08/08/08 (means infinity)

meant to blog yesterday, but i was preoccupied with work, job interviews & job hunting... plus i was pretty tired from the trip too.

there was a miscommunication with the location of my interview yesterday. i was so ready, but unfortunately the position was based in downtown which for sure will not work for me and my kids' schedule. was i disappointed? hmm, somewhat only bcoz i wanted to get a head start with interviews... i sorta knew this wasn't the job for me due to the salary range, but they were eager to speak with me and so i was looking forward for the interview. oh well! so much for that.

anyway, the car we rented was due back at 6pm. i was already done with my interview around 3p, but the problem was i didn't have a ride back home. noel couldn't leave work that early, plus he was stuck at a customer's house till 8p... i had to call people. thankfully, my friend, aileen, just got out of work and met me at pompei (love their chicken herb ravioli, btw... hehehe). had a quick bite and left to return the car. we had a chance to catch up and was sorta encouraging her to take a road trip with her husband... funny how she hesitated coz she said, they might just end up killing each other just minutes away from home lolz

so how was our 08/08/08 anni trip? it was A+++! i guess the last minute planning really does work!

fri: instead of leaving at 6p, we ended up leaving at 8p so we didn't get to minnesota till 2a. i felt so bad for my husband coz he was falling asleep already, but he was forcing himself to drive coz he just wanted me to relax and enjoy, but i had to... otherwise we wouldn't have the chance to reach our destination lolz

checked in at the holiday inn and the rest is history...

sat: had an early breakfast @ the hotel and left to spend the whole day at mall of america. wow! so many stores and i ended up just buying 2 things... a scarf and a coach wristlet. ugh! our gift for each other was a shopping spree... i had my chance, but i ended up with 2 things, great! i was so focus on looking for the right scarf that i didn't have the energy to look for other things, well besides stuff for the kids. noel on the other hand had 4 pairs of shoes @ nordstrom, couple of jeans, 4 tops from diff stores & a belt... oh wait, he got himself another magic trick to entertain the kids. =) we closed the mall... more than 10hrs of shopping - wow! a dream come true hehehe

sun: had our bf and planned something we haven't done before so we went kayaking. it was still early to go home so we decided to pass by wisconsin dells, but unfortunately, we couldn't find the spot we saw on our way to minnesota. so since it was already 3p and we haven't had lunch, we decided to just find the nearest japanese restaurant. we then ended up in a small town called, monoma in madison, wisconsin. at first we were thinking, "what did we get ourselves into?" lolz, but lo and behold... we had no idea that this pleasant summer afternoon in this small town ended up to be such a beautiful spot to complete our short vacation. the place was filled with mini stores, restaurants and hang-out spots with a view of the lake and some other new construction building to complete the tourist area. we walked around the streets, found ourselves shopping at ragstock and wow! never knew we would find the coolest stuff we've been looking for at a cheap price. oh and did i mention that i found the scarf i've been wanting at this store also? yep! i was set.

we were eyeing on this japanese restaurant we saw first, but as we kept walking, we saw this new japanese restaurant built on the roof top called, wasabi. again, 2 thumbs up! i think we were both sushied out after this... hehehe we ate, spider roll, dragon and 2 rounds of spicy ken. noel finished the 2nd round, i had to make room for my cold stone's coffee lovers in a waffle bowl ice cream hehehe.

okay, i think this 2 day trip added 5 lbs on our scale. whew! we didn't get home till almost 10p. it was an awesome last min. trip to celebrate our 11th anni... alwayz good to make that time alone as husband and wife... away from the kids. although it was hard, we both realized that it keeps our marriage, healthy.

well, that's our mini vacation story... hope you all will be inspired to take that trip alone with your spouse.

if you're on a budget, that's ok... one of the cost effective ways we did was to rent a car, which cost us less than $200 (including gas) from friday afternoon till monday @ 6p. now if we used our suv? well, that would've doubled the price, plus we loose out on the mileage & my tires will be all worn out. and with the hotel, make sure to get one with a complimentary breakfast and an indoor pool. now that's a deal!

after you've booked your transportation and lodging, all you need to do is enjoy every moment wherever the road takes you. one thing that's good during the long drive is that you get to talk about anything (of course avoid any discussion that would ruin your vacation - don't sweat the small stuff!)

ok, that's it for now! God bless!

wow! 11th anni

we're so blessed to have reached this far and are looking forward to growing old together with many more celebrations to come!

well, i know i mentioned before that we planned a weekend getaway. we couldn't really make a reservation till we're absolutely sure that my husband's days off were approved. well, God is so gracious... my husband's boss approved his vacation. nowadays with the lack of man power to cover all the outstanding at&t jobs, it's pretty hard to even get 1 deserving day off. but again, the Lord made it happen for us.

so as for the last min planning... we're off to minnesota! here i come mall of america! hehehe

praying for a good weather both for our trip & for our garage sale.

y'all have an awesome weekend!!! God speed!

is it goodbye?

on my way to work i was getting pretty senti thinking about my last days to drive to my current job. i only have till next week and wow! i guess it's hitting me little by little. i was thinking where would the Lord have me drive to next? hmm, i can only wait =)

i love my job! there's nothing i dislike about it... everyone's been really good to me and i've learned to love each one of them like a fam. today, my boss left to go back home to FL and it's our last day to see him since my co-worker and i will be leaving next week. he came by and gave me a hug and was really appreciative of my performance. we were both pretty sad about it, but hey life goes on. i just wish that all of us here remain in good spirits and somehow still get connected in the near future.

our last lunch together... we ate at the onion pub... always like the food there and the ambiance. again, another moment to cherish. too bad i didn't get to take a pic of everyone together. will def make sure to bring my camera tomorrow till next week to capture my good memories here.

cherishing every moment,
love

such little time

wow! school is approaching and i still have lots to accomplish this month.

check list:
job hunting
garage sale
celebrate our 11th anni.
camille's registration
job hunting
more dentist & md appts (for the whole fam)
pick up dishwasher
lunch date with a friend @ ginger asian bistro
bday parties
couples only dinner party @ my house
job hunting
magic waters
jonas bros concert
fam vacation
oh! and did i mention job hunting?

Lord willing we will be able to do all this!

noel's finally back from MI. he came much earlier than expected that's why he was able to come with us to our friend's baby shower. so happy for lums & eddie! first baby and you can really see the joy in their faces... another cherub on the way! so exciting =)

always great to see old friends... my gosh! all the kids are so big now =( of course they were all surprised with my daughter, camille. being the ate of all the kids there... she definitely was standing out that time... we're so proud of her. everyone was adoring her simple, modest, and girly style. aww!

such joy to see my friend, odie. we were cracking up the whole time. somethin' about the little things that makes us lol. love her! oh and the guys of course just bonded like there was no tomorrow. everyone wanted to stay, but goodness! the facility mgr was so rude and kicked us out while we were getting ready to take a pic. grrrr!

uh-oh! i know, i haven't loaded any pics.... i've been lazy, sorry =( i won't promise this time, but i'll try my best k. (again) hehehe

need a favor... if you don't mind including in your prayers, our up coming garage sale and our anni this weekend, i would really appreciate it. my husband and i have been sorting our stuff since sunday and today will def be one of those late nights just sorting and cleaning since he's off tomorrow (gotta get us some mcd's iced coffee)!

we planned a weekend getaway for our anni while my loving fam takes over the house and the garage sale. still praying that my husband won't be called for work though =( and hoping for another successful gs this year!

well, that's it for now... blessings to all!

important things to take care of

the other day i made a list of things i need to take care of, a few of them were...

* appts with the doctors and dentist
* cancel my facebook
* send my resume
* gather stuff for the upcoming garage sale and so on!

well let's start with canceling fb... there's so many reasons why i decided to cancel my acct. besides getting a hold of some old friends there, i found more cons than pros. plus i knew from the get that those social networking will just lead me to do or think of things that are not pleasing to the Lord. but i'm human and so i admit that i joined out of peer pressure. but thankfully, the Lord continued to show me things that are apart from Him that are unnecessary and can make life miserable... so yeah, i saw what i really got myself into. now the choice was either for me to follow His ways or to continue to be blinded by this world. well, i choose to follow my Savior... besides, i can live my life in the abundance of God's grace and enjoy my family and friends without having a virtual 2nd life in the cyber world.

yes, without being fully aware of it, i do think that we end up developing a 2nd life in the cyber world that we get hooked on it too much, not that it's so bad that you end up becoming a monster, but as i thought of it... wow! I spend too much time focusing on my virtual life, rather than my offline life. and the 2nd life i was talking about... well i discovered that people end up doing things and sayings things that are not likely them in real life. it's so sad, but i've seen it. so yeah, i'd rather just stick with blogging rather than bombarding myself with too much online work. besides i'm content with the opportunities the Lord has given me with my business as well as the sharings i've done here in my blog so why bring more complicating things in my life right? am i actually making sense to you guys? hehehe

sorry, this is just my opinion - i'm sure there are others who do not have the same belief as i do, but for me, i'd like to make it right with God. i've done my share of mistakes ever since i joined fb... and to avoid it, i gotta do what i gotta do, even if my flesh is telling me, i shouldn't. to tell you the truth, i'm loving my decision. i feel more refresh and i'm enjoying my fb-free life now hehehe

today, my kids and i went to our dentist - thank God it was 2mins away. otherwise my son would've been starving to death just waiting for all of us to finish. i dropped him back home after his was done. i had a deep cleaning done on my right side and i have to come back tomorrow for the other side... it's so hard to eat, but it's ok... i'll loose more weight that way hehehe (i'm such an unhealthy thinker).

well, gotta go! i need to start job hunting again =) gnite!
blessings to all!

weekend bliss

hi all!

i know it's late, but i'm tellin' ya the mcdonald's iced coffee really keeps me up =) do i like stayin' up late? um, only when i don't have work the next day... so tomorrow i'm planning to work from home =) although i lack some sleep, i still love the coffee... yum!

had a great weekend! too bad my husband wasn't with us =(

sat: we went to my grandson's (long story) 8th bday party/block party! happy birth matt! i love block parties - sure was great to celebrate bdays at those events. the kids had a blast. i saw some of my girlfriends (which was always good!), went to church (received an awesome msg about money, power & sex - will share some of the things i learned to my odb), and just went back for more good times! we didn't leave till 11p.

sun: i didn't get to sleep till 2am so yanna and i woke up late. we had a late lunch at my sis' place and went to the new glenview park... wow! although the surroundings were still under construction, the park was awesome! hoping that part of their plan is to have a field house for rent for parties... will def be one of the 1st to rent that place. my whole fam had a great time. we played badminton, basketball, rock climbing, watched a baseball league, enjoyed the playground... i mean the place def has a wow factor!

now to complete the day, we drove 5mins away and strolled to the beautiful town center of the glen. just loved it from the moment we entered this place. i would move there in a heart beat hehehe. an hr & 1/2 drive... def worth it! we ate, hung out and just enjoyed many laughs. if only my husband, my dad, my niece & my sis-in-law were there, we would've been complete already... hopefully next time.

well, that was my weekend, back to work and i'm not one to complain ;)

so sorry i haven't been able to upload some pics - i've been using my laptop and i store my pics on my desktop's ex-hardrive so, will def try to upload sometime this week.

hope you all had and awesome weekend too! God bless!

buh-bye again =(

just taking a break from the stress at work. need to start cleaning up too! my clock is ticking here.

i've been sending my resume and praying that the Lord will bring me where He wants me to be. He knows our needs and so there's nothing for me to worry about.

well, wondering why i put "buh-bye again" as my title? well, my husband went to michigan again yesterday. it was a last min notice, wed night. i came home from school and he was packed up... i was like, "um, something you wanna tell me?" hahahaha nah! he told me right when i got home and we were all bummed out. not only he wasn't ready for another trip, but we had a lot planned. thankfully, we're both optimistic and grateful for our jobs so... i guess we'll have to make a few adjustments.

well, we'll have to postpone the picnic at the beach this sunday. have to find another alternative now.

that's my story for now, hope you all have an amazing day!

Hope in the Midst of Hardship

I’m sure you will all agree that we all go through distressing times in life. Our seasons of suffering may be brought about by relational difficulties, financial hardships, health issues, or other trials. But as God’s children, we can take heart in knowing that our pain is not wasted.

Just recently, I encountered an unforeseen situation. See, last Saturday as I was on my way to fly back home from California, the plane arrived on time to Utah (my connection flight), but the gate was closed. I only had 20mins of lay-over, but due to the gate issue, I loss 10mins already. So I rushed myself to my next flight, but as soon as I got there, there was a sign that says “Gate changed to D5”. My jaw dropped as I stare at this sign. But what else was I to do, but to rush myself all the back to the other end. Well, guess what? The plane just left! Oh my goodness! I had to rebook my flight and had to wait 7hrs for the next one (the last flight to Chicago for the day). Wow! The agony of waiting, the cramping of my legs, the tiredness and the anticipation of just getting home was too much for that day.

I did what I can to keep myself entertained. I ate, I chatted with my family and friends over the phone and online, I took a quick free tour to Utah and talked to a few people waiting for the same flight. And so I thought, thank God I was able to do all that to keep myself from being bored and falling asleep. I thought that was it for the day and figured I would just sleep through the flight. Little did I know that there was a reason why this whole ordeal had to happen.

While waiting to ask a question to the clerk at the counter, I spotted an old Asian woman who was holding a sign that seemed to say “need assist”, from my view. I couldn’t help, but to approach her coz she seemed restless. Right when I approached her, I asked to see her sign. It says, “I need assistance to go to Chicago O’Hare. I don’t speak English.” She asked me, “Are you Filipina?” And right when I said “Yes”, tears started running down her face. She was afraid to fly by herself. She didn't know where to go and who to talk to. She just came from the Philippines and was on her way to be with her daughter in Chicago. She couldn’t help her emotion while I couldn’t help but empathize. From then on, I assured her that I will take care of her the entire flight until her family picks her up from the airport. I could tell she was filled with joy and peace as she trusted m e that whole time. At the flight, I met a few more beautiful people inside and out. It was a day of many praises to the Lord. I was so humbled by God’s plan and for using m e to be His hands and feet that day.

See sometimes, our pain is for the eternal benefit of others… the Lord uses it to reveal the genuineness of our faith so that others might see it and be drawn to His Son. I truly believe that by the way we respond to adversity, our belief in Jesus becomes visible to those around us. Believers will be encouraged and seekers will ask us questions about our faith.

However, there are times when G uses trials to teach us to obey. If you read Hebrews 5:8, it tells us that even our Savior learned obedience from the things He suffered. Another purpose of hardship is to broaden our ministry. Just like apostle Paul’s imprisonment which led him to minister among the guards… resulting in the salvation of many.

Difficulties can also be the Lord’s tool in preventing a problem from happening. Like the Apostle Paul’s unknown illness that kept him from becoming prideful. I mean, when disobedience threatens our walk with God, He will take whatever steps are needed to draw us back to Him. He may allow a need to remain unmet or something cherished to be removed. His purpose is that we confess our sins, acknowledge that apart from Him we are nothing and that we should return to Him.

Friends, I may not know if what I did with that woman will bring her into a relationship with Christ, but what I do know is that I had to obey what I was called to do and not go beyond my role. I’m confident that the Lord has His great plans for all of us. We may no know the reasons for our heartaches and pains, but the wisest choice is to trust God. After all, He who saved us through the sacrifice of His Son has promised to use our suffering to bring about eternal good.

May the good Lord bring blessings to you all! Thanks for your time!

Have a JOYFUL day!

i'm BaCK!

i had an awesome trip over all. people i've met were all beautiful inside and out. i praise the Lord for giving me the opportunity to travel for work even when it sometimes cause for me to miss my loved ones.

the Lord continues to amaze me. i really thought that the trip will just be plain work just like old times, but this was surreal!

1) i had a chance to connect and laugh with my boss - which i totally did not expect.
2) there was this director i talk to 3x a week for the past 2yrs and i just found out during my trip that he's a Christian all is life! we shared our testimonies for 30mins and we were both filled with awe and praises to the Lord. it really brightens my day when i meet fellow believers =)
3) we ate, chat and laugh like old time friends - even my boss had an awesome time in this trip -he usually doesn't hehehe
4) after 5yrs... our family friends picked me up on a friday and gave me a 1day tour of almost everything i would be interested in seeing. well, they sure are right! i had a great time! our jaws started hurting from all the laughing =) although i hoped to have had my fam with me, i sure needed this time.
5) i missed my flight from utah to chicago - i had to wait 7hrs for the next flight otherwise that will be the last for the day. but sure enough the Lord had an awesome plan. i took a 45min. tour of utah since i had a lot of time to spare... but i will have to save the rest of the story for the odb... so make sure to read my next blog!

sunday: although my legs were sore from walking back and forth at the airport, there was a promise i had to keep. we took the kids to the zoo! we thought it would be better to take them to lincoln park instead of brookfield zoo since i wanted them to experience paddle boating. so we did! yanna certainly knows her animals! she was ecstatic seeing "mufasa", "simba", "nala" "pumbaa", "rafiki" & "ed" - if you don't know them, they're the characters in the lion king - too bad we didn't see timon & zazu hehehe

however, she was fascinated to see kerchak, terk & kala... who are they now? um, the gorilla family in tarzan hehehe

okay enough! the kids absolutely enjoyed riding the paddle boat. but goodness graciousness! it was HOT!

well, another weekend outing in store with the fam this weekend! beach, here we come!

y'all have a blessed night!

trip to utah & cali

i'm here in my hotel room just waiting for dinner. don't know where this time, but i think this trip is making me gain weight... hehehe but i can get used to this.

i'm so tired tho... long hours since yesterday. i was in utah to meet with some investors for a few hours, then flew to ontario, ca to train our staff. gosh, i had a big headache riding the small plane from utah to cali. too bad i have to go through it again going back home.

nway, i thank the Lord for this trip. i'm having an amazing time. so far yesterday and today's training really went well. i give God the glory for giving me wisdom, knowledge and courage to do this. i couldn't have done it by myself.

tomorrow, i'm meeting up with an old friend... so looking forward to it. too bad i can't get a hold of the others, but hey, it's better than not seeing anyone at all =)

i'm missing my fam, but i make sure i'm on the phone with them before bed time *wink* - must be partying while mom's gone hehehe

well, i guess it's time to go... blog you later =)

weekend thrills

last sat, we bbqed at my sis' place coz it was her birthday. as usual, there were so much food *God is good!* we planned to go to church that afternoon, but yanna and i ended up staying coz she was running a fever. thankfully we can serve and feel the Lord anywhere and anytime =) my husband was on his way to my sis' place after work when he felt some dizziness again. he's been feelin' that way for quite some time now, but was ignoring it till lately it's really been getting worst. so hopefully this wed, he'll be seen already. his symptoms are like vertigo, but hopefully i'm wrong and it's nothing as bad.

anyway, since my husband's off every sunday this month, we've planned some family outings. of course we started it off with our monthly date the other sunday and yesterday was the great america trip.

exhausting, but fun! we love rides! but it was too hard riding all of them esp with little ones. plus our little princess was having a fever, but thank God prayer works! i laid hands on her the night before and of course we prayed on our way there and yep! sure thing... she was find the whole time. she had a great time at the wiggles world. too bad she didn't get to swim, but she enjoyed entertaining the babies with her bubbles.

we met up with friends and celebrated one of my friends' daughter's bday. happy birth to our dearest lexis! everyone had an awesome time... although today i could tell every one's tired... we all just rested, but then again i had school.

we're off to the zoo next sunday, Lord willing. but i'm off to salt lake city on wed morning for business, then late that night i'm flyin' to california. it was a last minute notice from work. i was even looking forward to the picnic we're having this sat, but i guess i won't make it. =( well, as long as i make it back for our trip to the zoo... then i'm fine.

i just got home from class and had to check out some flights right away... wow! nothing below $700... i guess we're not flying when we go to san diego this sept. }:O goodness graciousness!

well, i gotta hit the bed... back to work again tomorrow =)

have a blessed day everyone!