New four-legged PRINCESS...

Happy Monday friends! I'm excited to share with you lots of great news this week starting with the addition of this little cutie to our family. I present to you the newest member of the Machado crew: Candela del Rocío.

Candela is an adorable 7-week old Shih Tzu born from Cuban/American parents by the name of Toki and Honey. She currently loves biting everything that crosses her path including but not limited to ears, 'chancletas' and hair. She left behind a brother and sister who are still looking for a loving family but Candela is very happy to be joining our crazy one. 

As of June 16th, Candela lives with her new family and will soon be making appearances at local dog parks. She has already been asked out on two three doggie dates! (She just received a third date after this post)


To see more pictures of Candela del Rocío, you can check out my Instagram: machadopaula13

Pau
xOxOx

#KNIGHTSGive50

Hi friends,

I'm very excited to announce that I was recently selected as one of the first UCF Online Ambassadors! What does that mean? It means that around 100 Knight Alums where selected to promote, celebrate and inform our family and friends about how awesome the University of Central Florida is.

For the rest of the year, you will see me post pictures, videos and/or articles about UCF on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (I suggest you pick one or all to follow :). 

From personal experience, my years at UCF where absolutely phenomenal. Not only did I get incredible opportunities with internships and scholarships but I also met some of the most amazing professors, mentors and friends that have now become essential in my personal and professional growth.  

I’m reaching out today as an ambassador for UCF’s 50^th anniversary campaign, Knights Give 50.  In this 50th anniversary year, I ask you to take pride not only in UCF’s past but in its future – a future that will be made even stronger by your support.

Please support Knights Give 50 by making a donation to UCF during our 50-hour online giving campaign that begins June 11, 2013. Every contribution helps, no matter the size.

The UCF Fund is dedicated to enriching the lives of UCF students. Annual gifts allow alumni, parents and friends to have an immediate and direct impact by supporting the university’s most critical and pressing needs.

Follow this link to visit the giving page: https://giving.ucffoundation.org/knightsgive50

Thanks so much for your support! And if you want to spread the word, just make sure you use #KNIGHTSGive50

For ever a UCF Knight,

Pau

xOxOx

Behind the scenes...Estrelas!

A few weeks ago I posted on my Facebook that I was going to be working on a big production for a Brazilian TV Show called "Estrelas". Well, although there were 4 very, very, very long days of work I had a blast! I was given the opportunity to manage all the photos being taken for our Public Relations Department meaning I got to work with two amazing photographers: Gregg Newton and Luiz Ribeiro.

From past internships and jobs I've always learned you have to make friends with the photographers and the production crew...not the celebrities. Usually the production crew is an amazing group of people that are just like you and are not being followed by a hairstylist, makeup artist, manager, etc. Also, the crew will usually help you out with any favors and know most about the production itself. Thanks to my amazing photographers here are a few unglamorous yet awesome moments at work!

This should be an ad campaign for sunblock.

Poor photographer, I wonder what gibberish I'm saying.

Who needs Photo Pass? I have VIP Photos! 

They also like to experiment with me! I don't mind. 

STOP! Hammer Time!

Looks like I don't like what I'm reading.

Smile! They're taking a picture.

My concentrated look! Fierce. 

Group Photo! We did it.

BEST TEAM!

Pau

xOxOx

Paula's "How to Fall from the Sky"

I finally had the time to sit down and edit my skydiving video! And let me tell you it felt like I was doing it all over again just watching it.

Skydiving is something that had always been on my bucket list so when my boyfriend said he was taking me to do it, I honestly thought he was joking at first. I knew he would never do it himself so I was surprised that he wanted to take me. 

It was an absolutely amazing experience and there really isn't any words that can describe how you feel falling from the sky...literally falling!! 

I'm very glad I did because it's something that I thought was going to take me forever to do. You know, we're always waiting for the right time. But guess what? The right time is NOW! So if you have something you've always wanted to do...what are you waiting for? Just do it!

But I know you rather watch the video than be reading this so enjoy! :) 

Pau

xOxOx

What makes YOU happy?

In honor of today's celebration: International Day of Happiness, I decided to make a list of 10 things that make me happy. Why? Lately, I've been watching the news and seeing so many people do bad things because they're not happy with their lives. 

Just this week my beautiful alma mater UCF went through a terrible scare that had me stop and think for a bit. 

Life is not perfect. Then again if it was, it be a little too boring. We all have our ups and downs and times when we love waking up and others when we want to sleep in and never leave our room.

Days like today though, when we're celebrating happiness, we should really stop to think what makes us happy. 

Why not write it down? Once I write this list, I can go back to it on days I feel a little blue and remind myself on why living is so important and why life, even at it's most imperfection, is still beautiful and filled with happiness.

Here we go:

1. Food makes me happy. There's nothing better than getting home from a long day and have a warm plate of mom's food ready for you. If mom isn't there to cook, a delicious gooey pizza pie with Blue Bell neapolitan ice cream will do the trick! 

2. Sleeping makes me happy. And if it's in your own bed...even better. I've noticed that you could be sleeping at the nicest places in the world, but there's nothing like wrapping yourself up in your own cozy bed.

3. Family makes me happy. Even if they drive you insane about 95% of the time, you know that at the end of the day your family will be there supporting you and loving you. And don't think it has to be a big family, sometimes smaller families have a stronger bond.

4. Loving someone makes me happy. This can be your friend, your boyfriend, your family or who ever. That moment when you unconditionally offer your heart to someone is simply an amazing feeling.

5. Being loved makes me happy. It kinda sounds like the one above, but this time you're that special someone to that person. Again, this doesn't have to be a romantic feeling. You can be loved by your dad, your aunt, your professors and friends.

6. Learning new things makes me happy. Finding out that I don't know something is the best adrenaline rush I can get (unless is how to solve a math problem or do my taxes, that I'll skip). I constantly try to learn new things because my philosophies are: 1) It's not like your brain has an "only fill up to here ^" and 2) You never know what you don't know until you don't know it. 

7. Helping others makes me happy. As cliche as it may sound, helping others really does make me happy. Do I help everyone out? No. I try to help those who seek help and need help and especially those who are appreciative of your help. And this doesn't have to be financially, you'd be surprised how much you can help a person by just talking to them or listening.

8. Dancing makes me happy. Anyone who knows me has realized that I can't stand/sit still when music touches my ears. It may be the Latina blood burning inside that makes me swing from side to side or at least bop my feet if I must remain subtle.

9. Traveling makes me happy. This kinda ties in to some of the things above, because when I travel I get to check things off this list. There's so much more to this world than the fenced backyard we see when we wake up or the same people we greet at work. The whole world is our backyard and we should try to greet everyone who lives in it.

10. Finding my purpose in life will make me happy. BAM! So this one a tough one because I'm still trying to figure that out, however, I know that if I attempt to include the above items on my everyday life, finding my purpose in life will be one happy journey!

Now it's your turn to make a list! If what you're doing right now isn't helping you check off items of that list everyday, think about what you can do to make your life a little happier. 

Don't forget to smile...it's contagious!

Paula
xOxOx

That little voice inside...listen to it!

It's funny how I decided to write this post after watching a Full House episode last night. (Yes, I still watch Full House because it's awesome!) In the show young Stephanie wanted to ride with two immature high school boys and TJ, the older sister didn't let her go saying it was unsafe. After Steph's friend gets in a car crash with the boys, she realizes her older sister was right and asks her how'd she know getting in that car was a bad idea. TJ's response? "You know that little voice inside of you? As you're growing up, if you're lucky, you'll learn to listen to it!"

I can tell you that as I'm growing up, I'm really learning to listen to that little voice and I want to make sure that you are too. This "growing-up" stage of our lives is extremely fun and exciting but it's also a stage where you have to be very careful and aware. You know what? At any stage of your life I think you have to keep those eyes and ears wide open. 

You see, everyday you're meeting new people, finding new opportunities and discovering new things about this world we live in. You constantly find yourself in different situations and most of these will be good but a few can be bad. How can you tell them apart? You listen to that little voice inside! 

Usually you will hear that little voice loud and clear screaming: "Paula! Get out of there! Are you nuts?" The problem begins when that little voice is telling you: "Paula this isn't such a good idea," but you think that little voice is wrong. It happens to all of us at some point in life depending on what situation we're in. You think you might miss out on a bigger opportunity, make a mistake if you walk away or even scared that you might burn a bridge. So far my friends, my experience or lack of has taught me that the little voice is ALWAYS right!  

Don't let pressure from yourself or others get you into anything you feel isn't right. Don't associate yourself with people that you know don't have the best interest. And don't let anyone or anything dictate what you can or can't do. 

On the contrary, find great places where you can grow professionally and personally. Get yourself into situations that will challenge you and help you reach your goals. Surround yourself with mentors, friends and family who will guide you, support you and love you because they want to see you shine. 

But most importantly, listen to that little voice inside of you, it's always right! 

Paula

xOxOx

Say yes to the dress...or else!

Paula and Mom (2013)

I've been thinking about writing this post ever since I found the dress I was wearing to Saturday's gala event. 

If you don't follow me on Facebook, this past Saturday I had the honor to not only attend La Prensa's 6th Annual "Mujeres Destacadas" (Distinguished Women) Awards, but I also got to present the amazing women who had been past recipients. I got the privilege to do so because I was the recipient of the 2012 Young Leader Award, something I hold very near to my heart. I also wanted to continue recognizing Hispanic women who made a difference in our community. 

Back to the real purpose of my post "Say yes to the dress...or else!", I noticed that many, many, many people loved the dress I wore to the gala, including myself. 

It wouldn't be fair to not tell you the story behind this beautiful and elegant dress, plus the very special person who allowed me to wear it and actually help me get in it.

Mom and Abu (1976)

You see...this magical pink dress that had me feeling like a total princess was worn originally by my own "mujer destacada": My Mom! This was the very dress my mom wore during her prom at Colegio San Antonio in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico back in 1976 (I'm going to hear it now after giving out her age!) 

I actually wanted to wear this dress for my own prom in 2008 (oh wow I feel old now) but I didn't fit into it. You could imagine what my mom said: "Tu viste, en aquellos tiempos yo era alguien!" ('You see during those times, I was actually someone') 

Little did she or I know that I would have the opportunity to wear this dress a couple of years later. I have to admit, I needed her help to zip it up because man, my mom was a hot skinny momma!  

The most important thing to me though was being able to wear this beautiful dress with my mom right by my side. She wore her dress next to my grandfather and I wore it next to her!

Thank you mom for not only allowing me to wear your dress, but for being the mother that you are! I love you! 

But I think I wore the dress best! :P

Pau

xOxOx