talia was able to help with Ella's birthday party while we were there (Ella waited until Talia got back from Mexico so she would be there, isn't that sweet?). We were able to see Mesha and Jeff and their boys. 

Then Mesha and Jeff helped us out a ton by letting us use the Durango until we are able to find a van. We are still figuring out the pieces to put together with that. We drove up to Idaho and had a pit stop in SLC. We stayed with Krista and helped Nana move out of her place to go to a facility in Tooele where Dani is living. We picked up Ginger-dog. Everyone has missed her like crazy! 

Then we headed up to Idaho for the family reunion up here. We got here Thursday night. Friday morning Mesha, Kalea and I went through all of mom's stuff from her bedroom (clothing, bathroom stuff, decorations, drawers, shoes, closet, etc.). It was DRAINING to say the least. Man - it was hard - especially since it is something that we just barely did with Shayla's stuff not even a year ago. It took us all day to go through it. We were talking about how it is going to take us a week to go through everything in the house with the herb room, her heirloom things, Christmas decorations, etc. Papa wants to keep some things, but he wants to pass on a lot of her things to us right now. I'll write more about my feelings about the process in another post since this is a just a travel log ;-). 

Then Friday night we went to the Chukars baseball game. The kids LOVE that tradition - but it might be our last year doing it! That is so sad to me :-(. I told Papa that he is going to have to just get a booth every year because it is just so fun and everyone loves it so much. Everyone was able to come - even Casey and his new wife Alisha came to the game with the kids. I was really happy about that. 

Then Saturday we had breakfast at the airbnb with Jonathan and Denise, and then we went up to Heise for the day and the kids HAD A BLAST. I love Heise so much - it brought back so many memories of growing up and how much we went up there. It is a haven. I definitely want the kids to keep going back there in order to make more memories there together. They just swam and played all day. We also sang papa Happy Birthday because it was his birthday that day! We got him cake and gave him some book collections that he lost in the flood they had at the house a couple years ago. 

Then Papa had me and your dad give talks in church, so we shared several things from the trip and our testimonies about it all. It was short notice, but we spoke about what the Lord would have us share. 

It was hard to gather all together with the reality of new dynamics since Shayla and Mom passed away. It was wonderful and really hard all at the same time. 

We've had a BUSY month. In one month we traveled to Merida, Bacalar, Chichen-Itza, more ruins in Mexico, finished up packing to leave Mexico - got everything wrapped up there, we flew back to the states, stayed in Vegas, went to St. George, went to SLC and came to Idaho. 

It's been a whirlwind. We still are figuring out getting another van, the next job for your dad and settling into another house and what that needs to look like. I can't believe how much has happened. And how much has yet to happen. We've been publishing the podcasts for people and we've had lots of friends already say how grateful they are for the podcasts. We'll see what the Lord does with that project and how He will use it for His work. 

I know it's been a whirlwind for all of you was well. Yesterday was the first "quiet" day that we've had and all of you were decompressing like crazy. Playing lego's, going back and forth from outside, you were just enjoying hanging out without anything to do or places to go or screens to be on. 

I love you so much kids. I know part of the reason we've been on this journey is because of the things you are learning from it as well and only time will tell how you choose to use it for your benefit. 

I LOVE YOU, 

Your Mom

Feelings On This 4th Of July

 Dear Kids, 

Yesterday was the 4th of July. We've only been back in the country for a few days. This year I'm SO GRATEFUL for the feelings of gratitude and patriotism that the Lord has given to my heart. 

The last several years I have been VERY cynical and negative in my heart when the 4th of July has come around. I LOVE MY COUNTRY so much. I love the Constitution. I love the Founding Fathers. I love what they did and the sacrifices they went through for their future generations. And it's been hard to see how much we've been screwing it up with all the agendas that are NOT freedom based. I've been REALLY depressed about the direction that our country has gone, so liberal and away from God. 

But when we landed in Florida on the way home, both your dad and I had the overwhelming flood of emotions of coming back to America. This is STILL the promised land of the Lord. This is STILL where the base of His Gospel is. This land is STILL where there is so much promise for the future of the entire world. America is NOT BAD. The governments of our day have been misrepresenting what America was set up to be for the world - a beacon of hope. 

I have felt patriotism unlike anything I've been able to feel for a very long time after being away. My emotions have been so close to the surface about everything in my life - and this is no different. We are SO BLESSED. There are so many things that show how blessed we have been and how much the Lord has been helping this country to succeed. Freedom is HOW the gospel is spread. The cause of freedom is the cause of Christ and His gospel. Without freedom, the gospel will not be able to get to the people who need it. As long as people have the gospel, then the world will continue to elevate. Promoting the cause of freedom is promoting the cause of Christ. 

I'm SO GRATEFUL for this country. When we were watching fireworks last night I just was flooded with emotions of gratitude and amazement that I have the chance to be here. I wrote on a facebook post these feelings and they are so accurate:

"Independence Day.

This day means more to me than I can write in a little Facebook post. My heart loves my country and the Founding Fathers who gave their lives so my children could know freedom.

The word freedom means very different things in our day and age. But I will confidently and boldly stand up for the Constitution of the United States and testify it was and still is an inspired document. I know the Lord loves this Land of promise and He aches for us to turn to Him. I am forever amazed I came at this time of the world's history, this place and to my family.

I hope everyone has an amazing Independence Day and remember to get down on your knees to recognize the Being whom true freedom always comes from. Let the celebration begin!"

 I love you kids, so much. I hope you have the seed of freedom in your hearts and to promote the cause of Christ within upholding the Constitution of the United States of America. 

I love you, 

 

Your Mom 

Things I Don't Want To Forget About Coming Home

 Dear Kids, 

We've been stateside for almost three days now and I can't believe how much my soul has missed being home. I know you all feel the same way! I want to write down some things that I'm so grateful for while it's potent in my mind - because eventually it will just become "regular life" again and I don't want to forget to write. 

-I feel so much the same as after I got home from my mission. My mind was so expanded to how blessed we are here in America. And it's NOT BY CHANCE. We did not become this blessed just "because" there is a reason. It is because of the amazing way the Founding Fathers set up this country for the WHOLE WORLD to succeed. Anyone who has done any kind of major study of the USA understands the miracle that it has been for the world. NEVER FORGET it. So many in the media right now want to paint the USA constitution and form of government as wrong. IT IS NOT. It is INSPIRED OF GOD. 

-The bathrooms ALL WORK! Wow - everywhere we go. The toilets flush so well. There's always toilet paper and toilet seats. They are clean. The bathroom stalls are SO BIG, I can turn all the way around in them. AND I can drop by ANYWHERE to use the bathroom for FREE! There won't be anyone who will be mean to me just because I ask if I can use their bathroom! The toilets flush so fast and efficiently!

-Customer service is a GREAT THING! The waitress at Denny's where we went to breakfast was so nice to us! The lady at Walmart was so kind! It's amazing how nice people are here.

-The streets are so big. The cars are so quiet. There aren't any potholes. There aren't any speed bumps. People actually obey the traffic laws. 

-The sidewalks are so clean. There isn't a bunch of litter everywhere you look. People actually use trash cans!

-I missed "my people". When Katie picked us up, it was so good to see her and feel her heart. When I saw Shirlyn again it was so wonderful to hug her so tight. I missed my family! Mesha cried when she saw me again. I missed everyone so much! I have an amazing community of people who love me and care about me and help me to succeed in every way in my life. 

-People aren't stingy about their napkins! In Mexico they never gave us napkins and when they did it was one or two really small napkins. When you ask for a napkin here, people actually give you a whole stack! And they are thick amazing napkins!

-It's so quiet. The streets are so quiet. There aren't loud motorcycles and cars and old beat up things all over every corner. 

-Especially getting back to Utah - I don't feel like I have to keep my guard up all the time. Don't get me wrong, I didn't feel "unsafe" in Mexico. The people were good and kind. But there was an element of "street guard" that you just have to have on all the time. It is the same feeling that I have whenever I go to a big city in the USA as well. You have just to be on your guard. But here in ST. George - we don't have to do that. I don't have to be on my guard everywhere I go. 

-There are evidences all over the place of how amazingly the GOSPEL LIFTS PEOPLE. When I travel to places where the gospel is very new, it is so evident how much the people need the gospel. When I go to places where the gospel has been there for generations, it is evident in the way the people ARE. In the way that we live. In the way that we interact with each other. In the light in the eyes of the people around us. The GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST is the answer to all the worlds problems! Because it changes people, in their hearts. 

I LOVE AMERICA. Kids - remember that YOUR MOM LOVES AMERICA! SO MUCH! 

We had an amazing time in Mexico - and we learned so much. BUT THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!

I love you, 

Your Mom

Chichen-Itza Wonders Of The World Bucket List & Cenotes

 Dear Kids, 

While on our trip to Merida, we were able to go to some COOL Cenotes around Valladolid, and also visit CHICHEN-ITZA! Wonders of the world bucket list got some checks in it! Yahoo!

The Cenotes were a perfect break while on the road. It was a four hour road trip, and they were right in the middle. You all LOVED it. The water was super mineral heavy and we had to wear life jackets, but it was so cool. Juan Lopez, our friend, was with us and he had a blast with the kids! He is like an uncle figure actually. 

then on the way back from Merida we were able to go to Chichen-Itza! 

A few things I learned while on this road trip:

-Teenage broodiness does not go away just because you are in a magical place. hahaha!

-Go to amazing places ANYWAY, even with the complaints of "why are we here", because it's like a symphony concert - they learn culture by being IN culture. 

-Complaints will abound from kids that don't care. Give them access to take pictures on their own (with device or camera), and that will help to keep their minds and hands busy when they don't care about the lecture from the tour guide. 

-Tour guides are worth it for adults. Unless you have an old soul super interested in old stuff (like Gabe) the other kids won't care about what the tour guide says. 

-Give all the kids $5 to spend on their own, then they bargain on their own for what they want. 

-When you can go to someplace like a Cenote - GO. Make every effort. It's so cool. 

-Make sure the go-pro is working BEFORE you leave. 

-Eating pizza in the car so you can make it to your destination on time is WORTH the mess!

-Taking a friend like Juan is WORTH the cramped car!

-Telling really good road trip stories helps while getting through the jungle. 

-Finding a place that has kid friendly food sometimes isn't worth it. Just go wherever and they can have chicken anywhere you go. 

-Expect rules about covid and things of the like to be different everywhere you go. Be flexible so you don't cause a scene. 

-PREPARE your kids psychologically for when you will be at the ruins. Tell them that even if they don't like it, to please be kind because they love YOU. We go places that people in our family WANT to go to, even if we don't, because we love each other. We didn't prepare them well enough for that, and just expected them to emotionally be okay - we should have prepared them more. 

-Take hats and water everywhere you go. 

-Take BUG SPRAY.

All in all, I'm SO GLAD that we went to all these sites. Chichen-Itza was seriously AMAZING. It was absolutely a holy place at one point. The way it was survived for so many years is phenomenal. This land is FULL of Nephite and Lamanite history - you can just feel it in your bones. The sound reverberation off the structure was SO COOL. Our tour guide references King Benjamin's tour and told us they could have used the same type of structure and technology in order to be able to have his voice carried to everyone. The tour guide also showed us a lot of the art on the walls that depicted a "white God" coming from the sky. He told how the people told that story for generations and when the Spanish came, they thought it was the "White God" coming again. So many convincing parallels involved. Gabe was EATING IT UP. He's my old soul that loves stuff like that. There was also the warrior temple with thousands of pillars that were all dedicated to a warrior. The tour guide speculated that it could be about the 2,000 stripling warriors, or a tradition of creating columns for warriors like them. 

I love you kids. We'll keep going to cultural things and experiences no matter where we are and no matter what it equals. If it equals a symphony concert - we'll go. If it equals ruins - we'll go. If it equals cenotes - we'll go. 

I love you, 

Your Mom

Going To The Merida Yucatan Temple

 Dear Kids,

We were able to visit the Merida Temple! Talia did baptisms for the dead for the FIRST time in Mexico! That will hopefully be a memory that she will remember for a long time. 

We got to the temple early in the morning together with our friend Juan Lopez. We brought him with us so he could go to a session as well. He hadn't been since Covid. I told Brent it was okay if I didn't do a session before we brought the kids for baptisms, but he pushed for me to go. I'm SO GLAD I did! 

I didn't realize how much I NEEDED to go to the temple - and to have some reminders that ONLY going to a temple OUTSIDE of the country would give me. As soon as we walked in to get dressed before the session my heart just settled. I couldn't believe how much I had missed the temple. It's amazing because NO MATTER what temple you go to, no matter where it is in the world - the feeling is ALL the same. Protective, powerful, peaceful.

And the people in the temple, they are also all the same no matter what language they are speaking. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I just started to cry. The ladies that were helping me, I knew their hearts. Their goodness and their strength. The gospel in it's fullness produces people that are AMAZING. There is A LOT of negative press right now in the media, a lot of negative shows about the church and the history of the church. And granted, I've had my own questions and struggles as well. 

BUT - BY THEIR FRUITS yes shall know them. And the fruits of the people living the gospel all over the world is AMAZING. The type of people the gospel produces, when they choose to really live it, are AMAZING. I was hit by that feeling SO STRONGLY while in the temple. I just cried and cried about it. 

The other thing that was so overwhelming for me was that the world needs more and more temples in order to really lift the people everywhere in the world. While in Utah and Idaho we've had the blessings of the temple for so long, we've forgotten what their presence has actually done for us as a people. In a talk by Elder Bednar he talked about how there needs to be thousands of temples. I BELIEVE that is true. There is SO MUCH work to be done in order to LIFT the whole earth. I had this feeling about how, I don't know how much longer it's going to be until Jesus comes back - but it might be a while longer in order to build more and more temples. It's necessary. This is the gospel for the entire earth. I don't envy the brethren their job of trying to keep everything in the kingdom running while "the beast controls the land". 

The beast does control the land - make no mistake about it. Socialism and Communism are sweeping the earth, the governments of the world are really corrupt. But the work goes on. 

AND - after the session in the temple we went back and took Gabe and Talia back to do baptisms for the dead. It was so cool! My only regret is that we didn't take the time for them to bring family names. I thought because we were in Mexico that the names they would have baptized would be from Mexico - but they actually weren't. They were from all over the world. I wanted them to baptize people from Mexico to feel those spirits from the land where we have been, but it didn't happen. Because of that, I wish I was better prepared with family names. 

But even with that said, it was a wonderful experience. Talia went first and baptized 15 people. When she came out of the water, she was just GLOWING. She said to me, "Does that mean that 15 people entered the kingdom of God because I did their work for them?". I said, "YES! And if they didn't, then Mimi and Shayla are going to go find them and be their missionaries since you made it possible for them!."

Then I told her about my memories of Mimi in the temple when we would go with youth groups. She would just be hustling around, bustling to make sure that everyone was taken care of. She was SUCH AN AMAZING Young Women's leader. It was wonderful to watch her do her magic with the youth. Everyone felt special to her. She was so good at giving compliments and making everyone feel like THEY were the most important person in the world. I talked to Talia about those memories and told her how much Mimi LOVES temple work. 

I got emotional thinking about how Mimi would always give me names. We had a deal when she couldn't go to the temple anymore that she would get the names ready, and I would get the work done. Now I am going to have to take the time to actually find the names myself!

Gabe, you were so sweet being there as well. You were so reverent and said a really long prayer by yourself on the other side of the room. Your heart was so full being there in the temple and you were so excited to be there and feel everything there. You are such an old soul. 

I love you kids! It was worth every sacrifice to make sure that you were able to be at the temple. 

I love you, 

Your Mom

Bacalar & Swimming To The Tree Of Life

 Dear Kids, 

Bacalar was AMAZING! We stayed the night in Chetumal and then spent the day in Bacalar. It is a lagoon with very special rocks and bacteria that produce 3x as much oxygen as the trees! It keeps the water crystal clear and just amazingly beautiful. 

We got there and took a boat ride around the lagoon. We decided to get a private boat ride and I'm SO glad we decided to spend the extra money to do that. It was so much better to just let the kids roam and experience everything without trying to make sure to work around other people. And you all loved it so much!

We went and saw several cenotes and the beauties of the area. Then after the boat ride we went to another private mini lagoon that was south a bit, a spot that the locals go to. It was amazing! When we got there we decided that we wanted to swim all the way to the other side. So everyone together kept swimming. We saw a mangrove tree that was on the other side and Talia started calling it "the tree of life". And the last one there was going to be a 'rotten Lamanite'. It was hilarious. We made it to the other side and everyone looked behind them and was amazed at how far they had come. It was a long swim, but slowly and surely we were able to make it across. 

That is how life is too. We see a goal and we know we want to get there, but then it takes a lot longer to get there than we every really realized it would. In the middle of trying to reach our goal it's easy to want to try and give up. But then you get into a rhythm and before you know it, you make it across to your goal. And then you look back and see how far you have come. I love it so much, how many experiences in life can teach us many life lessons. 

We swam back and enjoyed the Lagoon a little while longer before it was time to leave. 

It was a beautiful place. I am amazed at how many amazingly beautiful places there are in the world. So many! The Lord created this earth and beautified it in phenomenal ways - all for our enjoyment! It's amazing! I hope you can look back and really appreciate how wonderful it was to be able to have all these experiences while we were traveling in Mexico. 

I love you kids. I love your souls. I love your goodness. I love everything about you. Thank you for teaching me all the time. 

I love you ,

Your Mom

Joshua and Behavior and Differences In Life

 Dear Kids, 

I want to tell you about Joshua in this entry. He's been going through a lot of changes right now. While we've been in Mexico, he's DEFINITELY found his will of spirit. 

He has a very different five year old childhood than you had. When Gabe was five years old, he had two younger siblings. We were going to the park everyday, we had a VERY specific schedule and way of doing things. When Talia was five years old, she had an older brother and a younger brother. She was discovering her ability to do so many of her talents. We were still going to the park everyday. We were involved more in the homeschooling world at that point and had more on our schedule. We didn't have iPads in our lives when Talia was five. When Elijah was five years old, he had two older siblings who were always telling him what to do and he had a little brother who wanted to be around him all the time. As the middle child, Elijah had his own set of interesting things to figure out. 

Now with Joshua being the youngest, at five years old, he has hardly gone to parks, he's been traveling around the world with his family, he has had to be around a different language, he's already quite ahead in math and reading... but he doesn't have the simplicity that you guys had. I realize the other day that he had never listened to Scripture Scouts! We had to fix that, we got them downloaded on my phone and now he's listening at night. He doesn't have an early bedtime like all of you had, he goes to get when you guys go to bed. He doesn't have the same kind of consistency as all of you had. 

I think because of that he has been having an emotionally hard time. He's figuring out his independence and where he fits in the world. Elijah, you have been antagonizing him LIKE CRAZY, which hasn't been fun for anyone. 

But, I wanted to just point out how different everyone's lives are and HOW MUCH you have all experienced in your lives. You have had SUCH A GOOD CHILDHOOD. 

We love you guys, your dad and I love you so much, 

I love you, 

Your Mom

Things I Want to Remember when Traveling With a Family

 Dear Kids, 

I want to write about the things I've observed and learned from WATCHING YOU while we've been here. I want to remember some of these things for future times we travel and for when people ask about how it is traveling with a family.

-I didn't give enough credit to how difficult the language barrier would be for everyone. Because I've learned a language before, I just didn't give much thought to how trying to learn a language would AFFECT YOU. I thought you would pick things up through "osmosis" and by being around it. And, no doubt you've picked up lots of things, but I didn't give enough credit to how much BETTER it would have been to have some formal language training BEFORE we came. We are just barely getting to the point where we are understanding the language more, and we've worked on it hard. But part of the problem is that NONE of us had a base except for dad. I didn't realize how VALUABLE having a BASE in the language would be BEFORE getting here. I would definitely advise anyone to get their kids a base of the language before getting "on the ground". 

-I knew we would be homesick, but I didn't have any idea how much homesickness would be a factor. I do think a big reason for this is that for 3 months we haven't done any "exploring" while we were working on the podcasts. That has caused the kids to be a little bit more "bored" and being in an apartment and with limited things to do, especially outside exploring, that has caused the kids to wish that they had other people around them to be with. We got into a groove of our everyday routine, and the kids just got bored with it and it really culminated in a lot of homesickness. I'm actually really glad that the kids have had the chance to understand what homesickness really includes, because it's an important awareness to have, I was just unprepared for what an emotional toll it would take on the kids, and then on me as a result, in order to keep their mental and emotional health in tact. 

-I think with that in mind, Brent and I have talked several times that THREE months in any place that we want to travel and really experience would be the PERFECT amount of time. It would give time to explore and see things without being frantic about "seeing the sites" for 2 weeks and then rushing through a "vacation". Three months of travel in a place is the perfect amount of time. And in the future, we won't have a project like the podcasts we'll be working on, and when we're out exploring, homesickness isn't really a factor because of adventuring. 

-I wasn't prepared for how much I would miss a car! If we are EVER going to be out of the country for a long time, I would ABSOLUTELY make sure our budget has a car factored in. Feeling "land locked" because of no transportation is a BIG DEAL, especially with a family and children. 

-I'm VERY GLAD for this experience NOT having a car. It was good for everyone to really know what it means to rely on public transportation and to rely on walking. 

-We didn't do enough research about the best way to handle banking out of the country. Just go with Schwab, every time, because of HOW much lower the costs are for transactions. We made about $150 worth of transaction mistakes with fees and stuff, which doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up quick. And if we hadn't of caught it in time, then it would have been worse. Just use Schwab. 

-I didn't realize how much I wouldn't learn the language as fast as I wanted. I think because of the podcasts we aren't out and about as much as we normally would be and we're not involved as much in running around. I do think that's a factor, but in the end we speak English in our home and so we have to make up ways for the kids to practice, especially when they don't have friends they can talk to. I would in the future try to get them in an educational experience that would allow them to learn Spanish better, or whatever language it is that we want them to learn. We had a tutor come in (Vanesa) but it still just wasn't enough. Something else I would factor in is having a nanny come, a Spanish speaking nanny, simply for the EVERYDAY language practice. That would have been huge for learning the language, especially to FORCE me to converse. On the mission we were FORCED into situations where we HAD to communicate, but being here as a family, it isn't that way. Having a nanny would definitely force us to converse in Spanish more.

-Rachel Denning when we were first looking at traveling overseas for an extended period of time asked really good questions, "What are your goals? Why do you want to travel there?" She conversed with me about how it's SO MUCH MORE than just a vacation when you are LIVING overseas. there are so many more factors because you AREN'T going home soon, like on a vacation. Bringing your own books to read were HUGE. I wish we would have brought more books for the kids to use in their studies. Greg Denning, her husband, in a presentation one time said that actually, he said, "You can buy pretty much whatever you need when you get where you are going. But you can't buy books. My carry on luggage is always full of books."

-I would also add to that MEDICINE. Ibuprofen is SUPER expensive here. I think that's how it is in a lot of places. I would bring a big bottle of ibuprofen. Same thing with triple antibiotic ointment. It's SUPER expensive (like $15-$20 a tube). And good bandaids are hard to find. Antibiotics are EVERYWHERE, so that's easy to find. Also ESSENTIAL OILS are AMAZING for travel. The essential oils I used constantly, that I would bring SEVERAL bottles of each next time are: Frankincense (I used this all the time for inflammation, putting on kids throats, teeth issues, infection issues, etc.), Digestzen (I used this all the time! digestion issues over seas are a REAL THING that's for sure!), Helichrysum (for owies, bumps and bruises, used this A LOT), Tea Tree and Orange Oil for Skin care routine after shower (EVERY TIME I showered I would used these on my body. I know they helped me a ton), Peppermint roller for neck stuff, deep blue rub roller (for sore muscles and headaches and shoulder and back problems. We used this A LOT) Onguard (of course since this is a go-to for health), Breathe for asthma stuff and serenity for night time help. Those are definitely my TOP oils for traveling! They are compact and I would bring several bottles of each of these next time and then leave everything else. The other thing to have on hand is BENADRYL for kids and allergies that come up out of no where, as well as an inhaler for any breathing issues. 

-I LOVE my purse that I have for travel, but next time I would get the small backpack instead of the sling purse. Mainly for my shoulders and keeping my shoulders in balance, a backpack is better for that. 

-Piano practicing goals while overseas that the kids can practice at the church. I wish we had planned better for that. We could have brought songs that they already knew and they could keep up on, as well as practice books for scales and such. I would have liked for them to have a ONE SONG goal to learn while being away.

-Talia's ukulele SAVED us with music. I would bring that EVERY TIME. Music was a huge thing we have missed while being here and I'm so glad she brought that ukulele to practice and keep her music skills up. 

-I'm SO GLAD the kids learned "Peace in Christ" in Spanish to sing to the ward. I think ONE song to sing to people in THEIR language is a GREAT thing to add wherever we are. 

-I'm SO GLAD we brought the massager gun! That has been a HUGE help!

-It's been interesting to see how much the kids have needed predictability with QUALITY time with Brent and I while we've been here as well. We are always together as a family, but it's been super important to the kids to still have date nights all by themselves, as well as snuggle time at night. They have needed to know when we would pay attention to them individually FOR SURE. That as a part of the schedule is always very important. 

-I brought too many clothes. I could have cut it down by 1/2. I have used my really comfortable clothes a lot and my nicer clothes not so much. I would have brought TWO swimming suits instead of one. 

-I LOVE that we did the Mexico shirts! They have been a HUGE success with pictures and memories. 

-Making a rice heat pack with a sock is something we should have done THE FIRST WEEK that we were here. Brent finally made one the other day and it has been a huge help for neck stuff. 

-Next time I would plan better HOW to help the kids with their own blog and youtube videos while traveling. We brought a drone and everything in order to take some cool shots and video and we haven't done that at all. I would have planned better teaching them HOW to do those things BEFORE getting on the ground so that they were prepared with how to work with that technology. I think part of the issue has been that our mental energy has gone to the podcasts and we haven't had as much mental energy to help with projects like that, not as much as we originally wanted. 

-I'm REALLY glad that we've taken the time we have to teach the kids about street smarts. They are learning more and more about how important that is, and their observance of things around them is improving, as well as their ability to see someone who might be dangerous, and turn the other way and make sure to NOT put themselves in dangerous situations. 

-I'm so glad that we've had as much time with Brent as we have. It's been SO FUN to have him home full time and to take a break from work. I want to stay like that forever! It's on my wish list. 

-It has opened my eyes to traveling with Brent when we are older and the kids are out of the house. It's so cheap to travel as a couple! We could live overseas for NOTHING. 

-I LOVE how much this experience has opened up the kids eyes to other people and how they live. They have really started to recognize how blessed we really are with where we live. I'm really glad they are opening their minds and their eyes to all of our blessings. 

-I LOVE the exposure this has given all you kids with other areas of the world! The ocean! searching for seashells in the Caribbean! traveling around Cozumel in the Hulk car and having a blast! Seeing cenotes, seeing fish in the ocean, being on the ferry, going through air travel and what it's like on the plane, living in an apartment and not a house and understanding the difference, getting used to being the minority with language and skin color, using taxi's, using buses, ordering food in another language, seeing ruins, going to Tulum, going to Coba... they've had so many homeschooling experiences while we've been here! I love that!

-So glad we got Ipads for travel. Everyone has used them A LOT with school and travel. Also AUDIOBOOKS are a travel companion for children LIKE CRAZY. Talia finished Harry Potter series while we've been here, and Elijah is almost done! I wish we had more books for Gabe since he's a huge book reader, but he's been listening to "7 Habits of Successful People" while we've been here and that has been a GREAT book for him to dive into. 

We are so blessed! I love you kids, 

Your Mom

Miracles and Tender Mercies While Here In Mexico

 Dear Kids, 

I want to write down several miracles that have happened for us that has reiterated the Lord's hand in our lives while we've been here. List form is the best way to write these things down:

-Elijah has almost been hit by a car a couple of times. One day we were coming back from getting laundry and he walked out onto the road without looking or thinking about it, and the car that sped past him missed him by like ONE INCH. My mom heart dropped and just went crazy. After this happened and I was hugging him the spirit told me VERY specifically, "Andrea, your family is being watched over. You are on the Lord's errand. You are protected." Then I could see in my mind's eye how angels were right around Elijah and they were the reason why he wasn't hit by the car. In their miraculous way, they held him back and pushed the car over just enough so he was okay. This happened on another occasion as well.  Each time the spirit has reiterated the protection that we have as a family. I'm SO GRATEFUL for those miracles of protection. 

-When we were first here I had the impression SEVERAL times that we wouldn't have to worry about Covid-19 testing when we were going to be flying home in June. Well, we got to June and nothing had changed. I thought to myself, "well, I guess we are going to have to make sure and pray and ask for priesthood blessings in order to be okay." And then JUST YESTERDAY they changed the requirements! It's just in time for us to be getting ready to fly home! I remembered what the spirit had told me about my impression that we wouldn't have to worry about the testing, and I had the impression of, "Andrea, I told you." It was another witness that I hear the spirit's voice and there isn't a reason to doubt it when I hear it. I have so many evidences of when the spirit talks to me, it is building my spiritual confidence to be sure in that, sometimes I have a hard time remembering. No wonder the Book of Mormon tells us to "REMEMBER!". It's so important. 

-We were able to go to Cozumel! The kids really prayed that into our lives. 

-It is just a HUGE miracle that the Lord pointed us to be here for our first "living out of country" experience. He knew we needed a softer landing than Guatemala. Brent and I have talked several times about how much more difficult the WHOLE process would have been in Guatemala, not just with living conditions, but with recording and getting the podcast project finished. It would have been three times as difficult. The Lord knew we needed somewhere that wasn't so distant. 

-the other miracle we've experienced is becoming such good friends with Juan Lopez and his wife, Deanna. It was a miracle that we came where she was going back and forth to the states so much. And I knew we've been a blessing for Juan, especially Brent, because of the friendship they've experienced. Juan is going to be really homesick after we leave. I want to make sure to keep praying for their release from this legal issue with his green card. He is just a good guy. 

-It's been a miracle that we DIDN'T have answered prayers about getting a longer term vehicle. We needed the time without a car. We wanted to get a longer term vehicle while we were here, but the Lord knew that we needed the experience to walk as much as possible. He also knew that we needed to appreciate having a car more and He knew that we would have been more distracted from the podcasts had we gotten one. With how it's been we've had a lot of stretching experiences and we've been able to focus on this project full time. 

-the kids have had the miracle of not having any emergencies to have to go somewhere for intervention. There were a couple of times I was worried about some tooth infections because of how they bonked their teeth, especially Talia, one of her teeth broke off after bonking it super hard with her knee. I was worried about making sure it didn't get infected. I used frankincense everyday on it and we were very diligent about treating it, and no infection! No problems. That was been a MIRACLE while we've been here FOR SURE. 

-Another huge blessing is how close we are as a family. There has been a lot of fighting with the kids and "working out their differences", but it's forced us into that space. It's been a lot of enticement moments, especially for me, but they have had to learn how to depend on each other and how to love each other while we've been here because they don't have friends close. I know it's been hard on them not to be closer to their friends, but I'm REALLY grateful for everything it's taught them as well. They've needed it. 

-It's also been a HUGE blessing to not be so distracted. We've truly been on a mission while we've been here. We haven't had any distractions from the world or "busy-ness" of the world while we've been here. It's been REALLY refreshing in a lot of ways. There are many ways that I miss the classes and groups we were involved with. We've missed the theater and stuff, but there are so many benefits to not being so busy. As we've talked about going home, we're excited to be with everyone again - but we aren't excited about the "American busy-ness" that is going to enter our lives again. Gabe and Talia are at the ages where they are ready for more challenge in their academic lives - but I'm going to miss the simplicity that we've experienced here for sure. 

-Another miracle is that NANA has been okay while we've been gone. Brent was worried that we might have to fly home for her funeral if she passed away while we were gone, but she's been okay. I don't know how much longer she'll be with us, but I'm really glad she didn't pass away while we've been here. SO glad for that. 

-Another tender mercy that we've come to realize is how much the Lord helped us with GOOD landlords. They are from Canada and they are so reliable and they have an excellent network of RELIABLE people that we've had to work with. Our property manager that they have for us here is Melqui, and he's SUPER responsible. As we've talked with several other people, we've come to realize that the situation we have is VERY blessed. The Lord was looking out for us. So many other people who have had landlords from Mexico have had horrible experiences with their apartment, electricity, water, etc. while they've been here. And several locals have told us how rare it is to find the good situation we are in with people we can trust. The Lord had our back about that for sure, because we didn't even know that we could have had a harder situation, until our eyes have been opened after "being on the ground" longer. 

I love you kids. I hope you remember good things from being here, and GOOD LESSONS. Not everything has been easy for you, I know that, but the lessons are ALWAYS important, especially from the NOT easy stuff. 

I love you, 

Your Mom