Halo Halo - Bits and Pieces

A Perfect Saturday Morning

2011-05-14T15:07:00.002-05:00

Pogi knows exactly when I'm off from work, when it's time for our morning walk, I just can't disappoint his sweet little face. He's my perfect walking buddy on this perfect Saturday morning with a perfect weather, it 's 65 degrees with just a slight breeze. The neighborhood is perfectly quiet so I let him walk with me without a leash. We completed our 2 mile walk within an hour and got home to the smell of home cooked breakfast courtesy of my husband who I thought will never get out of bed. He was playing scrabble on my iPad when we left. He has started working on renovating the roof of our barn in our backyard, so we decided to join him outside. Pogi was just so thrilled for a chance of more play time. So after sniffing everything he can, running around and playing catch with his four year old soccer ball, he was finally contented just to sit on my lap. The red bud tree given to me by my coworker Mama Yupin was finally tall enough to give us the perfect shade so here I am with my feet up, reading Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Dog's Life via my IPad which is an early perfect anniversary present from my perfect hubby (well almost, nobody's perfect). The sounds of the wind chimes and chirping birds added the perfect musical background to this perfect Saturday morning.

My Baby is now 3 years old!

2008-11-17T12:25:00.012-06:00

Feb. 18, 2006 - since the day my husband brought him home from a dog show at Stafford Center, our life has never been the same. My husband has always said that Pogi had him at "Hello" with his heart-melting brown eyes and waggling short tail. After his first visit to Petsmart for grooming he just look so cute and we both said at the same time "ang pogi mo naman" and that is how he got his name. He could have been T-Rex (for tiny Rex-the opposite of the dinosaur name that I can't even spell) but our friend's dog has already put his paw stamp on it. Pogi is officially registered as a Yorkshire Terrier born on Nov. 16, 2005 and his parents are "Little Bitty Man" and "Angel Marie." Well, his Mom would be so proud of him because he has remained an "angel" to us. I'm making a scrapbook and found this picture taken 2 days after he came to our home. He was only 3 months old then and weighed only 3.5 lbs - my husband was holding him up with one hand and now I need both arms to pick him up (he's 16 lbs now). This has brought a lot of memories and we actually had a good laugh reminiscing the "craziness" we went through from potty training to getting him neutered, his escapades and misadventures. Despite our flaws, Pogi has brought us affection, comfort, security and unrivaled devotion when we needed it most. I saw the trailer of this movie coming out on Christmas day ... Marley and Me and I bet all the dog lovers out there will love this one. Well for his 3rd b-day.... since he knows now how to "give Mama a hug" this was his treat ...........

A Sirloin Steak and Vanilla Ice Cream for Dessert

What a Journey it has been ....

2008-11-11T09:04:00.009-06:00

Once again You tube got me hooked on this song .... while listening to the lyrics, I just started contemplating about my life .... what a Journey it has been. I also found this inspirational quote about Life ... that is "We have no choice of what color we're born or who our parents are or whether we're rich or poor. What we do have is some choice over what we make of our lives once we're here. We will often find compensation if we think more of what life has given us and less about what life has taken away." So I resolve to be thankful of what I have now, I will Learn from yesterday, Live for today and Hope for tomorrow.

The Journey as performed by Lea Salonga

Ed's trip to ER

2008-11-02T22:29:00.007-06:00

Saturday (11/01/08) 11:45 am - I've talked about how my husband is such a "handyman", well he finally realized that he's not that young anymore (he'll be 56 on the 19th day of this month) and not that physically fit to do home improvement all by himself now. He was doing some carpentry work on our patio roof extension yesterday and somehow nailed his two fingers together while using his "Hi-tech framing gun" and it wasn't an ordinary nail, it has grooves like a screw and about 3 inches long. I heard him screaming my name while I was in the bathroom and found him lying on our kitchen floor. As soon as I realized what happened (Thank God, he's not bleeding yet) I drove him to Methodist Hospital's Emergency Room and I wanted so much to scream at the receptionist asking me to fill out several forms before a doctor can examine him. "Can't you see he's in agony!!" but being a nurse myself I tried to maintain my composure. To make my story short, (it seems like "forever" waiting for the hand surgeon to get it fixed) they injected some local anesthetic to his fingers to ease his pain. I'm so glad his x-ray didn't show any fracture and the nail barely missed the bones in his fingers. After this almost five hour ordeal, I felt so exhausted when we finally got home, I was mentally and emotionally drained. Luckily I was still at home when it happened because I was getting ready to go to a friend's house. The only moral lesson my husband learned from this and I have always told him "keep your medical insurance card in your wallet." He has to call a few of his co-workers to get the info. Anyway, now we're hiring some help to finish his "project" and of course they will be under his "closed supervision". WARNING: Picture below is not an illusion!

My Surprise 49th Birthday Celebration

2008-10-28T10:30:00.009-05:00

I celebrated my birthday (10/26) quietly, no party or anything. I didn't plan anything since I was scheduled to work a 12 hour shift but then my co-worker (got tired of my complaining?) agreed to exchanged her day off with me. It's my week-end to work and somebody has already filed a request ahead of me. It's my own policy that "I don't work on my birthday" and I think it should be our hospital's policy too, an automatic "Birthday PTO (paid time off)". Anyway, my husband took me out for a dinner at Carrabbas Italian Grill. I ordered a seafood entree (I can't remember the name anymore but it ends in "de mare") which included shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams and fish but the sauce they used has a "very fishy taste" to it .... it was literally "to die for" .... I mean I would rather die than eat it again. I was very disappointed but of course as long as I have a good dessert at the end .... I'm happy. We had their famous Tiramisú = Lady fingers dipped in liqueur laced espresso, layered with sweetened mascarpone, Myers’s Rum and chocolate shavings, whew!! but my compliment to my bestfriend ... I still like her version!! When we got home, I found this nice plant on our front door courtesy of Ate Baby & Kuya Kiko. Saturday night (it's already Sunday in Manila) I started receiving text messages, emails and calls from my friends and also from my relatives in the Philippines. I always look forward to receiving their greetings ..... it makes me feel good that there are people out there who cares about me he! he! he! I love this text from my BFF "Happy t-9th bday, have fun. Cannot wait till next year" I should have text her back "I CAN WAIT" I'm not really ready to hit the Big 5-0 yet. I don't wait for my parents to call me though. I called my Mom and teasingly told her it's not too late for her to greet me. She's too old to remember now but just hearing her voice that she's OK makes me feel good already. October 20 (Monday) 7:30 PM = we had plans to go to our friend's house for a Monday Night football get-together and also our friend is leaving for Manila for a few months, but right before I was about to leave , our Assistant Nurse Manager told me I have to re-submit my evaluation because they can't open the attachments for my supporting documents. Anticipating at least 2 hours to edit and re-type everything, I decided not to go since it will be too late for me to get home and I still have to get up early for work the next day. I spoke to my BFF and told her I'm not coming, somehow I stayed "clueless" during our conversation. To my surprise we got home and on our answering machine was a message from my BFF "make sure you come, you're the celebrant" and then I received this text message from our "Puzzident" (this will be another blog) "Aawwww ... Tonette had a surprise cake n pancit 4 u. We will do dis again just 4 ur bday. Yes .. eval is very important we understand. Take care." I was so embarassed, not quite sure of what to say or do. They sang "happy birthday" via a cellphone's speaker and the more I felt "guilty". I should have come anyway but then it's too late. Well it turned out to be a real SURPRISE !!

When You Love A Woman

2008-09-29T09:58:00.013-05:00

My personal pick for You Tube Video of the Month Concert Review: At the Greek Theatre, the audience were in awe at how flawless Arnel Pineda delivered this song. It's indeed an epic performance! You can hear a pin drop, the crowd was so engrossed to the rendetion.There was a eeringly quietness of silent approval. Everyone was transfixed at Arnel while giving their adoring attention. Couples were locked in each other arms enjoying the song.It's a winner! Beautiful! See them live!

In my life I see where I've been I said that I'd never fall again Within myself I was wrong My searchin' ain't over...over I know that When you love a woman You see your world inside her eyes When you love a woman You know she's standin' by your side A joy that lasts forever There's a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere...oh yeah If I can't believe that someone is true To fall in love is so hard to do I hope and pray tonight Somewhere you're thinkin' of me girl Yes I know...I know that When you love a woman You see your world inside her eyes When you love a woman You know she's standin' by your side A joy that lasts forever There's a band of gold that shines waiting somewhere...oh It's enough to make you cry When you see her walkin' by And you look into her eyes When you love a woman You see your world inside her eyes When you love a woman Well you know she's standin' by your side A joy that lasts forever There's a band of gold that shines When you love a woman... When you love, love, love, love When you love a woman, you see your world inside her eyes.

When Billy Graham was asked his secret of love, being married fifty-four years to the same person, he said, "Ruth and I are happily incompatible." . . . . . . AMEN !

The New Pips

2008-09-27T23:10:00.011-05:00

The most notable hit of Gladys Knight and The Pips' career was their only #1 pop hit, "Midnight Train to Georgia", which won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals of 1973. Did you know that the songwriter Jim Weatherly had originally entitled this piece of sultry Southern soul “Midnight Plane to Houston.”

I discovered this new group "The New Pips" from another blog. "These guys are just plum goofy and I cannot stop laughing at this. "

Hunker Down & Plylox Clips

2008-09-18T10:49:00.030-05:00

After 9/11, 9/13/08 will never be forgotten by Texans who were devastated by Hurricane Ike. We were hardly affected by Alicia and Rita in the past but Ike was a different story. Our experience with Ike's unwelcomed visit has been more of an "inconvenience" compared to others who have suffered more, now I'm more thankful of what I have. I'm thankful that we have family and friends who through phone calls, e-mail and text messages checked on us before and after the hurricane. I'm thankful for all the "Hurricane Preparedness" tips I learned from watching TV or through Yahoo. We put gas in all our three vehicles and parked two of them on the second floor garage of my husband's company building, basically to hide them from potential flooding or tornadoes. I'm thankful that we already have camping equipments that we might need in case we lost power. I'm thankful my pantry is always stocked up with "survival food items" for those lazy days we don't feel like "cooking for real" or eating out, to name a few - there's spam, tuna, vienna sausage, ramen noodles, fruit cocktail and my fave - peanut butter.

I learned what "hunker down" means, don't evacuate, take shelter and "hang in there", pray in the dark while you listen to scary wind gusts and unidentifiable sounds. Well, we survived, had shingles blown off our roof, water penetration destroyed the ceiling in our guest room but it's minor compared to others who completely lost their home. Electricity was out for only a few hours, our internet and phone service were back the next day. We lost TFC but then discovered Pinoychannel.tv so now I'm wondering if I really need it. I'm thankful that I have a husband who considers Home Depot as his Mall of Asia. I will never complain again about his "junks" in our garage. He's my "handyman in his shining tool belt", he protected our home and saved it from a major disaster. As his personal assistant while boarding up windows to protect them from high winds and airborne debris, I learned about PLYLOX clips. It's inexpensive, no need to drill holes, use screws, nails or adhesives and plywood can be removed in seconds. It worked, not a single broken window!! After the ordeal, it was cleanup time ....

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I was supposed to work a 3-day 12hr shift weekend but since I was not part of the hurricane ride out team, we were given paid administrative leave instead. I was glad I stayed home, I didn't have to worry about my hubby and our pets Pogi and Joey. Our hospital's recovery efforts started Monday so I returned to work as part of the recovery team. Aleve was there to help my aches and pains after cleaning up 20 bags of debris off our yard. I can't complain because all our utilities remained intact. Our first venture outside our home was an eye opener, the city was dark in most areas and it broke my heart to see such devastation around us. If Ike had been much worse, much more would have been lost, so I'm thankful to "our angels" above who are still watching over us.

Amazing Alaska

2008-08-27T12:51:00.015-05:00

My plan was to post a blog everyday but I didn't realize that we have to be in a "Turn Down The World Tonight" mode to fully enjoy Alaska. It is one of the few places on earth where you can truly breathe, where space is measured not in feet or miles, but in endless horizons, a place where nature is at its best, so powerful and so dramatic. This personal encounter has changed us forever. Our plan is to enjoy our life even before retirement, we'll seize the moment now !! I agree with Mark Twain when he said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

EXPLORE . DREAM . DISCOVER .

A Vacation is like Love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia. It's a period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need. I'm not sure if I'm a traveler "who sees what he sees" or a tourist "who sees what he has come to see". I think I'm a little of both. I've got my lists of "places to see" and "things to do" even before we get to our destination. Well, we had one of "our dream come true vacation" last Aug 9-16, 2008 - Our first cruise to Alaska, I said first because I don't want it to be our last. There is still so much left to see and do, my good husband wants to go back as early as next year, that tells me how much he really enjoyed our vacation and winning $500 from playing Bingo is an icing on the cake. OMG is this an early sign what our retirement life will be? I have always remembered this quote "No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one." I need another week so I can do my laundry and adjust to a lifestyle without somebody cleaning your room amd making your bed everyday, no 24 hour buffet, no night life, no free las vegas style shows and comedy acts. I need to do my scrapbook and edit our video and pictures to make my "mini-movie", unfortunately I have a "job" that I still need to finance my future vacation plans, back to reality!! I have e-mailed a few of the hundreds pictures we have taken to our family and friends ... and here are some of the responses we got: "Maraming Salamat, I haven't seen Alaska yet, napakaganda ng mga pictures" "Wow!! Really enjoyed your pictures. I could see how much you enjoyed this vacation just from looking at your pictures. You both deserve it!" Beautiful! I wanna go!!! Gosh...it was just sooo soothing.... thank you for all the captions. Kainggit naman! I'll show this to Mama para mainggit so that magyaya siya ulit punta diyan. Of course kasama kami. Thanks for sharing the pictures. They are all nice and you both look really happy. I learned a lot too. Sana kami din. OMG!! What wonderful pics!! You guys look like you had so much fun!! Can't wait till we can finally take our dream come true cruise like you!! and my favorite one .... "Bosing, nakakainggit kayo para kayong bagong kasal. (I envy you, you're like newlyweds) " Well, I'm glad the pictures reflected how much we really enjoyed this cruise.

Our Journey with AP

2008-07-30T00:02:00.029-05:00

I have this thorn on my side –it’s called a "job" and it’s cramping my lifestyle...it's keeping me from blogging.--- Vagabond (So true for me!!) July 26, 2008 - A day worthy of a page in "my history" book, we watched Journey with Arnel Pineda performed Live at Woodlands Pavilion. My Revelation DVD finally had a rest day. The picture above is worth a thousand words of how I feel that day. We started our journey by meeting at the delightfully goofy and eclectic Rudy's Country Store and BarBQ. We enjoyed the ambiance of eating around a picnic table with a giant sheet of wax paper as our base, our grub and sides spread out in front of us. Ah, and what a hearty grub it was especially the creamed corn. Would recommend to bring your visitors here for a fun experience. You can order the brisket as "dry, moist, wet, very wet", Any Way You Want It (sorry can't help myself) and after your feast don't forget to follow this sign . . . . . We need to secure a good spot for our precious lawn seats so we all decided to come early since it's a soldout concert (approx 16 thousand people attended) but somebody almost ruined the day by forgetting their tickets at home which cause somebody to lose a few hair from his eyebrows ... LOL. Everybody eventually arrived including my friend with her right arm still on a sling since she just had surgery. I'm not sure why she decided to join us, maybe she was just bored at home, being supportive to my latest "obsession" or it might just be the attractive power of AP.

An early mid-life crisis ?? Maybe but I don't care --- Life for me is enjoying whatever makes me happy and life is too short to take it so seriously. Besides I think my legs are only good for so many miles. I don't think it's Only the Young who can say that they're free to fly away.

According to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "When a wife has a good husband it is easily seen in her face." so by looking at our faces that night holding this sign I think we have Good Husbands, who tolerated our "kooky" behavior by keeping their distance from us and even with their "we don't know you" attitude still took this picture.

Concert Reviews? Go to http://www.journeymusic.com/tour.html- they have said it all.

"Arnel I can't deny that you were the main reason I attended this rock concert (my first one). You were awesome as an "energizer bunny" in that stage, you made us proud when you introduced yourself as Arnel "Pinoy". My voice was hoarse the next day from screaming and singing along with you, feet were tired from jumping & dancing, arms were sore from clapping, waving & swaying, had sunburns on my face and arms, but can't complain, you are "hotter" than the Texas summer heat. So even if I paid $3.75 for a bottle of water and $6.00 to rent a folding chair, I can't wait to see you guys again. My husband has been a Journey fan since Steve Perry's days and has accepted you as "worthy" of his hard earned dollars that he offered to take me to one of your VIP All Access session as a birthday present. That says a lot about your performance that night. After All These Years .... I can proudly say that "I HAVE A GOOD HUSBAND". Well, he really wants to meet the rest of the band too. "

Why am I LOL in this picture? Well, somewhere in Spring Texas, a restaurant is missing a bottle of hot sauce .... now how did it get inside my bag, a "naughty" friend of ours played a trick on me .... if you're smart enough you can figure it out from our pictures above. Judge Judy said since I have no proof that he did it (nobody was willing to testify except his wife), I might as well just enjoy it since it's "free". Well my only problem is I don't enjoy anything "spicy hot" but my "Good Husband" does .... problem solved!!

Like A Sunshower

2008-07-22T07:46:00.012-05:00

GOOD GOLLY HERE COMES DOLLY Tropical Storm Dolly might be a hurricane by tomorrow and I'm praying so hard for "rain rain go away please come back another day", oh oh oh actually I don't want you to come back but if you really have to, do so next week after Journey had their concert. Please don't rain on their parade. I have these concert tickets since April and if I have to do the "sunshine" dance, if there is such a thing then I'll do it. Well they said you do a rain dance to beg for it when there's a drought so why not a "sunshine dance". I have to google that or I might have to invent it before it's too late, LOL. Now I just have to decide which song I have to use, I'm debating between Never Walk Away, Wildest Dreams or Change for the Better. Maybe the Sun God would prefer a classic then it should be "Don't Stop Believin'". I hope Mother Nature will be kind again to us like when we escaped Hurricane Rita but if not, as Arnel have said ... "We'll find the sun ... through the rain ... caught in a sunshower. We'll be alright ..... no one's to blame .... after the storm we'll shine."

D' Garden of Eden

2008-07-21T12:28:00.002-05:00

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Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens

Don't Stop Believin'

2008-07-21T10:11:00.003-05:00

I have a patient yesterday who was celebrating her 74th birthday and she was so thrilled we sang to her the usual "happy birthday song" and when she asked me in return how old I am, she was so surprised to learn that I'm already 49 years old. She thought I was in my early 30's. She has 7 sons and 1 daughter and 18 grandkids, they all came to visit her. Everytime a new visitor comes in she had them guessing what my age is and to make it short, I was having a ball because everybody thought I was between 28-35 years old. Anyway .... I then showed my co-workers how I looked like when I first came here to America through my Friendster account. They were so amazed how "skinny" I was then. They think I look a lot like Mama now .... "thanks !#%@*+" I guessed, LOL. So just as the Journey ( I'm crazy about them right now) song says "don't stop believin'" .... I have a goal set to loss another 20 pounds by next year before I hit the big 50 and then maybe they'll think I'm only 25 years old .... ha! ha! ha! ....... nothing is impossible ... who would have guessed Arnel Pineda will be the lead singer of one of the best rock band in USA. ....... Amen.

What a Wonderful World

2008-07-21T09:00:00.020-05:00

I found this song on You Tube (of course) while searching for videos related to our upcoming vacation - a one week cruise to Alaska aboard the ship Sapphire Princess. I can't believe I have not heard of this particular version before. I read up on the life of the singer known as IZ and was so sad to know that he has already died at a young age of 38. Israel "Iz" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (May 20, 1959-June 26, 1997) was a Hawaiian musician. He became famous outside Hawaii when his album Facing Future was released in 1993 with his medley of "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", which was subsequently featured in several films, television programs, and commercials. He was known to his admirers as the "Gentle Giant". He was described as always cheerful and positive, and he was best known for his love of the land and of the people of Hawaii. Through his consummate ukulele playing and incorporation of other idioms (such as jazz and reggae), Iz remains one of the major influences in Hawaiian music. I was just wondering why Pogi enjoys sitting by the window so much (we even bought him an ottoman so he doesn't have to strain himself trying to hold on the window sill)... is it because in his own view ... he's thinking "What a Wonderful World" outside is. A simple form of happiness for a small dog. He always look forward for our early morning or late evening walk (to avoid the Texas heat) and he somehow has figured out if I'm off from work or not. It's a good thing though since it has help me a lot not to gain any more unwanted pounds. He guides me to his leash as soon as he thinks I should be ready and he'll bark or whine in his tiny doggie voice when he gets impatient. I always feel like I have my own little kid in him. He has brought me and my husband so much joy and happiness. Somebody has said this before "I’ve seen a look in dogs’ eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." I think he's right.

Papa's Sweet Embrace

2008-07-21T07:50:00.008-05:00

Born July 7, 1926 Joined the Angels in Heaven October 2, 2006

(Eulogy written by Ate Baby)

"Ang aming pong Pamilya ay taos pusong nagpapasalamat sa inyong lahat, for your show of love and support during this difficult period in our lives. Nakita po namin at nadama ang paggalang at pagmamahal ninyo sa aming ama. Siya po ay tuwang tuwa 'cause he's finally joining his Creator and his legions of angels and saints, he's now free of the pains and sufferings of his earthly life. Papa, we will miss you a lot. Your determination to give your family a better life will always inspire us to do the same with ours. I could vividly remember the scene after the fire in 1961 when everything we owned was burned down, how you and your brothers were trying to salvage burned coins from the ashes. That image remained with me forever. It taught me a very powerful lesson in life - that nothing is lost forever, that you could rise from the ruins as long as you have the will and determination and with God's grace. We love you Papa and we know you love us deeply kahit nasisinturon mo kami madalas. Despite your busy schedule, you find the time to put us on your lap and cut our fingernails with blade, your kids would line up every weekend for your paligo at hilod kina Mang Kulas. You just love having a one on one "Office Meeting" with us. You're not timid to tell us your dreams, aspirations and disappointments. When it was time to go back to Manila during our college years, you always hand us your "Kupit" from Mama as added allowances. Your generous spirit touched everyone in your circle of relatives. Kahit kung minsan hindi ang gusto mo ang nasunod, patuloy pa rin ang bigay mo ng suporta. You never abandoned us. Kaya naman Papa, we tried our best to make you very proud of us. This is the best way we can truly show our gratitude to you and we hope we succeeded. We're not saying goodbye 'cause we know you will always be with us in spirit and will make known your wishes, in whatever shapes or form. So, Papa, go in peace, meet our loving God, watch over us until we join you in His sweet embrace." Happiness to an oncology nurse is when our patients comes back to bring us the good news that they are in remission or has been declared "cured" but then unfortunately we also have to deal with death. Last week, I had a conversation with one of my patient's spouse, he was so appreciative of the care I have given his wife and he said "I'm sure your father is so proud of you." That somehow made me feel so good that day and in my mind I was saying "Thank you Papa I would have not been enjoying this kind of life I have now if not for you and Mama's "hirap" na makatapos kami ng college." Then I realized OMG I forgot his birthday, I was so mad at myself. Then later when I was checking my Friendster updates I noticed Edsel's new posted shoutout "Happy Beerday Papa !!" that didn't help!! mabuti pa si Edsel naalala s'ya. I don't even know if they celebrated his b-day. Somehow I remembered Ate Baby's eulogy, I have kept a copy of it in one of my scrapbook. Now I have a reminder on my cellphone and my American Greetings account so I won't forget again. Papa, I'm so sorry for this year it's a "belated happy birthday" from a nurse who's proud to be your daughter.

Fermin Oribiana Sr.'s Family

2008-07-16T12:10:00.005-05:00

Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements, but at the end of the day, I always cherish the thought that I can always say that they are my "kapamilya".

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof."

Song of the month

2008-07-07T11:01:00.016-05:00

EVERYTHING by Michael Buble It's funny that I didn't know this song until I heard it at a party that Joey & Gina hosted to celebrate the 4th of July at their home in Sienna Plantation. This was the background music while they were showing us the pictures' slideshow of Gina's parents 50th wedding anniversary celebration that we also attended a few weeks before. I just fell in love with it. Even their teenager son knows the lyrics and when I asked them what is the title of this song, they were like "where have you been Girl?" .... aahhh .... with Journey's new CD Revelation ??? Simple Happiness = a stroll at Memorial Park's Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, an Escape from the hustle and bustle of city life to experience solitude in the natural world. Best Friend = one who you could be with and enjoy the passage of time -- and that's what I found in my husband and my pet yorkie Pogi. They are my "Everything". "Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends"

Water Fountain

2008-07-03T12:57:00.002-05:00

" How often it is that a garden, beautiful though it be,

will seem sad and dreary and lacking in one of its

most gracious features, if it has no water. "

- Pierre Husson

Now I look forward to playing with Pogi in our backyard, this water fountain provides us a soothing and relaxing atmosphere. We bought it from Sam's Club for less than a couple of hundred dollars ... money well spent. We need to move that TFC sattelite disc "nakakasira ng view". "Esperanza" is in full bloom after some TLC.