“Cuídate Mucho”
Cuidate Mucho means ‘Take care of Yourself’ in Spanish

My long and winding road is about to take a dramatic turn. While I have felt a great sense of accomplishment and made some wonderful friends during my tenure as Executive Director of the WBEA, the moment has arrived for me to fulfill a dream of living abroad that I have held in my heart for a very long time. I am leaving this group that I have grown to love to form new alliances, and devote my energies to an entirely new set of challenges. I am leaving Houston for a new life in Antigua, Guatemala.

First on my to-do list is to learn Spanish. If it wasn’t for all of those verb conjugations I’d be fluent in no time! Sometimes I think I’m getting linguistically ahead and I’ll throw out a Spanish word when I’m in Guatemala and everyone just looks at me. Someone will lean over and whisper in my ear; that is Mexican Spanish not Guatemalan Spanish. When I finish my Spanish learning I will probably sound like the equivalent of a German that learned English from a Cajun while living in Texas!

While I’m learning Spanish and exploring entrepreneurial opportunities I will also volunteer some of my time with a group called Common Hope that provides education, medical attention and resources to very deserving and very poor people. By using my nursing background in educational opportunities and basic clinical needs I will experience the local culture and broaden my own life experiences.

One of our WBEs and my life coach says the way to decide on following a dream or not is to consider it as a “rocking chair decision”. Is your dream one of those things that you would regret not embracing as you sat in a rocking chair looking over your life? Living abroad is one of those decisions for me. It came after much thought, some sweaty palms, stomach butterflies and many long conversations with friends and family.

WBEA has provided me with unforgettable moments and some friends that I will have for a lifetime. We have grown together and accomplished great events, building new relationships and growing business. I leave the organization in excellent hands of the staff led by Susan Repka as interim Executive Director.

As the beginning of a New Year approaches, I encourage each of you to examine your dreams and aspirations for 2007 and follow them to their fullest. You can’t change your past but you are in control of your future.