Today I woke up in Grand Cayman, in my bed and next to my amazing husband.
My trip home was simply fabulous and the best part is that I got back with my Mom that is here for a 2 weeks visit with us.
So my vacation continues and this is the reason why I'm not entirely here (yet!), so I am not going to promise that I will fully catch up from today... apologies for that!
But, I can promise that you'll see me back in action in a few days...
I will be sharing lots of pictures from back home [and in this case I am definitely not using the word "lots" lightly as I do have lots and lots of pictures].
Well, I am all packed and pretty much ready to go...
Tomorrow, around this time I will be just about ready to board a plane that will take me back to the land that that runs through my veins, my people, my heritage and all things home... Costa Rica!
I can't wait to be with my family and my friends again.
It's going to be a week full of activities, fun times with all sorts of people, specially those that I've seen in a while, can't wait to catch up with them...
I am so excited to take a break from the island, work and I could even use some disconnecting from the cyber world (nothing personal with my readers and fellow bloggers), will miss you guys, but not more than I will miss my husband, my crazy dogs and even seeing the sea everyday...
But I will be back, soon...
So, meanwhile, talk (or perhaps I should say "read among yourselves") and I will be back with more experiences and hopefully lots of photos to share.
Have a great weekend and catch you guys later... Adios!
Attention all, the weekend is here (well, not like you really needed me to remind you, right?).
Anybody has any major plans for the next couple of days?
I do.
Well, maybe not major plans, like burning down the house or anything radical like that...
Burning Down the House, that takes me to my flashback Friday video with no other than Talking Heads, remember that song?
Well, today's video comes with an extra twist.
Remember VH1's Pop Up Videos? When I lived in Italy I used to love them and used to watch VH1 all the time, mostly because all the other channels were in Italian and with very weird voice translations so VH1 was one of the few in English (mostly cause of the music).
So, now to my featured video.
And back to my weekend plans... Tomorrow our friends Chris and Joan are tying the knot at a beach wedding ceremony and then to a celebration toast at a local restaurant, it should be fun!
Besides that, I am planning to start packing for my trip on Tuesday. I still have to work on Monday so if I have everything packed by then, I don't have to worry about it then and I can go to the gym one last time after work that day!
Anyway, here's to a beautiful weekend for everybody, have fun, be good and enjoy it to max!
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.
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.
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!!!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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!!!
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.
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!!!
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"!!!
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!!!
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.
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!
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.
