I got an I-PAD

I am soooo EXCITED I can hardly stand it!!!!

The i-Pad is finally here!

Several months ago I wrote about Mac coming out with something new, something that looked like a giant i-phone. Well it's finally here!

Let me introduce to you ....The i-pad!!!!

You can pre-order one of these babies on March 12th, but they will be here April 13th for only $499.00. Now I promise you apple is not paying me to advertise this, I just love apple and think this gadget is pretty cool and thought I should share.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

Coral Castle

Yesterday was President's Day, and Fernando and I had a much needed day off. Things have been so busy lately, that it is nice to just have a day off where neither one of us has anything to do. So my honey being the great guy that he is, made plans for us to visit the Coral Castle in Homestead. We love museums, art festivals, anything cultural or anything that deals with learning. I guess we are just nerds at heart. This historic place was created by a man named Edward Leedskalnin he created this monument in honor of his lost love Agnes Scuffs. Ms. Scuffs was ten years younger than Mr. Leedsklnin and they were engaged to be married, but Ms. Scuffs broke off the engagement the day before the actual wedding. He built the castle by himself without outside help or machines. He carved and sculpted 1,100 tons of coral rock alone and it took him about 28 year to complete.

I feel bad for Mr. Leedskalnin, because it seems as though he never moved on with his life after Ms. Scuffs. I mean the man dedicated his entire life to create a monument for her and it makes me wonder if he any had hopes that she would return to him after seeing what he had accomplished.

The Entire Castle

The Reading Area

The Florida Table

http://coralcastle.com/

Good Morning!!!

Its 7:27 on a Saturday morning!! I usually wake up early! For some reason my body is built that way, but today is different. The weather has been pretty cold over here in Miami and it is something we are not really used to, but I love it!!! I am looking out the porch and can see how cold, dreary, and ugly it is outside. You might wonder why on earth am I up so darn early on a Saturday? Well for the past few nights my husband and I have shut off the air and have been sleeping with the windows open and taking advantage of the cool air. If you know my Husband you would understand why we do this. I swear he is a polar bear because my apartments a/c is always set to arctic temperatures. Anyhow as you can imagine that sleeping with the windows open you hear outside noises that you would not usually even notice if your windows were closed. So this morning the sanitation collection decided to it usually thing, and pick up our buildings waste. Oh of course they had no consideration for the fact that I am sleeping with my windows open and they must be quite to try not to wake me up ::sarcasm::. So due to the lovely noise I am up, and once I am up, I am up!!!! Watch out though you may find me past out in front of the T.V. by 9:00pm. I am an early riser and because of that I am also early to bed. Happy Saturday Everyone!!!

Only in Hialeah...

Being an employee for this city of progress sometimes allows for a few perks. My perk for the day along with some 1,000 plus others was free food for all city employees at the new pre-opening of the Chipotle on 49th and 4th. I absolutely love Chipotle and was thrilled when they opened the one in Miami Lakes, because I no longer had to drive to Griffin just to have some of this Mexican delight. Tomorrow the restaurant will be giving free food to all, so make sure to stop by. Anyway, now to the point of my story, my co-worker and I were driving to our free lunch and discussing our options for dinner, she said she was going to be cooking fish and needed to go to the market to buy some fresh limes. I am not kidding a second after she said that a guy walks by the car holding a bag of fresh limes for sale. Only in Hialeah will you able to buy fresh limes off the street from some guy! Tell me you see that in any other surrounding city? Oh how I love Hialeah.

My friend above says she needs to go buy a zipper tomorrow, maybe a seamstress will be selling some on 49th. Who knows?

Naked Feet - Part Two

So I get this e-mail yesterday from my dear friend Hugette who lives in Hawaii, and she asked me to share. I found so much humor in her e-mail and it actually made my evening. =)

The e-mail is as follows:

"Hey Meli! You are not going to believe this. So the other day I went to Ross with Santiago because he needed to get some shorts for school and I was bored. So of course I remembered your blog about ross shoes and your perfect nude colored shoes. So I walk over there and LOOK what I found for only $25.... I found LOVE!!!!!! Aren't they beautiful?????? LOL! I love you! You should totally put this on your blog! :-) Hehe! I love you!!!! Muah!
-Hugette "

Hugette my love thanks for showing my blog some love! I love you!

Here is a pic of her fabulous purchase!

I wonder if there is a Ross in Miami that may be caring these babies?

hmmm...I think I may be paying Ross a visit this week!

Au79

I received an e-mail from my sister-in-law over the long weekend and the e-mail was as follows:

"...didn't this girl go to high school with you guys??? " with this link attached!
http://www.socialmiami.com/articles/au79_Jewelry.asp

At first I thought my sister-in-law had no idea what she was talking about, but as I read the article and glanced over the pictures! I realized my little sister-in-law was right! I did go to high school with her, and as I continued to read I found the article to be rather interesting and thought I should definitely share. I love to share others success and in turn hope that in sharing I can help them out in some way possible. Congrats to her and I would like to introduce you to Au79 by Lauren Monteagudo. Au79 is a jewelry line, she created and the signature piece is a gold shovel representing empowerment and strength. This shovel is a symbol for women who work hard and get their own hands dirty to dig up what they want. She says "Au79 is for the go-getter not the gold-digger."

I don't know about you, but that had me sold! I love how the shovel is a symbol for the woman who works hard to get what she wants. I will be purchasing one of her signature pieces in the near future, once her opportunist collection is released this fall.

If you are interested you can visit her website at:

http://www.thegoldshovel.com/

www.Au79online.com

Miami Spice

It's that time of year again...Miami Spice 2009! In the months of August through September Miami's best restaurants offer 3 course meals for a $22.00 lunch and a $35.00 dinner. Although that may sound expensive to some it's really a great price compared to the the regular menu of these restaurants. I am hoping to at least visit two of the participating restaurants this year, but since Fernando and I are going to San Fran, that may be out of the questions...we have to save for our trip!!! Two restaurants I have my eye on this year are: Meat Market, and Kobe Club. Hopefully the portions are not so small as some of the restaurants we have visited in the past, so beware if you plan on doing a Miami Spice dinner. I know I want a dinner menu not a tasting menu!

Naked Feet!

So I was at Panera Bread this afternoon, and had some time to kill, so I decided to go to the Ross next door to see what I could find. Once I entered I was on a search to find some cute gifts for the winners of the games at Veronica's baby shower next weekend. To my luck I was able to find most of the prizes, but the best prize of all was these Jessica Simpson nude pumps I found. I of course bought these HOTT shoes for myself, and I'm still in shock that I was able to find these babies for only $20.00!!! I love finding bargains like these!!! Nude shoes are definitely in, and I believe are essential basic for a functional wardrobe (not that I know anything about that)! They pretty much go with everything, and that is more bang for your buck!! Nude shoes are suppose to make your legs look longer, but in my case my legs are so white it might not do the job that it it intended to.

The shoes look darker in the picture, but they are alot lighter!!!

Regina Brett of "The Plain Dealer"

I received an e-mail this morning with 45 lessons that I thought I should share. These 45 lessons were written by a woman named Regina Brett. Mrs. Brett is a columnist for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland Ohio. She states:"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written...My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more: "

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Today Mrs. Brett is 90 year old, and I love when people share there wisdom as she has.

The rumor is...

Mac is coming out with a touchscreen laptop! Now I am not much of a technological type of person, and for all I know this could be old news, but I believe this is one cool gadget! No one knows what it will really look like but I guess it would look like a giant I-phone and according to Good Morning America it is supposedly being released this October. I guess we will just have to wait and see if the rumors are true.

Carrie Prejean

I am not one to watch any type of beauty pageant, but I could not fight my interest in this story. As I was driving to work and listening to the radio this morning the discussion was about Ms. Carrie Prejean and her answer to a very controversial question at last nights Miss USA pageant. What I learned in my short car ride to work was that Ms. Prejean also known as Miss California was the runner up of this pageant and was asked by judge #8 Perez Hilton a controversial question in regards to gay marriage. The question was as follows:

"Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same sex marriage. Do you think every state should follow suit, why or why not?"

I love the honesty and brazenness in her response; although I do believe she could have been more articulate in her answer she still nonetheless gave her opinion, which is exactly what Mr. Hilton asked for. Her response was this:

"I think it’s great that Americans are able to choose one or the other. We live in a land that you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, in my country, in my family, I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

Ms. Prejean did not win the pageant and there is talk that her loss was due to her response to this very question. I do not believe her response was offensive or made to alienate anyone but that's just my opinion. I do however also feel her loss was not due to her response, but perhaps to her nervousness about responding to the subject matter. She states that "we live in a land in which we can choose same-sex marriage...” if that were true Mr. Perez would not be asking her if all states should legalize this type of marriage. What bothers me the most about this whole incident is the attention that has been taken away from Miss North Carolina who was crowned Miss USA Sunday night, and how upset, abrasive, and rude Mr. Perez has been towards Ms. Prejean once the pageant concluded to the point of using profanity to describe her. I feel Mr. Perez was opposed to her response and because of it choose to attack her. Mr. Perez states that her response was not the correct response a possible Miss USA should give, he states, "I do expect Miss USA to be politically correct". Does being politically correct mean you have to lose who you are? Isn't Miss USA supposed to be a woman who sets an example for other young women? If so what are we teaching young woman by being politically correct, that it is okay to put your beliefs on the backburner to win a title?

Are we politically correct? What are your thoughts on this topic?

Down To The Last One

My coworkers and I decided to go to a Thai restaurant for lunch today, Fridays are usually our cheat days since we are all trying to watch our figures. After our delightful sushi lunch we decided to order some Thai donuts for desert with condensed milk on the side of course! What else would we dip those fried donuts into? As the three of us ate the first set of 6 donuts, we decided to order another six, because I of course was not satisfied with the two I already had. I had to have another two to myself. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and shared an appetizer or desert and it comes down to the last chip or the last spoonful of ice cream and you don't want to be the glutton of table to eat the last piece of food? Of course you have, everyone has, so you casually wait to see if someone offers you the left over piece, well this is what I was hoping would happen, but to my dismay did not turn out that way. He offers one of us the last donut and before I can say okay you don't have to twist my arm, she is already gobbling it down. I guess we were both waiting for our opportunity and I did not rise to the occasion.

I want more Thai donuts!!!

YOGA!!!

In an attempt to get in shape I have been going to the gym with my cousins and some friends for some time, but with the holidays approaching it has not been an easy task. I am not one who believes in taking aerobics classes or anything of that sort unless its a spinning class, if that is the case I will spin my but off!!! So my cousin suggests that we take the 7:00pm yoga class, and I am little hesitant, but later become open to trying something new. I walk into the class and set up my mat and wait for the class to begin, 15 minutes into the class we are still lying on the floor and I can't help but think so this is considered exercise, gees I missed the 6:45 spinning class for this, but from one moment to the next we are in the squatting dog position and then the scorpion position!!! I couldn't help but think how on earth I went from calm and soothing to unbalanced and uncomfortable. I will say you may think yoga is just some foo foo class that does not really work you out, but on the contrary it is quite the opposite, it teaches you how to focus, how to remain balanced and works out muscles you barely even use. Will I be taking another yoga class? Absolutely, once my body is no longer sore from the one I just took.