Panama 2023 DAY 4

 Friday! We have been so excited for Friday to get here since Fernando's oldest brother Atilio and his wife Nancy are flying in from Chicago. Fernando's dad has been asking us several times a day when they will arrive. He is so ready to have all 5 of his children under one roof. 

Their flight was scheduled to arrive in the afternoon around 2 PM, so we decided to take the boys to Fernando's sister Karina's apartment to go swimming. Their apartment complex has a nice pool in the "area social". Of course as soon as we got there, it started to rain! But the boys still had a good time and we enjoyed talking to Carlos and Karina. I finally got a text from Nancy saying they had gotten their rental car and were on their way to Fernando's dad's house! So we loaded back in the car and headed over there to meet them. The boys were hungry so we stopped for a quick bite at a 2-story Popeye's. It wasn't quite the same as the US Popeye's that the boys are used to, but they said it was pretty good. We finally made it to Fernando's dad's house and it was so good to see Atilio and Nancy. We haven't seen them since 2018 when we went to visit them in Chicago. We sat around and talked for awhile, then made plans to meet up for dinner with more family at a restaurant called El Republicano. We went back to our AirBNB to drop off Nancy's luggage and freshen up for dinner. 

El Republicano is a cool burger restaurant we had not been to before on our previous visits. Fernando's niece Karla had reserved the family a table on the upstairs patio, and it felt cool and comfortable with a nice breeze. I knew it was going to be good if Karla recommended it! She knows all the best spots! We definitely wouldn't have been able to sit there during the day! The patio lights made it such an inviting place. Carlos, Karina, Karla, Atilio, Nancy, Memito, Cata, Lucas, Mateo, Gerald, Memo, Antonia, Fernando, Enzo, Gabriel, and I enjoyed sitting around the table and catching up. It always amazes me the way restaurants here will set up more and more tables to accommodate everyone. Fernando's family is so large that sometime it's hard to calculate how many family members will show up. 

The boys were determined to try something "different" from the menu, and I was so proud of them for branching out. Gabriel (who normally doesn't eat cheeseburgers) order a cheeseburger with just lettuce and cheese and a side of fries. Enzo ordered the All American Cheeseburger just the way it came with lettuce, tomato, onion and their house burger sauce, and an order of fries. He also wanted to try an appetizer called Bao Sliders, which was basically like a small burger with a soft bun and pork patty. Everyone who tried it said it was good. I ordered a garlic parmesan chicken sandwich with fries, and it was really good. Fernando ordered Poutine Panameno, which was a bowl of yucca fries with ropa vieja and cheese chunks. Several other family members ordered it too and said it was very good. We all had a great time together, but we were all tired and ready to get back to the AirBnB to sleep. With plans to meet for brunch tomorrow, we all said good night. Another great day with family in Panama! 

Panamá 2023 🇵🇦DAY 3🇵🇦

 I’m almost too tired to write this post. It was a great HOT day much like yesterday. We left our Airbnb around noon and headed right up the road to El Dorado to try a bakery we had seen a sign for. Interestingly enough, the sign didn’t clearly have the name of the bakery or the address, so I had to take a pic of the sign & zoom into the coffee cup to get the name of the bakery: 888 Ibakery & Café. Their Instagram page is quite cute, so I convinced Fernando we needed to give it a try. We had trouble finding the exact location. We stumbled around El Dorado mall for a bit, bought Gabriel a pair of crocs since his white ones were so dirty, until we finally found the bakery. It was a super cute place with tons of pastries and desserts in glass cases. Everything looked so good until we noticed a bug crawling up and over a slice of cake. Gross!!! We decided to just order smoothies and got a few items that were packaged in plastic. We got a pack of choripán - which is like pigs in a blanket- some chocolate chip cookies, some kind of chocolate dessert roll, and I got a ham and cheese roll up thingy to try. Enzo ordered a strawberry smoothie, I got a mango smoothie, Fernando wanted a pineapple smoothie, and we finally convinced gabriel to try a kiwi one. They came in these super cute plastic cups. The smoothies were probably like a 3 out of 10… they didn’t really have much fruit flavor.  The choripán and ham & cheese thing were ok. I don’t think it’s a place we would go back to again, especially after seeing the bug 🤢, but huge kudos to the place for being cute! We walked back through the mall & stopped at Fernando’s old work place, Gran Morrison, to get a deck of cards. He saw a couple of his old co-workers & I was amazed they were still there after over 20 years. We headed over to see Abuelo after that, and it was a very hot afternoon with not as much breeze as yesterday. The boys and I walked down to the corner store to get drinks and I think they warmed up within seconds of us leaving the store. Carlos and Karina stopped by and invited us to eat raspao, so we loaded up and headed across town to a cute place that serves jazzed up shaved ice. It was really cute served in bowls. I tried the strawberry one and it was good. The boys both got Oreo flavor. And Fernando tried mango. We went back to abuelos house then finally left around 8 pm to eat dinner at..   El Prado again! 😂 We had the same waitress from Tues night and she was cracking up that we came again. Fernando ordered his big bowl of clams that he loves so much and I think Enzo ate half of them. We were all starving since we didn’t really eat lunch. After dinner we stopped at El Rey grocery store for more chocolate milk & toilet paper. I was glad to get a quick walk in after dinner. We are all looking forward to tomorrow when Atilio and Nancy get here! 

Panama 2023 🇵🇦DAY 2🇵🇦

 What a great first full day in Panama! We all got a good nights rest - in spite of a brief EARTHQUAKE that woke me up around 3 AM. I thought someone had jumped next to the bed and made the floor shake for a quick second.  I didn’t realize it was an earthquake until Fernando‘s family mentioned it in the family group chat. We spent the morning unpacking, doing laundry, and Fernando went to El Rey grocery store to get his coffee & other breakfast stuff. We all showered and got ready to go to Fernando’s sister & dad’s house to spend the afternoon with his dad. When we pulled up, we saw Tenshi poking his head out to see us. 😂 It was hot and sunny today, but luckily there was almost a constant breeze to keep us from sweating through our clothes. Fernando and the boys walked to the corner store for drinks and snacks. Gabriel was happy to find more Mafa (a Panamanian snack kind of like a pretzel). They had given us some on the plane ride yesterday & he really liked them! I thought they tasted kinda bland & greasy. We really had a great time just hanging around with Papa Attilio & Tenshi. After Fernando’s sister Yoly got home from work, we all left to eat dinner at Ciao Bella, an awesome pizza place we have been to before on one of our previous trips. The boys both got good ole classic pepperoni. Fernando & Yoly tried the specialty pizza which had black crust and all kinds of seafood on it… like clam shells and everything. I got the Ciao Bella Chicken pizza which was chicken, cheese, onions, and mushrooms- the same one I got last time! Everyone but me tried a different dessert - Gabriel got some kind of small chocolate torte that had a tiny chocolate macaron on it, Fernando got tiramisu (his fav), Enzo got a lemon tart, Grandpa & Yoly shared a passion fruit cheesecake. I love how the restaurants here have good service. Someone held the door open for us when we arrived. Our waitress immediately greeted us & brought us all glasses of ice water. She patiently went over the menu with us. She even walked us to the door and thanked us as we left. Everything was excellent and we enjoyed a great time together. We took Attilio & Yoly back home and stayed for a bit longer to visit with them & Gerald. We got back to our apartment around 9:30 & I did more laundry and some work on my computer. Looking forward to tomorrow!! We love exploring together as a family & discovering tons of new places. I feel so blessed to be here and trying my best to be present in the moment! Sometimes I just do not feel like I deserve to be showered with blessings… I don’t want to selfishly hoard everything for myself; I want to be aware of others’ needs and share love & kindness wherever we go! What a blessing to be here in this amazing corner of the world that many others never get to visit in their lifetime. 

Panama 2023 🇵🇦DAY 1 🇵🇦

 We made it!! We are finally here! It’s been 4 LONG years since we’ve been able to visit our Panamanian family (thanks to COVID), and we are looking forward to seeing everyone and catching up! 

Today is Tuesday. We drove down to Orlando on Saturday and after a very sketchy Airbnb experience, we found a wonderful hotel right across from the Orlando airport. We spent a rainy Sunday at Universal Studios and Monday at Magic Kingdom. We walked nearly 20,000 steps both days and we didn’t really realize how tired we were until we finally made it to the car on Monday night. I don’t think anyone could convince me to go back anytime soon unless it’s not during the shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers peak time. 

Our flight to PTY was supposed to leave Orlando at 1:50 pm, but was delayed due to rain. We sat on the plane for about 2 hours before we were finally able to take off. I can’t believe how much the Panama airport has changed since we were here last time. Tons of shops and new restaurants/kiosks. We saw a Nathan’s hot dogs and a Krispy Kreme kiosk. 

Fernando’s sister graciously picked us up from the airport and took us to our Airbnb apartment. The host met us there and showed us our new home for the next 16 days. She had left us some fresh fruit and other complementary items which were so thoughtful and useful after a day of traveling. We are on the 17th floor of the apartment building and we have a great view of the city from the balcony. AC works great too! 🙌

We quickly dropped off our luggage then headed over to Fernando’s dads house. It was so great to pull up to his house and see him upstairs looking down. We were all so excited to see him and Fernando’s sister and nephew (and their dog Tenshi!). After visiting with them for awhile, we left and went to El Prado for a late night dinner. We enjoyed it so much. 

Today was the perfect start to our time in paradise. 😎🌴

Now if I could just get “It’s a Small World After All” out of my head..   🤣

BIG NEWS!!! (No, I'm not pregnant.)

In May 2009, I was seven-months pregnant with my oldest son and pretty much jobless. After working in the insurance industry for several years, I was certain that quoting auto insurance and calming down customers after their policies "collapsed" was definitely not for me. Knowing I had very little time to start another career before the new baby arrived, Fernando & I prayed like never before. I guess you could say we were completely winging it, trying not to be overwhelmed with worry as we counted down the days to my due date.

God opened all the right doors, and I was offered a job as a property manager at Seymour Homes Realty, Inc. in Goldsboro. Linda--the owner-- did not laugh in my face when I told her I was due in two months. She also offered to let me bring my new son with me to the office after he was born. "I love babies!" she said. It all seemed too good to be true. 

From my very first day on the job, I was fascinated by real estate. I learned how to process rent payments, communicate with property owners and tenants, coordinate repairs, look up tax cards, list properties for sale, and so many other things that made me realize I had found a career that might actually work for me. It was unpredictable, fast-paced, yet so rewarding to be a part of helping customers find the perfect home for their family. 

Two weeks after giving birth to Enzo, I was back in the office, but this time,  I had a little assistant. I realized it wasn't the most ideal situation to have a baby in the office (nothing says "look how professional I am!" like burping a baby while talking on the phone with a customer), but not a day went by that I wasn't thankful to be able to spend those hours with him. Talk about having the best of both worlds!

Things really got interesting when I threw not one but TWO babies in the mix. I'll never forget the look on Linda's face when I told her I was expecting Baby # 2. She reminded me that we were running a real estate office, not a DAYCARE. She immediately began to make arrangements for me to work from home- she bought me a laptop and had a server set up so I could access my office computer from home. I also finished the real estate class and received my real estate license just a few weeks before giving birth to my second son. 

Working from home had its challenges. Many nights I would stay up into the wee hours of the morning trying to get my work done. I learned how to work quickly (and quietly!) while my babies were asleep. What a privilege it was to be able to work from home and spend those priceless moments with my boys. 

As the boys got older, I was able to be in the office more. Each year, my sales steadily increased, as well as Seymour Homes' rental property portfolio. Although each day brought new challenges, I was beginning to see how rewarding a career in real estate could be. Although I wasn't the official owner of the company, I felt personally invested in it. 

At the end of last year, Linda approached me on a busy afternoon and offered me the opportunity of a lifetime. She asked me if I would be interested in being the new owner of Seymour Homes Realty. After I picked myself up off the floor and made sure she was serious, I told her "YES!" It took us a few months to work everything out, but as of April 23rd of this year, we closed on the sale of the business and made it official. As a rookie small biz owner, I am excited, terrified, cautiously optimistic- to name a few- but I'm also proud to be the owner of such a great, growing company! I know the road before me will be filled with many challenges, but my goal is to not only sell and rent houses, but to build a lasting relationship with each of our customers and to be a positive influence on my community. (I do realize how cheesy that sounds. No, I cannot figure out another way to say it other than: I will work hard & do my best.)

I will be FOREVER GRATEFUL, GRATEFUL FOREVER to Linda for taking a chance on me and saying, "you're hired!" She has always allowed me to be a mother to my boys first and foremost, and even if I sold a million houses, I could never repay her for that privilege. 

Now with all of that said….. who's going to help keep me in business? :)

For more info about Seymour Homes Realty, please like our Facebook page! 

5 Things I Want to Leave in 2014

I've been itching to get to my computer all day. A new year has begun, and I am practically brimming with ideas, goals, and dreams for 2015. I feel like the Energizer Bunny after he's consumed a case of Red Bulls. First item on the agenda: get a dust rag and a can of Pledge and go to town on this blog. I can't believe it's been almost a whole year since I've blogged! And I call myself a writer? What a disgrace!

2014 was a whirlwind of change: we rented out our house and moved into my mom's old house; my boys started school for the first time; real estate went crazy; we said goodbye to many dear friends at church; my sweet, dear, precious Grandma went home to Jesus; and plenty of events in between to keep us on our toes knees. As I reflect on everything that happened, I feel almost breathless. Whew! Sometimes I wish we could ask God to let us off the roller coaster and give us a turn on the placid, predictable Lazy River for a year or two. Wouldn't it be grand if we could be assured that only good things would happen in 2015? Although I have no idea how the New Year will pan out, at least I can determine to abandon those things that hinder me from experiencing God in all His fullness and glory. In order to successfully launch into the New Year, I feel God reminding me that a few things shouldn't accompany me. Here are 5 things that I'm determining to leave buried in the dust of 2014:

(1) Negativity 
I recently deactivated my Facebook account for an extended period of time, and once I logged back in, I was overwhelmed with story after story of more bad news: crime, tragic accidents, sickness, disease, heartache. Although social media can be used for much good, I am starting to realize how much negative information our brains and hearts are forced to process when we participate in Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I believe having the whole world at our fingertips is making it harder for us to think positively. I want to do my best to avoid negativity in 2015, even if it means reducing my time on social media.

(2) Love of Possessions
I'm not saying that I'm a hoarder… but I do need to remind myself, as the old song says, that I can't take it with me when I go. I especially want to convey this message to my sons. As they grow older, I want them to know they will never find true happiness in things. I realize that this truth must begin with Fernando and me. As their parents, it's up to us to show them how to appreciate their possessions and how to distinguish between "I need" & "I want." May 2015 be the year that materialism moves out of our hearts and home.

(3) Comparison
Compare, compare, compare: I've compared myself, I've compared my husband and sons. I've compared my family, my job, my church, and my friends. I've compared everything from my parenting skills to my Origami Owl necklace. Is there any area of our lives that isn't affected by the bad habit of comparison? I am asking God, even now on January 1st, to remind me to keep my focus on Him when I'm tempted to compare and criticize others.

(4) Apathy
I looked up the definition of apathy so it would stick with me a little better. Apathy is: "absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement." This is a tricky area, because many times, apathy goes unrecognized. Apathy is often not addressed BECAUSE OF apathy. It's probably best described with three words: I don't care. With each passing year, I become more aware of the brevity of life and how important it is to infuse our daily activities with fervor and purpose. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. Life is so much more enjoyable when we resolve to leave apathy behind.

(5) Laziness
If you would've told me a few years ago, that one day I'd be resolving to avoid laziness, I'd have punched you in the face. When my sons were babies and toddlers, I barely had time to take a shower. They kept me moving all day, and in the brief moments they napped, I would catch up on my real estate duties. But now my babies are older. They've started school, they've learned how to do many things for themselves, they go to bed earlier, and they don't require the constant supervision that they did when they were *little*. [Insert crying emoji here] Even though I work full-time, I've found myself with a lot more "free time." Pedicure? What's that all about? Lunch with a friend? Yes, please! Grocery shopping alone? Sign me up! I have truly enjoyed having a few more moments to myself throughout the day, but I've also noticed an increased tendency to spend more time on my phone and computer in the afternoon/evening hours (READ: laziness). I am determining now to make a better use of my time in 2015- to stay busy, to not complain when laundry piles up, to work hard, to find ways to run my household more efficiently, to go to bed each night absolutely exhausted from a day well-lived. Time to trash the couch and leave it in 2014! (You do realize I don't mean that literally…)

I am determined that these five things will not be coming with me into the new year. 2015, come what may, will be a productive year lived for the Lord. I want to be busy doing things that matter! I want to roll up my sleeves and work hard for others. I want God's grace and love to be my footprints. Wherever I go in 2015, may His truth be my constant companion.

What bad habits/attitudes would you like to leave in 2014?

Eastern NC Blizzard Survival Tips

Y'all, I barely made it home before it began. Rain was starting to fall as I pulled into the driveway late this afternoon. A biting chill filled the air, warning of the fury to come.  Heavy, gray clouds loomed and swirled overhead as I got out of my car and ran for the safety of my house.

Frankly, I'm just thankful to be alive. 

Our local Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel is forecasting the "s" word: SNOW. And let me tell you, nothing pulls the crazy out of us Eastern North Carolinians quite like The Fish's forecast of a little frozen precipitation. Freezing rain, snow, sleet: call it what you want, but you can bet your bottom dollar that anything remotely WHITE and COLD falling from the sky will initiate a SHUTDOWN. It totally blows my mind how we handle Category 5 hurricanes without batting an eye, but throw a little wintry mix our way, and we go into full-throttle PANIC MODE. In order to survive a winter event around here, extra precautions must be taken. As a native Eastern NC girl, I'd suggest the following tips for surviving an Eastern NC blizzard:

(1) DO NOT PANIC! Even if the National Weather Center has placed our entire viewing area under a Winter Weather Advisory. Even if the DUALDoppler3000 shows your entire county shaded in light pink. Even if things are getting "dicey" out there on the Traffic Cam. It is important that you remain calm. 

(2) GO TO THE NEAREST GROCERY OR CONVENIENCE STORE AND BUY A LOAF OF BREAD & A GALLON OF MILK. This is when things get tricky. This is when you'll be glad you've been training for a 5K. There's just something about the threat of winter weather that makes us Eastern North Carolinians NEED bread and milk. Seriously. People who haven't had a ham sandwich in months will suddenly race to Walmart for a loaf of Sunbeam bread. Lactose intolerant folks will stock up on Maola 2%. These staple items will be flying off the shelves, so it's in your best interest to make sure you stock up. I don't care if you're on the Atkins diet and you're watching your carbs. I don't care if milk makes your tummy rumble. Trust me when I say you will need bread and milk to survive. (Go ahead and pick up a box of Fudge Rounds and a bag of Doritos while you're there. You'll burn off all those extra calories trying to scrape together enough snow for a midget snowman.)

(3) GET YOURSELF HOME AND IN YOUR FLANNEL PJ'S AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! As soon as you've survived the Bread & Milk Run, it's important that you head straight for home and get as  warm and comfortable as possible. Now would be a good time to crochet an afghan. Or put together a 5000-piece jigsaw puzzle. (Take it a step further and do a puzzle of a cozy, wintry scene.) Crank up the Keurig. Lose yourself in Pinterest. Make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Or park yourself in front of the window and wait for the white stuff to start falling. (This is what most of us do). (This is the stuff Snuggie commercials are made of.)

(4) STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL NEWS CHANNEL FOR UPDATES ON CLOSINGS AND DELAYS. You'll want to make sure you're in the loop regarding local closings and delays. Let me tell you: you do not understand the emotion of EXCITEMENT until you've sat on the edge of your couch during a winter weather event, hoping and praying and wishing that maybe, just maybe your county will be flashed on the screen and you will be granted a SNOW DAY. Hey, we'll break out the confetti for even a TWO-HOUR DELAY. Who are we kidding? We all know that the roads will be totally drivable by sunrise (yes, even the treacherous "bridges and overpasses.") But OK, if we must sleep in until 10 AM on a work/school day for the safety of the public, we won't complain.

(5) BY ALL MEANS, GET OUT & PLAY IN IT! One does not simply stay indoors when one has been granted a Snow Day. You MUST pile on as many layers of clothes as you can possibly stand (don't worry, most of us don't have a decent coat, much less snow boots), grab a trash can lid or cardboard box, and head for the closest hill. Or ditch. Or pothole. (Now you'll be wishing you'd made friends with that kid in the neighborhood who has a REAL sled.) You might want to bring a rope too, because chances are pretty high that someone will be pulling people around on a four-wheeler. Whatever you do, DON'T MAKE SNOW CREAM. The neighborhood kids will need every little bit of snow/sleet/wintry mix to finish their snow man.

As you scrape the ice off your windshield with your credit card (not many of us around here own an ice scraper either), remember: we may go a little crazy when the temperatures start to dip and angel dandruff starts to fall. But no one knows how to celebrate a SNOW DAY quite like Eastern NC!

((((The following footage was filmed during the height of tonight's historic "winter event." Make yourself a ham sandwich, and watch at your own risk........))))