Blue Monday - The Caribbean Sea

"Glass Beach, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba"

I could not resist sharing this beautiful "blue" view of the Caribbean Sea. Truthfully, I wanted to just stand there and stare for hours because it is just breathtaking.

There are stairs that lead to the beach which is not visible in this shot. But it is here that we go to feel like we're in a resort with a private beach. It is here where we go to collect the prettiest sea glass and interesting pieces of what once was someone's china, not sure but it would be interesting to find out where some of these treasures came from.

Enjoy the view, I hope to come again soon with more blues... in the mean time, visit SmilingSally to see what other's are sharing.

Have a great week! Happy "blue" Monday!

Terie

Smiling Sally

Celebrating me...and more

Spa Night at Terie's

I think it's really strange that while I was going to school, had a schedule packed with reading and writing and caring for the family I had time or took time to write.  Now that I'm done with school I can't seem to fit in any time to write and I really enjoy writing about everything.

Throughout the day I will have many stories written if only I could sending via ESP to my computer.  Maybe insert a little disk in my head and download all that's roaming inside there.  But such is life.  I have been so incredibly absent from my favorite blog, I actually miss sharing and reading what my followers have to say so I'm trying to get the ball rolling here.

An early morning peace moment in Guantanamo Bay it is.  Today, in the aftermath of my celebratory Spa party during which my girlfriends received a mini massage, smeared on some delicious chocolate face mask, ex-foliated their feet and hands and had a fantastic night.  I am so happy today, that everyone had a great time.

I was celebrating ME.  Yes, I threw myself a big bash party with the girls - no hubbies, no kids.  In fact, now that I think about it, the only man in the house was the Masseuse, Willi.  He's an older guy from the Philippines.  He's probably very happy that he chose to become a masseuse because only in this field do you get to rub so many women and have them pay you... ha ha ha!! But seriously, Willi was great and worked very hard to earn his keep. Everyone enjoyed their massage.

Back to ME.  I was celebrating the fact that I finished college and now have a B.S. in Social Studies and Humanities.  I am celebrating that I've been married to the same guy for 20 years.  I am celebrating my 43rd birthday and feeling more like 34!  I am also celebrating all the women who choose to NOT be co-dependant of anyone but themselves, women who choose to grow, love, laugh, and even break lose and do something wild.  I am celebrating perseverance, accomplishments, success, friendships, LIFE!!

I think the message was clear during the Spa party.  I shared with just about everyone how important it is to let go of negative feelings, to appreciate life and our short time together here in Guantanamo.  Holding grudges can often be debilitating and drag us down, depressing and viciously takes away precious moments in life.  So we learn to let go and move on.  Be happy.

Cheers to all my precious friends who shared in celebrating us!

Terie

Who are you giving a "time out" to?

Today, I'm giving myself a "time-out" and the weather is perfect for this.

It rarely rains here in Guantanamo, Cuba but for the last two weeks we've had these clouds looming in the distance, dropping water by the buckets over the mountains and on the other side of the bay.  Now it's our turn. It has been raining for 2 days, on and off, but enough to give the trees, grass, and flowers a nice start for the summer.

I personally love the rain and rainy days, especially if I don't have to go anywhere or do anything.  It's one of those days perfect for reading, catching up on emails, writing, and relaxing.  The house is quiet, the kids are in school and the chores are just about all done.

So today, while I can, I will just take time out to do only what I WANT to do.  I'm on "time out" from chores, responsibilities, and school work and I am going to enjoy every quiet minute I have to spend with ME.

Try it.

Terie

Prompt is courtesy of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.  Stop by and start your own :-)

Blue Monday - Blue Beach

Care to guess why this is called Blue Beach?

Beautiful.

The waves were wild and everyone had a great time riding them all the way to the shore!

Visit Smiling Sally to see what other blues are roaming around.

Terie

Outdoor Wednesday: Playing in the Sand

It is so sweet to see a child play so well all by himself. I wish I could read his mind. What is he thinking? Could I let my mind go there and play without thinking about the chores, the school work that awaits me? I can at least try.

Have a wonderful Outdoor Wednesday everyone!

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Today is outdoor Wednesday hosted by Susan from A Southern Day Dreamer. Visit Susan to see what others are sharing.

Blue Monday - my Kids

"... and then thee were three"

I have to admit that while I love, love, love each of them as individuals, I find myself really, really missing my oldest child a lot. I need to get busy so time goes by faster. He's at college and I'm on an island far, far away. We do chat online often and I manage to send him little notes to let him know he's missed, loved, and ... did I mention missed?

Gosh, this is painful. OK it is for his own good. I'm glad he's mature enough to be on his own, doing what he loves to do. I wont say that I'll get over it because quite frankly, I don't want to get over missing my oldest child, I'm OK with that. But I will move on, after all, I do have three others.

The middle child who is so darn artistic even she doesn't realize it some times, the 7 year old that has more energy stored in her little body then she knows what to do with, and my little man who can make anyone smile with his big hazel eyes and long eye lashes and beautiful smile. So Sweet! Do I sound like I'm looney for my kids? I am. They make me smile, they keep me young, and when they're asleep they are the BEST kids under the sun, for sure!!

Kids have a way of really irritating me. They know exactly how to get under my skin. The hardest thing for me is to not laugh when I'm trying to be serious. Sometimes I walk away to laugh at their facial expressions, then hopefully return to continue my scolding. It really does not work but it makes us all laugh--usually!!

I took this pictures at the beach yesterday because it was just perfect! Enjoy it!

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It is Sally's Blue Monday and a great day it is. Stop by Smiling Sally to see what others are sharing.

Outdoor Wednesday: a Cuban Iguana

Photo by Tere Cornelio "A GiTMO Iguana"

I have been away from my blog(s) and all the fun networking we do around here far too long. I miss all of this and all the sharing. So I come back now with my first outdoor picture in a while during this, the last Wednesday of the year.

I could have chosen one of the many beach, rocks, seaglass, mountains, or cloud pictures but I kept coming back to this Iguana because I'm still in awe that they live or that we live among them. They do keep to themselves and in my neighborhood we don't see them often but we do see them at the beach (only if we break out the food) and we see them around the base and in other housing areas. We see them as often as people in the states see dogs and their masters walking around...really weird.

I hope to find the time of day when my internet connectivity is has a higher bandwidth than during the day time hours (maybe I need to go back to my early morning blogging) so that I can visit all others in my network and hopefully meet some new people (bloggers).

Please visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer to see what other outdoors people are sharing today.

Visit my Life in Guantanamo Bay blog to read about our adventures and our everyday life here in GTMO, Cuba.

Have a beautiful day everyone and thanks for visiting!

Terie

Foodie Friday: When life gives you lemons....

....or whatever the ingredient, make something WITH it!

My house is now empty, except for the stuff they wont pack and move for me because it's flammable, open containers, perishables, etc... I can understand that, but did they have to pack my almost empty jar of all natural crunchy peanut butter and almond butter? They were opened! How about that pretty candle in the hallway, that's flammable, last time I checked.

Anyway, I am left the perishables in the fridge, my neighbors pyrex 1 quart pot and some plastic utensils.  Although I amtrying to live a more vegetarian lifestyle, I'm not one to throw away food. This morning I decided it was about time I did something with all this stuff.  You all know how much I love eggs by now because it seems most of my recipes call for eggs in some form or another.  So here it is...

4 Eggs
1/2 cup chopped Turkey Kielbasa
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, green)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (whatever you like)
Any other veggie left in the fridge? Sure -- mushrooms, tomatoes, zuccini, whatever you want.

Mix it up and cook in the microwave, first for 2 minutes on high but keep your eye on it.  Then stir and cook for a few more minutes on med/high until the eggs are cooked through.

It turned really good and such a comfort food for me. Even my toddler enjoyed a few bites. Yum!  By the way, the measurements are eye balled, I have no measuring cups either.

I now have the energy I need to clean this house all by myself -- it seems harder when it's empty- a larger area to vacuum and dust I guess.  And all those little holes on the walls...ugh, so much to do.

Soon I will begin my new blog titled "Family Life in Guantanamo Bay" where I will chronicle what is like to live on the Naval Base in Cuba where it seems most people think it's nothing but a prision camp.  I hope to change a few minds and help everyone share in our adventure in this new and somewhat secluded land.

My house did not sell this fall, but that's OK, now it's up for rent - maybe someone you know moving to the area-- who knows, I have to spread the word.  Here is a link to the virtual tour -- http://tours.tourfactory.com/tours/tour.asp?t=565143

Many blessings to everyone, 'till next time!!

Terie

Shared on Foodie Friday, hosted by Designs by Gollum