RIP week...

Last night on my way back home from watching "The Lorax" with Yanique - which was pretty good by the way- I drove by a dead black cat on the road, very close to our house.

As soon as I saw the black bulk on the road, my heart skipped fearing that it was an animal, then when I saw it was a black cat, my heart sunk thinking it could be our own Shadow.

Shadow

But Thank Goodness it wasn't.

Unfortunately, it was another black kitty that have been around our house before... He was dead.

And that's the thing about outdoor cats, there are much more vulnerable to the dangers of the roads, people and other predators. In the case of our 6 cats, I think that perhaps they don't go very far anymore as we find then hanging out around the house most of the time... where they need there's food waiting for them!

Anyway, we can't really prevent those things to happen and although I fear for their safety I also know that if God allowed us to rescue and care for them I know he is also keeping and eye on them at all times.

RIP little black kitty.

Have a great weekend!

I am woman

If you are a woman reading this today, Happy International Women's Day to you and the women in your life...

If you are a man reading this today, perhaps you should be wondering why there isn't a International Men Day? LOL... But instead of getting depressed about that, how about treating the women in your life like the queens they are, and perhaps they will give back to you in ways that would make you feel like a King?!?!?... Anyway, u get the idea.

To honor today's Women in the world here's a song that describe us in many ways...

Although the lyrics of the song express power and strength I am not sure if it applies to my lately...

It's been more than a month since the last time I crochet anything.

I guess I could say that I have some ideas of possible projects but I just feel way to exhausted when I get home to do anything of the sort.

Perhaps my next project should be a pillow so after I finish it I could go right to sleep, LOL!

Again with the tiredness I am.

It wasn't that long ago that I posted about being extremely fatigue here and it's back with a vengeance.

Although I am exercising twice a week (quite hard) the events and stress of last week at work, left me with a feeling of total fatigue, one that I have not been able to get rid of.

But besides the exhaustion part, my eyes are still swollen at times and although I already know I have a severe allergy to nickel, I know for a fact that this is not the only thing that is affecting me, so yesterday I went to the doctor.

After explaining all of my symptoms to the doctor plus how long this situation is being going on and what have I done about it, Dr. B decided that I need: a TSG, Free T4, CBC, ESR and an ANA with reflex test done.

So what are these test for? Mainly to find out how my Thyroid is working,to know if there's any possible disease developing (like Lupus) and possible infections anywhere in my body.

While we wait on those results, I am supposed to take some pills for a few weeks just to find out if there's any improvement on the eye situation.

So other than the exhaustion and my eye situation, there isn't much going on in my life at the present time. 

Oh yeah, I just remembered tonight I am planning to take Yanique to the movies to watch The Lorax- hope to be able to stay awake during the whole movie! 

Have a great day!!!

Wordless Wednesday

  

Happy Wednesday!!!

ready to reconnect

Some times when things fail the only viable option is to disconnect to then reconnect to get things back on track...

Well, that's how I've been feeling for the past couple of days, I feel like the only way to connect again with my blog is by disconnecting from it for a few days... and that's why I've been sort of MIA.

The 5th anniversary events from last week were good, the very first one at the theater was super busy, the gallery one was a success with lots of great networking and possible future sales, but not many done that night.

Saturday was our family fun day and I think everybody was having fun, specially the kids at the "Duck Pond".

Also the kids really enjoyed painting with Mr. Harvey... I think they did a fantastic job, don't you agree?

Here's the final master piece...

This week should be a bit less hectic... looking forward to some of that.

Have a great day!!!

Event-full!

One event down, two more to go... Last night was sort of mayhem but overall the event was a success.

We had plans to premier a documentary at a local movie theater and initially we had set up two showings, but it was so busy we ended up putting in another show at the very last minute and still had to send people away, crazy times!

The theater holds 180 people, so you do the math (as I am currently too tired to do it!) of how crazy it was
with 3 showings FULL HOUSE!

yesterday's 3 cruise ships out of 6 we had in port!

Well, tonight is the BIG gallery event and I hoping and expecting good sales, wish me luck! I need some good comi$$ions!

Have a great weekend!

the fine art of mustitasking

Today, tomorrow and Saturday we are having 3 events to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Shoppe and Gallery where I work.

Our "BIG" bosses will be here, to "help" but that sometimes that only really means that they will be here to put even more pressure to the whole lotta work that is going to be taking place around here... (Don't get me wrong, my bosses are nice, but they are still bosses, LOL).

So, as of today of a few days now, I have been mastering the "fine art of multitasking"...

Now, if only I could drink coffee, while sending orders, while selling art, while giving the extra mile service to customer I will be good to go...

Oh! but wait a minute, that is exactly me, every day of my life, LOL!...

I guess my "fine art" has become my "everyday art", LOL!!!

Have a great day!

Leap, jump, bounce...

February 29th comes only once every 4 years, so let's make today count for the next four...

Have a wonderful day!!!

missing but not forgotten

One of my greatest fears in life is to loose any member of my family or a friend.

When the time comes seeing them go it's going to be very hard, but I also understand we are in this life for just a while and our overall goal is to one day reach eternal rest next to God.

Now, this is a completely different story in the case of Nathan Clarke, originally from the UK but recently a resident of West Bay in Grand Cayman (the same town where we live).

Last Saturday evening, Nathan was at a local beach bar with his girlfriend and other friends, at arounf 9pm they were ready to walk home on the beach side, while saying their goodbyes to friends his girlfriend Lisa turned around and notice he was already gone... she then assumed he had already started walking so she will meet him down the beach, but then he was nowhere to be found.

So far it's been more than 48 hours and he has sort of vanished without a trace.

Friends that were with him that night, say everything happened in less than 5 minutes but nobody saw anything suspicious.

I never met Nathan personally, but he is a person just like any of us, he was also a primary school teacher (who according to his colleagues, his kids loved him), I am sure that his loved ones right now are having a very hard time thinking and missing him.

Yesterday after work I went to volunteer my time as part of the search team, unfortunately we didn't find anything.

Please keep Nathan and his family/friends in your prayers, this is got to be one of the worst nightmares for anybody, I think nobody deserves going through this and not being able to say a proper goodbye to their loved ones.

week end, week start...

After a fabulous weekend I am not sure if I am complete ready to start this very busy week ahead of me.

On Friday to continue celebrating my BIG 3-5, I had some girlfriends over for a "Murder Mystery Dinner- Sequins and Stilettos", we all got dresses up to "solve a murder" have some drinks, food and a great time together...

Our friend Julia "aka Carrie Oakey" was the murdered.... My character's name was Faye Slift and I was a Plastic Surgeon.

all the girls ready to solve a murder

Emma "aka Laura Norder -the lawyer" & me.

Steph "aka Pam Perd" and Amanda "Lady Dee Lighted"

Julia "aka Carrie Oakey"- the murderer with the murder weapon, LOL!

On Saturday Morning I had a fabulous snorkeling time with Yanique, we had an encounter with a big beautiful green turtle and she was very happy with us swimming around her, not feeling very threaten all all!

Yanique trying to catch up with the turtle

We also played in the sand for a while and I made this little dolphin for her...

The day was beautiful and overall I a great time...

Have a great week!

HB #35 to me!!!

Today I want to start my post by sharing my favorite quote;

Maybe I won't live forever so instead of dreaming it I can strike to do things that would last forever, to make a difference in other people's life, making my passing through this life a forever to remember one.

Perhaps I won't die today, but if I do, I would still be so thankful for the blessed 34 years that I've had so far...

I have many reasons to be thankful for... And since today marks my 12,783th day on this earth, or should I say my 35th birthday, I am specially thankful for the following.

1. God and my spirituality.
2. Life and living each day to the fullest.
3. Be able to breath, see, hear, talk, touch and be healthy.
4. My family.
5. My husband and our life together.
6. My pets and all animals that walk/swim/fly on this earth.
7. Having friends, co-workers and even the strangers I get to interact with on day to day basis.
8. Food in my table.
9. My job.
10. A roof above my head.
11. My yard and plants.
12. My car.
13. My alarm clock (so I can get up and go to work).
14. Money in my savings account.
15. My comfy bed.
16. Clothing.
17. Water.
18. My creativity.
19. My education.
20. My new "natural habitat" a.k.a my pool.
21. My godson Julian.
22. Being able to speak more than 1 language.
23. Having a computer to communicate with family and friends.
24. Being able to draw.
25. Coffee.
26. Dark Chocolate
27. My crochet creations.
28. My kitties (all 6 of them)!
29. Being able to travel.
30. Chapstick.
31. Hair ties for a bad hair day.
32. My relationship with Yanique.
33. My smile.
34. Music, specially Bob's.
35. My blog and all the people I can interact with through it.

Now, if I was to blow off the candles on my cake I'll wish to be able to give back as much as I get daily from God's blessings.

So this year to honor such a milestone of 35 years, I have decided (as part of my new year's resolutions as well), to do 35 random acts of kindness. So far I've done 4 but the best part (besides giving/helping others) is how aware I've become of opportunities to go the extra mile and be friendly and helpful... I love it!

Anyway, Happy Birthday to me... May you all enjoy MY special day!!!

Driving by...

While in Costa Rica a few weeks ago, I sometimes would ride on the passenger side of the car and just random shoot photos...

Here are some I like to share with y'all today!

Old Mercedes Benz parked near my parent's house

beautiful new lots selling near my parents place (love and miss Costa Rica's sky!)

New highway, drove on it for the first time

Old and abandoned train station

Nicoya Peninsula dirt road

Sharing the road

Made it to the beach by sunset time!

Today is a holiday here on the island and although I was supposed to have the day off, I ended up working but instead will have the day off on Friday, so 3 day weekend, woo-hoo!

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Did u know?

Since my last visit to the Dolphin Discovery interactive center here in Grand Cayman, I have to say that I've learn a bit more about dolphins (specially the Bottlenose species).

Did you know?

Dolphin sheds their skin every 2 to 3 hours (and us humans about once a day- in some cases maybe more if your don't moisturize, LOL!), to keep their body shinny smooth and be more aerodynamic to swim fast.

Did you know?

Dolphins have only one set of teeth for life, so instead of chewing their food, they swallow it whole in order to protect their teeth.


Did you know?

Dolphins have no vocal cords, all the noises and "whistles" they make, come out of their blow hole, which they also use to breath.

Did you know?

The largest dolphin is the killer whale (Orca) which also sometimes can kill and eat other species of dolphins...

And on a side note...

Did you know?

Our dog Sheba has amazing skills with her paws, she can hold a tennis ball while trying to impersonate a dolphin- well, she doesn't really try to impersonate a dolphin, but she can hold that ball...

Have a great day : )

my natural habitat

Monday is back on track.

The weekend was nice but as always way to short.

Saturday I got some housing cleaning done and then spend the afternoon in our fabulous "ool" which I decided to rename "my natural habitat".

But why "my natural habitat" you might ask? Well, because whenever I am in there I just feel as if I could live in there forever, so thinking about it, if God would have decided for me to be anything other than human, I am sure He would have made me a fish...


Anyway, to tell you a bit more about my weekend, yesterday Yanique and I participated on a group outing for "Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Cayman Islands" at the Dolphin Discovery (same place we visited for her birthday a few weeks ago).

It was an activity with the purpose of taking a video to promote the program and hopefully get more volunteers.

But other than interacting with the dolphins (kissing, dancing and more)...we got chosen as the interviewed "matched couple" to be in the video!

"Copernicus" giving me a smooch...

So we did, got interviewed and everything went really well. At the beginning Yanique was very nervous as she calls herself "shy" (but who isn't shy at 11 years old in front of a camera, right?!). Well, she is kind of a natural and really nailed all the questions they asked her...

The best part was at the end question when they said: Yanique, is there anything you would like to say to your big sister? And Yanique answered, "That I love her with all my heart and that we have fun together"... Awww, how sweet is that?

Dunno when the video would be out but if I could get a copy to share, I will definitely do.

Sorry I am not sharing more Costa Rica photos for now... I will get around to do it in the next few days, promise!

Have a great week!

Frustration

Yesterday I tried to upload photos, all my efforts were USELESS... so sorry no more sharing or posting of photos until further notice... Blogger sucks sometimes and it's so frustrating.

Have a nice weekend!

all packed and ready...

Last time I run into my friend Linda was about 3 or 4 months ago when I picked up one of our "rescue" cats from the Vet.

Linda was also there picking up a cat that she as well had rescue and got spayed with the same organization (C.A.R.E.- Cayman Animals Rescued Enthusiast) that helped us get our 6 cats spayed and neutered.

At the time she told me that she had 8 cats, all rescued, all fixed and happy living with her and her husband.

Well, on Monday Linda walked in at work looking for me to say good bye as she and her husband are moving back to Canada for good and they are taking with them their 10 rescue cats!!!

Yes, you read it right, 10 kitties, all packed and ready to go!

8 of her cats ready to be taken to AA Cargo to be weighted

Isn't it amazing and such an inspiration? They rescued them, gave them a home and now that they are leaving, they are standing by them, taking each and every one of them to their new lives in Canada!

If only there were more people like Linda and Gerry that give their animals the value they deserve and would not abandon them. Way to go guys!

they cats know they are going as well!

I wish them and their animals many very wonderful days together, may God bless their journey and life together for many more years to come!

Now, in the case of my husband, he doesn't carry 10 kitties, but just one, Lea- my Mom's kitty, HA!

 Have a wonderful Thursday!!!

produce of my land...

Every time I visit my home country, I realize the many things that I miss.

This past visit was not exception to the fact that I really miss all the delicious fruit and vegetables available and easy to find.

One of the hardest things to get used to living when living on a small island, is that fact that we don't produce pretty much anything, so most fruits and vegetables need to be imported from somewhere else, meaning that in most cases that they have to be refrigerated for a while, so by the time it gets to your table, it's not precisely the fresh.

But in Costa Rica being a country in the tropics, agriculture is plenty and soil is good for pretty much any type of fruit and vegetable.

And that's why while in Costa Rica we could not miss going to the Agricultural Market which is held in my parents town (Alajuela) every Friday and Saturday.

Here are some pictures I took of the amazing products that are offered every week.

Fruits gallore

Jalapenos

Produce

Bananarama

Onions

Green

Tiquisque, I think is known as Yautia in English

Chamomile

Now, I am craving some sweet juicy fruits myself... or perhaps a nice green salad, yummy!

Have a great Wednesday!!!

Love is in the air

There's no point in celebrating Valentine's Day if we do not show love and appreciation to those who matter and we care for, the rest of the 364 days of the year, right?

So today on the "official" day to celebrate Love, I wish everybody an extra special day, one where feelings and actions walk hand in hand, showing loved ones how much we care and cherish them.

As for me, whether is Valentine's or not, I celebrate love each day because I have an amazing man and my our life is better since I marry him we got married. He my best friend, my rock, my confident, my silly other half, the man that knows me during my best and worst of times... and still loves me unconditionally.

I on the other hand just wanna give him back double the happiness and love that he gives me, today and every day of our life together, that always knows and remembers that I am forever his Valentine.

 I love you Babe!

So Happy Valentine's to you, whether you have an "official" Valentines or people that love you for who you are and what you are to them.

And always remember that...

 Have a LOVELY day!!!

don't dream is over

These past few days back in my home country, visiting family and friends, feels like a dream, one that was way to short and now it's time to wake up and get back to reality.

We got back on Saturday night and yesterday was a very well deserved day to decompress and gather the energy needed to start up a new work week.

The next few weeks are going to be very busy. At the end of the month wee are having 3 events at work to celebrate our 5th anniversary, which means, hectic busy times ahead.

To say our trip was amazing is sort of an understatement, it was SUPERB! We had a wonderful time with my parents, hanging out at their house, with them and their animals (4 dogs and 1 cat).

Like I mentioned before, the Elton John concert was very good and worth the trip! We also had time to spend it with friends as well to visit our property on the Pacific Ocean.

I took a million pictures... well, in fact to be exact I took 434 which are now downloaded on a folder on my computer, waiting for me to sort them and then, let the sharing begin....

For now, here are some random shots I took the first few days....

Luch time at Johnny Rocket in the dolphin mall, Florida

Panorama view of my parents front yard

Gaia, Olibear & Emma

Orchid blooming in the yard

Will try to post more photos tomorrow, here's to a great week!!!