Sam Amico
Former child star Alexa PenaVega and her actor husband Carlos PenaVega needed to get away from the Hollywood lifestyle, so they moved their family to Hawaii.
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The reason?
Their Christian faith, Alexa said in an interview with Fox News.
“Carlos was really struggling with the industry,” Alexa said. “Every audition he went on, it would get down between him and one other guy and the other guy would always get it. The rejection was just becoming too much for him. This went on for a full year. At the time, I was pregnant. We’d always talked about moving to Hawaii, but later on in life, like a retirement plan.
“But we also knew that we didn’t want to raise our kids in Los Angeles. I felt this tug in my heart. I felt it was God going, “You guys need to get out of here. It’s time.” I didn’t want to move. I knew it was the right decision, but it wasn’t something that I was so excited about.”
How do you know them?
Alexa, 33, is best known for her work on Spy Kids, while Carlos, 32, starred on Big Time Rush. Alexa is also known for her work in Hallmark movies. They eventually made it known that they felt their greatest accomplishment was their Christian faith.
“… One day I was praying in my car and I suddenly had this revelation,” she told Fox. “I felt like God was preparing us for this move. And we weren’t moving for Carlos. We were moving for my heart. It stopped me in my tracks because all that time, I thought we were just moving for Carlos.
“But I needed a heart reset. I was the one trapped in the entertainment world and needed to take a step back. My job became my identity. God pulled me out of that so I could learn how to be an awesome mom and an awesome wife. God helped us build that foundation in our family. And once I had that revelation, I felt at peace.”
Was the choice easy to make?
Moving to Hawaii became a big part of that peaceful, easy feeling, Alexa added.
“It’s pretty amazing,” she said. “Hawaii is loaded with young families who love God and are growing in their faith. Your kids are outdoors all day long. We’re not inside on our phones or playing games. We’re enjoying nature, getting our feet in the sand, the dirt. Kids can be kids.
“I grew up on a ranch in Florida. We only lived there for a little bit before we moved to California, but some of my best memories are from my time on that ranch. The small time that we were there made such a massive impact on me. I always knew that’s what I wanted for kids.”
I’m glad they could do that. Blessings to them both.