Let All That You Do Be Done With Love – 1 Corinthians 16:14
I saw this little chef statue next to a coffee shop. The verse made me reflect on how I often say, “If you are going to do something, do it well” (I say it mostly in Spanish). I don’t know where I learned this quote, perhaps from my maternal grandmother. In writing this post I searched on Google for the quote and couldn’t find it. I did find a similar quote from Walt Disney, see that one Continue reading
Hi friends,
First of all, thank you so much for your support of the blog – Latina Life And Style! It is becoming a community where we share ideas, life experiences, and perhaps is becoming a break in our day. I am inspired by so many things I see and read everyday, and am glad to have this blog to share these with you. It touches my heart and brings a smile to my face every time each one of you makes a comment or likes a post – and of course, when I see you and you tell me about a recent post you read or outfit you liked! Thank you – gracias amigos! Your support inspires and motivates me to continue growing the blog!
There is a lot in a name. I had initially wanted to call the blog Happily Ever After, because that is how I feel. I am of course, referring to my marriage and life. After many years of relationships and dating, I finally met the man that is the love of my life, my best friend and my partner on this journey of life. My hubby was actually one of the biggest supporters of the idea of starting a blog! But, he thought that name was too cheesy, of course, he is a guy and that would be something a guy would say. But, you women understand me, and what I mean, right?
Even before I was married, I was very happy with my life, mostly because I have lots to be grateful for, the most important being the love of family and friends, my health and that of my loved ones, my faith, career, and a good life in many aspects! My hubby came to be the cherry on top of it all, which helped make my life even better and of course, happier! I always knew I wanted to get married and that someday, I would…. I just didn’t know when it would be and that was hard sometimes. Then, as they say “the day I least expected it” came and I met the right person for me and it happened. Now, I am happily married. I’ll write more about that in future posts….the point is that happiness if very important for me, for many of us, for people around the world!
We do lots of things in life to achieve the goal of being happy. We work hard to provide a good life for our children and loved one’s, to see them being happy! We make changes in our life if we are not happy, like change jobs, learn new skills, end relationships, and take on many other challenges to try to achieve that goal and aspiration! Happiness is not a goal you can obtain one day and it just stays forever, it is an on-going feeling and science that you work towards every day. You may not feel the same level of happiness everyday, but as my Mamita (grandmother) says, “there isn’t a problem that doesn’t have a solution, except for death.” I know, it may seem harsh, but it is true, no matter what happens in life, our perspective on a situation can help determine how we overcome it and as long as we are alive, we should not lose hope and continue to aspire to be happy!
After further thought, I decided to name the blog – Happy Life And Style because I believe that in everyone’s life, acceptance of one’s self and our life, our body, and our personal style can lead to happiness. My mission for the blog was to share ideas and topics regarding happiness, those moments in our everyday life that bring us that warm feeling of happiness and that make us smile. How to turn a frown into a smile, a negative moment into a learning experience (trust me, it’s not always easy, but with practice, it can happen), how to deal with life’s issues and try to make the best of them, how gratitude can help one increase their level of happiness. How to surround yourself with positive people and increase your own happiness by learning to say no, or not including people that are toxic in our life. How to “not let others rob you of your peace”, a saying my mom has said to me hundreds of times, and now I say to myself and to others. How to determine what forms your circle of happiness and focus on those priorities, as well as guard them. There are many topics and strategies we can use to live a happy life, to thrive!
Then, there is the “style” aspect of happiness and in this I am referring to one’s personal style. Not only the way we dress, but the way we handle ourselves, interact with others, have confidence in ourselves, be kind, and accept ourselves and our bodies. To be happy in our own skin and bring out the best in our own unique way. How to enhance our features to bring our personality, and rock that red lipstick or nude lip gloss if that is what will make you happy! To stick with what works for you or try some new things, it is up to you, the most important thing is to be comfortable in your own skin, be confident, and that will lead to happiness. I try to remember that the happiest women are the prettiest women! It is so true, turn on your smile and you will automatically feel prettier….and look prettier!
So, my friends, this week, I made the change from LatinaLifeAndStyle.com to HappyLifeAndStyle.com. Both urls still work and I will not lose the Latina Life And Style in me. I am proud to be Latina and I am a happy Latina too! Latina Life And Style will continue to merge into Happy Life And Style! Do you like the play with words yet?
What do you think of the change in name for the blog? It will still be the same site, same author, same content, just expanding, growing in a positive way, and covering the topic of happiness more often!
Are you happy with your life? What are your happiest moments? What do you do everyday that adds to your happiness? Do you use gratitude as part of your happiness? I’d love to hear from you.
Hugs,
Paola
Here’s are a few pictures from the happy moments I experienced with my comadre (mother of my goddaughter) and my goddaughter this past weekend! It is moments like these that fill my heart with joy and form happy memories that are priceless! The picture of my goddaughter laughing with me will forever live in my mind! How adorable is she?!
My comadre is one of my closest friends, we have been friends since college. She is a sister to me!
The background was beautiful and my husband was going to take some impromptu outfit pictures of me at the end of the pier. As we were about to take the first picture, my goddaughter came running up to me and we decided to take pictures with her instead. She is growing so fast and I feel privileged to be a part of her life. I can take outfit pictures anytime, these moments with her are precious!
I love these natural pictures! My hubby was able to capture this happy moment where we were both laughing together! I love this little girl 🙂 She’s adorable & one of the nicest girls I know!
Hi friends,
Appreciation and gratitude are something I am always trying to be aware of. It was taught to me early on by my family, to be thankful for our blessings. Even when things aren’t going well, I try to look at the positive side and to be appreciative for the good things, or think, it could have been worse, or to see the lesson learned from the experience (even unpleasant experiences since these may later be “aha” moments, or as they say “what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”).
This past week has been one where I have been truly appreciative. My husband had knee surgery. Being the wise, assertive, and independent man that he is (love him for these qualities), he didn’t seem too overly concerned with the surgery, or at least he didn’t relay it to me. I, on the other hand, being a woman, was trying to plan things beforehand, to read about it, so we would be prepared and know what to expect. I was concerned mostly for his health and well being, but also about trying to adjust my schedule for the surgery date he selected, so I would be available to take care of him. He had already postponed the surgery once due to work commitments. His work schedule is even more demanding than mine, so I adjusted as much as I could once he selected the new surgery date.
I wanted to be prepared, so I set-up the guest room downstairs for him in case he couldn’t go up the stairs to our bedroom, bought his favorite snacks and drinks, some easy to make meals, had some magazines ready and prepared his ice machine (for the knee). He also did some pre-surgery preparations, such as buy the ice machine, crutches, and setting up his mini-office in the bedroom since he had to have bed rest the first day. He had his laptop, iPhone, Blackberry, tablet and iPad mini on his nightstand. He set-up our computer table (looks like the trays used at hospitals, the wheels slide under the bed and the tray fits over your lap) on his side of the bed. He was already working a few hours after we got home from his surgery. By the next day he was on phone conferences and working from home. His home office is just across the hallway from our bedroom, but he did not use his office for three days. I think it is the longest he has gone without using his office. By the fourth day, he went into his office, so I knew he must be feeling better.
Having helped a friend who had knee surgery, I knew the recuperation process can be challenging. My husband’s knee surgery was to fix a torn meniscus and some injuries to the bone. So, it wasn’t as serious as a knee replacement surgery, but it does require care and therapy. The surgery also required general anesthesia, which is always nerve wrecking for me, particularly because I have an uncle who went into a coma and is now handicapped after having complications with anesthesia from a simple, routine surgery. My husband thought he would be driving and back in the office after three days, because the doctor told him he would be up and moving in three days. Which really meant, minimal activity and barely walking on crutches.
I enjoy taking care of my husband, this week has just been a different type of care. I have gone up and down the stairs so many times every day, it is almost funny. I have brought him his meals on trays, ice and more ice, his phone, his clothes, drinks, if he needed something, I got it for him. I started to remember stories my sister and friends – who are moms – have told me about how exhausted they are at the end of the day because they just don’t stop. They joke that they would fall asleep anywhere at the end of the day, they are just that tired. That is how I felt. I have very long days and have been exhausted many times before, but this was different. My sister laughed when I told her about my week and how in a way it reminded me of how tired she tells me she feels at night. I was so tired, I don’t even remember dreaming. The night’s sleep felt like a blink, literally, like I had just closed my eyes and laid down for a few minutes. But, this is just temporary – on Saturday, I got to sleep in a few hours, my baby (hubby) is an adult after all and managed ok without me for a few hours that morning 🙂
This week, I am thankful for many things – in particular our health, that his surgery went well, we have medical insurance, live in a country with advanced medical procedures and excellent surgeons and hospitals, that my boss and colleagues were understanding and supportive, for the good wishes and prayers from family and friends…that my hubby and I have each other to take care of the other when one of us is in need.
Have you taken care of a family member after surgery or an illness? Have you been taken care of by a loved one when you had surgery or were sick?
Good night….I am starting to reach that point of exhaustion and still have to fill the ice machine one more time and remove my make-up before I can go to sleep tonight.
Hugs,
Paola
This is the electric ice machine, it is pretty amazing, it circulates the cold water under the pad which wraps around the knee.
Pictured above are my hubby’s crutches.