I love a good craft project, always have, and likely always will. Thus, I can be easily persuaded to try anything that involves a needle and thread. So, when I saw a nifty little embroidery kit from a local store complete with all the materials and a sweet little design of the famous local fauna, a Yuya bird, I eagerly brought it home. Over the past few weeks, I slowly completed it both to stay off technology and to engage in some low-stakes artmaking. Now that it is finished, I'm happy to add it to our small collection of souvenirs and mementos. As I knotted the final stitch, I got to thinking about how different the front "pretty" side is from the unwieldy, messy back. What is meant to be on display is colorful, inviting, and ordered. The back, however, is a twisting, turning web with a system that is nearly impossible to follow. This little bird also reminds me of what it has been like here, living in Mexico, and sharing snippets on the blog. The photos and spell-checked writing are polished pictures and words. They are, most certainly, accurate and authentic, but what goes unseen is the hairy, uncertain, and more frustrating elements of making sense of our role here both individually and as a family.
So, despite the photos and videos posted here and our fortunate adventures around Mexico, we don't want to fool anyone into thinking that we are only the "pretty" side of things. Flip the screen around and we can't pretend to have figured anything out, that we are all rainbows and sunshine, or that we sleep peacefully. Truth is, figuring things out has had some dramatic twists and turns (and tears!), A LOT of sweat accompanies the sunshine, and we (mainly Ryan and Megan) regularly wake up in the middle of the night trying to solve both real and sometimes imagined problems. I could go into the nitty-gritty of all the unsavory bits, but they likely are similar to yours - like struggles with time and money well spent, worried that we are or have messed up our kids, that our work makes only hypothetical impact, making comparisons to the success and accomplishments of others, anxiety about both physical and mental health, trying to make the world a better place while shocked at headlines...the list goes on. You know. You get it. It's all the stuff that is wrapped up in being human. I have been slow to post mainly because we were struggling with how to balance the "look at us and all the cool sh*t we have done" vibe that comes with sharing here and knowing that we wanted to be true to what actually fills life. For example, just earlier this week, life felt like an unsurmountable mountain of homework, laundry, and wishing there was just one extra hour in the day. So, I guess this post is sort of writing our own permission slip to celebrate and share our latest adventures while being aware that this is just one view of things. Regardless, thank you for joining us. Sincerely.
Say whiskey!
Every couple of years, we like to get family photos taken by someone without an iPhone. So, about a month ago we took some family photos with a local photographer and want to share some of the snaps below. Here in Mexico instead of saying "cheese!" for pictures, they encourage a sustained saying of the word "whiskey!" instead. It leaves a smile at a nice upturned angle and it is also fun to say. So after a lot of "whiskey!" we were tickled to see some of our smiles with the background of a place we love.
CDMX
We were spoiled by a two-week Spring Break. So, we took advantage by flying to and spending a few days in Mexico City. At first, we hemmed and hawed over making the trip and in the end, it was completely worth it. The cooler temps, the hustle and bustle, and the truly beautiful parts of the city and Mexican culture were some of our favorite memories made so far. Given its size and variety, it is impossible to even scratch the surface of things to see and do. We particularly loved the neighborhood where we stayed, the Chapultepec Park, and attending a Lucha Libre fight! All is to say, the CDMX bug bit us hard and we're already trying to scheme a return.
43 fine by me
After we returned to Mérida, we celebrated Ryan's 43rd birthday with a low-key, family affair. Not usually a guy for a lot of fuss, he was happy to have fish tacos and cake at home and an excuse to play with the kids. We also were able to watch the women's NCAA final game. We cheered and beamed with pride to see our fellow Hawkeyes on such a big stage. Now that his special day has come and gone, I realize we celebrated three of our family's special days while in Mexico. Reid is one of those summer, July babies, so we will be back in the States, but given our recent history, his party might also include tacos and cake.
Until next time!
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