RUN: Girl Power

Statue near my house in what
 I call "Girl Power" Plaza

My sister-in-law Rebecca is seven months pregnant right now so unfortunately that means I will miss the birth of my nephew/our family’s first grandchild. And while I have never had a child (and don’t hope to have one for at least 5 more years...from this keyboard to God’s ears) I do feel very strongly about natural birthing. I don’t know what it’s like to push a 10lbs turkey out of my lady parts, but somehow my mom gave birth to six children with no medical interventions or drugs so I feel as though it is possible. As women I feel as though the one of the most gratifying and important things we can do is to give birth. What an amazing act; to create, give life to, and then foster the growth of another human being. WOW! So as women I think we should find as many reasons to celebrate our bodies and ourselves, and I’m not the only one. 
This weekend in Zaragoza we celebrated Santa Águeda de Catania (Saint Agatha of Catania), and man have I been waiting for this. This history was first explained to me after a long dinner and a few shots so I wasn’t quite sure that I had understood everything correctly, but sure enough I had. Santa Águeda is the patron saint of women, earthquakes, fire, and eruptions of Mount Etna.  And legend has it that a powerful suitor was not happy with the pledge of virginity that Santa Águeda had made to God,  and after she continued to reject him he ordered that she be tortured and her breast cut off. And even after this, Santa Águeda still would not succumb to his advances so he eventually had her tortured and killed. Águeda was eventually named a saint and I guess the rest is history, literally . So how do we pay homage to Santa Águeda today? 

Well, here in Zaragoza we do it by eating sponge cake in the shape of breast (yes, breast with fruit nipples and all) and throwing a city-wide party---bachelorette style! 
Yep, that means that after our boobie cake we go to the bars for body shots, cute Spanish strippers, and very very strong drinks. I think the women in Zaragoza have it right... we carry the weight of the world on our backs and the weight of our babies in our bellies... and sometimes, 
GIRL JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!