Malamig ang simoy ng hangin...

That particular line has been especially true as winter sets in here in San Jose, California. I know it's not as cold as it couf ld get in other parts of this country but its cold enough for me to start wearing boots, a scarf, jacket, gloves and woolly cap. The cold and the slowly emerging Christmas lights and decorations make me long for Christmas back home. :)

First Christmas away from my mama, sister, niece, lola and the rest of my mom's family. . .Its times like these that I wish there was a way to bring both worlds together into one space. Maybe someday that would be possible.

It will be a different Chritmas. This will be our first Christmas as a new family -- Junby, myself and Therese. I wonder what sort of Christmas traditions will we institute. Maybe next time I can actually manage to decorate our humble abode with Christmas decors. :)

For now, I hope and pray that in the midst of a foreign land, I too, like the shepherds of old would get to experience the presence of Him who is the reason for the season inspite of the lack of the other things Christmas is commonly associated with. :)

a thousand and one things

I type this out with one hand since I'm cradling my 11 week old baby with my other hand as she quietly sleeps after feeding time...

There are indeed a thousand and one things I'd like to blog about and a thousand and one things I need to do around the house, yet there seems to be no time to do them at all. in the past weeks I have learned to be grateful for being able to do the littlest thing like get the laundry done, make dinner for my husband, put away some stuff. Most of the time I now spend caring and seeing to the needs of Therese and I'm glad and grateful to have the chance to do it. There are just times I wish I had more time to do the other stuff needed to make a home -- one that is orderly and clean, thank you.

I guess this is the time Junby has to live with the 'could be better' phase. He's been very supportive and I commend him for being patient about coming home at times to find dinner has yet to be made and its already 8 in the evening. I stress over that but one smile from Therese puts things in perspective. Well, speaking of Therese, now that she is asleep, I better get dinner done and stop wasting my time bemoaning my lack of time :P

hope i can blog later on the thousand and one thoughts I have had throughout the day as I care for this thousand in one blessing to me, my daughter. 'til then...

a quick note

It's been a looooooooong while since I blogged. There are so many things that I want to blog about but with a new baby to deal with, it all just remains in my head. I had 25 hours of labor to endure but with God's help and the encouragement of my husband, my cousin-in-law, Karen and the team of medical personnel at Kaiser Santa Teresa, I was able to bring into this world a beautiful baby girl. :)

I don't have much time to elaborate on all the details of her delivery and subsequent four weeks of life so far. Neither do I have time to post all the pictures we've taken of her so far (several shots per day), that's why I've decided to just post here the links to my husband's different sites where you may view the photos of our baby girl. All in all, God is indeed to be praised. Every day I marvel at the wonder of this new life we have been entrusted with.

Here are the links:

First week: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36401&l=1b659&id=751056887
Second week: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=37285&l=06b09&id=751056887Third week: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=38397&l=de662&id=751056887
Fourth week: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39194&l=46e03&id=751056887
Studio pictorial (2 weeks): http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39430&l=eae0a&id=751056887

Check them out and enjoy. When my life settles into a routine (somewhat) maybe I can find time to blog in detail the little discoveries I have each day regarding being a mother and a wife since these are the major roles in my life now.

Keep us all in your prayers!

The Waiting Game

Well, it's more or less two weeks before my due date. . . and as the title of this post states we're doing the waiting game. :) The past two weeks I had a deadline with Misyon which kept me occupied and therefore no time to really brood over Therese's coming. Now that that deadline is behind me, I have time on my hands to think about it.

I did share with our midwife my anxiety -- since I'm not very good when it comes to handling physical pain but she did reassure me that I need to focus on the belief that I can do this. That was reassuring. I'm praying to Mama Mary to be my guide during labor and eventual delivery. We pray for a safe delivery for Therese as well -- no complications and whatnot.

So what do I do while I play this waiting game? Well, there's still a lot of fixing up to do here at home. We've already put together a little cabinet and drawer for her which contains the clothes she would need for the first few months. The rest of the stuff that were passed on to us or given are in clear boxes and labeled accordingly. It is good indeed to have lots of relatives who are willing to pass on baby clothes and the like. It truly helps in cutting back costs. The baby shower gifts have also been a big help. We have most of what we need -- bassinet, diaper disposal can, even diapers for newborns! We've also put together the bag we will be bringing to the hospital with us.

I think Therese will make her appearance more or less on schedule. I'm due October 4. I'm praying she comes on October 3 -- which is St Therese of Lisieux's Feast Day. Keep us in your prayers. Anyway, enough meandering -- time to go and fix up stuff so that while waiting I'm still productive after all. :)

A Weekend of Surprises :)

Yup, my Saturday and Sunday was full of surprises. First was Saturday...

It started out as an ordinary lazy Saturday. We had time to sleep in and had breakfast at around 10:30 or so. We decided to do some cleaning up (swiffering -- that's when you use a swiffer in lieu of a broom and a mop since a swiffer is basically a broom and mop in one. One of the new inventions that I've discovered here in the US. Our swiffer even has a mini-vacuum built in) and putting the house in order (sort of). I'm really glad we did (although as Junby later on said, I should have been more suspicious when he became quite amendable to cleaning house) since turns out a whole battalion (or so it seemed to me at the time) was about to descend upon our humble abode. We were waiting for Kate, one of our single friends in BCBP to arrive since she had asked to have lunch with us that day. Unbeknowest to me, it was all part of an elaborate plan to surprise me with a baby shower. When I heard a knock on the door, I went to answer it, thinking I'd see Kate standing at the threshold. To my surprise, she was indeed standing there but along with a lot of other people, all of whom had food and boxes all wrapped up. They trooped into the house, laid all the food on the available surfaces and the party began!

I didn't have to prepare a thing except cook up a batch of rice since that was the one thing they all forgot to bring. I had a great time, and we had a lot of food left-over for dinner and even the rest of the week. They even had games prepared complete with prizes! Ang galing talaga! Our big thanks to Kate, Lau, Hannah, Ate Edith and the rest of the gang for all the preparations. I truly felt loved and baby Therese surely thanks you as well for all the love you've showered upon us all. Here are some pictures from that party:

A diaper cake. Yup, made of real diapers. First time I've seen one :) Thanks to Hannah, Lau and their roommate for making this. :)

My husband who is the co-conspirator for the surprise party. See how much I love him? :)

One of the many games Kate had prepared for the party. That's Ate Edith trying her best to transfer cotton balls onto another bowl blindfolded. :)
Gift opening time! Thanks to everyone for all your gifts. Therese will indeed not want for anything. :)

Ito ang mga salarin! Kain uli. Napagod sa games and gift opening. At ang dami pang food natira. From left: me, Lau, Hannah, Ate Edith and Kate (the head conspirator). Thanks to all of you :) Truly Junby and I with Therese am blessed to have you as our friends and community brothers and sisters!

Ok. I thought that was the end of it. I was wrong. Sunday was still around the corner and this time, it was Junby's family's turn -- particularly our Ninang Liklik and the head honcho for this operation is Karen, Junby's cousin on his mother's side. :) Thanks girl for the love and all the effort you put into the party! :)

I'll continue the narrative sometime tomorrow. I need to get to work na. :)

A post ... finally!

Hi folks!

I know I have been remiss in blogging the past weeks. I have several valid reasons for not doing so but the past week or so, its more or less due to my own laziness which has crept in. The first valid reason was because we lost internet connection at home and had to wait for it to be installed. Along with the internet connection, we got a landline and cable TV and that is another reason why I haven't blogged. I get sucked into the TV! That's why I've resolved not to open the TV until I'm done with specific 'to do' stuff :)

Anyway, I've finally mustered up enough energy to actually blog a little. Maybe I can get back into the groove of blogging after this :) I've finally attended a Breastfeeding class offered by our medical provider, Kaiser. It was very informative. We had baby dolls to practice the different holds there are to nurse a baby. I just hope I can actually breastfeed Therese. Junby and I are inclined to try it since breastfeeding does have a lot of advantages for both mother and child. Karen, Junby's cousin also suggested I not leave the hospital until I get the help I need in terms of getting the baby to breastfeed since its harder to get the help once we get home.

Also, Junby and I have finally had our pictorial two weeks ago. The photos were done by Ryan, Junby's cousin, who does photos for events like weddings and such. You can check out his work at his website: www.247Media.org

Here are some of my favorite shots from the pictorials. And yes, I have gained a lot but I'm looking to lose the extra pounds when I've given birth and all. :) The rest of the pictures are found here.



Well, that's all for now. Will think of other things to blog about next time. Tomorrow will be another prenatal visit and on friday an express childbirth preparation class. Express since we're doing this at a late time in my pregnancy already :) Continue to keep us in your prayers especially for a safe and normal delivery. Thanks everyone and God bless!

The 'glow' of pregnancy

The title is quite deceiving. I just wanted to have something that might place in a more favorable light, how I look now. I did promise to upload recent pictures of myself but I'm shy so I'm just sharing the pictures I gave to Junby for Father's Day. Yup, even if baby Therese (that's the name we are thinking of giving our little girl) isn't out of the womb yet, her very existence makes Junby a Father and me a mother (grabe, as in -- kinda surreal pa rin even if I get kicks now and again which somehow 'drive home' the point).

Urged by Junby's cousin, Karen, I had screwed up the courage to have a formal portrait done at Picture People. Karen had coupons allowing us to have our pictures done and you can choose one for free, out of all the shots. It was all hush-hush since we wanted to surprise Junby for Father's Day. I ended up borrowing a dress Karen had just purchased for the pictorial. The shots came out pretty decent but it took me a while to get over my shyness at having myself photographed by a complete stranger. Though he was good at making me feel at ease and Karen's presence and wisecracks kept me from feeling too self-conscious. These photos show me at five months or so. I'm now on my 28th week or starting into my 6th month so I have definitely gained weight and my tummy is now more pronounced. I have yet to schedule another appointment. Maybe this time with Junby in the picture. . . .

So for all those wondering how I look pregnant, feast your eyes on these (hehehe) . . . .





Ang galing talaga ni Lord, noh? It still blows us away that we are given the chance to create life with Him. We have helped him create a new soul that will, one day sing praises to Him who is worthy of all praise! Please contiinue to keep us in your prayers, most especially for Therese, that she might continue to grow in mind, body and spirit and be delivered safely when the time comes. Thank you! More next time. . . .

Simple Pleasures....

Yup, since I'm a simple girl, it takes very little to make me happy. Junby still marvels at my apparent delight in opening letters with a letter opener (there's just something about the sound of paper giving way under constant pressure and it opens in a straight line), or even placing stamps on envelopes (I did warn you, mababaw lang talaga ako :P ). Anyway, last Saturday, we finally received the first wave of furniture we had invested in!

Yup, our little home is starting to become more of a home than a large warehouse :P. We finally got the headboard, my dresser and Junby's dresser and our futon. Pictures? Nah, next time na, when everything is in place. The long weekend was actually very productive for Junby and myself. He somehow got inspired by the expected arrival of our furniture, he started to put together the second of two DVD cases we had ordered via Overstock.com. These were largely for his considerable DVD collection. With the arrival of the futon, he also put together the dining room set I had purchased a month ago from Ikea. It was quite a deal -- a table with four chairs for $199.00.

Since we had the futon already, we could now use the throws from Overstock and the three large pillows from Ikea. It was a tight squeeze though since we had already assembled Junby's chair but we managed. It just motivates me to start working on the other stuff to make space for what is truly essential. Now I am looking forward to the prospect of putting more order onto our closet since I have the dressers for some specific stuff. That's basically what made me happy over the weekend: the arrival of some of our furniture, the fact that I can now start putting some order into things and most importantly, my husband did all these things without me having to ask him twice :) Isn't he sweet indeed? I told him before, I hate nagging and I'm just thankful he's helping me not get into that rut. Also there is such a thing as the virtue of patience which I am slowly....oh so slowly growing in (or so I hope :P ).

In the quiet of a library...

Hi folks! I know its been a looooong while since I blogged. I keep promising myself I'd write down this particular incident or that but then something always comes up to keep me from writing it. I do plan to blog in later posts how my birthday went (yup, its been that long) and how Father's Day went (yup, I still remember) and how generally life is shaping up for me here.

Those are for later posts though. Right now, I'm grabbing the opportunity to get a few words in before I continue the grind of working on the pile of stuff I have to do for Misyon that have been stacking up the past days. I am writing this post inside the Cecil H. Green Library in Stanford College. Yup, Stanford. This is not because I am now a student here (wish ko lang) but rather I am once a guest in this prestigious institution. :P At least I can imagine myself as being a scholarly individual again (even for just a few hours). The campus is beautiful and facilities are great and as usual its 5:20 in the afternoon but the light outside is more like 4:30 in the afternoon :)

Why am I in Stanford? Well for the simple reason that its the only place I can hang out in while waiting for my husband to finish up at work so we can go to Ikea together to pick out his chair. Since someone donated a rocking chair for me, he's supposed to have his own chair too (that's according to him of course). Since our good friend Eena studies and works in Stanford (which I learned is its own city, complete with its very own zip code) I got to spend half of my day here again. The atmosphere is so conducing to work though that I was able to work on three stories while I am here in contrast to when I am just at home working. Feeling Stanford student siguro :P Well, that's all for now.

I will post those promised kwentos next time but suffice it to say that in all the things that have been happening, I see God's loving hand in each of them. He always has a surprise for me within each day and though I miss family and friends back in the Philippines, I learn day in and day out that God is indeed sufficient. :) Hope all is well with all of you! 'til next time. . . :P

After three weeks...

Ok, its been three weeks since I arrived in San Jose, California and I have been meaning to write a post about how things have been but the combination of laziness and too many things happening have become a handy excuse to let the opportunities to blog slide :) Besides, what may I blog about? My days have been pretty ordinary but then I have been learning several things as I went about trying to adjust, etc. I've decided to make a list to come across as somehow being more organized (that being how I want my life and our little home to be the past days).

Stuff I learned in the past 3 weeks or so of being in the Land of Milk and Honey (or so most people believe):

1. Shy away from converting dollar prices to its peso equivalent. Yup, friends I've spoken to before I came here were right, so is my husband -- true you earn in dollars here but you also spend in dollars so however much you earn (especially when converted in peso), most of the things you spend for are also paid for in dollars. So thriftiness is still the key. Its a good thing Karen, Junby's cousin has been bringing me along to all the discount stores and shops here. I've been taking her word for it most of the time when she says something is a good deal. I have yet to know when something is truly a steal. :P

2. Coupons are the way to go. Coupons work here! If we ignore coupons in the Philippines, the opposite is true here. Coupons do help in shaving off several dollars in one's meal, grocery and even services (like getting your photo done).

3. They don't use a 'tabo' here :P I only got our tabo from the Asian stores, which are quite numerous in California since a lot of Asians have chosen to make this more temperate state their home. I still cringe at the amount of water wasted whenever we have to take a shower. One has to let the water run for a minute or two before the heater kicks in and I definitely, do not wish to bathe in ice cold water. So water is flowing uninterrupted while we wait for it to heat up. Sayang ang tubig! I recall the water rationing we have to do in the Philippines especially during summer months in Manila. Hayyy...

4. Leftovers are almost always a certainty when eating out. The portions here are so large that we usually end up taking part of the meal home. Only the Filipinos do that I think. I saw most people leave uneaten food on their plate when we went out and ate dinner at Chilis one evening.

5. In the State of California, driving is almost always a necessity. There were only a handful of cabs around and these I saw when we passed by the SFO airport on the way to Daly City. Most people drive their own cars and since they drive in miles per hour unlike in the Philippines where our speed limit is in kilometers per hour, taking a cab is more a rarity than a necessity.

6. I learned from our Ninang Liklik that the State of California, also known as the Golden State is called thus because the grass in California turn yellow from lack of water thus giving the hillsides its 'golden' color. Actually, if not for the irrigation, much of California would be desert.

7. The sun does not set until latest so far 9 in the evening! This is because its the summer months. They assure me that come October, 6 o'clock in the evening then would be pitch black. Its still disconcerting to realize that its already 8 in the evening and dusk is just settling in.

8. Their offices here are surrounded by trees and nature. Also, the cluster of buildings of a company are called campuses. As expected things are more technologically advanced (i.e. a motion detector is found in most offices. It turns off lights in the room if no motion is detected within the room for a certain amount of time. Part of their energy saving measures).

9. The microwave is an essential part of the kitchen and a wife's life. There are meals that you just pop into the microwave a voila! a meal in under a minute. As for me though, nothing still beats food that is cooked from scratch or at the very least requires some other steps before it can be palatable.

10. Lastly for this list -- cellphones here are used more for calls rather than for text messages. Only the Filipinos text. I guess it ties up with the American way of doing things -- instantaneously.

As Junby says, life in the US is not necessarily better than life in the Philippines. Its just different. Both worlds hold their own list of advantages and disadvantages. What is important I guess is to not forget who you are even as you venture out into discovering who else you can be. :) That's all for now folks! Will post pictures of my trip in San Francisco in my multiply blog. More posts to come in the future, I hope :)

God is Good

Hi folks! I'm writing this from the warmth of our bed in San Jose, California. Yup! I'm finally where I'm supposed to be -- with my husband and truly starting our family life. :) While thinking of an appropriate title for this post, I couldn't help but smile and thank God for His goodness to me and my family. :) After all the prayers uttered by you, our family and friends, God in His good time has brought me here to be by my husband's side finally. That, I think, is one major concern that is now lifted from Junby's heart.

We arrived last night, around 9 pm SF time. Leaving the confines of the plane, I thought I had entered a fully air conditioned building, only to learn from Junby that that was how it actually is outside in SF! Brrrr....I'm blessed though since I arrive at the beginning of summer. Another blessing is that one side benefit of being pregnant is having a higher than my normal body temperature. So I think baby is keeping me warm din :P So much so I can walk around in silk pajamas and feet shod in warm socks puttering around our kitchen kanina putting things away, etc.

We were met at the airport by Josh, Junby's handsome cousin (oh, Josh pinupuri na kita dito!). We first went to the condo to drop off our luggage then Josh drove us to Ninang Liklik's home so Junby can pick up our car. We were supposed to do it quietly so as not to wake Tita Liklik and Tito but Tito was up so we chatted a bit, Junby and I raided Tita Liklik's ref for a late night meal and we were on our way home at about 1:30 in the morning :) Junby and I were still feeling awake since it was just afternoon in the Philippines but we hoped to sleep since Junby has work today, the poor dear.

There's a lot to fix up here at the condo but I'm excited as the realization that this is my home is slowly sinking in. How this home turns out is up to me and Junby. I have to remind myself though to take it easy this first day. After all, I am pregnant (I sometimes forget :P unless I see myself in a mirror :P) and I'm still supposed to be adjusting with jet lag and all. Though at the moment I don't feel tired but still best to keep at a slower pace :)

For the first time, I got to 'prepare' breakfast for Junby here at our own place. I say 'prepare' since I don't feel I really did anything since most of what we did for this morning was to microwave stuff :P That goes against my traditional view of cooking but since we don't have pots and pans and stuff like that I'm experiencing the American way of doing things :P. Hopefully sometime this week I can get myself some kitchenware and try my hand at real cooking. I'm nowhere near a good cook as my cousin J, but they all say it's practice and since Junby is committed to me for life, he has no choice. Hehehe.

Anyway, this post is getting quite long. Will take a nap now since its supposedly near to 1 am in the Philippines. Hope my husband is ok at work since he doesn't have the luxury of sleeping like I do. All in all, God is good indeed. All is Grace, don't you agree?

Thank you for all your prayers!

Hello folks! Only now do I have the time and the opportunity to write off a quick post about my visa interview last May 13, 2008.

I left for Manila May 5, 2008 so that I can have my medical examination at St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic at Ermita early the next day. Come May 6, 2008 I went to SLMC with my mother-in-law, Mommy Ester. We got there at around 7 AM and there was already a long line of people filing in. I was number 132. I filled out the forms required and waited for my name to be called. After the form was assessed I had my picture taken then lined up to pay. As of this month, they had increased the fees from $182 to $213. Yup, that's right -- the fees were in dollars, but we had to pay in its peso equivalent. Ouch! It was in payment mostly for the vaccines that they required us to have. Though as it turns out, I wasn't given any vaccinations due to my pregnancy. Wonder if I could get a refund? Hehehe

Junby and I had decided not to avail of the x-ray they asked for, as part of our precaution for the baby's health but as the lady in charge of the x-ray lab explained to me, I could opt not to have an x-ray done now but instead wait until I give birth then have my x-ray done. The only catch was my medical records will not be released and will have to reschedule my visa interview to a later date -- meaning when I choose to have my x-ray done. Talk about choices. What sort of choice does that leave me then?! I was silently fuming at that. If anything happens to my baby and I can trace it to that x-ray procedure, God help that woman...grrr....Left with no choice I submitted myself to the x-ray procedure. They did have a shield of sorts for the abdomen but still, I can just pray that such exposure didn't harm the baby in any way. I was done by 3 pm. I was asked to go back the next day at 9 am to pick up the results, so we happily went home with the knowledge that at least the next day, all I had to do was pick up the results. Wrong.

May 7, 2008 was a wasted day for me. I got to SLMC extension clinic quarter to nine, dropped my receipt in the designated box and chose a seat to wait for my name to be called. Though there was a warning that our results will not be given out on a first come, first served basis but rather on the complexity of our medical case, I didn't expect to be sitting there until 3:30 pm only to hear my name being announced on the PA system to proceed to the immunization center. When I followed up and informed them that the physician who saw me the day before had already indicated I was not to receive any immunization shots, they told me to go back to the releasing area to wait for my name to be called...again. All in all, I finally got my x-ray plate and immunization record (which were the only ones they released to me, the rest of my medical records together with my passport and 2 pcs of 2x2 pics were going to be delivered to the US embassy by SLMC) at around 5:30 pm!?!?! Hayyyyy....good thing I went there on my own that second day. Kawawa naman ang mother-in-law ko if she accompanied me pa. I ended up making friends with the people to my right and my left after sitting there for the whole day, it seemed like a better option than silently fuming over the waste of my time there. :P

Junby had decided to come home to be with me during the visa interview and I was glad for his presence that day. We went to the US embassy and were at the gates by 6:40 having been advised to show up an hour before our scheduled interview at 7:30. There was already a line there but thankfully it moved quickly. I was impressed by the efficiency of how the folks at US embassy handled the crowds. Though our numbers weren't called in order, the turnover was quick. Good thing we had gone there having prepared our documents the day before so there was no need to scrounge around for all the different documents we were supposed to submit. We were done with the interview by 10:30 am. I remember telling myself not to smile too widely as we left the consular office where we were interviewed. Thank God the lady who interviewed us was quite pleasant. She just confirmed some details, looked at some of the photographs we submitted and pleasantly said there were no problems and my visa application was approved! Praise be to God!

Junby's presence there also helped, I guess. Both for me emotionally and for the consular officer and the pre-screening personnel. At the pre-screening the lady asked him to explain how he got to be in the US if we had met way back in college, etc. So all in all, it went well. Thank you for all your prayers! Now we are waiting for my visa to be delivered, which we hope to receive in the coming days and then its off to the US by the 26th God willing. So keep us in your prayers folks and thank you, thank you, thank you!

Songs from the past...

When I hear the strains of these songs, I am brought back to the times I spent lazy Sundays with Papa. These memories now are a comfort. . .

At it again...

I woke up early this morning, the second time for this week. The first time was last Wednesday to pick up my passport from the DFA in Iloilo and to have my Teacher's License changed from my maiden name to my married name. DFA wasn't so bad since I only had to pick up my updated passport, which I got by 8:30 AM. PRC was another matter altogether. We were unfortunate enough to join the mass of nursing students filing for their board exam in June so we found ourselves at the tail end of the line (which was on the street but began three floors up to the door of the PRC office) just to get a number so we could enter and get the steps from the information desk. Each time we had to go through the next step, we had to line up again for a new number. talk about inefficiency. The office was also quite small and so if your number isn't up yet you had to wait outside in the claustrophobic hallway with its limited seats. So more often than not, you find yourself standing for an hour or more just waiting for your number to be serviced. By God's grace we got to finish all the required steps by 2:40, and was able to make it back to the pier and take the 3:30 ferry back to Bacolod.

This second time, I lined up for my NBI clearance at 6 in the morning. Yup, 6 AM. And I was number 40 on the list already. Then we had to wait for the office to actually open at 8 AM. Then they called us by name according to the list, gave us forms then lined up for them to check if we filled it all out and then fingerprinting -- all the fingers on both hands! :-o then you go to the next portion of the building to wait for your number to be called to pay the cashier, get your photo done and hopefully your NBI clearance. If you are one of the unlucky ones like myself, and you get a 'hit' on your name, you are asked to come back after 15 days for verification. A 'hit', I learned is when they find amongst their records someone with the same name or last name as yours. So as luck would have it I had a hit and I need to go back to them on the 30th of April. That means another early morning lining up, and missing work until 10 am (if you are lucky) :P

O well, this is something I need to do since the NBI clearance is needed for the visa interview on May 13. Sigh. It's just that its so tiring and a waste of valuable time. :( May God give me strength when I'm at it again come the 30th. Keep my interview in your prayers! Thanks :)

A Testimony of Gratefulness

Yesterday was a blessed day, as if every day isn't :P I got to confirm my visa interview at the US Embassy. It will be on May 13, 2008 at 7:30 AM. So now, its time to storm heaven once again so that when I go through my interview, they won't find anything wrong with my papers and will approve my application by the end of the interview.

That schedule was an answered prayer through the intercession of St Therese of Liseaux. Junby and I have been praying to her the past months for my visa approval to be given by the month of May. I see the schedule as part of her answer to my petitions. :) Today, as I pondered on God's goodness, a song from Touched by an Angel came to mind. Here is that particular portion of that episode...Enjoy and may your heart sing in praise of God even in the midst of situations that bring us to tears...:)

A peek into my womb :)

Hi folks! Here is the first look at our baby. . . I think Junby's penchant for anime might be find expression in our kid...what do you think? When I first saw this I was amazed. There really is a live, human being inside of me. Amazing. . . Ang galing ni Jesus!

A Summer Afternoon

It's been a while I know since I last blogged. Too many things happening in the days since I last dropped a line here. I'm back living with my Mama, sister, niece and 91 year old grandmother. Junby flew to the US last Friday, after many delays brought about by his unexpected rise in Blood Pressure -- high enough to have the doctor forbid his taking the 11 hour flight two weeks ago.

Today is a holiday -- or so according to GMA who has a tendency to move holidays like it was just an afterthought. I've spent most of this morning either sleeping (my favorite pastime for the past days) or before coming online, going through the different boxes of stuff Junby and I moved from our apartment to here. I never realized I could accumulate so much stuff in the three months! Well, now is as good a time as any to fix up. It's a prelude to my fixing my stuff up for my eventual move to the US which we pray will happen by next month.

I'm also entering my second trimester which according to Ms. Anne, my second boss at Misyon, is pregnancy heaven. I agree. I don't feel as fatigued as before and I don't feel so bloated and all that. Haven't had any throwing up fits either for the past three days and I'm hoping it will continue to the end na. :) Junby will soon post a picture of our baby (an ultrasound actually).

Well time to return to doing some online work before going back to sorting through stuff. Take care everyone and welcome Summer! I'd love a halo-halo right about now... :p

Good Friday thoughts...

Today, the whole of Christendom celebrates Good Friday. The day that turned the world upside down, when God who became man, seemingly suffered the bitterest of defeat. I don't have much to share being quite listless the whole day. It could be because I'm still more or less experiencing fatigue brought about by my pregnancy. (I find myself getting irritated with myself for being so weak). It's quite humbling actually to realize that for all that I pride myself at being quite energetic, these past months have proven that I'm not quite as invincible as I thought myself to be.

I'm looking forward to the end of my first trimester. This week is my 12th week and most books I've been reading have said after the first trimester, things will start to look up -- lessening of fatigue, disappearance of nausea (yessss!) and being able to eat more or less normally.

I guess I'm also listless because tomorrow Junby and I are flying to Manila. He's flying back to the US on Easter Sunday and I'm seeing him off. I'm going to miss him definitely but I won't make it more difficult for him by crying and asking him not to leave me (sounds like a line from a movie... :p ). He's having a hard time as it is. Its the least I can do to put on a brave face and take things as they are. Lesson I learned from my Mama. :)

All in all though, its been a blessing that he has been able to spend so much time with me after the wedding. Also another blessing is his new work which allowed him some extra weeks here rather than go back to the US by February. So, I may be in the midst of my own little Good Friday but I can join my private sorrow with Jesus' and hope to see an Easter morning soon. :)

A quick pick-me upper

I know I haven't blogged much lately :) You could say the effects of pregnancy make blogging something that isn't top priority. Been going through the classic symptoms of the first trimester, including "morning" sickness. I placed that in quotation marks since going to the bathroom and 'worshiping the porcelain god', according to my husband, isn't limited to mornings. I won't bore you with all the details :)

Anyway, taking a break from working on our website, Misyon online, I decided to surf for some videos to brighten up my day. I found this. This is my favorite scene from the movie Raise Your Voice featuring Hillary Duff. The main character played by Hillary lost her desire to sing when her brother died in a car accident while she, the passenger, survived. The lyrics of the song help me now to remember that with everything considered, I can survive the next couple of weeks before my first trimester ends. Hehe. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Pangga!

Today is the birthday of my beloved husband of one month and 17 days. Thank you for the love you show me everyday -- how you still open doors for me, carry heavy stuff for me (I draw the line when you offer to carry my shoulder bag for me), pray for my concerns, give me great back rubs, cheerfully go about the chores at home, tell me how pretty I am and how much you love me, listen to me, serve with me in CYA and even drop what you are doing to answer my requests for assistance -- the internet kind. Thank you for all that and more. Happy Birthday! I am glad God saw it fit for me to be your partner. It took several years apart for Him to work on us both but it seems God knew what He was about. As you celebrate your birthday today -- I'd like to bless you with my favorite prayer (one that whenever it is uttered, brings me to tears for it reminds me of God's most loving presence) :

The LORD bless you and keep you! The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace! Numbers 6:24-26

Why God made Grandmas....

While I was looking for stuff that would lift my spirit today, I remembered that there is a Christian version of youtube. It's called Godtube. So I decided to surf that. I found several heartwarming videos but this one topped it for me today. My lola turned 91 years old last January 7, 2008 and the past days she has become progressively weaker. Now she can't stand nor walk when last year she could still quite manage to walk from the bedroom to our sala. She refuses to eat most of the time, that's why she nearly fainted last Sunday. It's heartbreaking to see her slowly wasting away. I guess it's also because we don't talk or interact with her much. I mean, I would literally die of boredom if all I did was stare at the ceiling while the rest of the family went about their own lives.

I love my lola and though I keep vowing to myself to spend more time with her, I am afraid I will wake up one day and find it too late. So tonight, we're eating at home for dinner. And I will make it a point to chat with lola even for just a while. Anyway, this little boy's final insight was what got to me. . .

New Year, New Life

Welcome 2008! It's a new year with the offering of a new life in more ways than one. One major change in my life now is that I am now the wife of (hopefully) a very happy man :D We've been keeping a separate blog for all that is wedding-related but since I don't have the time to upload all the nice pictures that were taken during the wedding, I'm posting here the links to some of sites that do have pictures :) Hope you have time to visit them. If not, a murmured prayer for me and my husband, Leonides Saguisag Jr would be most appreciated. Here are some links:

http://junbyandmitzi.blogspot.com/
http://mtfr.multiply.com/photos/album/8/A_Day_to_Remember

Getting married, being a major undertaking, both in terms of preparation and the actual event I have been unable to post any of my thoughts and opinions. I hope to have more time to do that once I finish up the stack of work that piled up when I went off to our honeymoon in Palawan and the subsequent holiday disorders. Suffice it to say that now that we are back in Bacolod and starting to settle down to some sort of 'normal' living, I will have more time to ruminate on the past and to plan and aim for dreams with my husband this time. :)

Time to get back to work. Hehehe. Just couldn't resist posting one tiny thought before tackling this webpage I'm working on. I look forward to the coming days as Junby and I start to settle down to a routine and to the exciting world of Marriage. :D