Mini Dinner Party

Two things I love:

1) Extended Birthday Celebrations

2) Sharing a good meal with great friends

After three weeks of moving, unpacking, buying furniture plus a washer and dryer, we finally felt our home was organized enough to host a mini dinner with friends. Or we scrambled like crazy to at least get it half presentable the day of. (Which is it? I'll never tell.)

I always tell myself it takes at least 6 months to get settled in somewhere, and I'm just so grateful that we have friends and family nearby. We may not get to see them very often but I've always felt that one of the things that makes a house feel more like a home is having friends and family over. I love having people over! More so than going out, I think. Well that's fun too but I guess I'm low-key like that.

Plus we love to cook! So a post birthday celebration/housewarming was the perfect excuse to cook up a mean meal. And I do mean, a daze-inducing, stuffed-to-the-brim, I'm-so-full-I'm-not-eating-for-the-next-week, mean meal.

 Menu: Steak, Butter Lemon Garlic Crab, 

Sweet Potato Casserole, Roasted Bone Marrow, 

and White Jasmin Rice.

Oh, plus brownies and vanilla bean ice cream for dessert :D.

We had an awesome time, talking about the most random things like Evian face spray bottles and the fact that you can buy crab fat in a jar in the Philippines. And the food was wiped out!

Thank you, H, D, and J, for joining us to celebrate lots of things, our new home, my birthday, and love, laughter and friendship.

Looking forward to many more yummy dinners :D Already thinking of more occasions to celebrate! Anniversaries, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, hmmm...

On Facebook Reconnections

Many times I do see the cons of too much technology, your life gets sucked in, your eyesight gets worse, your forearms/wrist hurt from repetitive strain injury (I may be guilty to all of the above.) But there are also the wonderful pros to technology. And Facebook. One of the things I love about Facebook is that I get to get in touch with old friends and family from around the world.

Case in point:

Jennifer was our dear friend whose family migrated to Hawaii shortly before the sixth grade. Back then, we had no internet, no way of communicating, we didn't even get to say goodbye to her. We had no forwarding address, no number. My friends and I were very saddened at her departure and just hoped that we'd see her again someday.

Fast forward 17 years later and here I am, having lunch with Jennifer and our other classmate, Melissa, in San Francisco! We got to meet her husband and her two adorable kids, catch up on the last 17 years and talk about marriage! (Sometimes the fact of marriage still amazes me.) We had awesome time and lunch was over before we knew it.

L-R Melissa, Jennifer, Me

I've got other stories too and I do think that Facebook is awesome in the getting/keeping in touch aspect. Now if only we could get a whole class reunion organized!

P.S. This was the same day I went to Fabmo, this awesome organization that give fabric and all this other stuff away for free! See my FabMo post HERE.

2011, Here we come!

I know I've been a bit remiss in writing. I was so busy launching my etsy store, filling Christmas orders for my chocolate bark, and preparing for winter in Virginia!

As my first year here in the US comes to a close, I'm amazed at everything that has transpired this year.

Of course the first thing that comes to mind is that this is the year we got married! And I moved to the US!

It's been an exciting time full of new things, new places, new people, and I learned so much as well. I've come to love living in California and I am super excited about the New Year ahead, with all it's possibilities.

But yet, the hardest thing of all, was leaving home and moving away from family. I sorely miss them and I think about them every day but I know that it's part of life and I have more than one place to call home now. I once read somewhere that home is where your family is and I am blessed to have had my family grow exponentially.

We do have so much planned for next year though, including not just one, but two trips back to the Philippines! Hooray for that! And January already looks like it's going to be jam-packed and time is GOING TO FLY. Just thinking about it boggles the mind!

So here's to another year full of exciting possibilities, wonderful moments, and beautiful memories. Here's to a Happy 2011 and beyond!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Napa Nights

Sixty something wines, awesome food stands, plus free entertainment, all added up to a great night with friends in St. Helena, Napa Valley.

On our last trip to St. Helena, I noticed this poster for a "street celebration" of sorts, held every first Friday of the month from August til October and I casually mentioned to Gerard that it might be fun to do. Dubbed "Cheers! St. Helena", I mentioned it to some friends too and we made plans to meet up in Napa Valley to check it out.

35 dollars gets you a bracelet, a plastic cup, AND unlimited wine tasting of wines from all over Napa Valley. Not a bad deal, if you ask me, especially if you're into wine. Sadly, I've been steering clear of it as I've been prone to migraines lately so I was after the FOOD! And I was not disappointed.

Check out my photos.

First tasting, a sweet Rose.

Gerard having another pour. Notice the fancy shmancy wine bus. 

You can book it for private tours.

Entertainment provided by The California Repercussions.

There was also a great acoustic band tucked away in a corner.

This is what I was after! Yummy Tri-Tip Steak Sandwich!

And the grilled corn was super sweet!

And of course, dessert! Lemon and Blood Orange Gelato. 

Nothing beats Gelatissimo though!

At the Cheer! St. Helena website I found out that you can get a season pass for $75. This would be worth it if we lived nearer the area but I think I'm ok with once or twice a year visit. 

The St. Helena Main Street is very pretty and they've got a lot of promising restaurants and cute stores. One of my favorites was Olivier Napa Valley, which sells gourmet oils and specialty food. I've been dying to buy a bottle of their truffle oil and the spinach artichoke dip we sampled was super yummy!

Photo from Oliviernapavalley.com

St. Helena is definitely on my list of places to take friends and guests too. I love quaint little main streets like theirs, which aren't too bustling but full of interesting finds.

All in all, my first Cheers! was a great evening and I'm definitely coming back to St. Helena for more.

Blessings

Just a short post because today I'm reminded to count my blessings and that I have much to be grateful for. Family, friends, and a kind and loving husband.

Though there are days that I'm homesick, bored, and lonely, days like these remind me we are very blessed.

It was a good day.

An Opal Engagement Ring

A few days ago, a photo popped up on my phone of a beautiful opal ring on a very familiar hand. I didn't quite get the meaning until I read the words "He proposed!" in the text message. Imagine my surprise and joy at the fact that one of my dearest friends of earth was engaged to her longtime boyfriend of five years!

The photo on my phone

Maybe it's a year for wedding and engagements and new things. Perhaps its the age group were in, (late twenties) that is "typical" if I daresay of such events such as marriage, moves, and births of babies. It seems that in the last few years, we've been talking of weddings and babies more and more! (One of my other friends just gave birth and I am godmother to her a child, another friend is pregnant, Rhoda and I were bridesmaids at her wedding, and Rhoda was a bridesmaid at mine!) So much has come full circle.

Rhoda showing off her ring :D

But why an opal ring you may ask, not the traditional diamond? Well, her boyfriend listened to her last year when she said she didn't want a regular diamond ring, and the opal is her birthstone! He had to get it especially made for her. Isn't that different? I thought it was a wonderful idea!

I really wish I could be home in Cebu at this exciting time of my Rhoda's life. All the choices you have to make, dress designs, color motifs, venue, food, music, etc! (Yes you can tell I just got married too.) She and have seen each other through so much, through elementary, and high school, and college, not to mention through relationships! She's such a dear friend of mine, who's always seen me through thick and thin and I am deeply happy that we are both settled with good men to be beside us for the rest of our lives. 

So Rhods, if you're reading this too, I am so happy that you're happy with Jim. I love you and I wish you nothing but the best! And I promise. I'll be there on your special day!

On Changing Planes

I'm writing this at the Ninoy Aquino Interntional Airport, while waiting for our long haul flight from Manila to San Francisco. I think I'm a little overwhelmed but also caught up in the excitement of going on an extended vacation with my family, cause they're all coming with me to San Francisco! (Well, not really vacation for me as I'm moving to California but you get the picture.)

Au Revoir, Barry and Isha! Thank you for throwing me a farewell party!

This week was bittersweet as I said goodbye to friends and family, before making my way to my new life with my husband. Not to mention my dog, who did seem very lifeless today, he didn't even come up to me at the dining table for his usual "secret" nibble! Sigh. I hope he''ll be ok.

It's definitely hard, leaving home, family, and friends behind but I'm going to my new home now, and starting a new chapter in my life. I'm really excited for that too! Which makes all this bittersweet. But such is life and I am grateful for everything and for everyone, especially for this chance to take this trip with my family.

I'll see you soon Anya! Whether Cebu, SFO, or Australia!

Thanks for coming to see me at the airport girls!

Boarding.

See you tomorrow, San Francisco!

And Cebu, I'll be back!

Anya of Anthill Fabric Gallery

I don't know what it is, maybe it's growing older, maybe it's cause I live in a small city, or maybe it's because I went to a small school. But in the few years that I've lived back home, I've found meeting new people to only be an occasional occurrence.

Which is why, I'm always happy when I meet and make new friends like Anya Lim of Anthill Fabric Gallery.

Photos courtesy of Stylecebu.com

I started coming to Anthill to buy yummy fabric for my dresses of course, and a friendship struck up between me and Anya, the owner and proprietress of the wonderful store. It's not every day that you meet someone as bright, smart, and funny as Anya. She's got this awesome, happy personality, and being around her is like being in a room with a bright ray of sunshine bouncing around.

Not to mention that she's giving! She used to work (and still does consulting) for World Vision, an organization that works to find sponsors for children in poverty all around the world. Then she founded Anthill with her mom, Annie Lim.

I love that Anthill is not just a fabric store, it's a socially responsible enterprise wherein not only do they sell fabric, but they also support new and upcoming local designers and indigenous weaving communities by making their products available to the public. And Anya is the perfect person to run it. She's super nice to everyone!

So Anya, if you're reading this, please know that I'm so glad we met and became friends! I know we didn't get to spend a lot of time together, but I know that we'll see each other again :) May you continue the wonderful work you do with World Vision, Anthill, and I know that you'll do great things wherever you go.

I'll see when I see you! Come visit me!

You can view Anthill's website here.

Christmas Get-Togethers

I love that Christmas gives me the opportunity to catch up with friends that I haven't seen in a while :)

Catching up with Jay!

And Alex :)

Jap Lunch with Connie :)

And after a yummy Mexican Dinner at Maya with Vhanya, Rhoda, Joyce and Nina.

I'm definitely looking forward to spending more time with friends and family this holiday season :)