Our Anniversary! The First!

As of last weekend, we've been married a year! A year, can you believe it? Well I know we have a hard time :D.

And so much has happened in that year. We went to Hong Kong for our honeymoon, I got my fiance visa (technically our wedding in the Philippines was only a religious ceremony), my whole family flew to the US, where Gerard and I got legally married, and we settled into our apartment. And I settled into life in Concord.

We went to L.A. for Thanksgiving and spent Christmas in Virginia. I got my driver's license, a total of two haircuts the whole year (they're expensive) and started taking graphic design classes. Gerard traveled a lot for work, L.A., Chicago, Vegas. And he's going to Germany sometime this year too.

We moved apartments, bought a washer/dryer, and settled into our current home. I work from home, cook dinner, and help Gerard catch up with his laundry. We go for long drives (usually in search of some craving I have, some random thing I want to see), movie dates, and walks in the park. Our place isn't always 100% neat but I've learned to live with that.

We watch TV, run errands, and we're starting to plan our meals too.

Sure, we fought. But I figured that's part of adjusting to living together, learning about each other, and being married!

For anniversary weekend, we did quite a lot.

We cooked a yummy dinner of Seared Scallops, Salmon Sashimi, Mussels and Pasta + BBQ Ribs on Friday night.

Saturday, we drove to Napa and had merienda at the Oxbow Public Market, a "Napa-fied" version of San Francisco's Ferry Building.

I really wanted to try the ice cream from Three Twins but their freezer was buggy so they were only selling by the pints and gallons that day.

So I got me some mini cupcakes instead from Kara's Cupcakes (I love the Fleur de Sal one! My new favorite!)

 

And we had the Cachapa or sweet corn pancake with meat and cheese filling from Pica Pica. 

It was really yummy!

Afterwards, we drove to a few Napa thrift stores where I scored some awesome books, especially a design book recommended by my illustrator teacher. It's price at $15 on Amazon but I got it for $1. Thrift store shopping rocks!

And stopped by the golf course on the way home to take some pictures. Good thing too! Cause when we actually went to play golf the next day (my awesome anniversary gift to Gerard) I had left the memory card at home! Rookie mistake.

But here are some shots of us at the golf course in Napa. (We didn't play here though, we played in Concord. This was just for a photo op.)

Our golf game was pretty awesome even though golf cart rentals were only for seniors and the disabled. So we walked, I dragged my bag along, played 9 holes and tied at that! Was a decent game with both of us scoring two over bogey.

Happy Anniversary to us! Here's to many more years of adventures ahead!

(Sappy sentiments not to be posted online, only written in cards.)

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!

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 Tying the Knot

So I've dropped off Gerard at the airport already, not quite knowing when I'll see him again. But that's ok! We're married! (Well sort of. Before our families, friends, and God, but not yet before the government.)

And now, I take a step back and think about how wonderful the last two weeks were.

Getting married (albeit non-legally as we'll do that in the USA) was an overwhelming experience, one that I thought I was prepared for, yet it totally caught me off guard.

Starting from the Despedida de Soltera wherein our guests from out of town started arriving. To leaving for Casino Espanol (and having to turn back!) walking down the aisle, being pronounced man and wife, and the awesome party afterward!

I think what hits me the most (aside from the fact that Gerard and I are now married) was all the love that surrounded us. It was so amazing, having so many people that we loved, all at the same place, all in the same room! That's one of the things I'll never really forget.

And even though there were people missing, most especially one, we held you closely in our hearts, and you were thought off, missed, and never forgotten.

I won't make this long. I'll save the longer entry for the next time.

But from the bottom of our hearts, Gerard and I are so grateful to everyone, for all good wishes, for your presence on our wedding day, for all the love, for EVERYTHING.

Wonderful News

Yesterday, I heard the most wonderful news.

One of my dearest friends in the whole world has met someone who makes her indescribably happy. He is someone that she feels, fits all the pieces of the puzzle. It may have been the last thing on earth on that she expected. But it has come. And she is indescribably happy.

We got to talk on the phone after two years of not speaking and you could almost feel the giddiness crossing the oceans between us. I often caught myself getting teary-eyed at her happiness. Happiness like that is contagious. It’s amazing.

Yet, she couldn’t quite bring herself to mention the titles that come with relationships. Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Fiance, Husband. Funny thing is, I’m exactly the same way! It’s not that I don’t acknowledge it or I can’t acknowledge it. Perhaps it’s just that I’ve never been one to have titles comfortably roll off my tongue.

Gerard is who he is to me. He can’t be encompassed in one word. Which is why it feels weird pegging a title to him. But for the sake of simplifying things, I just often say boyfriend. But he is so much more than that. I believe it was the same for her.

Oh, we talked about so many things!

We only spoke for about an hour but in that hour, but in that hour, I feel we truly re-connected. I don’t know, maybe she and I just understand each other so well. We can be frank with each other, we can be happy for each other, we just get each other.

Wonderful news like that just can’t help but remind me that God sometimes drops unexpected, wonderful surprises in your lap. Yes, I am extremely happy for her but I do miss her.

But I think the fact that we might someday LIVE within an hour and half of each other just added to the joy that we felt.

Who would have thought, when we said goodbye in front of our apartment building, in Thailand, that we could someday be living near each other again? I know we both didn’t.

What a wonderful gift that was!