When Things Don't Go The Way You Want Them To

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when all your personal plans were suddently just swept away because of a certain circumstance? Well, I have recently and there are so many things that I learned along the way.

A few months back, my mom and I booked flights to South Korea to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. It was an exciting journey for our family because it will be the first time that all of us (my mom, dad, sister, me and my husband) would get to travel abroad together. Planning the itinerary, preparing documents for our visa, checking out accomodations, contacting people we know from Korea, researching - I was so into it! I was so into it that I even set aside my time to prepare things for our baby. I thought to myself that I would get back into baby-preparation-mode when we get back from Korea.

But a few days before our flight, I got sick. I had fever, colds and cough. My mom got worried because of course, she wants me to be okay. Brian also got worried because I would have on-off fevers during the night. Then, we finally decided to go to the doctor to have myself checked. That was a Saturday. Just 3 days away from our scheduled vacation. My OB Gyne just gave me medicines for my colds and cough. She also gave me clearance that I could fly given that I won't have fever by that time. I was a bit relieved.

The next day, that was a Sunday, Brian and I weren't able to go to church. I woke up with a fever and Brian noticed some rashes on my face. We finally decided to go to the ER just to make sure that I will be okay. When we got to the hospital, I was immediately taken care of by the doctors. They placed me in an isolated room in the emergency. Doctors came in and out of the room and I kept hearing something that I didn't want to hear. They were suspecting that I have measles. And that I have to be admitted for monitoring. That was two days before our vacation. Imagine my desperation to get well!

My mom and my sister went to the hospital as soon as Brian told them that we were in the emergency. They both assured me that the doctors might just request me to stay for a night in the hospital to monitor me and the baby. I was a bit relieved by the idea. I thought to myself that in a few days, I'll be okay and we'll all be spending a nice Spring vacation in Korea. So we stayed. Brian's parents came over immediately as soon as they heard the news and I was just so happy to see people being there for me and praying for me and the baby.

Then came the next day. My face was full of rashes. I wasn't able to sleep the night before because I was having a hard time breathing. My upper back was aching and I requested Brian to ask for an oxygen tank. I never imagined myself relying on that tank so that I could breathe. The doctors immediately requested for an X-ray to be done on me. I was a bit hesistant because x-rays are a big no-no for pregnant women. But we trusted the doctors so I went for the procedure. Maybe they requested the x-ray to be done because I was complaining that I can't breathe and that my upper back hurts. And during that second day at the hospital, I felt worse. I felt weak. My body temperature was swinging from 38-degrees to 39-degrees. It was bad for the baby because his heart rate was going up. I was being constantly monitored and constantly given medicine to bring my body temperature down. My mom was also constantly wiping me with a cool towel to help bring my body temperature down.

Then came the day we were supposed to leave for Korea. I was still in the hospital. The doctors have confirmed that I have measles and pnuemonia. But it was good to hear that they said that I'm out of the danger zone. All I need to do is to rest and make sure that I won't relapse with pnuemonia. My measles are now manageable and the rashes are slowly fading. My OB Gyne even checked on the baby through ultrasound and he's perfectly fine. He was "lounging" in my belly with his legs crossed. But the fact still remains that I'm still in the hospital. Brian and I were a bit disappointed that we won't be able to fly to Korea.

I got discharged the day after. I was advised by the doctor to stay indoors for a week and make sure that I would have less contact with people. He said that I wasn't contagious anymore but that contact with other people could make me sick since my immune system is still down and recovering. Korea was really out of the picture. But when Brian and I got home, I was just relieved to be out of the hospital. I was relieved that my baby is okay. 

Brian stayed with me at home for the week. I was so thankful to God that He gave me Brian to take care of me during this particular time in our lives. He was always there to assist me when I needed something. He made sure I was resting well. He made sure I was comfortable. He would even wake up in the middle of the night just to soothe me when I would have cough attacks. He even cooked for me. I was just so thankful to have someone like him beside me. Of course there would be times when we would still think of Korea but our health is our priority.

After all these experiences, I realized that sometimes, our plans don't go the way we want them to unfold. It's disappointing and frustrating at times but at the end of the day, it's really God's plans that pushes through. We may think that our plans are good - sometimes self-serving - and that it's fool-proof but really, who knows what will happen in the future? I guess the past days have been a wake up call for me to slow down. Maybe God is telling me to refocus my priorities. Maybe God is telling me to look at His bigger picture and not just at the tiny details that I like. 

Right now, I'm more than excited. Excited for the future that God has in store for me. Excited for the baby. Excited for the vacations that we will have together. Brian and I may not be able to travel now but I know that God has something way better in store for us in the future.

I'm BACK!

I'm finally back!

I've been in hiatus for such a long time now...I guess adjusting to married life was quite a roller coaster ride for me.

Anyway, I've got a lot of updates and happy stories to share to the world and I just can't keep it bottled up because they're too good not to share! A lot of things have happened in my two years of marriage and I must say that I am so grateful to God for always being there for Brian and me. His love, grace, wisdom and grace is simply more than enough! And I will show you why :-)

A BRAND NEW HOUSE

Brian and I finally moved in! We've been waiting for our cute little nest to be finished for almost two years since we purchased it. There had been a lot of challenges along the way but it's all worth it. I must say that this is one of our best investments. I'm so thankful to God for gifting us with our own house. Brian and I are also thankful for the people that God used to make this dream come true.


A BRAND NEW CAR

Yes! A brand new car! And no we didn't win any contest! :p We have been planning to buy a car before moving in to our new home because the location wasn't commute-friendly. It's just so amazing how God helped us fund this goal. Saving up for it was quite a challenge already especially if you have other things you want to buy. But it really boils down to discipline and having the focus to achieve a goal.


WE'VE GOT A BABY COMING THIS MAY
I think having a baby is one of the happiest moments in a married couple's life. I'm roughly 26 to 28 weeks pregnant now and we're expecting the little one's grand entrance sometime mid-May of this year. I am even hoping that he or she arrives on my birthday :p That would be the the best birthday gift ever. Right now, we don't really know yet the little one's gender. But we're praying and hoping that he or she will be healthy and complete :-) We're currently doing some little preparation for the little one's arrival and I must say that Brian and I have still a lot of things to accomplish. But right now, we're just taking things one step at a time and enjoying the kicks and punches of the little one...which is getting stronger every day :P Maybe it's a boy? :p


All I can say is THANK YOU, FATHER. God has been so gracious to us despite our unworthiness.

Anyway, more updates about the Little One in the coming days ^_^ So stay tuned!

A Trip to LUANG PRABANG LAOS

Luang Prabang, Laos Slideshow: Mary’s trip from Chiang Mai, Thailand to 4 cities Chiang Rai, Luang Prabang, Chiang Khong and Huay Xai was created by TripAdvisor. See another Thailand slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Reminiscing my backpacking trip with two of my best girl friends :-)

I will go back here :D with Brian, of course :D

Our DIY Boutonniere

Brian and I are already married for almost five months now. I can't believe how time flies by so fast! Just last year, we were just scouting venues for our wedding and now all I can say is that I've had so much fun with all those wedding preparations. Anyway, I just wanted to share to you guys one of our wedding details that I'm quite proud of: our DIY boutonniere:

Me and my sister worked together to make this. We made a total of 23 boutonnieres - one for Brian, two for the dads, one for Pastor Sonny, one for Janjan (Brian's Best Man), 3 for the groomsmen, another 3 for the secondary sponsors, 3 for the little boys, and the last 9 for our principal sponsors. It took me and my sister months to finish this because we didn't have the luxury of time to work on it in one sitting and the final design wasn't decided upon right away.

The materials we used for this DIY wedding project were stiff Gray and Lavender felt cloths, some dried wheat bundles (in dark violet and light brown), small white and light lavender artificial flowers, thick nylon strands topped with silver beads, ribbons, buttons, floral wire and a music sheet printed on parchment paper. Almost all of the materials we used were purchased from Tabora Market in Divisoria.

Anyway, what I'm really excited about this boutonniere is the parchment paper we used to wrap the base. Since Brian and I are into music, I really wanted some music elements/design to be incorporated into our wedding. I initially thought of including a glitter wire formed into a G-Clef as part of the design but the work involved seemed too much so what I did was to print a music sheet into a parchment paper, cut it up into pieces and used it to wrap the base of the boutonniere. It's so cute!

After making all the boutonnieres we individually mounted them against a glittery black cardboard paper and secured it with pins (which was also used to pin the boutonniere on the guys' lapels). We also personalized it by labeling each with the names of the guys who will be wearing them.

Anyway, I'll try to do a step-by-step tutorial on making this boutonniere soon...I just hope my schedule permits me to!

So what do you guys think? Leave your comments below :-)

Summer Contest Giveway - I WANT TO WIN!

I haven't been posting lately...I've been busy with work at home and in the office...but I promise to update this blog soon...

Anyway...I really want to win this contest by Kikay Si Maria...so I'm blogging and reposting it :-)

I tried to join her contest before but unfortunately I didn't win...so...I want to try it again! And maybe this time around, I'll win :-)

For those of you who want to win some beauty/makeup products from Luview Cosmetics, HBC, Krave, Red Jhelli, Skinsonic, Suesh, Style Qtr, and RK Manila, then visit the link below :D I really hope I win this time around!

Kikay si Maria's Finally Summer Giveaway

Have You Been a Guest-zilla?

I just read the Rebellious Bride's recent blog post about an Ugly Truth about weddings. And it inspired me to write this...

A few years back, I was asked by a friend to be one of her secondary sponsors in her wedding. I was thrilled because it was going to be my first time. I went through the whole process with glee - going to the mananahi to get our measurements for the dress, going for fittings, and rehearsing for the wedding. It was such an exciting experience for me. And when the wedding day came, while we were preparing at home and doing my makeup, my mom told me this, "don't be too pretty! It's Ate Van's day today. She should be the most beautiful woman". Since then, I've kept that thought with me every time I attend weddings. It's not an excuse to under-dress. But it's a mental note not to overdo it because the fact still remains that it's the BRIDE and GROOM's day and not anyone else's. And for the ladies out there who want to hoard the spotlight away from the bride...that's just mean. It's okay to be beautiful and glamorous and all that...but HEY! It's the BRIDE's day...not yours.

But that's just the scratching the surface of the UGLY TRUTH. Brides and grooms have a lot to go through in a wedding. They're excited, nervous and happy at the same time. With lots of things to think about, it is sometimes understandable that they can become monsters on their big day. BUT...when it's the wedding guests who turn into monsters, that's a different story. A wedding is about the bride and the groom. People who attend weddings should understand that.They shouldn't be too demanding or uncaring.


I've had my own little guest-zilla moments in my own wedding. And thank God, I didn't freak out. I kept my calm and smiled at everyone despite the fact that a lot of things didn't really go the way Brian and I wanted them to be. But that doesn't mean that we didn't enjoy our wedding. We really did and that is because we've got our family and some friends who understand what a wedding should really be. And here's one thing that I learned from our experience - and that is weddings are supposed to be the happiest day for a couple and guests (which includes family and friends!) should understand that and give that to them.

Alright. Thank God I got that one out :p

What's Life Like When You're Married?

Today is December 13, 2011. Just a few days from now, I am officially married for one whole month. Until today, there are still moments especially when I wake up when I can't believe that I am married. Everything seemed like a dream. But it's actually happening. I am married.

I had a lot of adjustments for the past few weeks. I remember the day after the wedding when I had to go back home to pack my stuff. It was the most difficult thing for me to do that day. After all the happiness that I felt on my wedding day, I felt my world crumbling down. My old world, that is. I cried myself to sleep for almost an hour in my room. I terribly missed my family at that moment. I asked God why I needed to "separate". It even came to a point wherein I wanted to investigate what Genesis 2:24 meant:

 "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh." NIV

I thought to myself, it says that only the man will leave his father and mother. So maybe it meant that the man can join in the woman's family. I was reasoning myself out of my situation. But that is not God's will.

During our first week together, I was so thankful to God for Brian. There were days when I would just feel so sad that I would suddenly cry because I miss my family. He was there to comfort me and assure me of our life together. Things got smoother and much more bearable after that. I guess that's how marriage works - when one is weak, the other half pulls him/her up.

I also experienced a lot of adjustments. Especially when Brian and I returned to work. I had to wake up early to prepare our breakfast and lunch, just like what my mom used to do for me and my sister when I was still single. Now that I'm the one doing it, I realized how much effort and love my mom pours out to us. I also realized how important it is to show appreciation. It can go a long way in inspiring a person to do something for another.

So what's life like for me now that I'm married? It's both sweet and bitter. Just like wine. And just like wine, it gets better through the years.