When we were in the States, we stopped at Target (oh glorious Target!!!) to pick up some supplies. While wandering around I stumbled upon the 23andMe DNA Test kit. I have seen them online but hadn't ever thought about doing one until recently.
It was very simple to do - you just spit in a tube they supply and then drop it in the mail. Easy!
I am currently awaiting my DNA and ancestral information... I signed up on their website and answered some questions and they have been giving my updates on where and what my DNA is currently doing.
If you are interested in trying it, use my link and get 10% off your order.
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| Don't I look thrilled? |
Back in early October, Keith and I applied to renew our temporary resident visa for 3 years. One thing we have found to be consistent in Mexico is nothing is done in a timely manner. My visa is still in process. Keith however managed to get his renewed, a week ago.
When you have a visa in Mexico you have to fill out exit documentation with immigration every time you leave. Since we have been waiting for ours to be renewed, we have had to buy exit visas every time we left since starting the renewal in October. You can't just leave, you need permission or you risk losing your visa.
Knowing we were leaving for 15 months we were trying to find out if that would affect the process since we wouldn't be in the country. It seems it would have... Apparently they need to take our finger prints again (really? It's not like they change from the last time we did them...) and then have a 2-3 week waiting period to get the card. With us leaving ay a specific date, the timing just didn't work. So, I can't wait any longer as we leave on Friday. So, today, I went and gave it up...
I was there for 1.5 hours and walked out with a single piece of paper with my photo stating I am giving it up and I have 20 days to leave the country. Adios, Mexico! See ya in 2020!
We have only one week before we take off for our big road trip - we are very excited and nervous!
Since last night was Friday, we decided to visit one of our favorite hangouts, Lol-Ha, for happy hour with many of our expat friends. It was great to see so many familiar faces so we could say good bye for now and not for good.
It was a beautiful night and we opted to have dinner with our friends, Dave and Randi, at Lol-Ha.
We are really going to miss everyone but we feel this little getaway will be good for us and just make us miss Mexico. Hasta luego, Mexico!
Two great friends of ours from Seattle, Tommy and Regina, came to visit us and we made sure to try and show them as much as possible in 1 week. Sadly for them, the water here is a bit cold right now as it is "winter" in Mexico. I think the consensus was though that it was still beautiful and much warmer than Seattle.
We managed to hit Xpu-Ha beach in Akumal, explore Playa Del Carmen for a day, drive to Vallodolid to see the city and Chitzen Itza, swim in Ik Kil Cenote, Explore/shop in Tulum, take a Catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres with snorkeling and eat many great meals!
Chitzen Itza was somewhere we hadn't been before so we were very happy to check that off our list of things we should have done but hadn't.
We stopped at Ik Kil Cenote on the way back from Chitzen Itza and it did not disappoint. It was extremely beautiful but VERY cold. I didn't manage to get any photos but look it up online, it's worth a visit.
We were really happy they loved it here and they say they are planning to come back Summer of 2020 (it will be MUCH WARMER then!). Can't wait!
Safe travels!
Keith and I have been working on a big trip for 2019/2020 and it has finally come time to start packing and getting ready to leave. Our plan is to leave towards the end of January and drive 4 days across Mexico to the USA.
Chance was NOT having it - clearly he doesn't realize he is going with us on this trip. I can't blame him though, most days we pull out the luggage result in him going to doggie daycare or staying with someone else. He's not a dumb dog.
We have altered our condo to have more storage space for us to lock up anything we plan to keep here. We are hoping to rent our place while gone but HomeExchange has actually resulted in us finding several folks to swap homes with us on our travels. I am kind of obsessed with their website!
We are staying in a home in FL for two weeks, Amsterdam for 1 week and Paris for 2 weeks as of right now. We did find a renter for 7 months and several friends plan to rent our place here and there so we are happy to have it being used by folks we know. If you are interested, let us know. Here's the listing.
As for Mexico - we drive from Akumal to Villahermosa where we stay the night. Then we are on to Puebla for a night. We drive around Mexico City and stop at Saltillo for a night (my birthday!). Then we will drive to Laredo, TX to cross the border and head towards Austin to see friends for a few nights. We hope to see a few more friends on our way to Lake Ozark but will depend on their schedules if they are in town. Should be a fun road trip! (This is ONLY the beginning)
We will try and post about our travels, take lots of pictures and even a few videos. Come back and check it out!
When we were in the States, we stopped at Target (oh glorious Target!!!) to pick up some supplies. While wandering around I stumbled upon the 23andMe DNA Test kit. I have seen them online but hadn't ever thought about doing one until recently.
