Family – Page 11 – Chasing Dreams

What September Reminds Me Of

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 RhizaLeave a comment

This post was inspired by a couple of things. (1) Timehop, (2) This day being Friday the 13th, (3) Septembers, (4) #throwbackthursday and #flashbackfriday and (5) This guy I shall call “J”, who my husband and I have been exchanging letters with since the start of the year. More about him later.

Based on my Timehop, the past Septembers have been full. Timehop is a mobile app that pulls out photos from your social networks, from the exact same day the past years, putting them together in a nice little message alert that you receive every morning.

Since the start of September, my Timehop has been on a roll.

September 1, 2006: We went to a music festival.

D was about to end his one-month vacation, flying back to New York the next day. As a final date, he took me to Penshoppe’s Denimlab Rockfest. We were “just friends.”

Photo: Couple selfie taken inside Araneta Coliseum that night. (Uso na selfie nung 2006.)

It’s been 7 years since that September night, and most of what happened then has become a blurry memory. But I do remember Imago singing “Akap”, my song for the night. I remember riding a cab after the concert and hearing the first Christmas carol of the year. I remember us having coffee at Starbucks Pearl Drive, catching up on years worth of stories until the early hours of the next day. I remember blogging about the concert. I remember D walking me back to my apartment—a moment he lowkey tucked into the words of a song.

I remember the awkward goodbye, a casual hug that lingered a little longer than “casual”, one last glance and a wave. I remember watching him disappear around the curb, totally clueless that that was the boy I was going to marry someday.

September 9, 2010: We got engaged.

He’s back in Manila, and for a reason.

And you probably already know what happened.

September 13, 2010: We spent the night at Hong Kong International Airport.

Ending his one-week vacation here, he was flying back to New York with a 12-hour layover in Hong Kong. Who in the world would buy round-trip tickets to Hong Kong just so she could hang out in the airport while someone’s in a layover? Well, me. Ahh, young (stupid) love!

And hey, that was the exact same day as today!

Photo: Taken while having breakfast at HK International Airport, an hour before his flight.

Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through all of this unnecessary torture, lol. It was the saddest day ever, sending him off, alone in a foreign place. And yet I made the choice (and spent a ridiculous amount of cash) if only to spend a few more hours with him. As soon as his plane took off, I ran to the other side of the airport and boarded my plane back to Manila.

It’s been 3 years since that bittersweet (and expensive) day in HK!

The rest, as they say, is history.

September 2011 – We were married.
September 2012 – I was pregnant, half-way through my 3rd trimester.
September 2013 – Two ten-month-old little girls are crawling around the house.

September 13, 2013: Friday the 13th.

And here we are today.

Three long-stemmed roses from the husband are on top of my desk as I type this, and the twins are playing, screaming, and making a ruckus around the house. Looking back at the past Septembers, I can only laugh at all the crazies, thankful for the long-winding road that brought us to this day.

Dear J,

The point of this backtracking exercise is to acknowledge and appreciate how far the Lord has brought us. You said you read this blog from cover-to-cover (or page-to-page), and based on these pages it might look like we had it easy. But there were long days, months, and years in between the dates I mentioned above.

In between these stories were long periods of uncertainty. Nights when we felt like giving up (and nights when we actually gave up.) Prayers that weren’t answered the way we expected. Days when it felt like God wasn’t listening. Months where we were so sure we would never get back together ever.

We messed up, many times. We were impatient. We struggled to do things our own way. We had too many missteps and God had to pull us, break us, tear us, maybe all for the purpose of bringing us back to the path we’re supposed to be.

I pray that you find the courage to make better choices than we did. God knows the desires of your heart, He knows what He’s doing, and someday, you’ll see why you have to shed a few tears right now too.

Sincerely,
David & Rhiza

Hooked on Veggie Tales

August 7, 2013December 23, 2021 Rhiza3 Comments

Our darling twins, eyes glued to the TV screen as they watch their new favorite show.
As for me, the real show was the one happening right in front of me.

This is the usual morning scenario at home, the twins starting the day with Veggie Tales. For now, their attention span lasts the first 3-5 minutes of the show, where Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato sing and dance their usual opening number. The moment they hear Larry start playing his tuba, they drop whatever they’re doing and turn their eyes to the screen.

As for me and my husband, we spend the first 3-5 minutes watching them, entertained by the expressions on their faces.

When Larry and Bob are done with their opening song, we can’t help but consume a little Veggie Tales ourselves. We take one baby each and have them sit on our laps (so that they won’t crawl around and get distracted), and the four of us watch the show together.

Veggie Tales is not just for kids

Admittedly, Dawn & Rain are not the only ones hooked. My husband downloaded about a dozen episodes and was planning to have a Veggie Tales marathon. We think Veggie Tales is written not for the babies, but for the Moms, Dads, and adults who accompany the babies watch the show. The script contains intelligent jokes, Biblical truths, and wise words that seem more relatable for adults than for babies.

One of our favorite Veggie Tales episodes is Gideon the Tuba Warrior. Yesterday as I was watching it with Dawn & Rain (for the Nth time), this dialogue between Gideon the Cucumber and Angel Grape spoke to me and cut deep into my heart just when I needed it.

Gideon: “Do you ever have a hard time trusting God?”
Angel: “Me? Nah. I see Him every day. I know how glorious He is. I know He never breaks His promise. I also know how much He loves you, as He told me.”
Gideon: “Thanks.”
Angel: “You know what I think? I think you’re doing great. It’s easy for an angel to trust God, but you have faith in something you’ve never even seen! I admire that. Trust Him Gideon, He’ll never let you down.”

The angel left and Gideon started praying:

“Hey God, it’s me. You and I both know I can’t do this on my own. But You can. And that’s good enough for me. I pray that You’d be with us tonight and that Your will be done. That’s it I guess. Oh, one more thing. You could have chosen anybody but You chose me. Thanks. Amen.”

In that short moment I found myself praying Gideon’s prayer too.

Lessons from Gideon the Tuba Warrior

Gideon’s battle was different, but how many times have we felt the way he did? Like we’re fighting a battle that’s beyond our capacity and strength? We wonder if God made a mistake choosing us for a specific task. We find our circumstances a little too much to carry. We often cry out to God, “Lord I can’t do it on my own, help me!”

Last week we had to take care of two sick, cranky and clingy babies, and we had to do that on top of errands, work, extra-income work, and a Sweet Dreams event we had to cater over the weekend. Ohh the stress, the anxiety, and the sleepless nights. All I wanted to do was to nurse the babies and hold them close until they’re well, but I couldn’t abandon the other responsibilities too.

And there I found comfort in a TV show for kids.

Sometimes all we need to keep going is someone affirming us that we’re doing just fine.

To remind us that God never breaks His promises. That He never lets His children down. That the battles we face are not really ours, but His. That He never makes mistakes in choosing us for a specific task, and when He does choose us, we become the best persons for it.

Beautiful truths to be reminded of in an ordinary day. And by a talking cucumber no less.

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.

Hello, I Turned 30!

May 30, 2013January 19, 2020 Rhiza25 Comments

It’s been a week since I turned 30 years old, you want to know how it feels? I’m a mix of everything—happy, excited, grateful, in awe like I still can’t believe I’m now past my 20s, a little anxious about the future, driven to work harder and be better, blessed beyond words can say.

Turning 30, you find yourself pondering upon questions like, Am I living the life I’ve always wanted? Where have all the years gone? Have I invested in the right things? Am I happy? What’s next? True, you ask yourself these questions any given birthday anyway, but turning 30 kind of magnifies everything to a point where you end up feeling depressed (about what you didn’t have), or feeling like you’re on top of the clouds (for everything you have). Guess how I feel? :)

My birthday celebration has never been more quiet and more low profile than this. And it has never been more childlike and more adult at the same time too. Lately I’ve been having some form of identity crisis: Pressured to act like, think like, and actually be an adult, whilst spending a lot of time singing Barney songs, being surrounded with dolls and toys, and acting silly to entertain our 7-month old twins.

That’s the story of my 30th birthday celebration. The theme was slumber party, where I spent the majority of the day in my PJs, keeping my heart from bursting into tiny pieces while playing and rolling in bed with my cute little dolls:

Tell me you didn’t just rotate your computer screen sideways. :P

Mommy are you taking our pictures again?

#bestillmyheart

There’s more of these photographs where it came from, but.. you get the picture, right? That’s my 30th birthday party in a nutshell, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Later in the evening my family came to have dinner with us, and we hung out in our tiny living room, around our darling twins like it’s their birthday. (I don’t mind at all.)

The truth is, I don’t think I accomplished a lot in my first 30 years. I don’t have a lot of things—not a big house, or a car, or a fat savings account. I may have seen a few cities outside this country, but I haven’t really gone places. I could spend hours processing my life, thinking about the things I wasn’t able to do before I turned 30, places I still haven’t seen, dreams that have yet to come true.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what didn’t happen. What matters is how God turned all my plans around and gave me these instead:

And how can I not feel so blessed and happy and rich when I have them? A husband I’m still so smitten about, two little girls who drive us crazy and fill this home with so much joy, a roof above our heads, food on our table, a warm bed to sleep at night.

You realize, even more when you turn 30, that the measure of happiness and fulfillment is not based on the material and financial things you acquired in your life, sometimes not even in the number of friends you have, but in the handful of people you journey this life with.

Now that, is a milestone worth celebrating.

God be praised and glorified in this life, always.

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!