When a movie gives you all the feels

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Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum

So my husband and I were watching The Vow just now. I was prepared to watch a so-so movie because that’s what I heard one of my friends say about this one. What I didn’t expect was.. I’d end up crying like a hormonal pregnant woman (oh wait, yeah, I’m one!) and holding on to my husband tight, unable to stop the tears, by the time the movie credits rolled out.

Allow me to blame most of it to hormones, because my tear ducts are really taking over my composure these days. I guess it’s partly because Leo (Channing Tatum) reminded me so much of my husband, especially that part in the movie where he took in a stray cat for company; Or when he made some beautiful music on his guitar when his heart was broken by the woman he loved.

So maybe this post is not really about The Vow, but about my husband, and how blessed I am to have him.

Truth is, between the two of us, even before we were married, he is the real better half—for everything and whatever the term means. When we were younger, he was always the one fighting for us, solid and consistent in his love, while I was the impatient girl who made a habit of giving up when things were not working out.

He gave me all the time I needed to figure out what I really wanted, to try out options, while he waited for me to come to my senses and realize that I could never be with anyone better. All of this with the added challenge of being continents and timezones apart.

Sometimes I feel ashamed to admit that I broke his heart way too many times in our younger years, and how I took advantage of his young love—all those times I’d come back to him when I was feeling lost and unloved, confident that he would take me back in. But he sure did take me back without fail, and I’d give all credit to him for being the one who took the extra mile.

So on our wedding day, when I declared my vow, and I promised to never give up on him, those words meant more to me than just some cheesy phrase you hear on weddings. When I said that I will never give up on him, it means turning away from my old self—that young, unsure girl who gave up on him many times in the past.

The Vow - Channing Tatum & Rachel McAdams

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not just romantic movies that bring me moments like this. I feel blessed to have him everyday. When he picks me up from work, when he makes sure I take my vitamins, when he makes me a glass of Anmum before I sleep at night, when he holds my hand through a stomach cramp.

Or when I place my hands over my growing belly bump, and it dawns on me that God is actually making a family out of us.

I feel so loved and blessed, and maybe tomorrow I’d cringe at how cheesy this post turned out, but while I’m still overwhelmed with so much love (and hormones), I shall take this opportunity to address you, all of you singles out there:

You deserve someone who will fight for you and will never give up on you, no matter what life brings. And when you find that person, don’t ever give up on him too.

This post is for you too, husband dear, in case, a few weeks from now, I become too nauseated to get you a Father’s Day gift. :)

The Search is On for Tagaytay Wedding Venues

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That 500 Days of Summer song felt like last Saturday’s soundtrack!

Saturday, May 5, 2012. A few friends and I went on a road trip to Tagaytay to scout for a wedding venue. It started out as a top-secret mission, LOL, but since word has been out in the grapevine already anyway, I thought there’s no point hiding from our friends (and from this blog) what we were up to that day.

We had a specific purpose going there alright, but mostly, I’m happy for the excuse to be out with good company. It was a day of sun, and laughter, and food, and jokes we wouldn’t dare talk about in front of our pastor, haha.

The people you’re seeing in the photos are just some of the friends I grew up with—back from when we were diaper-clad toddlers, through our semi-reckless, semi-rebellious teenage days, to now, traversing through adulthood and growing in age and in faith. Two of them are getting married (to each other!) in August, and as I said, one of them is on the lookout for a wedding venue.

It’s easy to lose track of the years when life is so full, eh? :)

The photos above were taken from Jardin de Rosella, Leisure Farms, and Ville Sommet—all of the beautiful wedding venues in Tagaytay that are worth considering when you’re planning for a destination wedding. I thought of posting rates and reviews, but this blog has never been about reviews so I guess if you’re interested to know more about these venues, holler in the comments section and let me share the info I’ve gathered to you. :)

Adding up a total of a love that’s true

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On breaks, or when I’m done with work, I pin stuff. Lately, I’ve been pinning pegs for baby rooms. :)

We don’t have that much space in our apartment (yet), and quite honestly, I still don’t know where to put the babies when they arrive in November. Sometimes, David and I would joke about hanging their cribs in the ceiling. LOL.

Space issue aside, I’m excited to bring in more colors into our home and make sure the twins grow up in a happy place. I’m clueless as to where we’re moving in next, but I do know that God will lead us to a bigger place soon enough.

It’s Friday night, it’s raining, and I’m still in the office waiting for the husband to pick me up. I’m turning one year older soon-ish, and I still don’t know what I want to do or what to get for my birthday. Then again, I think I already got the best gifts ever. At this point, I could lock myself up in our room and just stay in bed the whole day and still be the happiest birthday girl in the world. :)

*Image credit: Please see my Pinterest for the actual sources of these photos.

Double Blessings

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Saturday, March 31. “God must really love us.. in a really special and weird way,” my husband said, laughing as we tried to recover from the surprise that came with our first ultrasound. One week after we tested positive for pregnancy, we confirmed that we’re not just pregnant.. we’re having twins!

To say that we were surprised is an understatement; we were, mostly, blown away. We never prayed for twins, never expected it, never crossed our minds. There haven’t been any twin pregnancies from both our lineage, at least none that we know of, or none that we can trace. And yet, here they are, growing in my womb. It’s like I could hear God’s still small voice, and see a smile on His lips, “Riz, my dear Riz, you can never predict Me. I have more surprises for you.”

So you must have seen this ultrasound print already, if you’re connected to us in Facebook. We managed to be mum about being pregnant for a few weeks, only our family and a few friends knew. But when we found out that we’re having twins, it’s just so hard to keep it to ourselves! Suddenly, my husband was announcing it in the pulpit of our church before he lead Worship, and excitedly sharing the news on Facebook. We’re overwhelmed by the response and the excitement around us, it’s a great feeling to know that friends and family are praying for us from (literally) all over the world.

I’m on my 9th week now and the morning sickness has been horrible; whoever named it “morning sickness” has no idea what he was talking about, really! This “sickness” is more like an all-day-round-a-clock sickness! I’m always sleepy, and tired, and nauseous, and bloated. They say it’s even worse when you’re carrying twins. Which explains why I have a pile of unprocessed photos and unfinished drafts, why this blog has gone quiet for the past week, and why I haven’t seen a lot of my friends like usual.

On a lighter note, a new level of respect and appreciation has been growing in my heart for mothers who have endured so much pain while the rest of us can only see the cute baby photos and pink little tutus and adorable feeding bottles. Pregnancy sure is a lot of work, and one won’t know it until she experienced it.

So my husband and I have been adjusting to pregnancy—easier on some days (like today!), more difficult on most days. But my heart rests in the assurance that all of this will be worth it when we finally hold our babies in our arms. We’re excited to have our 2nd ultra sound any time this week or next! Hopefully we’ll start hearing some tiny heartbeats too. :)

Meanwhile, on those moments I’m not feeling dizzy and sleepy, I’m actually feeling artsy!

I’m currently playing around with my not-so-new stack of art stuff—some doilies, manila tags, and washi tapes I bought before we found out we’re pregnant. I want to put together a pregnancy journal, something I can show the babies when they’re older. I can’t wait for this first trimester to be over, they say I’ll get my groove back after the first 3 months.

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward,” says Psalms 127:3.

Multiply that by the power of two, and that’s how blessed my husband and I feel. :)

Time to Rest and Reflect

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One of the few things I love about working here in the Philippines is the  long holidays. This year, the President declared 6 long weekends. I don’t think there are other countries who enjoy this luxury of long vacations like we do here. Thankfully, this particular 5-day vacation (Holy Week) couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

Struggling with the first trimester, I spent most of my weekend sleeping like I never slept before, and feeling dizzy and nauseous, and a couple of times, throwing up what I ate. I remember being warned about marriage and raising kids. But I can’t remember anyone warning me about pregnancy! Or fine, if anyone did, I probably wasn’t paying attention. :D

When I was not sleeping or feeling dizzy, my husband and I did manage to get out of the house to do something. Here’s a glimpse of our weekend, on Instagram:

He lovingly entertained all my food cravings—from ice cream to baked zitti to mango yogurt. We had some Jollibee delivered. Cooked chicken enchilada. Made omelettes. Baked carrot cupcakes with our neighbors downstairs. Squeezed oranges. I lost track of all the food we consumed this weekend! And can I just say.. my husband has been extremely helpful around the house, cleaning up and keeping everything together while I shifted from being super wife to being-totally-helpless. I don’t think I’ll ever stop staring at him and marveling at how blessed I am to have someone like him journeying this life with me. :)

Today we missed our church’s family outing in Laguna because I was, once again, having a horrible morning; but in the afternoon when I was feeling better, we went to Trinoma to have lunch and to walk around. We passed by this strip of baby shops and made a mental checklist of the things we have to start saving up for. We wondered where all the years have gone and tried to recall when we started feeling like and actually being adults. We pondered upon the things God allowed to happen in our lives, and this new adventure He’s blessed us with. I would be lying if I said I’m not a bit anxious, or scared. But I also know that God won’t give us anything we can’t handle, and the excitement just.. trumps all fears!

The other night, as I was struggling with another attack of nausea, feeling like all my strength is being drained out of me, these words came to me like a lifesaver: It’s God’s love for us that causes us to an end of our own strength. I held on to those words and claimed God’s strength until I finally fell asleep.

Over and over again it’s being confirmed in my heart that He who took us this far will take us farther as He wills.

That’s how I know I will be okay.

That’s how I know we will be okay. :)

New journal, new adventure

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I have a new journal, and it’s pink!

I say, it takes some serious brand obsession familiarity to spot a Peter Pauper Press journal in local book stores here in Manila. Especially since there are many other pretty journals of various brands and sizes these days, piled up together in one place. Peter Pauper Press doesn’t have an exclusively labeled section, but for some reason, one quick scan through a pile of notebooks and I already know if PPP’s available or not. So you can just imagine my delight whenever I find one when I need one!

I found this Pink Ascot Journal at National Bookstore in Greenbelt 1, just in time for my last journal to run out of pages. It’s a different shade from the other Peter Pauper Press journals I had (I obviously prefer blues and greens), but hey, change is good.

It’s that time of my life when I want to just.. write down everything! Every thought, every verse, every prayer, every name who’s touched our lives in a special way. I want to remember these days, preserve them in the pages of my journal so that someday, I can look back and remember how God made things happen.

Now if only I can get over the first trimester’s nausea, then maybe I can actually write (and blog) more! Ahhh, the dizziness is just too.. overwhelming! Like, no amount of sleep is enough.

I remember blogging one Saturday in March,

Do you feel it too, when something BIG is about to happen—a new adventure looming in the horizon? Time spent in solitude, they say, prepares us for changes and challenges that are about to come our way. My husband and I don’t know what our new adventure is going to be exactly, and when, and how, but something inside me is feeling giddy and restless these days. In a good, bring-it-on-Lord kind of way.

I didn’t know I was pregnant already when I typed that!

It makes me smile now; oh the humor of it all! Be careful what you ask for, is what they always say.

This God we live for, He’s so full of surprises. :)