Summer 2013 – whoa, wow, and yippee!  🙂  It’s so amazing how you think summers are going to turn out and yet, how they turn out.  Staying in Mexico wasn’t the original, original plan, yet, what an amazing summer!  I have been able to meet probably the most amazing group of new teachers I have ever met, positive, energetic, awesome – met awesome people as Oliver Stone, Alice Walker, and many more at an ALA Conference, organize and clean my apartment, organize and redesign the library, meet new people, train my Afghan pups and Mom as well, and that is just the tip of the iceberg!  Then there was yesterday…

I realized how long 50 years is for a business when I see the Clausurada everywhere, and the Cortinas, who reupholstered my couch and seat in the apartment JUST celebrated 50 years yesterday!  I was walking downstairs, and grabbed by the family and owners and told, “4:00!  Aqui!  Comida!”  and I laughed and said No problemo!  But I had no idea what a huge celebration, on the corner of my apartment it would be!  I came back, went upstairs, came back down, and there were singers, guitar players, comida, they instantly gave me a plate of food, a tall glass of wine, and the serenades began!   The wine was truly unbelievable, the music amazing, and the whole neighborhood came to our corner – making me realize how dear this Roma community is and literally, they came for blocks to take in the celebration!

When Monica Patino, international chef showed up, I was amazed and had to take a second look!

 I love her restaurant Delirios, and she was an amazing guest and gracious – she lived only a few blocks away – and was a wonderful and generous guest for the celebration.  She mentioned my blog and I was shocked, but honored, and she proceeded to tell me to email her, and overall, her presence was a great blessing for the event!

I realized, that the days are so worth taking in, and the chances to complain about things exist, however, the ability to see past those, work through things that challenge us, and spend more time enjoying experiences enrich our lives and make us better people to be around.

Upon leaving the family gave me one of their inscribed wine glasses and a sewn commemoration of their 50 years – an amazing day!

That evening, I visited Josh and Tara Vinelove’s apartment and LOVE, love love love and they deserve a great space for themselves and their children.

As I come into my last semester of the school year, I have some inner resolves…

1)Every weekend separate myself from the phone and anything that does not spell vacation, period, no exceptions.

2)Stay away from people that begin, “Have you heard the latest gossip?” – it angers me and distresses me.

3)Get into my zone where I matter more than anything else, part of that is wanting to do anything to make others feel at ease, but NOT to give in to the negativity, doom and gloom, and depressing attitudes of others who refuse or turn away the light.

Life in Mexico has been amazing this summer, and has contained many many lesson about ourselves if you take the time to notice!