Gratefully recuperating..

Yesterday was exactly a week from when I was discharged from the hospital. 

I had undergone laparotomy to remove a massive uterine fibroid 

and clean out my ovary from endometrial cysts.  

As much as I worried about the procedure, I looked forward to today 

when all is well and there’s nothing left to do but recuperate.

Obviously unplanned, the financial consequences
can add up to the pain without an emergency fund. 

Kudos to Dave Ramsey for our financial education, this was taken care of.  

Also thankful for a job that not only paid my time off
but also gave the moral support I needed.
And to the ultimate Provider, I can never thank You enough.
Philippians 4:19

Thoughtful flowers from people who love me! :)

The most difficult part was going through it all
while thinking about our loved ones from afar. 

I did not want them to be anxious, yet,
I cannot deny them the facts about my ordeal. 

I knew I had to let them know, but how much information 

is just enough to spare them from any apprehension?  

Although fear and worry lingered, 

am still grateful for the peace of God that passes all understanding.
Philippians 4:6-7

I am not the most prayerful person but when I first learned about all this, 

I have resolved that prayer is my first, if not my only option. 

After three months in medication, I noticed the fibroid had shrunk, 

however, not significant enough to cancel the surgery. 

As the schedule drew near, my prayer lessened in words and increased in tears.  

My tear ducts eventually dried up, I was at loss for words on the day itself.

Hot and sour Chinese soup on the day after the surgery. :-/

Nothing felt more comforting than knowing everything remained covered in prayers. 

So blessed and thankful for our church and adopted family and all our loved ones 

who lifted me, the hubby and the whole situation in prayers. 

Although some things turned out unexpected, the surgery went smoothly. 

Thankful for my surgeon and nurses who took very good care of me, 

made me feel comfortable and even loved.

Sunday best without heels. :D

Can’t be more grateful for my very own personal nurse and chef, 

who was and is always readily available to offer assistance and deliver my requests. 

My superman, as usual, he's making my recovery so much easier.

I enjoy being pampered and loving every bit of it! ;)

Currently, I am awaiting for my post surgery appointment to come sooner 

while taking pleasure in the recovery process.

Still uncertain what further test results will bring but 

I smile pondering on the goodness of the Lord. Psalms 34:8

I know and believe a God Who heals. Exodus 15:26

I am, and want to stay grateful 

and joyful for the circumstance I am currently in. Philippians 4:11

I don’t know all the what’s, the why’s nor the how’s 

but I take refuge in knowing the God I can call on to and rely on. Nahum1:7

Celebrated 8 and counting!

As the love month came to an end, I want to 

share some stale photos from our anniversary last January.  

It was a usual cold winter day that actuated my laziness.  

To go home, curl up on the couch, snuggle with the hubby 

and watch my favorite Filipino shows 

were pretty much perfect for a celebration. 

But he was persistent to keep the tradition 

of dinner date every 3^rd of January.

 I gave in to his easy persuading and off

we went to a ‘Shrimp Fest’ at Diamond Jo Casino.  

Okay, I will be defensive- 

we did not gamble and 
FOOD was all we went there for.  

 

Unfortunately, we left unimpressed and convinced 

that it was not worth what we paid and drove 45 minutes for. 

Rather than grumbling over it, we managed 

to shrug off our dissatisfaction and 

diverted our remorse into our usual glee of taking couple-fie’s.

Days slipped past us when February suddenly sneaked in. 

Heart’s day gave us a good reason 

to visit our favorite Asian buffet in the nearby town. 

No picture at the restaurant itself 

but capped off the day with a pose 

defying the bitter cold of winter.
Then there's the annual kite festival,
also known as Color the Wind.

 

Held last weekend,

we survived a -8°F (-22°C) cloudy weather, 

with 23mph wind gusts for about 30 minutes. 

We would have wanted to stay longer and take more pictures 

but realized that we’re not invincible! 

What 2014 has randomly taught me..

• No one is promised tomorrow. Life is short and ought to be celebrated every day. Be wise with how and who you choose to spend your life and time with.  Neither one has an undo button, so cherry-pick good memories over regrets.
• Family is family.. notwithstanding distance and time, come rain or shine. Nonetheless, family is not always blood. They are the people who matter most to you and you, to them. They are the only people who will not only celebrate your success but will also empathize with your defeat. They show up uninvited to your pity party and will choose to get stuck with you in that yucky pit but will also drag you out of there!
• True friendships do not require constant chitchat and togetherness. Infrequent hi’s, hello’s and how-are-you’s will suffice to express sincere thoughts and concern. Catching up will happen seldom but when it does, it certainly surmounts distance and time difference.
• No matter how hard you try, you can never please everyone. People are not always appreciative and grateful of your efforts, great or small. That is perfectly alright. Smile and keep at it, anyway... You are blessed to be a blessing.
• Unmet expectations often result to disappointment and heartbreak.  Spare yourself from added insult to injury by managing your own emotion, reaction and attitude. You are not in control of people’s actions but you are certainly the chief executive officer of your own. Choose to shrug the disappointment off and carry on. Life doesn't end there.
• A grudge is not worth holding on to. The pain and bitterness will only rub you of peace and joy. Rather than allowing yourself to go through the same agony over and over again, learn to let go and let God. It will take time but only God can truly heal.
• Choose to give, rather than lend, without strings attached. Just make sure you are helping rather than enabling bad spending habits. Be honest if you cannot afford it. Relationships are best preserved when money matters don’t get mixed in with it.
• Social media is mostly superficial. The grandest vacation photos and the most impressive shout out do not entirely tell a person’s life story. The thumbs up, the gratifying comment and the sweet talks do not define relationships and true friendships.  Be cautious with your connections and guard your heart against that green-eyed monster named envy.
• God loves you and unanswered prayers do not prove otherwise. Broken dreams do not delimit His omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. He is God despite your circumstances. So when things go amiss the way you planned them to be, fear not. Simply pray- it’s more and is most effective!  Learn to surrender to His will and trust His ways.
• Be grateful and be contented with what you have in your life. Acquiring power, fame or more possessions will not fill the emptiness nor fully satisfy your life. Appreciating what you already have will make you realize just how blessed you are.

That pretty gold dress..

I have not been diligent to prove my love for sewing nor re-purposing clothes this year. Rather than enumerating a million and one excuses to get myself off the hook, I will attempt to make up for my lack of sewing posts this year.

My heart swelled with very sweet compliments about my outfit, especially the pretty dress, in my previous post. Contrary to what it seems, the dress did not cost me an arm and a leg. A local clothing store recently closed so the owner held a garage sale to get rid of everything. Price tags were at a whooping $5 each.

Lucky me, huh??  I thought so too, but only if I find something that would fit my petite frame…We went shopping anyway, anticipating great deals to be sent to the Philippines.  Then.. lo and behold. This pretty gold dress shyly smiled at me. I could not dare resist such beauty so I smiled back and approached her. Surprise, surprise, it is EXTRA SMALL too. I instantly fell in love! The hubby painted mixed reactions on his face the first time I showed him my new love. It was the perfect dress but unfortunately, wasn’t the perfect size.  Although I could not convince him that it’ll fit me, the very attractive price made him agree, that if all else fails, I could always resell it on Ebay. Sounded fair enough but I was decided to make the dress suit my tiny self. By hook or by crook, if I say so...

I wish I took before and after pictures of the dress but.. who had time to do so? The upper body was tad bit loose and the length wasn’t  very ideal for my height. It was too long to be a midi yet too short to be a maxi.  Sooo, for 1 and 2 above, I took each side of the torso in, through the sleeves, by approximately an inch.  I love how the skirt puffed and flared charmingly so I left it as is.. And 3, I folded the hem thrice to attain my desired and still modest length. 

I am so glad it worked out well, even when I altered the dress very quickly rather than carefully. I decline paying full price for clothing that needs alteration for my size but anybody wanting the dress can purchase it  here, not for $5 though!

And yes, there goes my little secret about that pretty gold dress.

Oh hello, December!

I browsed through the calendar, trying to recollect how time flew by so quickly. I remember blogging the preceding entry in a panic-y mode, with the high hopes of updating this blog as soon as we come back from St. Louis. That, obviously, wasn’t the case. No effort or any attempt was made. NADA!

I have been working like a dog on weekdays, by choice, and kept myself engrossed with church stuff on weekends. In between, I’d catch myself under the weather.  I’d like to blame it on the weather transition from the summer hot to the winter cold. Uhhm no, sadly, no fall occurrence, as far as I am concerned. But maybe, I am to blame for enduring as much stress I can… Uh-huh. ‘Nuff alibi, I hear.  

Just wanted to check in and make it known to the blog world that I’m still alive and kicking. Oh yeah!

Exploring the East Coast (Part 3)

I was told that without experiencing the Big Apple, one can never really claim having been to America. I’ve been here since fall of 2007 so guess I’ve never really been to America until this road trip! It was nice to see the its skyline from afar but the city was overwhelming in actuality. Our navigator acted up on our way to Queens from Niagara and brought us to the 34th St of the eminent, Manhattan. Traffic felt like home, where rules are widely accepted as suggestions resulting to chaos rather than order. Most if not all areas we’ve explored were densely crowded, probably, not just with visitors but including the locals relishing the weekend.

Above collage only contains some of sites we visited. I will have to post the rest of the pictures in Facebook or this entry will end up talking about New York City entirely. We probably have not covered all the tourist spots, mundane or prominent, but that’s okay. That’d be a good reason to visit again.  We’re equally happy and grateful for the experience. Thanks to Jackoi and Monic for their very kind hospitality and accommodation. We long to return the favor when you come visit us in the Midwest someday and hopefully soon.

Philly did not make much appeal to me until we got there. Not only did it play a significant role in the declaration of US independence, Philadelphia has also served as the temporary capital of the United States at some point.  Our tour of the Independence National Historic Park started at the Liberty Pavilion. It felt unreal to actually see and touch the iconic Liberty Bell.  What I thought was an ugly emblem of the postage stamps was actually one of the bells that historians believed to have rung in an affirmation of the country’s independence. Then there’s the well-preserved Independence Hall, where Congress meetings were held to evaluate the US Constitution and even declare the American independence.

Washington DC was our next point of interest. Been there four or so years ago but our time was insufficient to explore and enjoy the place. Hubby and I were fortunate enough to have friends from Baltimore, approximately an hour away from DC, who warmly accommodated us in their humble abode. Thanks to the Catayas family and Garcia couple. We are doubly blessed with your generosity of sharing your home with us. We truly look forward to share ours with you too.

We missed our schedule of the Pentagon tour that hubby had reserved almost a month prior to our trip. Our drive from Baltimore was delayed due to unexpectedly slow flow of traffic. Nonetheless, we pursued to pay our respects to the heroes of the 911 attacks. 

In DC, the Capitol tour was most remarkable for me. The interior design of the building was amazingly and impressively rich in history. We were hoping to get up to the observation deck of the Washington memorial but tickets were sold out. Then again, there’s always a next time! We strolled, hung around the area for quite a bit then finally took a picture took a shot of the Lincoln monument building before heading home.

Lastly, we could not resist the urge to stop over Kentucky, which I’m glad we did! It was beyond wonderful to see family and friends. Wish we could have spent a longer quality time with everyone but gotta do what we gotta do, come back home to reality.

Our East Coast road trip wasn't flawless but I can't complain, not at all. Too blessed to be stressed, humbled and forever thankful for the Lord's protection, travelling mercies and provision throughout our trip. Just as it is written, He sent an Angel before us, to keep us in the way, and to bring us into the place which He has prepared. - Exodus 23:20

Exploring the East Coast (Part 2)

Of all the places comprising our itinerary, Niagara was what I looked forward to the most. Days prior to our trip, hubby showed me videos on YouTube where people get drenched while on a boat ride across the river below the falls. For some reason, this worked up my nerves into serious fidgety. Whenever we plan trips and even ordinary dates, I almost always care for only two things- one, if it’d make a good photo shoot location and two, (and more importantly) if it'd offer a good dining experience. But with Niagara, all I wanted was to feel the water! Maybe because it’s summer and it was too hot out, maybe because I miss being on the beach, maybe because I have never seen a waterfall in any way, form or shape, or maybe because it was simply a much needed vacation. Irregardless, Niagara, we're coming!!!

It was a 4-hour drive to get there from Pittsburgh. I was kind enough to share the pain of driving with hubby. Although I’m not fond of geography, I was in the best(est) mood to listen to hubby’s lectures about Niagara on our way. I eagerly nodded, as if I cared and understood everything, while he patiently conveyed every bit of information he gathered from his research. The stubborn-wife-attentively-listening-to-the-husband happens very rarely, so that, in itself, was a blessing to the man.

But hey, I absorbed the fact that the name Niagara is actually a collective name for three falls- American, Horseshoe and the Bridal Veil falls. Anyway...

The Maid of the Mist was at the outset. This passenger boat (spot it on the previous picture above) sets sail across the river and gets close to the bottom of the Horseshoe falls, that bathe the passengers with a bounteous mist coming from the very powerful rush of the waterfalls. We ended up taking off our hopeless sunglasses as our vision clouded up with water. Although the ponchos provided looked cheap and unreliable, those plastic babies actually surpassed my doubts, keeping us from getting fully soaked up. I was thankful hubby won the argument over having to wear the poncho or not.

The Aquarium did not have a whole lot but we were lucky to catch the sea lion show. It was short but sweet enough to melt the audience’s hearts as the onstage sea lions outperformed themselves in every act, not showing any hint of old age or bitter past.

Adventure Theater was both entertaining and interesting. We watched a movie that narrated the legend and history of Niagara. It was a great way to sit back and relax after some hiking in the park. Then there was Niagara Gorge Center, which showcased antiquated exhibits that provided information on history, fossils and geological formation. Not my thing but their time-capsule-like elevator was pretty cool. It virtually fell a course of 12,000 years explaining the development of the gorge at every drop.

We unknowingly saved what was unexpectedly the best for last- the Cave of the Winds. The elevator dropped 175 feet down the Niagara Gorge, trailing to a wooden alley towards the hurricane deck. We were welcomed by the mighty surge of the Bridal Veil Falls face to face! Believe it’s the best means to get real close to the falls and to me, the best way to experience the falls. If the blue ponchos saved us, the yellow ones weren't fully geared up for the hurricane!

It was the most wonderful feeling I’ve felt in a verrryyyy long time, I could stay there forever.

Night came when we wrapped up our Niagara experience 

with the illumination of the falls and fireworks.

Niagara was the best part of this road trip and definitely the best experience yet... an experience I want my loved ones to experience too. The breathtaking attraction made me realize, once again, how blessed I am and how awe-mazing my God is. Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speakof them, they are more than can be numbered. - Psalm 40: 5

Exploring the East Coast (Part 1)

We planned for our trip to the east coast early this year. To say we were so excited is an understatement. The thrill was amplified by the anticipated double date with a precious couple.  However, God had a more exciting adventure in mind. They were blessed with a bun in the oven that has also brought great joy to me and hubby. Our friendship has outgrown time and distance that we consider their blessing ours too. We knew a lengthy travel time, both flying and driving, will not be ideal or convenient for our preggo friend and the baby so we decided to postpone our plans- maybe in the near future, maybe not, but definitely in His time.

While our excitement has switched over to this year’s UPC General Conference, something unexpectedly came up- another one of those undeserved blessings that led me and hubby to pursue our planned east coast itinerary. We jumpstarted our road trip with a 12-hour long drive to the Steel City- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

We tried to minimize as less pit stops as possible, munching on snacks to calm our growling tummies and only heeded to the call of nature if deemed really necessary.

Two hours away from Pittsburgh is Akron, Ohio. If you are an NBA fan, you know this is Lebron James’ hometown.  We drove around his neighborhood and amused ourselves with all the beautiful mansions, greenery and flowers. 

Then finally,we arrived Pittsburgh late at night so we got to witness the pretty city lights as we entered the city on the way to the hotel. We got to driving around the following day and contrary to my initial, night-before impression and what I had actually hoped for, ‘Burgh is a lot bigger than Lexington, Kentucky. I dread driving in big cities but I also believe that it’s just a matter of getting used to. I also prefer living in a small town, opting for a laid-back over a fast-paced lifestyle. And my personal preference of raising a family also leans towards the previous. 

Hubby brought me to Monterrey Bay Fish Grotto, a restaurant overlooking the city. As soon as we were welcomed with a valet parking person, we knew that it was an expensive restaurant. Since we were both starving, we were convinced to, at least, get in and check out the menu but also agreed that we’ll just have to go out if prices are way out of our budget. Surprisingly, the meals were reasonably priced, considering the size of each serving, its mouth-watering aroma and the explosion of flavors for every bite. Bonus, their meals were mostly consisted of fish, which the waitress said, were fresh from Florida daily.

Out of curiosity, we also rode the Duquesne Incline, century-old wooden cable cars that bring passengers atop the steel city, to enjoy the best views.

Three nights and two days may have not been enough to fully discover Pittsburgh. However, we enjoyed our visit and are truly grateful for the wonderful experience. 

February in Pictures!

After church and before our post Valentines date.

Freezing at the Color the Wind Festival 2013..

Our pweeetty snow lady- made in fun and love during the blizzard!

Heya, I'm back!!!

On the 3rd week of
February already?

..but 2014 has not really sunk in yet.  

So I wanted to walk down 2013 memory lane 

and muse over my favorites..

I have to count my fingers to determine how many.. 

but it’s been 6 years! 

That long for the poor husband to be stuck 

and deal with the stubborn wife that I am . 

Definitely looking forward to N more years

of love, friendship and drama.

Road trip to the south 

at 3000+ miles and  ~45 hours of driving.

The hubby’s persistence on the idea 

was more than I could contest. 

My skeptical self was overcome 

by the fun and pretty places we chanced upon. 

Maybe to him, 

it was a dream come true to watch NBA live for the first time. 

To me, 

it was another undeserved blessing-  

an (almost) all-expense paid trip 

and quality time with people we consider family.

First photo shoot.. 

and it was our friend's sister's wedding! 

If you can't tell, the hubby and I both love taking pictures. 

The enhancing of the pictures..

well.. it is a whole different story. 

I have a love-hate relationship with it 

and I blame my laptop for being so ancient 

that it gets so lousy when I run the application 

to edit the pictures. 

The hubby doesn't only have the talent to do it 

but he's got such patience 

and endurance for such a painstaking task!

Look at us,

taking our turn to pose

after the wedding.

Mamang’s 57^th birthday-

Grateful for the year that has gone and come.. 

and looking forward to what God 

has in store for her in the coming years. 

I love you, Mang.. to infinity to beyond. 

May you continue to beautifully bloom 

in the Lord’s loving grace, mercy and goodness.

General Conference 2013

My first and definitely not my last! 

Nothing compares to the awesome presence of the Lord

and the precious infilling of the Holy Ghost 

through powerful preaching 

and anointed music.

Already looking forward to this year's conference!

O give thanks unto the LORD; 

for he is good: 

for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 136:1

Has spring sprung?

Snow in May. Bald trees. Gloomy skies. Thunderstorms. And chilly winds.

Pollen allergies. Sunny day. Sprouting leaf buds. Robins chirping.

Green grass and dandelions.

100-degree warm up. Longer days. Shorter nights.
It's summer. Suddenly.

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat,
and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." -Genesis 8:22

Meet Myrna and Myrna!

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." - Proverbs 31:30

Happy Mamang's  day,

 to my in law and my mom.

I am doubly blessed to have you two as

icons of  a Proverbs 31 woman in my life.

Wish I can be half the wife and mother
that you both are. 

Love, love , love you both!

His happy happy birthday!

Taken from Facebook

We are ~5 hours away from the Canada border 

and we feel the pain! 

This year's spring has been struggling 

to move forward. 

Snow shows up uninvited. 

Rain drizzles longer than wanted.

Mr. Sun very rarely shows up.

The temperature went up to the 50's only once
since the first day of spring.
Oh, don't forget that wind whose unsolicited help make matters worst!

And yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, 
I will be joyful in God my Saviour (Habakkuk 3:18)
no matter how gloomy the weather can be..

The birthday boy!

Looking far..and wide.

Just can't take his eyes off that basketball!

Yeah, the Miami heat's playing so he's got to concentrate.  

After church and a sumptuous lunch buffet for his birthday..

Happy happy birthday, mahal ko (my love)!

Wish you more of the Lord's love
and abundance in your life

and in those you love (me included..teeheee).

Happy Easter!!!

Bbrrrrrr... Still too cold up here to get out and take pictures.

But we managed to move things around and

squeeze ourselves in what little space we have for a quick  pose!

Hope y'all have a blessed Easter and great week ahead.

Rewind, rewind, rewind..

It’s been 4 LONG months! 

Blame work that has held me hostage since I came back 

from a 5-week short vacation in the Philippines. 

Blame the cold that sucked all the energy out of my poor tiny brain body 

so that outside work, there’s really just me and some retail therapy.

Okiiiieeee, enough alibi! 

Lemme do a little recap here then together 

we cross our fingers  for up to date posts in the coming months...

I celebrated my 31 years of youthfulness back in November. 

Can't find a better, more decent picture of me except this!

at Cancun Mexican Restaurant

I missed my traditional Thanksgiving list for 2012 but 

I surely have a LOT to be grateful for, “my cup runneth over!”

Took the day off before actual thanksgiving holiday.

Below is video the hubby took while 

we waited for DJ Fancher to drive us to Minneapolis.

Told my mom that we will be spending the holiday in Minneapolis 

so we can't do Skype for a few days.

I have been looking forward to this since the beginning of the year.

Mom was clueless we we're headed home to the Philippines!!!

And yeah, she was too surprised, she would not open the door at 2AMish!

The dogs would/could not stop barking, we woke up the entire neighborhood.

at home with our baby Ada

It was a long tiring trip but it was beyond wonderful to be home!
Definitely, well worth everything.
Quality time spent with the family was most precious.

It was a very merry Christmas for us.

But time flew by so fast.
It was time to come back.
As per mom's request, we did one more pose with our hats on.

at Cebu International Airport

Back to the winter wonderland safe and sound.

Just in time to celebrate 6 years with my ever awesome guy!