Listen and Learn

Something I love is knowing and/or meeting inspirational and positive people. This week, which I may add, was one with too many ups and downs, my uncle came to stay with us for some days. Gershom (his name is very similar to my husbands so don't confuse yourself) is a person you would enjoy meeting. He has a kind heart and zealous about life. We have that in common. We’re all about trying new experiences, traveling, and embracing cultures.

Well, we talked a whole lot about absolutely everything! But there are two things that stuck with me.

One night while dining at Salt Grass, we were talking about babies and marriage. My uncle has a beautiful wife with two really great kids. He told me that several years ago, they were leading a course on marriage at a church. As they led this class they came across a couple that had been married for many years. This couple had two sons who had just gone off to college. After raising their children, and LIVING for their children, they realized that they had been so careless with their marriage, that they no longer knew each other. They did not know what they liked or what they didn’t like about each other because they focused all those years into doing everything and anything to raise their children well. Gershom told me that he knows for a fact God allowed them to meet this couple to learn from them. He advised us that when we do decide to have kids, to always put your spouse first, before the children. Because when mommy and daddy are happy, so are the kids. It actually reminded me of when my dad would tell us (in Spanish of course) that he would always take care of my mom first, before us, because he knew that one day we would leave him and didn’t want to grow old being bitter and bored with my mom. It’s very true because if you know my parents, you automatically see the love they have for each other. And I never felt that I lacked love from them. But now that my sisters and I are married, my parents are having the time of their lives! And it’s because through raising us, they took care of their marriage and relationship. That’s something I hope to practice when Gerson and I have children. I want to remember that as much as I love and adore my babies, I need to take care of my husband too.

The second thing that stuck with me was inspirational. While we began to talk about the different trips we’ve taken, because both Gershom and I have traveled a bit, he told me about his first trip to Europe (Which I believe was more than 20 yrs ago). He said he was in Paris, standing inside of the Notre Dame Cathedral and listening to a choir sing when he thought to himself “Wouldn’t it be awesome to sing one day in a choir at this very location?” FYI, Gershom is a music guru, who conducts, composes, sings, etc. Well, a couple years ago when he was the music director of a church in Houston, he decided to research about getting the choir to sing at the Nortre Dame Cathedral. He mailed them a demo and a few weeks later received an invitation from them. They told him that usually there’s a 2 year waiting list, but one choir had backed out and they wanted his choir to replace them!! This story has “DREAM COME TRUE” written all over it! It was an unforgettable experience for him that he tells it with so much enthusiasm. Dreams do come true! It motivated me to continue pursuing those goals that seem impossible. We can’t ever give up. With God all things are possible! If you keep walking toward those dreams and knocking on those doors, one day, it will happen, your dream will come true!

Well, the weekend is here and I can’t even tell you all I’ve been reminded and taught this week. Each day is a new day, with new mercies, and new opportunities.


Notre Dame Cathedral
This photo was taken in 2007 when Gerson and I visit Paris for the first time.

Detoxing the Fatty Toxins

These past few months, probably since May, Gerson and I became careless with our organic diet. I think it's the summer and heat that motivates us to eat ice cream, pizza, and Margaritas! But Gerson had been complaining that his stomach hurt, almost any time we would eat. I did my research, and many times it happens because of such sudden transition of diets. I'm thinking maybe too much fatty intake??

So I bought a book called Fast Track Detox Diet. It's an 11 day detox that boosts your metabolism, cleanses fattening toxins, and is a jump start to weight loss! It goes into detail about all the foods you will have to eat and why. Some are good for cleansing the liver, or the intestines, and of course the colon (gross I know!). The author even talks about the colon being her favorite organ. hahaha Didn't know people had favorite organs??

I've decided to join Gerson on this detox. It'll make cooking dinner much easier. However, since it does require lots of ingredients I lack in my fridge, we're going to start until next week when it's time to shop for groceries. And it also gives me time to finish the book. But overall I'm excited to do this with my husband! I've NEVER seen him on a diet. He's very much up for the challenge. I like to do it once a year, others do it every six months, but detoxing allows your tummy to feel flatter, your skin to feel smoother, and many times boosts your energy.

We start next week... feel free to join us! :)

Congratulations Krimson & Klover!

My sister's boutique,Krimson and Klover, won Best Shop for affordable Women's Clothing for D Magazine!!!

I'm so proud of her! She's a hard a worker, who's passionate about her job and boutique. She loves and knows fashion by the book. I love her so much not only cause she's my sis but also cause she's an incredible and inspiring woman.

If you live in Dallas and have never visit Krimson and Klover, I recommend you to do so. It has the latest fashion trends. And my favorite is their jewelry. They have several local designers, such as Rory Ashton who make beautiful earrings and rings. Anytime I wear them, I get compliments all day long! So if you've never been, put it on your list, and be ready to shop til' you drop!

CONGRATULATIONS KRIMSON AND KLOVER!!!!!!!!

The "No Buying Shoes" Promise

It happens to us all. The new year begins and we jot resolutions, goals, ideas, promises, and more.
Hence, on January 23rd, 2010, I decided to make a promise, resolution, or commitment (whichever sounds best to you), to not buy any shoes for 6 months.

I have a private blog with 3 BFFs. These friends know that I love shoes and one of them thought it would be interesting if I counted my shoes to know how many I have, plus take pictures of my favorite ones. I honestly don't know how this topic came about, it's been almost six months, but I took the project upon! I started counting and counting and counting and counted 84 pairs of shoes here in San Antonio. I write 'here in San Antonio' because I have more in Houston. I actually didn't end up taking pictures of my favorite ones, cause I was tired of counting.

I know some of you may think it's really cool and others may lean more towards the judgmental side and think it's really unnecessary. Well, I understand you both, because I too think it's cool but also unnecessary.
I've been to countries where people lack shoes, so I could understand why you may think it's wrong. And I've also been to cities such as New York, London, and Paris that have "Fashion Capital" written all over it. I know I'm very blessed to have shoes on my feet.

Well, I had my reasons to making this promise. Part of it was the counting cause I honestly didn't know I owned over 100 pairs of shoes. But overall, I thought it was a good way to reinforce discipline and self-control.

I think sometimes we want to be more disciplined but can't seem to succeed at it after falling into whatever it is we were tempted to do. So I thought it might be better to practice self-control by starting with one specific and realistic challenge such as 'NOT BUYING SHOES'.

The first 2 months it was pretty difficult, but after a while I just wouldn't walk by any shoe store or department. Then, a couple months ago, I went shoe shopping with my mom (for her), and did not feel tempted at all. I was so proud of myself!
By now I've accepted it and there's no way I would break my promise since it's almost over. I've come a long 6 months and I'm so glad I didn't give in.

So as of July 23rd, 2010, I can officially say : I WON THE CHALLENGE!!!!

And as for my favorite pair of shoes, I would have to say that it's between my cognac riding boots or my leopard pumps. :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

I read a famous poem from an extraordinary human being and wanted to share it with you. Have a fabulous Friday!


DO IT ANYWAY
Mother Theresa

People are often unreasonable, illogical,
And self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you
Of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some
False friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank;
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis
it is between you and God
It was never between you and them anyway.

Show a little ♥

Today I walked into the Grind House, a coffeeshop near my apt, with red, teary eyes. I had been crying hysterically.

I sat down and posted on my FB, Adriana Pineda needs to take a breather! I had to. I had just had a nervous breakdown. So I sat down. Googled stuff. Facebooked a bit. And after chatting with some friends, I had a smile back on my face.

Overall, I had been at the coffeeshop for less than an hour, when I realized the lady sitting in front of me was packing up her things to leave. But before heading to the door she began to walk straight towards me. She introduces herself and hands me a card, much like a business card, with her church's name and info on it. She was very kind. It might have been soliciting, but it didn't feel that way. It didn't feel pushy. It felt genuinely kind of her.

I honestly don't know why she approached me. It could have been the Holy Spirit or God 'telling' her. Or it could have been that she noticed I had been crying. Whatever it was, it made me think, "Do I ever stop and invite people to church?"

Many churches want to grow in number, but are they doing their part? Are they showing kindess outside of church?

Well, my hysterical cry was due to the invasion of crickets in San Antonio. Yes, you read correctly. Crickets made me cry. Fortunately, nothing tragic had happened to me.

After work I walked into my apartment to find crickets literally everywhere. On my stove, in the living room, in my closet, in my restroom and I went NUTS! They're huge and fly, and I just couldn't believe that my home had been invaded as well. More than anything, I was upset. It's disgusting and I refuse to live like that! (I'm venting now. hahaha)

Nonetheless, Jackie from Mission Point Church, approached me maybe cause she noticed I had been crying. She didn't pray for me, or even ask if I was ok. She just showed kindness. She reflected Jesus. And if she only knew that my reason to my tears was stupid.

I don't consider myself to be rude to people, but I want to show that kindness to others. Not just in church, but in other places.
Because the bottom line is that no one really is interested in hearing about the love of Jesus until they see it in our lives...right?

Happy Birthday Baby!

Yesterday, July 9th, was Gerson's 31st bday.

Gerson makes my life much happier. Not that I wasn't happy before meeting him, but he makes my life better. He's a man with such a beautiful heart, serviceable, handsome, intelligent, and admirable. Thus, I love to celebrate his birthday! And more than any other day do I like to tell him how grateful I am for his life, and for the opportunity to share my life with his.

If you're my friend on Facebook, you would know that he had asked me to cook him a nice dinner for his birthday. Honestly, I would have preferred to dine out, but it was his birthday, not mine.

I remembered that Gerson constantly mentions a chicken lasagna he ate 2 years ago in Cartagena, Colombia. So the day of his birthday, I began to cook my version of Santa Clara's pasta around 2pm. I started early just incase I would have screwed up, I could have gone with plan B, Central Market.

I set up a candle light dinner outside in our patio. I even decorated with my paper lantern lights that I used once when we celebrated one of our monthly boyfriend-girlfriend anniversaries. Then, I wrapped his 3 presents which were
1. A lens for his camera (cause the one he often used broke 2 months ago)
2. A guitar wall hanger (cause his guitar lays under our bed and is hardly seen)
3. 2 Ralph Lauren, 400 count, synthetic pillows (cause my mom once left one of her goose down pillows and every night Gerson claims that pillow is his and we play-fight for it cause it's the best one!)

Thankfully, everything went according to plan. He came home to many birthday surprises and loved every one of them! We popped a bottle of champagne and finished the night with a slice of birthday cake. I've got to say it was a perfect night. And my chicken lasagna came out shockingly delicious!

Here are some pictures that I took with my phone last night. Enjoy!

It's not a big deal.

When I created this blog last week I really didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I honestly don't even know who all is reading. But I did know that I wanted to feel free, expressive, and vocal.

You know in Hollywood there are many celebrities that are extremely private. Beyonce is a great example. But there are others like Kim Kardashian or even Jessica Simpson who tweet about everything, talk to the press about their boyfriends, and are not afraid to speak. Well, I fall under that category. The chatty one.

All this to say that a couple months ago I began to have really bad back pains. I finally saw a doctor who mentioned that I may have a weak uterus. My mom's exact reaction was "What?! You need a strong uterus to carry my grandchild!!!" Do you sense the severity of this?

Well, I really didn't worry cause I still needed to have some test done. Why worry when you don't know the exact problem, right? After running some test, my doctor called me yesterday to say that I have an ovarian cyst plus fibroid. I asked her to be specific because Gerson tends to ask a million questions after my doctor visits. And she said "Fibroid are tumors that are benign"

If there's a word I hate is tumor. However, I remained calm cause I sensed she was calm. She actually said that it's known to be a tumor but that I had nothing to worry about.
When Gerson got home, I had literally forgotten about my phone call. It wasn't till later that night that I said :

"By the way, the doctor called and said I have an ovarian cyst"

Gerson : Oh, ok (very casual)

Me : And fibroid

Gerson : Ok (more casual)

Me : Which are tumors

Gerson : Yes, but they're benign

I like to call Gerson a cold blooded doctor cause he never really makes a big deal with certain medical situations. Maybe it's because he's in medical school, or because he worked at a hospital for several years, but it's kind of rare.

But I think sometimes we need to see problems like Gerson see's fibroid... not a big deal.

God has everything under control. And I'm a strong believer that if I do my part, God will take care of His. (The key is doing your part)
So if you find yourself stressing over a little fibroid, understand that it's treatable. Solution-able. Benign. And really NOT A BIG DEAL!

4 Course Meal coming right up!

You're probably thinking I'm going to be a food critic for today and tell you about my dining experience at Mi Cocina. Well I'm not. I mean, I did have a great time. We went to the one at the West Village which has a great ambiance to it, but my food wasn't all that great. I ordered a $10 fruity cocktail which I'm not too fond of, but was convinced by our nice waiter that it was "delicioso!" And even the name of the cocktail was unusual, Dilemma?? Honestly, I would have much rather had a lime with Patron or even cranberry and vodka. Then, after a delicious entree, I'm ready to order my favorite part : dessert, and the nice little waiter tells me that all they have is flan??? Which by the way, is my least favorite Mexican dessert. But anyways, I'm already critiquing, so I'll shut it and tell you what this blog is really about.

I can't do it often, cause it's not healthy nor cheap, but I like to turn my casual or upscale dinner into a 4 course meal. For example, at Mi Cocina we enjoyed our

FIRST COURSE : A Cocktail
I realize a cocktail is not really a course, but I drink water with my food, so it's a course to me.


SECOND COURSE : Chips & Salsa
At a Mexican restaurant, if the chips & salsa are good, I won't order an appetizer, cause they're free!



THIRD COURSE : Grilled chicken with mushrooms and poblano pepper



FOURTH COURSE : A flan




It's definitely a lot of food, which is why Gerson and I usually share. Several times, the waiter has complimented our way of dining and say that we have eaten a good course meal with decent portions. It truly is one of my favorite ways to dine. It's refreshing, satisfying to my palate, and DELICIOSO!

Poppin' in D-Town!

I'm not big on soda-pop but if you live in Dallas you must visit The Soda Gallery . They have over 200 types of sodas from all over the world.


We literally took about 20 minutes to make the perfect pick to quench our thirst. They have chairs and tables to sit back, play a board game and have a drink, or you can do as we did and walk The Bishop Arts with drink in hand. It was our first time visiting and we really enjoyed it. It's different from going to your usual Starbucks and ordering your usual frappuccino, which there's nothing wrong with, but sometimes it's good to change it up a bit.

Well, after going through every cooler we finally made our selection. Ari, my sis, made the best choice and bought a Hank's gourmet, black cherry soda from Philadelphia. Gerson, my husband, got a cola with Chinese herbs from China which was just alright, and I made the worst pick ever. Honestly, I chose it cause I thought the bottle was cute (silly I realize), but I picked a non-alcoholic Australian Ginger beer.



So if you live in Dallas and are in the mood for something different or just very thirsty, I definitely recommend the Soda Gallery.