Benihana's

Hubby and I met a couple of friends at Benihana last night for dinner. We had never been there before but had been to Shogun. Surprisingly it was the EXACT same experience. I was expecting more - I remember back in the day girls would get all excited if their date was going to take them there. Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious. Just not sure what all the hype was about???

I'm NOT Losing My Mind - YAY!!!

Back in college, we used to laugh at the girls from California. Whenever they felt a rumble on the ground (ex: from the T, a pipe under a floorboard, or maybe a heavy set person walking by) they would get a panicked look on their face. If you asked them, "What's wrong?" they would respond, "Oooh, that felt like an earthquake!" We used to think they were being silly.

When I moved to San Diego I slept through my first three earthquakes. I didn't even know they occurred until I was at work and people were talking about them. I was relieved that I slept through them. But then...

One morning I heard a low rumble (thought it was someone's car) then felt the start of the shake. It lasted a long time and was like nothing I ever experienced before. Hubby was not home at the time (I think he was in Washington his Naval Reserve Duty). I remember that I was scared, and had NO IDEA what to do. I grew up in Chicago, for crying out loud, I only knew what to do in case of a tornado - I never went through an earthquake drill before! Thankfully, it was over before I even got out of bed, and my first thought was, "So THAT's why Rob doesn't want to hang anything over our bed, ohhhhh!!!!" My second thought was, "Now I understand why the girls used to freak out when the ground would rumble in Boston!"

This morning, around 5am, I swore... I really swore that I felt an earthquake. Hubby was already gone, parents were fast asleep, so I had no one to turn to and ask, "Hey, did you feel that?"

I texted a couple of friends in the area, and they said they didn't feel anything. I called my husband at work, and he didn't feel anything either. I even got mad when he said, "Maybe you were just dreaming?" No... I felt an earthquake... I was so sure of it.

So I looked it up online, and sure enough, at 4:55 there was a 4.8mag (moderate) earthquake near Bombay Beach, followed by a 3.6mag (light) earthquake at 4:59am. I'm not losing my mind! Sure, that area is approx. 135miles away - but that's still close enough to feel the aftershock. Phew.. I am so glad that I am NOT losing my mind.... yaaaaay!!!

Who knew?

13 years ago, around this time of year, my BFF and I went to Hawaii for Spring Break where I met a guy who was in the Navy. I thought he was handsome, smart, and fun. We had a good time.

Who knew this was the guy I was going to marry? We've been happily married for 11 years. I think he's even more handsome, smart, and fun - and the best husband in the whole wide world.

11 years ago we were living in Hawaii. Hubby was going to get out of the Navy in a few months. We had to decide on whether we should stay in Hawaii or move back to the mainland. After much discussion with my parents, we agreed to move back to Chicago.

Who knew that we would experience one of the worst winters ever? Our one year anniversary party was cancelled because at least three feet of snow fell the night before. The weather was awful, the culture was soooooo different, and in general we were not happy there.

9 years ago we were living in San Diego. It wasn't Hawaii, but it was pretty darn close! We didn't have much, but we were happy and making new friends.

Who knew that we would still be good friends with those same folks today? One, in particular, has become one of our closest and dearest friends. He is part of our family and is missed if ever he can't make any of our gatherings.

6 years ago we bought our first home. It was a 3 bedroom/2 bath condo. We loved it and had so much fun making it our own. I was pregnant at the time and we were looking forward to raising our child in this home.

Who knew that shortly thereafter I would suffer my second miscarriage (I had my first one the previous year)? It was awful and we were so sad. We continued to try and try again.

4 years ago we sold our condo and bought our first single family home. It was amazing to have our own walls as well as our own front and back yards to care for. It was also very different because my parents moved in with us and that was (and still is) a challenge for us all.

Who knew that within a year I would be pregnant again, miscarry and bury my first child? After only 18 weeks I delivered our daughter, Angelina. We love and miss her very much. Thankfully she is buried at the cemetery that is on the same grounds as our church, so we are able to visit her often. Because of her we are parents, our love for one another is stronger, and for that we are thankful.

Today we're still in the same house. We like it here. This is the longest we've been in one place and officially consider San Diego County, "home".

Who knew that we would ever live in Oceanside? Who knew that the hubby would be so into landscaping/gardening? Who knew that I would ever join the Filipino Choir at a church and that we would be active members of a parish? Who knew that today I would be 29 weeks pregnant? God willing, all will go well and in just a couple of months we will be able to bring our son home.

I've Learned...

Got a great email today and had to quote it...

"I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes."

So Far, So Good!

So far this week has been going well....

(1) I found out from a co-worker that the office closings that were supposed to occur the end of this month were postponed to May. That's kinda good news, right?

(2) Got a letter from our bank that our property taxes have been lowered, thus decreasing our monthly payments a couple hundred bucks as of May 1st - whoo hoo!!!

(3) In the same letter, enclosed was an escrow refund check - perfect timing considering we just had work done on two of our cars - yay!!!

(4) I received a personal check in the mail - totally forgot someone owed me money - sweet!

(5) I also received a package from a wonderful friend that included two awesome books, and the MOST DEEEELICIOUS cookies the hubby and I ever tasted. Oooohhhh....

God is good... thank you Lord!

This Past Week In Review

Lowlights from this past week:

• Thursday - Rob's truck battery died. Thankfully he was still in the parking lot at work so someone was able to give him a quick jump. He made it to the battery place and got a new battery installed. Thought it was okay, but then...
• Saturday - My car made a weird noise, then the "check engine" light turned on. Last time this happened I remember there was some major work that needed to be done. Not a good sign.
• Sunday - Rob saw white smoke while driving his truck. He popped the hood and found that his radiator was busted. It's currently sitting at the shop, courtesy of a free tow (thank you Geico Roadside Assistance!)

Highlights from this past week:

• Monday - Marked the beginning of my 27th week of pregnancy, yay!
• Tuesday - Heard the baby's heartbeat at the doctor's office and he is continue to do well!
• Wednesday - One of my best friends from college was in town for work and came by to spend some quality time and hang out.
• Thursday - Same BFF treated me to a much needed mani/pedi.
• Thursday - Had lunch with two of my BFFs.
• Thursday - Hubby brought home a 6-pack of Cinnabons for me to enjoy. (Don't worry, I only ate two.)
• Friday - Hubby brought home the Filet-O-Fish sandwiches I was craving from McD's.
• Saturday - Enjoyed a delicious home-made dinner, and company, with friends.

So while all the bad crap happened at the end of the week, I will harness my Chi and will focus on all the good stuff that happened at the beginning of the week... ohmmmmmm....

Then and Now

Then...
Growing up an only child was lonely at times. Especially since I lived on the Northwest side of Chicago and went to school in the South side of Chicago. I had friends in my neighborhood, but through the years they moved away. It was hard to make new friends in the area because I didn't go to the nearby schools and there weren't that many kids on my block.

Don't get me wrong, I had plenty of friends from school and extracurricular activities (piano classes, dance classes, music classes, Filipino organizations, etc.) but they didn't live close by. In the summertime I would get super excited when friends would sleep over (I was never allowed to sleep over anyone's house) because that meant we could play for two days. It was fun.

My aunt, may she rest in peace, used to play with me. As I got older, it just wasn't the same as playing with other kids. So I used my imagination a lot (since we didn't have computers and video games back then... I didn't have Atari) and had fun with my Barbies, other toys/games, and I can't remember what else . I would just close my bedroom door and found ways to fill my day. Often, very often indeed, it was just me, myself and I.

Now...
I'm on leave from work and find myself, for the most part, home alone (until the hubby comes home from work). My friends are all at work, or at home taking care of their kids. Every now and then friends come to visit me (since I'm not supposed to drive), which is usually on the weekends, and that's always fun. Hee hee - kinda reminds me of my childhood summers.

I fill my days with tasks, small chores, and just about anything to keep busy (there's always something to do). I'm not allowed to lift anything heavy, nor do anything strenuous, and am absolutely not allowed to exercise. I'm rarely bored, and if I ever am, I remind myself that this "me" time that I have right now is precious. I will never have this calm, quiet and alone time ever again.

In just a few short months the hubby and I will be bringing a baby into this world. We look forward to this with great joy and Lord knows we've waiting a long time for this! The 11 years of marriage that the hubby and I had, of just us, will be changing soon... and we wouldn't want it any other way.

I'm thankful for what I had "then" and am eagerly waiting for what's to come "now"...

Now What?

I need to vent...

I've been on leave from work since mid-January. Since then co-workers have been keeping in touch from time to time. Hubby and I have discussed it, at great length, and agreed that it is necessary for me to return to work after the baby is born.

Last month, via text message, I was alerted that our company let 10% of our staff go to cut costs. I was safe.

The other week I was updating my personal address book. I called my office, expecting to speak to the receptionist (who was a temp), and found out that she was let go. I was surprised to hear my co-worker answer the phone (as she's usually out in the field visiting clients) and she informed me that to continue to cut costs some of our field offices would be closing at the end of this month. I wasn't surprised to hear that our office was going to close - especially since we have two other offices in SoCal. We've done this in the past and employees simply worked from home. Not a shocker - most of us do this anyway and go into the office once, maybe twice a week. No one from our office was let go, so again, I was safe.

The other day I texted a co-worker to follow up on an expense check that I hadn't received yet. Then, and only then, was I informed that our company had been bought out (literally the day before) and a merger was taking place. What!? Could no one have called me, texted me or emailed me, to let me know of this news??? Granted, yes, I know I'm on leave, and yes, I know that maybe (just maybe) no one wanted to stress me out considering I'm pregnant - but still - THIS IS HUGE!

I went online to find articles about the merge, and sure enough, there were plenty. One quote that really stuck out to me was, "It is unclear whether the remaining employees at [name of my company here] will remain as part of the larger merged business." Wow.

If I weren't on leave, if I weren't pregnant, I could probably take this news a little better. Since I'm out of the loop - it's taking me some time to digest this. I've always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS survived RIFs at every company that I've been with. Not sure about this time...

I'm sure we'll figure it out. I'm sure we'll find a way to be fine. But still... with my hormones and a baby on the way... I'm not thinking as clearly as I did pre-pregnancy. So.... now what???

I Am So Thankful

Several months ago a friend talked me into joining Facebook. Since I'm on modified bed rest, and am no longer working from home, I have plenty of free time. Facebook is addictive. Especially now that hubby hooked up the scanner to the computer in our bedroom. I found a ton of old pictures (i.e. before we had a digital camera) and have been scanning them for months. I've even posted a bunch of them on Facebook to share with friends.

In scanning these pictures I'm reliving all the fun we had - especially at past parties. I see the pictures of all our friends and am overwhelmed by all the friendship, support and love that we have been surrounded with through the years. I am so thankful that we've made so many friends, and am even more thankful that we're still in touch with many of them.

Maybe it's the hormones... but really... I am so so so so very thankful.