Chasing Dreams

Day 8: Manny Pacquiao, changed lives, and family picture

January 27, 2013June 26, 2019 Rhiza2 Comments

1. Manny Pacquiao. It’s not every Sunday that you hear a message preached by a world-class boxer, says my brother. I agree. It’s a long story how Manny ended up in the pulpit of our church last Sunday. Let’s just say, it all began when he came to know the saving grace of Jesus, without which he probably wouldn’t even bother accepting the invitation of this small church in Manila he knew nothing about.

Now, it’s one thing to be starstruck seeing a celebrity/politician/title-holder in the flesh, it’s an entirely new level of awe when you hear someone like Manny deliver a simple but striking message as if he’s been preaching for years. Or recite Bible verses from the heart—no scripts, cue cards, or idiot boards. Or humbly share his testimony, how God has been continuously changing him since the day he surrendered his life to Him. Amazing! It’s an added bonus that he shared inside stories about his fights, while joking about them too. “Iiyak din siguro ako nun, kayalang nakatulog ako,” (I probably would have cried too, but I got knocked out), he joked, pertaining to that shocking knock-out from the Marquez fight.

What a great guy, this Manny. I was never a boxing fan, but last Sunday I became a convert. It was a great Sunday to be at SBCC. I’m so glad I was there.

2. Changed lives. If you passed by our church last Sunday and saw the crowds of people, you’d probably wonder if there’s a Pacquiao match happening. Well, it was better than that. Pacquiao was really there, except that there wasn’t any boxing match. Just an honest-to-goodness testimony of a man who was changed by God from the inside out; a testimony that was powerful enough to make others believe too. Praise God for the 100+ souls that were saved that day, because of ONE man who wanted to make a difference.

3. Family picture. On a lighter note, Manny sat down and had lunch with the leaders of our church; we saw him and his family up close and personal, we listened to an extended version of his testimony, he signed autographs. And while he’s just within arm’s reach, we scored a family picture with The Pacman. How’s that for a remembrance? :D

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 8.

Day 7: Saturdate, TV time, and now-what moments

January 26, 2013June 19, 2019 RhizaLeave a comment

1. Saturdate. We took advantage of the twins’ afternoon nap time. We left them with our yaya, took out our chuck taylors and walked aimlessly around the village while the sun was still up. I love long walks, especially when I do it with someone I enjoy talking with. And I’m so blessed to have married this guy I can talk with endlessly, who listens, who makes me laugh, see the world with new eyes. It’s the total package—I didn’t just get myself a husband, I got myself a best friend too.

We ended up at good ol’ Dayrits, he ordered one of those huge steak burgers, and I got a plateful of yummy beef stroganoff. And then we enjoyed the rest of the daylight walking back home. Five minutes after stepping inside our little home, the babies woke up, and it’s as if we were never gone.

2. TV time. One of my guilty pleasures is waiting for the end of the week to download episodes of Grey’s Anatomy & Suits. Something about fictional surgeons and lawyers in suits makes me giddy happy. Also, Harvey Specter. <3 Besides, TV time with D is like our weekly date night. We may not be able to do things that require being away from the babies too long, but at least we can sit down, put our feet up, and spend quality time watching commercial-less TV.

3. Now-what moments. That moment when God answered one of your major prayer concerns, and you settle down into a new routine, and while you love your new life now, you start to wonder what’s up next. I’ve been having a lot of these moments lately. Should I accept more freelance gigs? Can my schedule handle more? When will I be able to justify shopping for bags and shoes again? How can I make this world a better place? It’s a good exercise for me, to ask myself questions like these. Sometimes I get a brilliant idea out of it, I write it down on my journal so I won’t forget, and pray about whether I should do it or not. But normally, all it takes to snap out of the moment is for me to hear one of the twins cry (or coo, or laugh). They are my now. I am who I am now—a mother—because of them. I’m working from home now because of them. Our life is like this now because of them.

I traded good things to embrace the best. And I won’t have it any other way. At least for now.

I’m loving and enjoying this season of my life.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 7.

3 months of la-la-la-love

January 25, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza6 Comments

Interrupting the 30 Days of Gratitude to give space for this special occasion: Our babies reaching their 3-month mark.

These photographs were taken the day we took them home. And I just love looking at this photo set because it reminds me how far God has brought us. I know that sounds like it’s been years when it’s only been 3 months.

It’s amazing how fast babies grow in such a short period of time! D & R looked so tiny and fragile then—out 2 weeks short of their due. But now they’re chubby all over! And they’ve outgrown some of their newborn clothes too. I’m torn between wanting to see them grow further and wishing they wouldn’t grow up too fast.

x o x o

I’m glad we took photos of their nursery before the room stopped being a nursery and started looking more like their walk-in closet. I remember how it felt, hanging up those pink curtains, washing their first clothes, putting their crib together, obsessively disinfecting everything. Joy filled the house, and our hearts, as we waited for them to come turn our lives around.

And now, 3 months later, life has been a riot, including our house. We took their crib out and is now right smack in the middle of our the living room, while the room which used to be their nursery becomes a storage room of their stuff. The whole house is their nursery, and soon we’ll be paying them rent.

I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all. :)

x o x o

Behold our first photographs as a family. How can one forget a day like this?

So much has happened since that day, so many sleepless nights have passed, so much we have learned. To think we’ve only just begun.

Happy 3 months, Dawn & Rain!
We feel so special for being blessed with such beautiful gifts. I wish you both know how much Mommy and Daddy love you both; someday, we’ll show you how much.

Day 6: Kuya Nikos, 3 months, and Thursday Group

January 24, 2013June 19, 2019 Rhiza2 Comments

1. Kuya Nikos. It’s his birthday and the whole family spent a lazy afternoon hanging out and stuffing our mouths with food. He’s 16 months older than me but growing up (sometimes even until now), we were always mistaken to be twins—chubby cheeks, round eyes, dimples and all. I’m glad we’re not twins though, because I really love that he’s my Kuya. You see, there are only two people I fight with when I’m stressed out: my husband and my brother Nikos. I guess it’s because I know that even if I threw a fit at him, he wouldn’t judge and would always love me anyway. He’s 31 years old now, and I praise God for giving me this opportunity of growing up with and being in the same family as this great guy. Also, best self-taught chef in the world!

2. 3 months. News flash. I have been a mother FOR. THREE. MONTHS. Need I say more?

3. Thursday Group. It’s the first Thursday night my husband and I got to spend with our Thursday friends. My take home: “Grow in grace” and “love lots”. (I’m not going to elaborate.) See, I’m not even sure whether to categorize Thursday Group as a bible study group or a cell group or simply a barkada. It probably doesn’t matter what we are; all I know is, every Thursday for the past 5 years of my life, I get together with this awesome group of people, rummage our Pastor’s pantry and eat all their food, study the Word, encourage one another, and I come home past midnight with a full stomach, heart, and soul. Also, a swollen jaw. From all the laughing.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 6.

Day 5: Officially working from home, mutual appreciation, and my little support group

January 23, 2013June 19, 2019 Rhiza4 Comments

1. Officially working from home. After lots of deliberation, pages and pages of journal entries, prayers, consultations, and waiting on God, I’m now officially a Work At Home Mom (or what they call WAHM—sounds like burger to me!). Working from home is not new to me. I was in this business for two years, that’s why I’m pretty aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this setup. I’m scared, I’m excited, I’m a mix of many emotions. But prayers were answered, opportunities came, and doors were opened in amaziiinnngggg ways. And here I am now, working from the confines of our home, beside the twins’ crib (literally). I prayed for this, and He blessed the desires of my heart. God is sooo good.

2. Mutual appreciation. After sending the last email of the day to one of my clients, I messaged him to say I was done and calling it a night. He quickly replied, “Thank you for helping me out on this.” Which made me stop for a moment and wonder, wait, shouldn’t I be the one thanking him for giving me work to do? I’ve worked with many different clients in the past 8 years of my career—Asians, Americans, British, Filipinos, you name it. And you rarely find someone who thanks you for doing something he’s paying you to do. So I replied and told him just that, “Hey, I should be the one thanking you.“

I love it when gratitude becomes a mutual thing. Makes the world a better place. ;)

3. My little support group. It was past midnight and I was beating deadlines. Husband said he would wait for me finish my work. Rain was already inside the room sleeping, but Dawn was still up playing with Daddy. Every now and then my husband would check up on the progress of my work. After some time, I realized that he stopped asking if I was done. I glanced at my support group who fell asleep on the couch waiting for me. I love that they tried.

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 5. *I switched the colors off the photographs. For the drama. :)

Day 4: Real smiles, pinstriped slacks, and a breakthrough

January 22, 2013June 19, 2019 Rhiza3 Comments

1. Real smiles. And the whole day revolved around this little milestone: our two daughters learning their first real smiles. Bear with me but I just have to sing: When you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while.

I didn’t know it was possible to fall in love over and over and over again like this.

2. Pinstriped slacks. This morning I took out my pinstriped slacks and blazers from the back of my closet after what seemed like forever. I put them away when I was still pregnant, you can just imagine how long that had been. I have to admit, it felt good to fit into my business attire again! (And yes they still fit!)

I had to face an important meeting today, albeit the challenge of saying goodbye to the twins and dragging my feet away from their crib. Later in the afternoon, I hurried back home, and inasmuch as it felt good wearing my pinstripes, it felt so much better dressing back down into my clean cotton pambahay, which is more fit for hugging and cuddling my babies.

3. Breakthrough. Let’s just say, I came home today and the sky was a little brighter, my heart a little lighter. My husband was already home when I arrived, we talked, we embraced, we praised God. Suddenly, His direction for our family has never been more clear than this. Truly there is no better and safer place than right in the center of His will.

The Lord will have His way, whether we believe in His sovereignty or not. His plan is far bigger than we can grasp, and it was designed in a way that will glorify Him while revealing our need for Him. ~Charles Stanley

30 Days of Gratitude, Day 4.