Happy Valentine's Day

Funny thing this "Valentine's Day".  In all the years I've been in a relationship over Valentine's Day, I have inevitably had to hear from my so called "significant others"  how Valentine's Day is so over-commercialized that they just don't want to buy into the whole charade. Silly old me has always agreed.  Mind you, I truly do believe that this, like so many other holidays, is a ploy from big marketing company executives to get you to over-spend, buying all kinds of stuff you have absolutely no need for.  How many stuffed animals and balloons can a girl get??  But....and there is a big BUT here, that doesn't mean that if you do happen to be blessed to have that someone special in your life, that you shouldn't go the extra mile and try to be "creative", or make some sort of small gesture to acknowledge how much they mean to you.  So as long as I can remember, and in all of my past relationships, I don't recall ever having had someone do anything for me....that is, until today.  Funny how you have to NOT BE in a relationship to have men go the extra mile.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I walked up to my car to find someone had left a little Valentine's Day balloon and small card.  It was from a "Secret Admirer".  Can you believe it?  A secret admirer at my age.  I remember the last time I got a note from a secret admirer on Valentine's Day....I was in Junior High.  I have absolutely no idea who this person is, and I really couldn't care less.  It was nice that someone out there noticed me....even if it was just for a brief moment, and took the time out to let me know.  As silly as the whole thing is, it does make you smile.

Throughout the day today I was showered with beautiful email messages, text messages, candy, chocolates and even cupcakes from friends and co-workers and even many of the guys I'm writing to on Match that have never even met me.  I've felt more appreciated and loved on this Valentine's Day that I'm single, than in all of my past Valentine's Days when I wasn't....who'd have guessed.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my friends, both near and far.

An Evening to Celebrate Love

Last night, I had the pleasure to be part of the 20th Anniversary Wedding party for two of my dearest friends, Piloto and Zoraida.  Yesterday, together with many of their closest friends and family, we were able to once again, see up close, that true love, friendship and committment still does exist - in spite of the overwhelming negative statistics indicating the opposite. 

As I walked in the door of their beautiful home in Coral Gables, Piloto reminded me that our trip to Italy, the first they had ever been on, had been 16 years ago.  How quickly time passes by.  And yet, there they were, as in love and committed to each other and to their family as when they first met.  They have truly become my inspiration, my measuring stick if you will, as to what it is that I'm looking for in a relationship.  People may say that I'm too picky, but I don't believe so.  I'm holding out for the real thing, and unless I can have what they have, what is the point of it all; to become another statistic?  It was a night filled with love, music (Amaury Gutierrez, Alex Ubago, Lena, Elain Morales, Alexis Valdes and so many more) were some of the guests that honored them and all the other guests with their music.

I celebrate their love for each other and hope they will be blessed with another 20 years.

Alexis Valdez, Gloria Ordaz, Lena, Elain Morales, Alex Ubago and I

Here are a few of the wonderful songs we were treated to by some of their friends:

http://www.youtube.com/user/muchachita1111#p/u/7/nIkEn52Xs6U

http://www.youtube.com/user/muchachita1111#p/u/9/gOzGrxPtrh4

http://www.youtube.com/user/muchachita1111#p/u/1/NPjPzSUSGLk

http://www.youtube.com/user/muchachita1111#p/u/3/32I2WV1mDAU

http://www.youtube.com/user/muchachita1111#p/u/8/-Ag0F4r2UVI

http://www.youtube.com/user/muchachita1111#p/u/6/aHD7noZ1kME

What a Difference...17 years make

So get this.  I woke up yesterday with the intension of looking for an old photo album I was suppose to take to work. I was going to show someone photos of a friend we had in common. When I finally found it, and began looking through it, I found a photograph that was taken 17 years ago of Raul Di Blasio and I. 

Raul Di Blasio and I - Cafe Abbracci
April 1994

For those who don't know who Raul Di Blasio is, check out this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecJZafbsaWc . Raul Di Blasio is in town for a concert he's having this weekend in Miami (I'm going on Sunday).  In any event, I get to work, go upstairs to show my friend the picture and out of the blue he says "do you know that Raul is downtairs right now?  Come on, let's go down there and show him the pictures."  Can you believe what a coincidence that is? I had absolutely no idea or reason to think he'd be at our office yesterday.  I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it.  Here's a picture I haven't looked at in over a decade of someone I randomly met years ago, and the very day I look at it, he suddenly appears....17 years later....Wow. What are the chances of that happening twice??  I should play the lottery this weekend. 

My friend drags me downstairs and show his PR person the pictures.  She can't believe it either.  She grabs me by the hand and takes me over to where he's sitting and shows them to him.  Of course he couldn't remember who or when or where they were taken; never thought he would.  He smiled, stood up, gave me a big hug and insisted we take another picture together because as he put it, we look so much better today.  Here it is...How are we doing for 17 years later?  

Raul Di Blasio and I, Mega TV Miami
February 11, 2011

What a difference a year makes

So here we are again....in just a few hours, Superbowl XLV will kick off between the Steelers and the Packers.  Should be a great game and looking forward to watching it.

However, I can't help but think about where I was this time last year.  In fact, reading back on my blog, this time last year was a day packed full of "Americana" as I called it.  If you had asked me a year ago that I would be sitting here now, a 44 year old woman, once again having to enter the dating scene - I would have never believed it.  I spent last year watching the Superbowl with the man I thought was the love of my life and the last man I would ever date again. Boy was I wrong.  In fact, one year later I am back on the dating scene....just joined Match.com about two weeks ago.  I will be writing a blog about that as it deserves it's own forum, it's so hillarious, weird, interesting, fun and exciting....

We never know what is waiting for us just around the corner, good or bad.  For this reason, I truly believe more than ever, that if you're living a moment of bliss right now, in the present.....devour it, enjoy it, savour every moment of it because it may not be there again tomorrow, or the very next second for that matter.  And if you're going through a phase in your life that you'd rather not be living through, take comfort in knowing that it too shall pass as nothing is permanent. 

It intrigues me to think about where I will be a year from now....however, I won't think about it right now.  I've got a Superbowl game to watch (with my first date from Match) and that's all that matters right now.  Can't wait to see how it turns out.

Go Packers......neither one is my team but it makes it more fun to cheer one team on!!!