Ain't nothing like them summer nights.

It is quite regrettable that Netflix and Chill had been our summer theme. The wild ride that we had because of our wedding had us craving for a chill time together. And chill we did! And anyway, we were on a wedding high and bliss for quite some time after and so we were content with just staying put in our cozy abode. Snuggles, are after all, never overrated. 

That be the case, we weren't cooped up all summer long. Although outdoor activities like hiking didn't happen, we still had the kind of fun we do enjoy now - married couple things, as Nick would call it.

of lifetime kisses, hugs, and feels

Marriage, a blessing that lasts a lifetime. 

I remembered being excited about the realization of my dream wedding. And on June 18, 2016, a wonderfully hot California Saturday, my dreams have come true.

This post could actually have a million other different titles but at the moment, nothing rings truer but the fact Nicholas and I will be sharing a lifetime filled with kisses, hugs and all the feels in between. He actually inspired that title (as he should) when I remembered him saying this to me last week when I said I was missing him a great deal. "I'll be waiting for you at home with feels and hugs." He's quite the affectionate and sometimes cheesy guy and I am forever grateful to God that he is who he is - no trouble showing and expressing his admiration and love.

Of Familial Blessings

 

Once in a while, God gives you something so great that you never thought to ask for before - and you're left to wonder how He knew to give you a blessing as amazing as that which you've just received. You can only smile and utter many thanks, that He saw you deserving of such a wonderful gift. 

That's how it was for me when I got to be part of Nick's wonderful family. When I prayed for Nick, I didn't think to include 'great family background' as part of my 'requirements' for my man. And I was very specific when I created that list. I did write though that I wanted him to be family-oriented. I love my family so much and enjoy spending time with them, so I hoped my man would also get along with them. And yes, he did, so well it's amazing. God works wonders, I tell you! Just keep on praying, hold on to your faith, and trust in His works and perfect timing.

Let's Pick Some Blueberries

Blueberry picking season has actually come and gone and we've missed it this year. It's an annual family tradition come July, but stuff came up and kept us busy. It's a shame really. We were up early last Sunday ready to be bending over under the sun when my Mom, who went there earlier, texted me and advised me against going because there wasn't much to pick anymore. Blueberries aren't big too. And you want them big as they're the sweetest. I blame the drought happening in BC now. It is crazy boiling hot this summer, it's not even funny. We're actually at Stage 3 water restriction right now and being advised to be water-wise. So anyway, Nick, Cedrix, Zoe, and I just went straight to Cora's for breakfast. On a Sunday. That's never happened before.

Of Weddings, Swings, Instax Pics, Roses, And He Who Makes Me Happy

It has been a long while. And I'm happy to report that so much has changed. Changes that are for the better, changes that I've been waiting for, for quite a while now.

A best friend has gotten married to the love of her life as I stood happily witnessing their union as their Maid of Honor. With their union came new acquaintances and friends, and a new kind of fun and adventure began, with unexpected results that can now be told as funny albeit somewhat embarrassing stories.

On Vacations and Getting Back On Track

Summers are always good, no, great, and this year has been my busiest summer in BC so far! It was awesome, no doubt, but I can't deny that by the end of it all, I was so looking forward to getting back to my regular daily life! I even cannot wait for all the busy-ness to die down! I was just spent! Okay, I think you get the picture.

It's funny because it was actually just August. Just a month - but it's all my summer with all the events that took place.

So... Photos time! 

 

Started summer off with blueberry picking! 

A Visit To Whytecliff Park

It was another good sunny day a week before, on a Sunday - too good to waste lazing inside a house. And so like what we've been doing the past couple of sunny weekends, we decided to set out early morning for a drive to Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver. It was a good hour drive from Richmond (ok, that's just my estimated time) and so we got there at a good time, when the sun's rays still wasn't harmful to the skin.

Like all parks or lakes that we've been to, it was quiet, and surprisingly so, not much crowded. There were a few families and some recreational group of friends who went there to scuba dive. The park is surrounded by the Horseshoe Bay, near the BC Ferry Terminal, where you take ferries to go to Vancouver Island. So seeing a speedboat or a jetski in the waters comes as a no surprise. Of course, there's also the occasional BC Ferry ride which would startle the calm waters and send big waves to the shoreline for a couple of minutes. Other than that, it was a really calming place, quiet and reserved.

Some Fun Out In The Sun

Excuse me for the very cliche title, the summer heat seemed to have parched my creative juices. But never mind that, what's important is we have summer heat! Lol! Allow me to explain - we've had quite a gloomy start of the summer that everyone out here in the west thought the sun wouldn't be too present this season. I'm not kidding. For weeks at the start of summer the forecast was variably cloudy, showers and chance of rains - it was mid-July and we're all wearing jackets and have umbrellas over our heads. Summer bummer indeed. 

It was a funny sight too, I remember we had our annual company picnic, it was the 22nd of July and we were out at the park around 12 noon, wrapped tight in our jackets and wishing we could make a campfire. Haha! And one of my co-workers, upon arriving commented, "So it's a beautiful February day." That gave us all a chuckle. 

On to the adventure....

The first long weekend of the summer came and it was a bit cloudy. But because there was no forecast of shower, we set out to Delta and picked strawberries! It was both fun and tiring. It was fun hunting them big red strawberries down and tiring because we had to bend down to pick them. I felt so old because I suffered leg and lower back pain after. Haha!

Just A Few Life Updates

I suddenly have the urge to blog, and so here I am.

Life's been going "fab" the past few weeks despite having yet again disappointed on some things in life. But I won't dwell on that, I have a lot to look forward to! But before that, here are the highlights of my life the past couple of months.

>> Got involved with Kids Camp - babysat and payed with two cute and adorable little kids, Quinn and Sidonie. They were really behaved and sweet the entire time!

Night Market Night Life

My Friday nights and Saturday nights have become quite of a ho-hum now since I've moved to BC but that's not to say I'm not enjoying it. Granted, I was not much of a party-animal back home, I rarely go to bars (and I mean that in the most literal sense), but of course I can always look forward to sudden events to take place come weekends. A group of friends from work who have nothing planned would suddenly come up with something exciting at the last minute and we'd be up for it. And then I'd find myself having dinner at a somewhat fancy place, heading out to Starbucks for some much-needed late-night chillaxin,' watching some romantic-comedy flicks, heading over to our fave hang out spot Central BBQ Boys to have a few drinks, and having the night of my life talking about nonsensical stuff to the most sensible of things with my friends. Yes, life is good that way in Pinas. ☺

Weekend nights now may not be like that anymore but it sure has brought a whole new meaning to bonding. I'm in a whole different high when I'm surrounded with friends, that's for sure, but these nights now mean one thing - bonding with the family, and for that I am most grateful for. I thank God that we came here together. I may have been stripped off of my friends from home but it's nice to know I can always come home to a family. I have dinner with them while laughing our heads off to Two And A Half Men, Friends, and According To Jim, while fighting over ice cream. Haha! But seriously, that's really how we spend our week nights here! Come Friday night and we'll double up in size as my aunt and her family would come over to dine, chat and whatnot. A typical Friday night would see the dads drinking beer, the boys playing Xbox or on the laptop, and us girls (or my mom and aunts) facebooking and chatting about their earlier school years and me joining in and laughing at their conversations. These nights I really treasure, it's when our apartment truly becomes a home of a happy family.

Now Summer is nearing and living in Richmond has made me come to know about two things about Summer. First, it's synonymous with outdoors and barbecues (and I really thought that was just in the movies!). Second, night market. We have already listed our places to go to this Summer, the first of which was the Cultus Lake (and we intend to go back there on a hotter day), and many more to go of course! But last weekend, we didn't have anything outdoor planned and so we decided to head out to the Night Market which opened up two weeks earlier. It's basically like Greenhills in Pinas except this is situated in a big space outside, and most vendors are Chinese, there are no Indians. Hehe! Not all the stalls were occupied but the place is already packed! And we got a neat treat of an entertainment as the designated performers that day were Filipinos. Wanting to introduce the Philippines, they sang Filipino songs and grooved to the traditional dances such as the Tinikling. And I tell you, those girls and guys sure know how to move their feet! They really wowed the audience when they danced Tinikling to the fastest beat their feet could muster up. Of course, it ended with a great applause from the audience. (Too bad I wasn't able to capture photos of that, I myself was too amazed! I cannot dance that even to save my life! Haha!)

Speaking of pictures, here are some of them I captured using my BB phone. See, I was to shy to take out my shocking-screaming-pink of a digital camera and take photos like I'm some tourist when I live here! Lol! And forgive the poor editing of the pics, I'm quite amazed with lomo pics and their vintage effect that I tried to copy it off to my pics. ☺

Stalls of some 'festival games'

My cousin enjoying a ride on the plane

People looking around

Time to eat Chinese, what else? ;)

My food

Serenity in Cultus Lake

May 24th marks the celebration of Victoria Day, one of the holidays commemorated all over BC, giving us another long weekend to enjoy. And for us, that only meant one thing - go out of town and discover the great backyards of BC! As Hello BC ads say, "We go out there every chance we get!" (Or something along that line anyway.)

All the planning for the holiday was already planned a week ago and we've decided our stop would be at Cultus Lake in Chilliwack, BC. So with our luncheon packed and cars fueled to the brim, we began out an hour and a half drive on early Monday morning (despite weather warnings of just "sun breaks").

We were greeted by the crisp cold morning air upon our arrival and the inevitable clouds. The first thing we did was jog around to warm ourselves up, really!


All warmed up and ready to explore, I took it all in and fell in love with Canada more. It was just a sight to see, and it wasn't even the top tourist spots in BC! The lake just screamed serenity everywhere you looked. It was picture-perfect.


You could imagine yourself having a vacation home there and going there with your hubby/wife and kids and doing outdoor activities - fishing, kayaking, cooking up some barbecues, swimming, sun bathing, playing frisbee, reading your fave book stretched out on the shore, jogging, walking your pet, biking, do yoga, and the list goes on. It is just a dream.

Being there just made me more grateful to Him who has given us much more than we deserved, than we asked for. It has also stirred up that feeling that's become so familiar to me - missing my family back home. Both my brother and I have become nostalgic that day, wishing that our cousins and other relatives were with us there. After all, the more the merrier, right? We have hope, that by next year another family will be with us here, experiencing everything we are enjoying right now. Till then, I continue to pray for that dream to become a reality.

Next stop: North Vancouver to do some crabbing! Weeeee! Can't wait! *big grin*

I love you Harry....

Hi Harry,

It's already been 2 days since you've left us and I hate you for doing that! Why did you give in? You know very well that losing you would make us feel terribly sad and still you chose to leave. You know we love you very much and that you mean the world to us so why give up at the last minute? You even gave us hope that you'll soon come back healthy as just the other day, you seemed to be yourself again and then the next day, you just gave up. You've crippled us, Harry. You are a part of our family and now with you gone, nothing would ever be the same again. =(

I never thought we'd lose you, honestly. I've always thought that you'll be with us for a long time and maybe that's exactly the reason why I sometimes took your existence for granted. I'm very sorry, Harry. Truly, I am. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to see and feel that you're already suffering inside. Had I known that, I would've given you more attention and cared for you more and maybe, you'd still be with us right now. Maybe right now, I wouldn't be just reminiscing the times I played with you while I'm writing this post but instead, I'd be playing with you for real. It would be just like the old times, me calling you and you not responding to my call (hehe), me squeezing your chubby cheeks while you just sit like nothing's happening. Oh, how I wish I was doing that now!

You left so suddenly that you made moving on terribly difficult. But despite that, you've left us with only good memories to cherish. It hurts to think of those happy moments now but hopefully, someday, we'll be able to accept the fact that you're in a much happier place now, watching over us like you've always done and just being adorably cute. And when that day comes, these memories will not bring us tears anymore but paint a smile on our faces.

Harry, thank you for loving us as much as we loved and continue to love you. We will miss you. =(

Don't be sad wherever you are right now, ok? We love you so much...!

Loving you the most,
Daddy, Mommy, Ate Abbi, and Kuya Ced

Yummy Holy Week Experience

This year's Holy Week was unlike our family's traditional Holy Week Celebration. If in the past years we go out of town to do our annual Visita Iglesia, we decided to stay home this year, perhaps to stay away from places crowded with people. I hate to admit that I almost forgot the
reason why I (or most of us for that matter) was granted with this 5-day long holiday if not for our seafood fiesta. It served to remind me that meat is not allowed while celebrating the Holy Week. So, while others were busy going to churches praying and doing other religious practices,
forgive us for indulging ourselves in seafood and other yummy treats (hey! We did stay away from meat. hehe!). So let me begin sharing my Yummy Holy Week Experience.

On Thursday morning, I woke up with the smell of choco.. oh wait. No, that's not what happened. I actually woke up in an empty house as my thoughtful family decided to go out without me and without leavng a note telling me where they've gone to. But they did leave something delicious in our table for me to treat myself into - Churos with chocolate syrup! Talk about starting the day sweetly. My mum is fond of taking pictures of meals that she herself prepared(I think she did prepare this breakfast) so here's our breakfast meal.

Churos

After eating, I busied myself with cleaning up the house a bit for my 'rents not to yell at me for waking up late yet again. Hehe! An hour and a half after they arrived and I found out that they went to the Farmers Market to buy fresh seafood for us to eat for lunch and the following days. I was so excited with the thought of fresh seafood (I'm a real seafood lover!) that I volunteered to help prepare our meals for lunch. Yeah, you guessed it (or not), I cooked! I cooked Baked Mussels! I cooked and baked the sauce for the Baked Mussels myself! Yey! So, I present you with (drumrolls please!) Baked Mussels ala Aimee (LOL!) garnished with Parsley leaves on top to give it a distinct aroma and more for presentation.

Baked Mussels

Along with that, we had Mussel soup, Lato (cultured seaweed I think), and Tuna Sashimi! Yey! The meal was just so delicious that I forgot I planned on going on a diet during the Holy Week. Hehe!

Mussel Soup

Lato

Tuna Sashimi with Wasabi and Kikoman Soy Sauce

Friday came and we really didn't cook anything and just ate some fish and veggies, nothing fancy. But my Mum and I busied ourselves in the afternoon with baking Oatmeal Chip Cookies. Mike came for a visit and so he had the privilege of tasting the very first batch of Oatmeal Chip Cookies baked by his Hunny (hehe). When I asked for his opinion, he couldn't help but say the cookies were delicious or else.. Haha! Kidding! But our cookies really tasted delicious since they were fresh from the oven, they had that chewy soft and sweet taste. Yum! I can still taste it in my tongue! Hehe! These were the very first cookies I baked and so my Mum had insisted on giving Mike a jar of our Oatmeal Chip Cookies for him to take home to his mother. Hehe! And his mum loved it as well.

Oatmeal Chip Cookies

Saturday came and we went out to eat breakfast and went straight to Farmers Market again to buy fresh seafood for our lunch in my Lola's house in Antipolo. We had pretty much the same seafood course as last Thursday's and we enjoyed it as much again. We also brought along our Oatmea Chip Cookies for my aunt, cousins and Lola to enjoy as well. And they did! My lola loved it! Yey!

Sunday morning I woke up at the sound of my mum's voice waking me up and telling me to take a bath as we'll go shopping in Trinoma. That immediately woke me up. Hehe! So shopping I did at Trinoma! But since the weather was scorching hot that day, thanks to the summer heat, we bought ice cream on our way home. My mum is fond of presenting our food in a "fashionable" (for lak of an appropriate term. hehe) way and so when we got our ice cream srving, it came topped with marshmallows and a piece of a chocolate chip cookie. And what can I say? Yummy!

Ice Cream topped with Marshmallows and Cookie

Monday was a little bit of a drag for me since I woke up late, tidied my room and reformatted my laptop for the nth time. But thank goodness my parents consider eating good food very important and so we had salad and laing (funny combination thought hehe) for lunch and Pesto-Spaghetti for dinner. And for dessert - Oatmeal Chip Cookies served with warm green tea.