A Vacation I Hope To Take This Year.

The Vacation I hoped to take this year I just took it. The truth is that I had not taken a 3 week long vacation in what it seems like forever. Vacation from work, from the computer, from cellphones, from the constant rushing I do here in NYC.

This Christmas I took it. I went to Florida and spent an amazing time with my amazing husband and the kids. It gave me so much perspective in life. It taught me so much too.

I learned that I need a slower pace in my days, that I have to enjoy more the day to day things, like cooking as a family, and playing games as a family. It inspired me to be more active physically, to rest more, to keep an order to my days.

When I keep organized I can be more productive without exerting so much energy, so I have energy left over to do the things I really love.

This vacation we has so much fun, we went to Sea World, to Disney, Bowling, Old Town, and simply hanging out with friends and family.

I also went to see my dad and my siblings, and I learned a few things as well. I learned that I have more in common with my dad than I previously imagined. When he showed me his work space and all the things he does, how he has his own publishing company and makes books, and book covers and how he has his websites for his church and how he publishes his sermons. I realized that we do the same things, just for different audiences. The interesting thing is that me and my dad did not grow up together so there isn't that influence. Another thing that struck me as interesting is that the more I find in common with my dad, the more I appreciate my mom, and the more I feel close to her. It doesn't really make much sense, since they got divorced when I was 2, but things don't always make sense.


In this trip also I fell in love with my husband all over again. Seeing all the things he has accomplished, how wonderful he is, how smart, and I feel so amazingly proud of him. I always knew he was this great, but I know that now he's even better and more amazing.

What Vacation do you hope to take this year? Where do you want to go? How do you expect it to feel?

Family - Where is HOME to you?

For the past two weeks I have been in Puerto Rico. Not only was this a vacation, but also a moment to visit the family I have there. My mom, my grandparents, my aunt, my Godmother, my grand-aunt, my cousins. Going back to the place I grew up in, where I played as a child, where I met my husband, where we got married. Eating my favorite ice cream, Guánabana, from the Chinese Ice Cream Store and being able to share this with my girls.


We went to the beach, ate surullitos and cheese balls, and empanadillas de pizza over and over and over. I didn't seem to get sick of them.

I walked through the town that saw me grow up, and all the memories flooded my heart. I saw my grandparents almost in their 90's and I couldn't help myself from hugging them each day and be so grateful to have them still in my life.

I was able to newly appreciate my cousins, some which I had not seen in many years, and I was touched at how nice they were with me and how I was able to relate to them at a very different level now as an adult and how familiar everything felt.

I loved being able to see my friend Ingrid, and speak on the phone with Ricardo who was my great friend since kindergarten. 

Puerto Rico to me is my family, it is part of who I am, it is in my blood. It's where everything began. It was strange to see face to face the places that appear on my recurring dreams and at times it felt as if I was indeed walking through very vivid dreams.


But in Puerto Rico, Juaco, a friend of the family asked me: "Where is HOME to you? Brooklyn or Puerto Rico?" and I answered: "Where my husband and my children are." Because even though my beginnings are in Puerto Rico, my heart lies with my husband and my girls, and with out them, it wouldn't be home.

Where is HOME to you?

I leave you with a picture of the Calle Luna the main street of the town of San German with a beautiful sky