2009
The year it began — a trial six weeks in Panama, selling the house in Utah, and pointing the family toward Costa Rica, all while the online business found its footing.
Six Weeks in Panama
Welcome to my new blog! I’ve created this blog in response to interest from several people who’ve mentioned they want to keep up to date with our family while we’re on our upcoming trip to Panama.
Why Are We Going?
Why are we going on a six week trip to Panama? This is a question that could take pages to answer. In future posts, I'll go into more detail about how we came to the decision to leave, and why we chose Panama and the length of the trip that we did. But in this post, I want to cover the benefits we…
Why Panama?
One of the questions we're most often asked when telling people we're heading off the Panama for six weeks is, "Why Panama"?
Reserved Hotels so Far
Wow, it's a lot of work getting ready for a six-week vacation! I guess it doesn't have to be, but I'm such a planning freak, and like to learn as much information as I can before making a decision (that's both a strength and a weakness).
What about Our House?
One of the other questions we're frequently asked about our trip is, "What are you going to do with your house while you're gone?"
Learning Spanish
One of the biggest challenges with traveling to a foreign country, for many people, is the language barrier. And since I don't know very much Spanish, I'm expecting to have less than perfect communication with the Panamanians.
What are we going to do in Panama?
Our thoughts about what we might do on this trip have changed and will most likely continue to do so throughout our time in Panama. Our main purpose is simply to experience a new place and culture, and enjoy time together as a family. The ways to accomplish this are endless.
How can you take that much time off work?
Those of you who know me well, know that I am fortunate enough not to have a "job", but have created a business that generates residual income. So I am to a large degree, in control of my own schedule, but I'm still required to work a few hours a day to keep things running smoothly.
What are we taking with us?
How can we possibly fit everything we need for six weeks in these small carry-ons? Well, we probably can't! We plan on buying some things when we get there. And we also realize that we probably don't "need" as much as we think. Here are a few other good reasons we're not checking any luggage:
Balancing Work and Life
I've always loved the idea of automation. I remember when I was about twelve years old, I loved dreaming about how, in the "future", we'd simply press a button, and we'd have our food. We'd press another button, and we'd be dressed. We'd press another button and we'd be clear across the world.…
Accommodations All Booked
Last week I was able to book the last places we're staying in Panama. Actually, there are still four days we don't have a place to stay, and that's intentional because we'll have a bit of flexibility on those days and want to check things out first to see if we want to extend our stay in some areas…
We Leave in Less than 24 Hours!
Our bags are mostly packed, our reservations all made, our maps and itinerary are printed (and digital), and we're getting ready to go to Panama!
Through a Child's Pencil
When I woke up this morning, I came downstairs to find Emily drawing pictures. Emily loves to color and draw, and today she was drawing pictures of what we would see in Panama. I thought I'd post them here for you. Emily is 5 years old.
We're Here!!!
After a long and hard night of sleeping in airports and on planes, we finally made it to Panama! We flew from Salt Lake to Los Angeles at about 8:50pm, had a 3 hour layover, and then left for Houston at about 1:00am. When we got there a few hours later, we had 3 1/2 hour layover, and then we…
Biking on the Causeway
Today, I woke up about 7am, after about 11 hours of sleep, which seemed just about right with how much sleep we lost the night before. During my shower, I could hear pretty bird songs loud and clear, as there's an open window in the bathroom. It was great! Once I got ready, I did my tai chi and a…
The Embera Indian Village
What an awesome day! (See pictures at the end of this post.) This morning, after breakfast, we were picked up at our hotel by Anne, who was raised in Seattle, but has married into an indigenous Indian tribe in Panama who call themselves "Embera". We took a one hour drive through lush tropical…
Sweet Sunday
Today was a lot of fun. We went to church in the morning. I had printed out a paper with a map and address of the church before we left home, and we gave it to the taxi driver. We also handed him a map and picture of the Temple, which we thought would be near the church. He took us to the Temple,…
The Panama Canal and more
Today, we had another wonderful daily breakfast at the Balboa Inn. (I especially love the fresh fruit.) Then we had a taxi pick us up and stay with us most of the day. He offerred to do so the night before when he dropped us off, so we had our own driver today for about $50. One thing I forgot to…
25 Random Things About Me
Okay, here's my list of 25 random things about me, that everyon's posting about these days. There's some pretty personal stuff in here that hardly anybody knows, so by reading this, you will know more about me than just about anyone except my immediate family and my wife.
A relaxing day
Today we totally took it easy after having a long, but wonderful day before. We had breakfast in our pajamas again. Then we had the people at the hotel do our laundry. Jen was thrilled that she didn't have to do it herself. We then wrote and read blogs and I did some computer work and e-mailing.…
Cerro Ancón & Dinner Show
We got home late last night so I didn't get a chance to blog, but we had so much fun yesterday! We slept in a bit, and had breakfast about 8:30 or so, in our pajamas. Then took a taxi to the top of a nearby hill, Cerro Ancón. There were great views of the city from up there, as well as of the…
At Torres de Alba
It's been a few days since my last post. The main reason for this is that our current hotel doesn't have Internet access. Well, it does - you can either take the elevator to the computer room and use their computers, or you can pay $7 to get the Internet in your hotel room for a day. Since I needed…
First-time Swimmers
Friday night, we took the girls swimming in the pool that's at the hotel. They were so excited to go swimming. We even bought them inflatable life jackets, goggles, and a beach ball to play with.
Gamboa Aerial Tram
Today we had a nice big breakfast at our hotel. For some reason, I was really hungry and able to eat a lot more food than usual. It felt good to have a large breakfast. We let the girls play on the playground for a bit, while chatting with a woman from Ireland who's actually living in the Torres de…
Sunday in the Bella Vista Ward
Today we went to church at the Bella Vista ward. It was quite different from the ward we went to last week near the Temple. This ward was comprised almost entirely of Spanish speakers, so obviously, everything was in Spanish.
We're Already to El Valle
Just a quick note to say we're here in El Valle de Antón! Taboga Island was beautiful! We spent two days there at a rental house overlooking the water. We played at the beach, walked around town and had a great time. More details later.
Don't rent a car from Thrifty in Panama
Before we left for Panama, we ordered a rental car through Thrifty for three weeks. We got a small Toyota Yaris for a great price - $437 for 3 weeks, which includes picking it up in Panama City and dropping it off in David (a $150 charge). (Note: There wasn't an option to drop off in David on their…
On Taboga Island
Okay, now that I'm without Internet access where we're staying, I've been writing the content of the blog and pictures while off-line, then coming to the Internet cafe to put everything on the blog. It's a little inconvenient, but seems to be working okay.
Coming to El Valle de Anton
Wow, wow, wow. That's what I have to say about El Valle de Anton. It is absolutely breathtaking. Take the lushness and flowers of Kauai, mix it with the manicured gardens of Kyoto, and the drastic peaks and valleys of the Rockies, and you have El Valle. It's a lot cooler than Panama city, with…
El Macho and More
Our second morning in El Valle, we got up early (6:30am) hoping to see some birds and other animals. We heard the same pretty bird songs as the day before and other pretty sounds, but didn't see any animals. We had a nice walk, although the girls were pretty tired and ornery that we got them up so…
Sunday Driving
On Sunday, we planned on going to the Penonome branch for church, about a 2-hour drive from El Valle. Fortunately, church started at 12pm (we thought), so we had time to get ready. We left a bit late, and really didn't know how to get there, but we left anyway, and made our way to Penonome.
I lived a 4-Hour work week
As many of you know, I keep track of all my time at the computer. I use a free on-line tool called Slim Timer, that lets me track what I'm doing every second, and run reports to see where I'm spending most of my time.
Orchids, Painted Rock, and Rincon Valley
On Monday, we got a late start in the morning, which has been typical for us, lately. When went to the Serpentarium, which we'd heard was a lot of fun, and they let you hold a a boa constrictor, we realized they were closed. We're not sure for how long, so we might try to go back. It was during the…
Valentine's Day in El Valle
Not having the Internet has thrown me off a bit, as it appears I forgot to post about Valentines Day, but did the two days following. Anyway, here is what we did on Valentine's Day.
At Casa de Lourdes
I'm going to keep this one short and just summarize our days' activities, as more of a log.
Drive to Boquete
On Wednesday, we left El Valle and headed out for our next stop - Boquete - a five hour drive on the Pan-American highway. We left our rental house about 9:00 a.m. and drove straight to Penonome (1.5 hours) for gas and snacks - with a couple stops along the way for Emily to recover from car…
Boquete Wildlife Rescue Center
Yesterday we had breakfast and lunch at home (cereal and peanut butter and jam), then went to the Paradise Gardens Wildlife Rescue Center just outside of Boquete. What an awesome experience! Where else can you not only see, but hold, pet, and interact with a variety of unusual animals?
Garden in Boquete
On our first morning in Boquete, we received quite a shock about the place where we're staying (Cabanas Sabrin). When we stepped into the shower, we discovered there was no hot water! All the faucets, including the shower, have only an option for cold water. So we both took cold showers, which…
We're in Volcán!
Yesterday, we made the 1.5 hour drive from Boquete to Volcán, Panama. While Boquete is beautiful, and many people choose it as a retirement destination, it didn't hold a whole lot of luster for us as a place to stay more than a few days. We found the town to be a bit too crowded and cramped for our…
Sunday in Volcan
On Sunday, we went to the Volcan LDS branch - what great and kind people! We even got invited to dinner this week by a sweet retired couple who maintain this website of pictures of Volcan. We may be seeing other members this week as well.
Horses and Haircuts
Monday morning I woke up early and got a fresh start on the day with some tai chi before anyone else was up. I also got some work done in the morning, and it felt good to get caught up a bit more.
Making friends in Volcan
Today we met and had lunch with a nice family we met on some Panama forums before we left. Bernie helps people protect assets and minimize taxes through foreign trusts and foundations, and we had some long talks about that. Marisol and Jen talked a bit about health and home schooling, both of which…
Pre-columbian Artifacts in Panama
Today we went to an archeological site called Sitio Barriles, near Volcan, which has unearthed hundreds of artifacts from the time roughly between 2000 B.C and 300 A.D.
International Living?
Okay, so for those wondering if we're considering a possible permanent move out of the country, I'm going to say now, "Yes, we're considering it." We don't know when or where or for how long. We may not do it at all, but it sure is fun to dream about. :)
More Friends in Volcan
The past couple days we've spent most of our time with people we've met here in Volcan. On Thursday, we drove Marisol around Cerro Punta, and the neighborhoods of Volcan, while she told us all about the area, how the farms work, what it's like to live here, the best places to buy different things,…
Home School
As I mentioned in a previous post, we are very heavily leaning toward home schooling our kids. We've grown increasingly discontented with both public and private school systems in the United States, and think that it would be better for our kids and for our family to take their education into our…
Flying to Bocas
I'm now writing from our very relaxing house on Bastimentos island in Bocas del Toro. I have a few days to catch up on, so let me just say we went to dinner at Cafe Essencia in Volcan on Saturday, and it was not good! (The first "bad" food we've had in Panama). The bread was very stale, and fell…
Problems with school and education
I want to thank everyone for their comments on my post about homeschool. After reading them, I wanted to elaborate a little bit more on the subject. Well, not so much on why we're leaning toward homeschool, but rather why we're leaning away from public and private schools.
Exploring around Salt Creek
On Bastimentos, we're staying in a part of the island known as Salt Creek. And the past couple days, we've spent most of our time relaxing at home, but have also ventured out a few times when it wasn't raining (usually getting caught in a rainstorm in the process). It's been a lot of fun. We did…
Dolphins and Starfish
What a fun day! When we woke up, we were happy to see the sun shining brightly, making the sand yellow, and the water blue! And except for a few showers throughout the day, the sun stayed with us, which changed the whole mood of the place. We were glad we got to see Mr. Sun while here.
How the kids entertain themselves, and more drawings
Emily and Marie have played together very well on this trip. Every morning here in Bocas, before Jen and I get up, the girls are outside playing in the sand, blowing bubbles, or on some imaginary adventure. I'm glad they're such good friends. This isn't to say they have always gotten along. They've…
Bocas Town
On Friday night, the waves were very high and crazy on the beach that night, spilling out over into the sand and making big puddles around our house. Along with the rain, the sound was almost deafening.
Last few days in Panama
Yesterday, we bid goodbye to Bocas on a half-rainy, half-sunny day, and headed back to Panama City for another two nights before coming back home to Utah. We had a great time in Bocas, although being so far away from civilization for a week was a bit of a challenge for us, especially when we didn't…
What We've Gained from Panama
When we set out on this adventure of spending six weeks in Panama, we didn't realize how much it would affect our family. We had never spent so much consecutive time together, done so many new things together, and been so far away from home together.
Being Home
This vacation was truly like no other I've experienced. Usually, we spend our vacations running from one activity to another, and come back to a mess of things to do, making us even more stressed than before we left. We usually need a vacation from our vacation.
The Easy Way to Read Blogs
Do you read a lot of blogs? Or are there just a handful that you like to check up on regularly? I know that a lot of my readers aren't the "techy" type, but even those who are, I'm surprised to learn, aren't taking advantage of a great time-saving tool related to reading blogs.
Leaky Basement?
Okay, some of you know that even before we left on our trip, we found puddles of water in our basement every week or two. We couldn't find any correlation with the weather, we were told there was no break in the city water line, and every expert we brought in had a different opinion.
Family: Isn't is about time?
Since coming back from Panama, Jennifer and I have been amazed at how quickly life has hit us! It seems there is no end to the distractions that take us away from our family, and our focus on what's most important.
Marshmallow Temples
::: note Note: This post was written when we were still participating members in the LDS (Mormon) church. Please forgive any preachy-ness and understand that we no longer hold these views. Read Why I left the Mormon Church. :::
General Conference To-do's
The past two days, we have been watching the annual April LDS General Conference. I always enjoy watching Conference, and as usual, gained a clearer perspective about life, what is most important, and where my focuses should be to bring the greatest happiness.
A Nerdy Computer Family
Jen took a few pictures recently of a humorous, yet still somewhat typical scene in our home - every one of us on our own computer.
I'm in Joseph!
Last week, on a whim, I decided to try out for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the South Jordan Community Theater. I sang, "I Can Go the Distance" from Hercules for my audition, and made callbacks.
How I Spend My Time
::: note Update: This post was written in April of 2009, so I have written an update to this post showing How I Spend My Time Now. :::
100 Pushups
This week, I started participating in a "100 pushup" program, where in six weeks, I should be able to do 100 consecutive pushups. A few of us guys and girls who are in the "Joseph" show decided to do it just for fun. It's cool to say you can do 100 push-ups! Plus, there's a chance some of us will…
Marie-isms
Here are some of the funny things my three-year old daughter Marie has said lately.
Micro loans that change lives
Recently, I've started participating a little bit at kiva.org, a website that allows you to loan money to individuals in developing countries looking to create small businesses to support their families. There are other websites that do similar things (www.globalgiving.com, www.microplace.com), but…
Volunteer Vacations for Families with Young Children
Since we got back from our Panama trip, we've been thinking a lot about where we want to go and what we want to do for our next trip. Because of our dislike for cold weather, and the Salt Lake Inversion, we're probably going to head out during the winter months, like last year (starting in January,…
I love my new car!
Jen and I have been driving old '94 and '95 Toyota Corollas, ever since we've been married. These have been great little cars, but they're both getting to the point now where they need some kind of maintenance every few months (belts or spark plugs replaced, new alternator, etc.). They're also…
I'm Going to Japan - for free!
In about a month, I'm going to taking a small group of Jr. High School students to Japan for a week as a chaperon, along with my dad! I'm really excited to be able to go back to such a fun and beautiful place. This will actually be my third time to Japan, and I can't wait. One of the nicest parts…
How to create a self-sustaining on-line business
Have you ever dreamed about owning a business that continues to bring in a steady stream of income each month, regardless of how much you work? Are you tired of having to depend upon your employer for your livelihood? Do you fear being laid off from your job because the company you work for is…
Finding Your Driving Force
::: note Note: This post is the first in a series of posts about starting your own on-line business. To see other posts in this series, see the Entrepreneurship category of this blog. :::
Pick a Need and Fill It
::: note Note: This post is the second in a series of posts about starting your own on-line business. To see other posts in this series, see the Entrepreneurship category of this blog. :::
Handling Customer Support
::: note Note: This post is the third in a series of posts about starting your own on-line business. To see other posts in this series, see the Entrepreneurship category of this blog. :::
Leaving for Japan Tomorrow!
Tomorrow I leave for the beautiful land of Japan! I'm so excited! This should be a great trip. It's the first time I've gone to Japan (or anywhere, really) as a chaperon. But they seem like great kids (about seven kids of Jr. High and High School ages), and I'll also be there with my dad, so what's…
A few photos from Japan
We've had a great time in Japan so far. I don't have much time for details right now, but here are some photos for you to enjoy from Tokyo and Kyoto. So far, I think the highlight for me has been the zen rock garden at Ryouanji. But I've also loved eating the food again, speaking and hearing…
Japan Trip Summary
Tadaima! I'm home from Japan, and had a great time. Here is a summary of the entire trip, with pictures.
Vacation Cancelled to Improve Family Unity
For the last several weeks, we have been thinking about taking a 2-3 week road trip across Idaho, Oregon, down the California coast, and back through Nevada. We wanted to get up where it's a little cooler during the hot Utah August, give our new car some exercise, and spend time together seeing…
Fun at Home, and Leaving Again
I've had a few people ask about how things are going with our decision to stay home, rather than take our road trip. I have to say, they are going quite well!
We're Moving to Costa Rica
Well, you already know how much we enjoyed our trip to Panama. True, that was more of a vacation-mindset trip than it was a "living in another country" trip, but we still experienced our share of culture, language, and grew closer together as a family.
First Week of Home School
This week we officially started homeschooling our girls. Marie is only 4, so would normally be in Preschool, and Emily just turned 6 and would have started Kindergarten this year (she missed the deadline last year, so went to her third year of preschool instead...).
Tips for Marketing Your On-line Business
::: note Note: This is the fourth in a series of posts about starting your own on-line business. To see other posts in this series, see the Entrepreneurship category of this blog. :::
Handling Mail While Living Abroad
Ah yes, the question of mail. Since we announced our upcoming move to Costa Rica, I've had several people ask various questions about what we're going to do with our mail.
The Bondage of "Stuff"
Well, we sold our house, and are now in the process of selling almost everything we own. We made a huge list in Google Docs of all our stuff with prices, and posted it on Craigslist, KSL, Facebook, and other sites, and have had a pretty decent response. It feels wonderful to be freeing ourselves…
Everything is Gone, Life is Good
I wanted to post an update about our progress toward a "Location Independent" lifestyle.
What Do You Do with Spare Time?
The past couple weeks, I've found myself with quite a bit of extra time on my hands. Somehow, I've usually been able to finish up work-related tasks in under an hour a day, and less than that on tracking finances or doing household tasks. Now that we don't have a house or so much "stuff" to worry…
Departure Date is Set
We finally picked a date to make the move abroad. We'll be leaving Salt Lake City for Costa Rica on January 6th, 2010! We have some Jet Blue buddy passes we'll be using, and we hope there won't be a problem using buddy passes for the "required" return ticket as well.
The Oratorio Society of Utah
Because of our move abroad, this week will be my last week singing with the Oratorio Society of Utah, a 94-year-old choral organization that performs Handel's Messiah every year, as well as other choral masterworks.
Winter can be fun... sometimes
We at the Pearce household definitely prefer warm weather. Temperatures here in Salt Lake City lately have been between 20-40 degrees Fahrenheit. Emily does everything she can to get out of wearing a coat, even in below freezing temperatures. Our skin gets dry and cracked, and in this season it…
Marie's Christmas Prayer
Tonight, Marie gave the family prayer, and in that sweet voice of hers, expressed her concern for Santa's welfare. I wish we would have recorded it. But I've tried to reconstruct it from memory, below. It went something like this.
11 Influential Books I Read in 2009
I like to read books that inspire me to be a better person and help me understand life from a different perspective. And although I haven't spent a lot of time reading this year, the books I have read have made a profound difference in my life and perspective.