Living Life...Catch up post

Life happens and sometimes there are not enough time in the day to finish everything on your "To-Do List!" Time to play catch up and update you guys on some of the memories and adventures we had thus far.

The kiddos are growing up so fast and we were running out of room in our old house, so hubby and I decided to sell our home and buy a bigger place last September 2014. The kids are happy to finally have their own space...and so are we! Peace and quite at last lol

This year, Brianna turned 13 and Joseph turned 12! I can't believe there's a teenager in our house! Check out my on air radio shoutout for Brianna on 104.3 MyFM MyFM Shoutout Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get on the radio for Joseph's birthday shoutout...hopefully when he turns 13, I'll get through so that he'll have an on air shoutout as well!

Summer vacation was a blast! We traveled to Riviera Maya and Cancun this year and stayed at El Cid Resort! My kids have always been fond of the water ever since they were little, and so they took advantage of every opportunity they had to be in the water during our trip! They swam in the resort pool, they swam inside an underground river at Xcaret, they swam in the river and lagoons at Xel-Ha, and they even swam with the dolphins! There was so much to see and so much to do, that a week in this beautiful place was not enough!

Riviera Maya: El Cid Resort

This year, we also started a new travel tradition...Tommy Trojan is our official traveling gnome! As you can probably guess from his name, we are big USC fans! Tommy certainly enjoyed himself during our trip and plans on hitch-hiking in our backpack again next year! :) 

Tommy Trojan...our new traveling companion

Last month, hubby's parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary! They renewed their vow and had a grand celebration! It was truly a blessing to be part of their bridal party and witness them renewing their love for each other! I can only pray that hubby and I will be blessed with that many year together!

50th Wedding Anniversary

The year is almost over...3 more months and before we know it, Christmas will be here! Stay tuned for more memories...

Never Grow Up...Happy Birthday Brianna

To Our Little Girl Brianna...

Each year, your dad and I have the privilege of celebrating the day you came into our lives! We feel incredibly lucky to be your Mom & Dad! On your birthday, may God continue to guide you in your every step and ...may beauty and happiness surround you today and always. We hope you know how much we love you and that no matter how old you are, you will always be our little girl!

 

Happy 12th Birthday Brianna!

Goodbye 2013 & Hello 2014

December 31st...Today is New Year's Eve. The very last day of the year 2013. I am anticipating saying goodbye and leaving it behind with both regret and relief. Much like the year 2007, 2013 has provided me with some of the best and worst days and experiences of my life. It has been filled with lots of laughter, as well as tears! I can thank 2013 for the good health and safe protection that was given to my children Brianna and Joseph, my husband Jose, and everyone in our family. I am thankful for all the memories made and most of all, I am also thankful for my new nephew and birthday buddy Noah.  Despite being thankful for all the good memories that 2013 has brought, I am relieved to also say goodbye to the year 2013, for it has given me and my family this intense pain and grief of losing my father! For now I guess it's going to have to have to hurt. I'm going to have to let go of some things I loved, in order to get to the other side...sometimes moving on starts with goodbye! Although 2013 left me with another scar in my heart, it has also taught me how to be stronger again! As the New Year begins, I continue to thank the Lord for all the blessings and trials and pray that the new year will be a year filled with peace, love, happiness, and abundance of joy for all of us! Goodbye 2013 and Hello 2014!

Joshua's 6th Heavenly Birthday

It has been six years...six painful years since I held my son Joshua for the first and last time. I often look back and to this day, I can still see it all so clearly...I can still feel the heartaches I felt of losing him. How I miss him so much! 

Today, as Joshua celebrates his 6th birthday in heaven with our Lord and with my dad, I can only imagine how beautiful and glorious it must be. I am sure Joshua is thrilled that his Lolo Bert is finally with him so they can celebrate together. How I wish, if only in my dreams tonight, I could get a glimps of just how wonderful and happy they must be celebrating Joshua's 6th Heavenly Birthday! I imagine my dad, with his big deep voice, singing the birthday song to Josh, as the angels gather around and join him in chorus! I know Joshua's heart is full of joy, as he listens to his Lolo sing to him. 

Forever and always, my heart will be full of grief of not having my son with me. Our family will never be complete until we are all reunited together in Heaven! 

For now, I must be content with sending my love, my hugs, my kisses, and my birthday greetings to my son Joshua through letters to Heaven.

Happy 6th Heavenly Birthday Joshua! 

We love you and miss you with all our hearts! Give your Lolo Bert a big hug and kiss from us and let him know how much we miss him too!

 

A Mother's Love (Author Unknown)

I didn't have to look into your eyes 

to fall in love with you. 

I didn't have to hear you cry 

To know you loved me too. 

I didn't need to hold your hand 

To cherish you always 

Within my womb, we shared our hearts. 

You touched my soul. 

You sweetened my spirit. 

You gave me memories I'll always hold dear. 

Yes my heart aches since you departed so soon. 

But a mother's love does not end with death. 

For you are my child. 

Forever my love is yours. 

Dad's 1st Heavenly Birthday!

Dad,

 

I can't believe its been 53 days since you've been gone. Words cannot express how deeply I miss you, and the turmoil my heart feels has been unbearable. As much as I miss you, I am thankful that you are no longer in pain. You have a new heavenly body and you are with our Lord Jesus. I love trying to picture you running into the arms of Jesus, and hearing Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant! Today you will be with Me in paradise!"

 

Today, will be the first of many...Today, you celebrate your first heavenly birthdays with Jesus in Heaven. I can only imagine what a glorious celebration that will be! I imagine baby Joshua running into your arms, singing "Happy Birthday Lolo!" Then he would tell you that next month, it will be his turn to celebrate his 6th Heavenly Birthday and how excited he is that you will be there! It's these happy thoughts that run inside my mind, that helps me get through each day without you both by my side. Today you would have celebrated your 67th birthday. How I wish we could be together again, so I can tell you how much I love you and how thankful I am to have you as my dad! I guess for now, I must send my love and birthday hugs and kisses to you in heaven.

 

The next few months will be rough for all of us, as we will be experiencing our first Thanksgiving and Christmas without you...without your jokes, without your laughs, and without your hugs. It just won’t be the same without you by our side. 

 

Happy 67th Birthday and Happy 1st Heavenly Birthday Dad!

 

I miss you more than words can ever express, and I can’t wait until we see each other again. I love you Dad!

*P.S. The day started out gloomy and rainy. I guess it was God's way of reminding me that life isn't about waiting for storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain. Thanks for asking God to let the sun come out so we can visit your grave to decorate for your birthday! I hope you and Joshua had fun chasing after the balloons we sent you! 

 

♥I love you♥

Thankfulness

Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus, is the direction we tend to go.
~Peter McWilliams~

I am thankful for so many blessings in my life...my husband Jose, my children, Brianna and Joseph, family and friends, and our little angel in heaven, Joshua. I am also thankful for God's faithfulness and unconditional love. Despite any hardships and pain that comes my way, I can always find comfort and strength in knowing that He is with me every step of the way, and that I will always have my family in my life.


I recently celebrated my 35th birthday...Despite being in pain (due to a recent hand surgery I had), I found being with my family comforting. The laughter in the room of silly stories we were sharing, made me forget for a moment the throbbing in my hands. The sounds of children playing and laughing made every discomfort bearable.

It is during these blissful moments that I remember just how thankful I am that I have been blessed with good friends and a loving family.

What's Happening?

What's happening with us you asked? A lot! Particularly since it has been well over a three month since I last posted (yikes!)

Summer break has ended and the kids are back to school. Time sure flies...before we know it, it will be time to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Well, let see, a little update...thanks to my hubby, the kids and I took a three week vacation to the Philippines during their summer break, so we can spend some time with my parents, who, after years of hard work, finally retired last December 2010. They decided to spend their retirement years back in the Philippines, and who can blame them...a dollar goes a long way there. Our time there was spent mostly visiting other family members, shopping, and of course, more shopping. My parents also took us to a beautiful water park resort, Villa Alfredo, located in the the Province of Pampanga. My dad is good friend of the owner, so as you can imagine, we were treated like royalty upon our arrival. Despite the rain, the kids still had a blast swimming.


On another exciting note...we just celebrated my Nanay (grandmother) Jessie's 90th Birthday! Our family decided to throw her a surprise party, and boy, was she surprised. She was so touched to see all of us gathered together just for her, that tears of joy flowed from her eyes. It was truly a blessing to be able to spend and celebrate her birthday. Happy 90th Birthday Nanay! We love you very much.

Oh by the way, did I also mention that I am scheduled to have another hand surgery this month? It will probably be a while before I can post again.

So that's the latest on what's happening in a nutshell! It's been a busy summer and we are looking forward to some really exciting things that are coming up through the rest of 2011! Until then, take care and God bless.

Paradise Bound

Well, we did it! We finally took a real family vacation together. Destination...Paradise! For my hubby's 40th birthday, we decided to go to Hawaii. The kids were extremely excited and had so much fun! It was truly a memorable experience for all of us. We each had our favorite moments from all the adventures we had.

Where do I even begin? Let's see, there was definitely lots of swimming involved, snorkeling, boat ride, submarine ride, train ride around the pineapple plantation, and even some adventures with giant teddy bears!
One of our favorite adventures would have to be our visit to the Polynesian Center, where we were able to visit 7 different villages, as well as watch some great hula and fire dancing. The "Ha: Breath of Life" was spectacular.


Joseph said that his favorite was the submarine ride, where we went down 107 feet under the ocean to watch some sea turtles, sting rays, and tropical fish swim. Brianna's favorite was swimming at the beach and snorkeling. She she was able to get up close to see the different sea creatures swimming by. She's a natural sea baby :) There was so many fun activities that we did, and so many memories we made. We had a blast!


The beautiful island of Oahu was truly breathtaking. Every morning we were lucky enough to wake up and see the blue waters of the ocean from our lanai. We even ventured out, and drove around the island, where we found a beautiful beachfront park, with a view of another nearby island called "China Man's Hat." Here's a picture of me and hubby at Kualoa Park, in Laie.

We know this is just one of many travel adventures we will be taking together as a family, so stay tuned for more posts about upcoming future travel adventures. Until then, ALOHA!

Here Comes the Rain Again...

♪♫•*¨*•.¸Here comes the rain again...falling on my head like a memory. Falling on my head like a new emotion♪♫•*¨*•.¸

The always reminds me that "...Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." Often times when the rain begins to fall, it brings a surge of emotions and memories my way. Memories of my wedding day when the rain kept falling and my mom had to use a big garden umbrella to shield me from getting wet. While everyone said that the rain was a blessing...a sign that God is pouring down his blessings on our marriage, all I can remember saying was, "Thank you Lord for pouring down your blessings on this marriage. Now please, make the rain stop, so I don't get wet!" From our house, all the way to the church, the rain kept falling. It was only after the church ceremony was done, when the rain subsided, and everything was wiped clean.

With this memory, you would think that I would associate the rain with happy memories...but sadly, the rain only makes me feel sad. I have heard of people suffering from S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Maybe that's what I have. I am self diagnosing my emotions (lol). My husband just laughs (not in a mean way of course), whenever the rain comes and I tell him I have S.A.D.

Today marks the first day of spring, and sure enough here comes the rain. While I try to remember that the rain washes away all things, and makes things clean again, it often makes me want to just stay in bed and sulk. For some reason, when I hear the pitter-patter of the raindrops falling from the sky, I often imagine going out in the rain and just crying my eyes out...maybe because the rain will wash away my tears. I have to remind myself that it can't rain forever and that if I want the rainbow to come out, I've got to put up with the rain.

Happy 9th Birthday to my Daughter BRIANNA

I am so grateful and thankful that I have you as a daughter. No matter how many birthdays may come and go, you'll always be my little girl. With each passing year, you grow sweeter and more beautiful than ever. I feel so blessed that God gave me a daughter like you and I am so very proud to have you as my daughter.

Thank you for being a wonderful daughter, and for giving me so many reasons to smile, Thanks for our on-the-go fun times together, and times we just talk and relax for a while. Thank you for the many hugs and kisses you give me everyday, and for always letting me know that you appreciate me...Most of all, thank you for showing me all through the years, that I'm the luckiest mommy there ever could be.

Happy 9th Birthday to my pride and joy.

New Year's Prayer

New Year's Resolutions...What’s yours? We all make them, right? I know I have, and it’s usually the same thing year after year. We want to be thinner, eat healthier, exercise more, spend less, save more, be a better wife and mother, and the list goes on. Tonight, I have spent some time reflecting on my life this past year and what I hope for the New Year. I can truly say that my family and I have been immensely blessed in 2010. We have had our struggles but God has brought us through each and every one of them.

These past few months, I have spent a lot of time praying for God to draw me nearer to Him. In the past several months I have had a deeper hunger and thirst for His Word and His presence. This New Year, it is my hope that I can use more of my time to glorify Him even more, because I really do want to give my whole life to Him, not in part, but the whole thing. My intention this year is to live with such intentionality that He can be seen in and through me. I pray that He will continue to give me an open heart so that I can go wherever He leads me, even when it doesn’t make any sense to me. "LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered-how fleeting my life is. Psalm 39:4

Going forward, I want to live my life focused more on God. I want my time here to reflect Him. I want my kids to see how amazing life is when He is given the trust and honor He so fully deserves. I want them to know the joy of giving to others unselfishly. I want them to know that God will always be there for them, and that He will provide for their needs.

I have a feeling that 2011 is going to hold some big things for our family. I am sure it will be a year of ups and downs, highs and lows, and grief and joys. But not matter what comes our way, I know He will be there every step of the way to guide us. I continue to pray that we are able to love even more, give even more, and seek Him in all we do.

I don't know if we will be thinner or if we will exercise more, (we’ll certainly try), but I know we are here and we are feeling a stirring in our hearts. He is calling and we are wrapping our minds around what it is He is asking and we continue to pray for His guidance. He isn't done with us yet.

May 2011 be a blessed year for all of us.

Heavenly Celebration

Dear Mommy and Daddy,

I know you’re wondering how I’ll celebrate my 3rd birthday in heaven. I know you’re missing me most today. I feel your essence near.

God planned a special day for me. He told me with a wink. He’d ordered me a special cake (It’s Angel food, I think)

I’m getting lots of hugs from God. He’s really good at that...And every time that I walk by, He gives my head a pat.

Heaven will be filled with balloons or me. They float up through the clouds...And we have lots of clowns up here. That make us laugh out loud.

There is a birthday carousel, jeweled horses ride the wind with music playing oh so sweet…the magic never ends

I’ve made so many friends, you see. We laugh and play and sing. We ride our bikes and play jump rope...and sleep in Angel’s wings.

We’ll have our cake and ice cream, and open gifts, surprise! But we don’t blow out our candles here...Instead, they light the skies.

Love Letters to Heaven

We will be sending our "Love Letters to Heaven" via balloon release tomorrow for Baby Joshua's 3rd Heavenly Birthday. We love you and miss you baby!

"Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to Joshua, happy birthday to me!"

In my mind, I imagine Joshua whispering these words as he gets ready to head to our Lord's heavenly home to celebrate his third heavenly birthday. I can only imagine what God has prepared for my Joshua's birthday. I am sure He has planned a huge party for Joshua in heaven. All the angels and heavenly babies will be there.

As Joshua separates the clouds with his two tiny hands, so he can see the balloons we are sending his way...he sees the tear drops falling on our faces. Joshua ask God, "Why are they crying on my birthday, Jesus? This is a happy day for me!" God takes Joshua's hand and tells him, "Your family misses you very much. Do not worry little one. They will be okay. When it's their time, I will call them home, so that you can all be together again. They love you so much little one!"

Happy Birthday my love. I love you and miss you so much!

My Daughter's Birthday

Our little girl celebrated her 8th birthday today. It seem like only yesterday, when I first held her in my arms and thinking what a wonderful blessing she is. Each passing day, each passing year, we watch her grow and play. She is growing up so fast, and I just want it to last. I want to enjoy every little second with her and cherish all the memories we make together. Her father and I hope that she knows how much we love her. Through every smile and every tear, and every cry that brings fear, we will be with her always.

On this day, eight years ago, you were born. It was the most glorious day of my life...knowing you has changed me. Brianna, you are our fairy tale ending come true. We pray that God will continue to bless your life and keep you safe always. Most of all, we pray that you will walk with us In step...as we go, so that we can guide you and be there for you always. Daddy and I love you very much. Happy 8th Birthday!