Welcome to The Adventure of Motherhood & Ambition

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It is just beginning to be mango season in Puerto Rico. That means sweet, sugary juice dripping down our chins. You can see the fruit hanging, waiting to ripen on mango trees everywhere. A vecino (neighbor) stopped my son, E, and me on our walk to give us a bag of freshly picked Puerto Rican mangoes the other day. We took them to the beach.

My sweet four-year-old, H, and almost two-year-old, E, sat together, splashing in the ocean. Fresh mango filled their hands, mouths, and covered their faces. Watching them, I felt a deep sense of peace. It wasn’t always this way, but this is our home. There were a lot of bumps and missteps on our way to making it so.


Our Big Move to Puerto Rico: Parenthood & Adventure

In early 2020, just as the world was beginning to change, Al and I faced a sudden shift in our plans. We had been accepted into the Peace Corps and were preparing for a new adventure when the opportunity fell through. Unsure of what was next, we moved in with his parents in Rhode Island. I started substitute teaching, and Al took a full-time paralegal position with a law firm where he had interned during college. We settled into a rhythm, moved into our own apartment, and decided it was the right time to start trying for a baby.

Then, the unexpected happened—not just for us, but for everyone. The pandemic hit. While I was searching for a full-time teaching job, everything came to a halt. Except for one thing: our growing family. We were going to have a baby. Despite the uncertainty, we pressed on -- saving money and preparing for parenthood in uncertainty. Having Al’s parents nearby was a huge blessing, especially when we both got COVID. My mom even made a special trip before things shut down completely, and we got to share our exciting news with her. Despite the instability, there was magic in that time.

Then, Al’s boss decided to open an office in Puerto Rico and asked for volunteers to relocate. Even though we were comfortable and surrounded by support, we were still itching for adventure. This seemed like the perfect parallel journey to parenthood. Al accepted, and less than a month later, we packed our lives and moved.

For the first month, we lived in his boss’s condo, searching for a car, an apartment, and a doctor. I was already far along in my pregnancy, and many doctors denied me as a new patient, while others had changed policies due to the pandemic. Navigating Puerto Rican healthcare was difficult, especially since I didn’t speak Spanish at the time. That month was full of struggles, doubts, and tears—but also exploration, island magic, and reconnection.

Eventually, things started falling into place. We found a doctor (even though he was a 40-minute drive away). We found a car with high clearance to handle Puerto Rico’s potholes. We found an apartment within our budget, walking distance to the beach, and fully furnished. Parenthood was already an adventure, and starting it this way made me reflect on what I wanted for my children—self-reliance, curiosity, resilience, and the ability to advocate for themselves.

Stay-at-Home Motherhood & Finding My Identity

Nothing could have truly prepared us for parenthood in Puerto Rico. Our sweet 9-pound, 9-ounce baby arrived via an unexpected c-section in a hospital an hour away. The transition home was both beautiful and overwhelming.

I was deeply grateful to be able to stay home with my son, knowing it was a privilege not everyone has. But the shift from being an ambitious, career-driven person to a full-time stay-at-home mom during a time of isolation was harder than I expected. My mom always told me that having children forces you to slow down. You can’t rush ahead on a hike when your baby needs to nurse. You can’t clean the whole house when you have a toddler creating messes in your wake. Things take longer—but maybe that’s the beauty of it.

Still, I struggled with the cognitive dissonance of embracing this new role while still yearning for professional growth. I applied for jobs and even tried working from home. But during my first week of remote work, my son was sick from vaccines, cluster feeding, and dropping a nap. I quickly realized that my employer’s “flexible work hours” really meant 9 to 5, which didn’t align with my expectations. I logically knew it wasn’t my fault that it didn’t work out, but I still felt like I had failed—both at providing financially and at balancing my ambitions with motherhood.

Building a Life & Home in Paradise: Finding Stability & Joy

That discomfort waxed and waned as Al and I built our home in Puerto Rico. After nearly a year, we asked his boss if he was truly committed to Puerto Rico long-term. When he confirmed, we began our house search. In under two years, we:

✅found a sweet little cinder block home in a quiet neighborhood that suited our needs.

✅planted palm trees, flowers, and fruit trees. 

✅painted, cleaned, and slowly made it our own. 

✅decided it was time to grow our family.

✅created a community through our congregation and local activities.

As we built our home, we fell more in love with Puerto Rico’s natural beauties, culture, and people. Still, there was a duality—loving our life in Puerto Rico while missing our roots. We longed for family but definitely not for the cold. Exploring Puerto Rico brought us so much joy, and that spirit of adventure extended beyond the island.

The Travel Adventures that Shaped Us

We traveled often, visiting family across the U.S. and taking our babies on adventures. We took our son to Colombia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Later, we traveled to Brazil and Canada as a family of four. Traveling on a budget became one of our core values, and with each trip, I leaned more into motherhood and embraced the unknown. Adventure wasn’t just about where we went—it was about how we grew.

Overcoming Challenges: Finding adventure in instability

Just when we thought we had found our rhythm, a challenge forced us to rethink everything. In the summer of 2024, while visiting family, Al’s boss gave him an ultimatum: move back to Rhode Island in less than two months or lose his job. We were speechless. Now, we had to choose between the home we had built and financial stability.

Through prayer, discussions, and pro/con lists, we made the decision that gave us the most peace—staying in Puerto Rico. Since August, Al has been applying for jobs while I’ve taken a part-time instructor position at a university. We’ve been dog sitting, driving for Uber, landscaping—doing whatever it takes while Al applies to law school. It hasn’t been stable, but it’s been an adventure.

This uncertainty has been challenging, but it’s also reinforced an important realization: I don’t have to choose between motherhood and ambition. I just have to redefine them on my own terms.

Why I’m (Re)Starting This Blog on Motherhood & Ambition

This realization led me back to blogging about motherhood and ambition—to my love for storytelling, systemic change, and the intersection of career and parenting. Here, I’ll be sharing:


✅ Navigating motherhood and career growth
✅ Adventure as a way of life
✅ Systemic barriers and personal growth
✅ Finding identity and purpose beyond motherhood

If you’ve ever struggled with choosing between stability and adventure, or motherhood and ambition, let me know! What part of this story resonated with you most? Let’s continue the conversation in the comments! You can also subscribe in the sidebar for updates and new posts!

Up Next: From Guilt to Growth: Embracing Imperfection in Motherhood

In the meantime, connect with me on Instagram: @adventureswithsarahandal





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