Today I woke up with a tear running down my face. A tear of joy, I hope.

Its Helen’s birthday today and I wish I was there to celebrate with her and make her day super extra special, just like she is. This little girl is turning 11 but going on to 17. She is mature, she is smart, she is funny and very spontaneous. She is genuine and also very sweet.

She is only 11 and although she is mature, due to the fact she hangs out mostly with adults unless she is at school she has a sense of innocence I adore.

Years ago when Helen was born I was going through a stage in life where I didn’t really appreciate what I had or who I had. I learned of her birth and I was happy but it almost didn’t make me feel anything else, at that time I was numb, very numb. Thankfully that is all behind me now and I have moved on, matured and grown. Boy am I glad I did! I can now see things for what they truly are and I can see my life into the future and could never imagine living in this world without my family and those around me.  

To appreciate is to love. I hope my little girl has a great day today. I know she will grow up to be amazingly talented and great at whatever it is she decides to do in life! Happy birthday Princess! If I could only translate into words how much I love you. My heart beats faster thinking of you, afraid you will grow up too fast and forget me haha! I am far… but always close to your heart I hope.

Thanks for been so sweet and understanding and always patient. Thanks for tickling my back on demand when I ask haha! And thanks above all for truly loving me like a big sister. God didn’t give me any blood brothers or sisters but it gave me YOU and that’s one of the most amazing most precious things in my life today. I love you with all my heart! Happy Happy Birthday!

Well hello there fellow followers....

As usual, it is now almost customary of me to start off by saying I really want to continue doing this and more often…

I noticed that since I do this so sporadically I totally skipped a few very important things that happened in my life in the past year. For starters, I am now a MRS and no longer a MS, incredible huh? Well yes, it happened fast and suddenly you could say, but I knew deep down the day would come. I married a man who I absolutely adore, but sometimes find really annoying and no one and I mean NO ONE can push my buttons like he does! But hey, they say that’s all part of the game we signed on for.

And talk about Weddings, we actually had 2. We had our civil wedding in Toronto, where my family from Miami joined in and his brother Carlos flew from Minnesota and surprised us and then we had our symbolic wedding in Mexico, which everyone mentioned joined us again, and our closest friends and family as well. Mexico was our dream wedding, the one we really spent time planning, or should I say I spent time planning, Luis picked the food Menu and that took him long enough to decide.

The wedding in Mexico was a typical “novella”. I won’t bore you with details, but the bride’s mom fainted and had to be taken back to her room and couldn’t enjoy the rest of the wedding, the drinking, partying and dancing. It appears she had eaten something bad, yes, my MOM! She was devastated but I think by now she has finally gotten over it! She was there for the most important part I think, the ceremony itself and walking me down the aisle. –Anniversary date: May 17, 2013

Another important event, I consider, was my surgery. I should sit down and really blog about this experience, more so to make it known to others who may suffer from the same issues. I had surgery on my tail bone to remove a cyst. The medical name is: pilonidal cyst. A doctor once said, this is what they call “literally a pain in the ass” and oh boy is it ever! Couldn’t sit down for a while, was laying down on my stomach and hips quite a while. Had a vacuum installed for faster recovery and thank god I had a team of nurses (including my mom) who really took care of me. It is now all healed and sealed and fingers crossed that is the last time I go through that. Would never wish that upon anyone, 3 surgeries later I really hope that was the winner of all.

2014 had a good start. I started off with a strong BANG at a new job. But the happiness felt short when they didn’t offer me a permanent position and could only extend my contract until the summer (bummer) but I got back up and after long months that felt like years and lots of interviews and hopes up I settled down and found a new job. Once again life proved that things always happen for a good reason and if it hadn’t been for Blackwood (previous job) I would have never felt so prepared to take on all the new challenges here at Greensoil (current job).

Anyway enough with the boring stuff. I will blog again soon, I hope.

Cheers to life and all the ups and downs, and cheers to those who always help us get UP!

So today I am adding a little twist. I decided after many days, weeks and months of serious analysis, it is time for blog again.These days, everyone blogs about how to do this, or that or about their running adventures; I wish I ran, I would probably have very exciting stories to share. But no, I don’t run, or not yet anyway.How come no one ever blogs about their frustrations? Well maybe I am starting something here today.I am plenty frustrated and confused. As I re-initiate my search for a job AGAIN I find myself applying to almost everything and receiving emails one after another of: no you are not qualified, no this is not suitable, no you don’t have the background or experience required. I am disappointed, to say the least. Here you have a young professional, focused on launching a successful career for herself. Improving herself also by attending classes twice a week after long days of work and a looooong commute and all I get are emails that don’t provide much insight as to WHY I AM NOT SUITABLE. You can pretty much let me lose in a coffee bean field and believe me I will find coffee beans and be great at it. I can be great at anything I put my mind to. I am not conceded or overly confident but I do believe in my skills and my passion for sacrificing and doing whatever it takes TO MAKE IT.So there you have it, none followers. Truthfully no one has read this blog and who knows if anyone ever will. I need to one day have the courage to post it somewhere somehow.I leave you now, as I am meeting up with my number one supporter and strong believer, MY MOTHER. I have a weekend planned of fun adventures for us to enjoy on this mother’s day weekend. She deserves to feel special and loved. I still say to myself “ I want to be like you when I grow up”. My mom is the BEST. 

July 15th

Yes, I defienatly need to make more time for ME! Writting is so therapeutic, but I need to make time for it. I wont start my complaining its been so long because we all know how to add the many months its been by now.. but here I am.

Not so high on happiness, haha! I guess REALITY kicked me in the ass real hard after my honeymoon getaway... I wish I could live in a cloud and spend my days dreaming and imagining a perfect happy world.. but anyway back to TODAY.

July 15th... Mid month July...

Liz' Wedding is fast aproaching ( Thank God), Liz, for those of you who dont know is my boyfriend's sister, her wedding is next Friday July 22nd and I have been helping plan and organize a few of the many things that need to be done for a Wedding and let me tell you, I really enjoy it... I think its true I have it in me to do something like this... DWP (Destination Wedding Planner?) Yes, maybe, looking into it for sure. =)

My friends, my dearest Armenians are back from their trip to Miami, Florida, how envious I felt when I knew they were going, but we Torontonians cant complain too much the weather has been pretty fantastic these last few weeks, too bad most of us are indoors for most of the day...

Also, yesterday was Mario's Bday, a.k.a Pitititi... him and my mom dated years ago, back in Cuba, and like some day "everyone comes into your life for a reason" I think in his case, he opened my eyes and my heart to the great possibility of really loving someone like MY DAD... I was sad when they ended their relationship but that in some way only lead to bigger and better things for us, My mom and I... I now have a real FATHER.. BUBU! who I couldnt love and be more proud of... He is tough and stubborn at times, but deep down he is the best dad I could have ever asked for... I feel like I am more his than his own children sometimes... and no offense but I think i do love him more (it shows!)


My BF and I have been riding this long non stop rollacoster for a while... with UPS and DOWNS, but i guess thats part of the process... we are now living together and things can get complicated at times.. misunderstandings occur and we dont know how to handle each other sometimes... I guess like all things, TIME WILL TELL... but for now, I know that Laura Stewart will only appear in Theatres near you in Special Ocassions not everyday... hahahaha, Do you know what I mean?


Well, until then, hopefully soon, my dear followers. Keep well, be safe and most of all LIVE LIFE!

April 16-2011

I can’t believe my last post was in Dec of last year… what have I been doing all this time? And we are in APRIL!!!! Damn… =)

Anyway, here I am dear followers… (None) loyal friends… (Many but not on my blog)…

I am happy… I have been happy for a while now, few weeks, months…

I spent a lovely 11 days away from Toronto and just returned last Monday April 11^th, I think I am still high on love sun sand and beach… and I am finding it really hard to get back on track and stop using”…” all the time. There is just something about adding … after each sentence that I enjoy, it feels as if there is room left for other things, other interpretations, leaves more to the imagination.

Back on the 11 day getaway, my boyfriend and I went to Miami and 6 out of the 11 days we spent there we took a cruise that went along the Eastern part of the Caribbean Sea.

We had 3 stops, the Florida Keys, Grand Cayman and Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We had an amazing time and needless to say I came back more in love with him than ever… and YES! He is also returning the favor… jaja! With lots and lots of LOVE! FOR MEEEEE!!

Super high on happiness!

A lot has happened since we left and have now returned.

My friend Maral’s dad is in the Hospital and not doing too good. I think he is tired, he has been ill for a quiet sometime now and everything has progressed so rapidly it indicates he doesn’t have much time… I just pray for him that God can keep him safe and pain free… to see him suffering so much isn’t fair and to see my friend and her family have to witness him this way breaks my heart. We leave everything in God’s hand as he knows what is best for us, Angels please stay by their side.

Luis’ uncle is also in the Hospital, he is a strong man so I believe he will come out of it in a few days… His heart maybe just needed a little break or a change of oil like some cars do… some needed it more often than others… he will be better soon, I know it.

Life… what is life? I heard today the oldest man in the world passed away, he was 114 years old… and one of his most famous quotes or things he used to say a lot is that no one should ever be afraid to die as we are all born to die. True huh? We are born and from the minute we start growing and understanding of our surroundings we live in fear of dying… why is that?

Life is beautiful, living is amazing! But death… death isn’t horrible or terrible… not in my opinion. Yes, we leave our friends and family, but we leave them not for long as I believe we all reunite sooner or later again and then we get to live another life and another and another…life is never ending, dying is just the beginning.

On the other hand, on a happier note, I have reunited with a dear friend of mine who I had lost contact with about 5-6 years ago and all though the wonders of FACEBOOK… That also makes me happy. To know that we are now in communication again and that we have easily picked up where we left of as if it was just a few days ago… I love that chemistry. I love social media too… keeps us all on our toes…!

I will leave you all for now, just wanted to give you a quick update of what I have been up to… until then, soon I hope, half way on my OLD MAN AND THE SEA by Hemingway! A sea of inspiration…

Dec 16-Happy Bday to YOU.

Today would have been my grandfather's 84th Birthday...!
Seems like a long time away from my 27th... hahaha!
What a special day it is... my grandfather was such an amazing man. It is sad that he left us all so fast, but while he was here, present with us, we enjoyed him so much.
He was the type who would sit silently to read his newspaper but every so often will share an article or phrase with you... he was a smart man. I always say that I got my "smartness" from him.

Funny story, my grandfather isn’t really my grandfather... well let me explain.
My grandma married young and had my mom, then her husband past away in a car accident very suddenly when my mom was just a year old. My grandma widowed at a very young age and she felt like all her dreams of ever having a real family were broken... little did she know God had other plans for her already.
A few years went by, my grandma worked full time as a teacher in a near by school and her mom, my great-grandmother took care of my mom. My great-grandmother also had 4 other sisters who were single and adored my mom and so she grew up surrounded by an army of loving women. She remembers those days with such happiness. When my grandma first met my grandfather the women in the family were not very pleased, he had already been married and had divorced, back in those days a divorced man was no good I guess... like he wasn’t good enough to hold one marriage what makes him good now? Thankfully slowly everyone started accepting him and they finally came to realize how sweet of a soul this man was. My mom on the other part did not welcome him into her life at all. My grandparents married when my mom was about 8 years old and in a year they had another baby, my uncle Ivan. My mom says that when my uncle finally arrived home from the hospital after been born, she was excited, very happy to have a little brother but then slowly she started realizing how things would change because of this new addition so then again she started withdrawing and feeling uneasy. As a child growing up without my dad I can totally relate to how she was feeling then.
To make the story short ... I came to know this story in full detail one day by chance. Literally... I think maybe if I hadn’t come across and old picture of my mom's birth dad and questioned everyone repeatedly about it I would have never known. I had a bad tendency to look all over my grandmother's belongings growing up... I would find all kinds of things…and the stories behind them were amazing! (I will share more later on). One day I discovered his picture… his name was Juan Rios and he was very handsome. At first I thought he was an actor and my grandma has kept his picture because she had a secret crush on him, but then when I read his name on the bottom of the picture I started wondering and putting 2 and 2 together. I was about 7 years old. I started thinking... my mom's name is ADA RIOS, but my uncle's name is IVAN FORS... my grandpa's name is REGINALDO FORS... so where does my mom get RIOS from...? WHY AM I RIOS AND NOT FORS... hmm that was where it all began. I think it took me easily like a week to finally get my grandma to tell me the full story; she was hesitant, now I understand why.
I took it very well... well considering I cried for a couple of days and didn’t want to see anyone... I was confused...it was also hard seen my grandpa, Cuco so sad those days. When my grandma told him she had told me the story the look on his face was ... so sad... it broke my heart.
I got over it a couple of days later and then went on to pin pointing everything that Cuco and I had in common, how we almost looked alike and I shared his smartness… so really this made him my real grandad after all… who cares about blood! its the love from within, straight from the heart that really matters.

Oh! and the funny thing about this whole story is that my granddad Cuco(I gave him that nickname, I forget why) had a birth mark on his right thigh...and one day while in the showered I discovered I had THE SAME mark on THE SAME SPOT...=) so God somehow managed to given us that to share, forever! I love my Cuco, Rest in Peace abuelito.. TE AMO. Feliz Cumpleaños!

An army of colors

One of my favorite things to do (as you must know by now) is to write! but I also love taking on other projects, like drawing (which I am really not good at but I keep trying) or finding different magazine articles or pictures and pasting them on boards or doing picture collages of everyone I love.... all these I think I do with the idea of letting my inner artistic side come out and play... it doesn’t always turn out so good though, I tend to give up half way through, realizing I am not that artistic or creative after all...but other times I finish them and display them and sometimes even grow the courage to share them (my mom is one of my best/worse critics, she also agrees drawing isn’t my forte, and doesn’t understand why at 27 years old one would find pleasure in cutting pictures and gluing them on my agendas or posters, or coloring...or buying a ton of stickers and making my own thank-you cards)but then I say... HEY! Life is short and we are blessed to be here as it is, every minute counts so we mind as well make them worth it, do as you please, whatever it is, so long as you keep your soul smiling!!! This is one is for me.

I found this picture online today, and the funny thing is I have seen it before, but I can’t remember where... Lately I have seen it a lot... and then just now I paused for a second and asked my self, what does this picture represent? What is the meaning behind each of these colors? And the first thing that came to my mind was MY FRIENDS!

I am such a lucky girl to have the friends I have, I really am!

Here is a little insight into my life:

Growing up, I used to always consider my grandmother my best friend. Later in life when I started kindergarten and all the kids would have their own best friend their same age, I started feeling a little left out so I had to leave my grandma on the side (without her knowing of course) and had to go on the hunt for a real BEST FRIEND! That is when May came into my life. She was a sweet tiny little thing, she had (and still has) a beautiful radiant smile and the cutest little hands! We became friends instantly, I don’t remember exactly how, but it just happened! From one day to another her mom was already coming over to my house to ask for permission to take us out to ice-cream or for me to come over and play and in return my mom would also do the same. We had fun, lots of fun, together! One of my fondest memories of those days was how we used to hold hands when crossing the roads, it was like a human instinct, lets hold hands and be there for each other no matter what, and to this day I feel the same way!

After May left Havana because her parents decided to change sceneries, I struggled to find another super best friend like her. I had friends, and once in a while we would play together but it never felt the same. Years went by, I started high school and became friendlier and had no trouble finding people to always be around, but none of them were considered best friends...

Then came the ISH (International School of Havana) and that’s when trouble really kicked in, imagine! Now these kids didn’t even speak the same language as me, so how in the world was I going to make friends? Somehow luck stroke again and suddenly I was surrounded by potential best friends ready to take on the quest! There it was where Ida, Renata and Joelle came into my life.

Ida was everything but shy... she was wild and sexy, way ahead of my time (I am a late bloomer I must confess) but she had the biggest heart in the world, once you came to really know her there was no way you could ever leave her sight. Now, years later I am so grateful we manage to stay in touch, she lives in Norway and is studying to become the best Dr in the world and lives happily with her super hunk of a boyfriend Mr. Henrik! Renata was the life of the party, she taught me never to be afraid to show myself... to be who I am no matter what! She may not know this but the years we shared have forever remained in my heart and I still to this day keep all our journals. She is now on her way to become a dancer, she dances beautifully and expresses every feeling she has through her movements…its incredible to watch. I hope one day I get to see her again dancing live. Joelle, well, she is one of a kind. She was a very shy girl, and somehow I think I contributed to helping her come out of her shell and she has now blossomed, or let me rephrase (with all respect) still blossoming to become a great woman one day. I would always keep her close to my heart and I like to think of her as my first MEXICAN best friend...!

As you can well see (or read) by now, I am nothing short but friendly!! =) and I find it very easy to make friends, but true friends are hard to find, they have something that touches you in a special way and life just doesn’t seem the same without them, at least that is how I feel.

This new chapter of my life, the one that I started writing when I arrived in Canada 10 years ago has many chapters still to be read but I am very proud to say that like the others it has come filled with amazing friends! Oh! Where do I start!? They are all so very special, it would be hard to put in words how much they all mean to me and how my life has become richer every second we have spent together. All I can do is be grateful, forever thankful to have each and every one of them share this amazing journey that is life together. Like the picture, all my friends represent a different color in my life and together they make an amazingly beautiful radiant rainbow that I couldn’t live without. My life would have never been the same without them and I would have definitely not have become who I am today if it wasn’t for them. They have each literally planted seeds of love and hope in my heart that has grown immensely and become and amazing colorful garden that we will each enjoy for the rest of our lives. The experiences we share, the love and tender care, its hard to describe, hard to translate... its pure joy! It is pure energy and pure love.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! is all I have to give and all I have received from each and everyone of them... been your friend has been the most precious gift and I promise to keep you all in my heart for as long as I shall live. In my heart you will safe, always protected, I will color with each and every one of you the days of life from until forever.

Thank you. Thank you for been such amazing friends who inspire me every day, who give me reason to smile and to be a better person and a better friend every day.

You are all my army of colors, my army of love; with you by my side I can conquer the world!

Cheers to you, to your true colors and to love!!