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A Tale of Hispanic Heritage & Why It Matters

September 23, 2017 3 Comments

Fifty years ago, the president of this country had the social consciousness to celebrate the contributions of Latinos in United States during National Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s more important than ever to continue the tradition, tell our stories, share our joy, and dispel myths and prejudices. Hispanic Americans have risen in importance and power, but still, we are classified by color and culture. An intertwined tale of Hispanic Heritage Nogales, my hometown, is named after a walnut grove that belonged to the Elías family (Los Nogales de Elías), which was then a part of Mexico. Following the Gadsden Purchase in 1853, the Elías […]

family, travel

Indomitable Mexico City

September 19, 2017 No Comments

Exactly 32 years ago today (Sept. 19, 1985), Mexico was hit by a huge, destructive earthquake. Today, in a long series of global natural disasters, another big earthquake has reverberated through the city. Lives have been lost, buildings destroyed, and the dust has not yet settled. Mexico is a sprawling metropolis with something for everyone. It’s the best place to get lost or to find yourself. It has spectacular architecture, unparalleled cuisine, and the richest of histories, but the best thing about Mexico City is her people. They are cultured, welcoming, energetic, and warm. The time I lived in Mexico […]

family

Big Mexican Wedding on a Budget

August 20, 2017 2 Comments

Big Mexican Wedding DIY - Pura Vida Sometimes

Your wedding should be one of the happiest days of your life, but the day’s debt should not follow you throughout your marriage. That said if you’re having a big Mexican (Greek, Indian, Korean, etc.) wedding, feeding and entertaining throngs of family and friends just isn’t cheap, but there are a few DIY options that will allow you to pull off the big Mexican wedding on a budget they’ll be talking about for years to come. My idea of an ideal wedding was to elope and get married on the beach with only our siblings, parents, and grandparents, followed by a great […]

family, letter to my daughter, travel

Letter to My Daughter: Leave While You’re Young

August 7, 2017 No Comments

Leave While Your Young - Pura Vida Sometimes - Teotihuacan

The photos of your new life are breathtaking. You decided to leave with a one-way ticket, to get a change of scenery. Some fresh air in your lungs. It was time. Your family misses you, and although my advice may not be popular with them, I just wanted to tell you…don’t come back. Don’t even consider it. Not yet. You have to leave while you’re young. This is your time. You were born with a great restlessness that many never know and most won’t understand, and they’ll try to lure you back. Being away from everything you’ve known will allow […]

family, travel

Germany: Oceans Away, a Clear View of Home

April 25, 2017 No Comments

I went to Germany last month on a real vacation. No work, no real planning, no agenda – just me and a good friend, and a chance to experience a new place. It was relaxing and tiring and amazing, and I though I fully expected to return home with renewed vigor and blog ideas burning my fingertips, I experienced quite the opposite. In my week away, the first like it since I got married and had my baby, I was able to step away from the noise – bills, meals, housekeeping, landscaping, marketing presentations, rides to and from here and […]

family

A Love Affair With My Car & Saying Goodbye

March 25, 2017 No Comments

I love my car but am selling it because it’s time. With it, I’m bidding farewell to a carefree, unattached, adventurous version of me. But it’s time. In the early 2000s, with my own money from my first job, I bought my own car. I was a border-town photojournalist during the week (so you can imagine, I had to scrimp), but on the weekends, I went country. We rode horses, went off-roading, had bonfires, danced, and rabble-roused all weekend every weekend, and I needed a car that could keep up. While on vacation with my family on Coronado Island, California, […]

family, letter to my daughter

Letter to my Daughter: Be Patient with Your Old Mom

February 19, 2017 No Comments

Sweet Warrior Princess: Not too long ago, I was sitting on the bed with my mom and grandma – your great grandma – talking about how quickly time flies. “I still feel like I’m 16,” I said. “Me too!” said your grandma. “Me too!” said your great grandma. There are two funny things about time flying: 1. In spite of wisdom, experience, and maturity, you stay young inside. 2. Age is a sliding scale. No matter where you are on the continuum, you’ll perceive others’ age differently and you are the constant. When you’re a kid, you can’t wait to […]

family, wellness

2017: Scrap Resolutions & Live With Purpose

January 1, 2017 No Comments

2016 was hard. It wasn’t the worst, not the best, but in any case, it’s good to tie up loose ends and welcome a fresh, shiny new year. What are your plans to make the most of this new opportunity? My numerogically-gifted friend Shae will tell you 2016 was a 9 year – a time for endings and closure, however difficult or painful, and sometimes necessary. But today begins a 1 year – the beginning of a new nine-year cycle which will set the course for years to come. It’s a chance to evaluate where you are and where […]

family, wellness

Two Steps to Lasting Gratitude

November 22, 2016 No Comments

2 Steps to Lasting Gratitude on Pura Vida Sometimes

This Thanksgiving holiday, before we even begin preparing the feast or fine-tuning our bank accounts for the sales, set the intention for what you could do to make the holiday most meaningful and establish a pattern of thankfulness and lasting gratitude for the year to come. When did Thanksgiving become all about consumption? We eat a huge lunch of calorie-laden food and sugary desserts until the glycemic load ransacks us and we fall asleep watching football on the couch. We wake up long enough to eat ourselves back into a stupor, and sleep unit next day, when we shop ’till […]

family, travel

10 Things to Bring for a Happy Road Trip With Toddlers

November 7, 2016 No Comments

Happy Road Trip with Toddlers on Pura Vida Sometimes

Over the next few weeks, many of us will take advantage of long weekends to go on a road trip. Getaways of yesteryear when we were footloose and fancy-free are distant memories when you have kids. Now we have to plan and prepare and exercise all our OCD rites. But there are a few things you can take that will make the journey smoother. Most kids and especially mine get testy when their physiological needs are challenged. More specifically, the weeping and snotty tantrums on the floor with limbs flailing happen when they’re sleepy or hungry, so do everything you can to make […]