vamanos

My grandmother hasn't been to Colombia in almost two decades. Neither have I... though those 24 years equate to my entire life. This evening will mark my first time in the country where she grew up and my great-grandmother spent half of her life. We'll land in Bogotá, make ourselves at home with extended family, and venture to Medellin and Cartagena eventually. We plan to explore the cities, the beach, and even the rainforest in just three weeks. Gosh, I am so excited!

With that said, for as special as it is to be sharing this experience with my grandmother, I am sad to be missing a couple events here in the U.S. For one thing, today is Mother's Day, and although my family and I are taking my mom out to brunch soon, I wish I could spend the rest of the day with her. She's a really good one and I want to make sure she knows it. Then there are graduations (and graduation parties) I wish I was able to attend--most notably Laura's, Kate's, Jasmine's, Ryan's and Debra's. I'm so proud of them. Congratulations to all. And finally, my birthday. This is the first year of my entire life that I won't celebrate with a family barbecue, nor will there be a night out with friends as there has been in recent years. It just feels weird. But, perhaps starting this 24th year differently from the rest will open my life to new and unique possibilities? I'll keep you posted :). Until then, though I'll be working part-time from Colombia, I doubt I'll be able to blog often; below are a few wonderful articles I've read recently. ¡Adios!

• The Value of a Stay-At-Home Mom Isn't What You Would Think At All
• 10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won't Tell You
• What I Tell Ellie Every Day: "You are imperfect, and wired for struggle, but you are loved and you belong."