It's Life....... Asi es la vida

As I went for my morning run along the seashore I made a conscious effort to notice my surroundings. You see, most days I only have the finish line in mind and fail to see the beauty around me. But today I heard the waves crashing against the rocks, saw the seagulls flying high above and I was grateful, for what I have. You see this week has been an emotionally difficult time for me and hubby as well. He has been quite patient with my mood swings. I will rewind to Monday when I was feeling on top of the world. Upon returning from running I prepared breakfast then took Beli to the beach, just the two of us. It was time to bond. Hubby was going to hang out the rest of the afternoon with his brother following their P90x workout. I thought to myself, "I'm so happy we are each spending time with our loved ones."

On Tuesday, the frog made its appearance again, this time to help us with potty training.

For a couple of hours every day this week we worked on getting Beli used to the idea of not wearing diapers. We tried all the tricks available, the bribery (involves gummy bears), stickers, even Dora underpants. She seemed to understand yet refused to sit down to pee-pee. It's a new concept to grasp and we'll have to continue trying, in the meantime:Potty training 1o1: Beli 0: Frog 1).

On Wednesday I joined my friend G for an early walk around Marjan Hill. I was very lucky I brought my camera along because the plant on the left initially caught my attention but as I got closer to the street I saw a breathtaking view of the beach, with the island Ciovo in the background. Thoughtful Thursday: Beli awaiting the arrival of our friends for our Mexican night. We prepared shrimp fajitas, Mexican rice, refried beans and I attempted and barely succeeded in making flour tortillas.



The recipe seemed easy enough, just a few ingredients but I truly believe there's an art to making them perfectly round and chewy. Growing up I never really paid attention nor wanted to learn how to make tortillas. Now I regret it. I spent several hours looking for recipes on YouTube. Afterwards I wanted to call home and ask my Mom why they turned out so crispy but I didn't think she would appreciate the call at 4 in the morning. But my friends were happy eating my crispy tortillas, they said "to be the first time Elisa, you did quite well, maybe next time add the pig lard?" ( I had explained to them that I used vegetarian lard because the recipe either called for vegetable oil or lard). I also emailed my sister and she said maybe I used too much baking soda. I tell you, it's an art I have yet to master.

So you see, I was having a good week, feeling content. But on Wednesday, I was reading a post from my blog list and I learned about a fellow blogger who was in a fatal car accident. I didn't know her personally, only via comments she left on my blog. The news brought sadness because she left behind a loving husband and two precious children. Then several minutes later I received more tragic news, this time from my cousin in Iowa. His wife's 6-year old niece was diagnosed with cancer/brain tumor. Doctors said it's too risky to do further tests and there's nothing that can be done. Only six years old. It's heartbreaking. It's difficult to be in the present and not to think of yesterday or tomorrow. I reached out via email to my friends and family. My friend Nando was inspired to write a story. I invite you to click here to read it.

I kept thinking of these two families: one whose children were left without a mother, and the other family about to lose a child. I can't control the emotional roller coaster I'm in. I'm very thankful and fortunate to have a loving husband who is patient and encourages me to meet with my friends, to continue jogging. Because to be honest, all I want to do right now is cry. But I don't. For Beli's sake. What I did was put the computer away, I couldn't write. I stared at Beli, wanting to remember every single detail of her beautiful face. I also like hearing her giggle. Today she made me laugh. We were sitting on the bed with all her toys around us and I was drinking my coffee when she said, "How does Mami go? urrrrp, urrp." She was referring to my slurping sound as I drank my coffee. I looked at her and I took another gulp, this time exaggerating the slurping sound, she smiled. I had to laugh. And I did!

Hug your loved ones, Life is too fragile.