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Our 2nd Anniversary Dinner at La Creperie Boheme

August 20, 2013June 27, 2019 Rhiza3 Comments

Last year we went to Tagaytay to celebrate our first anniversary. I was so bloated at 7 months at that time, and I remember smiling at the thought that a few years from now, we’ll be tagging along two little girls on anniversaries, dinners, and random dates.

We may have another year, or a few months, before that happens. In the meantime, we’re enjoying stolen date nights and making room in our schedule to spend time with each other, without the twins. And often it still feels like I’m a giddy high school girl every time we go out on dates or hold hands while walking.

Hee. More keso later, but for now, let’s talk about La Creperie.

Lovin’ the new La Creperie in New Manila

We had our second anniversary dinner the night before the 13th. We asked my Mom to watch over the twins while we sneak out to have a date, and off to the new La Creperie we go. My husband and I love it. As Martine puts it, their New Manila branch is their most romantic branch yet, and I agree. (Or am I just too in love with my date that everywhere we go feels romantic?)

Definitely a place to go back to.

La Creperie has always been known as the place to go if you want to have a feel of Paris in the Philippines. And while Paris is never really in my dream destinations list, I love the Parisian/bohemian ambiance that La Creperie exudes, it feels like stepping inside a totally different world.

And we enjoyed the food! We had Chicken Salad which I really enjoyed, and French Onion Soup and Baked Fish with Dijon Mustard that my husband really loved. For dessert we had Banana Foster crepe and a caramel flavored TWG red tea that I’m crazy about. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back there now, if only for the crepe and the tea.

The salad is good for sharing, we split the soup as well, but you might want to order the main dishes separately if you want to stuff yourself. It was past 9:00 when we had this post-dinner date, and we already had a light dinner beforehand, so it makes sense to share orders. Also, my husband and I like sharing because it’s romantic that way he and I both know that I’m pretty much the one who’s going to devour the dessert anyway, while he finishes everything else. (I’m a dessert person.)

Check out the new La Creperie in New Manila. It’s along Broadway street just in front of McDonalds (E. Rodriguez). For more info, check out their Facebook Page HERE. Thanks, Martine, for introducing me to La Creperie. :)

2nd Anniversary Celebration, Part 1.

Moments I’m not able to capture in photographs

July 30, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza1 Comment

We take bazillions of photographs of our twins. The photos you see on our Instagram and Facebook feeds is just a tiny percentage of the amount of photos and videos we accumulate week after week. And yet, it still often frustrates me that I’m not able to capture enough.

There’s not a day that I don’t wish I had some sort of camera attached to my eyes so that I could capture every milestone, every step, every smile.

So that I would always remember—

Those afternoons when Dawn would fall asleep with her head on my chest while Rain settled down on the crook of my arm (or vice versa)—moments made of tangled limbs, tiny yawns, and breaths that smell like vanilla cream.

Times when Dawn would wake up crying in the middle of the night and the only thing that could soothe her was if I picked her up and sang songs to her. She would lean her tiny ear on my chest to listen to my muffled voice (or my heartbeat), sigh contentedly, and drift back to sleep.

Mornings when Rain would wake me up, tugging at my hair, ready to give me the sweetest smile as soon as I opened my eyes. And we would spend the next couple of minutes playing hide and seek under the covers and she would laugh so hard that soon, her sister and Daddy would start waking up too.

Nights when I lie awake in the dark and I look over my little family of four, squeezed together in one bed, and I feel so loved and happy like this is all just a dream.

Darrah Parker said it best,

Will I forget what she looks like? Smells like? Feels like? That’s a lot of pressure to put on myself. How am I supposed to be fully present as a mom, dealing with the daily wonders and exhaustions, AND making mental notes on everything I want to remember? I’m not. Something’s gotta give.

Days are flying by too fast I have to make conscious effort to pause, hold both my babies in my arms while I still can, and just.. breathe it all in. I will still try to capture moments whenever I can, as much as I can, but I’m learning more and more to do it without a camera in my hands.

Chasing Dreams, Year 4

June 20, 2013June 25, 2019 Rhiza9 Comments

I wouldn’t have remembered that this blog turned 4 years old if I didn’t receive an email from a stranger yesterday asking me why my site was down. Followed up by another email from a friend, and 2 private messages on Facebook, asking me the same thing.

See, my domain registration expires every 19th of June and I forgot to renew yesterday, which caused the downtime. Thanks, you guys, for letting me know.

I’ve always thought of this website as my “baby”, but I’m so glad that it’s not a real breathing baby because that means I’m a horrible mother for always forgetting her birthday. #badblogger

Disclaimers aside, hooray for four years! Of blogging. Of life. Of love. Of chasing dreams.

Four years ago

On June 19, 2009, I registered this domain name after so many years of hopping from one blog host to another. I don’t usually reference old blog posts because they’re embarrassing, at least those from 3-10 years ago, but just for today I invite you to CLICK HERE and read my first ever blog here at Chasingdreams.net. It’s embarrassing, I have to reiterate, because I ranted a lot of nonsense and negativity in that first post, but go ahead, READ IT ANYWAY. :)

Because I want you to see how much has changed since that day.

How I once saw my life as a tragedy, a failure.

How I registered a happy-sounding domain name to conceal my feelings of frustration and rejection.

How I merely wanted a place where I could express myself, not caring about what people would say or think.

And I want you to see how God has redeemed me and turned things around since then.

Four years later, this place has transformed into something more than just a venue for self-expression, or a sounding board when I’m feeling sad or frustrated about my life. Somewhere between then and now, Chasingdreams.net has become bigger than myself and my dreams.

The turning point

I like to think that I’ve grown somehow since then. And I know it’s not for me to say if my growth is obvious in the way I write or think, but I know in my heart that I’ve grown. I feel it. Because every time I start to write something, my mind zooms into that random stranger who would someday land on these pages, and I think about what she’s going through and how I could make a difference in her life.

Or I think about my babies, and how my thoughts (and the things I write about them) would impact their lives soon as they start reading and making sense out of these things.

Or I think about the chance, however small, that the stuff I write would encourage someone out there who’s going through a tough ordeal in her life, a heart break, a loss.

You have no idea how these things cross my mind and make me restless every single day—How I can make an impact to at least one person. How I can be a constant source of inspiration to my circles of influence. How I can make a difference in this world.

So thank you

To you who never get tired reading this stuff.

To you who approach me on Sunday afternoons to tell me how a post I’ve written resonates well with how you feel or what you think.

To you who get out of your way to leave me a comment or send me an email, short or long.

To you who lurk and not say anything—whoever you are, your hits are counted.

To you who lurk and not say anything, and then tell me months later that you’ve been lurking. ;)

To you who inspire me to keep writing and never quit chasing my dreams.

Finally, to the three of you with whom I start and end each day, whom God has so graciously used to make a wife, a mother, and a better person out of this once lost and purpose-less girl that I was..

Thank you. You’re God-sent. The least I can do is to pay it forward and to strive to be a blessing to others like you’ve been a blessing to me. It’s a tough call to impose upon one’s self, but allow me to do just that. :)

Base image found in Pinterest, addition of filter and words by me. Is this photo yours? Let me know so I can give you the credit.

Link Love: On writing, motherhood, and paying it forward

April 29, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza3 Comments

It happens all the time, especially when in transit—me, thinking of topics to write about and composing sentences in my head. However, as soon as I reach my office desk or my laptop at home, a pile of other things get in the way of writing and my brilliant ideas get shoved under the desk.

A few days later I find a blog or an article that seems to have stolen my thoughts from under my desk. It’s like reading about what’s going on in my head from other people’s blogs. On one hand it’s frustrating, making me wish I was as eloquent as they are; on the other hand, what a relief to know that I’m not alone in thinking about these things.

I direct you now to these posts which moved me, inspired me, and validated the thoughts that have been burning in my head for the past weeks. Short of saying this is where in life I am right now.

1. Mondays are the hardest. Toni returns to full-time work after being a work-at-home Mom for 2 years. The thing about being a working mom is—and can I just say the phrase “working mom” is redundant—you want to stay at home and you need to leave the comforts of home for one and the same reason: your children. The thought of missing out on their day at home makes you crazy, but they’re the ones who fuel you to work harder and to keep going, too. There’s just no easy way around, and no solution to this universal challenge mothers face. We just have to go through the day the best we could, do our jobs, and look forward to the rewards of a day’s work: coming home and ending the day with our little ones. I feel you, Toni, I do.

2. What a content career in marketing looks like. I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who took a web copywriting job and (accidentally) found herself in the marketing industry. “I had no intention of growing a career in marketing, but it’s the closest I could get to getting paid to use my words,” the writer said. Well there you go, my career in a nutshell. I may not have the freedom to write whatever topic I want to write about just yet, but now that I’ve figured out what I really want to be, I think this industry is a good place to learn and to dream. I can’t remember the last time I felt excited about a job until now.

3. Maggie’s inspired to blog because of her son, and because she wants to pay it forward. Everything she said resonates well with my desire to keep blogging, no matter how time-consuming it can be sometimes. It’s one thing to keep photographs and stories in a box, another thing to publish them for the chance, however small, of reaching out to someone out there who needs to know that she’s not alone. It’s not once that I found comfort and inspiration from other people’s blogs, and like Maggie, I want to pay it forward too.

On a totally unrelated note, I’m currently girl-crushing on Caroline Glaser, I want to live inside her song. (Where did that come from?)

Anyway.

Wherever you are in your life right now, keep going, keep dreaming, and keep paying it forward. Have a great week! :)

Dressing up twins, and a matching outfit for Mommy

April 16, 2013May 13, 2019 Rhiza2 Comments

I have to admit, dressing up twin girls is one of the things I love about being a Mom. When I was still single, I’ve always wished for a baby girl for one selfish reason—shopping clothes for girls looked so fun! It sure is. Even more when you’re dressing up twin girls.

I obviously love mixing and matching their clothes, making sure their dresses complement each other’s if not totally the same. Sometimes, all four of us (the twins, my husband, and I) would even go as far as wear matching outfits. The child in me gets jumpy when it’s time to dress them up, like I’m playing with my own life-size set of Barbie and Ken dolls. It drives my husband crazy!

Though I like dressing up, I hardly accessorize these days. Partly because the girls like pulling and drooling on whatever their tiny hands can grab—note to mommies, your outfit needs child-proofing too! But mostly because carrying around an adorable and fashionable baby is like donning your best accessory, no need for more blings. Just make sure you don’t look like a drag, or else be mistaken as your baby’s yaya! :)

These days, whenever I shop for my own clothes, I always have the babies’ outfit in mind too.

Here’s today’s cyber-retail therapy in pinks and neutrals.

1. Betmar Carnation Hat | 2. Brown Belly Poncho Top | 3. Lab C. Pink Case for iPhone
4. Panda Robinon Natural Sunnies | 5. Nature Colored Brown Bree | 6. Wabitoy Teddy
7. Rags 2 Riches Chalk Pink Kenmu Clutch | 8. R2R Chalk Pink Hobo Bag
(All items are from Ava.ph)

You see anything you like? Feel free to shop now at Ava.ph: CLICK HERE!
Ava recently launched their Baby Boutique too. Check it out!

So.. how do you like seeing our twin girls? Donned in the same outfit or complementing ones?

Robert + Kristina: Shabby chic & made of awesome!

April 14, 2013May 14, 2018 Rhiza4 Comments

I first gushed about this wedding HERE, but here’s more (uhm) gushing. And lots of photos.

If Robert & Tin didn’t ask me to design their wedding invitation, I probably pulled their arms and insisted on letting me do it. Thankfully, they asked even before anyone was hurt. :P

It was an honor, and definitely my pleasure to do this project.

I already said in that post how special these two are to me, and how beautiful their Martha Stewart-inspired wedding was. In fact, their wedding made it to Bride & Breakfast’s wedding blog. :) Here are some photos I grabbed from B&B, taken by their official photographer Daniel Lei.

To show more details of their wedding invitation, this was my final design mock-up:

See that poem written at the backside of the photo strip? That’s my favorite part.
Click to zoom.

Wedding Suppliers: Photographer: Daniel Lei Studio | Ceremony Venue: The Mango Farm
Videographer: Marvin Barbarona | Catering: Josiah’s Catering | Flowers & Styling: Vatel Manila
Wedding Rings: Matus Jewellery | Wedding Gown: Renee Salud

I offer wordpress, logo, and branding packages for creative people who dig dreamy and minimalist designs. I also design stationery and invitations for weddings, birthday parties, and events. Feel free to message me if you like what you see. Read my Design Process to know more. Or view my Design Portfolio to see some of my work. Let’s create something beautiful!