Our Life in Words and Photos

Hodge Podge of Stuff



There's so much to write about because I haven't blogged in a while (again!). Seems like blogging is becoming a challenge to me now. Thus, let me just take a moment to sit tight and blog about the many things that has been going on in my life (which for most people isn't exciting, hehehe!):



On Carly Patterson's visit - Sometime in October, we got the chance to meet Carly Patterson when she came to work for a visit. She won gold medal in Women's All Around Gymnastics in Athens. This time, I have photos to prove I met her (unlike when Michael Phelps, Lenny Krayzelberg, and Ian Croker came by).



On Scrapbooking - I'm on a roll! I've made three more LOs over the past couple of weeks - You're Invited, Our Love Story, and Viva Las Vegas. I'm slowly starting to scrap our wedding photos - the film based ones. Picking out those that I want to include becomes very challenging. Just imagine, I have to sort and pick out from about 700+ prints! That's enough to drive me to the brink.



On Card Making - Here's another hobby I truly enjoy. It's a theraphy for me (whenever I feel homesick or depressed). In the process, I am also expressing the creativity I never knew I had! I remembered when I was in school, my mom would always do my projects for me because she was afraid that I'd fail if I do it myself. Needless to say I thought I didn't get those creative genes my mom has? :) So, judge for yourselves.



On Guests - One of the reasons why I haven't blogged in a while was because we had guests in and out of the house. First they were my roommate's sister and her family from New Zealand. Next it was my roommate's cousin and her husband from Palm Springs. This weekend it'll be a couple of friends from Texas. In a week or so, another set of friends from Las Vegas. It's never-ending cleaning up and cooking and entertaining. I'm not complaining though. It's always good to have company once in a while.



On Parties - With the holidays just around the corner, so many parties are being organized. In fact, my November weekends are booked to the brim! Last weekend, I went to a birthday and halloween party. Tonight, I'm attending a golden wedding anniversary celebration of a close friend's parents. Next weekend, there are 2 parties I'm supposed to go to (in a single day). The following week, another birthday party. Then there's Thanksgiving.... not to mention Christmas and New Year!!!!



On my cholasterol - I've got to watch out what I eat or my doctor's going to whip my behind because of my cholasterol. Amazing that for someone as petite as I am, I have a borderline cholasterol level (that was last year though!). I guess that was the bad genes I got from my dad. I'm sweating out now because I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I do hope I'd fare well on my cholasterol test.



On the upcoming holidays - The air is chilly again, and fall is coming to an end. With winter looming around, it's becoming more and more depressing. I miss my family, I miss my husband, I miss everyone back home. When I was growing up, Christmas is a big deal in our family. Even when my mom would just repair old clothes to look like new, I came to appreciate Christmas as more than just new clothes, new shoes, new toys. For me, it's being with family that accounts for a wonderful christmas.



In high school, I was a member of the church choir (don't ask me how because I could never figure that out) so the three of us - mom, younger brother, and me - would go to church for the Simbang Gabi (around 3am). Breakfast would consist of puto bumbong or bibingka. At 6:30, I go straight to school (which is located just opposite the church - how convenient right?). On Christmas Eve, we'd have scrap ham - I call it scrap because those are the remnants when they cut ham in the market. There's bread, hot chocolate, fruit salad, and some other modest food on the table. I considered it our most extravagant dish because we never get to taste them on regular days. We don't always get christmas gifts but just being together is a wonderful gift for me.



I wanted to go home for Christmas but I figured that if I'm getting so depressed when I come home in May, the more it'll be depressing coming back after the holidays. Like I said before, coming home is always a torture for me because I go through the crying fit going back.



On grandma's eye surgery - We finally had grandma agree on an eye surgery, or, as her doctor puts it, she'd get glaucoma. When I called her before the surgery, she was crying and asking for an apology because she had to ask for money. Of course I had to help. After all, my grandma was one of those special people who helped me reach my goals. Even hubz was open to helping grandma. In fact, he visited her before the surgery, at the hospital, and when she came out of the hospital. He even dropped her off to Pagsanjan. This weekend, he's going to pick her up from Pagsanjan for her checkup on Monday. Grandma told me she felt that I was home all along - the way my husband doted on her. No wonder I'm so in love with my husband. He's just truly a great guy!



On mom's birthday - Hubz took a day off on mom's birthday so he could take them out to lunch. She turned 55 this year!



On my 7th year anniversary here in the US - November 13 is my 7th year here in the US. Time flew by!



Another anniversary to watch out for - I'll keep this a suspense for now.



Well, that's it pansit! If you're still reading 'til the end - congratulations! I admire your patience.... hahaha!



Have a great weekend everyone!