With Valentine’s just around the corner, I wanted to take some time to shed some of my thoughts about love. I’ve always loved the idea of Valentine’s - having an entire day dedicated to love…but truth be told, every day should be Valentine’s. Every single day should be spent telling and more importantly, showing the people in our lives how much we love them. I feel very blessed to have amazing people who do this for me on a daily basis. Here’s a few examples that come to mind:

- the way my momma’s face lights up whenever I come home

- the delicious aroma of my nana’s cooking filling up the kitchen at home

- the comfort of sinking into Ali’s warm embrace after a long day

- the way Ali’s hands always find mine under the dinner table

- how my dad always insists on washing my car and filling up my tank when I go       home to visit

- flowers just because

- my wonderful friends throwing me a surprise birthday party

- my best friend calling just to thank me for being on this earth with her

- feeling my students’ little hands around my waist

- getting my lunch dropped off at school so I don’t get too hungry and consequently, cranky

- my puppy excitedly wagging her tail when I come home from work

Here’s to all of those beautiful, little things in life that really mean so much. May you all be surrounded by plenty of love today and always.

I’ve been cocooned in Ocotal, a small beach town on the North Pacific side of Costa Rica for the past week. It is absolutely stunning here and it is providing me with a much-needed break from work, school, and that much-dreaded routine. Unfortunately, I somehow developed an ear infection due to a combination of diving courses, using a q-tip and having a poor immune system. Long story but go figure, right?! Initially, I was super bummed and upset because this means that a) I may not finish my scuba certification courses, b) I’m sick on vacation and c) my ear hurts. However, I’ve come to realize that I am still incredibly blessed and need to count my blessings. Things that I am presently grateful for:

1) The world’s best boyfriend. I’m sure everyone thinks their boyfriend rocks but I assure you that mine is cooler than yours. Just kidding…but seriously, Ali is super duper amazing. Case in point, (all within the past 24 hours) he has helped me out of a border crossing issue, made me laugh when we missed the Arenal volcano due to a rainy downpour, taken me to the doctor on the morning we were supposed to complete our dive course, and was willing to sacrifice his long-awaited fishing trip to take care of my sick ass. Thankfully, he listened to me and went on his fishing trip while I kicked up my heels, enjoyed the plentiful sunshine and gorgeous view from our room, and wrote this  blog :) Thank you, thank you, thank you for bringing such a beautiful person into my life!

2) I may have an ear infection but I am still alive, may still have the opportunity to complete my lifelong dream of becoming scuba certified (and swimming with sharks!) and I am still in paradise. Speaking of lifelong dreams, a couple of years ago, I started a “bucket list”, a list of things I want to do before I kick the bucket, so to speak. Upon reviewing the list, I’ve come to realize that I have been SO lucky to have been able to cross so many items off my list. Among some of my favorites are the following: live and work in another country, go skydiving (did it on a whim with my best friend), sleep in the Sahara underneath a zillion stars, backpack through Europe, take a cooking class in Italy, adopt a puppy, become a teacher, fall madly in love, dance all night at the Full Moon Party in Thailand (twice, once with my love and once with friends!), teach a Chinese class, get my Master’s in Literacy and Law, fly in a biplane, and go on a night dive. Still looking forward to: starting my own educational charity, writing a children’s book (several ideas in the works!), starting my own family some day, complete a marathon, dive in the Cayman Islands, and completing a cross-country road trip on a Harley with a side cart. So many things to do!!

3) I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, love all around me and esperanza (“hope” in Spanish) in my heart. After reading about the devastating earthquake in Haiti, which took upwards of 50,000 lives and left millions homeless, hungry and broken, I can’t help but feel incredibly grateful for all the things I have. I hope the world can come together to help this long ailing nation in the wake of its latest tragedy. Please take some time to go to “Help Haiti Now” and donate money, food, water, medical supplies, time, whatever you can, etc. http://www.helphaitinow.org/

I took this photo in Laos a few years ago and for some reason, it always fills my heart with joy, inspiration and hope. I hope I can pass these feelings on to someone who may be in need of some joy, inspiration or hope today. Keep following your bliss…

Here’s a few snapshots with my favorite new toy. Can’t wait ‘til photography class starts!

ali and goliath dancing

they are dancing fiends!

awww…so sweet and so silly!

she knows how to strike a fierce pose!

isn’t she photogenic?!

mr. gingerbread is perilously close to the edge…

oh no! mr. gingerbread toppled over!

view of pch from santa monica pier

my little brother striking a pose.

santa monica pier

ali’s GQ shot…hahaha

two important men in my life

my favorite squishy face!

me and my puppy

she has so many funny expressions!

lazy beach days in january…you gotta love california

playa del rey

tired but super happy from a long walk…

birdies

marina

yes, i am obsessed with her but just look at her!

2009 can be summed up in one word: growth. I grew as a teacher, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a girlfriend, and as a proud mommy of the world’s cutest puppy. It wasn’t always easy. Sometimes, it was more difficult than I could have ever imagined. Trying to balance graduate school with teaching full-time and having a personal life proved to be challenging at times. I didn’t always do it gracefully either. I did learn some important lessons, though.

1) Being able to connect to your students is a gift. Your job is not only to teach them but to encourage them to achieve all of their dreams. Above all, teaching is a service and it is a privilege to serve others.

2) 6th graders are still needy as hell but still cute in their own ways. They are going through a huge transitional period in their lives and insanely insecure. They just need someone to tell them that they are worthy and someone to believe in them.

3) Sometimes, in the midst of your trials, all you can see is the dark tunnel ahead. It’s easy to wallow in self-pity. It’s much more difficult to see the light but the light is there, you just need to remove your shades to see it.

4) True friends are to be cherished. They will stand by your side. Laugh with you until your sides hurt. Let you cry on their shoulder until your tears soak through their shirt. They will be happier than anyone to see you succeed. Most of all, they will love you and believe in you when you don’t have the strength to love and believe in yourself.

5) It’s never too late to rediscover yourself and the things that you are passionate about.

6) Don’t let puppies go near toilet paper or shoelaces. They can chew like nobody’s business.

7) I am incredibly blessed.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and fulfilled 2010. Here’s to following your bliss…

my adorable puppy, goliath and bunny ears. taken with my xmas gift from ali…my new nikon d5000!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good food, good company, abundant laughter and plenty of love to go around. I always love the winter holiday season. It always brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. There is something about seeing all the beautiful decorations around the city I love, witnessing the kindness people show one another, hearing the Christmas songs, and drinking in all of the hot cocoa and love to my heart’s content. I feel hopeful. I feel rejuvenated. I feel inspired, once more. What a great gift. Speaking of feeling inspired, here are a few of the things that have touched me, made me smile, or inspired me in one way or another. Enjoy!

1) Where the Wild Things Are Mural - created by a talented mural artist called Rosyln - Simply put, AMAZING.

2) Jasmine Star’s Photography and Blog - The woman is super talented (just look at her photos!) and she has this effortless quality to her writing. Color me addicted.

http://www.jasminestarblog.com/

3) Smitten Kitchen - A foodie’s dream come true. I seriously drool over pretty much everything here. Here are some of my faves:

Cappucino Fudge Cheesecake. Pure decadence.

Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms - Need I say more?

Zucchini Latkes - I can almost feel them melting into my mouth.

Lobster Rolls - Orgasmic

Fig and Walnut Biscotti - I’ll start drinking coffee just for this.

Arugula Ravioli - Ravioli done right.

Would have included the pics but was having technical difficulties so check it out at: http://smittenkitchen.com/

IT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD.

4) Days With My Father - A son’s tribute to his father. It is so touching. Makes you think about the brevity of time and want to cherish the time you have with your loved ones.

http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/

5) MyLifeIsAverage - is anything but average. It’s a quick pick me upper that is guaranteed to make you smile

http://mylifeisaverage.com/

6) Pandora - it’s been getting me through all this writing. Currently on rotation - a jazz & blues mix with some mellow rainy day songs added for kicks.

Louis Armstrong - “La Vie en Rose”

Billie Holiday - “Come Rain or Come Shine”

Ella Fitzgerald - “Stormy Weather”

Norah Jones - “Back to Manhattan”

Damien Rice - “Older Chests”

Jeff Buckley - “Hallelujah”

Nick Drake - “Saturday Sun”

John Legend - “Sun Comes Up”

John Mayer - “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” (acoustic version)

Madeleine Peyroux - “J’ai Deux Amours”

Missy Higgins - “Night Minds”

Sara Bareilles - “Gravity”

7) Etsy - a gathering of artists creating, sharing, and inspiring

http://www.etsy.com/

This isn’t addressed to anyone in particular but it’s just something that I thought about today…

Is it just me or is everyone hella rushed all the time? Where are you going? What are you doing? Why are you always in a rush? So many people seem to have this fixed notion of time and they live as if it rules their life. Days, weeks, months…it’s all planned out. I know I’m guilty of this sometimes but I’ve been trying to free myself from time’s shackles. Particularly in America, I feel like we are slaves to time. We clock in and clock out and our lives are characterized by routine and defined by the minutes on the clock’s hand. There are always exceptions but it really seems as though this is ingrained in American culture. I think it’s closely related to our need for convenience and the value we place on efficiency. Just look around. We have drive thrus for everything…food, coffee, atms, car washs, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if I came across a drive thru mall. Whatever happened to walking to places? We use technology to save time (isn’t it just so much easier to text someone then pick up the phone to say hello?). But I think we’re losing out here. It’s like we’ve created a drive thru  for human relationships…I miss those days when people made time for each other. When people and their relationships were more important than getting to a meeting on time or squeezing in that grocery run.  I want to take it back to a time when we walked to our neighbor’s house to invite them over for dinner…or we spent a few hours on the phone with our best friend just because…ugh, I don’t know where I’m trying to go with this but I guess that I’m trying to say that I miss how things used to be done. People stopped to smell the roses, to savor the sunshine and they smiled at strangers….I miss that world….