A Few of My Favorite Things...

Espresso:

Anyone who knows me knows that coffee is my one addiction! I love the smell, looks, taste, feel, and sound of coffee…even the mere word elates me. (Shoot… now this is giving me a craving!) However it should be noted that I detest drip coffee, it’s all about espresso for me. There is nothing better than a strong cup of espresso with nonfat milk and a good book. My wonderful husband bought me this Nespresso espresso machine for Christmas last year with help of my parents and I love it! It is the gift I use the most in life. Now I can feed my addiction EVERY DAY!

Outdoors:

I am an outdoor kind of girl! I love summer and being able to get out and live life outside. That is one thing I have found difficult about moving to New York where the summers are hot and humid and you have to pay to get to the beaches...sigh. On a brighter note, being just a short flight from Puerto Rico sort of makes up for that. The Caribbean is the essence of paradise to me: warm, clear-blue water, and sandy beaches. It just does not get better than that!

Repurposing:

I love thrift, bargains, and budgeting; I also love repurposing an old thing to become a new, unique piece with character, history, and charm. I think these two things are a match made in heaven. My husband and I have spent the last two years creating our small condo into a display of memories and monuments to the things most important to us… all on a conservative budget. Our dining room light fixture is an ivory, linen drum shade (purchased from a local home décor store), with a brown, twig drum in the center (made from two placemats given to us at our wedding wrapped around  an embroidery hoop). My husband wired a bulb and cord, changed out our switch to a dimmer and voila, we have mood-lighting and décor. The candle holder hanging on the wall is one of my favorite pieces. It is a part from an old plow used on my husband’s grandfather’s farm. We found it in an old barn during a work day at the farm and I’ll never forget the chuckle he gave me when I dug it out of the garbage pile asked if I could take it home. As for the glass candle holders, we bought them from an online discount store; the rope, string, chain, and ribbons are all left over pieces from our wedding and other projects we have tackled. It feels great to have a piece of our family history as such a unique sculpture on our wall. Oh, and don’t think that it stops there… I didn’t even mention the day bed made from an old red front door, the old farmhouse window hung on our guest room wall, or the giant outdoor pot reinvented as a side table. We love these unique pieces.

Family:

In my life, family is the most important thing to me and now I am blessed to have two wonderful families! I have married into a truly incredible clan. All together I now have two daddies, two mamas, three brothers, four sisters, and four nephews. Growing up very close to my small family consisting of my dad, mom, and brother, it has been so much fun to marry into a big, tight-knit family full of siblings and commotion.

Medicine:

No doubt about it, the human body is the most intriguing element to study. Even after thousands of years of investigation there are still mysteries no one can fathom! I would have loved to go into obstetrics; however I am happy I ended my education as a pediatric nurse where I have been able to couple compassion with knowledge and love every moment of my work with tiny little humans. My nursing career will also allow me to, in the future, be a full-time mother while still satisfying my professional and intellectual appetite at the hospital. Gotta have the best of both worlds. And who knows maybe someday I will go back to school!

Razmataz:

Yes, I am a cat person. Although I love dogs as well, they are not conducive to New York condo living. This is Razmataz. (I take no responsibility for his name as he was named by my husband when he was in 8th grade.) Raz is more of a dog in personality and loves to play tag and wrestle with his daddy. He's 14-years-old now and has become a total love, picking me as his favorite cuddle buddy!

Travel:

I am fascinated by different cultures, languages, foods, smells and terrain. I have traveled all over the world and hope to never stop experiencing new places. In nursing school I had the opportunity to study in India for a month and on a venture to the north part of the country we stopped to try on some native, Nepalese attire! I have to say we do look pretty cool! ;0).  I would love to see the seven natural wonders of the world before I die as well as the man-made ones if I have time.

Health and Fitness:

I love all things active and have recently fallen in love with Pilates. I like a challenge that is between my mind and body and enjoy pushing myself to do things I could not a few months ago. I have also always enjoyed cooking, and lately have been converting my recipes to healthier options without sacrificing flavor. It has become a fun game to me and I love a good challenge! Less oil, low fat substitutes, brown rice in place of white, and healthier portion choices like vegetables have become a regular part of my cooking.  (P.S. – in case you didn’t guess, this picture is more healthy cooking than fitness)