Thanksgiving - A Great American Tradition

As many people know, United States is the first country with a holiday called Thanksgiving. Me, being from Mexico didn’t grow up with this tradition but was introduced to it by my friend Laura back in Arizona. Laura and her great family loved to have international students at their home to celebrate Thanksgiving. They explained the different dishes and how the tradition was born.

They also introduced me to their very own tradition, which I loved and hope to replicate and pass along in the near future. Each person at the table will get three candy corns by their placements. Once we were all sitting, Laura and her sisters explained the significance of the candy corns. Each of them represented something that we were grateful for. So every person at the table had the opportunity to raise each of their candy corns and give thanks for whatever that candy corn meant to them. That happened in 2004, so I don’t remember exactly what I was thankful for but I am sure one was for my family and friends, one for God and one for Laura’s family.

Not only we had a great big lunch but went for a long walk around Fountain Hills where they have the tallest man-made fountain in the country and enjoyed playing games. I had a great time all together.

After that celebration, I learned that there are many other ways to spend Thanksgiving, some people do it in front of the TV watching football, and some others drag the time they will have to spend with their family or others travel long distances to sit at the table with their love ones and friends. I spent many Thanksgiving only with my husband and learned to enjoy our lunch for two. We always had a good time together.

This year, Thanksgiving will be again something very close to what I have been hoping for, surrounded by family, sharing good food and laughs. Since we moved to MA, holidays are celebrations that remind me of my own family. My husband has a family that is close to each other and makes a point to meet for the special occasions (they are also loud like my family). I am happy to be part of this family. I am definitely a social animal.

Also, Thanksgiving is a celebration that is about making a gratitude list and not about gifts or pressure. It is a great tradition if you ask me! And it is the kick off for the Holiday season, my favorite!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Good bye Fall!

Well, it seems that we are almost at the end of the Fall. Everyone over here raved about how beautiful the Fall was, the change in the leaves colors etc, etc. I had to witness it in order to understand it.

Now I think…Fall is amazing! You have to remember that I come from a country where we don’t have this extreme season changes so I never experienced Fall before. In AZ we only have summer and less hot weather, so Fall is out of the question. But here in the New England area things are different.

My husband begged me to take walks with him so we could see the leaves…I am glad I gave in, we got some amazing pictures and I was in awe to be in the presence of nature. Then I started thinking about how being able to live through the seasons makes me feel closer to nature. Going through the changes reminds me on how our own lives go through cycles; we grow, blossom and then time to rest and renewal comes to blossom again.

It is definitely getting cooler here and I hate the fact that at 5pm the sun (if it shows up) is gone and everything is so dark (I will devote a posting on this) but I am learning to take it as part of the cycle and trying to enjoy it…more time at home to spend with Luci (the dog) and my husband. Time to read and cultivate the mind again.

Here are some pictures that allow me to show you what I am talking about:

Thank you Patriots Fans!

Ok, so I have said before I am a transplant from Mexico City/ Arizona to New England. As everyone knows, people from New England are sportsfanatics; they love the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics. I think this is one of the only places where men AND women wear sports apparel of their favorite teams year long with no shame whatsoever.

And I am married to one of this loonies. My husband got tickets for the Patriots game against the Vikings. For a week he went back and forth with his friend about menu options, times to meet etc, etc, etc. For the whole week I cried to everyone that would listen that I would invest 8 hours of my life in a game that I didn’t care for and that I would much rather spend the money (and time) doing something else.

Sunday came along, I fought all morning with my hubby about stupid little things because I was expecting him to throw me out of the car (close to a Mall) and go to the game without me. But he is a trooper and a devoted husband so he just rolled his eyes and took me to the game.

And now I owe him a public apology. I had a GREAT time! Being there, tailgating with all the Patriotsfanatics and being part of that moment gave me a glimpse of why people love so much the game. For few hours everyone was pretty happy, eating, drinking, dancing, meeting people and smiling at each other because all of them had one thing in common, they wanted their team to win and have a good time. I think that is a reflection of the American culture.

So I had a chance to meet with very cool people that are open to share their foods and drinks with everyone, then went inside the Gillette Stadium, that is a gorgeous place, and had a great old time all together. Here are some pictures:

I don’t know if I would ever be a Patriotfanatic but I sure understand why people love the game.  And I do like the American way. When they want something, good attitude, positive thinking and a lot of hard work get them there and it seems that this coming elections will represent that culture one more time. They don’t like what they see and they are ready to go and change it.

As for me, Go Patriots! And Go Tom Brady! 

Shopping addiction anyone?

It is hard for me to write about this but I think I need to put it out there so I can stop it. I got a new job a month ago after not working for 8 months. I finally have my own money again!

So what is a girl to do with her recent acquired income? Go shopping!! So first I bought myself two pair of glasses…from an exclusive boutique that is located in a very expensive area over here called Lexington Center. (The place is call Eye Look of Lexington).

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Then I wanted to take advantage of a coupon I had from Ann Taylor but I knew that a trip to the mall was needed for that so I tried the second best option; went online. I usually don’t shop online because I want to try things on but I know the size scale for this particular brand pretty well so I went ahead and shopped away...this and then this one too!

 Then I wanted new boots and didn’t find anything in the stores that I liked. Coincidentally some days ago I read a great article about the Zappos culture of being happy. I have always liked their business model and they are indeed a GREAT online store…so I went there and found a lovely pair of purple boots for the fall…obviously it is impossible not to get anything since their selection is just amazing.

As many of you know, Massachusetts is the home of TJ Maxx…I really wanted a leather jacket and last week I found it in Marshalls! It was made for me…so I gave her a new home at my closet that night.

After that, a friend that loves upscale brands sent me this website and I have been checking their sale events but nothing caught my eye until I saw it…a beautiful dress/coat for the holidays…so I had to have it.

Yesterday, I was taking a break and ended up getting two beautiful purses from Zappos…so I know I am developing an addiction and it has to end, right now, right here.

So I promise to the universe (cyber universe) that I will stop shopping on impulse. I know myself better than that and even though I did deserve to get some great stuff as a celebration for my new position I also know that it is time for saving money and grow out from the thought that I deserve EVERYTHING I want, because as a girly girl…I will never have enough shoes, purses, clothes, cosmetics…you get the drift.

It is so hard to draw the line between spoiling yourself rotten and get a little something for a job well done!

If you have a shopping addiction like mine, kick yourself in the butt, make a list with your last 10 purchases (including prices), make a conscious decision to stop, forgive yourself and move on! (At least you will be moving forward wearing a great outfit!)

Happy Birthday Honey!!

Today is my husband’s birthday! Not any birthday, it is his 40^th birthday and we are going to have a weekend full of fun. It already started with a nice dinner at his parents’ house on Friday night where part of his extended family showed up to congratulate him.

It was a special little get-together since he was the first grandchild born on his mom’ side of the family. That means that for some time he was the most beloved child of two uncles and two aunts and the adoration of two full sets of grandparents, how cool is that?

We got to see some of his childhood pictures and it is so nice to see how much love was around my husband when he was a baby. Then we got to see some of the same faces 40 years after still showing the same love they showed on those pictures.

Being part of that moment just confirmed that we made the right decision coming to live to MA closer to his family.

Now, my wishes for my husband on this special date is that he keeps having his health, his lovely reaction to newly discovered things and that we can spend many more of these birthdays together. I love you honey!

Birthdays are special because you are celebrating the fact that a special person in your life was born and ergo part of your life. So birthday celebrations ARE important.

And I don’t care if my husband doesn’t like cards…I got him one together with some little gifts…more on that on the next post. Stay tuned.

Little things in life!

I still remember when my now husband taught me that expression. We just started dating and he mentioned something that made him happy. Back then, he just had moved to AZ and was finding his way around. I do not remember what exactly he was referring to but I do remember his explanation on how little things in life are the things that make you happy on daily basis.

Since I moved to MA I have found more of those things in my everyday life. I was thinking about that yesterday. We were at –what it seems lately - our second home “Home Depot” and I remembered that I wanted a second set of house keys so when I walk Luci (our dog and only child) I don’t have to carry with all my keys (car and house keys are attached). So I got the new set and got one of those key chains that you can wrap around your wrist so you actually don’t have to carry anything on your hands. PERFECT for walking your dog. So I was and still am very happy with my new key set.

They look so healthy

Today we had a great dinner. My husband is a chef by profession and since his schedule allows him to arrive home like 2 hours before me, his job is cooking dinner for both. He stopped at the Farmers’ Market in Belmont and got some great produce: cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and fresh eggs. Yes, real eggs not the computer eggs you buy at the store. He made a pizza with veggies, basil and two types of cheese (feta & fresh mozzarella) and the result was a delicious and healthy dinner for two. That made me pretty happy. Hee are some pictures:

This is the veggie pizza

Beautiful tomatoe

Then we walked to get an ice cream, the fact that now we can just step out from our apartment building and have so many options at our tip toes makes me pretty happy.

So here it is, my gratitude list for little things in life that made me happy today. This is a great way to go to sleep…making an inventory of things that make me smile on daily basis. If you haven’t done a gratitude list before, I strongly encourage you to try it! You won’t regret it!

The beauty of Yard Sales

I remember that 10 years ago I used to come to USA to visit friends and they used to take me to yard sales and antique stores (Pennsylvania and New Hampshire area) and I used to hate it. Just couldn’t understand why I would want to buy something old and used.

Ten years forward and I am shopping in the Yard Sales circuit. Moving to Massachusetts has put me in a premium area for yard sales. People that have lived in these cities all their lives have passed on their possessions for generations and are always trying to clean up their houses. And we, people that just moved into their apartments and don’t have a full furnished place are taking full advantage of it.

Now, I LOVE yard sales! So last weekend my hubby and I spent some hours working the circuit and we made out great. My favorite finds: a nice desk that is almost 80 years old for my beading room ($5), a nice desk with wheels that can be used everywhere in the house ($15) - it is currently working as a kitchen table - and two purses that I bought at an Estate Sale. Here are the pictures of the two tables.

Just by a fluke, we came across with the last one, and it was awesome! I mean, I do not know the circumstances that lead to that particular sale and my respects to the family if someone passed away there…but wow, it was like being at a movie set, the house was a mansion and all the items they had available where of great taste. Obviously a little bit (just a tiny bit) way out of our price range but I couldn’t resist the purses. Great bargains. One is $150 in a regular store and I paid $25, the other one is a designer piece with retail value of $600 and I paid $35.

I am so excited that I want to start mapping out my weekends around these events! Haha! No seriously, what a great opportunity for us, a couple that is starting a new life in this city.

So, if you are planning a yard sale, go ahead and do it! Just remember to clean up the items that you put out there and be reasonable with the prices, you never know who you will be helping out with your house cleaning project.