Maracaibo, Mi Tierra

Last night we got back from Venezuela; we spent a little over a week in my hometown Maracaibo and I must say, I feel renewed! I feel just a little more alive :) I needed to be back so badly. I'm sure it sounds silly, but I was feeling like I was losing my identity a little, I was thirsty for the unforgiving heat, the sounds of the car horns as the drivers made their way through the city, the hustle and bustle, the people. There is so much passion in Maracaibo. I absolutely loved every minute of it :)

Thankfully Sam enjoyed it quite a bit as well; he got to try nearly every type of traditional foods we have, and also got to visit the majority of our landmarks we "Maracuchos" are so proud of. I was a little afraid because he would surely stand out quite a bit, what with his red hair and white skin. And we were in a 3+ million-people city after all, so you've got to be careful and watch your surroundings at all times. But we really never felt threatened by anything, we actually got to enjoy every sighting 100 percent :) Mi Maracaibo, mi gente!

Most of all, I deeply enjoyed spending time with Mimi and Papito. The first night in their apartment was just a little sad though: their home is full of photos of Diana everywhere; I could genuinely feel Mimi's sadness and loneliness all around. There are also a lot more photos and small statues of Mary, Jesus and saints than I remembered. It was just another piece of evidence of how much Mimi has had to hold on to her faith to make it through life without Diana.

Mimi was so wonderful; that first night, she was so eager to show us the "honeymoon suite", as she called the room she had diligently worked on making nice for us. Prior to our arrival, she'd changed the sheets of the beds, washed the curtains, dusted the furniture, and had the carpet professionally cleaned. I truly feel her and Papito's spirits were lifted with our visit. I'm committed to go back and visit soon; nothing compares to making them happy. Their love, there's nothing like it...

Papito one day told us, "Let me do that for you; I feel bad that you're doing it because we should be treating you like kings, you're the guests!" He'd bought a bunch of ice cream cakes and other goodies so we'd get to try them all; he also showed up several mornings with empanadas and tequenos (he loves to spoil his kids ;) ) I can't help but tear up when I think of how happy our visit made them. It hurts that they're so far away. It makes me feel better that Sam enjoyed the visit so much, that he's told me he'd be more than happy to go back either for Christmas or early next year to be with them again. My husband's so wonderful! :)

This vacation was absolutely amazing; I'm truly grateful to Mimi and Papito for making us feel like we were at home. Thank GOODNESS for Vonage: now that we've been there and shared so much with them, I know I'll feel like listening to their voices a lot more often than before :)

(Oh yeah.. Translation for the title: Maracaibo, My Land :) )

Spring

The past few weeks have been particularly rough. Before we leave on our wonderful trip, I need to get a lot done at work and our fire station projects.

Tonight I left work around 7:00pm and went to 3-4 stores to buy a few things for my grandparents. I ended up getting home at almost 9:00pm, dead tired and hungry. Sam had started fixing dinner (he's been doing it quite often lately, actually. And he's GOOD at it too!), and with a smile was quick to tell me, "you should check your camera's memory card in your computer".

He happened to go outside while these 4 little guys were in our yard, so he took a few photos. It made me smile :) I love spring!!

Feels like Forever

I can't believe I haven't blogged in over a month. What can I say, it's been a rollercoaster month..!

I read in the news today that Sandra Bullock filed for divorce. I cannot say that I was surprised given her husband's extracurricular activities that the media has been so happy to report on lately... but it does make me sad. Call me a sap, but every time I hear that a marriage ends it makes me a little sad. It doesn't matter if I know the couple or not. How can all those beautiful and hopeful feelings you have when you get married, that excitement about the beginning of life as husband and wife, ever leave you?? I just don't get it. The easy answer is, "people change". And yes, of course people change. I just... cannot understand why those sacred vows that one says when getting married, in front of GOD, become any less important for some people. Sam's my first family; no one on this Earth comes before him. And I absolutely love dedicating my life to making him happy.

When Sam first started working for the company he currently works for, he had to travel quite a bit. I think the longest he's ever been gone is four days, and I about lost my mind. Not that I depend on him so much that I cannot function properly when he's not around... it's just that, the bed is empty so I can't snuggle with him. And there's no one to talk to when I get home. He's not there to randomly visit when he's playing video games, and he's not there to make silly sounds and faces at me... it's no fun!!

I consider distance dangerous in a marriage. I have relatives who on a regular basis travel away from their families for up to a week or two for work reasons, and I pray that we never have to do that. I just think that the distance slowly eats away at that intimate connection between husband and wife; you become used to not being around your spouse, so the seemingly insignificant things between the two can potentially disappear. I know this doesn't happen to all married couples, I just don't like to be away from Sam for too long. When we're apart I miss his embrace, I miss his smile, I miss his funny and corny jokes.

Supposedly Sandra's husband cheated on her while she was away filming "The Blind Side". In this case it doesn't seem that staying together would've made a difference as far as the cheating goes... *sigh*. I guess all I can do is pray for them, and for all married couples too. Marriage is no piece of cake, that's for sure. It's also a beautiful blessing, an incredible way to learn about patience and selflessness. He's the best gift that God has given me.

Plans Schzmans

I absolutely LOVE the chorus to Switchfoot's "Your Love is a Song":

"Your love is a symphony

All around me
Running through me
Your love is a melody
Underneath me
Running to me

Oh, your love is a song"

Our plans have indeed changed. It was an exceptionally stressful day full of multiple trips in Houston, the city we cringe at the mere thought of getting near it. Thankfully we survived it all.

Yes, our plans changed. It must be God's will. Somehow there's peace of mind now, I'm smiling.

Your Love is indeed a Song. Thank You Lord.

Nothing Better than Faith

That's pretty much my thought right now. I'm sitting here thinking about possible changes of plans because of variables we don't have control of; and two things are keeping me pretty relaxed despite what's going on: my loving hubby Sam, and my trust in God. I keep thinking that whatever happens, it's all a part of God's plan, so we need to trust in Him.

What a wonderful feeling!

Enjoying the Little Things

This weekend we went to Palacios to spend some time with Sam's grandparents. It was such a humbling reminder of simpler times and above all, beautiful love. Putting the brakes on life every once in a while can be so therapeutic! We loved hearing Grandpa tell us stories from when he was young, and when he and Grandma were a young couple and had virtually nothing. Kinda made us realize that we've had it pretty easy in life..! We know they enjoyed having us over, too. Grandma was so excited: she had a great big lunch ready for us when we first got in, and had thoroughly planned every meal we had after that to make sure everything was perfect.

Before going to Palacios we finally mulched our front yard, woohoo! Everything outside is starting to bloom, I'm very excited :)

Even though taking care of knock-out roses is NOT my favorite thing to do, the roses really ARE pretty!

My hands did suffer a bit... great times though :)

Today's ideal Sunday

Cannot get any better than listening to Mr. John Coltrane while getting the living room ready for painting, with all the blinds open to let the cloudy-day sunlight in :) It's a rare calm day, and it's perfect! (Don't know that Sam would say the same since he's working on taxes..) Funny enough, a part of me can't wait to continue watching "Quarantine" later this afternoon. Oh yeah, it's a GREAT day :)