GABRIELA YARELIZ

Come Walk With Me: Arecibo, Puerto Rico

By: Gabriela Yareliz

This observatory is definitely a must-see for the beautiful view and for educational purposes. The ultimate stop for nerding out. Bring walking shoes, because you will burn off your breakfast on the hike up the hill. They have neat interactive games, videos and demos to explain how the observatory and outer space works, plus knowledgeable staff on hand. There is also an impressive collection of meteors with information about where they were found. You probably won’t think about the night sky in the same way again.

Erin Andrews

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Can we take a minute and talk about Erin Andrews? She is fantastic. She was born on the same day as me (that’s not why she is fantastic, but I think it’s pretty cool). She is a fellow University of Florida College of Journalism graduate. Florida girl. She also has made it in an industry that is tough for women– reporting, and not only reporting but sports reporting. She reports from the sidelines, looking fabulous.

She has been in the news, lately. She had a tough year with her stalker case going to trial. She suffered a violation of privacy that brought her much suffering. And most recently, she revealed that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016.

She was battling cancer while reporting from the sidelines and while co-hosting Dancing With the Stars. I read in her interview that during her trial, everyone kept telling her how strong she was, and it wasn’t until her cancer diagnosis that she began to believe it and tell herself that she was strong.

She would tell herself, “Hey, I have cancer, but dammit, I am strong, and I can do this.”

She didn’t miss a game.

Andrews is now clear of any cancer she had, and she recently got engaged in December. Personally, I am hoping this will be her best year yet. She deserves it. This is a woman who embodies strength, with courage, beauty and brains to match. #warrior

Come Walk With Me: Playa Chiquita, Puerto Rico

By: Gabriela Yareliz

Playa Chiquita is one of those places you walk around quietly and try to absorb and memorize as much of the scenery as possible. It’s gorgeous. The water was rough, blue and stunning.

This couple was having its own photoshoot:

Playa Chiquita had an important message for all of us:

Monday Inspiration: January 30, 2017

“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Pay attention to the simple and to the extraordinary.

Happy Monday!

Sunday Girl: January 29, 2017

By: Gabriela Yareliz

On Sundays, I wake up like Kate, from the movie No Reservations. You know, the chef. She wakes up early to pick out the fish and truffles for her fancy West Village restaurant. I wake up early and pick up the missing ingredients for the dishes I want to make for the week.

COOKING
I wake up early, without an alarm, and I bundle up and march over to the market to get the goods. Trying new recipes has been so much fun and so therapeutic. I am on a mission to gain some 5-7 lbs., and so it has been great to feed myself and know exactly what is going into my body. I have been experimenting with new recipes for the past 6 months. I stopped buying many soy-based “meats,” and opted for real plant-based foods. Plants. Lots of plants.

I am starting to understand a lot of the philosophy great gourmands share.

These are some of the cookbooks that have inspired me the most in my journey to make plant-based meals (real food):

Usually, what I will do is put on, in the background, an old Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie (you know, where they kiss foreign guys, and the viewer is expected to believe a wonderful international romance will blossom and thrive) or a French reality TV show (hosted by Cristina Cordula) that conjures more tears than cutting onions (the show is so touching, you see people heal as they get makeovers after traumatic life events). Sometimes, I FaceTime with my childhood friend, Liz, and we cook together, while chatting.

I cook for the week, and it makes the week easier, cheaper and healthier. I end up exhausted afterward, I am not going to lie. But it’s satisfying, and I wouldn’t trade it–

Here is to becoming a little master chef in 2017. #inspired

LOVE

Valentine’s Day is coming soon. It got me meditating on how beautiful life is when we take the time to reflect on all of the love we receive from the amazing people around us.

“Being in love is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God.” C.S. Lewis

SPRING HOPES

[Image from Le 21eme]

I know we are still in the dead of winter. Leggings are ubiquitous, and yesterday, I saw thick snowflakes falling. Still, I can’t help but be excited about spring. February is almost upon us, and let’s hope the groundhog brings us some good news.

I want lighter jackets, sunshine, flowers, green and no tights. Spring– I miss you. Come soon.

WEDDING VIBES

[Image from LovethisPic.com]

One of my best friends is getting married this summer. It is going to be grand. I am so happy for her and this new chapter she will be starting. Liz got married last summer, and it was really beautiful to be a part of that. Love is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated, and I am excited I will be celebrating this new union, as well. This will mean a new addition to the family, and we are all delighted. Lots of changes up ahead.

Some thoughts on marriage from the fantastic mind of Gary Thomas:

“A good marriage isn’t something you find; it’s something you make.”

“If you want to be free to serve Jesus, there’s no question– stay single. Marriage takes a lot of time. But if you want to become more like Jesus, I can’t imagine any better thing to do than to get married. Being married forces you to face some character issues you’d never have to face otherwise.”

“Christian love must be chased after, aspired to and practiced.”

HAPPY WEEK

All right, my friends. I am wishing you an inspired start to the week. This Sunday Girl is off to rest.

Come Walk With Me: Jayuya, Part II

By: Gabriela Yareliz

We went to Jayuya’s Hacienda San Pedro, where the legendary good coffee is grown and made.

We also visited Casa Canales, and we learned about why it is important in Puerto Rican history.

We visited El Semi, the museum on Taino history.

We spent time with family:

And there is nothing like family.

Come Walk With Me: Jayuya

By: Gabriela Yareliz

We took a trip through winding roads, up mountains and through cliffs, to get to Jayuya, the place where, years ago, some Spaniards settled and decided to grow their family. My family.

The roads are narrow and look like one-ways, but when another car appears going in the opposite direction, magically, the road becomes a two-way. We ran into a funeral procession near a cliff. We took meds to combat the nausea, but we were nauseated anyway.

There’s nothing like the relief of arriving, putting your feet on solid ground and being greeted by a warm hug from a family member you haven’t seen in years. And of course, coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Family relaxing:

Spectacular views:

Piedra escrita, rock with Taino writing on it:

Come Walk With Me: El Tortuguero (Laguna), Puerto Rico

By: Gabriela Yareliz

We went to see turtles. I did not see one turtle, but the view was neat. We hiked up a mountain. It all reminded me of Florida, and that is always a sweet thing.

I think I wake up every day with Florida nostalgia, so this place and post is appropriate. *insert feelings here*

This Month’s Picks: January 2017

By: Gabriela Yareliz

The month isn’t over, but it has been an eventful month. I thought I would share about all the neat stuff I have discovered recently, and things I am using to help me as I strive to make 2017 a better year than 2016. (None of this is sponsored, I am just sharing the goods).

1] ABC’s Blackish: Lemons (S3 Ep12)

An episode about healing a nation, post-election. It was fair, well-rounded and educational. Most importantly, it came from a minority voice. It’s about a system that hasn’t helped most minorities regardless of administration or party in power.

“I love this country even though at times, it doesn’t love me back. For my whole life, my parents, my grandparents, me, for most black people, this system has never worked for us. But we still played ball. Tried to do our best to live by the rules, even though we knew they would never work out in our favor. Had to live in neighborhoods you wouldn’t drive through; send our kids to schools with books so beat up you couldn’t read them; work jobs that you wouldn’t even consider in your nightmares. Black people wake up every day believing that our lives are gonna change, even though everything around us says it’s not. Truth be told, you ask most black people, and they tell you that no matter who won this election, they didn’t expect the hood to get better, but they still voted because that is what you are supposed to do… I am used to things not going my way, and I am sorry you’re not and that it’s blowing your mind. So excuse me if I get a little offended because I didn’t see all of this outrage when everything was happening to all of my people, since we were stuffed on boats in chains.” Dre

2] Bed Head Superstar Blowdry Lotion

I got in at a super sale at TJ Maxx. I used it to blow dry my hair and got a lot of compliments. For those of you who like the big hair. #ThatShahLife

3] H2O + face OASIS Ultra Hydrator

It was my goal to stop using Proactiv (which worked for me for years, but after my skin changed, it just caused my skin to burn and peel). I needed a new game plan. I wanted something hydrating and not heavy on chemicals. I found this great hydrator that uses marine plants to hydrate and change the skin.

I have been using it for two months now, and my skin looks a lot better. I was inspired by a talk I heard about skin being an organ you can heal and restore. I am a believer.

4] Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Boosting Mist

It was a gift from my brother. It keeps eyeliner from melting and makeup in place, all day.

5] Welleco Super Elixir Alkalizing Greens

I was looking for a supplement that had a power pack of iron and other nutrients.

I heard about Welleco on my way to a doctor’s visit (one of the many, this month) on Garance Dore’s Pardon My French podcast.

6] Series Finale of Girl Meets World

It was everything Boy Meets World fans could have hoped for. Because some love stories need to be immortalized.

Come Walk With Me: Ponce

By: Gabriela Yareliz

We visited the Castillo Serralles, the plaza, and we strolled around as the sun was setting. The sky turned a beautiful, bright cobalt blue. Near the plaza, there was the best little ice cream shop, with natural fruit ice creams (I got guanabana). Also near the plaza, is the best souvenir shop I saw on the whole island, with a rare selection of bumper stickers. My boyfriend was collecting the stickers of all the towns and country roads we survived (those roads are so curvy and high up on cliffs that the word of choice “survived” is actually appropriate and not dramatic).

The plaza:

It was a quiet kind of a night. The sky glowed blue and the bright lights glowed white. The second largest city on the island was sleepy, and the only people out were sitting at corners conversing, where we would stop and ask for directions to our next destination.