Day of Relaxation at an All-Inclusive Resort

Photo courtesy of Linda

Every now and then it's nice to escape the ever day priorities and head to a local all-inclusive resort. With high season just now starting you can get good deals on hotels before it begins, so we did just that... Our friends, Paul & Linda, invited us to join them for a night at El Dorado Seaside Suites for a day of relaxing with great food and drinks.

After dropping Kevin & Jessica off at the ferry in Playa Del Carmen, we headed to the resort and checked in. The resort is BEAUTIFUL and they have some of the best food in the area. 

We were able to get a beach Bali bed as our room wasn't ready - all that means is laying in the warm sun while sipping cocktails to the relaxing beach sounds. Honestly, it's pure joy!

Keith taking a nap

We get laughed at when we post photos from resorts as people say we already live a vacation life, why do we need another vacation. Living in Mexico is nice but just like anyone we have errands to run, bills to pay, laundry to fold... So yeah. sometimes it's nice to get away from the norm and just do nothing.

Our little vacay consisted of eating, drinking, lounging, eating and then drinking more... It was delightful and not keto at all. Totally worth it!

Thanks Paul and Linda for the invite - as always, it was fabulous hanging out with you two! I am still dreaming about that dinner... #delish

Keith Getting His 2nd Tattoo in Mexico

Keith has been wanting a new tattoo to cover up an old one he's had for many years. We have some friends who's cousin is a tattoo artist in Merida. He was in town so we met up so Keith could get his new ink. Just so happened it was on the upstairs area of Jungle Fish, which has an amazing view of the ocean. Not a bad place to get a tattoo!!

The tattoo took several hours and will have to be finished in a few months, but for now, it looks great!

Voting from Mexico

We may not live in the US right now but we still want to vote and be apart of our home country and her politics. Now more than ever! Our plan all along has been to fly back to the US during election time so we could vote. 

Right now the General Elections are being voted on and I was told by a fellow expat that we can vote via absentee ballot from Mexico. I guess I kind of knew this but hadn't put it together on just how easy it really is to get yourself signed up for absentee ballot outside of the US. FVAP makes it super easy!!

To make sure I did everything right I called my county in FL and confirmed everything was setup correctly. She was able to actually switch me to absentee right over the phone. She then emailed us our ballots. Over the weekend we printed them out, filled them out, scanned them back into our computer and then I emailed them to FVAP with the information they requested (your county office and their contact info). 

This morning I got an email from FVAP saying they received my documents and would be faxing them to my county. They couldn't guarantee me they would receive them. I emailed my county and she said the system would generate an email when received and if anything was missing she's email me directly. EASY!! 

Maybe I was just lucky, but the process for me was super easy. 

Pruvit Reboot #3

Our Keto Journey Continues

We started the Keto Lifestyle on May 31st and have been going strong for the last few months. Keith and I have lost around 15lbs each along with several inches all over. This has been the easiest diet that we have ever tried and we have committed to make it a lifestyle change. WE have been to Seattle and NYC and we managed to stay Keto, which wasn't hard. I even found pizza in NYC that I still think about... Like right now, I am thinking about it...

We plan to do some before and after pictures at the end of July, right before we embark on our 12 night cruise. The plan is to stay Keto there too.

We even stayed Keto in NYC

Living in Mexico has been a bit challenging in regards to finding a lot of the dietary items we have needed. Thankfully for trips to the States, friends visiting and a few health food stores in Playa, we have been able to find what we need.

I wanted to put together a list of items we have been using and really like. We recently added Pruvit to our diet and have fallen in love with that product so we signed up to be distributors. We wouldn't have done that had we not loved it. It has helped us stay in Ketosis, which we LOVE!!

Here are a few items we use often:
Pruvit Ketones - We do sell them so we are a bit biased but the only reason we do is b/c we loved them when we tried them and have continued to use them everyday. This is a big part of our day and workouts.
I only own two cook books - this one and this one - both have been great to have for recipes.
Keto Bark - when I don't feel like making fat bombs these are a great sweet treat.
Keto Mojo - we use this to test our blood for Ketosis
No Sugar Aloud Brownies - these are AMAZING! 
Miracle Noodles - miss pasta? These noodles are a great substitute. We had them for dinner the other night and you couldn't tell a big difference.
Swerve Sugar - great for baking
Nutribullet - we use this everyday for coffee, shakes, food... Must have kitchen accessory
Dash Rapid Egg Cooker - if you eat as many eggs as we do this is a godsend!
Psyllium Husk Powder - this was a hard item to find in Mexico so I had to get it in the US - great for cooking. I saw a recipe for fried chicken which I plan to try!
Ghee - great for cooking or bulletproof coffee
Tea - maybe TMI, but we love this tea when you are just feeling a wee bit full and need a nice cleanse... ;) (The above Amazon Affiliate links are actual products we have bought and currently use.)

I am sure there are more items and when I come across them I will update this post. 

We started a Keto group for our friends, please consider joining it if this is something you are interested in. We share recipes, give encouragement and just learn as much as we can.

KETO ON!!

Our first visit to the Veterinarian

Well, we've been in Mexico for 6 months and able to avoid a trip to the veterinarian's office; that was until this week. Chance, our little one, thought it would be a wise choice to stand in an ant pile while going pee. Let me tell you, he was one lucky pup. We must have pulled at least 2 dozen ants out of his fur and he didn't get a single bite. Just to make sure we didn't miss any of the little buggers, we decided to give Chance a late night bath. 

It was also a good time to trim the hair around his face and eyes. Upon doing so, we found a small sore on his muzzle. It was pretty red and irritated and showed signs of bleeding.

We immediately reached out to a local veterinarian that some of our friends have used. I think I should take a moment to mention that getting in touch with medical and veterinarian professionals in our area is super simple and kinda funny in my opinion...Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. We received a prompt response and had an appointment setup in no time.

As you can see from the photo, Chance was not a big fan of the car ride to the vet. 

I was amazed at how friendly and thorough the staff was. Everyone I interacted with spoke very good English, which is a huge plus for us as our Spanish is elementary at best. The Vet made Chance and I very comfortable. She cleaned up his sore and conducted the lab work in the office while we waited. We were happy to find out that it was just a small bacterial infection. She gave Chance a shot of antibiotics and prescribed a pain medication and topical cream. The entire visit lasted about 30-45 minutes, including the less than 5 minute wait in the lobby. Best of all, it only cost $1000 pesos ($50.50 usd) total!

In the end, we have our happy little puppy on the mend and a great local veterinarian we can trust with both our fur-babies.

My Must Have Beauty Products

This may not interest everyone but finding beauty products in Mexico hasn't been the easiest task for me. I had the things I liked to use back in the States, and sadly, those brands aren't as easy to find here. Sometimes even impossible. Thankfully with trips back to the US being somewhat often means I can stock up but then friends and family have also been kind and brought back items for us too. So, I am branching out and finding lines that work for me here.

I have been searching for a shampoo and condition that I like here in Mexico with no luck. However, after a shopping trip at Sam's yesterday, I feel I may have found a winner. Everything I have found has left my hair feeling really dry and since I color my hair, I needed something with extra moisture. Pierre's Apothecary has been a line I have seen a few places so when I saw the giant bottles at Sam's I figured I would give it a try. So far my hair smells and feels really great.

Back home I used to use Moroccan Oil, so I was happy to find several salons here that carry the line. It really helps my hair stay shiny and less frizzy - the heat here is a killer on the hair... It smells amazing too.  

Ponds is a new line for me. I never really paid much attention to it back home but it is everywhere here. It seems to be the predominant skincare line here. I went to a spa for a facial and they used Ponds and Neutrogena products, which I thought was a bit odd. I guess I was expecting more of a spa line but I guess they went with what is readily available here. I will say I do have a new found respect for Ponds. I brought some ponds wipes back from the States and have noticed they really do moisturize my skin and if you use it on your neck and chest I always noticed less wrinkles after using them. I bought what I thought was a facial wash but it seems it's more of a makeup remover/face wash. I am going to try it and see if it helps with dry skin. The sun and weather are drying out my skin...

A great line for lotion and to get rid of scars, is Palmer's Cocoa Butter. I have been using it on my surgery scars and they seem to be healing nicely. This line can be found in the US and Mexico very easily. It's a nice thick lotion, smells great and really moistures nicely. 

Lastly, my favorite sunscreen is Coola and I actually emailed the company to find out how to get it here in Mexico. There are only 3 hotel spas that sell it here so it's not as easy for me to get a hold of... Thankfully, my friend Jodi mailed me a nice supply that should last a few more months. It's a great line as it doesn't feel like normal sunscreen and it smells great. (I clearly care about how things smell as I have mentioned it over and over again in the article). I typically use their face lotion daily and it has a nice tint to it. 

I would love to know if you have any favorite brands that you love as I am always looking. Now that I am 41 and living in a very sunny environment I really have been trying to pay more attention to my skin. The sun is a great way to really age your skin so I am trying to do all I can to make sure I do as little damage as possible.

If you have found anything you love and can't live without, please share!

Filming for ANOTHER Reality TV Show

Keith doing an interview

Keith and I were fortunate enough to be picked for a popular TV show and spent the last 5 days filming. During that time, we had the opportunity to go on a sunset sailing adventure, visit a local monkey sanctuary, film in one of our favorite restaurants, explore Playa/Tulum and just have a great time pretending to be actors.

Sadly, we aren't at liberty to say what show it is just yet until we have an actual air date... once we do we will be posting more about it. 

Elenor, the Monkey on my shoulder,
who pooped on me... yeah.

The crew was really fun to get to know and we learned so much about how these types of shows are created. We repeated things many times and shot them from several angles. We may not be seasoned TV stars but it gave me a greater respect for those that are - it's a lot of work and you stand for so long... It's exhausting work!

How did this happen you may be wondering... Well, we are in many expat groups on Facebook and had read that someone was looking for a couple who was moving to Mexico for casting. I sent a message to the women who had put up the posting and she messaged me the next day. The whole process started August of 2017. We had to put a lot of it off for awhile since we were in the process of getting ready to move and then our month long drive across the US. We stayed in touch with them the whole time though as I didn't want to be forgotten.  ;) 

Once we finally landed in Mexico, we started wrapping up the process to see if we would be selected. We had to send in a video of us talking about ourselves and what we like to do plus we had a few Skype calls and sent in loads of pictures... Once we got everything done and submitted we were informed on April 18th we had been selected. Originally we were going to start filming May 4-8th but we asked to move it out due to my surgery as it would have only been a week later and I wasn't sure what types of activities I would be cleared for. They were ok with that and May 12-16th ended up being the dates we were given. My Dr. wouldn't clear me for ziplining so we missed out on that but I think the monkeys made up for that.

To be continued...

My Experience with Surgery in Mexico

(Sorry guys, this may be TMI for some... So, if you can't handle "female health talk" then maybe skip this one)

When we moved here from the States my US Dr. told me that my last pap smear was abnormal but not to worry about it, she'd see me in a year... Personally, that didn't sit well with me. So, when we got to Mexico, I went to establish a Dr. here and have another exam. The exams here are much more thorough as they also give you an ultrasound of your uterus, which I had never had in my entire life. On top of this, I told my Dr. in the US that my mother had had a growth in her uterus that caused her discomfort and weight gain and had to have it removed - it was the size of a grapefruit. Since I seem to follow my mom in many health related issues, I asked they check. They did not... yet I had that abnormal pap... You'd think maybe she would have investigated further.

I told my Dr. in Mexico the exact same thing when she gave me the pap exam. Guess what, I did in fact have a growth on my left ovary, a teratoma tumor. (I'll let you google that one, they look kinda gross.) It was around the size of a walnut (4cm), so me, with my weird sense of humor, named him Wally. The Dr. explained that these types of tumors will grow and are typically benign but can cause a lot of pain as they could make your ovary twist. It was recommended I have it removed. Surgery was suggested and I was given a few options. (1. Laparoscopic surgery to just remove the tumor and leave everything in tact. (less recovery time and just involved one day in hospital for pain management) (2. Cutting me open to remove it (lengthy recovery and more days in hospital). 

I opted for laparoscopic in hopes to only remove the tumor and keep the ovary. I didn't want to remove something just to remove it. Before we scheduled anything, my Dr. had me see another Dr. to review it and suggested he do the surgery as she prefers to delivery babies. I met with this new Dr. and we discussed surgery dates. We do have Mexico health insurance and since this was a new condition they approved it to be covered 100%. (Our US insurance would have only covered 75%).

I went through several tests: Chest X-Rays, EKG, more ultra sounds, blood tests, etc. The surgery was scheduled for April 17th but we had to move it due to the scope having to be repaired. It was suggested the surgery move to Cancun but since Keith & I had a wedding to attend on the 25th I asked we just wait till after the wedding so we could enjoy it. He agreed.

On April 27th at 7am I checked in at the hospital and they prepped me for surgery. They gave me a nice little room with a view of Hwy 307. I was fitted with compression stockings and a gown. After two attempts, they finally got my IV in. I was moved to another bed so they could roll me to surgery, I kissed Keith and that is the last thing I remember. 

I woke up 5 hours later and was rolled back into my room. The Dr. said everything went great but he did have to take the ovary. (From what I have been told, life with one ovary won't be any different from life with two. I don't plan to have children but from what I have read, you still can with just one but it could bring some potential risks.) Keith was waiting for me in my room. I was sore and very tired. 

I was given 3 small meals while there. I threw up one of them (an apple, if you were wondering - that's a whole other story). The nursing staff didn't seem to be consistent at all and I had to call them 4 times as my IV ran out many times and started sucking blood up into the tube - that freaked me out and made me paranoid to sleep. I was so scared of that stupid IV... I can't say the overnight stay made me feel comfortable as I never knew what was happening. Every time I got a new IV bag I asked what it was and when they would be back. The Dr. did visit me twice and he told me they were going to take the IV out but they didn't do that till the next day, so not sure what happened there.

My only experience with surgery was when I was 12. I remember nurses coming every 30 minutes to check on me and it was always the same one for many hours and she/he had introduced themselves to me. Plus their name was on a little board with info about me and what they were doing for their checks. This wasn't the case so it left me feeling a bit confused.  

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a horrible experience but I was nervous. Not speaking Spanish didn't help as the staff wasn't as fluent in English as my Dr's were (and that damn IV had me freaked). I am in Mexico though and can't expect English to be spoken, it's just a plus. All in all, having my surgery in Mexico was much more cost effective. I think all in we spent around $6,500 and should be refunded 100% minus our $500 deductible. Oh and to top it all off, I got a local discount from the hospital. US hospitals don't do that!!

If you have questions about any of this or want more details, just ask. 

Lights, Camera, Action - Our Opportunity to be TV Stars!

We recently had the pleasure of being a part of a pilot for a new potential expat show that is being pitched to the networks. They came to our home and filmed us answering questions and talking about our move to Mexico. We also had the opportunity to check out a local cenote we hadn't been to before where they filmed us jumping off the rocks and swimming. The crew was so much fun to meet and work with. We can't wait to see the final result and we hope the show gets picked up!

We had no idea when we moved down here that we'd have the chance to be on TV talking about this new life of ours. Funny thing is, a few weeks later, we were picked to be on a popular TV show that has to do with moving abroad. Not sure how much we can really say about that right now but we are really excited for this opportunity - more info to come!

We are trying to post videos of our adventures so our family and friends can see what we've been up to. Check out our YouTube Channel, we try and update it often.

Things we learned on this last trip...

We just got back from our most recent trip to Akumal, where we finally closed on our new condo. We spent 9 days down there getting the condo together as best we could in the time allocated. We managed to get a TV, two king sized mattresses, washer/dryer (they don't hook it up for you, if you were wondering) by Telebodega. We also ordered many items from an amazing store called Liverpool but we had to delay that delivery until we return. We managed to find a couch, rug, dining table, bedding and a dresser. It's finally coming together!

I'd love to share a few things we learned and experienced on this last trip as they were interesting and at times, odd.

• The water there makes everything have a residue and you have to run and flush your water often or it startes to smell... It's hard water that has a softener in it where we live...
• Ants like to come inside when it rains and I don't mean one, I mean like tons!! Also I hear scorpions come up the drain but sounds like we don't have to worry since we live on the top floor... Still, I had no idea! Oh and the bats, they poop on everything there... Our white walls and deck will eventually get stained by the poop so you have to clean it often. BAT POOP!!!
• Gas stations in Mexico are expensive (gas is like $3.49 a gallon) and they typically won't allow cards even though they have card machines. They pump the gas for you and there are over 10 different scams they try to pull. The best way to make sure you don't get taken advantage of is to get out and watch them pump the gas the whole time... Make sure you show them your money and state exactly what it is you are handing them while showing it to them so they don't try and switch your 100 pesos for a 10... Make sure they zero out the meter so you actually get your 200 pesos of gas and not 100 because the guy before you also got a 100 and they left it at 100... We found it best to just how much pesos you want to spend on gas vs. telling them to fill it up. 
• Getting pulled over by the police is a scary experience in regards to they don't know English and they want to take your license and possibly even your plates. Then they expect you to go to their station to pay the fine to get them back. I had read to pretend you understand NO Spanish and to try and confuse them as much as you can. I guess the paperwork is time consuming for them so many times they will give up and send you on your way. This is what we did and we were told to go on our way... no fine, no bribery, no nothing... The poor guy looking relieved when we left. However, if you do get pulled over, have your license already pulled out, don't let them see your cash. I have been told they won't ask for it. One friend said they have 200 pesos in their wallet (that's like $10), just in case... But make sure the rest is not in sight. I didn't experience this so I can't speak on it first hand... just the confusion part. that worked for us this time but who knows about next time.
• Confusion can happen easily if you don't speak Spanish. So when it comes to numbers, write them down and make sure both parties agree that it's what was meant. 200 pesos and 1200 pesos are very different, had we just written it down we wouldn't have gotten stuck owing our delivery driver more money than what we had on us... Fun times.
• The grocery store was fun to just walk around and look at their products. there are many products we sell here but many are a lot more expensive as they are imported. Walmart is not a place I would suggest as the products there were cheaply made but not necessarlity cheap - there are more stores available to you with better products. 

That's it for now, or at least all I can think of at the moment. This trip was a huge learning experience and I equate it as a child having to re-learn how to live life. Our priority #1 is to learn Spanish now as our elementary school Spanish just wasn't cutting it as much as we would have liked.

Adios for now!

Funny How Life Works...

I found a draft post from many months ago talking about how we were planning to move abroad in 2 years... I had to post it as we decided to move much sooner than that. This whole blog started at my 40th birthday trip and life has changed since then...

Since my birthday, Keith and I have decided we don't want to live the life we were living anymore. We want more! In the time since my birthday we have decided to move to Mexico full time. We found a place to live, got our temperary visa's started and have started selling all of our belongings.

We sold our business, the boat, Keith's car, my house and are working on selling the house we live in. OfferUp has become a staple of our life as we have sold so many of our belongings. It's quite a process to sell your whole life... The weirdest and saddest thing is seeing all the hard work you have done to have all these nice things and then have strangers offer you $10 for those memories. At the end of the day, it's just stuff. It's rather liberating to get rid of your belongings and makes you look at things more as "do I need this". I'm finding the answer tends to be "no". ;)

Where We Are Going

Keith and I have been researching places to move since we met as retiring early has been a goal. Ecuador was high on the list until they had a huge earthquake and are still recovering. Mexico presented itself and we started researching areas. We stumbled upon an expat couple, Two Expats Living in Mexico, and we were hooked! They gave so much great info we had to go check out the area and see if it really was as great as they said. After my birthday trip we knew we wanted to be on the Caribbean so traveling south to Mexico to check out Akumal seemed like it may be a great fit.

Paul & Linda, of Two Expats, met with us when we arrived and introduced us to several other people while there - everyone was so great! We checked out the area, asked a lot of questions and then, like magic, found the perfect place for us to live. It was the best and craziest week ever and has been quite the adventure ever since. Not even 2 months has passed and we are only 3 months from moving out of Washington. When we set our minds to something, we don't mess around!

The Plan

We officially leave WA on Sept 30th, unless something crazy happens... We plan to drive my car with a small u-haul and our two dogs across the US through about 18 states. We are hoping to see Mt. Rushmore, Chicago, Cape Cod, Boston, Hershey factory tour, Mystic Pizza in CT, My family in OH, Many friends, and whatever else we find along the way.

I'll keep a log of our travels - mainly for us so we can look back years from now and re-live it all. We are both really excited for the drive!

Keep us in your prayers and thoughts - we have a ton of change coming our way!

Love,
Tarah & Keith