It’s been 7 years since the world has heard the wonderful voice of the “princess who married the bad boy”. This week, she told everything in a long exclusive interview to Oprah. As I know that you like her a lot, I summarized these 2 hours of conversation of the words of Whitney Houston.

• 14 years of emotional abuse.
• She got addicted to sex and having fun.
• Everything went wrong after the movie Bodyguard.
• She turned down her own light to please her husband Bobby Brown.
• She lost herself trying to make her jealous husband happy.
• He did not want anyone to know about his jealousy.
• Marijuana and cocaine were used daily, after the movie Bodyguard.
• He drank and got much worse which changed his personality.
• They used drugs for 2 years, every day.
• The worst thing he did that she could tell was: “he spit in my face!”
• She did a reality show just to please her husband.
• There were weeks that went by only watching TV and they never talked.
• She did not leave home so that no one would know what was going on.
• He painted ‘evil eyes’ on the walls, carpet, closets and called it ‘creative’.
• On a picture of her with her daughter, her husband cut out the head of his wife.
• Her ‘heroic’ mother made a surprise appearance with 2 sheriffs to end the despair of her daughter.
• She ran away from home with only a change of clothes in 2006.
• She spent one month in rehab together with her daughter.
• She expected him to change with their separation.
• Conformism and habit caused her to hang onto him.
• Her daughter suggested divorce after seeing the infidelity and aggression of her father.
• She still has the desire for drugs. She takes it one day at a time.
• She always called God her strength and always read the Bible.
• She knew that the Holy Spirit would guide her out of that situation.
• In her new album she sings what he feels NOW.
• The song below is the essence of this experience.

The lyrics of the song are below.

As I lay me down
Heaven hear me now
Im lost without a cause
After giving it my all

Winter storms have come
And darkened my sun
After all that I’ve been through
Who on earth can I turn to

I look to you
I look to you

After all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong

I look to you
I look to you

Yeah

And when melodies are gone
In you I hear a song

I look to you

After losing my breath
There’s no more fighting left
Sinking to rise no more
Searching for that open door

And every road that I’ve taken
Lead to my regret
And I don’t know if Im gonna make it
Nothing to do but lift my head

I look to you
I look to you

Yeah

And when all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong

I look to you
I look to you

Oh yeah

And when melodies are gone
In you I hear a song

I look to you

(my levies have broken, my walls have come)

Coming down on me

(crumbling down on me)

All the rain is falling

(the rain is falling, defeat is calling)

Set me free

(i need you to set me free)

Take me far away from the battle
I need you
Shine on me

I look to you
I look to you

After all my strength has gone
in you I can be strong

I look to you
I look to you

and when melodies are gone
In you I hear a song

I look to you

yeah

I look to you
oooooooh
I look to you

Now just another little click on the “Tell A Friend”, to tell this story to your friends. I’ve still got goose bumps…

Now tell me: who would not want to live in a place with rich culture, great food, and real looow stress ….??

I believe that almost anyone would call a city like that: ‘my city’.

So here you have list of the 5 best places to live in America, according to ARRP Association September 2009:

1- Tucson, ARIZONA

2- Grenville, CAROLINA DO SUL

3- Montpellier, VERMONT

4-Logan, UTAH

5- Ames, IOWA

Since I am happy with the town where I live, having the attributes mentioned above, plus a much lower cost of living, beaches almost all around me, I’ll show you what interests me: a simple life, as Leonardo Da Vinci, in his own words, “the ultimatum of sophistication”.

Simple yes, I have this passion for beauty that we might say… has the power to inspire me. Just looking at a beautiful object makes me feel better and even if that feeling of euphoria does not last long, I think it time well spent. After all, in such a discouraging world beauty in all forms is like a drink of cold water in the desert. And even with the economy as bad as it is, I see that this desire for beauty is insatiable, in everything and anything we can find… even in the lizards in Texas that look more like toys which we try to save, our dogs consider them to be ‘delicacies’.

Aren’t they cute…? My husband and I saved the eggs of those also!

I have to say that I’m not always so successful, because sometimes I see them walking without a tail on my porch.

One of the reasons I like where I live is that it is a place with lots of nature and full of small pleasures. After all life is simple. We insist on complicating it all by increasing our material possessions which we end up paying for beyond our needs, only to bring us so many headaches!

I call these ‘mini sunflowers’ in the photo I took this morning, September 16, 2009.

Don’t they look great in a simple vase?

Here are some more pictures taken close to where we live.

Three fishermen also this morning, here behind the house, September 9, 2009.

Each sunset is more beautiful than the last one. Maybe it’s because of the arrival of autumn.

My secret beach. Now not so secret.

I watched this boy grow up, very good people who have now discovered the pleasure of fishing.

I used too much zoom, but the magnificent white pelicans are always beautiful.

The hilarious and smart seagulls ‘fishing’ along with the pelicans.

Many people seek to live like this, in apartments that have parking for not only cars but boats as well.

Yes occasionally it snows in Texas! This was last December.

Footprints in the snow on the beach…

Snow on the beach… beauty so subtle that few people see it.

Who is rich…? He that is happy with what he has.

Perhaps it’s because I grew up getting books as presents — collections of them as Christmas presents, Birthday, Children’s Day and Easter — that I have a special love for libraries. I find it impossible to enter into one of them, without feeling that sense of awe of the HUGE amount of minds all around me, I even feel sick if I see the door of some of them closed.

Yes, this little girl is me!

So, I’m tremendously grateful, that here, you can not only choose and take home from the library in your town, to your home, absolutely free,  any and all  you want and completely free, even DVD movies, VHS, courses in various languages, music CDs, or programs to learn how to do this and that. All DVDs for defensive driving ($40 to rent, which if you do will considerably lower the insurance on your car) and magazines of all kinds. And you can even use their laptops and desktops, book rooms for study or reading, all without spending a dime!

Not to mention that librarians are always super nice and totally willing ‘to help you in whatever you need. One of my best friends, Andrea, works at our local library, and I know she loves what she does.

Did you know that to be a librarian here, you must have masters degree?

And did you know they have year-round activities and special programs for their children? I do not have children, but I follow closely what they do, and seeing them makes me feel like becoming a child again… or maybe adopting one?

That is what happens regularly at the library near here, weather permitting, activities are organized indoors or outdoors.

 And if you didn’t get a chance to finish reading the book, watching the movie or finishing that course, you can renew the items in person, by phone or online… always…

And wait a second, there is more… If you do not find the book you need, they will research all the libraries online in the country and order it for you if you need it… and this FOR FREE!

Without spending a dime, there I go with my hands full…

I think reading is like a break from real life, where you are constantly being taken 10 different directions at once, and it seems you never have time to even blink.

When I go there, the story unfolds right in front of me! Sitting there with a good book, I even forget about everything I have to do for the day, because reading just transports me into another world.

It’s one thing that happens to you while watching movies, of course, because there you have the image, but when you turn the page of a book and see so much going on … I like that!

My father called libraries “wardrobe of literature” and I can think of no furniture more charming and elegant as books on the shelves.

Reading makes me get to know the characters that makes me want to love more deeply, to fight harder for things that are worth fighting for and try harder to achieve my goals. It is medicine for my soul!

Ahh… the building above is my city library. Now go and spread this news by clicking on “Tell a Friend” below

While Brazil remembers Independence, America celebrates Labor Day on September 7 … The difference is that here it is not a National holiday as May 1 in Brazil and in many other countries in the world. Day Labor in the USA is only a Federal Holiday.

And because this time it is a 4 day holiday, I’ll tell you one thing: Most Americans I know seem to be made in such a way that the only way they find relaxation is going from one job to another.

Of course, without work no one prospers, and that even today, no one ever drowned in his own sweat, but I think that one should work for the pot of gold but it is also important to take a rest and make sure to only focus on something, like for example, on the favorite color of the rainbow or something. …;-)

“Labor Day is a day” more or less a time of rest here, but not for many, in fact, for very few.

For some, it’s the last chance to make a trip before the summer ends. For students, it’s the last chance to get organized, before school starts again. In many neighborhoods, people organize fireworks, barbecues, public art or sports events … Not forgetting that the season Football (not our game) begins around Labor Day, and many teams play the first game of the year on Labor Day holiday.

The tradition was that people did not wear white clothes, especially white shoes after Labor Day. However, this custom is slowly dying and I still do not understand why… Also it is customary to use a cowboy straw hat on Memorial Day in late May until Labor Day.

To me, honestly, there’s something wrong, do not know what it is, but there is… When I work I rest, relax, but when I’m doing nothing, or sick, tired, and having visitors, I don’t know why it is , although love to receive people in my home, I get tired.

I think that work is a kind of ‘cure’ for concern (and busy mind’s always a happy mind …?) and it’s much better than the option of many, unfortunately … to get drunk.

By the way…. The title of this artical is by ‘Da Vinci and I need to look to see what the Brazilians will be doing when they come here next Monday to Houston. I also need to get up from here and make dinner because I know that God gives each bird food, but He doesn’t throw it into the nest.

Ahhhh …. As the Americans say, “success is a ladder that can not be climbed hands in your pockets.” — until now, the only American proverb I knew.

Did you notice the little button below “TELL A FRIEND” ?

The idea of “Mr Slipper Socks Man” that he put here, the sweetest thing, for you to click and send what I write to your friends. Isn’t he cute ..? don’t disappoint me. Thank you very much!!