Mother, Run, Hike

Earlier today, I was heading to a meeting outside of the office. I was driving myself and my co-worker to the meeting, and he is the type of person who has to make comments about everything, so as soon as he got in the car, he asked who was singing on the CD I was playing. I said it was Enrique Bunbury, whom we are going to go see in Concert in NYC this weekend.  Then he asked me a question that people don't ask me often, "What do you like about him?" Normally people joke "I thought you were going to say Enrique Iglesias" or "Does he sing Salsa music?" but I was not ready for the "Why?" question.  But I surprised myself and said exactly why I listen to Enrique Bunbury.  I like Enrique Bunbury because of his voice, it's magical with healing powers. It's not soft and smooth, it's rough and scratchy, just like life can be. I like Enrique Bunbury because his musical style has not stopped evolving from his Heroes del Silence star...

Last week was the beginning of a very cold week, we started out with a very frosty day on MLK Day and just lazied it up from there. Running  When I figured out I had Monday off, I figured I would run outside and do all of this outside things. Then reality set it and I realized it was going to be freezing cold outside. We stayed in all day and watched Food Network for most of the day, it's a little embarrassing, but it's really not. After my haircut on Thursday, I met Roger at the YMCA for a quick treadmill run. He said I had to run 3 miles under 29 minutes, which I can do, but not on the treadmill. I challenged myself and ran as fast as I could. I was panting, sweating and suffering, and finished 3 miles in 30 minutes. I was all proud of myself and turned to Roger and asked how far he had gotten, and he said " I did 3 miles in 28 minutes". I was very confused... how did he do that? I was on 7.2 for most of the run, and he didn't go over 5.3 on his treadmil...

I have missed doing my weeks in review! Whenever I can't remember what I did, I went back and looked at my blog, since I haven't done a week in review in a while, I have little recollection of my life in the last 2 months. New Year,  and new things to check up on my progress each week. Running  Tuesday : 3 very cold miles after work. I was so cold, after the run I went home and hid under three blankets, it took a while to warm up again. Wednesday : 4 miles. Still cold, but didn't feel like I was dying after the run. In fat, after my run I went to Simply Turkey to pick up a wrap for dinner. Friday : 3 quick miles on the treadmill and Weights. We didn't have time to do more, because of the school delay. Sunday : 6 treadmill miles. It was freezing cold outside, and I'm allergic to the cold. We also did weights. Total miles : 16. I fell behind by 4 miles, because I can't deal with how cold it is and I have no motivation to deal with the treadmill...

Last week I finally went to the store and got myself a new planner, I know that we are 19 days into the new year, but I didn't feel that my year had started until I bought a planner. That's when my brain finally started to wrap up 2018, and to finish it, I needed a list of my 2018 favorites.... Yes, I realize this is a month late, life was too busy during the holidays. Favorite Songs Sin Pijama by Natti Natasha and Becky G -  - This is a very naughty song, but it was one of my favorites for 2018. It made it to 5 running playlist and occasionally, I still throw it in randomly just to dance. Medicina AND Veneno both by Anitta- This was the year I discovered Anitta and fell in love with her voice, her dance moves and her entire life attitude. Ponle by J Balvin, Rvssian and Farruko Favorite Books Hunger by Roxanne Gay- A good book changes the way you think and see the world, this book did that for me this year. I highly recommend it to anybody interested in changin...

For years, maybe about 12, I have been lying to myself and saying that the holidays are blissful and full of joy, when every year, I was just finding ways to cope to barely get by.  One year, I made 12 different types of Christmas cookies, having an extra layer of chaos made me feel like there was a reason for me to feel like I was going crazy.  Another year, I made 2 handcrafted ornaments for presents for my family. I knew that was a disaster when I got glitter glue on a pair of work pants, while cookies burned in the over.  Last year, my soul finally gave in and broke down. As I was driving to Target after my run one cold evening, I started having a mild panic attack, followed by uncontrollable sobbing, hiccups and ugly face included. I turned off the Christmas music, drove home and buried myself under my blankets while listening to Brazilian Samba.  I have asked myself why does Christmas stress me out. And so many different answers came to mind.....

Most days I go around being ungrateful, and some days even daring to complain of all my fortunes. This year, I want to make it a point to know and acknowledge the things that I take for granted in my life, and recognize how grateful I am for having them.  1. The health of my son, my family and Roger - Growing up, my mom used to constantly remind us to be grateful for our health, my immature brain couldn't' understand why I should be grateful for something I couldn't see, or play with. But now I get it, each day that goes by and I know my loved ones are healthy, is a wonderful day.  2. My job - Yes, some days I do not act thankful to have a job that pays me fairly, because after all, it is called work . But I am ever so thankful for the amazing people I work with, and the friends that I share so much of my life with.  3. Music - It sounds so silly, but music makes my life more amazing. I am currently loving Anitta, J Balvin, Bunbury and Maluma... strange mix, I know,...

In most countries, the legal age for Voting is 18. I have been 18 for 18 years, and have not in my life participated in an elections. You cannot imagine how sad that statement makes me. But so is the life of an immigrant woman. I couldn't vote in my countries elections, because I don't live there. And I couldn't vote here until this year, because just this year I became a citizen. When people asked me what was I most excited about with being a new citizen, I said 1. Voting, and 2. Committing crimes without the threat of being deported ( I have no intention of committing a crime, but if I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, an immigration court could make it their job to get me deported, despite it being a first offense. But again, no intention of committing a crime) Have I done my research on the candidates? For the most part. I know that my support is 100% behind Tom Wolf , our sitting Governor. He has moved the state forward in many issues, including...