#54 Eat a croqueta

This was the scene of CroquetaFest 2010.

I did not start it. I swear.

I enter the bakery section at the Publix grocery in South Miami and am perusing the pastries. (Much to my diet's chagrin.) Suddenly I hear a guy in Spanish say: "Qué estás haciendo?"

I turn around and I see a man in a green Publix uniform leaning against this glass case and dumping as many croquetas as he can into a plastic Publix bag. A platter of freebies had just been set out. (It was an hour to close.)

"Te están mirando," another employee tells his chubby coworker, nervously snatching the croquetas. "Las cámeras," he added.

I thought it was funny, and sad at the same time. The guy seemed very excited about the croquetas. (Hey, I love free food, too.) But he was almost too excited. I thought maybe he was hungry. Maybe they should just give the leftover croquetas at the end of the day to employees every day.

When the employees left, I had a couple of croquetas myself. Again, to my diet's chagrin. They are totally fried.

#98 Go to art fair

The art walk in Wynwood happens every month, when industrial spaces turned art galleries open to the public. I love the people-watching almost more than the art crawl. Miami hipsters and culture vultures turn out.


The art is an interesting mix: huge murals at the Wynwood walls, graphic twists on pre-Colombian art and detailed diagrams of apparently our daily apocalypse. 


I like the snow cones, too.

#62 Run @ Venetian Causeway

The Venetian Causeway connects the mainland of Miami with Miami Beach. It crosses Biscayne Bay and strings together small islands along the way. 

It's also super close to the Herald and lovely to run. The views distract and inspire so, you nearly forget to lift your knees, swing your arms and breathe as you run. And the breeze is  better than air conditioning.

Here are some snap shots from a run I did today. The men fishing remind me of Bolivar, Texas.

#95 Watch Dexter

I am making my way through the first season of Dexter. It's a television show that follows Dexter, who works as a blood splatter analyst for the Miami police and is also a serial killer . He tries to follow the code his adopted dad Harry - also a police officer - taught him. That is, kill only murderers who deserve it.

At first I wasn't sure if I could watch it. Some scenes in the first episode are pretty gruesome.

But I like the Miami in the series: the crazy crime and the scenes around town.

Also, Dexter talks a lot about wearing a mask. I think we all do that, to some degree.

#25 Join youth group

Faith is important to me. So is community. And the St. A's young adult group has helped me feel rooted in Miami. We have weekly discussions on faith, and hang out afterwards. We help out on service projects, like serving at a soup kitchen. And every so often, we play volleyball at the beach or at the University of Miami. Pray and play.

#37 See Fairchild Gardens

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a Miami gem. It is home to more than 50 acres of palms, mangroves, agave, orchids, bamboo and ginger plants. Some are native to South Florida. Others come from around the world, from the Caribbean to Madagascar. 

I didn't just see the botanic garden.

I became a member of Fairchild. (Thanks to Groupon!)

I recently made my first visit with my sister E. and can't wait to head back, especially for the chocolate festival and later the mango festival. It is a fascinating escape from the urban grind.

We saw:

Lots of palm trees;

Bright and pretty plants that I don't know the name of;

Fruit so big it grows on the ground;

More crazy fruit; and 

A giant spider on a giant spider web. I'd call her Carlota.

#20 Make own cards

A little card-stock. A little stamp. Some crayons and pen. Et voila!

My signature home-made card.

I love making them. They are nice for thank you notes and birthdays. Or just to say, 'Hi, I'm thinking of you.'

I also like finding photos in magazines that remind me of mis queridos and then building a card around the photo. They're highly amateur, but fun.


To my grandmother:

For a sister: