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“Baby… I am so bored”

Mu husband made the bed
When the bed is empty we remember how much we miss the love of our lives.

Two weeks into the longest vacation Iā€™ve taken since I got married, I can already hear the anxiety in my hubbyā€™s voice. Besides ā€œI love you and I miss youā€ at the end of every phone conversation, last night my husband said to me: ā€œBaby, Iā€™m so boredā€.

No matter how busy our days are, husbands and wives share a special space in time, that regardless of length, builds the ties of marriage. When one is single it is hard to imagine thinking about anybodyĀ else but yourself.Ā  Continue reading ““Baby… I am so bored””

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Birth Right

My little man doesn't know differences in people. He just jumped right in the circle and played.
In the eyes of my little man, kids and people are just people without labels of any kind.

My son and I have been in BogotĆ” for a week now. Besides the normal adjustment to the colder weather and altitude–my home townĀ is 8,530 feet above level of the sea–we have enjoyed the company of my Mom, Grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins –and their dogs, and my best friend from high school and her kids. Yes, you are not mistaking; in only one week I already have seen all those people.Ā  Continue reading “Birth Right”

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ā€œOff course I know how to use the washing machine!ā€

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I think the washer and dryer are going to miss me too.

As you read this weekā€™s story, me and my son are at the Orlando International Airport soon to board a Copa Airlines aircraft with destination to my home country, Colombia. For the first time in 10 years since I moved to the US in 2005, I will be staying for a wholeĀ month in BogotĆ” –my vacations so far had always been two weeks max. So, if I am happier than a pig in mud, imagine my Mom; I am her only daughter and my son, her only grandson. Needless to say I felt excitement prior this trip, but also worry; I am leaving my husband in charge of all the duties around the house, and taking care of our doggies, Rusty and Sasha.Ā  Continue reading “ā€œOff course I know how to use the washing machine!ā€”

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The “Puppy” Side

Rusty can sense storms long before they arrive. As brave and he is, he turns into a puppy and shakes like a leaf when it rains.
Rusty can sense storms long before they arrive. That’s why he runs to the window to faceĀ his enemy,Ā butĀ then starts shaking.

Last week was the hottest week of my life. Not because I ran to an exotic island with my husband, but because literally it was the hottest week in Jacksonville in many years. I have lived in this city since 2007 and never before had I seen my carā€™s temperature reader reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit –plus 10 degrees of heat index — Ā in the middle of June. The heat, and worse, the humidity, were so bad that even the swimming pool at out community turned into hot soup. Instead of cooling it was boiling. How I wished I was a cold-blooded reptile!Ā  Continue reading “The “Puppy” Side”

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ā€œWhatever can happen will happenā€ Part II

“The 3 Amigos” created a bond for life.

The day after my birthday, I woke up a year older. I can still remember how slow the years passed when I was a teenager. Now, years travel at the speed of light and are unstoppable like a freight train. Nevertheless, I looked in the mirror wearing a new two-piece bathing suit and I said to myself ā€œNot badā€¦ still can be fixed with a little liposuctionā€.

While I was pasting my face with a mix of sunscreen and foundation ā€“best way to avoid sunburn by the way– my son was getting all geared up with beach stuff, my stepdaughter was yawning on the couch, and my husband was walking out the door to play golf with his brothers. Our vacation had officially began, and I couldnā€™t wait to stretch out on a beach chair and take in as much as vitamin D from the sun as I could.Ā  Continue reading “ā€œWhatever can happen will happenā€ Part II”

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ā€œWhatever can happen will happenā€ Part I

Nothing like cake and love to end a bad day!
Birthday to me means cake, candles, and wish no matter what!

My husband is the youngest of four siblings who are spread out all over the United States. His oldest brother lives in Texas, his only sister lives in Missouri, his older brother lives in Ohio, and we live in Florida. Since my mother in law passed, five years ago, the whole family has not been reunited. Therefore, it became their purpose to make it happen this summer.Ā  Continue reading “ā€œWhatever can happen will happenā€ Part I”

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Sasha Raptor

My Beagle/Labrador mix, Sasha, is the sweetest dog but agile as a cheetah!
My Beagle/Labrador mix, Sasha, is the sweetest dog, but pounces on her prey like a cheetah.

Rusty and Sasha, my two rescue dogs, enjoy marking their territory as many times as possible when they go out to potty. Rusty, lifts his leg countlessĀ times during the evening walk, and pretends to wet light poles and trees even if not a drop comesĀ out.

AlthoughĀ Sasha is female, she also squats like she has incontinence, and leaves her scentĀ every where. I never noticed this trait of her personality until recently, butĀ I assumedĀ that maybe it wasĀ part of her aging process. Heck, I go to the bathroom at least 30 times a day!Ā  Continue reading “Sasha Raptor”

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Bloom Again

My hibiscus
My hibiscus flowers survived my husband’s neglect.

During the pastĀ holiday weekend I had the fortune of spending time with two of my best friends –one, my “partner in crime” from the college adventures atĀ Javeriana University who lives in Orlando, and the other one, her cousin who lives in Miami, and who I met when I moved to the U.S. in 2005. Due to the distance between us, we always meet in Orlando.

My husband and my son stayed home and gave me the “day off” –something that never happened before, but that will happen again soon!– to travel to Orlando and join theĀ “musketeers”. From the moment of my arrival and throughout 20 full hours, the “three amigas” talked, without catching a breath, about all the things that happened in the past two months. Five kids, two husbands, one ex-husband, and one ex-boyfriend had their turn in the “chain saw”. However, the recent ex-boyfriend became our favorite subjectĀ and consumed most of our verbal surgical training.Ā  Continue reading “Bloom Again”

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Let’s get a pedicure, please!

Summer foot
My foot on vacation at Destin, FL

Next Monday is Memorial Day.Ā Compared to my home country Colombia –which has holidays for each Catholic saint, and beauty pageants for every grain, vegetable, and fruit– in America, we hold those few holidays dear to our hearts.

This weekend, in particular, represents theĀ gateway to Summer 2015 and the display of undesired views such as unpedicured toe nails that look like hawk claws.Ā  Continue reading “Let’s get a pedicure, please!”

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Bad Haircut

Hairy Rusty
Rusty has short thick fur perfect for winter, but not for summer!

Every Summer, just when the temperature begins to rise,Ā I take Rusty–my Shiba Inu/Terrier mix–to get shaved at Petco, andĀ he always comes back home with an attitude. Not until last Wednesday did I understand why.

My son had Taekwondo class at 4:15 p.m. at the Titus Institute, and my husband was able to take him. I left my boys at the class and ran to the Great Clips next door for a quick trim. Even though this franchise has a reputation of “assembly line” hair cuts, I trusted this place for almost a year without complaint. Unfortunately, that day, aĀ comet was crossing the Earth’s orbit because a rain of meteors crashed on my head.Ā  Continue reading “Bad Haircut”