Boricua en la Lima

Silliness uncontrolled Acts of goofiness filmed Friendship rekindled Connections reestablished Mindfulness restored Mind quieted Thoughts scattered Honesty unobstructed Problems forgotten Conversations sparked Jokes shared Gossip amplified Heart overjoyed Energy spent and re-gained Life purpose re-thought Happiness re-analyzed Plans re-worked Dreams re-ignited Livelihood found Advice shared Music unplugged Binge-eating accepted Binge-drinking encouraged Exercise postponed Babies missed Caffeine injected  ALS challenges avoided Goodbyes un-welcomed Memories created Friendship reaffirmed Girlfriends missed

It has been a whirlwind of a month! First Mom came to visit for about a month and that usually coincides with one of our kid´s birthdays (this time it was Sebas´ turn). So there was a lot of running around in the beginning of April to create the most magical of Star Wars birthday parties! Except if you´re a girl or a boy under the age of 6 and then you pretty much hated the party because Darth Vader and Darth Maul were the scariest things you had ever seen in your life. Then Mom left right after the birthday party and Dad came with his wife about 2 days later to spend Easter weekend with us. It was a great visit, we did a lot of touristy things that I don´t normally get to do with Mom.   We went to the Ballesta Isles in Paracas to see the wildlife, we went to pisco tours to learn about that whole process, and we went to do the sand buggies in the Ica dessert, something I had never done before which was really cool and highly recommended, except a little scary much like this...

I've been delaying posting this week. First I got sick with a stomach bug which left me in bed zonked out like a zombie and then there was a death of someone we know in Lima who sadly took his own life at a very young age and left behind mourning parents and grandparents. I can't imagine something more painful for a parent to go through and I still cannot wrap my head around it. It's been a very tough pill to swallow and both things have made me less than grateful for the last few days. But after hearing mass today at the funeral I heard the message of gratitude over and over again. And it just so happened to fall on Thanksgiving which is not even celebrated here in Peru. I haven't been to mass in so long but I definitely heard the message loud and clear. So today I give thanks because though it is very hard to be grateful at times I know it's the only way. I give thanks for life, health, and these beautiful munchkins.