The book

Today I finished writing the book, the real book (like some friends would call it). Today I finished the story book I wrote for my wonderful little boy. I call it “Where did Marco come from”, in which I try to explain how he was brought into this world. It’s his story, our story.

When I first decided to become a single mother by choice, I knew there would come a time when I would have to explain that not all children have a mom and a dad. I would have to explain, that all children come from love, and that ultimately he came from the most pure, big and wonderful kind of love. He came from the love and dream I had of becoming a mom, of becoming his mom.

At first, writing the story became a bit hard. I had an idea of what I wanted to tell him. I had been to two different family therapists (the second just to confirm what the first one said, because I wanted to make sure that the decision I made was the best for us. Yes I know I tend to have a need of controlling everything, my friends call me out on it, but  hey it’s bigger than me!). And I had made a mental script of what I would say when the daddy issue came up. I had a lot of time to write this book, given that when I started my little boy was only one year old. But since I’ve been so lucky to have this huge support system from my family and friends, I felt a sense of responsibility to write a book that single moms who don’t have that support could read and use when the time was right. It was that particular sense of responsibility that made me forget to write from the heart and I started writing form the mind, which by then made me feel I was doing something for school or work.

So today I decided to go back to first draft, write the story only for Marco and me, letting my ideas flow with and from the heart. The result was the most beautiful morning of writing and finishing the book, the real book. My cousin that is an awesome illustrator, is going to draw my ideas into the story, so I can actually make a real book as a gift for Marco, an use it when he decides to start asking about his dad. A couple of close friends are reading it and helping me with some cleaning/writing details. And hey, if a fellow single mom finds it helpful, it makes this gift even more special because not only did it help me process what I would like to say to Marco one day, but I would’ve also help another brave woman who decided to make all the love she had to give into the wonderful journey that being a mom is.

If I had to give an advice to single moms (I know I can be pretentious, no one is asking me for advice and I’m no expert) it would be to follow your heart. All families are different, for mine books can be our way of communicating, for yours it can be singing or cooking or just having a good old fashion talk. In the end all that matters is knowing that with honesty and a whole bunch of love, explaining to your child why you are a single mom will be easier than we all thought. And when I get scared that the explain day is getting closer, knowing I have the book makes me ten times more at ease.

 

One baby or more

Today I realized I should work on deciding to have one baby or more (oh if it only were as easy as playing one potatoe, two potatoes, three potatoes, four.)

It just so happens I visited my gynecologist this morning accompanying my mom on her routine checkup, and what seem to be a regular morning of errands suddenly turned into an existential debate whether to possibly stay with one child or use my third vial left in attempt to get pregnant again. This turn of events happened because my doctor reminded me of the fact that I’m 37 years old and the sooner I have a baby, the better chance I have to get pregnant and having a healthy, complicated free pregnancy.

I’m not scared of the being a preggo again, I just loved being pregnant! Yes I got bloated, I was super tired all the time, I got really heavy so I had to do things really slowly and don’t get me started on how I suffered from acid reflux during the whole nine months. But all in all, having life inside me, knowing that I was everyday closer to meeting my little bundle of joy and that I finally was going to make my biggest dream come true (I wanted to be a mom ever since I can remember), made me the happiest preggo ever.

The money for the process of getting an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) is also not an issue. Giving birth in a good clinic and all the prenatal attention is covered by my health insurance. My doctor is the most wonderful and competent professional I could ask for. So if all of this doesn’t seem to be a problem, then what’s the deal?

Being a single mom is hard, very hard, probably the hardest thing I´ve ever done, the most rewarding yes, but still the hardest. Despite it being hard, I manage to give my one year old Marco a pretty happy life. I live with my mom, who gives me a hand. I can afford a nanny that takes care of him while I work, who is a loving, responsible and honest woman. My dad and his wife come and visit him at least twice a week. I was able to afford a good preschool, which he starts in august. So one might say I we have a super privileged life. But still I’m exhausted! Yes I know, most single moms have no help, but still let me admit I’m always tired, I feel I’m always working, taking care of Marco o attempting to sleep. Besides the feeling a truck just ran over me, money scares me. After digging in to our savings when we had to fly all the way to the US in order to treat Marco´s severe plagiocephally (thank God it was something super simple to treat and we are all done with it now), just barely making it with my monthly expenses, asking my mom for help in order to pay the preschool tuition, basically all that goes into raising a child on my own, makes me doubt if I can afford a second child.

True, I have some extra ways of making money that until now I haven’t done. To me being able to spend the afternoons with Marco during his first year was a priority. Now that I can focus on getting a side business project started, I’m not so sure how much time I can dedicate to working full days if I have a second child. However, I’m awesome in multitasking so if I have to juggle around stuff in order to be a good mom, I know I’ll get by. A good friend told me that she doesn’t let money dictate her family; she is a believer that things will fall into place. That last part is how I have lived my life, but for some reason this being a single mom thing has gotten me really scared of not having enough money to be able to give two kids a good life. When I say two kids, I say it praying to God I don’t have twins! Yes I would love them to death but let’s face it, twins; triplets (just typing that word make anxious) are scary, beautiful but scary!

I know I can always meet a good man, that loves my Marco and that wants more children, but that is totally left to destiny. I’m currently no looking to date. I have too many things on my plate. I´m at a place that if I randomly meet a nice guy and it works out then lucky me, but if I don’t, I´m perfectly content with my life as a single mom. My friends say I should be more active in finding a guy because children, especially boys, grow up and sometimes maintain distant from their family, which at the same time is a reason I should try and have more kinds.  To me, the fear of being alone is not a reason to have another child, so I can scratch that from my list of pros on baby number two. There is also the myth that single children are selfish and spoiled, meaning I should give Marco a sibling so he can learn to share and care for other people´s needs as well as his. I use the word myth, because as an educator I’m a firm believer that you can perfectly teach a child to be kind, have empathy for others and be well behaved even if he or she is an only child.

There is a place in my heart that would love to give Marco a sibling that he can have a deep bond with, however, despite the fact I love my brother, we have never shared a deep bond, and I actually have never missed having one. Even though my relationship with my brother was not that close,  in my dreams I would love to see my little one play with his younger brother or sister and becoming the best of friends. So I question myself, if money where no issue and I had the help and support I need in order to take care of two children, would I still want another child o would I just want Marco to have a sibling?

That is a question I’m going to ask myself, and until I’m certain of the answer it will be one baby for now. I´ll also remind me that having my own super hero at home makes me the luckiest woman in the planet and know that everything will eventually fall into place.

 

Abby

Abby, nope I´m not going to write about me, this post is about Marco´s dibbling, Abby. I don’t know much about her daily routine, I do know she is a happy, free spirited, independent little girl, which shares the same biological father of Marco (whoever he may be). When I first found out of the existence of Abby, I didn’t think much about it. But then her mom and I got to exchange a few messages and I thought that it couldn’t  hurt to keep in touch with this family. Never in mind came the idea of meeting them one day.

While I was staying in the States for Marco´s plagiocephally treatment, Abby´s mom and I planned a meeting and had the most fabulous lunch. I got the privilege of meeting not only this power couple; I also got to meet her grandparents, aunt and uncle. They were super welcoming and loving and I got to see at first hand Abby´s free spirit (I’m sure this little girl is leaving her own mark in the world). One would say it was an ordinary family lunch, but to me it was the beginning of what can be a beautiful relationship between two wonderful children who share a similar story of how they came into the world.

It´s very comforting to know that I can share some of my fears on being a single mother by choice with Abby´s mom. It also gives me a sense of peace, knowing that one day, if Marco ever feels like a weird outsider (and don’t get me wrong, there is nothing bad with being an outsider) he knows where to find someone that he can be an outsider with. I sometimes imagine the summers they can spend together showing each other where they live, what they like to do, meeting each other friends; better yet being plain old friends. At the same time, I don’t plan to find out if Marco has more half siblings scattered out there, nor I think he needs more, Abby is more than enough. I truly hope they can play together soon, and start having the most extraordinary of playdates that turn into adventures.

 

Time lost, time gained.

I don’t know exactly what this post is going to be about, nor how if I will be able to finish it. I do know how ever that time is somewhat of a luxury these days. A ten month old baby, well let me rephrase, my ten month old baby is the cutest, happiest, most lovable, healthiest, perfect ten month old baby in the planet, who aside from being perfect (yes, I know I can’t be objective when it comes to Marco.), doesn’t sleep well at night, loves to play with mommy instead of napping with her, crawls all over the house wanting to grab and discover all the new stuff he can find instead of playing with his toys (he specially has a fascination for remote controls and keys). So one would say that having time to write a blog is not a priority for this first time mom.

There are many things I miss about not having the amount of time and energy I used to have. I miss cooking a simple dinner that I would crave at that moment while listening to my favorite playlist and drinking a gin tonic, or a glass of wine or a vodka tonic or any alcoholic drink. No I don’t have a drinking problem; I currently have a booby problem. Yes I still breastfeed him, yes I choose not to drink alcohol while I’m breastfeeding but boy do I miss my occasional cocktail. I also miss a long nap after a good big meal. My naps are now usually the half and hour Marco sleeps without moving o waking up wanting to play. Please don’t get me started on the last time I watched a full movie with no interruptions, or something that was not animated (baby tv is on as we speak), or a couch marathon of a good Netflix series (Netflix? What is Netflix? Does that even still exist?).

The art of improvising; now there is a concept that no longer exists in my life. Going out means planning a meal, clean bottles, a change of clothes, wipes, diapers, stroller, toys, etc., etc., etc. So no, I can’t improvise or travel lightly. Silence, is a privilege I also lost. It’s either making the shhh noise, or singing, or clapping (he loves his new ability of clapping) or making funny noises, or just plain talking (me and Marco have our own language). An elegant and organized living room is something I get to see in magazines, in my house I said goodbye to my living room table and hello to Marco´s toys and play mat.

It’s true I lost a few things in addition to time 10 months ago, but I do feel I gained much more. I learned a bunch of new songs, yes they mostly kid songs, but still they are new songs. Being serious, opening my front door and being welcomed to the most beautiful smile in the world in the middle of ta sea of toys, makes me love my living room. Having this wonderful creature  wanting to listen to me all day, makes this mom want to talk and sing with my horrible voice forever. I don’t mind planning thirty minutes before I leave the house, because I sincerely enjoy traveling and walking around the neighbourhood watching my little boy discover all that is new to him. True I don’t watch Tv, but having at least an hour to write is enough alone time for me. My life right now changed tv time for baby play time, it may not always be as fun but it is definitely ten times more gratifying. My naps are shorter, sometimes I feel like they are a million times shorter. However cuddling with my wonderful baby boy makes me feel like the luckiest woman on earth. While a good gin tonic is longed for, I have found non-alcoholic beer to be quiet tasty. Gaby the chef is now known for the wonderful mixtures of veggies and potatoes, fruits and cereal, rice and chicken, Gerber is no match to me!

So instead of saying that I’ve lost time to do a lot of the things that I liked, I can say I gained time for being a Mom, and with that came a lifetime of happiness filled with a world of love.

to M❤️M or not to M❤️M

To Mom or Not to Mom? That was my question…
Last year by this time I was almost undergoing my second IUI (round of artificial insemination), and little did I know that my life was about to change forever. Deciding to be a SMC (single mother by choice) was the scariest and most gratifying choice I could ever make. A friend once asked me if could live a happy life without a man in it. I said at that moment that didn’t know but I was willing to try. However, when it came down to answering if could live my life without ever becoming a Mom, my answer with no hesitation whatsoever was NO.

So when on a Saturday, June 13th, I got the results back with a positive, I knew that my ultimate happiness was soon to come, and 40 weeks later, on Saturday, February 27th, when I held my beautiful baby boy in my arms, my life right there and then was complete. He completes me (sorry Jerry Maguire for stealing your line), my baby completes me. I stare at him in the mornings, tired from waking up to feed him, and my life has meaning. He smiles at me with this sense of happiness, of feeling loved, at that moment my hearts melts, making the fear of embarking on raising a child on my own seem actually doable. It is that smile, that tells me “Look at me mommy, I’m happy, I’m loved, you didn’t do a selfish thing, you made me from love”. I sometimes fear when he is old he will resent the fact I didn’t give him a Dad, but it’s those particular moments when I tell myself that true, I didn’t wait to see if life gave me a Dad for him, instead I promised him a life filled with my unconditional love and support, loving grandparents, amazing godparents, and a ton of nonblood related aunts and uncles that are going to be there for him day or night.

This May is my first Mother´s Day, never actually believed id get to celebrate it being a mom, being Marco´s mom. He is the most happy, peaceful, loved, cheerful, healthy little baby. I can’t believe we have survived these two and half months. The waking up two or sometimes three times in the night, the pain of recuperating from the C-section, the sore nipples from not knowing how to breastfeed, the anxiety of not knowing basic needs that other mothers find so simple, and the fear of not doing a good job, are all emotions that are not compared to the overwhelming happiness that being a mom gives me, and of knowing I have managed to do good by him, given my inexperience on the mommy department. This month I get to celebrate the fact that thanks to an immense amount of people who supported my decision and have been there for us since day one, I have lived the most wonderful two months and half of my life. To those women who want to be mom but fear to do so on your own, I have this to say, just organize your finances a bit, try and find some sort of support system (which ever it could be) and follow your dream, having your baby in your arms will automatically make the fear go away. For those who struggle getting pregnant I sincerely wish you the best of luck and baby dust in the world, I know how much a desired baby is longed for. And to my Marco, I love it when you hold my finger while I feed you, I love it when you look into my eyes while I put you to sleep, I love how you like to sleep in my chest just to hear my heartbeat. Thank you for inspiring me to be a better person, to make a better world for you, thank you for making me complete, thank you for choosing me to be your mom. It took me the whole afternoon to post this, because you keep calling me, but know that every time you call I will come to you no matter what. So thank you, thank you oh so much, for letting me celebrate Mother`s Day for the very first time.

Lost and bit numb

Haven’t you ever felt lost? Like your floating your life away, or like your walking in path that has no end and no definite direction. And the weirdest thing is that you have a map, you know exactly what you have to do, where you have to go but you can’t seem to actually do it. Why? What is so scary?

This is sort of the way I’m feeling lately; I feel I have no true mission in life. I know I’m in the process of becoming a single mother by choice; in fact I’m in my second try of an artificial insemination process. At first I thought that since I was so incredibly sad, the first time around when I found out that I wasn’t pregnant, that id only make sense not to get exited during my second try just in case in doesn’t work out. But then I honestly look inside me, and I guess I have had this feeling on numbness for quite a while now. I know I have to exercise; it’s the only way to keep your body healthy and active, I know I should study more, education is becoming a more challenging field every day and my kids could get a lot more than what I give them, I know I should read more on coaching, I think I can be really good at it, and it would make a good career project that I can work on while I still work at my school. I know all these things and more, but I choose or I let my numbness choose for me not to do anything about it. I choose not to discover fun and different things to do. Why I choose to do nothing is where I loose myself even more. Why am I so afraid of leaving my comfort zone? At what point in my life did I stop taking risks, working hard? What am I so afraid for?

The crazy thing is that I know I can do a good job, I know I’m destined for greatness, hec I know I can be freaking awesome, but I choose not be. I’m conscious of this fact, but still do nothing.

This is not a very optimistic post, let be real, it’s a negative post, but to be truthful I think I may be afraid of being optimistic. I will stop writing and I will indulge my numbness for a few more days, but I will try my best to get out it, to start changing, to acknowledge the fact that I have dreams, and that all I need is to start doing and kick my numbness butt. Let’s see where it goes.

Welcome April!

I have been meaning to post a blog about something, anything, just for need of writing. On Wednesday people started posting on Facebook several pics welcoming April and saying goodbye to March, which got me thinking since when do we have this need to have time stop and start again. Every Monday you see a bunch of funny pics about how dreaded Monday is and during the week you see these reminders that Fridays is coming as if weekdays were that bad. So I came to the conclusion that my weekdays don’t suck, yes I have a job that makes me wake up at 6am but thanks to that job I have a lovely home, get to go out once in a while, get my manicure and pedicure done, and do all sorts of insignificant things that imply money but that I like doing therefore makes me thankful that I have this job (yes sometimes it can be a pain in the ass, but hey that’s life).

This being said March as an awesome month, first because I celebrated my 35^th birthday exactly the way I wanted to, second because I finished my Life Coaching Certification classes, which means that I have some last studying to do so I can share this wonderful new skill that I learned and help others, third and I think most importantly, because I shared my biggest dream yet in my last post, which made it more real, more true. You may ask me where am I going with this, I’m wondering that myself, but I guess I just want to acknowledge the fact that when I say “Hello Friday or Hello April” it’s not that I’m not glad to start another weekend or another whole new month, it’s that I’m thankful for the past and I’m looking forward to the future (yes I know it sounds a super deep comment for something as short and as simple as a week, but hey bear with me here, I might actually make a point at the end of this).

Ok, so if you read me from time to time you know I like lists, so here is a “Welcome April to Do List”:

1. Find a cause that I can relate to. For quite some time now I have this desire to find a cause that I can help with in a periodic way. I often do volunteer work for a specific moment, and yes it is immensely gratifying but since it’s a one day out a year kind of activity, the gratification soon wears off. I believe that if you give your time and energy in a systematic way, you have something more to live for. The truth is life gives you sad days and shitty days, but when you work for a cause you are little by little changing the world and in a selfish kind of way feeling good about yourself, like you have a true purpose in life.

 

2. Go to the beach more often: there is nothing more peaceful than looking at the ocean with the wind in your hair, the sun warming your skin and just breathing. It gives me a feeling of “Damn I’m lucky to be alive!” Living in an island gives you that benefit, but I think we sometimes take it for granted, so starting this month I’m going to gladly go to beach more often, doing some relaxing, some writing, some reading and some good, very good living.

 

3. I believe in God but I don’t consider myself a religious person but I do identify with the following prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Reinhold Niebuhr

I have to work on the fact that there are some things in my past that I cannot change or erase, just accept. I have to realize that not everyone in the world is kind, that people are sometimes mean or spiteful, that I have been hurt by friends or that yes life is sometimes very shitty but only when I get recognize this, I can move on and start forgetting the bad of the past, and remember the good, that was actually a huge part of my past. A friend once told me to accept the fact, even though it hurts, that life takes away the negative people in order to make room for the positive ones. So accepting the things that I can change will definitely be a good letting go exercise.

4. Zip lining and diving: If everything goes well my life will change pretty soon and there are things that I won’t be able to do for a while, so I want to zip line and dive again. I have never been the adventurous type, but I learned thanks to a friend how fun it is to zip line and how wonderfully beautiful it is to dive. There is a long weekend next month so I have decided what a great way it would be to welcome May if I went to Cabarete or Samaná and maybe do both! So as soon as I finish posting today’s blog I’m going on booking.com and renting myself something nice!

 

5. Keep listening to new music: Well its actually very old music… I discovered that writing with Mozart is actually very inspiring. I remember when I was a small child, my parents often listened to classical music, but I never appreciated. Mom, Dad you did good… I can now say I enjoy having classical music on the background… Who knew! Also, this past week I discovered a cool old jazz musician called Dizzy Gillespie, so I’ve been listening to him a lot these past few days. One of the things I love of living by myself is that I can enjoy music again. To me music is life and I’m glad I’m rediscovering it.

 

I still don’t quite know what I wanted to write about, but I welcome not only April, I welcome all the new days to come with some things on my To Do List and learning to take each day at a time, accepting the things I can’t change and having the courage to change the things I can, but most importantly having a blast welcoming days, weekends and much more months to come. Some Welcome April!

The perfect 35th Birthday Gift

If I could find the perfect birthday gift for me, what would it be…

1. A cure for migraines would be really nice. Migraines can be the biggest pain in the ass, especially if you last more than a week with them. But when it comes that moment of the day when I get angry and frustrated over my freaking migraines, I remember that there are tons of people who live in incredible pain and are still optimistic about life, so I pop in a headache pill and just live my day, business as usual. But a cure for migraines would be pretty awesome right now.

2. My favorite childhood story. There are two books that I remember my parents reading. The first one is called “La Elefanta Rosa Caramelo” (The Pink Caramel Elephant). A couple of years ago I found a copy over at amazon, paid almost 40 us for it, but it made my day being able to find it. It’s actually an inspiring story for little girls, because the morel of it is basically allowing you to be different and have fun being yourself. The second is a collection of books called “Max quiere un mundo mejor” (Max wants a better world). I remember my mom reading the Max books at night and me and my brother being amazed by Max’s ability to travel to different planets with the most interesting characters. Apparently the discontinued that book series, but it would be so cool if I found a used copy of them. That in its self would make for the best birthday present.

3. Weekend at the mountains and doing some hand gliding. Yes its true that life is so much better at the beach, but going to the mountains, Jarabacoa maybe, which is a small town in DR that I love, would be kind of cool. My mom decided three years ago that for her 60^th birthday she would try hand gliding, she still says it’s a super cool experience. So escaping to the mountains for a fun and relax weekend and trying some hand gliding, that is the closest I’ll get to flying, might be a good present to give myself.

4. Watching a good happy movie. I’ve watched a lot of really good movies lately, but they were not on the happy side. So just a feel good movie that makes you think all is wonderful in the world and that leaves you would a little warm tickle in your heart would be nice. Laughter is good for the soul they say, so maybe this could be a good cheap birthday present for me.

5. Winning the lottery. Now that would be the greatest story ever! If someone asked you: “Hey, what did you get for your birthday?” and you would answer with an email and a picture of you drinking a cup of wine in the middle of Greece: “Oh, I won the lotto for my birthday, and I’m in the middle of traveling around the world”. Tell me that wouldn’t just rock!

So basically I pretty much have huge lot of important things, that make no not need much (except the winning the lottery thing). If I can get rid of my migraines I’m sure my birthday will be perfect. Well, actually with or without my usual headaches I’m one hundred percent sure that my birthday will be awesome. I don’t know why some people don’t enjoy celebrating their birthdays, true you get old, but you are also getting wiser and tend not to give a crap on things you once thought important. I’m my case is the one day of the year people text or call from different places around the world to remind me how important I am. Plus I get to acknowledge the fact I have a huge bunch of awesome people in my life, and that at the end of the day I don’t need much cause I have a huge huge huge lot. So Gaby’s 35^th birthday here I am!

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Dreams, big dreams…

Dreams….

Why are dreams so important, so terrifying, so needed and so longed for. My dream is big, probably one of the biggest dream I’ve ever wanted, let me rephrase that, this particular dream is the biggest, most scary, yet most wanted dream that I have ever had in my entire life.

It’s a very private dream, and every time someone celebrates the happiness of my dream, instead of laughing or jumping up and down or singing our lungs out in a cheap karaoke bar, my first instinct is to cry. It’s not a happy need to cry nor a sad one, I think it’s just the kind of it scares the crap out me need to cry, given the fact that I decided to make my dream a reality.

I have always labeled myself as being undisciplined, but I recently discovered that this is an unfounded and unreal label that I put to myself that has nothing to do with reality. I run a successful business, true I’m not going to be rich, but I feel rich, I basically have everything I need, therefore I’m rich. I live on my own, not depending on my family or a partner. I keep learning new things, so I think that says I have discipline, so I know I have what I takes to fulfill my dream. Never the less, it scares me, it scares the living shit out of me.

So decided to embrace my fear, cry when I feel overwhelmed, and write when I need to vent all I have inside in the quietness of my home, and call any of my wonderful friends when I need reassurance on a crappy day.

Today I feel free; I’m actually having a glass of champaign tonight to celebrate this freedom. Today I have the freedom to face my fear in the eye and tell him “ I know you’re there, the fact that you are there is going to make work harder in being better every day, cause you know what, dear old fear, today, for me, the sky is the limit. I’m dreaming big cause the outcome is going to be huge, awesome and the most wonderful decision I have ever made. So you can keep hanging around, you can still make me cry, but just to let you know, the more you make me cry, the stronger I get!”

I once read “If your dreams don’t scare you, it’s because they are too small”. Today I’m dreaming, dreaming big! I got this picture yesterday, and without knowing it  describes to perfection my current moment in life, which is just to breathe, take each day as it come, and dream big, because I know exactly where I want to be and I’m pretty close to getting there.

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Things that make me happy. Vol 3 (11-17)

It has been a rough couple of days, well maybe weeks. The good thing about being sad I that you force yourself to feel opposite and you start doing things that can make you happy. This being said and in the spirit of writing, here is my continued list of things that make me happy. 11. Gin Tonics I have found a new respect for gin tonics. I get drunk really easily so I basically drink two three at the most and I’m the happiest girl of the whole party. This kind of makes it cheap for me to go out, two drinks and I’m done for the night.

 

12. 80s songs I was born in 1980, so you can’t really say the 80s where my musical era, but my favourite music comes from Journey (Don’t stop believing is just the happiest, uplifting song ever) Pet Shop Boys (You are always on my mind should be the Dominican Anthem) The Outfield, The Police, Boy George, etc. 80s music definitely rock!

 

13. Juan Luis Guerra And since we’re talking about music, there is no greater artist in this planet, let alone in this universe than Juan Luis Guerra. I soooo love him!! He is one of the main reasons I’m proud to say I’m Dominican! Merengue, bachata, salsa, you name it he can play it, and you are going to just love it! There is not one song of that I don’t like. He´s more than an artist he is a poet!

 

14. Beef Carpaccio In my journey of trying new things, besides discovering the great pleasure of a gin tonic, I discovered and immense pleasure of eating a good Beef Carpaccio. Who knew that a picky eater like me would like a raw cow dish! In my mind cows grow on trees so I’m not eating an animal, it’s just a big old plate of raw fruits that I’m eating.

 

15. Gluten free and dairy free tasty stuff I don’t understand why gluten free and dairy free foods have to taste like crap sometimes. Why can’t a person with food allergies eat tasty snacks. So every time in find in DR (even though it’s just three times more expensive than regular food) something that is actually yummy and I can eat it without regretting the hec out if the next day, I get so happy I look like a little kid on Christmas Day!

 

16. Sleeping in Tell me is not just the best feeling in the world, getting under your covers, not having to listen to the annoying sound of that bastard alarm clock, and just sleeping until your body has to literally be superglued off the bed. And eating breakfast on my balcony when I should be preparing for lunch is just the best feeling in the world.

 

17. Super mom My mom is my best friend, she’s away in a much deserved vacation, miss her a lot, but it makes me the happiest woman in this world just knowing I have the best mom ever.

 

Ok… So I’m done for now. I just shared with you 7 new things that make me happy. Even though I’m embracing my sadness knowing that I can easily just pick something to do from my happy list calms me down. There some bad days, but we don’t realize there are even more happy days. Since music and gift wrapping are my passions (we covered my gift wrapping obsession in my earlier posts) I will leave you guys with a song that always lifts my spirits, therefore a happy song! (at least for me it is)

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