hummingsfromparadise

My life as an expat and retired flight attendant living in Colombia. I give you little parts of my life in paradise. I moved to Colombia after my daughter was murdered by a drunk driver. I have found peace, not complete happiness. I share my life, my stories, my love of nature and my pets. Sign up because I write sporadically. I love how I live. You will too.

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Sometimes paradise isn't a destination. It's kicking off your shoes, listening to the hummingbirds, and noticing the simple things we usually rush past. I hope you'll join me for this week's Notes from Paradise.

The Simple Life

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The Life I Never Planned

Riding Honey, my cousin’s horse. I was around 14 or 15 years old. My fifty-year high school reunion is coming up in November, and it has me thinking about my life. Where is everyone now? What have they done with the fifty years that slipped by in what feels like the blink of an eye? When I need to make sense of something this big, I write. When I graduated from high school, I did it on the…

The Life I Never Planned

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Broken Ribs, Dorothy, and a Suitcase Full of Glasses

This edition of Notes from Paradise is all about the personal happenings in my life here in Colombia. It’s only been a few weeks since my last newsletter, but so much has happened! So sit back, grab a coffee or a glass of wine, and catch up with me. First of all… I sold my truck. Who knew she would turn out to be so valuable? She was not pretty. In fact, as they say in Spanish, fue muy feo. I…

Broken Ribs, Dorothy, and a Suitcase Full of Glasses

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Out of the Blue and Into My Inbox

Recently, something unexpected landed in my inbox, one of those moments that makes you stop and read twice. A message on Facebook Messenger. From my niece. I hadn’t seen Renee since my daughter’s funeral in 2010. Back then, she was just a baby. I don’t remember much from that week. Grief has a way of blurring everything. And yet here she was, years later, reaching out across time, distance, and…

Out of the Blue and Into My Inbox

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Well...I did it. My first newsletter is out. It starts with a storm (because of course it does living up here in the mountains), but it's reallyabout what happens after everything settles. And yes...somehow the view got better. If you want to follow along with my life here in Colombia https://hummingsfromparadise.com/?p=8924

What the Storm Revealed

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Love Bombed, Maybe: Choosing My Peace (Part 3)

The morning LB left, I realized I felt lighter, as if a weight had been lifted. It was still early, the sun not yet visible as the soft light of dawn slowly appeared. The stillness around me was comforting. The hummingbirds began to flit near the feeders, starting their day, while my dogs gathered around me, ready for their morning meal. I stood watching them eat, then wandered to the balcony,…

Love Bombed, Maybe: Choosing My Peace (Part 3)

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Love bombing is often described as overwhelming someone with attention, promises, and intensity early in a relationship. But sometimes it appears inmore subtle ways that are harder to recognize in the moment.

Love Bombed, Maybe: The Moment I Started Paying Attention (Part 2)

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Love Bombed, Maybe: The Moment I Started Paying Attention (Part 2)

Some relationships don’t fall apart all at once. Sometimes the cracks appear quietly, in small moments you try to ignore. If you’re new here, I recommend reading my first blog in this series, “Love Bombed, Maybe.” Please click the link to read it and subscribe by email if you haven’t yet. In this post, I’m sharing more about my experience with love bombing and some new insights. Love bombing…

Love Bombed, Maybe: The Moment I Started Paying Attention (Part 2)

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Love Bombed? Maybe.

A lot of what I’ve read about this whole subject seems overblown in today’s world of hype and buzzwords. It didn’t feel manipulative to me, maybe because I realized right away it might be what people call “love bombing” when he sent me a romantic song to get my attention. I think for him, sending memes and songs was easier than talking, since his persona was definitely introverted, while I’m the…

Love Bombed? Maybe.

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What Feels Right for Me? Exploring Almost 15 Year's Living in Colombia.

What relationships have a positive impact on you? Let’s face it, life is an ebb and flow. We lose relationships and gain new ones. We look through photo albums and remember how certain people were so important in our lives, yet now we have no contact with them. Doesn’t it make you sad? Of course, for some, we look for them on social media, find them, and reconnect. Others, we sigh and say Oh…

What Feels Right for Me? Exploring Almost 15 Year's Living in Colombia.

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To a Smaller Extent

What could you do less of? I have nothing I want to do less of or perhaps to a smaller extent. I have spent this entire year changing some of my habits, and it has worked for me. Everything I do has a purpose, and this year was significant for me. Last year on New Year’s Day, I made a few promises to myself, and I have kept them. I have found myself enjoying my day-to-day activities even more…

To a Smaller Extent

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Naming Traditions in Colombia: The Story of Villa Migelita

If you could have something named after you, what would it be? As many who follow my blog know, I already have something named after me: my Villa in Colombia. I came here and bought a tiny little house on a 2-acre property. I called it Villa Migelita. It then evolved into a 4-story home. The day I looked at it, I knew it was my future home. I have never regretted a second of living here. Well,…

Naming Traditions in Colombia: The Story of Villa Migelita

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Living Fully in Colombia: A Grief Journey

Here we are again. A new year has started, and I am still processing the year before with goals and thoughts on how to keep them. Today is the anniversary of the death of my daughter. Who else feels like time goes by too quickly? Misha will permanently be in my mind as a twenty-year-old, and when I think of her aging, I always wonder where she would be now at this moment in time. Last year, I…

Living Fully in Colombia: A Grief Journey

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Considering a move to another country? Colombia has been wonderful for me.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? I have been there, and I have done that.  I decided to move to South America in 2011 and don’t regret my impulsive decision. I encourage anyone considering moving to a new country to do so.I enjoy this beautiful life I have created, and my days are always interesting, never dull, and filled with happiness and friendship. This may sound…

Considering a move to another country? Colombia has been wonderful for me.

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Don't Worry Be Happy

List 30 things that make you happy. I never thought I could find happiness again after my daughter was taken from this world. But it seems life continues, and I can list 30 things without a problem. Those reading my blog might enjoy this fun assignment, too. Leave your list in the comments. Below is my list, which is in no particular order, just as it pops into my head. Writing. I am finally…

Don't Worry Be Happy

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The Connection

The Connection

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Hummingbirds

What are you passionate about? Hummingbirds are everything to me. They are the reason my Glamping business is  successful. These beautiful spiritual creatures give an insight to another realm. Indigenous people have used the images of hummingbirds as spiritual creatures for centuries. They can fly in reverse, suspend in the air, fight each other like warriors, and live a life of solitude. They…

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