Ready for summer...

...or so I think. In terms of my "ganas" for it to get here I'm all set, but in every other aspect I'm hardly close. It's frustrating because every winter I make the same declaration about losing weight to look good at the beach and, without fail, the warm weather arrives and I'm still wearing my sweltering hot "fat clothes" and, needless to say, looking like a beached whale in my electric blue plus-size bathing suit which I've come to detest. It's an interesting dilemma nonetheless because I'm not clueless as to what it is that I have to do in order to achieve the results that I want; on the contrary, I know exactly how to go about it all and that if I stick to it, I'll see changes in no time. Is that warped or what? I don't think there could be a better example out there of sheer laziness and lack of discipline.

All jokes and personal jabs aside however, what really concerns me about this whole thing isn't looking fashionably gorgeous at the beach this summer. My health, my husband's health and that of our future family is what is most important here. I want us both to be around to enjoy our family and our lives together to the fullest, not being inhibited by excess weight and all of the health problems that inevitably result from it. God has really placed it in my heart that now is the time to get this under control. In His infinite mercy He's allowed me to come to recognize this on my own and over time, without having to be forced to change due to major health scares or anything related. I certainly don't want to push His patience. I know that in this area of our lives at least, Chechu follows my lead. Since I cook for us, I'm the one who determines whether or not we eat healthy which, I'm coming to realize, is a huge responsability. God entrusts so many things to us, and I can't take this lightly.

Exercise is another area where we both fall incredibly short of the mark. Before the wedding we faithfully worked out to Turbo Jam every day, sometimes twice. Now, we've totally stopped exercising all together. Similarly, I know that if I take the lead in this area, Chechu will follow. I've totally come to the realization that I set the tone for all of this, and it's my responsability.

Looking good at the beach this summer is only a byproduct of being healthy, and that is the ultimate objective here.

Working Girl

Another quiet morning here at the office and I can't complain one bit. Whether it's good or not I've gotten quite used to coming into work and doing exactly what I want to do for the entire day, oh and get paid for it as well. The Miami/NYC projects have been slow-going to say the least, and until I get the go-ahead from Avelino to continue sending properties to Alberto, I'll be happily sitting pretty. And I don't feel bad about it.

Every professional gets to a point where he or she needs some down time- preferably paid of course, and I think I've come to that point. It's not like I'm being lazy by any means- I do my work ,when I have it that is, and the rest of the time I make myself busy with other personal projects. Right now for instance I'm finally coming to the end of a translation that Liliana asked me to do before the wedding. I estimate that I'll be finished with it by the end of the month, after which time I intend to start "The Excellent Wife" online study that I found the other day.

It's obvious that God knows us better than we know ourselves, and when He gives us down-time it's definitely for a reason. So I've learned to take advantage. As I mentioned in previous entries, as a newlywed I'm still adjusting to this new lifestyle change and I think I'm finally starting to get a hang of my role as wife. So the Lord has graciously allowed me to ease into things, instead of having to make all kinds of drastic changes at once.

It feels like things are finally starting to take on a sense of normalcy after all of the hoopla with the weddings, the holidays, work, etc. The dust cloud has dissipated and I'm back to what is now my new life here in Almería with my new husband. Initially after we got married I think both of us went through a "growing pains" phase full of adjustments here and nips and tucks there to finally find our comfortable spot where the two of us serve as complements to one other rather than each one pulling for his own way and defending his own interests. After only three months of marriage I know that we still have a lot to learn, but I feel like we're closer now than ever before and our marriage is growing more and more solid with each passing day.
I earnestly desire to be the wife that God has called me to be- the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 who is a blessing to her household and all who enter it; a woman who fears the Lord and seeks to honor Him as she serves her husband and her family. When we were engaged I bought a book called "The Excellent Wife," which is a traditional, Bible-based guide for Christian women who want to honor God in their marriage. At first I was unable to read certain parts of the book without throwing it down in irritation, and in retrospect I can see that I wasn't able to fully grasp some of the concepts that the author touches on because it wasn't my time to understand it. Now that I'm married, I can see a lot of things that I was unable to get before in terms of submission, being a help to my husband, taking charge of my role as "worker in the home," etc.
I found an on-line study guide to the book that I'm thinking about starting. In doing so, I'm confident that I'll learn even more about my role and responsibilities.

Happy New Year 2008

Chechu, Charo and I got back to Almería on New Year's Eve after an initially stressful and somewhat disappointing Christmas holiday in Pittsburgh.

During the last few months here in Almería before making our trip I had begun to completely romanticize the idea of "going home," and over the course of my stay I came to realize that Pittsburgh isn't my home anymore, nor is the concept of my immediate family such as it was when I lived there. Two unfortunate arguments with Chechu made me recognize that I was still acting as if "daughter/sister" were my immediate roles instead of being a wife. In other words, that I was putting everyone else before Chechu instead of switching gears and realizing that he is now my immediate family and everyone else now takes a back seat. Chechu has had no difficulties in adjusting to his new role as husband, and I now see where I- subcontiously of course, had been negligent in that respect.

The second wedding celebration was definitely disappointing, in addition to being quite expensive. Nearly half of the invited guests didn't show up, there were several last-minute hang-ups between Mom and the caterers, sound equipment issues and, to top it all off, my cousin's surprise proposal that just had to take place during the reception. While there was a lot of intricate work that went into the decorations, thanks to my mother and God-mother, I can't deny that it all paled in comparison to the wedding here in Spain. After all, a tablecloth for as beautiful as it may be doesn't make a wedding, and the immense joy, comradery and sense of family that I felt on my wedding day here in Almería is something that you can only experience once. With that said, I would definitely advise anyone in our circumstances that planning more that one wedding ceremony is absurd. While I wish that I could go back in time and change things around, I also see how both of us were able to learn from this whole experience and I know that Marissa has taken note as well.

Alas.. it feels good to be back and to finally return to some sense of normalcy. I've started back at work and apparently I'm in for some new assignments according to Cristina. It's hard to believe that I've been here nearly six months. Chechu starts teaching as of next Tuesday, and he'll also begin working part-time with the company he interviewed with on Thanksgiving.