I am so happy to have you here. My name is Jessica Tejera but you can call me Jess. I am a wife to my amazing husband Roberto, mother to three beautiful kids, and a lover of the outdoors. Growing up my family would take me on hikes and camping trips. My dad was always looking for somewhere new to explore with us. He used to teach us survival skills and how to stay safe outdoors but also showed us how to care for nature and explore it carefully. I was lucky to have parents that would push me to adventure a little further. Because of this my love for being outdoors has grown more over the years and I hope to pass that love on to my own children some day and also to you through my blog. 

The Walking Mermaid is focused on my love for the ocean and also for the mountains. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I fell in love with the ocean. My brothers and I would spend hours on the shore beachcombing or even longer hours in the water snorkeling and looking for new life underneath the water. However, the island has so much more than beautiful beaches to explore. We would also go hiking to the top of the mountains or search for a new waterfall to play in. There was always somewhere new to explore and even if we visited the same spot more than once, it was like exploring it for the first time again. 

When I turned 9 my parents had to move to Alabama. It was a tough transition and cultural shock to say the least but that didn’t keep my family and I from exploring what the southeast had to offer. We continued to go camping and hiking whenever we had a chance too. I even did my first winter camping trip and backpacking trip. Best of all, I learned how to rock climb, more survival skills, went snowboarding, and so much more. 

Since then I have lived in Puerto Rico again, Tennessee, Hawaii, and Florida. Though we aren’t traveling all the time, we do make it our best to get outside and still have an adventure as a family whether we stay in our town or drive a few hours away or do a road trip to another state. Here is to many more adventures. Hoping to inspire you to find some family outdoor adventures too.