November 2021: Encontrar, Festejar, Mirar

Encontrar (to find/discover)

October was tough. My daughter tested positive for COVID and our month effectively shut down and was spent in quarantine.

November was tougher. Early in the month, my father-in-law, after weeks of being in and out of the hospital, was admitted into the ICU. We were all on the first available flight to Florida. We shifted our plans to stay through Thanksgiving (something that would’ve been impossible to do in our old lifestyle), though my husband had to fly back-and-forth from Mexico. It was an insanely stressful time and yet I felt blessed. We were able to spend almost three weeks with my husband’s family. That was an invaluable amount of time, allowing us to help with my father-in-law's ongoing recovery. Five years ago these two months would have left me in a daily pool of tears. When discussing this newfound resilience with my husband he put it simply, "that’s growth."

Festejar (to celebrate)

Celebrating One Year in Mexico!

I could never have imagined the life and community we’ve built over the past year in Nuevo Laredo. The city is small. It's welcoming regardless of language barriers. The tortillas are fresh, the avocados ripe, and the tacos plentiful. The yoga is among the best I've experienced, and a true gem I feel so lucky to have found. The community is fiesta-filled and warm. The city's notoriety, though a real and constant threat, unfairly overcasts the beauty of the tight-knit, interconnected people of Nuevo Laredo and Laredo. We are grateful for this experience and look forward to another year on the border.

Mirar (to look at/watch)