Category: Family

Marriage, Motherhood, and Everything in Between

525,600 minutes

Rhiza5 Comments

It’s been a year since that day. Being in a long distance relationship for so long, we used to count days ’til we’re together again. But now, we’re counting years together. How amazing is that? More so, how amazing is This God who brought us together; who’s continuously making all things beautiful in His time? Our gratitude is beyond words.

I don’t usually embed videos in my blog, but this one is worth the exception—a beautiful remembrance of our wedding day:

Rhiza and David SDE:) 13.08.11, made by the awesome Marvin Barbarona.

Every time I watch this video, I still swoon like it was just yesterday.

Last Sunday we dined out with my family to celebrate our anniversary. And last night, our simple home-made dinner for two became a small celebration with our disciplers, our Pastor and his wife, who dropped by to surprise us.

But the week has just begun, and something tells me this is going to be one long week of celebration and thanksgiving. :)

Week 23: Found the Perfect Maternity Wedding Dress

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So we’re going to a big wedding this weekend, and last night, I found the perfect dress to wear to the occasion.

I love it! It fits me like it was tailored for me and my huge bump! I’m surprised I could still fit in a small-sized dress, by the way, when I weigh about 130 pounds by now. The length, the style, the fit, the fabric, the color—everything is just so right, even better than what I was looking for. My only worry is, I got it from Forever 21, and you know how Forever 21 mass-produces every piece of clothing they have, yeah? Well, Jasper & Darlene, the couple who’s getting married this Saturday, has about 500 guests—can you picture how huge a crowd that is? So now I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t bump (pun intended) into someone, out of those 500 people, who wears the same dress as MY perfect dress. We’ll see.

In other news, we’ve moved in to the new apartment, and everything is still a mess. I reckon it will take us this whole month to get our stuff out of moving boxes and put everything in its place. I’m trying my best not to stress out about it. I’m glad that my husband and I have learned to make a home out of whatever space we have, wherever we are.

It’s around this time too, last year, when we were so busy preparing for our wedding and settling down in our first home. July 30, 2011 was the date stamped on David‘s one-way NYC-HK-MLA plane ticket, and I still remember that night in the airport, exactly a year ago, when we were reunited once and for all.

So we’re celebrating a lot of anniversaries this whole month. And we’re making the most out of our time together, just the two of us. Coz soon enough, two kiddos will be sharing our space, and our days, with us. And nothing will ever be the same again.

Oh. boy.

I mean, girls.

Week 22: When I’m with You, I Feel Old

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So I spent one Tuesday afternoon with my girlfriends, and I’ve had these photographs waiting in my drafts for days, short for words as always. But I was positive that one of my girlfriends would blog about it soon, so I thought I’d wait so I can just link it up. I was right.

Thanks, Mae, for doing the honors.

Now all I have to do is to post more photos. :D

And can I just say, in my best Carrie Bradshaw impersonation, “I died and went to cake heaven?”

My friends did this pregnant woman a favor by choosing to hang out at Conti’s that afternoon. They all ordered a slice of cake each, while I had a slice of cake PLUS a plateful of yummy beef lasagna. Pregnancy has its perks. ;)

To end, I’d like to steal her words, because I couldn’t say it any better. Sometimes, life surprises you and gives you family who are like friends, and friends who are like family. Not everyone gets to be blessed with both, but I’m just so thankful that I am.

With these girls, growing old doesn’t feel too scary after all.

Chasing Dreams, Year 3: What I was doing exactly a year ago

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I’ve been blogging for almost a decade now, but it’s only been 3 years since I registered Chasingdreams.net and made a permenant residence in this space. I’ve jumped from one domain name to another all these years, and from various blogging platforms too, but I’m happy to report that I think I’m staying here for the long haul. :)

And yes, I’ve been practicing.

It’s always good to celebrate milestones, yeah? And since we’re halfway through the year, I thought it’s time to mark June and July in my blog calendar too. For this purpose, let me answer this question my husband and I had fun asking ourselves as Year 2012 was about to begin:

What were you doing exactly this time last year?

My answer: Holding our breath and being blown away by how God was answering our prayers one by one, is what we were doing exactly a year ago.

Thank you, Facebook timeline, for making my trip down the memory lane a breeze. I smiled and laughed as I browsed through my Facebook posts from June and July of 2011, and how full those months were. A new job, two months to prepare for a wedding, family gatherings and bridal showers in between long days at work, David coming back to the Philippines after more than 10 years living in New York, answered prayers here and there.

The days were so full, in fact, I only blogged once during that period, admitting that I was at the end of my strength. There was just too much happening that time I can’t remember now how God managed to pull it all off, but myy, did He pull it off so awesome-ly.

Looking back, I honestly don’t think I want to do those months over again! It’s the kind of feat that’s meant to happen only once in a life’s journey, I guess that’s why people are supposed to get married just once their whole lives. No, really.

Today I share the joy (and the stress, hah!) of my friends and loved ones who are  taking the highway to marital bliss these coming months. Jasper and Darlene. Kuya TJ and Tracy. Kat and Ish. Ivy and Angel. Robert and Tin. Jody and Vince. I’m rooting for you, guys! It’s an exciting adventure, challenging yet fulfilling, stressful but worth it. There won’t be butterflies and unicorns all over the place, you may even have to make difficult choices and go through heartbreaking situations, but trust me.. the best is still yet to come.

So yay, it’s been a year since our own pre-wedding adventure, and it’s been 3 years since www.chasingdreams.net started to exist. I think I’m getting myself a Banoffee Pie and a Grande cup of chilled milk to celebrate. :)

Week 15: It Held You Until My Arms Could

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It’s a rainy Friday night, and I thought I’d post these sunshiney photos of me and my bump from last Sunday.

I was on my 15th week when these photos were taken, but I can seriously feel (and see) a significant change in my bump in just about.. 5 days. No, really. They’re growing fast!

My husband insists I put lotion on my tummy everyday to lessen the stretch marks, especially now. I wasn’t at all worried about the marks at first, really, until I started seeing photos of women with their post-pregnancy stretch marks from Google images (don’t try it!). I have to say, it made me.. frightened.

I really should take the lotion more seriously.

But then I found this poem written by a photographer name Cassie Fox..

Birthmarks

A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn.
One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes, and slept in the most perfect darkness.
One for every time you had the hiccups.
One for every dream you dreamed within me.

It isn’t very pretty anymore.
Some may even think it’s ugly. 

That’s okay. 

It was your home.
It held you until my arms could, 
and for that,
I will always find something beautiful in it.

..and my eyes teared up almost automatically, reading the poem, just as it would any time the hormones would strike. It dawned on me once again that lives are being formed inside of me, and what a beautiful experience it is to be used as God’s instrument to make life.

Suddenly, I’m not afraid of getting birthmarked anymore. Sure, I’d still put on some lotion (for my husband), but I won’t mind getting a remembrance from our babies’ first home.

Long, Exaggerated, Happy Sigh

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I posted this photo on Instagram and Facebook this morning, and I can’t resist posting this here too.

I was just about to leave for work this morning, it was drizzling, and I watched as my husband busied himself in that little corner we call our garden. Soon, he came back with a big smile on his face, a scissor on one hand, and this freshly-cut single-stemmed rose on the other. I didn’t know he was growing rose bushes out there until today!

What a sweetheart, this guy. I fall in love everyday!

I know I sound like a lovestruck wife in every blog post, but everyday I’m also reminded that surely something as beautiful as this married life has got to have some greater purpose than just making two people happy!

Gary Thomas said it best,

“What if God didn’t design marriage to be ‘easier’? What if God had an end in mind that went beyond our happiness, our comfort, and our desire to be infatuated and happy as if the world were a perfect place? What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”

I agree. I definitely agree.