Tag Archives: family

Just a pirate on the beach

30 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me

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This morning, besides a turtle laying their eggs, and some baby turtles getting to the ocean, I saw the pirate again.

I am not sure if I have mentioned here before or not,  I see a pirate walking on the beach every morning.

Yes, a pirate! and I can prove it! I took a photo, and he even gave me a gold coin  🙂

His words: “I started walking on the beach dressed as a pirate this summer to get some exercise as well as share my love for history and most importantly to bring some smiles and magic to the beach.”

And he does bring a lot of smiles.  🙂

He made it!

25 Friday Jul 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me

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This morning I saw another baby turtle making its way to the ocean.

It is really amazing that they are able to make it against all odds.

My video making actions is still a struggle, but it is very hard to record those little guys.  They move faster than they look, plus I am trying not to get too close to them, and had just taken a fall.

It was 6am, still dark and all of a sudden I spot this little guy going towards the sand bar the tides created. I realized he would fall, which he did and landed on his back. I fell as I stepped on the sand bank to go down to him. By the time I got up he had turned himself over and was on his way.

All is well that ends well!

Sunset Bliss

24 Thursday Jul 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me

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I love my sunset bike rides.  Before returning home I normally sit at a bench by the river and spend some time doing some or all of the following:

  • Watching the creatures, such as dolphins, jumping fishes or the birds diving to catch them
  • Calling my sister and catching up 
  • Reading my fellow blogger’s posts
  • Playing a game of buraco on the phone (buraco is a Brazilian card game)
  • Watching people doing yoga (free class on Thursdays, I may join in the future)
  • Composing a mental gratitude list.  I have so much to be grateful for
  • Nothing (this is very hard for me, but I do attempt it)

Here is heaven:

Shoes, eyewear and turtles

22 Tuesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message

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I have a shoe problem.  In the beginning I was walking on the beach barefoot, but I had all sorts of pain in my knees and my hips.  I looked into some water shoes, but haven’t found any that provided the support I want and need.  Water sandals didn’t work either, they let the sand in and it becomes uncomfortable, also my foot slides in them, so there is no support.  I also need high tops so that sand doesn’t get in them.

For the moment I have been walking in sketchers tennis shoes. They are good, but I don’t want to get them wet, so I have been walking mostly on the dry soft sand, instead of closer to the water.  I am still in search of the perfect beach walking shoes.

Today I found myself walking much closer to the water because of some sand banks the tide has created.  It is interesting to see how the ocean and tides behave during the different seasons.  Michael is a surfer so I am hearing more than I care to know about how the waves are behaving on a daily basis.

I feel bad for the turtles.  In some areas they cannot go over the sand wall that has been created.  Look at the tracks in the picture below.  They were headed to the sand to lay their eggs, but had to abort the mission and return to the ocean.  

All I found today were items returned by the ocean.  They all looked like they had spent a night in the ocean and returned in the morning.  I am guessing the ocean is tired of eyewear.

I saw another baby turtle, but unfortunately it was dead.  I think a crab had tried to grab its legs.  I am amazed that some of them are able to make it to the water, with all the obstacles and predators.

A blessed week to all!

I wrote the above yesterday, but didn’t have the chance to edit and post it.  I don’t have time to do it today either, but decided to post it anyway or it will never be done.

I have a financial audit, and also the final answer letter to the NFA findings both due on Thursday, July 24th.  I am giving myself Friday off, if those are finished and there is no follow up questions.

Briefly, today I saw 2 turtles going back to the ocean.  I didn’t take pictures. The first one it was still dark out and I didn’t want do anything to disturb it.  The second one, there were already too many people watching it.

I found goggles again, a couple of shovels and a t-shirt, plus assorted bottle caps and straws.

Sorry about typos. I hope everyone has a blessed day!  May you see all the blessings in your life!

Getting busy living

16 Wednesday Jul 2025

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message

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I am still here, just the usual busyness.

I went to NY for a couple of weeks to pack some more of my stuff.  At the moment, I only have some of my mom’s paintings and mosaic materials left there.

I thought I would be going back to NY more often, but that is not the case.  I rather try to develop a routine here.

Another 2 weeks of routine here, and we are off to ski in Chile.  I am so excited about that!! From there we will be spending a couple of months in Brazil to help out with my aging parents.

The audit my company is going through it is coming to an end.  It has taken 6 months.  I just need to write a couple of pages of answers to their findings, and a couple of late requests, but I am so relieved that this is final.  Hopefully it will be more than a couple of years until they return again. 

 I am still walking on the beach in the mornings and bicycle riding along the river in the afternoons.

I am not sure why, but I haven’t really been finding a lot on the beach, not even garbage.  Perhaps:

  • Someone is getting up earlier than I do and cleans up the beach. I go to walk at 6am.
  • There has been a lot less people on the beach. Less people, less garbage.
  • People are becoming better about picking up after themselves. I wish!!

I still continue to see turtles laying their eggs.  I just look from a distance.  I want to give them their space.   It is a long nesting season for the 3 types of turtles we have here: green turtle, leatherback and the loggerhead.

I have only seen 1 baby so far.  By the prints on the sand, it looked like he was just late leaving the nest.

Clearly by the video I could never be a videographer 😊. In my defense, I was far away so it was not that simple.

I hope you are having an amazing summer (or winter depending in what hemisphere you are). 

Blessings!

A different kind of pretty

01 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by in Daily Life, Finding Me, Mosaic and other crafts

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I just finished this piece.  I love it, but most people don’t like it.  The only person that liked it is my sister. 

It is interesting that people normally try to be kind and say they like something when they really don’t.  I get it, I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings either.

But with this one piece, there is no hiding their feelings.  Everyone at the studio said, straight to my face, they didn’t like it.  One said it is the ugliest baby she has ever seen (true lol) and the other said I made Sonny Bono (kinda of lol).

I love that!  I feel honored to have people’s honest opinion.  They know me, they know I can take it.  I rather have honest opinions and not sweet lies. I like that we can all joke about it.  What I love most is the realization that I don’t feel the need to make only “pretty” things. 

I love when people look at something I made and have a reaction, good or bad.  

This piece to me represents a lot different things: family, diversity, beauty, love, among others.  With this piece I feel I am beginning to find my creative/artistic voice… and it is not pretty! 😉

“There is no exquisite beauty… without some strangeness in the proportion.” ― Edgar Allan Poe

“It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.”
― Leo Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata

“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.”
― Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger

“To see something different gives you a chance to be something different!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

“No one escapes some degree of chaos for it is so ever prevalent; it is the human experience. This realization does not mean we can’t improve. It does mean we can accept our state of chaos, lighten up on ourselves, have fun, and work on improving…we are a work in progress. Enjoy the journey.” ― David W. Earle LPC- Love is Not Enough

Being nice, easy and going with the flow!

16 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating, Finding Me

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“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ― Marcel Proust

Busy and Exhausted! That is my status.  Happy too, of course, always happy!   My brother and his girlfriend arrived from Brazil on Friday to spend 20 days.  This is their first time here and they don’t speak a word of English so they rely on me for everything.  On Saturday we went to Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets.  They loved it.  Things such as brand name tennis shoes are very expensive in Brazil so when Brazilians get here they go crazy with the prices and variety of styles.  On Sunday we went to the Statue of Liberty and to the One World Trade Center.  I have never been to either one so it was a great experience.  Being an immigrant myself the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island have an even greater meaning.  At the September 11 Memorial it was profoundly sad to see the names of people I knew personally.  It reminds me to tell people how much they mean to me when I have a chance to because the next moment is never a guarantee.  I will write a future post on 9/11.

There will be much more sightseeing and shopping in store in the next 2 weeks.  Tonight we are going to see The Phantom of The Opera.  This weekend we will probably visit the Museum of Natural History and Central Park, or perhaps we will go to Washington, DC, we are still deciding.  Well I am still deciding.

I was looking forward to spending some quality time with my brother.  I see him every time I go to Brazil but normally he is not the center of attention, it is all either about my Dad, Mom or my twin sister. At any rate it looks like it will not happen here either.  The girlfriend doesn’t leave his side for 5 seconds.  Even to take pictures, it is a tad annoying at times.

***

“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.” ― Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni

Last weekend I got a call from a cousin that had come to the US to take care of some business here.  I knew he was coming but was told that he was going to stay with friends.  He called me to say hello and he seemed unsure of where he was going to stay so I offered for him to stay at my apartment.  He was supposed to travel back to Brazil on the day that my brother was arriving so it seemed perfect.

It turned out that he had to stay longer.  When I realized that I was going to have 3 people in my apartment I started stressing out.  I started missing my solitude, my privacy, my organized environment.  Then I decided to relax, embrace the uncertainty and go with the flow.  It is amazing that when you just surrender and go with the flow the Universe just takes care of everything and all just works out.

It turned out that having my cousin here this week was a blessing in disguise.  I have been able to work the entire week while my cousin takes them around.  My car is only a 2-seater, so I was stressing out about transportation but for this week I didn’t need to worry about that.

Last night I took everyone to a Japanese Steakhouse to thank him for his help.  Everyone loved it!

“To be happy, make others happy.” ― Stephen Richards

***

An Update on Mr. Almost Perfect for Me (the guy from the last 2 posts)

To recap: I texted him and he replied saying that he was going to call me in the next couple of days.  The following evening he called.  I didn’t see the missed call until much later.  Honestly I am not sure if had I seen the call I would have picked it up.  He left a message saying:  Hi It is ____ I hope you are well, I Just called to say hi.

I didn’t call back, but today, a week later, I changed my mind and sent a quick text saying that I had gotten his message.  We exchanged a few pleasant texts.  I am keeping the lines of communications open.

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” ― George Bernard Shaw

I don’t foresee any romance as I am not interested in that anymore (with him).  The moment he was silent it seemed that the magic was broken.   I felt disrespected.  I felt I deserved the courtesy of communication.  I know that feelings sometimes betray us and sometimes they are not even factual but until I learn to ignore my feelings that is what I am going by.   They say “it is not what happens to us but how we deal with it”, I believe that a lot times is not what happens to us but how we feel about it.  So I need to look inwards and find the reason why I feel the way I feel sometimes.  I do go overboard sometimes.

Still I see progress.  I realized the need to keep all my feelings in check.  I need to continue to exercise “non-reaction” – take some time to think before reacting.  I am finding a middle ground.  I am loving and respecting myself not to bend backwards to please someone anymore while also not being so hard and shortsighted as to shut somebody down without giving them and myself a fair chance.  I am willing to be his friends, to listen and to learn.  How I felt about how intelligent and inspiring he is hasn’t changed even if I didn’t agree with his attitude.  I am not perfect either, and that is why I am still here, to learn, to get better, to fall, to get up, to try again.

I am also being more aware of my behavior, feelings and expectations.  The moment I saw someone with, what I thought were, the same exact ideas I have about life I immediately started seeing a future with that person…to much too soon…too many expectations.  No matter how many times I try to tell myself I have no expectations I do have them and of course they often lead to disappointment.  I was perhaps a tad too open, too revealing, too excited.  Holding back is good!

I am remaining open to what the Universe has in store for me.  Freedom will be my new word! I will continue giving people freedom to come and go from my life, and giving myself the freedom to make mistakes.  Freedom is when I no longer take other’s action so personally and so painfully. (It looks like I need to read The Four Agreements again)

“Freedom is more than just a patriotic concept; it is the purest intent of our design. Be you. Be free. Be nice.”― Steve Maraboli

Israel and back :-)

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Daily Life

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The Jerusalem Cross

The Jerusalem Cross

I have returned from Israel a couple of days ago.  I have been trying to catch up at work while dealing with the jetlag…not fun!

The trip was incredible!  I had no expectations so everything turned out to be a welcomed surprise.  The richness and beauty of the country is overwhelming.  It will take awhile for everything to set it.

I have taken 1,000 pictures and it will take me a long time to work them in some kind of order and in an album as I was using both the phone and a camera.  Thanks to a selfie stick I was able to have tons of pictures of my mother and I together.

We went with a travel company called Gate1 and they were great.  We didn’t have to worry about anything.  The guide was very knowledgeable and provided so much information about the history, religions, geography and every other detail of the country that my head is still spinning trying to make sense of it all.

If I had one complaint it would be that it was too fast paced, but then again to be able to see and do everything we did in 7 days we had to go at full speed.

I am happy to report that my mother is doing incredibly well. It is amazing to see her recovery.  Two weeks ago when we came back from Brazil several people at the airport offered her a wheelchair as they could see she was not steady on her feet (of course she was too proud to accept it).  Two days ago when we arrived from Israel she was walking faster than I was.

I am still trying to absorb all we did and saw.  This tour was geared towards Christians, it was called “Journey of the Believer”, so anywhere Jesus went, we went.  I am more spiritual than religious, but I am able to appreciate the meaning and the enormity of being able to see and be in all those sites.  I am also able to realize how blessed I am to be able to experience this trip with my mother.  Three weeks ago we didn’t know if my mother would be able to travel to NY, now she has traveled here to NY and to Israel and back and she is doing fine, it is certainly a miracle in my eyes.

When things get under control at work I will be posting some pictures and more details about the trip, for now I am just saying hi and updating on my mother’s health.

Thank you all for the prayers and good wishes!  I continue to be extraordinarily blessed and grateful!

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dealing with illness and fears

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

My mother and I have been back from Brazil for several days now.  My main focus, besides work, has been trying to get her mentally and physically healthier.

Approximately 3 weeks ago she went to a neuropsychiatrist after many years of my sister and I begging her to see someone regarding some baggage that she carries since she was a child.  Lately she had been extremely angry and short-tempered and realized on her own that she needed to do something about it.

She saw the doctor and they spoke for about an hour.  She came home happy and felt light after discussing things from her past.  Unfortunately when she woke up the next morning she was slurring her words and had trouble walking.  She was in a drunk-like state (My mother quit drinking when she was 25 years old because she realized it was going to become a problem, so we know she wasn’t drunk.  On May 1st she will be 80 years old)

“Maturity, one discovers, has everything to do with the acceptance of ‘not knowing.” ― Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves

She refused to go to the emergency room or call the doctor, attributing the symptoms to the deep conversation they had the day before.  It is hard not to think that the 2 things are not related.  My brother is a nurse and he didn’t think she was suffering a stroke or something similar.  I need to note here that my brother will never go against my mother’s and father’s wish, even in a situation like this where my first instinct would be to take her to the emergency room.  I try to keep my interference to a minimum only trying to provide positive feedback and financial support.  I try not to be critical of my sister and brother.  I realize how easy it is for me to have all the right answers when I am so far away.  I am also extremely grateful of how much they do for my parents and the love and respect they give my parents.

Last week in Brazil all I did was cook and clean and make sure she was resting.  She had 2 different brain scans done last week.  The last scan showed: Signs of microangiopathy.  Some signs of thinning of the white matter were also observed (inferring ischemic leukoaraiosis).  That is all Greek to me and all my Google research has left my head spinning.  At any rate her doctor gave his okay for her to travel as long as she takes the medication prescribed (He said he doesn’t believe in canceling vacation because of illness and also thought a change in scenery would be good for her). He says her issues are due to age and also to diabetes and high blood pressure.  As soon as she returns she is scheduled for additional tests.

“Fear is the glue that keeps you stuck. Faith is the solvent that sets you free.”
― Shannon L. Alder

She was fine in the flight from Sao Paulo to New York, so I am hoping that means that she will also be fine in the flight from NY to Tel Aviv this Saturday, as the trip is still on schedule.  She is excited about it, but I am making sure that she knows that is also okay if she thinks it is too much for her.

My mother has always been a dynamo never sitting or slowing down throughout the day.  The amount of things she accomplishes in one day is incredible.  While I am proud to have such an energetic mother I also knew that that would be her down fall.  That makes watching her slowing down now much harder.

I am not allowing her to do anything on her own as I fear she could fall and hurt herself (on our first day in NY she fell in the tub, I took that as a warning).  She has had good days and bad days.  Today is a not so great day as she seems slower than usual.  It is hard to be at work and leave her at home alone but I also realize that I cannot make her feel like an invalid all of a sudden.

“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.” ― Masaru Emoto

She has started taking vitamins, eating more, healthier, and at regular intervals (her diet before was coffee, bread and more coffee).  She has been taking daily naps and doing no housework at all.  She is still doing her crafts (knitting, crocheting, and painting), also reading and some easy exercises.

I am hoping that this is just a warning sign for her to take it easy, relax and take better care of herself. Actually it is a warning sign for the entire family as we are all guilty of overdoing at the dessert table.  I am hoping that as the medication starts to work and combined with the new lifestyle and diet she will soon be brand new.

I know it is all in God’s hands and I am just trying to follow his guidance and respect his plan, but the idea of ever losing my mother has been unbelievably hard to deal with.  I am trying to ward off those thoughts that continue to invade my mind and steal my peace.

I thank you all for your support and prayers! You are a source of comfort and for that I feel blessed and I am extremely grateful!!

 “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu

Feeling a bit misunderstood :-(

26 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by in Daily Life, Dating, Finding Me

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The view from my family's home

The view from my family’s home

I am back and happy to be back!   People think I am crazy when I say I am happy to return from vacation.  I love going away on vacation and seeing my family and all the fun stuff that it entails, but I also love coming back home.  I love my routine, my bed, my life.

In Brazil I mostly stayed with family and saw a few old friends.  No partying or travelling to the beach.  The purpose of the trip was to be with my father and I did that.  I am extremely happy and also relieved that he is doing so well.  I love my family and feel so immensely blessed by them and the opportunity to spend time with them.

Now I am back and picking up where I left off.  Being with my family in Brazil highlighted what I already knew: I cannot date someone that is not respectful of my belief in God and all Godly related things.  My Dad’s recovery from a potentially deadly infection/gangrene has been nothing short of a miracle.  How can I not believe in the power of something bigger than I am?

I will write more about my trip but for now I will just mention something that my sister said that has been stuck on my mind.  Even though we have been living apart for almost 30 years she is still the person that knows me the best. Or so I thought. So her opinion really matters to me.

“I’m standing in misunderstanding. I must have just stepped in it.” ― Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title

I was telling her about my latest dating adventure (speed dating) when she told me that it seemed that I am desperate for a boyfriend just to say that I have a boyfriend.  I was shocked that she thought that.   I respect her opinion but it cannot be further from the truth.  There has been plenty of opportunities for me to have a boyfriend if all I wanted to do was say I have a boyfriend, but I am interested in more.  I want it all, and yet all I want is simple.  I just want the company of someone that makes my heart sing.  And so far my heart has been silent.

My sister never read my blog even though she was the first one I told about it.  She said she thought I didn’t keep it up.  I was disappointed about that.   Maybe she is reading it now, or maybe not!  Do I have a history of not seeing things through?  Perhaps she thinks that too.  But anyway, that is not the point.  The point is that her comment made me think of you: you my reader and my friend.  Do you think I am dying for a boyfriend just to say I have a boyfriend? Do you care either way?

“I am lonely, yet not everybody will do. I don’t know why, some people fill the gaps and others emphasize my loneliness.” ― Anaïs Nin

I would hate to be thought of as “that girl”, you know, the one desperate for a boyfriend, the one that cannot live without a man!  I am more than somebody looking for a boyfriend and would hate to be seen as only that.  Perhaps I need to change my writing.  Perhaps I should talk more about the other areas of my life.  Perhaps I should forget about dating for awhile, or at least stop talking about it.

“It’s dreadful what little things lead people to misunderstand each other.”― L.M. ontgomery, Emily’s Quest

I started this blog because of a broken heart so it is fitting that this blog is mostly about my heart.  Also my dating adventures seem to be more interesting than other details about my life.  I always like to focus on the fun and positive.  Why should I talk about how much I am spending in my father’s medical bills or the fact that my tenant is 2 weeks late with the rent check when the dating trials and tribulations are more fun?

Perhaps I should do nothing different at all.  I should continue to be me.  Is it important what others know and think about me or is it enough that I know who I am and what I am about? Truth is I don’t really care what others think of me, but it is hard when their view is so opposed to the truth.

“We’re all islands shouting lies to each other across seas of misunderstanding.” ― Rudyard Kipling, The Light That Failed

How do I want you to see me?  It is really very simple, I just want you to get that I am real and honest, flawed and yet unbelievably perfect!  I did make it a mission of mine to be more aggressive and more active in finding a mate so I have to be able to take the comments in regards to that, and must not be hurt if the opinions differ from mine.   Leaving things to chance never suited me, even though I know and respect that things will happen if and when they are meant to happen.  I know the Universe conspires to bring me what I need, but nowhere it is written that I have to just sit and wait.

“Nothing happens until something moves.” ― Albert Einstein

I just want to be ready for the opportunity when it comes.  I want to put myself out there. I want soak life and all its beauty.  Even though my posts may not reflect it, I have grown immensely the last couple of years, and the people that I have met and dated have been instrumental to that growth.

“The power of getting to know one another is so immense, eclipsed only by first getting to know ourselves.” ― Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason

The truth is it would be really easy to sit here and write about something else and pretend dating is not one of my priorities/goals, but that would be manipulative and dishonest – two things that I am not!

So the verdict is in (I am that fast!!), I will continue the dating thing (and writing and talking about it) until I get sick of it and not because others are sick of reading/hearing about it.    So please keep coming back and reading.  Your comments have been enlightening, humorous and supportive.  You make me feel loved and valued as human being.  Your words really make me feel warm and fuzzy inside! In the end if you see me as “that girl” so be it, I can take it!