Day Trip to Tarpon Springs, Fl

Last Saturday, my family insisted that we visited Tarpon Springs. They love going to this small town north of Tampa to spend the afternoon walking or at the beach. I used to visit this place often many years ago. I found an old post from 2011 where I mention that I want to go to Tarpon Springs more often. I never made it in the past 3 years because Andre said that he had never been to that beach and we had not been to the town together. 

We first made an improvised stop at the beach to let the kids be free before sitting them down to have dinner. They loved it. The water was calm and warm. We stayed for a couple of hours and then we drove to the Greek side of town. 

We walked around Dodecanese Boulevard looking at the shops and restaurants. A friend of mine dated a greek guy who loved to take us to a restaurant in town. At first, I couldn't remember where we used to eat. As soon as I walked into the bakery, I remember that was the place he loved. The name of the restaurant is Hellas and everything that we had was delicious. My parents and my sisters had not seen the flaming cheese so I quietly asked the waiter to get us some. It is delicious and fun when the whole place screams "OPA". We all enjoyed this night out.

Unfortunately, I was too full for dessert. I'm sure that we will be back to this place many times. Emma stayed up late and she was at her best behavior. This night showed me that she is not a little baby and that we can start having a semi "normal" life again.

Anniversary No.3

Today is my third wedding anniversary. I can't believe that it was only 3 years ago. We have been through so much together that I feel like it has been longer. I am happy to say that our wedding day is still fresh in my memory. Our wedding was probably the best party and one of the best days of my life. Having our friends and family with us was priceless. I will be eternally grateful to all of those that came out of the comfort zone and traveled to Colombia. It really meant the world to us to see everyone dancing, drinking aguardiente and having fun. I wish we could do it again and have everyone travel. I really miss Colombia and my hometown of Cali. I haven't been there since we came back from our wedding. 

Happy anniversary my sweet André. You are the best husband and father I could ever ask for. I love you. We are planning a short trip to celebrate this day. Emma will start paying for a plane ticket in January and I want to take a couple trips before the end of the year to take advantage of her "infant" status. 

If you want to see some old posts about our destination wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii click here and here.

Photocredit: Efeunodos

Emma's 18 month-Photo Session

When we visited my friend in Oklahoma City last month, she gave us a very special gift. She booked a photo shoot for Emma with her favorite local photographer. I was excited because I had seen the pictures that she took of my friend's daughter. Emma was not too happy when we tried to take pictures of her alone. We ended up having a family session instead of a session for Emma. I will treasure these pictures forever. I don't get tired of looking at them. 

All pictures were taken by the talented Mandy Davis. 

If anyone can recommend me a child photographer in Tampa, I would love to know! 

First Beach Day of the Summer

Going to the beach with Emma reminds me that the best things in life are the most simple. She had a great time chasing the seagulls, touching the water, playing with the sand. She was too excited to nap or eat her lunch. I will take her more often. The only reason with don't do it is because we like to take a tent and it requires at least 4 people to put it together.  If we don't take a tent, we can't last in the heat and the sun.

We saw a family yesterday that had it all figured out. They used a wagon to carry the child and everything else that they needed. Their tent was a foldable one that was easy to assemble and they had a small umbrella to put near the water where the kid was making sand castles. We have a lot to learn and since we live less than an hour away from the beach I'm sure that we will learn fast. I took a few pictures of Emma yesterday that I love. Here are some of my favorites:

Life After 15 Years...

Every December, I think about the day that I moved to the United States. On December 10th (2014) it marked 15 years. This year I was busy working and traveling and I completely forgot about my "US anniversary". I still want to honor that anniversary not just because it was probably the saddest day of my life but because I have learned to love my adoptive country. The reason it was hard it was because I was 18, in college and in love. I had many friends and a life that I loved and didn't want to leave behind. 

In honor of the 15 years of living in the United States, I thought I would list the top 15 things that I love about the Country and the City I now call home.

1. The North East: I'm fascinated with the lifestyle in the north east. The metro, the traffic, the seasons, the skyscrapers. It's makes it real that I am in the most industrialized/developed country in the world. I still get the same feeling when I go. I just say WOW and admire the surroundings. 

2. California: The golden state is definitely a great place to visit. From the beaches to the wineries. There is something for everyone. I used to go more often because my sister lived in San Jose for many years. My sister now lives in Tampa. I don't need an excuse to go but it definitely was a priority to see her as often as I could. 

3. Miami: Miami is what South America would be like if we had money or a less corrupt government that would build roads and take care of the City. Most people in Miami speak Spanish. I think most Americans feel like tourist in their own country when they visit this great place. 

4. The American Lifestyle: The right to wear what you want without the worry of what would people think. I agree, most Americans still care about opinions but most Colombians are too judgemental about attaire even just to go grocery shopping. I feel less judged in the US because of how you look and what you wear. 

5. People following rules: this includes respecting the police, not cutting the lines and (mostly) educated drivers. 

6. Economic Independence at a young age: most Americans are independent from an early age thanks to starting to work when they are teenagers. 

7. The Parks: The US is home to many impressive parks. Central Park in NYC is my favorite. I am also in love with Curtis Hixon park in downtown Tampa. 

8. Super stores and stores in general:

This country has some of the best shopping. From outlet malls to places like Sam's Club where you can buy a year's supply of paper towels. 

9. The cultural melting pot: This is a country of immigrants. Most people are a mix of different races/cultures. All I can say is that I'm 100% Colombian. I don't know much about my background other than remembering my parents saying that their grandparents were from Spain. Listening to different languages and having so many options for food makes this place a rich one. 

10. Desserts: One of the things that impressed me the most when I first moved here was that any dessert was good! Even the cheap ice cream tastes good. I don't know what it is about Americans and their sweets but they know how to make good desserts. 

11. Customer Service: If you have been to South America you will know what I'm talking about. In the US the customer is always right. Everywhere else, the customer is trying to trick the business. Or at least that's what they think and the way they treat you. 

12. Mail: You actually can trust the mail system here. Getting a passport, renewing your driver's license online and getting it a week later instead of waiting in line for a full day it's priceless. 

13. The big Cities and their impressive architecture: Maybe it's the nerd in me but I still can't get over how amazing Manhattan is or how beautiful the Golden Gate Bridge is. 

14. The transportation system and the highways: I became a transportation engineer basically because I was so impressed with the highways in the US. I wanted to know more about how they worked. I had no idea that this was going to be my career when I moved here. 

15. Everything is clean and it doesn't smell bad/ The streets, public bathrooms... This is not only an organized country but also a clean one. 

I have lived in the US for so long, I finally feel like this is home! Colombia will always be a big part of me. However, I'm happy to live where I live today. What's your favorite thing about the US?