And the Wedding Preparations Continue...

Okay, since JP might be checking on our wedding site I might as well update it. Grabe.... less than 9 8 months till our big day and I am still inconsistent with posting hahaha! I think as the day goes by with the preps this site will get updated more. Will be posting my friend's DIY on our cords and pictures of the pamumulong or pamamanhikan on the 17th.

Wedding planning and more so, wedding blogging took a back seat way too much from a six month project I was involve with. But God is good and I have a new job now at IRRI, which hopefully will not be as tasking as my previous job. I need to start my DIY on the fabric flowers and plan our ceremony already.

But first... PAMAMANHIKAN hihihi! Excited much!:)

Till the 17th!:)

When Parents Get Excited for Your Wedding

Okay, breathe in... breathe out.... one year count down fast approaching... busy, busy, BUSY work schedule preventing you from wedding planning... too many wedding details to attend to... budgeting and savings to fill up... after wedding plans... wwwoooooohhhhhhoooooo WE ARE REALLY GETTING MARRIED!!!

And to top it of... EXCITED AND EAGER PARENTS <hyperventilating> BREATH IN BREATH OUT!!!<3

I just had a conversation with my family most especially with my Dad and it made me realize, our wedding plans are actually becoming a very serious matter with our families now. On the 21st of this month by next year, Jp and I will exchange vows in front of our closes family and friends in Tagaytay. It is exciting and becoming nerve wracking as days pass by.

At the start of our wedding plans, Jp and I settled that we will be shouldering all the wedding expenses. My father gave his blessing when we first asked permission to marry from my family that it is okay if we do not invite the whole clan for the wedding since we cannot afford it.

That was October last year, tonight was a different matter altogther <hyperventilating yet again>.

I then realize, when you get married, it is not only you and your husband/bride who gets excited but your parents, family and friends as well. And when parents get excited, you get confuse and do not know if it is a good thing or not.

It is a good thing because you know they are full on their support of your wedding. It will be better if they contribute to the wedding funds and it will best if they pay for everything hahaha! But seriously, parents getting excited about your wedding is a good sign.

Of course there are the cons to it. One is they would want to invite the whole barangay or even the whole of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao (depends on where you are) to your wedding, even that long, long, long lost cousin of your aunty's husband's cousin's cousin from nowhere just as not to dishonor them. They would want to change EVERYTHING you have planned and using blackmail or threat to make you do what they want. Parents will act as if we are mere toddlers, not knowing what to do, just to "help" out on our wedding. Worst, we feel guilty when we do not follow them.

But in spite of these, when parents get excited for your wedding, they add the necessary spice to a rather gruelling task of wedding planning. It may not be welcomed at all times, but it will tug your heart here and there knowing they simply want the best for you. Like they always did.

And remember, you will be a parent someday. As much as you would swear not to do the same thing, believe me you will. Might as well start on earning those karma points.:)

Negaversary

Wooohhhhoooo!

Our Daisy Path says it will be over a month till our NEGAVERSARY.

Nega-what?! You may ask? Well there is this thing called a one year countdown till a couple gets married and an anniversary was named after it. Why they call it NEGA, I have no idea. But the prospect of getting into the one year mark excites and scares me of the gigantic task ahead of me. For one, I haven't gotten over any DIY project I have in mind. I need to nail the flower fabric bouquets the least and the additional souvenirs I will give the guests. I need to learn time management because I switched jobs this year and it is a more demanding one than my previous job.

I need to go over our suppliers list one more time and contact my OTD regarding the things they need from us for the wedding and also to seek advice on what needs to be done first.

Pamamnhikan is also due soon!:) Our families think it is too early but I want this to be done and over with. One year is a very short time for wedding preparations. We started in October last year and time flew fast we are onto the one year countdown!!! I need to a lot a day for me to fix all our wedding lists (guests!, budget, things to do) and the wedding details I want, although this last one I might be downsizing on a bit.

I need to go over my list of things to do before I get hitched and sadly traveling solo did not push through this month as I switched jobs and did not have the time to go to Dumagete anymore. I did go to a new province on a business trip though.

There are a lot but the prospect of marring Jp melts my worries away. Day after day, as I get to know him more and more even if almost six years have passed since we became together, amazes me and makes me realize I am right in agreeing to marry Jp.:)

Having A Baby

No... I am far from it hahaha!:)

I visited an Ob-gyne for some concerns over my hormonal problem. I was diagnosed clinically of Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome in 2006 but the symptoms of this hormonal problem seems to have started way back high school. It is one of the causes for infertility and difficulty in conceiving.

For those who do not know what PCOS is, this condition leads to follicles growing in the ovaries that should have matured to one egg but instead does not due to imbalance of hormones. Normal women would release one egg every month and if not fertilize then mensturation will follow. In my case, no egg matures at all. This condition seems to be more evident in female members of families with a history of diabetes or in obese women. I am in fact clinically diagnosed as obese type 1 (Asian standards) but some PCOS women may be thin as well. Overall, a transrectal or transvaginal ultrasound will be the determinant if a woman has PCOS or not.

Why am I writing this in my wedding blog? Well it got me thinking of the next step after marriage which is raising a family.

I am quite surprised of my ob-gyne's reaction that I am "hurrying" on getting pregnant if I would get married by the age of 29. It seems to be the normal reaction I always get from ob-gyne doctors I have been to before but I do not really comprehend why there is a need to tell me that. It is almost, always done in good nature though and I am aware of the risk factors of late pregnancy in both women and the child plus add to that my condition which makes it difficult to begin with.

But really?! Do I need to know that? I mean, is it not now a norm in society and the medical field for women to get married late and have babies late and still produce healthy babies. Not only do I hear it from doctors, but family and friends seem to have the same opinion as well. Like time is running out on me hahaha! And frankly, I am getting more worried as years pass by.

I almost got myself thinking why JP and I have a long engagement and not just get married civilly and have babies.  Why not?

Then it hit me. Raising a kid is a lifetime choice that you have to at least be physically, mentally, emotionally and a bit financially prepared for. Having a baby changes everything. It makes your life turn 360 degrees more than getting married will. You are now responsible to feeding a child, fending for them, raising them and being responsible for what they would become in society and what they will contribute in the future. It is far more different than just owning a pet or tending to a plant. A child is like you and me, a full human being.

I have seen the struggles of my friends who are new parents. I understand that you will never be fully prepared in all aspects in raising a kid. In fact, JP said that he will only be prepared if our child is there otherwise, he would always think he is ill-equipped to be a Dad. But I want to feel for myself that whatever problems and challenges that will come, I am willing to handle. A baby is cute until it cries, whines, poops and all that... I AM NOT READY YET FOR IT!:)

So I figure, if I decide to get pregnant by the age of 30 and I am saying now that I will, no one can ever affect me. I rather have a child at a time that I am quite sure the least that I can be responsible for him/her than be half-bake about the whole idea just because I am getting older or I have a hormonal problems.

I have faith in God that He will provide.

Someday I will be a mommy but for now, I am okay where I am and nobody needs to tell me otherwise. :)

Enriching My Personality~ A Little Break from the Wedding Preps :)

***I chance upon this contest at Jane's blog and decided to join in. The question you have to answer is this: "What makes John Robert Power’s Personality Development Workshop the best thing to do today?” I immediately gather the guts to submit an entry and pray hard that I win it.;) You may visit her blog here about the contest: http://www.janedchua.com/2011/05/09/power-up-your-potential-at-john-robert-powers-contest/#comments or hook her up on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Between-Bites/181753655196538 and Twitter: http://twitter.com/betweenbites

You see, if you were to ask my family and my closes friends what they think about my personality and appearance, they would only say one thing: “MAGANDA NAMAN YAN SI KRYSTLE, WAG LANG YAN KIKILOS AT MAGSASALITA”

You might be thinking why they have the same comment, well it is because I am not your typical girl. I talk way too loud, I dress way too casually and if the situation does not call for it, I am boyish and laidback. Add to it that I am 28 years old already. It never bothered me before. In my mind, I take pride in the fact that I am your what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of gal. But things changed when I started building a career for myself.

Taken from my 27th bday but basically this is what I wear in the office... EVERYDAY;P

I admit though that in spite of my confidence, inside me is a girl who is very self-conscious of her outside appearance. Maybe that is also the reason why I do not know how to react properly to certain situations by way of social graces and to dress and speak appropriately. I do not have problems asserting myself with people but I do have a problem with HOW I assert myself. It is not enough that you have the confidence to know what you want, when you want it and what to do about getting what you want.  I realize that you also need to know HOW to get the things you want for yourself.

In starting out with my career in assisting in international development projects, I quickly learned that dynamism must also be countered with proper self-imaging if I want to get somewhere. One thing I learned is that, first impression in a work environment propels you to better work opportunities. I do not want my colleagues in this profession that I am aiming for to say the exact same thing my family and closes friends have about my personality and appearance. In fact, I want for them to stop saying it altogether.

And for this reason and for today, I highly feel that it is very important for me to attend the John Robert Powers’ Personality Development Workshop. I have a dream for my career. I want to make my dream a reality, even if it means that I need to add up to my confidence the necessary skills to project a better image of myself. I am my own “brand manager”, so to speak and how I project my confidence in my appearance, social graces and the way I speak will bring me closer to what I want for my career in the future.

And grace as I walk down the aisle next year would definitely be a plus!:)

Getting-Hitched Bucket List

I have been reading a lot of travel blogs lately. And I think I do read a lot of it... way a lot! Because now it got me thinking, do I still have a lot of things to do that I would want to do before Jp and I get married? Would I regret not doing these things before settling down?

It's not about having a cold feet. No, that is too early and it might not happen at all. I will marry Jp and I am definitely sure I want to enter the married life. I guess it is just normal to ask questions if as a person I have accomplished at least majority of the things I would want while I am still single.

Once you get married, your life changes. You no longer think of only yourself but you worry of another persons well being, his thoughts and opinion about things as well. I do not have a problem with Jp though in this department. He is the most mature and open minded person this free spirited girl needs. I think what he likes in me the most is my want for freedom and that also reflects the freedom I give him in our relationship. But of course I am fully aware of the big changes marriage brings. You cannot stay single forever.

Which brings me back to the subject of travel and of all the things I would want to do for myself on my bucket list.

If there is one thing I would love to do over and over again in my life, that is to travel the world and I am glad that Jp wants the very same thing. But given his work as a lawyer, his time is limited unlike mine. As much as WE would want to carry backpacks and roam around the world, we cannot. Money I guess is one problem but what bears more weight is the TIME constraints. As much as Jp would love to see the world, he loves his career too. He is driven by that passion to work at his career. It is his nature. I know he would not really say no to me when I yearn to travel even if we are married but of course if I leave him to do so, it will only break my heart.

So after reading one travel blog from another and realizing I have enough personal money to roam around the remaining parts of South East Asia I haven't been to and possibly India, it got me thinking... do I still have things that I would want to do before getting married and having a family with Jp?

Which got me to list I few things I want to cross out before I get married on my Getting-Hitched Bucket List. This list contains only a few doable things given the 1 year and 3mos time frame I have before we get married. Here are the things on my list:

1. TRAVEL ALONE
2. ORGANIZE A CHARITY TO MY NAME
3. DO VOLUNTEER WORK FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
4. HAVE A WORK OF MINE PRINTED IN A BROADSHEET

It seems to be a pretty short list but pretty doable.

And as I am ending this post, I realize, I have done a lot of things in my life that my list only contains 5 items which my heart truly desire. I have gone to Bacolod, one of the ultimate places I must go before I die next to Batanes and India. I have climbed a small mountain. I have jumped on a river from a 10ft high wall. I have rode numerous adventure rides. Drink myself drunk. Got my heartbroken. Fall madly in love with Jp. Seen several sunsets and sunrise. Mesmerized at a few of God's wonder. Spritually found myself. Got lost in a city and a country. Worked a mosh pit. Had a poem printed. Act on stage and the list goes on and on. I have enough experience already in my book for me to regret anything. I have done a lot of things except one...

That is to marry the man I love. To marry my bestfriend and start a whole new life with him full of adventures and misadventures. That would be the last number on my getting-hitched bucket list:

5. TO MARRY JP :)