Cheers to A New Year!

Happy New Year | Forward this Graphic

Happy New Year Graphics Design

“Another fresh new year is here . . .
Another year to live!
To banish worry, doubt, and fear,
To love and laugh and give!

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest . . .
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best!

I have the opportunity
Once more to right some wrongs,
To pray for peace, to plant a tree,
And sing more joyful songs!”

- William Arthur Ward -

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year ahead of you and may this year brings all of us more blessings, peace and prosperity. Let's all cheers to that! Hugs. (",)

A Li’l Nurse to Be on Christmas Eve

We spent our Christmas Eve at my fiancé’s nephew’s new home and we had a blast, most especially the kids. There were lots of gifts for them including my 7-year-old son. I couldn’t help but be amused actually by the looks on their faces - surprised, delighted and happy!

But you know what? I never thought of cotton medical scrubs as gifts until that night when one of the little girls got some. Hers was for little kids, printed with cartoon characters and they were really cute. Seeing that gave me an idea of what to give my brother. Yeah, I know, Christmas is over but they already knew that my gifts will arrive late and that’s because I had been very busy with the holidays. My brother is a registered nurse so giving him some would really make him delighted. I have no doubt about that and he will be a dashing nurse in uniform in those scrubs.

So, okay then, I think I need to start working on it before the store runs out of their great deals on cheap medical uniforms. How about you? Are you done with the gift giving? If not yet, then perhaps you might consider what I just thought of too. Isn’t it a nice idea, nurse or not?

Nostalgia #20: On To Eastward Part 4

Touched down Atlanta, Georgia...

My son and I finally set our feet for the first time in the land of Uncle Sam and as soon as we got out of the huge Delta plane, my fiance' told me, "Welcome to the U.S.A., Anghel!" He calls me Anghel. (",) I've got mixed emotions that time - excited, anxious and not to forget, I was already feeling dizzy and having a tummy upset. I know the long 12 hour flight from Tokyo had something to do with it. I never had a decent sleep during the entire flight. I think I only had about 30 minutes to an hour sleep. My son wasn't tired at all and he never complained of anything.

Atlanta's airport was huge. They actually have a train station in the airport itself as well as a kilometer long (I think) escalator or perhaps more. We had to walk more than a kilometer too to get to our gate for our next flight to North Carolina. Atlanta's our POE so aside from going through the immigration, we had to go through USCIS too to have our documents submitted and all. We've heard different stories about individuals who had problems there but not us. All the people there from the immigration to the office of the USCIS were all nice and helpful and we never had a single problem.

The guy (a black guy) from the immigration actually accompanied us to the office of the USCIS without asking him to do so and when in fact it's not his duty anymore. The guy at the USCIS office actually kidded him on why do he have to accompany us when in fact the office is just at the back of his booth. He said he was just trying to be helpful. Ain't he nice? The people at the USCIS office that time were all black too (a guy and a lady) and even wished us a good day ahead, a safe travel and congratulations! Beat that! How I wish all people are like that.

On board Delta on our way to Atlanta. Yogi had fun playing on his mini TV.

Train station inside the airport.

Big hallway going to the gates.

A kilometer (or more) high escalator.

Looking exhausted!

Inside a souvenir shop in front of our gate.

Nice goodies but kind of expensive.

Still inside the souvenir shop. Yogi had fun watching the toy airplane circling the ceiling. I wasn't able to capture it here though. I tried but wasn't successful.

My coffee. I really felt like I needed one so BA bought me one.

To be continued...

My Honey Says I’m So Pretty That I Don’t Need Make Up

I am the type who doesn’t like wearing make-up. A dash of lip gloss or lipstick is fine with me. But during special occasions like weddings when I am either part of the entourage or I am the bride myself, I need to put on make-up whether I like it or not. It is during those times that I feel like going to a cosmetology school because more often than not, the make-up job that I get is not in my liking at all. At my brother’s wedding last November, my fiancé’ actually told me after I had my make-up done that it wasn’t me at all because my looks changed.

Maybe I should go to a cosmetology school then, huh? I already know where to go just in case I decide and at that’s Regency Beauty Institute. I’ve been hearing their name for years and that’s because they are known to provide quality education when it comes to cosmetology. Their graduates are actually much sought after in the entire United States. Hmmm, talking about this now is making me giddy. We’ll see!

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 10217 North Metro Parkway West – Phoenix, AZ 85051

My Brother's Church Wedding Part 2

The members of the entourage and more...

Here's the second part. I couldn't put all the photos that I wanted to share in one post so here you go. There's more to come after this though. But it's up to you whether you still want to see them or not. Hee hee.

The secondary sponsors: Maid of Honor, Senior Bridesmaid, Bridesmaids, Flower Girls, Best Man, Groomsmen and the Bearers which my son Yogi was included. He was the Bible Bearer.

Candle, Cord and Veil Sponsors. I was one of the Cord Sponsors.

The Principal Sponsors.

Family and Relatives of the Bride

Family and Relatives of the Groom

Friends of the Bride and Groom

My next post about the wedding will tackle the happenings in the reception. Watch out for it. (",)

My Brother's Church Wedding Part 1

I wrote about their engagement that took place on April 18, 2009. Later that year, 28th of October to be precise, they had their civil wedding at the same location where their engagement was held. But even with the civil wedding done, the dream of a church wedding was never set aside and the planning continued until such day, November 18th of this year when the church wedding finally happened. Unlike the previous occasions where the entire immediate family of my SIL wasn't able to be there all at the same time; this time around, they made sure that they will all be there to witness.

The radiant bride.

The dashing groom.

The couple with their 7-month-old daughter, Summer.

The couple with the bride's family.

The couple with the groom's family. See me? (",)

I'll be posting more pictures soon as well as more stories.

Fight For Your Rights

I used to think that problems caused by certain drugs were not bound by the law until I read about an Accutane Lawsuit filed by an individual. And there are lawyers who handle such kind of dilemmas. I found it not just surprising but enlightening as well as delightful too because everyone is really given a chance when it comes to their rights.

Accutane is a drug that is use to treat acne. It may sound simple but the damage it can and has caused is really devastating to the point that it can give an individual certain diseases such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and more. That’s alarming! If anyone you know or any of your loved ones have had acne treatment and are now suffering from such diseases, maybe it’s time for you to know the real score and then pursue your rights.

My Niece Summer's Christening Part 2

The reception...

Summer is my SIL side's first grandkid so they really made sure that Summer's Christening will be extra-special. The decors were simply gorgeous, the food were superb, the cakes were fabulous and they actually rent a photo booth where the guests could have their pictures taken for free, not to mention, the pictures were ready in a few minutes.

That's our little darling Summer. Isn't she a beauty?

The cakes with cupcakes surrounding them.

This crib here is included in the decorations, and there's our sleeping beauty.

Balloons, tarp and more decors.

My brother and SIL holding the giveaways. Those little baby bottles were filled with personalized M&Ms. Summer's photos were in those chocolates. I didn't eat mine because I would rather look at it. They're adorable.

Summer was pinching BA's nose here that's why he was laughing here. (",)

The photo booth. There's Yogi having a great time!

And us girls! I was with my sis and nieces.

Mother Knows Best

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

I don’t consider myself a couch potato but I do have my favorite shows to watch which include talk shows, lifestyle shows, cooking shows and home improvement shows, to name a few. I don’t have a specific time of day to watch them; it totally depends on my schedule. If you’re a mom like me, you do know how our schedule can become - free in a minute and hectic the next. It can be crazy but really fulfilling if I may so.

My son, though, has a time for watching his favorite shows which are mostly cartoon shows. It’s in the afternoon during weekends and early evening through the week when there are classes. No more TV after 7 o’clock in the evening and that’s because I want him to be in bed by eight and I wanted him to do homework before that. I am not strict when it comes to the shows that he watches though because I already know what he prefers to watch - shows that are just perfect for a 7-year-old like him, very informative and entertaining, exactly what us moms really want our kids to watch. No violent shows for him at all or shows that show disrespect and ill manners.

I know cable companies provide us different channels and different shows, some of which might not be good for kids. And as moms, it’s our obligation to guide them to watch the right ones. And I did admire Charter Communications, Inc. when they set their Charter Facebook page to know what moms think by sharing their opinions and ideas about certain topics. That is really nice and helpful. I have read a lot of informative comments from a lot of moms, or maybe I should call them Charter Moms.

Are you a mom too? Maybe you should join us on Facebook then and share your ideas with us. Hope to see you there!

My Niece Summer's Christening Part 1

We welcomed my niece Summer to the Christian world on November 21st of this year. She was baptized with the name Ysabelle Therese. Summer is just her nickname. I think you already know the reason why she's nicknamed that way. Yep, she's born in the summer. (",)

Me and my siblings were chosen as her godparents plus some other good friends of my brother and SIL. Below are some of the pictures taken at the church. I will post pictures taken at the reception soon because there were just too many of them. This was the last occasion that we attended before we departed for Uncle Sam's. We left the next day so we made the most of it.

Summer being blessed by the priest.

After the ceremony. Summer with the priest and her parents (my bro and SIL).

With the godparents. Some didn't make it on time though. That's me second from the left and that's my sister beside me, on my right.

With the whole family.

Make Baby’s Butt Better

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boudreaux's Butt Paste. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being protective is one of the many qualities that a mother displays towards her child. I know that pretty well because I am a mother myself of a 7-year-old boy. Being a mother has its difficulties but is fulfilling. It’s been almost eight years since I began this journey because my little boy is turning eight soon, but some of the things that I did during his infant and toddler years are still very vivid to me - some hard and some not. The most important thing though is that he’s well taken care off.

Among the many things that a baby usually suffers from during his early years is diaper rash. It can be itchy and I know it burns and that is why I made it a point then to check his butt all the time as well as give him the best medicine needed. I kind of freaked out the first time he had it because he was uncomfy and throwing tantrums. That’s when I was introduced to Boudreaux's Butt Paste by a friend. It’s what she uses and the only product she trusted over the years. I didn’t wonder about that at all because the paste is formulated by a pharmacist with direction by a pediatrician. It is recommended by pediatricians too and that alone can attest to the fact of how effective it is. It was also featured on famous TV shows like Oprah and the Tonight Show, among others.

The paste comes in convenient sizes and they are actually giving free samples now. Visit their site and grab it. Don’t miss it for the world!

Our First Ever Thanksgiving

I think it's not yet too late to blog about this since the year has not ended yet anyway or better yet, Christmas is still not over. (",)

Anyway, while we were still in the verge of processing our documents, one of my fiance's wishes was for us to celebrate this year's Thanksgiving together. And it was really granted and not the only wish that was granted actually. But that would be another story. Everything just came at the right time and fell at the right place perfectly. Thanks Heavens!

Below were some of the pictures taken that night. We celebrated our Thanksgiving at my fiance's friend's house. They were all so nice and warm. The feeling of being welcomed genuinely was just so overwhelming. There were a lot of foods and I enjoyed them all except for my son who's always been picky. Well, he still have to get used to the kind of foods they have here though. I'll be posting the foods' photos on my food blog.

Allana and Heather, my new-found friends. I've just taken this from their sister's Facebook album and she used her cellphone in capturing this so that's the biggest size it can get.

My fiance' concentrating on his food.

My little drummer boy! He had a blast playing with the kids that night though he had a hard time understanding them. (",)

With Angela, Allana's older sis and Heather's twin sis.

It’s Time to Hang My Son’s Stocking

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1 Imports. All opinions are 100% mine.

This Christmas will be mine and my son’s first celebration of Christmas here in the land of Uncle Sam. We arrived here in November and so far so good. The attention is overwhelming, but we are both handling it pretty well. But we do have to adjust in a lot of things which best include the chilly weather compared to our humid weather back home. We are learning new things from their culture too almost every single day and which lately includes their norms and beliefs on Christmas. Though kids in our country believe in Santa Claus, they never got to enjoy the fun and excitement that the stocking brings. I do remember hanging our socks in the wall when I was like six year old, but that’s all I can remember. It never happened again for we found nothing in those old socks that we made use as stockings. Funny, but thinking about it now amuses me.

This Christmas, my son will be enjoying his stocking for the first time whom Mr. Santa will fill with toys, trinkets and stuff. He was already briefed about it and that made him so delighted. You can actually hear the giddiness in his voice.

My fiance’ and I talked about the holiday gifts that we’ll put in his stocking last night and one of them will be his much-desired yo-yo. We will also include puzzles since he loves doing it plus other stuff that is best for a 7-year-old’s playtime which we found at Pier 1 Imports. Have you checked them lately? Great deals are offered in there now - just what we were looking for. And they’re into charity work called Toys for Tots which you can be a part of by donating a toy or cash. Or if you have a Facebook account, you can be a fan by liking them and by doing so, they will be giving $1 to Toys for Tots. That simple gesture can already warm a heart and put a smile on someone else’s face. Just like what I am doing to my son. For sure, he will be all smiles as soon as he peeps into his stocking.

Missed My Blogoversary!

Yeah! If not for the visitor who left a comment greeting me a "Happy Blogoversary!", I would have forgotten it totally. I read her comment two days after this blog's anniversary already. Poor blog! I was not that busy and I actually visited my blogs every single day before the BIG day, but oh well, I never got to check my blogoversary widget and sometimes I don't log in to see the comments. Shame on me! (",)

This blog which is my first ever blog was created in December 15, 2007. It's been 3 YEARS already. Wow! Imagine that! Who would have thought that this blog would have reached that long. Well, I did know and I felt it because the author is enjoying what she's doing - sharing her life and ideas, and earning at the same time.

Five days had passed since this blog's anniversary. I wasn't thinking of anything big for a celebration though but with my previous annivs, I put photos of something to celebrate the anniversary on the exact day. But I think it's too late now, so maybe next time, hopefully. Wish me luck! LOL.

Happy belated 3rd Blogoversary to this blog!!!

Be Bold and Go Gold!

I am in the bedroom but I can hear the television from the living room. My fiancé is watching his favorite news show and the volume is loud; so loud that I think even the neighbors can hear it too! But it’s not something that I consider annoying because I want to hear the latest current events, especially in the business world. And perfect timing, the business news is up now.

Investing is in the headlines in regard to what’s the best thing to do and how to do it so that you will get your money’s worth in return. One of the investments mentioned was investing in gold and the process of how to buy gold bullion was given. The demand for such is now increasing all over the world. That was really informative and enlightening. Hearing that made me think that it is really worth investing in.

Nostalgia #19: On To Eastward Part 3

Tokyo, Japan Airport...

As soon as we touched down Japan, my BA kidded me by saying, "Welcome to your first international visit, Anghel." I've never been to any country outside my home country ever since. That flight was my first international flight, not to mention, my first longest trip. The trip was four hours from Manila and I was a little nervous when we boarded the huge Delta Airline plane. My son had his nap but not me. I've always been like that though; I didn't fall asleep in any of my trips.

Tokyo's airport is huge and very nice. The people were friendly and listening to the Japanese accent made me delighted though, we had a little difficulty understanding them especially BA. He never understood a single word. (",)

We stayed and waited at Tokyo airport for three hours for our next flight to Atlanta, U.S.A. and I am going to blog about it next time.

Yogi had a blast! He's doing the moonwalk dance here.

Yogi and BA

Checking the convenience store inside the airport

Yogi playing with his very cute magnetic airplane

Stop in Japanese. (",)

Me!