We Are Family

2006 - First Out of Town Trip

Destination : Tagaytay

We figured out that life will never be the same again once the baby comes out. Initially we were planning for an HK trip but sadly we did not get any GO signal from our OB. (killjoy, hahaha!) I had some history of spotting and being on my 7th month of pregnancy she deemed it wise that we just go some place near.

We set the date on Jan 22-23 in time for our 8th monthsary. We called Sonya’s Bed and Breakfast for reservations but unfortunately all rooms were already booked. We didn’t know where else to go. Taal Vista looks great but very pricey. I don’t like Days Hotel and M0rn1ng doesn’t want Estancia. The night before our trip M0rn1ng told me that we could take a look at Nurture Spa and see if we like the place.

So off we go without a very fixed iterinary. What we had is just a list of places to stay, visit and eat. It was already 7 pm when we reached Nurture Spa. It was quite far-away from Aguinaldo highway and we thought that we will get lost. Upom arrival, we were greated by their congenial guard who carried our things at the lobby. There are lots of rooms available and they made us choose whether we would like to stay in the ifugao hut or in the air-con rooms. The aircon room looks like a hotel with a native feel. It has a sala to entertain guests, big bathroom with bath tub and a queen size bed. In the end we chose the ifugao hut for its authentic feel. We’ve never stayed on one of those before. In the end we were surprised how comfy it was. We had this feeling before that it won’t be comfortable but we were mistaken. It was nice to sleep with the sound of crickets in the background. The cool, fresh air made the electric fan worthless. We were also glad that there are no insects.

Here are some shots of the hut’s ceiling. Pretty romantic with the lamps and chiffon drapes. There is also a couch where one can sit. M0rn1ng can barely fit there lying down.

We had dinner that night at RSM Lutong Bahay. The place looks great with its spacious dining area. However, we are disappointed with the food we ordered. The T-Bone steak is not tender and the price is quite expensive. We also tried Bag of Beans steak and kidney pie. This one is super yummy. Now we know why a lot of people stop over to this place. We went there at night and the garden dining area was lit up by candles and luminaries. Uber romantic! We also had coffee at Starbucks. We stayed there and exchange some funny stories. The patio is conducive for hugging moments as the cool breeze blows through. We went back to Nurture at around 10 pm.

We had a good night rest at the ifugao hut and it was a welcomed changed to be greeted by dew and soft streaks of sunlight. By 7am we headed to the Mahogany market to buy some beef for bulalo. We also bought some pineapples and bananas. They were fresh and cheap. We were happy that NSpa agreed to put our meat in their freezer. That way we can take it home in good condition. We had breakfast in their restaurant afterwards. We loved how produced the rustic and countryside ambiance. The food was yummy and complete with fresh fruits as desserts.

We checked out at around 12pm. Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Nurture. Customer Service was excellent, the facilities superb and the food was healthy and mouth watering. We will definitely go back and try their spa packages next time.

We had lunch at Leslie’s. We stayed at one of their bahay kubo overlooking the Taal volcano. Service was fast and the food was yummy. We had pork sisig and ginataang kalabasa,hipon at sitaw. We were satisfied with what we had but it will be more economical to eat there when you are in a big group.

After lunch, we went to Picnic Grove. There’s not much to do but tell stories and unwind while enjoying the beauty of the Taal volcano. We went to Palace of the Sky after. From there we had a good view of the Tagaytay Highlands. We even rented a binocular for 10 bucks so that we can see the cable cars going up and down the highlands and midlands.

Overall we had an extremely great time. We will definitely go back and visit other places we haven’t gone yet : Antonio’s , Diner’s, Massimos and flower farm.

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This Blog is ALIVE!!!!!

I used to think that this blog would be forever buried in the abyss of oblivion. It seems like pregnancy dampened my desire to blog. The past few months after the wedding was quite a rollercoaster of emotions however I lost interest to express my feelings in writing.

We had a great wedding and a super sweet and memorable honeymoon. However, when we came back to settle in our nest I had this sudden rush of depressing emotions. Until now I still couldn’t figure out why. The only thing that I could think of is CHANGE. I thought I had prepared myself for the changes marriage will bring but I was mistaken. It has nothing to do with M0rn1ng for he is very loving and very easy to live with. I’m having issues with myself…the monster in me emerged. I have this perfectionist attitude. Always wanting to do everything right and perfect even if it is beyond my limitations. I want to be the best at work, best homemaker, best regular pioneer, best wife. Before long my health suffered due to unnecessary exertion. Yes, I had my asthma attacks that won’t go away even with medication. I’ve been sick, couldn’t breath and couldn’t sleep. It was a terrible time. I know I have no one to blame but myself. I’m pushing myself to hard…beyond my limits. There are some things that I must accept that I could no longer do due to my change in status. Once I’ve learned to accept, I slowly regained my balance. I thank God for M0rn1ng’s patience and unwavering love at this low point of my life.

2 months after the wedding, we were blessed with a baby. To be honest it was a shock to us at the very beginning. We didn’t expect our bundle of joy to be given this soon. However, every child is a gift from above and we are honored to have this privilege of being parents.

The first 3 months of pregnancy was an extremely difficulty time for me. I had morning sickness and migraines the whole day. It was at this time that our elders talked to me about pioneering. M0rn1ng and I have been praying incessantly to guide us to reach a decision in accordance to HIS will. In the end, sadly and with many tears we decided to give up pioneering for a while. I still miss those days when I can do a lot in the ministry, share in the early and night witnessing. I take the consolation that Jah is happy as long as our service is whole souled. We still devote our weekends for preaching and conducting bible studies. I know Jah is happy for he continues to bless our efforts.

Thankfully the horrendous first trimester had passed. I am feeling better on the 4th month onward. I was also able to visit my mom and dad in the province by November. Needless to say we had a great time bonding.

We also had our District Convention and we saw one of my sister’s bible studies get baptized. It was such a wonderful time to experience Jah’s loving arrangement to feed HIS loyal ones.

By December, my OB told us to have an ultrasound to determine our baby’s gender. All along we were expecting a baby girl. We even named her Sophia. But lo and behold! The sonogram results showed that we are having a baby boy. Surprise! Surprise! It took us a long while to think of a new name. We were not prepared for the naked truth. (hahaha) In the end M0rn1ng and I finally agreed on the name Andre Miguel.

I am now on my 30th week of pregnancy. A few more months more and we will be able to hold our precious baby in our arms. We are so excited! We’ve prepared a few things necessary for our little Andre: lots of prayers, lots of parenting books, baby’s clothes and crib. We both hope that everything will turn out fine and our baby will be born happy and healthy.

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