Visit from mom in NYC (day 2)

     It has been really great to have my mom come visit.  Even though its been raining since she arrived, we have been enjoying our time together.  Yesterday it rained heavily so we decided to make it a movie day.  We finally watched the Avengers together..WOW what an awesome movie!  Though we loved all the characters, my mom's favorite was Thor and mine was between the Hulk and Captain America.  I can't wait to watch it again when it comes on DVD.  After the movies, we went home to have dinner together and then went to Junction Blvd to do a little NYC shopping.  Then we went to Target to get some things and headed home.

     This morning we were planning to go out with my aunt but she had to work.  So we decided to visit Brooklyn and were delighted to have my dear friend Hilda join us in exploring the borough.  We went to Knickerbocker Ave. which is a shopping strip in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  I remembered that my soul sister Gigi took me there when I first arrived in NYC where we did a little shopping and I had my first Jamaican Beef Patty at Tony's Pizzeria.  So my mom, Hilda, and I checked out the cool stores, ate some italian ice cream, and they both had their first Jamaican Beef Patty at Tony's.  We had a great time and they loved the patties!  We still had the whole evening ahead of us so we decided to head on to Coney Island.  I was so excited for them to see the beautiful view of the Verrazano Bridge from the Belt Parkway, however it was so foggy all we can see was the very tip of the bridge.  It was pretty spooky to see it but pretty cool.  I wish they could have seen that view on a bright sunny day...its truly captivating!  We finally arrived at Coney Island and enjoyed some of the boardwalk, the flea market, and Luna Park.  Once we worked up an appetite we headed to Nathan's and scarfed down some famous hot dogs with cheesy fries, which is all part of the Coney Island experience.  There are tons of Nathan's Hot Dogs around the city but the one in Coney Island is the original and its been there since 1912.  I am glad I was able to take my mom and that Hilda was able to join us.  We had a great time!  Below are some photos of our adventures in Brooklyn!

At Tony's Pizzeria enjoying Jamaican Beef Patties

At Luna Park, Coney Island Brooklyn

With Hil at Luna Park, Coney Island Brooklyn

So beautiful my mom : )

The real deal..Nathan's Hot Dogs!

Happy Hilda..so pretty!

Hey, how did this get in here?

Heart attack in a box..Cheesy Fries!

The three musketeers enjoying our dinner!

The fog covering the Verrazano-Bridge..spooky!

Visit from mom in NYC (day 1)

     Summer has officially began for me.  Last week Saturday I finished my last paper to close my first year of grad school.  Since then I’ve been unwinding and slowly motivating myself to be normal again and not a mad scientist doing research and writing papers.  In fact, its been a whole week and I am barely writing this because I’ve been taking a break from the computer for a while.  Though I must say I’m still experiencing anxiety about exams and papers when I sleep at night, but hopefully that will go away soon.  One great way to begin my summer of freedom from grad school is with my mom being in town.  She arrived on Tuesday and I am so happy that she is here.  Just having her here makes me feel peace and hope and most of all LOVED.  There is nothing like a mother’s love and I am grateful that I have my mother’s unconditional love that fills me up.  I truly hope that she is enjoying herself and that we are bonding.  Its the first time she comes to visit on her own so we are spending some good quality time together.  

     Yesterday after I got off of work I came home and she had made an AMAZING dinner.  After I ate we headed to walk the Queensborough bridge together.  It was so much fun and good exercise.  We walked all the way to 5th avenue to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral.  Then we went through the Rockefeller Center and headed on to Times Square.  We took tons of photos (some are below).  Then we finally sat down at McDonald's in Times Square to eat hot fudge and strawberry sundaes with large fries...YUM!!! It was truly such a fun and beautiful night.  We were both so very tired when we got home that we fell right asleep! 

On our way to walk the Queensborough Bridge in LIC, Queens
De camino a cruzar el puente de Queensborough en LIC, Queens

Halfway across the bridge!
Llegamos al medio del puente!

At the Rockefeller Center Garden
En el jardin del Rockefeller Center

Two roses in the garden
Dos rosas en el Jardin

Jumbo Coca Cola!
Coca Cola gigante!

Mmm Jumbo Mug of Tea or Hot Chocolate..
Que rico una gigante taza de te o chocolate..

A beautiful night in Times Square
Una noche hermosa en Times Square

Waiting for the Subway
Esperando el tren

   

In a bit of hibernation....

Grad school has been really getting the best of me.  So many assignments to complete and so little time.  There has been so much I've been wanting to share but have not been able to balance it out with schoolwork and other obligations at this time.  Prioritizing continues to be a learning process and although I do attempt to plan my daily activities, sometimes you just have to just go with the flow...

I struggle with the fact that I get inspired the most when I have a lot on my plate.  I wonder if its just the anxiety that builds up to creativity.  When I have all the time in the world to dedicate to creativity, that is when I least feel inspired.  Yet right now, in the midst of final papers and exams, I want to write, draw, paint, and collage.  A few weeks ago I had the strong urge to write a poem in the midst of writing a paper.

I called it a "Psalm of Lament and Hope" and it truly spoke to the way I have been feeling lately.  I share this very personal piece of me hoping it may bring some light to someone who can relate.

Time has been passing

and I have grown increasingly anxious 

with every second that goes by

as I try to cope day by day

I ask myself

will you go or will you stay

I feel an ache in my my soul

as I think of my poor 

broken emotional fragile heart

that does not want to part

from this unfinished canvas we once called love

and even though it was too soon to tell then

taking a step back now to breathe

has left me without oxygen

Will we stand the test of time

will we accept that a series of unfortunate events took place

which caused grief, rejection, and too much to face

which caused anxiety, resentment, and frustration

because no communication was taking place 

As I ask for guidance from up above 

I wonder can it all be mended by forgiveness and unconditional love

that although we have both been broken down to pieces

that we allow God to transform and release us

from our own imperfections and ego behavior

so that we can come together

or maybe we have been deeply scarred 

and have been losing connection 

and can no longer rely on our intentions

I don’t have any answers to these questions

but I know that I want to be the person that God has made me to be

and I want to be with the person that God has placed on earth for me

I hope and pray to God that it will be thee.

It has been a very challenging time for me of which I have been seeking clarity and truth.  In the midst of the struggles, however, I must acknowledge the many blessings along the way.  I see that God is opening doors for me and I pray for courage to enter them in faith.   I do see a ray of hope in the horizon that I could not see before.  I will continue to pray and trust that God will make everything work out for the good.  I will be relieved when this semester is over and I can dedicate more time to self-reflect, share, and get creative.