BEFORE I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE, GOT TO LOVE MYSELF.

This chapter is taken from my self-published dating book... I've decided to add parts of the book to my blog so that you'll get to enjoy reading all my fun stories! You can also read about how I found my forever love, my first kiss, and how I gave up dating for lent. 

What if I told you that failing is part of the journey? What if everything that you have gone through has happened for a reason? Would you give up? Would pick up the pieces and try again? I say YES! Don’t ever give up on yourself! Don’t give up on your journey!

BEFORE I LOVE SOMEONE ELSE, GOT TO LOVE MYSELF.

How are you supposed to let someone into your life without fully loving yourself first? This is easier said than done. I struggled with what some call “closet depression” what this means is that you are going through all those depression symptoms, but you are very embarrassed and ashamed of letting others know. I didn’t take any pills that my doctors wanted me to take. I didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Instead, I opted for something more natural such as getting high on endorphins. Every time I would walk through that Gold’s Gym I would feel better and better.

I loved the person I was becoming. At 26 I was finally figuring out my identity. It wasn’t until 2016 when I decided to take the trip of a lifetime with my sister to Peru & Brazil. I learned a lot about myself then. I experienced the culture and saw things that made me cry, smile and ponder on. This trip was just what I needed. I’m not sure if it was when I reached the top of Machu Picchu and finally got see one of the 7 wonders of the World that I realized just how lucky I was to be alive and well or the fact that I was I FREE! I was letting go of all that built-up resentment and anger.

PERU TRIP with my sister and college friends - 2016

How to Prepare for an Earthquake

Earlier this year, right around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there was an Earthquake here in Utah. In the city of Magna that occurred on March 18th with a mainshock of 5.7 magnitudes. It came as a shock to a lot of Utah residents as it was the last thing anyone expected to happen. Besides a few broken household items and minor damage to the city, Utah residents were left with what it seemed like 1 million aftershocks that even four months later are still happening. Today's blog post will help you with preparedness tips and what you should do if this situation happens to you.

The University of Utah has been great at updating their site with graphs, information, and aftershock data like the one below: 

curtesy of UofU Seismograph Station

Here is how to prepare for an earthquake if you live in areas commonly known to quiver and shake. It's better to be safe than sorry, and this article shows you how.

If you live near an active fault line, you must know how to prepare for an earthquake. When preparing yourself, you must understand that half of the preparations deal with behavior during the quake, and the rest is how to live after. Read this article if you want to arm yourself with information on how to keep yourself and your family safe during and after an earthquake.

Earthquake Appliance Preparation

Earthquakes often cause broken gas lines or dangerous situations with energy and heating/cooling. Make sure your gas and electric appliances are in tip-top working order at all times. Especially repair any gas leaks by hiring professionals. Stores sell flexible pipe fittings for water and gas lines. Make sure your appliances and pipework have these fittings to prevent breaking.

The most dangerous aspect of an earthquake is all the falling debris. Inside your home, you probably have many things that could hurt you if they fell over. Secure heavy appliances like the water heater, furnace, and refrigerator to the studs inside the wall, suggests FEMA in an article called, "Are You Ready?". Also, make sure you place heavy items on lower shelves.

In each room of your house, make sure each family member knows the safest location during an earthquake. Under a table, a sturdy door frame, or the inside corner of the wall make relatively safe locations if they are away from windows and potential falling objects.

Practice drills and help your family learn how to prepare for an earthquake by timing them in each room. Have children and adults rotate rooms, so they each get practice in every room of the house. Let everyone know that they should never go outside until the quake ends. This is when people get injured.

Emergency Kit

An earthquake emergency kit differs from a longterm disaster kit. Earthquake kits must be completely mobile and near you at all times. You should keep one at work and one handy at home. In this kit, include 12 dust masks, at least two candles, matches, toilet paper, safety pins, a small knife, cash, water, and a filtration straw. If you wrap the entire thing with a t-shirt and then a waterproof plastic bag, you'll be all set for a couple of days after an earthquake.

Although most people will never get injured during a quake, learning how to prepare for an earthquake protects you if the unthinkable occurs. Make sure each family member not only has their own emergency kit but also has knowledge of the safest places to go during an earthquake.

Here is a great PDF that was created to help you understand Earthquakes and what you should do. Download HERE. 

Keeping Children Busy in Summertime

Due to Covid-19 we haven’t been able to do as many things as we would have liked this summer. Here are some ideas of what you can still with your kids to keep them busy this summer:

Summer vacation. Some parents find this time a blessing, others a curse. Today's technology should block out that "boredom" word altogether. In many cases, parents find themselves dealing with children who are so used to modern conveniences, they have exhausted these fun things and once again are bored. 

Many parents make the mistake of allowing their child to loaf while on summer vacation. They the very common excuse: "they have worked so hard all year, they need to relax." Allowing children to lay around and play video games, watch television, and sleep all day does not make for very good memories, nor is it good for their health. Children need stimulation. Many activities are inexpensive, easy, and fun. 

Let them walk

Taking a walk is a great way to get your child out of the house and allow them to have a breath of fresh air. Make a fun day out of it. Walk with them to the park or to the local ice cream stand. Taking a walk on a summer day is a great way to kill time and allow for exercise. Walking will help you both feel better as well. Children with active parents who encourage their children to be active will likely grow up to be healthier adults.

Play a game together

On those rainy summer days, pulling out some of those old, forgotten about board games can be a long-lasting fond memory to a child. Remember when you were young, playing board games was likely a great time for you. Make those memories with your child. Pop some popcorn and sit around the table or on the living room floor. This time will also allow you to catch up on your child's life and allow him to catch up on yours.

Take them GeoCaching

Many folks ask, "what in the world is this"?  Geocaching is a treasure hunt, for adults as well as children, where you look for coordinates on the website, and use either GPS or a compass and find a treasure of some sort.  GeoCaching is free for anyone and kills a great deal of time. Treasures can range from restaurant tickets, teddy bears, toys, jewelry, etc. 

Teach them useful life skills such as cooking, sewing, building, etc. Boys and girls alike, rip their clothes eventually. Every child will benefit from knowing basic life skills. Who better to teach them than their parent. Again, this allows for important bonding time but also can be a great deal of fun.

Assign them a chore

Once children are old enough, let them help you around the house. If you have more than one child, make a chore chart and hang it on the refrigerator. Feeding the dog is a great starter chore as well as: unloading the dishwasher, cleaning their room, dusting, clearing the table, etc. You can even give them an allowance for performing these chores. You can teach them the value of earning for working, but that is a whole other article we will get into later.

There are a great many things you can do to help your child manage his time. Remember to make a life learning experience for your child. While resting and loafing is good sometimes, encouraging it all the time can lead to habits of it later on in life, and that is dangerous. Most importantly, whatever you choose to do, have fun while you are doing it. Fun creates smiles and laughter. Smiles and laughter make memories.

Foods that keep you cool in Summer

When summer comes, your appetite usually goes away - you just don't feel like eating when the heat is on. It makes sense to choose foods that can help you to keep cool, so here's what should be on your plate this summer.

Take to the water

No, not the swimming pool or the ocean - although that's a good strategy for keeping cool. Foods with high water content will help your body to maintain the correct temperature and keep it hydrated, which is essential in hot weather. Salad vegetables such as lettuce, radishes, celery and cucumber, and fruits such as melon, grapes, apples, pears, and citrus fruits will all help you to keep cool. 

Keep a melon sliced up in the fridge for a refreshing any time treat. Summertime is strawberry time, and all berries contain anti-inflammatory properties, which can help take the sting out of sunburn, so tuck into those strawberries, safe in the knowledge that they're helping you to keep your cool.

Quer morar nos Estados Unidos? Faz isso primeiro!

Quer morar nos Estados Unidos? Faz isso primeiro!

Eu moro nos Estados Unidos por quase 20 anos, e aprendi muitas coisas nesse tempo que moro aqui. Hoje eu vou dar algumas dicas para vocês, especialmente se quiserem vir morar aqui legalmente!

1. Aprendam a falar Inglês 

Se você acha que vai ser fácil mudar pra um país novo e todo mundo vai entender suar língua, pensem de novo, porque dependendo do estado que você morar ninguém cair saber português.

Mais não se preocupe! Porque agora é muito fácil aprender inglês e até de graça viu? Tem canals no YouTube que ensina o “básico do básico” tem livros que você pode ler, tem até o Roseta Stone que é um curso muito bom que ensina inglês! 

Falando sobre cursos, eu se que tem muitos cursinhos aí na sua cidade onde mora que ensina inglês. Eu não sei o preço porque eu acho que depende de onde você mora, mais eu acho que você pode pesquisar.

Se você conseguir aprender as palavras básicas como example “Hi (Oi), Help (ajuda)” quando chegar aqui vai ser mais fácil para se adaptar e comunicar!

2. Escolham um Estado que ou tem outros Brasileiros ou alguém que você conhece 

O Estado mais popular entre os Brasileiros tem que ser Florida. Principalmente Orlando. Porque lá é onde a maioria dos brasileiros vão para turismo e para morar. Tem um bairro lá que se chama “Metro West” que é um bairro cheio de brasileiros. Eles tem até banco com atendimento em português. 

Outros estados que são bom para brasileiros ir morar será: New York porque me lembra muito de Sao Paulo, California porque tem muitas praias linda, Texas porque me lembra do Interior e tambem e quente. Outro estado que muitos Brasileiros vao morar e o Utah, tem muitas pessoas que vem aqui por causa da religiao de Mormoms.

3. Salve dinheiro no Brasil e traz com voce

Pessoas! Tenho que repetir esta frase mais de uma vez: Você não vai conseguir viver nos Estados Unidos sem dinheiro. Pelo amor de Deus: Não venha morar nos Estados Unidos sem dinheiro !!

Não sei de onde veio isso que você pode largar tudo que você tem no Brasil, comprar uma passagem, e só vir aqui esperando que os americanos estejam esperando por você de braços abertos?

A realidade é que se você vier sem conhecer alguém que o ajude a começar, ou sem ter algum trabalho a fazer, terá que voltar para o Brasil.

Comece a calcular seu dia a dia (depende de onde você mora) por exemplo:

• Aluguel -
• Transporte -
• Comida -
• Plano de saúde -
• misc - 

E se você quiser comprar roupas, produtos de beleza, móveis para sua casa. Você deve planejar entre $ 15.000 a $ 30.000 reais. Parece muito dinheiro, mas infelizmente não é. A taxa de câmbio do dólar para o real agora é de cerca $5.45 por $1.00 dollar. 

4. Planeje sua carreira e tenha um diploma universitário ou experiência de trabalho

Se você fez faculdade para obter um diploma que pode ser diversificado no mundo do trabalho, isso o ajudará a longo prazo quando você se mudar para os Estados Unidos. Mas se você não fez faculdade, mas tem muitas experiências de trabalho, como atendimento ao cliente, varejo, marketing, faxineira, cozinheira, babá ou mídia social você deve conseguir encontrar um emprego facilmente.

Por falar em trabalho, solicite o visto correto antes de se mudar para cá. Não venha aqui com visto de turista porque não vai poder trabalhar. Tem muita gente trabalhando embaixo da mesa, principalmente na Flórida (provavelmente a região brasileira tem patrões dispostos a te contratar).

Honestamente, este não é um risco que eu estaria disposto a correr. O que me leva ao meu próximo ponto:

5. NÃO SE MUDE PARA OS ESTADOS UNIDOS ILEGALMENTE

O ICE é uma agência real que irá atrás de qualquer pessoa que esteja morando aqui ilegalmente ou tenha documentos falsos.

Recomendo que você se encontre com uma camada que possa ajudá-lo com a papelada, com a tradução, com os vistos corretos para a sua situação.

Algumas pessoas obterão um visto de estudante se forem jovens o suficiente para começar no ensino médio ou na faculdade, enquanto outras obterão um visto de trabalho, como Au Pair. Honestamente, depende de sua situação e planos futuros.

Outra coisa que vale a pena mencionar é que quando você for pego por ser ilegal, eles vão te expulsar do país e você não vai poder voltar por muito tempo.

Espero que esta postagem do blog tenha lhe ensinado informações valiosas! Fique ligado para mais postagens sobre morar nos Estados Unidos!