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Landing in Puerto Rico- What now?

One of the absolute best things about living in Puerto Rico is that every weekend is a new vacation. Broc and I made a deal when we moved here– I won’t complain about his work schedule (I just created my own that’s just as gruelling) but on weekends, we travel. We’ve so far been to at least the top 20 places on the island as well as a few hidden jewels that not many tourists even know about. I’ve been a decent reviewer on Yelp and Airbnb but that seems like a lot of work for people to hunt down. So I decided to use this blog as a Puerto Rico travel guide for when friends and family come visit.

Continue reading “Landing in Puerto Rico- What now?”

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An Island Wedding

On October 9th, 2015, Broc and I said our ‘official’ i do’s in front of a small group of friends and family. It was a hot, sticky, stressful, beautiful day and despite a few annoying mishaps (like getting makeup on my dress just minutes before pics were scheduled) I don’t regret having it. Thankfully I splurged and had a video made to go along with the photography and it does a nice job of highlighting our special celebration.

Megan & Brock Trailer from Elliott Anderson on Vimeo.

I didn’t get even HALF of what I wanted- from the flowers to the food- nothing was just right. But that’s what I kinda love about it, looking back. And thankfully our family stayed the week with us in Rincon, which was amazing as always, and gave us the best wedding gift ever- their time.

<3

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20 Realities of Living in Paradise (a.k.a. Puerto Rico)

When we first embarked on our exciting move from Arkansas to Puerto Rico, I had this glorious, dreamy vision of how amazing my life was going to be. Beautiful beaches, great weather & the laid-back lifestyle I always thought I wanted. But life never goes as planned now does it?

While I’m still (almost 1 year in) adjusting to island-life and probably always will be, certain realities became apparent almost immediately. Here are some hard truths about living in Puerto Rico that I never expected (or know how) to deal with.

1. Puerto Rico celebrates 30 bank holidays each year. The 7 that mean anything to you, you’re celebrating on your own (b/c you have no friends or family close by)… The other 23 just mean the bank and other businesses you need to do business with, are closed.

2. You should never, ever, have a predefined grocery list. You’re lucky to find a lemon/ which is the same thing as a lime/ much less a squash or avocado. And forget ranch dressing packets, coffee cups or boxed wine, you spoiled little American!!! Just check back next week for the flour- it didn’t make it on the boat ride over this time.

3. The staple items they DO have in stock (milk, eggs, bread, cheese) cost double if not triple what they do in the states. It’s an island- someone has to pay for the fuel to get it here b/c they sure aren’t interested in creating their own. Continue reading “20 Realities of Living in Paradise (a.k.a. Puerto Rico)”

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Arkansas Meets Puerto Rico

Living in Puerto Rico has many challenges but the hardest is being away from friends and family. Broc and I both come from close-knit families and cherish our relationships with friends we’ve known (in some cases) most of our lives. I think a lot of people who move here want to get away from their lives back in the states- or had nothing keeping them there. But for us, it was the exact opposite.

So when good friends make the trip to visit us we drink it up like water in a desert. Patrick and Anna Matthew’s came in mid September and we had a blast. My only complaint is that they had to leave 🙁

of course we had to get them on the yacht!
of course we had to get them on the yacht!
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beautiful Anna.

Continue reading “Arkansas Meets Puerto Rico”

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A Year Break

Wow. My last post was in JULY! I’m very disappointed in my commitment to blogging. It’s almost shameful that I’ve been doing it for so many years over at meganknight.net and then this year– the biggest & craziest year of my life- I simply take a hiatias.

But better late than never so here we go.

Since July of 2015- much has happened with my little family on our little island. We had a wedding ceremony/reception back in October (huge mistake- but that needs it’s own post), moved into a new apartment in Palmas Del Mar (again, a nightmare experience and possibly future post), we bought a new car (scary), finally received our ACT 22 decree (it’s gonna be hard to write that one!), went home for Christmas (family=the best), and continued to spend our weekends exploring the wonder & beauty of Puerto Rico. Crisis Island could not be a better description of where we live!

Broc and I just celebrated our 1 year marriage anniversary on March 9th and were a little shocked an entire year has flown by so quickly. The hardest year of both of our lives, by far. In fact, this blog should really be called love and HATE in Puerto Rico, but I’ll try to keep the negativity at a minimum.

Here are the highlights of July & August, according to my iPhone. Continue reading “A Year Break”

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Aguadilla & Isabela: West Coast Weekend

This past weekend Broc and I wanted to take another trip somewhere and of course I chose the West Coast of the Island. While Vieques and (we’ve heard) Culbera are the most beautiful places in Puerto Rico, you have to take a ferry or small plane to get there and then rent a vehicle once you arrive, so it’s easier (and cheaper) for us to just drive, and the small towns dotting the Atlantic Ocean are just as cool and beautiful as the islands off Puerto Rico (in my opinion). Since we’d already visited and Rincon and Cabo Rojo, Aguadilla was next on my list of must-sees and it did not disappoint.

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Saturday morning we loaded up the jeep and prayed it would make the 3 hour drive across country to. We stayed in an interesting place off AirBnB called the Dancing Tortugas– a hostel of sorts- that was cheap, close to everything, and filled with some very intersting characters. While lacking in any ammenities, it had a private bed, air conditioner and high-water pressure so we didn’t feel there was much to complain about- especialy for only $77/night.

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My Answers to a Facebook Message…

I posted some pics on Facebook for the first time in forever and got this sweet message from one of my bestest friends (Whitney), who moved to Hollywood 5+ years ago and I unfortunately never get to see… Instead of responding to her directly though, I thought some of my answers might be of interest to other friends I rarely talk to anymore and miss so very much. (not that they read this blog, but in case they do, here you go…)

11407072_815488745214723_4567991543277291987_nHey my beautiful daughter!
How are u guys? I love seeing all your pictures. You look so happy.
How is it being out of little rock? Are u guys working? I miss u!

 

Hello there my beautiful mother! We’re great and love seeing all your pictures too!!!!

Being out of Little Rock is GREAT. We don’t miss anything about it except for our friends and family, and being able to speak the same language. Puerto Rico has all the modern conveniences that I need: Walgreens and TJ Maxx, plus the weather is perfect 24/7 and there are NO SNAKES on the island… We like it a great deal more than LR, to say the least 🙂 Continue reading “My Answers to a Facebook Message…”