Last year our we received the shocking news that our friend Michael was about to die. He survived, but as I have written about here, this survival was met with the challenge of having lost his fingers and feet. But he is here and he still gets to be a father to his young son.

This past weekend I received the news that my other very close friend’s husband is in the hospital with a rare form of cancer. I’m praying again for a miracle. I know they happen. So I’ll pray. They’re son deserves one. The all do.

So you think I’d actually NOT make a cake for your book club meeting that happens to fall on your birthday? The Divergent book club/movie preview meeting/party. Have we met child?

I love that you’re 12 and I’m still able to surprise you. Happy Birthday!!!!

My mom did everything for her children. Period.

I could end the post there because really that’s what she did. People often tell me I am full of energy. Quite honestly I am perplexed by that comment as I know I do so much less than my brother Carlos, or my dad at my age and don’t get me started on my mother.

My parents were up at the crack of dawn. One making coffee, the other getting ready to leave in the dark of morning to drive off to go build a house. My mom worked in a factory until she was injured and could no longer spend the day seated at her job. This lead her to start an at-home daycare. Yet that wasn’t the half of it.

I remember my friend Tommy coming over one day and being shocked that my mother had prepared a homemade soup for the children’s lunch. Tommy, duh! My mother made every meal, every day home made.

Wrap you head around that? Mom, with a job, homemade mealS every day. I don’t have much of a part-time job and that does my head in. That is why on days like today. Days before one of my children’s birthdays for example when I’m cooking (we ate leftovers), baking cakes (true story) & making sure homework gets done that I am reminded of her. You see, every time I go that extra yard for my kids I know I got the idea from her. I remember her waking at 5am one time to knead dough to then make fried dough for an international celebration at school. I remember another time I forgot to tell her I needed an outfit and again she woke at some ungodly hour to make sure it was done.

My kids sometimes are irresponsible & forgetful and this they get from me. If ever they become truly great people, they can thank the people that came before.

Mom, it’s the day before Sophia’s birthday. God, she reminds me of you. Gorgeous, intelligent, head strong & has a great laugh when you can get it out of her. You’d love her. She’d adore you. My kitchen’s a mess. You’d hate that I was sharing anything but the final product. But let’s be honest this wouldn’t be the first time I drive you crazy.

Mom, thanks for teaching me that there is no excuse for not doing all you can do for your kid. I love you. I miss you. Wish you were here to share them. They’re truly the best thing I’ve ever been a part of.

Today I went for a very short jog. At the pace I was going it would be a misnomer to call it a run. But should we ever leave this spot, I hope to never forget just how very beautiful it is here.

This picture looks much darker than it actually is out because the brightness of the sun messed with the light reading.

This one does a better job catching the light. Pretty, huh?

Did I tell you about my kids? The older one is a picky eater/food critic. No joke. The kid has an insane sense of smell and taste. I hope one day she earns money with the tools that she implements daily to drive me crazy. The other younger one, has always been a good little eater until recently. Now in some effort to assert that he too can drive me up a wall he has become as we say in Portuguese, ´more complicated´. And did I mention he´s an ethical vegetarian?

After a three week vacation, away from my kitchen, with visits from friends and families over the holiday season you can imagine we were all due for a cleanse. Now calma, this does not mean that we will survive on vegetable broth for a week, but rather that we need a fresh start. One with a bit more balance and a heck of a lot less sugar, chemicals and for me alcohol.

We are so lucky to live in a country where produce is beautiful and cheap. That, coupled by the fact that my daughter only enjoys fruit in the liquid form (except for berries…the child loves the only fruit that costs us a fortune) I decided to get us a juicer. I found one. I lie, my neighbor Cynthia found one for less than 60€ that really does the trick. 

The kids love it. Not only are the juices delicious, but they enjoy making them.

About a month ago I was putting away some things in my daughter´s closet. I noticed her handwritten list of New Year´s Resolutions from last year on the inside of the closet door. The first two jumped out at me as they seemed a million years away from the kid I have at home now. The idea that just a year ago she aspired to 1) Swim at least 50m butterfly without getting tired and,  2) Do the same with 100m medley, was astonishing in light of the fact that she now competes and places in the 400IM and in the 800M. This reflection of just how very far she has come made me want to revisit this idea of sitting with the children again and working out where we want to be next year.

I am a firm believer that we can always get better. Age is not a deterrent. My favorite quote from yoga is, `Practice, practice, all is coming.` by Guru Pattabhi Jois. It´s the idea that through repetition and practice we can achieve our goal. My daughter showed me that very explicitly this year. Hard work got her where she is. Hard work coupled by a swim team made up of incredibly supportive adults and children. Hard work + inspiration + support = SUCCESS

Here is my list from last year with comments on if I met my goals.

1. Do yoga 3 times a week….only honestly did once a week, aiming for 2 a week. Adding workout 4 times a week. 
2. Write something in Portuguese every day!…MUST DO THIS AND MORE THIS YEAR! I am adding on that I will only speak to the children in Portuguese. They are very good at catching my errors:)
3. Run at least 1 half marathon this year. Preferably 3;)...Ran a marathon 4:14:14…whooo hooo!
4. Find an excuse to go out dancing at least once a month. ( I am counting on my village friends and my girlfriends in Lisboa to help me out with this one:)…Failed, sad really, but another thing to organize
5. Improve my tennis game so I don’t embarrass myself when I play Sarah, Sophie and Amanda this year at Christmas…better, but still room for improvement:)
6. Be more patient….worth repeating….REPEAT…10 Deep Breathes
7. Do a better job keeping in touch with friends… Beyond FB….Resolving to only check FB on Sundays.
8. Create a gratitude wall….nice idea, how did I forget this? 9. Learn proper swim strokes. And fingers crossed, learn to do a tumble turn….I still need to get a lesson, or two, but at least I have made swimming a regular part of my routine. Thanks Lana for needing me to drive you to swim in the mornings.                                        10. Launch my tutoring business…DONE! Adding…                                                           11. Recommit to kiwigalo.com                                                                                             12. Start the week with a meal plan created and organized on Sunday.                                 13. Try to learn to meditate.

And with that I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Very early this Sunday morning I sat down at my computer with my cup of coffee. As I logged into Facebook I was met with this image.

As many of you know, Mike was almost dead. A few times. That is not putting it lightly. There is just no way around it. He survived an aortic dissection, septicemia, a coma, organ failure´S´, he has lost his fingers and his feet. But I think you would find it hard to argue his survival and COMEBACK are anything less than a miracle….as well as a testament to his incredible will.

When I saw this image I smiled and cried because Mike looks like Mike again. I also cried because J gets to have his daddy home again. I posted a video on Sunday. It was specifically dedicated to three people I love that suffer from depression. But when I ran I thought so much of Mike, his battle and his challenges ahead that it just doesn´t seem right for me to wear my medal. I hope he will accept it, as he deserves it so much more than I do. I love you friend. YOU are an inspiration. God bless you and your gorgeous family.

Go Fund Mike!

Back in March 2014 as I walked in the door from picking up my sister-in-law at the airport I received a devastating call from a good friend back in the States. She was calling to tell me that my friend’s husband Michael was dying.

Michael had sustained an aortic dissection. According to a medical professional that I spoke to, “Heart attacks are easy. But after an aortic dissection you typically have three minutes to live.”  Luckily for Mike he was at the hospital when his aorta ruptured and one surgeon chose to proceed with surgery. According to the doctors, his insides looked as if he had survived a car crash. After this surgery Michael became septic. His wife was informed that he had less than a 5% chance of surviving the surgery he needed to determine the cause of his septicemia, but the doctor himself was unsure he could even get him to the operating table as his condition was that critical. Miraculously, he survived.

After the surgery Michael remained in a coma and experienced organ failure. He depended on a number of machines and dialysis to survive. At this point it was becoming clear that due to the medication given to Michael to keep the blood pumping to his brain that he had not gotten enough blood flow to his fingers and toes and that if he were to survive, he would lose them.

Many of us thought Michael was going to die. I for one flew over to the United States for what I thought was going to be his funeral. I was wrong.

Less than a week after, Michael opened in his eyes. This gave us great hope. But unfortunately that hope was limited. Soon after Michael showed signs of awareness more bad news came. Tests were indicating that Michael had had a stoke that seemed to have left him paralyzed, possibly brain damaged and his organs were showing no signs of working.

Knowing Michael, many of us knew that this was not the quality of life Michael wanted. He was a gymnast, swimmer, golfer and all around awesome dad to his son Jacob. We all wanted him here for Jacob, but we also knew that he wanted to have more than a life connected to machines.

We all knew Micheal was a strong and stubborn man. And although we all hoped for another miracle, we were not expecting one. After a few more setbacks Michael started coming back in full force. Organs that were never expected to work, started working. A voice that was never to be heard, spoke. A body that was never meant to move, did. Michael was on his way back. Once it was clear that Michael was going to survive the decision to amputate his fingers and feet was made.

What Michael has survived is truly incomprehensible. We are tremendously grateful for this miracle, but we know that this is the beginning of Michael’s fight. A fight he will win. But his family needs our help. I ask you here, if you can, to donate to this cause and become a part of the team that supports this incredible man.

Go Fund Mike!

And tonight it was all about getting Lana ready for her French test. Next week alone she has 5 tests, French being one. As one of the few stay at home moms in her class, I share her study materials with the mothers I’m friends with. This Portuguese school is no joke.