My workout this week!

OK, I want to share with you guys what I have been doing at the gym the last 5 days...

Monday - ran my 5 K
Tuesday - Bicycle at Town Lake (8 miles)
Wednesday - a forced Rest (since I was at the hospital since 8:00 PM until Thursday at 3:00 PM)
Thursday - walked at Town Lake 7 miles ( after so many hours in the hospital I didn't even care weather was 94 degrees, I had to spent sometime outdoors!!!!)
Friday -

• abs with a weight ball of 12 lbs (4 *20 reps both legs up, 4 * 20 rep right leg, 4 * 20 reps left leg= 240 rep)
  
• core (2 * 30 sec rep, 2 * 40 sec)
• The Maria's combo with 2 12.5 lbs dumbbells- 3 sets of 20 reps: Thighs, curl biceps and shoulders
  
• 3 sets * 20 reps triceps
• swam 750 meters (I got to practice the breathing, I am getting better)
  

Saturday - Bicycle at Town Lake 13 miles. Swam at Barton Springs, Kayak.
Sunday - Rest

Plegaria

Today, I was cleaning my night stand tables and found a little notebook I used to write church songs and I found this lyric of this beautiful song called: "Plegaria". The song is in Spanish but it is so beautiful that I want to share it with you guys...

Plegaria

1

Penetra en los filtros de mi memoria;
y limpia la escoria que en ellos se acumuló.
Haz de mi una página en blanco donde a pesar del llanto
Escribas una nueva historia, una nueva canción.

Consume oh Señor con tu fuego
todaz y desasociego que germinan mi razón.
Y cubre oh Dios con tu manto mi dolor y mi quebranto
Y escribe en mi de nuevo las notas de tu amor.

Coro

Que el cansancio no agote mi esperanza
Cuando el dolor apague mi canción
Que no me rinda, Señor ante el fracaso
Sino que heche el resto amparada en tu amor.

Que tu perdón traspace mis fronteras
y me hagas a la vez yo perdonar.
Que los golpes que la vida me propine
No puedan mi conciencia acallar...

2

Penetra aún en lo que no te entrego
pues a mí misma me lo niego y no lo puedo aceptar.
Aquello que afecta mi vida con profundas heridas
Que sólo tu consuelo, puede Dios sanar.

(Se repite el Coro)

3

Penetra en los rincones de mi mente
Donde mi ser consciente no puede penetrar
Y rompe así todas mis barreras
para que en esta carrera, vayas tú alfrente
y yo vaya detrás.

Your mind

Do you know that your mind can be your very own enemy or the best of your strengths?

I found out that today... Today I had my last swimming lesson at Barton Springs before the first triathlon I am about to do this next Monday.

I just remember, last week when I actually got into the deep water for the very first time and started swimming in the 4 to 5 feet session... I was just thinking... "what am I going to do once my feet cannot reach the bottom?... I know! I am going to drown!"

That was the only thing stamped on my mind at that moment... so, when I saw under the water that the big fall was coming, I just panicked and suddenly stopped... For about 10 minutes, I was just there facing my fear... with my mind setup thinking about negative things... but after a while, I just saw so many people standing very relaxing in the water's surface that I just told myself... "today I want to be able to stay on my own on the surface in deep water..."

After those 10 minutes, I started swimming... and when I had to stop, I almost drown but my instructor was there for me.... and my dream of been stable on the surface was as far from as asking a simple question... "how can I stay on the surface without having to touch the bottom?"

And then I learned... It is just so amazing... The wonderful things you can learn about yourself!

Take the challenge! Face your worst fear, and you will see that is not that bad as you think it is! Trick your mind! Whenever you think that you cannot do something, just think about all this other people that are able to do it... Ask them how they do it! learn and try it! You will see that you can convert your mind from being your worst enemy, to your greatest strength!

A new year, a new opportunity...

Hey you all,

It's me again! And this time I would like to share some reflections I have been thinking about the whole morning (yeah, it seems that Sundays are my inspirational days)...

As you guys know, yesterday was my birthday and there is no words to describe how grateful I am to all of you guys that went there and shared that time with me. Thank you to all of you guys! Now I want to reflect about all the blessing I have receive during the last year. As you might know, there have been big changes and challenges in my life, but this is what I have learned about them:

I learned to be thankful to God for:

1. Letting me wake up every day to enjoy a sunny, cloudy or rainy day.
2. For the gift of my sight because with it I can enjoy and contemplate the beauty of all the wonderful things He has created for me.
3. For the gift of my wonderful family that has been there for me no matter what unconditionally.
4. For teaching me how to be a grateful person.
5. For give me enough confidence to express myself with no fear of what others would think about my ideas...
6. For the bless of giving me an excellent roof to sleep under...
7. For helping me identify and recognize that I have a problem, that I need to solve it, and when I cannot do it by myself, He always gives me hints for me to get out of them...
8. For the wonderful gift of real friends, that are there for me unconditionally in bad and good times.
9. For teach me how to enjoy every single day of my life in his presence.
10. To give me the opportunity to inspire others to be the best they can be in life...
11. For give me the strength to start loving myself every single day more and more...
12. For putting in me the interest of becoming a better person everyday.
13. Because I can walk, run, swim, and learn new things everyday normally...
14. For his protection.
15. For all his unconditionally love.
16. For the joy of seen a child smile...
17. For the opportunity of feed someone that doesn't have anything to eat and lives on the street.
18. For teaching me how to stop feel sorry about and improve myself.
19. For letting me enjoy the view of a starred sky.
20. For letting me visit places I never thought I would visit.
21. For letting me know that never is too late to be the best I can be.
22. For the gift of a new bright morning...
23. For the gift of knowing wonderful people that have written their own story in life and have fight all in order to get what they want and reach their dreams.
24. For the bless of my car, because even when it is not a very expensive car, it takes me wherever I need to go...
25. For teaching me a new lesson every day.
26. For letting me enjoy all the blessings that He puts around me everyday.
27. For the bless of having a pillow to put my head every night...
28. For letting me notice all those tiny details I spent 28 years of my life ignoring.
29. For accept and love me, just the way I am...

Star Trek Review

Oh WOW! I think this is the very first time of my life that I watch a movie which producer was J. J. Abrams that I can actually understand! Don't misunderstand me, I love watching Lost, Alias and I think that his work is pretty good, but sometimes it gets a little bit complicated.

Yesterday, I went to the IMAX theater here in Austin to watch the movie and it was AWESOME! Let me tell you that I am not a big fan of the TV show, but the movie had all the elements on it to make it one of the best movies I have seen so far during the year.

Chris Pine was awesome, amazing, funny but definitely hot!!! I first saw this guy while watching the sequel of Princess Diaries: The Royal Engagement; and man, I got this crush on him! I also loved Zachary Quinto's role in the movie as Spock.

Overall I would definitely recommend you to go and watch it! and let me know what you think about it!

A letter to MOM

Dear mom:

There are no words on earth that can describe all the deep love I feel for you!

You are a wonderful, loving, dedicate, responsible and eloquent mom. I love you so much, that my pray to God in my lifetime is, that He allows me to see you smile everyday of your life, that He teaches you how to enjoy life... that you can have joy in all the blessings that surround you.

Many thanks for all your sleeplessness nights that you spent because of me, for all your prays to God, for taking excellent care of me while sick and in good health, for all the delicious and wonderful meals that you prepare for me (YOU ARE THE BEST COOK EVER!), for taking care of me with so much love, for loving me and accepting me just the way I am, for all your wisdom and advice, for giving birth to me, for tolerating my rebel years, for telling me "Mary, I am very proud of you" when I needed the most to hear it, and above all, THANKS MOM FOR BEING AN ESSENTIAL PART OF MY LIFE; THANKS SIMPLY FOR YOUR EXISTENCE!

With all my love,

Maria
I love you!