My niece started school today in Puerto Rico.  She’s in the first grade already.  I missed it, like I missed her first day of kindergarten but I will (hopefully) be there soon.  I don’t know, there’s something about first days, and uniforms, and school supplies that I absolutely love.  I think I should have been a teacher.  If only I had more patience dealing with kids…

After more than a year, I think this is where I’m going…

 

I remember the day she was born vividly. My mom was mad at me because I went to the beach. She had been with my sister at the hospital since 5 AM. We all knew this was going to be the birth date because my sister was going to be induced. I figured there wasn’t much I could do at the hospital, so I went with two of my co-workers to Rincón. I was working at the movie theater in August 2002.

We knew she was going to be a girl too. And she already had a name. She was going to be the first niece for me and my brother, and the first grandchild for my parents. We were really excited, obviously.

When she was born, my mother called me. I hurried home, took a shower, and drove back to the hospital. I had my wonderful Toyota Echo then. I got to the hospital. My sister was a little swollen, but other than that she was acting like giving birth was a piece of cake. Right!

I fell in love with the her as soon as I saw her. She was this cute, little thing wrapped in a blanket with a cute hospital hat on. I couldn’t believe my sister had just had that baby. When she came home two days later, I was able to hold and feed her and play with her. I can honestly say that I probably saw her everyday for the first year of her life. Actually, I still see her everyday when I’m in Puerto Rico.

She was a dream baby. Never fussy; rarely cried. No temper tantrums. Even though she was a late walker, she was a very early talker. By the time she was one year old, she could say complete sentences. I am not kidding! I have videos of her singing entire songs very well pronounced when she was one and two years old. She actually started writing her name and some other words before she was three without ever being school.

Fast-forward to today. She is sassy, flirty, and so very smart. She loves to dance. She’s in a dance group and had her first recital last June. She just recently started cheerleading too. She graduated kindergarten in May with honors. She’s a little bit like me: she loves computers, and cell phones, and mp3 players. She loves to write and color and make little cards. She loves animals, especially dogs. She loves the moon. She’s not that much into riding her bicycle or running outside. She’s also a lot like her mother, having a high fashion sense and loving her clothes and sandals.

I love her, and today she turns six years old. I am amazed at how fast time flew by. I feel old. Next week she starts the first grade at a new school. I am sad I am not in Puerto Rico with her today, and that I am going to miss her first day of school. Luckily, her birthday party is going to be on the 24th and by that time I’ll be home. I can’t wait to give her the iPod she requested as her birthday gift!

Happy birthday, my little girl!

I am having a hard time finding a theme for this blog.  It’s driving me crazy.  All the free, cute ones I like do not have a fixed width and are “broken” by my pictures.  I am giving up for now.  I will use the “default” Wordpress theme until I can find someone to make a custom theme for me at a price I can afford or until I start a hunt someday again for a free one that works.

*Sighs*

I need to post this.  Because whatever reminds me of Kiri deserves a space on my blog.  Because he was my “just a dog”.  Because I miss him.  Because he will always be in my heart.

Just a Dog

From time to time, people tell me, “lighten up, it’s just a dog,” or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.” They don’t understand the distance traveled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”

Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.” Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it’s “just a dog,” then you will probably understand phases like “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.

I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.”

So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog.” just smile, because they “just don’t understand.”

Authored by Richard A. Biby

We are a card family. Even if we’re broke we find the money to buy a card to give to each other on special occasions. I left Puerto Rico on July 25th, and my birthday was on July 29th so my mother hid two birthday  cards in one of my suitcases.  One was from her, one from my niece and nephew.  This is what they say:

To a Special Aunt

Always kind,

Understanding

and full of fun

your caring ways

are next to none.

You know just what to say

and the right things to do.

I could never have picked

a better Aunt than you!

With lots of love on your Birthday!

I melted over that one.  So sweet!  The one from my mother says:

Wishing You

God’s Most Precious Gifts

“FAITH to guide you through the years

with HOPE for each new day,

LOVE to share with all

you meet along the way,

PERSEVERANCE for the work

that you’ve been called to do,

COURAGE for the challenges

that lie ahead of you,

Warm and loving FRIENDSHIPS,

PEACE of heart and mind - 

These are God’s most precious gifts,

the everlasting kind.”

What better gifts to wish you

than the kind that God can give,

providing you with all you need

for every day you live…

What better time to tell you

that you mean a lot to me

and I hope your life is blessed

with all God’s best continually.

Happy Birthday!

Oh, well.  My birthday wouldn’t be a birthday without a card.  Your welcome, Hallmark!

The “honeymoon phase” is over.

I want to whine.

I want to nag.

I want to complain…

and I want to cry.

I love Muttscomics.  The “chained dog” always makes me cry.

I have a huge craving for a Dove chocolate bar. I probably won’t satisfy it until I go back to Puerto Rico. It always happens; I forget to bring stuff I know I can’t find here and then I get desperate. So far, it has only been with chocolate but soon other things will be added.

So, after that last positive post I decided I need to level things out a little. It is very rarely that you get an entry like that. I am going to number some things I don’t like about the Dominican Republic in no specific order.

1. The heat. Puerto Rico is hot, but this is ridiculous. I don’t know how I’ve survived so far.
2. The apartment I live in. More on that later.
3. The fact that I can’t walk the dog.
4. The fear of being attacked by a thief.
5. The Puerto Rican medical students.
6. The Dominicans thirst for money. Really, no matter how nice they are it seems like they always have a secret agenda. More on that later.
7. The smog at the 27 de febrero avenue.