Flying the Coop

Do you ever feel like everything is just sitting still in time and think to yourself, “Man, I’m ready for a change”?

And then the change comes.

Well, more like 1,000 changes come. All at once.

Back. To. Back. To. Back.

That’s precisely what happened to me. Or, rather, what is happening to me.

Ever since I left my job back in February 2015, life has taken on a repetitive quality. Very organized, very scheduled, very safe. Wake up, make breakfast, get dressed, workout, do something productive with the kids, feed the kids, put the kids down for nap, wake up the kids, play with the kids, feed the kids, bathe the kids, feed the husband, put the kids to bed, talk to the husband, get in the bed. Wash and Repeat.

CoopMom
Mom in Mazatlan with Dad

After my mother passed so unexpectedly earlier this year, my husband and I got to talking about the brevity of life and the importance of meaningful time, pursuing passions and living tenaciously. We joked about moving to Mazatlan, the city my mother loved so dearly, and living ‘off the earth’. We joked about how ideal it would be to just leave it all behind for a simpler life, one that revolved around making memories, not money. What an amazing adventure it would be, we said.

Then, reality set back in. Bills needed to be paid, kids needed new shoes, classes needed to be taught, deadlines had to be met. So, we tabled our fantastic voyage in exchange for being responsible homeowners with three small kids.

Tragedy struck once again with the untimely passing of music icon, Prince. Prince represented both my husband’s and my youth. His music is intrinsically woven into the fabric of our coming of age. Suddenly, fifty-eight was, too young. In the days that followed, we were once again faced with the fragility of life. We talked about pursuing our passions and making the most of everyday yet we continued with our routine, our commitments and responsibilities.

CoopKaz
The freedom of childhood

When, just a blink of an eye later, a former co-worker and amazing young woman passed at the age of thirty-two (32!) my husband and I said to each other, that was it. That was the straw. We were NOT going to live our lives living the way we were ‘supposed’ to. We were going to take life by the horns and begin living it. NOW.

By any means necessary.

Someday. Soon. Hopefully.

Now, any parent knows how difficult it is to actually do the things you dream about when you have kids. This was us. We were scared and for valid reasons. How would we put food on our table? How would we keep our children safe, happy, well-cared for and housed? It’s one thing to go off and live adventurously on your own as a single adult or a couple. It’s a completely different story to do so with three preschoolers under your care.

Then it came. The letter. The letter that really changed everything. Finally. Forever. The letter that my husband hoped offered amazing news. The letter than we both prayed would reflect the value of his intelligence, skill set, work ethic and abilities. The offer letter left much to be desired. It was time. The time was now.

We talked, we planned, we prayed, we slept on it. Then we did it. We called our real estate agent and told her to list our ‘forever’ home. Hubby wrote his letter of decline and submitted it to the university. He cleaned out his office, he cleared out his studio. We booked plane tickets and looked up new home listings. We told our family, we told our closest friends and now we share with you,

THE LINDSAY’S ARE MOVING TO MEXICO!

CoopHse
Outside our new digs with the keys!

It’s crazy, it’s risky, it’s ambitious, some might say it’s even a little irresponsible, but it’s LIFE! It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to live big, live courageously, live tenaciously.  For those of you who are in the know about my upcoming book, it is my goal to live Faithfully, Intentionally and Tenaciously. How can I encourage others to live life as such if I myself am unwilling to take the leap?

So, leaping we are and we hope that you will join us on our journey! How can you join us? Let me count the ways:CoopLVL

  1. Subscribe to our new YouTube channel: La Vida Lindsay Go now to see our trailer!
  2. Subscribe to this blog where I will post regular updates along with my usual stuffy-stuff
  3. Follow us on IG at: @lavidalindsayTV
  4. Like La Vida Lindsay on Facebook

We are in the process of setting everything up as we speak and we don’t want you to miss a beat, so go ahead and subscribe to er’rything now to see what we are doing to get ready for the big move, including our home search process, packing up, selling it all, freaking out (a lil bit) and more!

 

UPDATE: Two years into our journey has taught us quite a bit…and we want to share the goodness!

Inside our ebook, Freedom to Fly: What it Takes to Live a Location Independent Lifestyle, we share everything we’ve learned from our move abroad and answer all the questions you may have (and more) about how to make your own transition. Includes appendices: 40 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Moving Abroad, The Essential Moving Abroad Guide (a 4-month moving checklist) and Moving to Mexico FAQ.

Buy your download of Freedom to Fly: What it Takes to Live a Location Independent Lifestyle, today!