My Birthday Blog

I never used to make a big deal out of my birthday and I like to stay out of the spotlight...But something is calling me to blog today.  So here I am.

I cannot believe I am 43. I think about the age I was, when I dated  man who was 20 years older than me. Thanks to this thing called the internet. We do things we never thought would be possible. Besides the point, today marks the day that I am in 7 years, eligible for federal government retirement in the Foreign Service.  And on top of that, I get up at the wee hours of the morning to chat with two dear friends that I missed.. Both of them sending me an important message that I must listened to.

The message I've received is this..I think I know God is leading me to path where I'm supposed to be. I just have to trust. I'm to lead the next generation of leaders in our workforce today, and that are the millennials.  I just read an article about the characteristics of milennials and it all made sense to me because I have a few of them who work for me -- and the part about diversity and flexible scheduling makes sense!! But I think I can bring out the best in them.

Does this mean my next steps is school, the new soulcore exercise movement or does it mean moving again? Only the future will tell but at least I'm coming closer.  I just have to be still, and know He has it written out for me.

End of Year Review

Looking back at my last post in August, I had not finished writing about my Mexican tour.  Hurricane Irma swept through Florida and without notice I had to leave abruptly and help my family prepare for an evacuation.  Well, we survived that ordeal and everyone who met us upon arrival Canada  knew the story behind the craziness of emergency evacuation travel.  From disgruntled, impatient travelers to airport terrorist scares, we had our share of fun.

I completed my Monterrey trip and then finished Hermosillo and Nogales in late October.  That trip was fun alone and I'll never again go back to eating Taco Bell.  Upon my return to the states, I found myself longing for those small corn tortillas with steak and lime.  Mexican diet has now been incorporated into my way of life.

As the year comes to a close, I'm happy with my spiritual and health progress.  Many realizations or revelations as I'd like to call them, were given to me, thankfully.  I realized motivation is the biggest power of all success - when I have it, I can do anything.  I also realize that consistently keeping up is important to making that success *permanent.*  Stephen Covey calls this skill, "sharpen the saw."  My weight has gone up and down since 2001..Just goes to show, we can always change but reverting to old habits is easy as well.  It's what we're comfortable with and it's what is easy and familiar for us.  I've always knew that one can be a jack of all trades but to be a master at one -- requires hours of dedication and persistance.  I know I've had my daughter dabbled in so many things and I'm happy for her that she found the one niche - soccer.  Mommy can learn a thing or to. I love to dance, I love to craft, I love to sing, I love to exercise..and I love spending time with spiritual development.  What will be new for me in 2018 and what will I focus?  I have specifically turned my interest late in this year to mindfulness meditation.  I realize I'm constantly busy, constantly on the go, constantly hyper..I'm sure it drives many people nuts.  I think this will help me become happier and less stress.  Our culture has always valued multitasking and shortcuts.  But is that really the best way?  Last, but not least..I realize that in life, there is way too many options and way too many choices.  And you only have one life and so many hours in the day.  I've learned I cannot learn it all, do it all, hoard it all (in case and good intentions just don't work anymore).  I have to do what my daughter did -- and that is choose.  So may I choose wisely.

Mexican Tour

I thought it's about time I posted another blog.  I am now traveling again, this time to four Mexican cities and consulates.  I was fortunate enough to spend the entire summer with my daughter and husband so hopefully it eased some of the work he had to get done on the house.  Doing these business trips can be rough, but in a way, it is a get-away from the every day responsibilities -- taking of the house, taking care of everyone else.  In America, you just don't have the luxury of affordable help so it gets overwhelming.  So I consider these trips to be relaxing in a way and rejuvenating.  I work both at the office and at the hotel to get done what I need to get done in a week's time.  I'm hope they are fruitful for my hosts as well as getting some time to catch up and recharge.  

Ciudad Juarez

This was an amazing city.  Earlier this year, I got to visit Matamoros, which was a city close to the USA border of Brownsville, Texas.  I was amazed at the difference upon crossing the border into Mexico.  This is my second visit to Mexico, and it's already a different feel --I loved it!  I stayed at the Holiday Inn express in Juarez across from the Placiones Mall --I loved that mall!  It is truly more of an entertainment center than a mall as it was loaded with restaurants, game places, movies, dozen dessert places more than it was for shopping.  It even had an ice skating rink.  I practically went there every day and got to taste different taco places.  I got a wash/blow dry for $15 USD which in the states these days cost $35 for my long hair.  I also got my mani/pedi done which was a bit cheaper, though not by much.  Still, cost of living is cheaper.

It was also a safe city to drive in.  There are no crosswalks here, so pedestrians walk across to the median while waiting to cross the other side.  Surprisingly enough, cars do watch for you and I noticed that the drivers here trust that the cars will stop!  For instance, here in Juarez, there are a lot of U-turns and so traffic can happen for a quite a bit.  I was in an Uber and this guy literally made a U-turn with oncoming traffic!! I practically screamed and later I learned, that they just believe the cars will yield. From what I've seen they do.  Still, many people get hit by cars, according to my driver.  So though it's not like El Salvador where you are at your own risk, it's interesting to see the different ways people drive.  Culture shock.

Food - it was indeed amazing.  The tacos were filling and I'm now a big fan of the salty black beans. I like them mashed up or in a soup.  Every day at breakfast, I had scrambled eggs and a serving of those thick Mexican tortilla chips with bean sauce, hot sauce, shredded cheese and guacamole.  I wonder how Mexicans stay thin!  Well, I posted in Twitter that I can definitely get used to eating this diet every day.. Maybe.

I am now in Monterrey, Mexico and it is definitely another city.  The closest border is about 2 hours away in Matamoros.  So, I really need to brush up on my Spanish for the next week.  Thankfully, they understand some French since my emersed French seems to come out automatically. In the meantime, enjoy these lovely pics of my tour in Ciudad Juarez where I got to drive across the border to Texas and New Mexico. I got to see an unusual phenomenon - white sands national monument.

@Kassy220 Instagram and Twitter

El Paso at the Archaeology museum - free

White sands national monument

Tobagganing on the dunes - a fun activity 

The scenic drive parallels the railroad tracks

Our 4th Cruise, Norwegian Getaway

Well, we went last minute and hubby told me only one day upon my return from my last business trip. A nice surprise indeed, though we didn't do much planning in the three port stops (Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, and Cozumel)  It was relaxing nevertheless.  Now taking a day to recover from my "sea legs."

Memoirs of my Norwegian Cruise Line Getaway

🚢 

Day 1

After a nice dinner, the next morning, everyone, big and small were at the gym! It was fully packed, as we wanted to burn off the chocolate lava cake. 😂 🎂 

 

Day 2

Alyssa reveals to me that she wants to join the military. I asked her who gave her that idea, she says it came from her brain.  Her nickname is Private Spitter. 

Alyssa says "com'on mommy, take me to the other game place!" I am like what game? There is only one arcade on the ship. Turns out she meant the casino 😂😂

Day 3, Roatan, Honduras

We got conned into this $50 day tour on the island, which consisted of one real zip line excursion followed by a private beach, with "snorkeling/entrance fees."  Best part of our day was holding a monkey -  🐒 a three dollar tip.    

Alyssa and Cocoa                                            Jason and Cocoa 

 

Day 4

Nibble nibble...A little bit here, a little bit there. We learned that the 24 hour buffet was Jason's favorite activity onboard, followed by nappy.

 

Day 5

I don't want to leave!! No dishes, no laundry 🙏🏻 and all you can eat 🍮 desserts 🍨

 

Lizard or Iguana 🦎 towel

Day 6, Cozumel

We sure got our nappy in but could not take the caves excursion due to time constrains  😿 Oh well more family time soaking sun at the beach..we are together that's what matters! Ooh and more money in the wallet.

 

Day 7

Bo got her dance classes, including thriller (pictured below), Latin, and Jive.  Some fresh moves for more exercises at home - a new habit perhaps?? Along with meditation.  Truly a great time..Got rained in one day, but never bored. 👍🏻😺

                              <3

  

2017 Travel Begins

It has been too long since my last blog post.  I am still traveling a lot for my current job which is great for my cultural experience, but bad for my family life as they have to make due with one person down.  Also, my Florida routine is on pause.  In any case, I'm happy to share some pictures of my latest fun adventures.

                                          El Anteno Grand Book Store, Buenos Aires

                                                   

              Japanese Garden, Buenos Aires 

                                                             

Tango Show

 Brownsville, TX Charro Days kick-off

                                               
                                                    Parasailing Ready in South Padre, a first.

 Jan 2017 began with a trip to Buenos Aires where I got to sample Dulce de Leche flavors, eat steak and watch Tango.  I then had three weeks in town where I got to shuffle Alyssa around with her soccer practices, horseback lessons and occasionally, gymnastics.  Between preparing for my next trips, I was planning birthday parties and making from scratch, greeting cards for Valentine's Day and Thank You's.

I was blessed again, to visit Matamoros, Mexico.  The city borders Brownsville, Texas and the US Consulate is literally 15 minutes away.  It seems like another world when you cross the border, but really, you can sense there are no borders when it comes to culture - the language, the tradition and feel, definitely surpasses the boundaries.  I love the tacos and I don't think I'll ever order hard tacos now!  "Drop that chalupa!!"

Next trip is to Georgetown, Guyana where the food is spicy and then some but I'm sure to discover new things.

Signing off until next time.  A food for thought:  You know you live out of a suit case when you actually have measuring tape and flu pills permanently stored in your luggage..And you had to use it.

Be sure to check my instagram and twitter accounts!  

      

Canada Tour

I'm now back in Ottawa for some time, to fill a staffing gap.  This past year, I've enjoyed my Canada posts tour with three site visits total: Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa.  I really enjoy the great north, not just because I've been here before but because all the wonderful memories it brings.  I may be biased having met my husband and family here but somehow things always brought me back to Canada.  I prayed to Mother Mary for her intercession at the Lady of Fatima shrine when I first applied for the Department of State job and we were at Niagara Falls at the time.  My first tour took me to Ottawa, and when I was in high school my ad for penpals was published in Bop Magazine, and about 50% of the audience responded were Canadians.

I'm glad to be back, and for sure settling in is much faster.  I know the city layout, I've continued my "home away from home" activities such as ballet and tennis lesson to keep up at it, and hope to do some sightseeing this weekend. The CLO recommended the ghost tour so I think that is what I'll aim for tonight or tomorrow night.

Looking forward to a great two weeks.

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Mobile Lifestyle

It has been too long since my last blog.  I guess I need to re-advertise it on FaceBook.  I am now in DC after a trip to Toronto.  We had a blast there although second week was more hectic than the first. Saturday caught up with dance rehearsals in preparation for recitals; also got to go Alyssa's first communion (after wrestling with the possibility of missing it); and bringing Alyssa to her friend's birthday -- was indeed a blessing that I got to do all of these.

Now it's back at a quiet hotel room for retreat another two weeks.  I must say, one of the things that helps the mind is walking into a quiet, clean room, clear of clutter.  This is one of my motivational factors of letting go more.  Living simply with less; I know my memories are tied to picture frames, memoirs, keepsakes, etc but over the years I do gather clutter.

Check it out.

Peace and Quiet                                                 Clear of Clutter

 


And speaking of a simplistic lifestyle, I'm grateful that Alyssa has inherited the gene from her dad to letting go of things in order to clean up her room.  Actually that is like her Nana, too.  One day we went over photos and she said delete that, delete that!! :D  Alyssa and I ran into arguments about a baby book that I read to her and twice already, she wanted to "give it away." I said "But this was your favorite book!"  Mama's problem of hanging on.  Mama also wanted to keep all the baby bibles to read to her and somehow fit it in our busy lifestyle.

What a breather... Now the rest of my stay will be as calm. I know at least I'm childless but after a while, the quiet gets old. I definitely don't mind being with family even though it is chaotic at times. It makes life more interesting.  And as they say... "People who need people...are the loveliest people in the world."

Picture from first communion

Pics from Toronto

Ice scream with Mr. Beaver and spending time with Mr. Beaver at Canoe museum.

  

Snow appearing rather late, but Ms. Alyssa made most of it.