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Here at Petra de Luna we are super interested in those who have adventurous souls. The free spirited kind of peeps...the ones that sell all their stuff pack up and move to another country. The kind of people that live out of their van or RV for a year. The people that go against the grain. I first met my husband in 2005 and within 15 minutes he told me he didn't own a car. He rode his bicycle. I get how some women would see red flags; I saw hearts. What an adventurer!!! It was the beginning of my greatest journey.
Fast forward a few years, and in 2012 my husband and I gave up our rental in an awesome part of San Diego. We packed our two little girls, ages 3 and 4, a few backpacks, and made the decision to go adventuring. With ZERO regrets I can tell you this; it was LIFE ALTERING!!! 
Originally it was supposed to be for the summer. Two, three months tops. We started our journey in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Two months later we committed to a year. The whole thing was enchanting...the people, the culture, the beauty, the adventures! Our girls went to a local pre-school and we found a place to be our "home" as we traveled through Mexico and Central America. We met the most heartfelt, genuine and loving people possibly ever.
We became a part of the community and explored the world around us. We only look back with the fondest of memories. The guts it takes for people to be able to do this is a matter of opinion, but to me anyone who is willing is golden in my book. We had naysayers, fear mongers, and quite a bit of disrespect thrown our way, but we followed through regardless.
Intuitively I knew adventuring was a life I always wanted. Having kids was a poor reason for giving up a deep desire of mine. Honestly, our girls really don't remember much. They were just wee ones, but they love hearing the stories and they remember their first best friend, Sundara. I look at that time in our life and realize I didn't comprehend the power of what we were doing. The lessons we were teaching, the values we were instilling, the spirit we were bringing out in our girls, in ourselves. Even now I am not sure I realize just how much of an impact it has had on the direction of my life. That year of adventuring was the beginning sprouts of Petra de Luna Shop. It instilled adventure, risk-taking and self confidence like never before.
I actually started Petra de Luna with the intent of getting to travel as my profession, not money. Not having the coolest stuff, not being a household name. It stemmed from my love of travel and my appreciation for the beautiful things other cultures/countries create. My heart yearns for travel. For adventure. Besides family, it's the only things that fills my soul. Any reason for me to focus on money is not because I want to get rich, it's because I want to be able to travel to far off, exotic places with my family of 5. Not cheap these days.
As of right now I run Petra de Luna as more of a hobby. My mission is to one day build a brand that helps the communities I buy from, while empowering other small business owners as well. Starting a business has been just another adventure that followed our year of travel. I can only imagine what others have done with their adventurous spirits! The stories they have...we would love to hear them if you have time to share?!
Health, hugs & happiness,
Yolanda