June will be a great month

I don't know why but my best friends live far away. Call it karma but I can't seem to have a best friend in town. I have made good friends in Tampa since I moved from Colombia, but currently my closest friends live in different cities or countries. 

In June I will get to see 4 of them. Starting this weekend, I will have one of my best friends since kindergarten staying with us for one week. She is coming from an 8 month trip to Asia on her way to Colombia. She wants to meet and babysit Emma for one week. Another friend of ours will be driving her from Miami on Saturday and she will stay one night with us. She is also my friend since first grade. 

The last weekend of  the month I will get to see 2 dear friends: Andi and another friend from Colombia. Andi will be coming to Tampa with her husband Lucas to see Juanes in concert! I finally get to meet Lucas and she will meet Andre and Emma! I'm seriously counting down the days!! The day before Andi gets here we will drive to Orlando to see my other friend, her husband, and son. She is actually my second cousin but since we went to school together (since kindergarden too) we always called each other friends. They visited last year and we had a great time. They "met" Emma when I was 18 weeks pregnant. We will stay at the same hotel they will be staying and will probably just have a fun day at the pool. Let's see how many hours it will take us to get to Orlando. Lets see if miss Emma will do better than a few months ago. I'm really excited about this month. I can't wait to hug them and share some great days together. After our "trip" to Miami we got a different car seat and she seems to like it better. We never drive too far but we will find out in a few weeks. 

Just in case Facebook and Instagram pictures are not enough I'm adding one more picture of Emma.  

Happy Mothers Day

In honor of mothers, I'm sharing this video that I created for Emma while I was pregnant.

It sounds cheesy to say that the happiest day of my life was when my daughter was born, but it truly was. The anticipation of all those long 9 months and the moment that I was so afraid of was over. I'm blessed to be a mother and even more blessed that my mother has been with me to guide me in this new role. 

Night out in Orlando

For months I was waiting for Fonseca's concert. Fonseca is Colombian and one of my favorite singers. He was playing at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando. I got the tickets back in January right after Emma was born. I assumed that by the time she was over 3 months we would be sleeping the whole night and that my mom could babysit one night. No big deal! The reality is we are still waking up at night and my mom had a hard time making her fall asleep. I didn't know that babies love routines. Since she was not in her home, she wasn't happy. We got back from Orlando after 2 am and Emma woke up at 5:30 am. This showed us that even with a babysitter, going out will never be the same. However, we had a great time at the concert and walking around Universal's CityWalk.

Date at L'Eden

Last Saturday Andre and I had our first date after our baby was born. We picked one of our favorite restaurants in Tampa. L'Eden is a small French restaurant in Downtown Tampa.

I had a quiche Lorraine and Andre had the pecan chicken. I forgot to take a picture before I started to eat. We saved room for dessert, a crepe of course. This time I did take a picture before we ate it. The chocolate crepe was the best part of our meal. They added bananas because we requested it. This crepe reminded us of our trip to Paris 3 years ago. We started dreaming about planning a trip to Europe next year. We were only dreaming since our first trip will most likely be to Ecuador to introduce Emma to her father's family.

The chef/owner was cleaning tables and making coffee. You can see that he really loves this place and it shows with everything that they serve. He makes his own pastries. Sadly I never make it in the morning to try one of the freshly baked chocolate croissants. I'm jealous of those that work in downtown and can grab one every morning.

We don't come here often and we love it. After our delicious dinner we decided that we will come to this place as a ritual on Saturdays for lunch with Emma and then walk to the Curtis Hixon Park for a nice afternoon walk (before it gets too hot). There is a new downtown location of L'Eden and we will check it out next time.

The Surprises About Traveling with kids

Emma had her first road trip last week. Packing took many hours the night before and the morning of our short weekend trip to Miami. She was crying non stop for 3 hours. We only got 50 miles from home (in 3 hours) when we decided to drive back. We knew that our "relaxing" weekend in Miami was going to be bad when it starts with a 300 mile ride each way with a crying baby. It was a torture for the 3 of us. We tried EVERYTHING to comfort her and all that she wanted was to get out of the car. After our long ride we were happy be home. 

Apparently all the traveling that we will be doing for now will be our daily walks around the house. We have to start making shorter trips to help her get used to the car.

Can anyone give some advise to new parents like me who can't figure out a way to go out and at the same time have a happy baby? The "let her cry until she falls asleep" technique did not work! 

My Favorite Place on Earth

I might have talked about San Andres Island before, but lately it has been in my mind a lot. Probably because I have been at home for so long. I was obsessed with this island growing up. We used to go on our family vacations once or twice a year. It was my favorite place on earth. I haven't been there in 12 years but I have hundreds of pictures that I scanned from our trips in the 1980's and 1990's. 

San Andres island belongs to Colombia, but is located in the Caribbean close to Nicaragua. There have been endless arguments with Nicaragua about who should have the island. Nicaragua recently "won" some marine space and all Colombians were really upset. The island is also close to Jamaica and that is probably why you will mostly hear reggae music and listen to islanders speak creole instead of Spanish.

I remember seeing many European tourists in San Andres. Not many from the rest of the world. There are direct flights from Panama City or Bogota. The hotels are not really 5 star resorts. The true magic of this place is the ocean which is called the sea of 7 colors. This island is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Many people travel to San Andres and the nearby islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina to go scuba diving.

Providencia and Santa Catalina are 2 islands close to San Andres that are more rural and absolutely beautiful. You must take a short flight from San Andres to Providencia. Once there you could take a boat tour to see these islands. There is a legend that pirate Henry Morgan hid his treasures in San Andres. There is a rock in Providencia that is said to be Morgan's head. In San Andres you can visit Morgan's cave where his treasure is supposed to be hidden. My favorite stop was always Cayo Cangrejo (Crab Cay). This tiny cay was full of black crabs that you could barely see because of the rocks. You can hike a small hill to see the endless ocean from there.

View from Cayo Cangrejo

The best memories of my childhood are in this island. Someday I will take my daughter to show her my favorite place and to continue to create great memories along with my family.

If you want to see more of San Andres, I found this video that was created as part of a National tourism campaign. 

What's going on in my world?

I'm a mom. I'm still getting used to that word. Emma was born on January 13th after 36 hours of labor. After the long wait, I ended up having a c-section. The first week was difficult since I wasn't able to move or do much. I can move well now, I just need to take it easy the first 6 weeks.

It's strange how many emotions I've had. I am extremely happy and extremely exhausted. My mood varies from moment to moment. Hopefully my hormones will soon be back to normal.

I have no idea what time or what day of the week  it is . The lack of sleep is to blame. We are staying with my mom and she has been amazing helping us with the late nights. She has also done a great job making sure that I eat enough and take naps. I'm surprised by how difficult breastfeeding is. I was told it was painful, but you never know how bad until you do it. I think nature plays with women's hormones by making us forget about the labor pain and the long months of pregnancy heartburn. I always thought it was a joke when people said that you forget about it when you see your baby. Now I know it's true. 

We had a short photoshoot at the hospital when Emma was less than 48 hours old. There is a team of photographers that go around the rooms asking if you want baby pictures. We couldn't resist. Here are some of my favorites. 

Photo credit: BabyFacePortraits

Photo credit: BabyFacePortraits

Photo credit: BabyFacePortraits

Best Brunch in Tampa

The best Sunday brunch in Tampa is at Jackson's. I'm not into photographing food, so please trust me when I tell you this. Jackson's is located in Harbor Island, just across from downtown Tampa.

I don't go as often as I would like probably because it's a buffet and the mind set is that you "have" to be really hungry to go. Today, I finally convinced my sister, my brother in law, and my nephew to join me.  It was their first time there and they loved it. I'm sure that I will go more often now. 

Chocolate covered strawberries and bananas

There is something for everyone: omelet station, pasta station, sushi and fish, breakfast items, salads, entrees, fruit, and the dessert station with a chocolate fountain included. Also, the view of downtown is one of the best things about this place. All of this for just $20.95

Love the winter in Florida, 78 F in a January day!

Downtown Tampa from Jackson's

When I travel, I'm always looking for a nice place to eat late breakfast/brunch. I've never been to a brunch buffet as good as this one. If you go with a large group I recommend making reservations. There is usually a short wait for a table. 

Secret Boudoir Session

After having these pictures hidden from the world, I decided to share some of them. My talented friend and wedding photographer Kyle Hepp took these pictures back in 2010. After seeing my body transform and change so much in the past year I like these pictures even more. I was not at my happy weight when Kyle took these, but she is so great with the camera that I loved them. I asked her not to publish them and I swore that I will never make them public. I guess it's time to break my promises and share a few of my favorites... 

If you ever want to do a boudoir session, contact Kyle!! She even brought mimosas to help me relax! Who else is going to be a photographer and a bartender at the same time?

A Good Year in Review

2012 was probably one of the best and the hardest years of my life. Life has a way to surprise us and this year we found out that we were going to be parents. We are now less than 3 weeks away from holding our baby girl in our arms. We are excited to have a family and to have new adventures the 3 of us together.

Fun times in Buenos Aires

We started this year with many travel plans that didn't happen. We went to 3 new Countries this year, which is fine with my goal of visiting at least one new country every year. It is not a hard goal, but for 2 expats that always feel homesick it is quite difficult to fit in a third vacation. We loved Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Sadly I couldn't have all the wine that I wanted, but we absolutely loved the Cities that we visited. I also loved our trip because I got to see 4 special friends. My cyber friends Kyle and Emily in Santiago and 2 of my childhood friends in Buenos Aires. The later 2 hosted us in BsAs. Our time in South America was amazing. I even forgot about my morning sickness during this trip when I was thinking about those days. I was 7 and 8 weeks pregnant while we were there and it was definitely hard to be away from home. We did not make it to Colombia or Ecuador this year. 

New Friends in Santiago

Old Friends in Buenos Aires

In March, we went to Miami to see one of my favorite singers,  Juan Luis Guerra, in concert. We had a great weekend in Miami and the concert was better than the one that I went in 2005. After the concert we went to a great Colombian-owned Club in Miami. We NEVER go out dancing, so this was one of the highlights of that weekend. 

Miami, Fl

We took a little baby moon trip to Sanibel Island in September. I wanted a real baby moon somewhere in the Caribbean, but we have to be responsible and save our vacation days for January. We decided to stay local and save those days for when we really need them.

Sanibel Island

I spent a lot of time at the beach this summer. I felt tired all the time, but the beach is so close that I tried to go as often as I could. I also went to Daytona Beach after 10 years for a work conference in June. 

Ft de Soto Beach, fl

Daytona Beach, Fl

I had several friends visiting this year. Of course we went to the beach.

Ft. de Soto Beach, Fl

Last Christmas, I got my first DSLR. I started the year very motivated to find sunsets, beaches, and local places to photograph. Andre and I took a photography class early this year, but I could definitely use more practice. Santa got me a new lens this Christmas, so I am excited to learn more about my new hobby.

We also spent a lot of time at the theme parks. We had the Disney annual pass until April and then we got the Busch Gardens/Sea World Pass.

For my birthday in October, 2 of my best friends flew to Tampa to celebrate with me. They also planned a baby shower for Emma. We had 3 very special guests that we didn't know were going to be be in town when we picked a date for the shower. My cousin from Colombia, my Mother in law from Ecuador, and Andre's favorite aunt from Jacksonville. Also, two of my oldest friends surprised me that day driving from Miami. One of them was in Miami for a few days on her way to India (from Colombia) and the other one lives in Miami. I was so happy to see them that I cried. I cry a lot these days, so that might not be a good sign of how surprised I was. It was a very special day and that comes from someone who hates baby showers!!

Now, we are just waiting. I guess I finally understand why pregnancy is also called "expecting". I feel like I've been pregnant for over a year. Counting weeks only makes the wait longer. 

I'm extremely thankful for the love and support from my friends and family.  This will definitely be a new chapter in my life. I can't wait to see what 2013 has planned for us as a family. For the first time in a long time I have no idea where I will try to go next year.  I know that it will be a hassle to travel with a baby. However, I'm not willing to stay with a routine for too long. Plus babies travel free until they are 2 years old. We better take advantage of that and start getting her passport stamps.

May 2013 be filled with happiness and new adventures for you!!

Another Sunset from Cypress Point Park

Last weekend, we finally went to a nearby beach to take a few pregnancy pictures before it's too late. Our baby girl will be here in exactly one month (or hopefully less) and we were running out of time. Since sunset is now so early we went to Cypress Point Park located only 15 minutes away from our place. I have been there before to take sunset pictures with a photography group. I love this place because is next to the airport and is right under the flight path. All the airplanes landing in TIA make me dream about traveling. This is not the prettiest beach in the area, but it is a nice place to watch the sunset and take a nice walk by the water.

Here are some of my favorite shots. These were taken by Andre, my husband, and with the help of a tripod for the pictures of the 2 3 of us.