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Love Burns

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Over the weekend, myĀ husband saw in theĀ news the story of aĀ young woman in Clearwater, FloridaĀ who was charged with second degree arson for torching a manā€™s vehicle. Apparently she wanted to attemptĀ revenge on her ex-boyfriend by burningĀ his car, but ended upĀ torching the wrong one. The owner of the vehicle sent the video to the police department and days later she was apprehended.

I don’t know what her boyfriend did to her, but the storyĀ servedĀ meĀ wellĀ toĀ kidĀ myĀ husband after we both failed to remember ourĀ eighth weddingĀ anniversary last week.Ā IĀ joked withĀ my hubbyĀ asking, ā€œArenā€™t you glad I am notĀ likeĀ her?ā€Ā  Continue reading “Love Burns”

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Towing Victims in Miami

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Last Monday I rented a seven passenger van to pick up VIP cargo in Miami Beach: my Mom, Granny, and two of my aunts. They wereĀ visiting from Colombia and had just arrived from a three day cruise around the Bahamas. I had to drive five endless hours listening to the tune, “Are we there yet?” sung by my son every five minutes.

The moment these women boarded the van, it turned into a chicken coopĀ talking non-stop all at the same time. We spent the nightĀ at the Cadillac Marriot and enjoyed the ocean view without knowing that, the next morning, we would have an unfortunate encounter withĀ aĀ very dangerous species of blood sucking parasites, and I am not referring to the Zika mosquitoes. Continue reading “Towing Victims in Miami”

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A Culture of Lying

Xiomara Spadafora Culture of Lying
When I was aĀ kid, I rememberĀ getting in trouble for lying. It wasĀ the one ā€œsinā€ IĀ didnā€™t want to commit, because like the elders always said, trust is something that canā€™t be unbroken. This doesnā€™t mean that I never liedā€”ask myĀ Momā€”but at least I tried hardĀ to avoid gettingĀ caughtĀ or I spilledĀ my gutsĀ full of remorseĀ if outed.

However, the world has changed so much that telling the truth seems like an animal facing extinction. The story of the Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte and his imaginary robbery at gun-point story is the latest and best example of this epidemic. Too often people in the public eyeā€”politicians, newscasters, athletes, or celebrities–get away with murder. Why? Because they have either money or power to reinvent truth. Continue reading “A Culture of Lying”

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Eating Challenge

Xiomara Spadafora Eating Challenge-001

Five weeks ago I started a diet for the first time in over six years. The last time I embarked on this venture, I had a stronger motivation than vanity.Ā I was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1, which was causing POCS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.) In simple words, the unbalanced sugar level in my body was atrophying my reproductive system and destroying my motherhood dream.

The treatment included a zero carbs diet and the diabetes prescription called Metformin, commonly known as Glucophage. The result? I lost 30 pounds between March and June and my sugar level went back to normal. It was the thinnest I’ve ever been in my life, but my skinny days were numbered, because the stork started her trip in August and delivered my baby boy the next April. Continue reading “Eating Challenge”

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Olympic Mom

Xiomara Spadafora Love of Gold-001

I have been an Olympics fanatic since I was a little girl. Therefore, last Friday I watched the entire inaugural ceremony of the Rio 2016 Summer Games, and besides learning Brazilian history and a bunch of new country names, I also learned that “Super Model Cat-Walk on High Heels” had became a new sports discipline at the Maracana Stadium.

Kidding aside, over the weekend I watched different competitions of men and women’s cycling, beach volleyball, gymnastics, and swimming, the latter, the sport of Dana Vollmer. This amazing athlete–Gold Medalist of the 100 meters butterfly at the 2012 London Games–returned to the pool to defend her gold and world record. However, she was defeated by Sweden’s Sarah Sjƶstrƶm, and Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, both 16. Continue reading “Olympic Mom”

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Building Blocks for Greatness

Xiomara Spadafora Building Blocks

For the past two and a half years I have been buying my son Lego sets, age appropriate or not. Secretly, I bought them for myself, because I missed out on the experience when I was a kid. Finally, in the past week, my son fell in love with them and has spent hours playing during the last days of the summer vacation before he starts kindergarten.

Although he plays well most of the time, he is a little impatient and complaints if his Lego creations donā€™t cause intergalactic explosions. Then, I have to remind him to be thankful, telling him about the children all over the world who have nothing to play with, except what they can build with their own hands out of garbage. This isĀ Esteban Quispeā€™s story; the seventeen-year-old genius from Bolivia who build a robot like Disneyā€™s Wall-E out of waste from a dump. Continue reading “Building Blocks for Greatness”

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How to deal with a bully

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As a small business owner, I have had to become a super-combo employee: receptionist, insurance agent, marketing director, and my husbandā€™s favorite, assistant-to-the-President. I can see his satisfaction when he bosses me at the office, and I let him, because he knows that at home he is on my turf.

Out of all the tasks I do, the one I dread the most is picking up the phone. Sadly, the vast majority of callers are rude and desperate. They have little to no patience, except to be understood even in they are mumbling. When I ask them to spell their last names or company names, they shoot off letters at the speed of a machine gun. If it is difficult for a native English speaker, imagine the challenge it is for me! Continue reading “How to deal with a bully”

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Handy Man

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LastĀ SundayĀ my husbandĀ honored a long standing promise; notwithstanding, it required a small psychological push. The day before we had a cookout at his golf buddyā€™s home which turned into a talk show. The Wives complained about all the home improvement that needed to be done around the house, but never materialized. The Husbands banded together and gave excuses for all the delays. At the end, we simply told them we were going to hire a handy man.

My husband is a very special man, and he is smart as a fox, but disorganized and messy like a toddler. If I ask him to help me move furniture or rearrange something around the house, he rolls his eyes likeĀ a teenager.Ā However, when he sets his mind to doing something and decides to start a project, no matter how much sweat flows–or even blood–he finishes it! Continue reading “Handy Man”

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Teachers with Wings

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Last TuesdayĀ my son went back to his initialĀ preschool for a super heroes summer camp. Even though he didnā€™t attend that school for pre-k, I stayed in contact with one of the directors, especially after someĀ devastatingĀ news in early Spring. My sonā€™s first teacher, Miss C, had been diagnosed Ā with pancreatic cancer.

Six years ago, my oldest uncle lost a short, but courageous battle against the same enemy. Therefore, I knew she didn’tĀ have much time left. Pancreatic cancer is the worst kind, because there has no such thing as ā€œearly detection.ā€ When this monster shows its ugly face in a MRI, itā€™s simply too late. Continue reading “Teachers with Wings”

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Love for The Stripes and Stars

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This past 4th of July will remain in my memory as a very special one.Ā Besides almost killing my dogs with an overdose of Benadryl–to keep them calm during the three days of fireworks–we enjoyed great company and food with new and old friends, and I saw a wave of nationalism in the hearts of theĀ neighbors that I hadn’t seen in years.

In our community, houses, golf carts, and even dogs displayed different forms ofĀ red, white and blue. I even saw a guy wearing an American flag leotard from head to toe under the blazing sun and 100% humidity!Ā  Continue reading “Love for The Stripes and Stars”