Mantras on my calendar

Every month, when I tear out last month's calendar page, I write out my mantras on the "Notes" side of the page.  Here they are.  I have them written in English and Spanish.  The Spanish ones, they are my original ones, they came to mind when I least expected them. My humble translation is written right after. The English ones, I got them from stuff that I read.  Enjoy!

• No eres como todo el mundo, no te midas por otras personas, se justa contigo misma, amate, date tu lugar y se feliz.  (You are not like everybody else, don't measure yourself by comparing yourself to others, be fair with yourself, love yourself, claim your place and be happy.)

• Tu puedes bregar con todo esto.  (You can deal with all this.)

• Ve todo lo que te pase como oportunidades para tu bien.  (See everything that happens to you as opportunities for your own good.)

• No estas deprimida, estas distraida.  (You are not depressed, you are distracted.)

• I am the luckiest person alive!

• Esto tambien va a pasar - confia!  (This too will pass, trust!)

• This is it!

Thanksgiving 2014

... any reason for a family to get together is a good reason ...

So it's Thanksgiving and we are doing it at my house.  This year, for whatever reason, it just didn't get planned in advance like in the past.  And last night, my dad almost had a fit about it.  And I told him that the holidays shouldn't be a source of tension and stress.  Ever since mom passed, holidays just doesn't feel the same, and I know he misses her and I think he is still not over her passing and whether he wants to admit it or not, he takes it out on us.  And mostly on my kid and me, since he lives with us.  But I digress.  So my sister was home last night when this conversation happened with him so she suggested for us to just decide there what we were going to do and if we needed to get something, just get it, so we did.

And we were in Publix, with no rhyme or reason, jumping from one aisle to another when all of a sudden, I see this woman and she is staring at me.  And then we both smiled, big, wide smiles!  It was Zenaida.  When I first started working with the County, I started working with the Head Start program and she was one of my favorite Head Start parents.  I know you shouldn't mix work with your personal life but sometimes, it just happens.  And from being my clients they turned into very good friends.  "They" of course because there is no Zenaida without Ruben, and of course he was there too and it just made me so happy to see them both!  We exchanged numbers and Facebook information and we promised to seek each other out.  And by the end of the night, I was assured in my heart, once again, that there are no coincidences.  Oh and by the way, that Head Start baby, her son, is 24 yrs old now and getting married next month.

Fast forward to today ... my sister cooked, so did my dad and don't worry about me, I am in charge of cleaning up (there are still some stuff waiting for me in the kitchen as I type this, shhhhh.)  And now we are just together, watching TV.  The kids are restless because we have them watching a movie.  And the dog is on my lap, all 52 lbs of him ...yeah, Happy Thanksgiving to you too!

Another Saturday night ...

Kiddo goes with his dad every other weekend.  This is his weekend with his dad.  So is my weekend kid-free.  But is not totally free.  My dad lives with us plus now we have the dog.  So it doesn't feel like a free-weekend unless I go out.  And here I am, another Saturday night, and I am home.  Again.

I never did get the knack of dating.  I didn't go out when I was a teenager.  I was "the responsible one".

And being "the responsible one" now means that I don't bring my child around someone that might not be there in the long run and/or someone that I don't want him to meet, period.  I may, will go out with them and stuff, but not around my kid.  Which means I technically only have two nights or so, per month, to do this.

And tonight is one of those nights, and I am home.  Again.

Being the responsible one feels so lonely sometimes.

... four months into 2014 ...

So it has been four months into this year, 2014 ... before I know it school will be over and my son will be done with 5th grade.  Where did the time go?  He is growing so fast in front of my eyes is not even funny.  And I intend to enjoy every little time that I get to spend with him.  He will go with his dad this weekend and I will, once again, try to figure out what to do with my time...

In December 2013 we got a dog - a lab/pit mix from Puerto Rico.  His name is Thor.  And it seems that he has been with us forever.  He is my dad's companion and he is a hit with the kids.  I have to admit, he is a hit with me too.  He is just too cute and funny and active.  Too active for me at times but hey ... it is what it is.  He is not really trained ... when people ask me I say that he is training us real well.  And they laugh, and so do I.

My dad still lives with us.  He makes sure to keep the grass and plants alive and I am grateful for that.  I am not usually the green thumb kind of gal.  But he likes that and it keeps him occupied.  We don't really talk much about mom but I think, I feel that he is not over her death.  I really wish that he would do something more than just stay at home, not because he needs the money but because it will open the door for him to interact with other people besides family and neighbors.

And me ... well I am trying to have a life while handling everything else ... next month is my birthday ... I turn 44 years old ... funny I don't feel a day over 26 ... lol

My first 5k in 5 years

Last Thursday I completed my first 5k in five years.  I finished it in 58 minutes I think, let's round it up to one hour.  There were 18,000 registered.  It was a sea of people.  I went with some friends from work and I have to say, it was an experience.  The one person that I thought would not stick with me, ended up being the one that stuck with me until the very end.  During parts of it we ran and I honestly thought I was going to pass out.  But I didn't.  And we did run to the finish line.  

I am not there yet, but thank God I am not where I used to be!

IOA Corporate 5K

Today I am participating in the IOA Corporate 5K here in Orlando.  I did a 5K five years ago in honor of my mom and I told myself that I would continue to do them and ... plop ... didn't do them again ...

So I have been carrying a bit of guilt on that department for a while ... and when we got the e-mail at work about this 5K I was like, why not?  At least now I am 30 lbs less than five years ago ... how bad can it be?

And my plan is to continue to sign up for 5K's and I think that will motivate me to continue walking on a daily basis as I participate in these events.

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I know it's been a while since I wrote ... I guess I have been dealing with a lot lately ... but I am good ... I am here!