hitched and then some...

this was posted at Weddings@Work and thought to pass it on to you guys...


The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection
Deb Graham

When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner
every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made
breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and
extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if
anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom,
and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him
smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from
the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for
burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned
toast."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he
really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Debbie,
your momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And
besides­a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"

In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the kindness
my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my
childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just
recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.

I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have breakfast
food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!

To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly began to cook
eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under
control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes
later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the
oven!

Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces of
bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had been
one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So
burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the
toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite by bite,
all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack
said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a
hard day."

As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about my mom and
dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I quietly
thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker
either!

You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm not
the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that
Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his music too loud, he will
always find a way to avoid yard work, he watches far too many sports & play
the whole night with warcraft. Believe it or not, watching "Golf Academy" is
not my idea of a great night at home!

But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept the
imperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each
other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences. You
might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are!

For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm
even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the
other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is a marketer's
dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is
strong, I am weak, and vice versa.

And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very much
alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can predict his
actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he knows whether
I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.

We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are still best
friends. We've traveled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountaintops.
And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of every day to
make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's
faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of
the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting marriage
relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good,
the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at the feet of
GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a
marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!

i've always loved purple and all its different variants. it's not surprising that i'd make it as one of my wedding colors.

i initially started with a lilac and silver motif. now, when i was thinking FLOWERS.. hhmmm wala naman silver na flower!!! white meron pero... hmmmm i think i need to spruce it up.

then i came across Metro Weddings. i was inspired by the purple, sage, and sky color triad. it was perfect for a garden venue!

so, without further ado... here are my colors:



special thanks to: http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwizard.asp

for some weird and crazy reason, i was able to secure my wedding gown even before i booked all my local suppliers... yes, wedding dress muna bago ang simbahan! tama ba yon?!?!
for the benefit of those who haven't heard this story...

i spent a weekend at Minneapolis around May (?) 2007. out of boredom, my very good friend Bhabes and I stopped over one of the nearby bridal shops. my intent then was to look for a nice color motif. yeah, and maybe try on a few gowns hehe.

so there it was, my size in a rack, scanned through the dresses and then one gown caught my eye. Bhabes was really excited and wanted me to try it on. (i won't even describe it at this point!) so i snuck in the fitting room and put it on. *SHRIEK!!!* i never wanted to take it off!!! Bhabes joined me inside the room and snapped some pictures. i went out and took my turn in front of the 360-degree mirror and viola! i wanted to cry. hahaha! the store owner even said that it seemed that the dress picked me ;) *bolera ampf!*

i asked the lady if she can put it on hold for me until tomorrow. she immediately agreed.

we went home, i called up zayd and told him of my recent escapade hehe. Bhabes was really intent on getting that gown for me so she took a chance and grabbed the phone from me so she can talk to zayd.

needless to say, i was back at the bridal store first thing next day! :)

p.s.
yes, i hand-carried my wedding gown from Minneapolis to St. Louis and then back to Manila. my mom could not believe her eyes when she saw me holding the gown. that's when it actually dawned on them that this wedding was a go. hahaha!

zayd still hasn't seen my gown.

so zayd's mom asked me to buy flat sheets this weekend. since Good Friday was a non-working holiday, we decided to temporarily shutdown our brains and go out.

it was a test -- i think. i went bedsheet shopping with my tita mona back in september for my granny. i was too busy looking at the pricetag and kept pointing out the cheap ones. hehe. she then gave me the low-down on picking the right bedsheet :)

1. know what kind of bed needs the sheet - king, queen, twin, and single. unfortunately walang single dito sa tate hehe.

2. does it have to be fitted or just the flat sheet - in Manila, usually it's just one but in the US, may fitted na, then may flat sheet pa sold as a set. since this is going to be used in Manila, i opted to just get the flat sheet and not the packaged one (na may kasamang pillowcase)

3. know the fabric - i saw tons of fabric at BBB! satin, cotton, egyptian. i kinda liked the thought of satin. but naisip ko it will get hot and sticky sa skin during the summer (which is NOW!). cotton is most common. but i remember after some time, magninisnis sya.

4. thread count - the higher the number, the softer it feels.

taking these into consideration, i spent an hour inside BBB hehe. almost everything was on sale and had additional discounts taken at the counter. i had all the time to waste in the world since my friend and i won't be meeting till about 5pm. prior to BBB, i looked at the price ranges of the sheets at Burlington and Marshall's. i already had my eye on the Nautica sheets I found in Burlington but that was cotton i think, for about $30.

it was at BBB i found myself satisfied, and decided to get the 500 thread count clay-colored flat sheet. i even got a nice and matching beige-colored pillowcase too which was a steal.

satisfied ako with my recent escapade. actually, i was very excited hehehe. i can only imagine pag house na namin yung bibilhan ko ng stuff!

i just wish we get that house started na. ngrrrr!

on the lighter side of TV:

i caught Warren Beatty's version of Love Affair on Friday morning. haaaay. inlababo na naman ako hehe.

then came: He Said, She Said. darn. Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Perkins. nakakatuwa sya. but too bad di ko natapos huhu kasi we had to leave na. i am trying to catch it at Oxygen this weekend. haaay. i wish i can finish that movie. i wonder how it ends...

another classic on TV: When Harry Met Sally. this is a funny movie talaga. basically explains why a man and a woman can never be just friends. hhmm. let me rephrase that: there is a high probability that men and women can never be just friends. it will take whole lot of will (or should it be don't?) power.

shout outs:
i miss you zayd! it's a shame na we don't get to chat as much over the long break but i do understand you have to be with your family in tarlac. i just miss you so much! ngggrrr! thank you for calling me everytime you wake up :) i feel you miss me too! hahaha cheesy!

ge! i know you are always reading my blog hahaha! i hope you liked Ice Castles! stay happy girl!

deeej! i'm so happy for you! love yah girl!

i miss my family. i wonder what's for easter lunch? hhmmm. i am so excited na to get bac home. i have been given the go signal to shop for my up-and-coming nephew: Aaron Mohan. i already bought him a cutesy nike rubbershoes. yeah, i know. never buy shoes for kids since madali daw lumaki ang paa nila. but, wth! (as in what the heck!) this is my first pamangkin and i will splurge on him if i want to ;) well i know my brother will preserve this pair like my dad did mine.. which is an adidas that till now is displayed inside my room :)

i was stuck at home this last weekend, trying to resolve the serious performance issues we have encountered in our server. so anyway, i worked in front of the tv with 2 laptops :)

come 5pm, i was on ABC Family. viola! Cutting Edge marathon weekend pala!

Cutting Edge starring Moira Kelly and DB Sweeney. I swear this is one of my all-time fave romantic movies while I was growing up. i remember using this line on zayd: "just remember who said it first" hahaha!

then it went on to Cutting Edge 2. i didn't really like it as much as the first one. apparently, it was a continuation of the original one, so yung main na skater was the daughter of the characters in CE1.

and then! eto pinakamalupit! ICE CASTLES!!! OMG! umiiyak ako while watching! as in. buti na lang wala si ka-PBB haha! kadireh. i so like the plot. as in. i suggest you watch it. this was filmed in 1978 and also had the main soundtrack of "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" -- when you watch the movie, you'll definitely understand why this is the song. super ganda. i wish they made more films na ganyan nowadays.

come sunday night, it was cutting edge 3! it was a better offspring than CE2 if i must say so. the plot and storyline was kept pretty close to 1 and the characters have no direct lineage to the original one. their coach though, was the daughter of the couple in CE1. the pamchenko move was also revived in this movie. which was amazing. and the guy! OMG. to drool for. hehe. he looked a lot like josh hartnett.

wala lang. i felt so in love with zayd nung weekend. pero may sakit sya eh. no pansin ako huhu. pero okay lang. okay naman kami :)

*my gosh, it just dawned on me na it's just 6months away till the big day! i can't wait to get back home...*

my heart just always goes out to the rockers...

first it was Bo Bice..



then Chris Daughtry...



now it's Carly!

Zayd
There are 9 letters in your name.
Those 9 letters total to 41
There are 3 vowels and 6 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:Muslim Male Superabundance.


Your number is: 5

The characteristics of #5 are: Expansiveness, visionary, adventure, the constructive use of freedom.

The expression or destiny for #5:
The number 5 Expression endows with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility. You can do so many things well. The tone of the number 5 is constructive freedom, and in your drive to attain this freedom, you will likely be the master of adaptability and change. You are good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Naturally, this gives you an edge in any sort of selling game and spells easy success when it comes to working with people in most jobs. Your popularity may lead you toward some form of entertainment or amusement. Whatever you do, you are clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.

If there is too much of the 5 energy in your makeup, you may express some the negative attitudes of the number. Your restless and impatient attitude may keep you from staying with any project for too long. Sometimes you can be rather erratic and scatter yourself and your energies. You have a hard time keeping regular office hours and maintaining any sort of a routine. You tend to react strongly if you sense that your freedom of speech or action is being impaired or restricted in any way. As clever as you are, you may have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again because much of your response is glib reaction rather that thoughtful application. You are in a continuous state of flux brought by constantly changing interests.

Your Soul Urge number is: 3

A Soul Urge number of 3 means:
With the Soul Urge number 3 your desire in life is personal expression, and generally enjoying life to its fullest. You want to participate in an active social life and enjoy a large circle of friends. You want to be in the limelight, expressing your artistic or intellectual talents. Word skills may be your thing; speaking, writing, acting, singing. In a positive sense, the 3 energy is friendly, outgoing and always very social.

You have a decidedly upbeat attitude that is rarely discouraged; a good mental and emotional balance.

The 3 Soul Urge gives intuitive insight, thus, very high creative and inspirational tendencies. The truly outstanding trait shown by the 3 Soul Urge is that of self-expression, regardless of the field of endeavor.

On the negative side, you may at times become too easygoing and too optimistic, tending to scatter forces and accomplish very little. Often, the excessive 3 energy produces non-stop talkers. Everyone has faults, but the 3 soul urge doesn't appreciate having these pointed out.

Your Inner Dream number is: 11

An Inner Dream number of 11 means:
You dream of casting the light of illumination; of being the true idealist. You secretly believe there is more to life than we can know or prove, and you would like to be provider of the 'word' from on high.


Weng

There are 11 letters in your name.
Those 11 letters total to 56
There are 5 vowels and 6 consonants in your name.

Your number is: 11

The characteristics of #11 are: High spiritual plane, intuitive, illumination, idealist, a dreamer.

The expression or destiny for #11:
Your Expression number is 11. The number 11 is the first of the master numbers. It is associated with idealistic concepts and rather spiritual issues. Accordingly, it is a number with potentials that are somewhat more difficult to live up to. You have the capacity to be inspirational, and the ability to lead merely by your own example. An inborn inner strength and awareness can make you an excellent teacher, social worker, philosopher, or advisor. No matter what area of work you pursue, you are very aware and sensitive to the highest sense of your environment. Your intuition is very strong; in fact, many psychic people and those involved in occult studies have the number 11 expression. You possess a good mind with keen analytical ability. Because of this you can probably succeed in most lines of work, however, you will do better and be happier outside of the business world. Oddly enough, even here you generally succeed, owing to your often original and unusual approach. Nonetheless, you are more content working with your ideals, rather than dollars and cents.

The positive aspect of the number 11 expression is an always idealistic attitude. Your thinking is long term, and you are able to grasp the far-reaching effects of actions and plans. You are disappointed by the shortsighted views of many of your contemporaries. You are deeply concerned and supportive of art, music, or of beauty in any form.

The negative attitudes associated with the number 11 expression include a continuous sense of nervous tension; you may be too sensitive and temperamental. You tend to dream a lot and may be more of a dreamer than a doer. Fantasy and reality sometimes become intermingled and you are sometimes very impractical. You tend to want to spread the illumination of your knowledge to others irrespective of their desire or need.

Your Soul Urge number is: 2

A Soul Urge number of 2 means:
With the Soul Urge number 2, your motivation is centered on friendships, partnerships, and companionship. You want to work with others as a part of a cooperative team. Leadership is not important to you, but making a contribution to the team effort is. You are willing to work hard to achieve a harmonious environment with sensitive, genial people.

In a positive sense, the 2 Soul Urge is sympathetic, extremely concerned and devoted. The nature tends to be very sensitive to others, always tactful and diplomatic. This element in your nature indicates that you are rather emotional. You are persuasive, but in a very quiet way, never forceful. You are the type that makes really close friendships because you are so affectionate and loving.

If this number is over-emphasized in your makeup, you may be over-sensitive, with a delicate ego that is too easily hurt. You may be timid or fearful, too easygoing for your own good.

Your Inner Dream number is: 9

An Inner Dream number of 9 means:
You dream of being creative, intellectual, and universal; the selfless humanitarian. You understand the needy and what to help them. You would love to be a person people count on for support and advice.