Photo Thursday

How is your day looking today? Sunny and hot, cloudy and cold or perhaps combination of both?

Our weather is very nice today and it's been since Saturday (that it rained like there was no tomorrow!).

There is Tropical Storm Emily lurking around the Caribbean, near Haiti and Dominican Republic and perhaps that is part of the reason we have nice clear skies today.

So, to prove my point here are some random pictures around downtown...

Cruise Ship in town

Kayaks for rent

Another Cruise Ship

The Port Autority

Pirate Ship

 Well, hope everybody has a great day wherever you are!!!

And, since I am "abroad", well at least for those reading anywhere else than the Cayman Islands, today I am liking back to "For the Love of Blogs" - Abroad Group, in case you'll like to read other blogs that are also abroad.



Have a great Thursday!!!

change of strategy

Thanks to everybody that commented yesterday.

But, I think I have changed my mind...

Instead of having one of those signs for unattended children at the gallery, perhaps I should just hire one of this instead...

LOL! Just kidding...


I am so looking forward to next week as I'll be getting on a plane outta here and back to Costa Rica to visit my family, can hardly wait!

Also, if you are in the mood to win yourself something nice, head over to Perfectly Imperfect and sign up for Holly's very first giveaway of some awesome Mary Kay products.

I've tried Mary Kay before and the products are quite nice, so head over there NOW! In case you don't have time right this minute, just make sure to sign up before August 9th.

Happy Hump Day!

calling all parents

Having children is definitely not in my agenda, not for a long time (perhaps since I can remember).

Now that I work at an art gallery were items range from the 100's to the 1000's of dollar$$$, the little desire left on me, decreases every time people show up with some spoiled, rude or plain naughty little ones.  

But then it's worst when those little ones are not only naughty but also completely very unattended by their parents or guardians. That's when I lose faith in parenthood and I believe that not all people are cut up to be parents.

NEW sign I want at the gallery

Because having sex is the easy part, perhaps too easy nowadays. And for the purpose of procreation it only takes two (male and female for that specific purpose). 

But then it takes more than just being female to be a mother and male to be a father, it takes; commitment, responsibility, dedication, unselfishness, communication, respect for thyself and your offspring and of course lots and lots of LOVE!!!

And this is the part that a lot of people need to focus once they are on that boat...

In my case, I am not on that boat, so I see no reason why it should be the one paying attention to other children (unless asked for or they are my responsibility), so people MIND YOUR OWN CHILDREN!

This little detail would make my days easier and much more enjoyable...

The sign above is what I would like to put in the gallery nowadays, although I would change the kitten part (cause I love kitties and I don't want them to be abused) and give away baby iguanas!!!

Isn't it a great idea?!?!?!? LOL

Have a great Tuesday!!!

Wet Weekend

The weather was wet, wet, wet and then some more rain!

Well, Saturday to be exact.

It started raining from morning and it only stopped for a little while, which gave us enough time for us to go pick up a bed that we borrowed from a friend (and that my Mom will be using while she is here in August for two weeks, can't wait).

Other than those two hours, I believe it rained none stop for at least 4 to 5 hours.

Enough for our back yard to get flooded.

Sunday was pretty dry but still quite cloudy.

Now, as far as my hair goes... Well, I did it. I went on Friday and spent almost 4 hours! at the hair salon... (and that's the reason why I don't go to hair salons very often).

Here are the results.

side view with still a bit wet hair

back view, I like it!

What do you guys think?

Have to say I have mixed feelings about it and at times I think it looks o.k. but others, not so much...

Also because the highlights are kind of "fresh" they don't curl as the rest of the hair and this makes it look strange...But, it's a change and I look different, so that's was the whole point.

I am going to give it a few more days to settle and see if I finally like it 100%.

Meanwhile, let's have a great week and a wonderful Month of August!

Flashback Friday

The weekend is almost here.

It's so close I can almost touch it!

But before we make it to the weekend, how about a little "Flashback Friday" in honor of the week that is almost gone...

Still lacking some inspiration to exercise during the week?

Perhaps this video will make you change your mind and get you in the mood the "get physical" [insert your own interpretation here!].

Or not.

Maybe it would make you dance or as a last resource, at least make you Laugh Out Loud- I know that is the effect it causes on me. [besides wanting to know where I can get one of those machines that show at 0:13, I could use one to improve my much wanted JLo backside, LOL!]

Still not inspired to hit the gym?

Well, you can't say I tried my best to bring some "flashback" inspiration your way... You are welcome!

Have a great weekend and if you don't get physical, then get lazy instead!

hair issues

Lately I've been pretty tired of my hair.

When you have very tick curly hair, maintaining it moisturized and in good shape is HARD WORK.

Back in high school I was never pleased with my hair, always wanting and trying the latest product or treatment on the market to make it straight and manageable. But in many ways I sort of felt like I was living in function of my hair and it was the ruler of my life.

Until one day I say: "the heck with it!" and cut all off, literally, went to a barber and asked him to use the #2 blade on me... And oh boy, did I felt great, renewed and from then on, during the years I used my hair short, it was lovely not to live around the fact that my hair needed styling.

me with some friend in Egypt, when I had my hair shorter

By the time my hair started growing I had already made peace with my appearance and instead of fighting the fact that I have very curly hair, I just decided to make the best out of it and let it grow, be happy and grateful, I believe that this phase in life is called "maturing!"... LOL!


Time went by and I've had very long hair since, at times it's in good shape, but at times not so much, lately I feel my hair is pretty bad, lots of tangles and definitely need some chopping (but I am scared because most people can't really cut curly hair well, and this could be a disaster!)....


Another little detail is the fact that during the years I have acquired quite a few gray hairs and although I am still pretty young, I believe it comes from the fact that my Dad has had gray hair from the age of 21... perhaps it's in my roots (literally!) and it's something I just can't avoid, well, that is unless I get it color.... Which is what I am planning to do tomorrow!

Dunno yet what I am going to go with exactly, but at this point and because of how bad it looks, perhaps even this psycho Bob look is an option

Kidding! I am not that crazy desperate!!!

And I promise I won't go for something like this either... that is just plain ugly and ridiculous!!!

So, although I am not sure what I want, at least I am sure of what I don't want... A crazy looking hair color or anything blond (because that is just not me!)... But I do need to revive it, with color, some light or just something different for a change.

Tomorrow is the day and I am looking forward to it, will be posting some photos next week, hopefully I will be happy with the result, wish me look!

Have a great Thursday!!!

let's get physical

It's been almost 3 months since I joined the gym and at times I wonder about new exercises for some specific areas of the body.

Well, you know the saying: "Ask and you shall receive"!

I have found a website that has an fantastic exercise finder at Divine.ca (Canada's Online Women Magazine), and being that this is a women magazine, of course the exercises are specific to the women body and each area.

The best part is that you can find exercises for the front part of the body.

source

And for the back side as well.

source

Most exercises are pretty specific and some of them to be done in the water or even as simple as in the comfort of your own home...

So, now there's no excuse for no exercising at least a couple of minutes a day, right? Well, other than laziness (but then that's another story!).

Have a great day and let's get physical!!!

not your average blockbuster...

Every now and then comes a movie that breaks the so called "Hollywood blockbuster".

Perhaps it's not an Oscar winner, an action pack edge of your sit kind of a ride, or even a deep inspiring story line that will change your life forever. But it's a movie with character, funny and charming.

This time, that movie is Larry Crowne, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts - which by the way have great chemistry together!

Tom Hanks is enjoyable as always, but this time, not only was acting, but directing and he co-write the script as well (pretty good, uh?).

I had forgotten that he is the kind of actor that does not hogs the spotlight on himself too much, he lets every supporting person shine in there own way, and I like that in a movie.

We watched this movie on Sunday evening and it was a great way to wrap the weekend, with a blend of comedy and drama.

So if you want to get away from the overrated blockbusters hitting the screen nowadays, and instead you would like to see something light on it's feet, then Larry Crowne is that movie for you... Enjoy!

Have a great Tuesday!!!

Con te partiro

When I think about my weekend I am happy to report that nothing major happened, it was a relaxing one, where I got to stay home, work on my amigurumi project and just be happy.

But in this time of day, just being here and having a quiet life is a big blessing and probably better than most people have.

Because nowadays in our world, there's so much to be sad about, as there are so many bad news (wars, killings, poverty, etc.) and unfortunately the amount of bad news is usually higher than the good news.

I am still in shock and deeply sadden by the devastating news of the massacre in Norway, where so many young people lost their lives.

Terrible crimes like these are an inexplicable part of us humans. In my heart and soul, I find it very hard to believe that a monster like that can be made in the same image as God and should be call "our brother".

So, when I think of all the people that lost their lives, their families and friends going through their loss and trying to accept their departure in such a terrible way, makes my heart aches.

I try to reflect on the way my life is and all I can do is ask myself:

Am I ready to die, either of natural causes or any other way?

I'll like to think that I am.

Because I have a good life, I don't have debts with anybody (morally or even financially), I don't harm people and if I ever judge or offend others, well, that's something we all need to work on at some point...

I feel I am very close to God and if he is ready to call me to his side, all I hope for is a good way to go, in peace and with my heart full of love.

But, if God doesn't call us and instead we get rushed to meet him; by the hands of somebody that just wants to steal our wallet, or perhaps just wants to kill a bunch of people and we just happened to be in the crowd.

I just hope and pray for Him to still be waiting for us with open arms and to fill the hearts of our love ones with peace and strength in such times of sorrow.

I like to think that when people die in a terrible way, angels will come and sing for them. And to me an angel must sound a lot like the amazing Italian Singer Andrea Bocelli.

So in honor of all the Norwegians that lost their life this past weekend, their families and loved ones that are going to miss them, as well as all other people around the world, dying in vain and for the wrong reasons, I dedicate this song to them.

God Bless us all, today and always! Happy Monday.

intense failure, success fixing!

Yesterday I decided to give IntenseDebate a try as a new comment moderator on my blog.

The reason I decided to try it, is because I felt the need to be more interactive with my commentators and reply to people more directly.

Well, that was a fiasco!

My husband tried to leave me a comment and then, even tough his comment was there, it would not show, then I tried to tweak the settings and then I lost the comment completely...

So, after trying to work it out for a few minutes, I decided to avoid future glitches and completely uninstall the whole deal.

Now, I've lost Wednesday's comments and I apologize to those that did commented, although I received them and read them all, now, none of them show... That's what I get from messing up with 3rd party services.

So, I am back on square one with the comments thing and I have the classic choice again!

In a change of subject... I am happy to report that both Goldie & Shadow are back after their surgery and shots. Both are doing great and both are confirmed males, yey! Now I know that we have 2 males and 2 females on our lovely resident kitty family...

We are still missing to catch one of them (formally knows as Tiger, as my husband wants to change it's name) and we are hoping to get a hold of this one as well, although we haven't seen it around for a few days, so I'm not sure if we are going to be able to catch it.

Friday is finally here and I can smell the weekend just around the corner. I can't believe I am too weekends away from leaving on vacation! The excitement is building as I am so looking forward to some days away from work!!!

So, here's wishing everybody a wonderful weekend, enjoying every minute as it comes, as every minutes is a wonderful blessing in the hour hours of our life, Happy Weekend!!!

source

 

inherited talent

If my grandmother Yvette was still alive, today would've been her 96th birthday!

last picture I ever took with my grandma

Now, she is been gone for almost four years and I still miss her.

When Billy (as we used to call her) was alive, she was always a very crafty person, in fact she used to crochet (mostly tablecloths, dollies, and house decoration things) all the time, now I find it kind of ironic that while she was alive and creating some amazing pieces I was never interested in learning that skill.

Years later I decided to get into crochet with the Amigurumi art and now every time I am crocheting I think of her and how much she would've enjoy my creations.

And taking about my latest creations, I am still working on my cat and it's going to be a beautiful one as the pattern is for a Siamese, can't wait to see how it will  turn out.

A couple of days ago my boss brought back from Jamaica these lovely hand made basket and gave me one, I am very happy with it, specially cause it's the perfect place to have all my yarns organized.

Pretty, isn't it?

Well, I know my grandma Billy would've loved to have this color yarns.

Now every time I sit quietly to crochet I think of her and know that my talent comes from her.

So, today if she was still around, I will be singing "Happy Birthday" and giving her a hug.

Instead, I will be saying a prayer so that she keeps giving me inspiration to be a good person (like she was) and asking God that one day I get to see her again in heaven.

Happy Birthday Billy, I love you!!!

On another very exciting note, yesterday I managed to trap the two kittens left (as the third one is being gone for a couple of days), so today I am taking both Goldie and Shadow to get fixed... Hope everything will go well.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Serenity Now!

Don't you agree that one of the cardinal rules of blogging should be to not complain about work?

The thing about complaining is that, without action, it makes no sense. Sort of like expecting to win the lottery without buying a ticket, right?

In my case there are many great benefits that I get from my job, [besides the financial one] I get satisfaction about my day to day accomplishments, interaction with interesting people and even learning new things every now and them...

But when it comes to my schedule [ a.k.a. responsibilities] I sometimes feel as if I get the short stick...

Again, action in most cases is not necessary the easier way to handle things... So, back to applying one of my "cardinal rules" and just keep it to myself.

So, instead, let's bring on something positive and what a better message than the lovely Serenity Prayer...

Read it today, for me, for you, for anybody out there that might need such encouragement today, tomorrow and in days to come.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.

Amen.

Now, let's focus on what's out there, that's positive and that brings us happiness and not reasons to complain, have a great Wednesday!!!

Chances are...

Back in the day, when I was young, I remember when wanting to listen to a song but didn't have it on cassette tape or vinyl record, I would have to sit by the radio and wait for it to come out.

In some cases I used to call the radio station and request the specific song to be played. Making sure to tell the DJ that I wanted it for recording purposes so that the DJ would stop talking before the song even started, that way I would be able to record the whole song without any voices in it!!!

But, the request  was not automatic, sometimes it would take a while or the station wouldn't play the song at all, forcing me to stay close to radio at no vail, much like this;

With the creation of the internet and the digital audios, those days are way gone and nowadays during our daily life, if we feel in the mood for a [pretty much any] song, it is probably available in YouTube.

Well, chances are you've probably hear this song before and might even like it already.

But if you've never hear it before, give it a chance, perhaps now it's the best time. Not only I was able to find it on YouTube with a nice video, but as a bonus, it also has the lyrics in it ,so you can fully enjoy the nice message it brings.

Isn't it a lovely song? I am glad you give it a chance and I really hope you enjoyed it!

Happy Tuesday and remember "Chances are only what we make them... and all WE need"!!!

my weekend projects

Although I had a pretty relaxing weekend I also had time to finish another of my amigurumi projects!

My latest creation was an "AmiDog" that I am taking back to Costa Rica in August. This is going to be a gift  for one of my best friends little girl, Maria Jose, who just turned 10 years old in the past days.

This is the first time I ever try this pattern and I think it came out absolutely adorable, whadaya think?

Now I really want to make another one, but perhaps this time I will make it white and black so it looks like Snoopy!

Besides finishing the "AmiDog", I also made some home made granola (high in protein and low in carbs).

Now for the next project, I am starting a new pattern for a cat that I also plan to take back to Costa Rica for a friend, I will share the final result once it's ready.

Today is also a pretty special day, as my husband is starting a new job, yey!

I am very happy that he has found something new, he is a very intelligent person that needs to have his brain in full use in order to feel useful and happy, I wish him the best of luck and I know he will do great in this new opportunity, love you babe!!!

Have a great Monday and rest of the week!

Summer Umbrellas

The weekend is here and so it's Summer Time, so how about adding a splash of color to your summertime drinks with these cute drink umbrellas?

Even if you don't live in the tropics or close to the beach, drink umbrellas is a fabulous way to accessorize pretty much any drink; chilling in your back yard with some lemonade, by the pool with a margarita or perhaps just your OJ at breakfast time.

Here's a fast and easy way to create your very own and bring in that summer feeling to your daily drink, plus they also work as a stir stick.

Here's what you'll need:

A can of soup to use as a template to make the round umbrella tops. 

Origami or Scrap book paper.

Paper Scissors or Scallop Edge Scissors for decorative edges.

Wood Skewers (for grilling)

Step 1.From each circle, make a 1/2 diameter cut or cut a slice shape measuring about 1/8 of the circumference. 

Step 2. Fashion into a cone, slightly overlapping straight ends; use a glue stick or double-sided tape to secure. 

Step 3. Dab white craft glue inside nose of cone, and pierce tip with a wooden skewer (snip skewer for a custom fit); allow to dry.

Piece of cake, uh? I think so... And I will try it myself this weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend, cheers!

ye' ol' google

When you live in a place where it's consider kind of an exotic destinations you have lots of advantages; lovely natural spots; beaches, forests, volcanoes, perhaps archeological sites, etc.


But in order to live in a sort of "Paradise" exotic destination, the price to pay could be high (literally) in some cases.

Sometimes or perhaps all the time, it's not easy to find products, and if you do, the options are much more reduced or none existent. When you live in a big city and you drive to a "Mega Walmart" or a mall to get all and even more than you really need, I guess you really take this for granted.

So, in my case when such situations happen, I have to rely much on "ye' old google" to get answers of thing I need to "DIY"... Like in the case of "how to get cat pee off the carpet in my car".

Now, for the solution, I found a recipe one of the many forums about what to in my carpet situation and this is what I found.

Baking Soda + White Vinegar + Hydrogen Peroxide and a drop of dish washing detergent. (And in case you are wondering, that is not a recipe for an atomic bomb, LOL!)

The good news is that, it did the trick!

Now my car doesn't smell like cat pee but more like a nurses station because of the Hydrogen Peroxide, but on well, hope that will eventually dissipate as well!

I want to ciber-personally thank both Caren from Cat Chat and Jess from This Life In Mine for giving me some much appreciated suggestions of products to get rid of the "lovely" smell in car.

Unfortunately finding such products on this island is perhaps as easy to find a designer dress at Wallmart, LOL!

Have a great day!!!

Permanent Residency

As of today July 13th, 2011, I am officially a Permanent Resident of the Cayman Islands.

I am very happy of my new status because it takes a huge weight of my shoulders, as there no longer the need to deal with work permits (which is always a tricky process). I am very thankful to God for helping me get this solved, woo-hoo!

In other news, BTK is back from her surgery, she was not pregnant and everything went well ( not considering that she pee in my car on the way back home- even with newspapers all over, it still made to the carpet)...

So now my car reeks of cat pee, yuck!  Well, guess that's the price to pay for getting her in better shape.

Have a great Wednesday!!!

the weekend that was

After having a 3 day weekend, I am convinced that someone, somehow in the past, made a huge mistake and decided to make the work week consisting of 5 days and the weekend of only 2.

To me 4 and 3 sound like a much better deal, agree?

So yes, my 3 day weekend was great, I had time to relax, start new projects, continue with other projects, went to the beach, celebrated my husband's birthday.... And now, I am ready to take over a 4 day week, LOL!!!

Here are some of the pictures I took on Sunday at Smith Cove Beach, it was a nice sunny day!

snorkeling wasn't so good, visibility was kind of crappy

I also found a very cool spot of a natural pool right by the ocean, this is it...

But not all was fun and games. On Saturday I had a psychologist visit me at home for a personal interview on becoming a Big Sister for the program of Big Brothers & Big Sisters.

The interview was very long (about 2 hours) and very direct, with all sorts of questions about me, my family, my friend, life, career, how I handle situations, how I see life and certain aspects of it.

In fact many of those questions I never even asked myself before.

Overall I think it went pretty good, since most of the questions were pretty personal, I don't believe I did good or bad, I just was as honest as possible and hopefully the organization will find me fit to be a "Big Sister/mentor" to a little girl/boy someday. We shall see what comes next...

Yesterday we went out to dinner to celebrate Mark's birthday. We had a fabulous meal at our favorite Sushi restaurant on the island, The Thai Orchid, as always we felt right at home, food and specially the service was top class.

And last but not least, I am happy to report that we have catch the second cat and I am taking her (B.T.K) to the vet this morning.

B.T.K. relaxing in our back yard

Since she is the momma cat, lately I've notice that her belly is getting pretty big and I am worried that perhaps she might be pregnant again, but after talking to the girl from CARE, she mentioned that perhaps it could be that she just got parasites and that might be the reason I've been noticing a big belly.

So today when the vet examines her, we will find out the reality of her case. Hoping for just parasites cause that would just be easier to solve. In case she is pregnant the Vet will only give her shots and de-worm her.

We'll keep you posted on her situation and please keep her in your mind and prayers so everything works out for the best.

Have a great Tuesday!

Mark the date...

"In this world there is always

one person waiting for another,

be it in the middle of a desert

on in the middle of a big city.

And when those two people pass each other

and their eyes meet

past and future lose all importance,

and the only thing that exists

is that moment and the incredible certainty 

that everything under the sun 

was written by the same Hand,

the Hand that awakens Love,

and that makes the twin soul for everyone who works,

rests and seeks treasures under the sun.

Without this our human dreams

would make no sense."

Paulo Coelho

I've found my person, the one that gives sense to my dreams and makes want to seek treasures under the sun, holding his hand, my twin soul.

Today, several years ago on this exact date a very important person was born. Somebody who is a great human being but that also makes me want to be a better person and wife every day of my life.

Today is my husbands birthday.

On a day like today when I think about my life before we met, I now realize that I was only half a person; back then I didn't realized that so much of happiness was missing in my life without him by my side.

He is kind, funny, loyal, honest, intelligent and perhaps a bit too silly at times, type of a person.

But most importantly he is somebody that cares for me (as well as others) no matter what, that sees my beauty beyond makeup and that caresses my soul with just the sound of his voice.


Today, the man I love, my husband, best friend, confident and companion, my lobster, my muse, my biggest fan, celebrates another year of life. For me, it's another day to cherish him more and appreciate every day that I get to spend by his side.

May God always protect him, take him by the hand to be the best person he can be and that He always inspires his life to be happy and true to himself.

my husband with his b-day present, to read all about it, click here

I love you Mark and have a wonderful Birthday!!!

Happy it's Friday!

Friday is finally here and I am so ready to jump into the weekend that I will be counting the minutes of the day until the official working hours are over.

This week was just exhausting in so many level that I don't even want to get into details.

Last weekend I only had one day off (Sunday) and I had to work Monday (the holiday), so that made the days go by really slow and by today I am so in total need to a few days off.

Good news is, I actually have a long weekend coming up now, to make up for the fact that I had to work last Saturday, so now my reward is here...

So my goal for this weekend is to take time and enjoy every day and every minute that I am alive and happy...

What is your goal this weekend? Well, if you don't have one, perhaps you want to give this a try...

Have a VERY happy weekend!!!

let's do breakfast

I've been on a healthy diet for a few weeks now, [mostly cause I am trying to lose some weight] which means I am trying to eat healthy well balanced meals and specially try not to skip meals.

So when it comes to breakfast, I know that this is supposed to be one of the most important meals of the day and eating a good balance one will give you the nourishment and energy that your body need to go through the day.

Coming up with different things to eat at breakfast sometimes can be a challenge [at least in my case it is]. Eating cereal everyday gets boring, eggs just don't cut it some days, fruit is always a good option but you just can't fill yourself with just that!

But when it comes to fruit + yogurt + granola = Berry Yogurt Parfait, a.k.a "breakfast is the new dessert".

I know, it looks delicious and trust me, it taste even better than it looks.

The beauty of it is that you can change it every day; different fruit, different flavor yogurt and if you don't like granola that can also be changed to cereal, yummy!

Wanna try it?

my version today was strawberries, with vanilla yogurt and granola!

Well, come on over, and let's do breakfast, it's on me!!!!

Have a great Wednesday :D

blind justice?

Little One is back and hopefully feeling good, everything went well and as planned.

As of today we have one cat done and 4 to go, but before we proceed with the rest of the kitties I feel we need to let a day or two go by, as we don't want it to be too traumatizing for all of them if one disappears every day.

So yesterday was very mentally exhausting day for me.

First thing in the morning I needed to get Little One sorted out.  My boss came back to work after two weeks off (although he didn't stay around very long) and finally in the afternoon after weeks of following on and off (specially with CNN running at the gym tv's), the Casey Anthony trial of killing her 2 year old daughter, the verdict was an unexpected result, as she was found not guilty.

I know I am not one to judge what she did and didn't do, but it makes me very sad to think that little Caylee who had a very short life, all she probably did during those two years was to love and look up on her Mother and grandparents. After her disappearance, the way everything transpired, whether it was an accident or a murder, was wrong and I feel with the outcome of the case, everybody (including the judicial system) failed that little girl as well as shut down a voice of truth for that all those kids that are abused or killed every day by their loved ones.

Another sad part of this whole deal is the way the media played with people's mind and conception of what could have really happened.

This whole trial was such a waste of time and energy that took us nowhere, because if they jury found her innocent, then who really killed that little girl is still out there. And if in fact was Casey who did it, only God will be able to judge her and give her back what she deserves.

So, is it blind justice or perhaps just color blind? 

Anyway, instead of making assumptions and judge, let's today think of Caylee in a better place, in peace and close to a loving God that is taking better care of her and anybody here on earth ever did.

Have a wonderful day!

Little One

With a huge mix of feelings, we have taken our first step towards fix the first of our resident cats.

Little One is in the cat trap since yesterday 7pm. At the beginning when she got caught inside the trap, she was very shocked and trying to get out, but by 10pm when we went check on her, she was very quiet and calm down.

This morning I took her to the Vet and hopefully she will be returned to us by the afternoon. According to the Tracie from C.A.R.E. we need to keep a close eye on her when she comes back, make sure she is not very drowsy before we release her, and then let her go when it's dark, so she won't feel too scared.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I have a huge mix of feelings; love, kindness, concern and even a little bit of sadness that she had to spend the night confined to that little space. But I am also convinced that she is going to be much better once she is fixed.

More on Little One's progress tomorrow, hoping everything will go well the surgery and she will be back to herself in no time.

Little One by the kayak where she gets fed every day

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayer. Have a wonderful Tuesday!!!

feeling the sunshine

Over the weekend I was very honored to received the Sunshine Award from a person that goes beyond the status of fellow blogger. She is in fact an inspiration and I am very honored that at this point in my life, she is also somebody that I can call a friend.

Perhaps I've never seen her in person, touch her hand or even heard her voice, but we share a connection that should come natural to us humans, the love for all of God's creatures, animals.

Joan at God Little People has become another reason to once again have faith in humanity and she reminds me every time I read her blog, that there is still hope in the long journey that we humans need to embark on, to make a difference in the life of some many animals in need.

Thank You Joan for this wonderful award, your rays of sunshine have drenched my life with happiness.

And so, trying to follow Joan's example with her quest to save and make a difference in some feral cats, I am too trying to give a little bit of help to some of our own island residents.

It's been about 3 months now since I started feeding this two lovely kitties.

Our two lovely resident kitties are: "Little One" (looking at the camera on the below picture) and B.T.K. who we believe is Little One's mom. For weeks it was just the two of them that would come and eat.

Then one day in the corner of our yard, we saw this...

B.T.K. has 3 lovely kitties (that we named: Goldie, Tiger and Shadow) and together with Little One, they make one big, happy family.

Now, we always though Little One was also B.T.K.'s kitten (but perhaps a much older one) so now she is the big sister.

So, time has passed and even though they are not really our pets, they are definitely part of the family.

Now besides the fact that I love cats and dogs the best among all animals, when it comes to help them (or any other) out, I am all up for it.

From the first day I started feeding this cats, my main goal (besides their happiness and health), is to get them fixed so the population is controlled.

At this point 3 months have gone by and we are finally feeding the whole family, so it's time to take action and get them fixed.

Talked to the Vet last week and they recommended I called C.A.R.E. (Cayman Islands Rescue Enthusiast), which is a non profit organization that is trying to also control the animal crisis of stray dogs and cats (as well as any wildlife).

C.A.R.E. has provided me with a cat trap and hopefully this evening I can catch at least one of them and by Tuesday a.m. it will go straight to the vet to get it fixed. The Vet will also give them shots and de-worm them!!!

On Friday, when I brought the cage home, my husband said that he felt as if we were "betraying" the cats. On the contrary, to me there's no bigger loyalty that giving somebody the best possible life, and I believe that this is what the kitties need, a life without having to worry about finding food for their offspring, plus they will be in better shape with shots and no parasites.

So, again, thank you Joan for the award, which gives me another reason to want to be loyal to animals and friends like you!!!

" Loyalty demands participation, the rest is simply wishful thinking." Unknown

Have a wonderful week and Happy 4th of July to all the Americans reading my blog today (specially my favorite American- My husband, love you babe!!!)

Owl Wisdom

The other night while walking the dogs, our dog Sheba barked just a little and that made me look back towards the house... Well, to my amazement right on top of our roof there was a White Barn Owl.

Oh what amazing creatures those Owls are. As soon as I looked back, it was ready to take off so he/she spread the wings and took off flying by graciously.

I've always loved owls and specially these white barn ones that live in our little island, they are so cool looking and I am glad this is not the first time I've seen them.


Now, if I look up the symbolizing of Owls, I have to say that there are lots of controversy whether they are good omens or not. So, of all the articles I read, here are some parts of the best one:

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The White Barn Owl: 
Keynotes: The Mystery of Magick, Omens, Silent Wisdom and Visionaries of the Night 
Cycle of Power: Nocturnal, Year-Round

No bird has as much myth and mystery surrounding it than the owl. Most perceptions of it are very confused.

It is not unusual to get contrary opinions of the owl. It has an ancient aura of mystery about it. Part of this is because it is a nocturnal bird and usually never seen in the day time. And this has always seemed mysterious to humans.

The Owl is a symbol of the feminine, the moon, and night. It has been called a “cat with wings”. It has been worshiped as an idol and hated as the reincarnation of the devil. Owls have great healing powers, both in North America and on other continents. Because of the association with the Moon, it has ties to fertility and seduction, for the Moon is the arouser of Men and owls. The owl is the bird of magick and darkness, of prophecy and wisdom.

To the ancient Greeks, the owl was associated with the Goddess Athena, and it was a symbol of higher wisdom and direct communication with aspects of one’s Higher Self. Owl medicine is symnbollicaly associated with clairvoyance and astral projection and both black and white magick.The Owl can teach all the secrets of the night. 

There are over 100 species of owls and they have always had an intimate link to humans. Wherever humans live, so do rodents, the primary food of owls.The barn owl, because of its heart-shaped facial disc, reflects the ability to link heart and mind.  This is part of what this animal teaches. It also has darker eyes. It has a golden buff feathering on top and white feathering beneath. The common barn own has also been named Ghost Owl due to its links with the spiritual world. . 

The Barn owl is a Master hunter because of its hearing ability.  In fact, a large portion of the Owl’s brain is devoted to sorting out the auditory signals it picks up (It is very aware of its surroundings and when the owls presents itself to you, IT WANTS TO BE SEEN. It wants you to notice it. Otherwise he would stick to the shadows, which they mostly do). 

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Other articles where people ask what does it mean to see a White Barn Owl, they said:

"It was said that when anyone saw a owl it was the messenger of the Goddess Athena--and Athena was watching over you and sending you her Wisdom.. It was also considered a good sign to have a Owl enter your life or watch over you. So if I was you I would feel very special indeed--an Owl has entered your life and just Like Athena you must be very special and have much wisdom to pass on to others."

My personal interpretation of the encounter with the owl; is just the same as when I encounter any other animal that I love and that I enjoy watching in nature. It is such a privilege to share our planet with such amazing beings.

And if I were to give it a symbolism I would go for the fact that the Owl just as us share a place in this world and if they are in fact wise, with their presence they reminded me that we need to preserve our world and maybe that is the wisdom and teachings I need to pass on to others.

What do you think it symbolizes? Have you ever encounter an owl in the wild? What other amazing encounters you've had?

Have a wonderful weekend with some unique encounters!!! Happy Friday : D

Bye, bye June...

hello July!!!

This year is flying by like the speed of light. I still remember when I was looking forward to our Mexico Trip, around this same time last year, and now here we are in July again!

So, this year, instead of looking forward to a trip in July, I am looking forward to go a trip in August instead.

My new godson Julian

My vacations got approved this past week and I should be packing my bags and leaving the second week of August.

Going back to Costa Rica to visit my family and attend the very important event, the Baptism of my new godson Julian!

Yay! I am so excited!

The trip is going to be a short one (just one week) and unfortunately I will be going by myself, mostly because the tickets are so expen$$ive that, we think it's just the best way to go.

On the bright side, I do have 3 weeks vacation so what I am doing instead is bringing my Mom to stay with us for two whole weeks and that is making me SO HAPPY!!!!! I can't wait to have her around for that long.

So, now let's all put our energy together so July goes by smoothly and fast, and soon we will be in August and it'll be time for my trip...

Meanwhile, today is the last day of June, so let's make the best of it and close another month of 2011 in the best possible way!!!

Have a great last day of June!!!!

still learning

There's a time in our life when we realize that every little thing that we learn makes a difference in our life.

When we are little and we learn, we take most of it for granted, in some cases people learn the bad habits better than the good ones.

Do you remember when you learn to be polite? To say hello, please and thank you, when needed? Most people never even learned this and when adults they continue the chain of event by passing on the same thing to their kids.

All I am saying it that, at this point of my life, learning new things is important and it doesn't only make me a better person but helps me deal better with others.

So far I've learn:

1. That when I say I am going to do something for somebody I will do it, and if it's not possible for me, then I have to say it, face the consequences but always taking responsibility of my acts. This applies for big important stuff as well as little details like; returning a call or an email, helping a friend in need.

2. People that drive really slow in traffic are not going to speed up all of sudden just because they are getting on my nerves, so instead of getting all "road rage" on myself, I rather just take a deep breath and deal with it patiently.

3. When people say "Can I ask you a stupid question?", the question they usually formulate is not stupid at all. Now, the people that really ask stupid questions don't give you any warning whatsoever and they just throw it out there for you to deal with it in the best possible way.

4. When I have customers with kids at the gallery, I know I have to keep an eye on their kids because most parents nowadays don't pay enough attention to what their kids do, they act as if they don't even know the. If people have kids, they need to care and pay very close attention to them while they are little.

5. Most people don't know that once you get married, you have not only the role of wife, but several others: friend, teacher, nurse, mother (if you have kids, and sometimes if you need to act like one to your own husband) and even cheerleader. Each roles comes with a big responsibility and commitment.

6. Don't say it if you don't mean it. And if you mean it, say it in the best possible way.

Well... I am going to stick with just those for today... but I promise to keep sharing what I learn.

So, what have you learned lately and feel like teaching me about?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

are u talking to me?

Have you ever had a conversation with somebody and once it's finished, you realized that the person completely mistaken you for somebody else?!?

In my case, it happened. Once at work we volunteer to help out with an local event, after the event was finished with picked up the inventory that was left, took it back to the store and then in the following days proceed to count it.

Well, after all was done, this girl comes upstairs and asks for Sue (the manager)... well that's obviously not my name, but being that one of my nicknames is Sol (short for Mariasol), in all honestly (and being that the girl was from some very remote area of Scotland and with a pretty strong Scot accent), I heard her said Sol.

So, we talked, she thanked me for the work and all we did for them (which in a way, I was part of it) and gave me a little thank you note on an envelope, so as she walked out I starting walking towards my desk, I look down to the envelope and I read it says: Sue.

What an idiot, it wasn't me who she was looking for, but Sue (which she's obviously never met before).

All of the sudden I felt the heat rising up on my body and the embarrassment taking over me.

I felt s o b a d....

But of course, before I made matters worst, immediately told my boss, she laughed and said, well, you better call her, explain and tell her "you are not me, even though deep inside you wish you were", LOL!!!

So I did call her and explained, she totally understood and a few days later came back to the store to actually thank Sue in person.

Yes, it wasn't the proudest moment of my life, but I survived it... Has something like this ever happened to you? Hope not... but if so, tell me about it!

Have an awesome day!!!!

Past few days

The end of a nice weekend, can only mean the beginning of a good week.

The past few days, I had time to:

1. Spend it with friends. On Friday me and a group of girlfriends had a "Girls Bowling Night" and we had a fabulous time.

2. Finally after months of trying to start up the process to become a volunteer for a good cause, I believe I am finally in the right track.

On Saturday I received my very first training on Child Sexual Abuse which is a very important requirement to become a volunteer mentor for a little girl with the program Big Brothers & Big Sisters of the Cayman Islands.

I find this to be a great opportunity for me to help, teach, inspire and hopefully bring joy to the life a little girl and by this fulfilling my own with the chance to make a difference in another person life!

3. The weather was nice. We had some sun and we had some rain. When it rained at times it poured and it kind of made me feel that the Hurricane Season is really upon us, hoping for no storms in the coming months.

4. Yesterday Sunday, I went back to Church again after a few months. It was great to be around people that are really committed to their faith and although I am a firm believer that building a faith and a relationship with God doesn't necessary mean you have to go to church every Sunday, I do know that God gives me so much, so an hour of mass a week is not even giving him back half of that he blesses me with every day.

On another note, today marks the 1st Anniversary of my Grandmother's (Leticia) death. I think of her often and wonder how she is and where she is.

I can't really say I miss her because after she had her stroke she was in a bed for a pretty long time. So, I do miss the Grandmother that saw me grown, teach me about God and Life, but not the one that past away a year ago.

I still miss her and I know for a fact she looks after me, because she always did while alive, so there's no doubt in my mind that being closer to God, she is doing an even better job. God Bless you Tita wherever you are, I love You!

Have a wonderful Monday and rest of the week...