Holidays

I’m 28 years old today. I remember that’s how old my mom used to jokingly tell me she was year after year after year when I was a kid. A lot of my girlfriends are afraid of wrapping up their twenties. I used to dread it too, but as 30 approaches I’m actually looking to it…

Dear Damian, Today marks one year since the day you were born. I still remember it so vividly. I can close me eyes and relive the moment I knew it was “time.” I remember the car ride. I remember walking up to the hospital door. Feeling my water breaking. Laying down for no more than…

For Evita’s third birthday, I had planned a small party for her at the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. I was so excited to take the kids on the nature trails and show them all of the birds and butterflies. The closer the date approached, the more dismal the weather report became. South Texas is…

Evita Pilar, Today you are three years old. THREE. It has been three years since I first felt your tiny hand clasp around my finger, three years since I first kissed your chubby little cheeks, and three years since I first looked into your beautiful eyes. It has been three years since I became a…

Last weekend our hometown celebrated what’s known as Charro Days. I’ve written about it a bunch before, but in case you don’t know, Charro Days is a holiday that honors the special bond between South Texas and Mexico, specifically the towns of Brownsville and Matamoros. I love this holiday because it recognizes our rich history and…

In 2014 I said goodbye to beautiful Tanzania, spent eight hard months in inland Virginia, and moved back to my little home island for the first time in almost 10 years. I gave birth naturally (without pain meds) to my second child. I learned (am learning?) how to be a mama of two. I visited…