our tradition @ my vsj

The city has been loud, vibrant, chaotic, colorful, crowded, but WONDERFUL!

SanSe 2018 comes to an end today Sunday at midnight...This festival, a tradition dating for many years, attracts thousands and this year, once again has not disappointed! Tradition is so important to me, and especially those that keep our culture alive, so we can pass them on to our children and future generations.

I have attended this festival since my teenage years, and enjoyed it at different stages of my life. One thing I have come to love in recent years is being able to live here and to take part in it alongside my son, John. We always take a picture together each year;

here I share with you some of our pictures, our selfies, our tradition @ my vsj.

almost time to pack things up, again...

We are taught that material things are not the most important. I agree, if you build your world around them, establish them as priorities, and you make them your face to others. But I do love those little things, those that you keep, to remind you of someone, of a particular holiday occasion, of a trip you made, of a family tradition, or just a trinket of an afternoon with a loved one. These things I've come to cherish even more, as years pass. Each of these has a story, because each of us is a unique bursting bundle of stories, that we keep, retell, think of, dream about and that constantly remind us of who we are, where we came from, and what we have experienced. We will want to share these stories, of these little "things" that are really big and close to our hearts. As I get ready to pack away the lights, the wooden soldier, the Christmas runner, and the music-box nutcracker so lovingly passed on to me by my mother, I can only think of just how great it is to live, to love and to remember who we are, how we got here, and to try our darnedest to leave a worthwhile legacy to those that follow.

my vsj with my pups

Lola and Kylo are such an important part of my vsj for me. Lola, my precious chihuahua has been with me ten years, and Kylo, my darling adoptee, has joined our family less than two years ago. Like many dogs, as well as cats, pets are such an adorable addition to our neighborhood. Sometimes, even if we don't know each other, neighbors just strike up a conversation about our dogs, their names, their ages and meet, converse, connect...

and these little creatures are the bridge.            .

Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián

The city is all a buzz! It is getting ready for the Fiestas de La Calle San Sebastián! Businesses are stocking up for this yearly festival that occurs the third week of January. That is why here we say if you want to visit and enjoy the longest Christmas holiday held in the world, come to Puerto Rico and come to the Old City! Take part of these very unique, crowded, vibrant, merry, joyous, packed and just wonderful festival days that mark the end of our holiday merry-making, to be held from Wednesday, January 17 thru Sunday, January 21.

my vsj

As I sit here, having my morning coffee, looking at my surroundings, I sigh with a sense of joy, tranquility and an ever-present nostalgia. Old San Juan is my home. I feel such a privilege to live here. Old San Juan is in me to the deepest region in the marrow of my bones. It clings to the corners of my memory, and it has a permanence in my heart. I have never posted a personal blog, but today, sitting here on my recliner, listening to the sounds, the voices, the music of this city, I felt it imperative to somehow share with you what it is like to exist, wander, walk, wake, talk, and love, living here, in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, 

my vsj, my san juan...❤️