Pre Vday...Lunch @ the Museum and more...

We celebrated our Valentines day the weekend before and man was it FUN! I know I talk to much about how wonderful my husband is, but what can I say? The man knows how to make me happy.

First stop... lunch at our favorite place in Long Beach... Claire's at the Museum

 

As usual, I ordered something bigger than my face, a Kobe Burger, the husband ordered their delicious Spinach Omelet with a side of fresh fruits and Sammy had Chicken fingers with french fries (it was really good, almost as good as Lazy Dog's chicken fingers.... none of those chicken nuggets type, its actually real chicken.) Yes, I eat like a man and I am not embarrassed that my husband is more careful with what he eats than I am. (just kidding, I am)

  

Then walked around outside the museum, took some pictures and then off to some more fun...

We went to the Pike to play... Sammy's first time in a real arcade. She was super excited! 

My sweet little girl, she was trying her best to roll the ball but it just won't go all the way up. I had to help her a little so she can get get some tickets. :) 

She loves racing games. And since Mommy's legs are too short to even reach the pedal, it was time for Daddy's help. They both enjoyed it very much. However, I was able to do the motorcycle race.  

Now here as you can see was a lot of fun. I didn't know what was happening 99% of the time but Sammy and I both enjoyed DDR. Thank goodness there was not much audience. :) 

This is more of my style. The Simpsons pinball machine. I want one! 

Oh Sammy you can do it! Jump! She enjoyed this game because it was Spongebob. Too cute.

After the arcade, it was time for some fresh air. We walked around the Boardwalk and had some dessert ;)

I love the floor covering. it made the space feel more spacious and it's perfect for dancing...

We had a huge funnel cake with strawberries and ice cream (sorry, I was too busy eating to take pictures). 

It was a beautiful day and I loved every minute of it. I missed this place and it will always have a special place in our hearts. Sammy now calls it "City of Long Beach"... Hay... blessed, happy and content.

Post Vday Post...

Because I want the whole world to know (ok, maybe just you reading this) how perfect he is... and also because I now have time,  I am posting my Vday two weeks late.

So you know how us girls like to show off how much our man loves us? Don't matter if its a boyfriend, husband or your Dad... it always feels good to know how special you are to him. Well here's why Sammy and I are lucky...

Valentines Day 

The Mister surprised Sammy at school with a box of chocolates and a cute little stuffed puppy that is now named "Google-y". (Sammy takes it with her EVERYWHERE) She was so happy and did not waste anytime showing him off to her friends. Think of how special we feel when someone sends us flowers at work... I can only imagine how special it is for a little girl to have her Dad surprise her like this. This alone was enough to make my whole Vday special. 

Then we got home, the Mister didn't let me do anything but rest.. instead he took care of dinner and surprised me with this...

How sweet! But I have to say, my favorite part was the card. I didn't take a picture of it because that would be just too much. But boy did I get LUCKY with this Mister. I have not only married the man of my dreams... but also an amazing dad to Samantha.  He knows how to make us girls feel special. 

I love you husband! I thank God for you everyday. 

Meet Senen... Happy Birthday Papa.

So it's still February. I've been really good making this month more joyous... and I am grateful for every single day of it. Today is my Papa's birthday. And again, in my effort to choose joy, here are some stories, memories, facts about my Papa. But first here are some pictures, don't i look a lot like him?  

This was during the 70's.

He loved to sing...with feelings...:D

With my cousin Bo. He was a great host to our visiting family and friends.

~ His name was Senen. I have never met anyone with that name ever. Have you?

~ Today is his birthday and he would've been 77 years young.

~ I was his favorite. Because I look a lot like him :) (this is my blog :D)

~ He was a hardworking man. He started working when he was a kid selling cigarettes in the streets of Manila.

~ He was once a cop. I barely remember that part but I do remember him in his brown police uniform. It was only for a short period of time. 

~ He liked karaoke. He would sing to my mom and to us. It was funny.

~ I would watch him clean his guns. It made him look really tough.

~ He was a man with a few words. He rarely got mad at us, but when he did, I was always terrified. 

~ He was a great cook. He cooked with passion. 

~ He would always try to give us what we want and need. And for me, it's always a surprise. 

~ I was once into playing the guitar, so one day he surprised me with my own guitar with my name embossed on the body. I was so happy! I still remember the feeling till now.

~ When I was in a volleyball team, he surprised me with new shoes (i think it was Nike Air, at that time it was a big deal). He knew I needed new ones.

~ I love the beginning of school year, because it means new school stuff... he once surprise me with a new Benetton school bag he had bought at Duty Free. I was super excited. I used that bag until it was trashed. I was sad when I had to give it up.

~ He was a custom inspector. He looked really good in his all white uniform. I always wondered how he was able to keep it clean all day. 

~ He was a neat freak just like me mom.

~ He loved my mom so very much. He was very protective of us girls.

~ He listened to AM radio every single morning.

~ If you haven't noticed yet, he loved surprising us.

~ He worked a LOT. But every summer, we would spend a couple of weeks in the province with his family. They were all so nice to us. It was always something I looked forward to. Because that was the time of the year we get to be with him 24/7.

~ When I was a kid, my only job was to bring him his slippers when he gets home from work. He loved it. I loved it too.

~ He likes hearing me play the piano (mostly Old McDonald...I was really not that into it).

~ I make my Mama coffee in the afternoon, I serve my Papa's drink in the evening. 

~ He was an honest man. A person with integrity. He was once shot on the shin because he caught a group of men shipping illegal stuff. It was scary. We had police watching over us for a few months. We had to move out of town because the group was a part of a mob. It was all over the news and media made my Papa look bad. But that didn't bother him, because he knew he did the right thing. 

~ He was always sick. But I really didn't realize it until I was in high school. He had cancer. It was terrifying. I thought I was going to loose him then. But he kept on working and that made me think that he's alright. He'll be fine. In a weird way that kinda gave me security that he's not going anywhere. Now I know that he was just being tough for our sake.

~ Last years of his life was spent in the hospital. For me, at that time, it was our second home for a couple of years. 

~ We all took care of him. When there was nothing else the doctors can do for him at the hospital, we took him home. It was hard for my Mama. But I remember I would wake up really early to feed him breakfast. I will never forget, once he asked me why that was happening to him. He looked at me in the eyes and cried. At that point I thought any pain I am feeling is NOTHING compared to what he is feeling. He's always supported our family, he was the MAN of the house. It was very important to him. And when he got sick, besides the physical pain he was in, it was also very hard for him to give up on being the man of the house and watch us take care of him. I thought that was more painful for him than anything else. 

I am so proud of him. I am proud to be his daughter. He was a brave man. I always thought that that's how husbands and fathers should be like. I miss him everyday. I miss him more and more everyday. 

Happy birthday Papa.... I love you so very much. 

    

Here's some pictures of my Mama...

My Papa was lucky!

Her beautiful smile.

After writing this blog I now know what I am most grateful for. That is having great parents I look up to. My memories of them are short but it is definitely enough to last a lifetime. 

I'm back!

YEY! Passed my exam and now I'm back!!! Coming soon... recipes, pictures, Vday... and more!

Eight years. Meet Carmelita.

Today is a bitter sweet day. I've been missing my Mama everyday for seven years now. But I refuse to be selfish and sad because I know that she is so much happier now watching us from heaven with my Papa. My siblings say I am so much like our mom. Everything that I know, I learned from her. I am my mothers daughter. So to help fight the sadness, I came up with a list of my childhood memories and some facts about my mom. That way, you can understand why I love her...


~ Her name is/was Carmelita. People called her Carmen, I called her Mama. My dad used to sing "Carmelita" by Victor Wood and it always made her smile. I thought it was super funny when I was a kid. Now I just think it's super sweet.


~ She was 13 years younger than my dad.


~ She was beautiful. My sister looks a lot like her. 


~ My dad courted my Grandmother so he can marry my mom. So old school.


~ She was petite. And always looked nice. 


~ She loved peanut butter on toast. She can and did, eat that everyday. 


~ She was into organic, natural stuff. 


~ Never smoke and never saw her drink. And with four kids, how can you not? (I mean drink. especially if we were your kids)


~ She was a housewife, had her own business for a few years but Dad didn't like that. Another old school.


~ She was STRICT. I was more afraid of her than my dad. Being "grounded" is nothing compared to her punishments. Let's just say there were some belts, yantok (big fat sticks) and Encyclopedias involved. But it was all out of love. And we always knew that.


~ She's always the first one to wake up in the morning. ALWAYS. And I'm talking about 4-5 am every single day. Prepared our breakfast and uniforms and baons (lunch).


~ Her famous recipe was Chili Con Carne. It was the bomb! I am still trying to perfect it.


~ She had nine siblings. She was a middle child. She was close to them, especially the girls. 


~ She loved morning walks. She was also into Tai Chi. If yoga was the thing then, she'd be into that. 


~ She loved it when I make her coffee in the afternoon.


~ She was very organized. We organized/cleaned my closet monthly. 


~ I LOVED it when she cleans my ears. It made me fall asleep.


~ I remember she would have her friends come over at the house and I would make coffee for them. That made her happy. And it made me feel proud. Hey, I was only 10 and I can make good coffee! :)


~ She never went anywhere by herself. She would always bring one of us with her. Sometimes all of us. 


~ She made the best noodle soup when we get sick. 


~ We used to go to my Dad's province every summer and we all enjoyed that. We were afraid of the house there because it was super old and creepy. But my aunts, uncles and cousins where always so hospitable. My mom was always on top of everything. Remember, there are 4 of us plus my mom and dad. She packed for everybody. 


~ My dad would always surprise her with stuff... and I mean STUFF... like a car or laser disk (at that time that was the "3D")... or just anything fancy. And it always came in the middle of the night because my dad worked 12 hours a day. But she remained humble and down to earth.


~ She loved it when I sing the karaoke.


~ She loved chocolate mints and peanut butter cookies.


~ Once I had a high fever... probably 104ish... She cuddled with me till I fell asleep because she said that would make me feel better. She was right. 


~ Her grandkids called her "Mama" not grandma. She was a little too young to be one. *wink to my sister*


~ When I was a kid she would make us sleep after lunch (nap time) and I used to fake it. She would lay blankets and pillows in the living room and turn the radio to 104.5 (it was old school radio station, definitely helps you fall asleep). No nap means no mirienda (snacks) and no playing outside with the cousins.


~ She loved to cook and clean. It seemed like it was all she did when we were at school.  In the Philippines, almost every body have helpers. But she was a neat freak and so was my dad. So besides the helpers doing there daily duties, she had her own cleaning routine.


~ My dad was a Custom Inspector. He had a bright white uniform. And the only person allowed to wash and iron it was my mom. Because he thinks only my mom can make it look perfect. He was right.


~ She had an unbelievable faith. I always think of her when I do my devotions. She used to read a lot of "The daily devotions" books and the Bible. I used to watch her because she always looked so peaceful when she does her devotions.


~ We used to go to the mall every weekend. She would pick out clothes for me until I was ...i think around 13. And I would cry. Because I always wanted something else.. (OMG! I just realized I used to be like Sammy. EEEeek!)


~ She was always so kind and patient. And always forgiving.


~ She was a hands on mom. She took care of all of us. No nannies. 


~ She was nice to my friends. She would cook and invite them over because I was not allowed to "go out". 


~ She was simple.  


~She was supportive. My brother Rokko went to 3 different colleges with different majors because he could not make up his mind. She supported it. 


~ She was honest. She didn't like gossiping. She taught me how to be the better person and as much as I can, understand other people and their feelings. She taught us be to respectful to others. 


~ She taught me how to choose my battles. Some things are just not worth the fight. 


~ She didn't ever want to leave for a few days vacation with her friends. She said she needs to be home to take care of us. She did leave for the US for a few months because she needed to use her Visa, she was very sad and missed us everyday. When she came back, she had BOXES full of pasalubong (goodies). I was super super excited! My favorite pasalubong was my black Esprit shoes, that I wore to school everyday. That made her happy.


~ We were always, ALWAYS her priority.


~ She was a strong person. Never showed us any fear or worry. Even when my dad got sick. She made us feel safe. When he passed away, she comforted us. 


~ She was very sad when my dad passed away, she never showed us. I watched her every morning talk to my dad's picture and always ended it with a kiss. 


~ She fought cancer like a champion. Even after four surgeries, she never complained. To me, she is a Champion. 


~ She took care of everybody even after being diagnosed with Brain Cancer. 


~ She was close to her cousins too.


~ When she was at the hospital, we were not allowed to spend the night with her. So she borrowed my disc man and listened to Christian music when we're not there. Her favorite was Don Moen.


~ She missed my brother Remus the most because he lives in the Philippines. 


~ She loved the stuffed animals family and friends gave her when they visited. 


~ We had a Collie named "Cali". She took very good care her. When my mom was on hospice at home. Cali never left her side. 


~ When she passed away, we had to get a couple more rooms at her wake to accommodate everybody. People loved her. 


~ She was buried on Valentine's Day.


~ I get teary eyed when I hear the song "Wind beneath my wings" because it reminds me of her. 


~ I still wear some of her clothes and shoes.


~ She was a good person, a loving mother, faithful wife, loyal sister and a forgiving friend. 


~ I looked up to her and I still do. 


This blog made me cry today. But it was tears of joy. It was nice to reminisce the good ol' days... I am so proud to be her daughter. These are just a few of my memories with my mom.  I'm sure I'll be adding some more as I remember them. To our family and friends, I would love to hear a story or two about how my mom, touched your life. Or any memory you have with her. That would just mean the world to me. Leave a comment here.... Can't wait to hear from you. Thank you!


ps.. I'll post another blog with her pictures... soon.

Simplify!

Communicate? What? Never heard of it. Why is it so hard for some people to say what they really feel? Fear of rejection? Fear that if you do, things will get worse? Do you just feel like you don't really want to bother that person? (<--THIS IS ME) Or do you have the "well, s/he should already know it.." attitude. I got this from facebook... If only...

COMMUNICATE people! Mind reader I am not.

Sammy's Day.

Everyday is Sammy's day, but since there's a lot of distractions during the week... it's not always fun for her. So Saturday was Sammy's fun day. We did everything she wanted to do that day. Starting with this...

Play dough is not my favorite, especially when it sticks to the carpet. But she's been good not making a mess with it. This is what she wanted to play with at 8:30 in the morning. And of course in her favorite shirt, her first ever Buddy Walk shirt. (Yey! Go Jack!) 

Then this little cutie pie knocked on our door...

Sammy got more excited...

 He takes care of Sammy, such a sweetheart.

 

But then he had to leave...Sammy was a little sad and didn't want to play playdough anymore. She asked if she can ride her bike

 it was a beautiful day so we went for a walk.

"Love is in the air..."

 Of course I brought my new camera with me! It's my chance to finally play with it. The Asian in me is back!

    

Beautiful beautiful day, I took pictures of everything... like this shoe we found in front of the school (poor mom) and this cute orange Mini. I've always wanted one since I saw the movie The Italian Job.

Relaxed a little when we got to the lake... I think this view is much more beautiful ;)

On our way back to the house, Sammy got tired riding her bike and decided she wants to walk....But what to do with the bike?????  

Tada!!!!

Sammy was NOT happy! "You're too big.. you're going to break it!" ...then it went all down hill from there. She was tired. And we just pissed her off! 

Sat there for at least 5 minutes. :( 

Finally, we got home and she took a good ten minutes nap, had lunch and even got some boba drinks to make up for making her cry. How great are we?!

After all that sugar from her boba drink, she had too much energy to just watch a movie at home with mommy. Thank God for the park across the street. 

My kid is growing up, she's becoming less of a baby everyday. When we got home, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was, she said "when we got drinks mommy". I said, "today was a beautiful day isn't it?", she looked at me straight in the eye and said, "Except when you made me cry." 

This kid doesn't forget! But the good thing is, no matter how much we screw up fail (sometimes), she still loves us. Le sigh... I'm in LOVE with her.

xoxo Happy Mommy.