Marriage and Beyond

posted by Jennie on Oct 24

As opposed to most families, we actually spend our family days on Mondays. It’s something we’ve gotten accustomed to and don’t mind at all. Sundays are normally hectic (but blessed) days for us. The hubby preaches three times every Sunday and there really is no time to squeeze quality time in together, save for a very quick lunch. Yesterday, we just did a drive-thru since we spent quite a bit longer at church because I had talk with a few people (something I’ll never get tired of too). In spite of not being together much on Sundays, it is a joy to know that our little man still looks forward to it. He’d most of the time would go, “I love Sundays because we get to praise and worship God at the church.” Humbles my heart as it affirms that he’s getting quite a grasp of how it is to be in the ministry.

An interesting convo we had on our way to church last Sunday was when out of the blue Jed blurted out (like he does most of the time), “Papa, can I use your church when you’re dead?” The question came as a shock to me, that I almost reprimanded him. But I held my horses and asked the little guy what he meant. He said, “I was just hoping I can preach at your church when you’re gone.” It sure sounded a lot like this boy is more ready for his father to go than I will ever be. But then, what’s more interesting is, he wanted to be just like his father.

All right, he’s told us all the things he would want to be when he grows up. Aside from being a scientist and a robot maker, he also wants to be a pastor. We had to tell him out right that he can actually preach even if Papa is still around, for as long as he is ready. He then, gave us a sigh of relief and babbled away about his many plans of sharing Jesus to the world.

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posted by Jennie on Nov 11

My son and I spent a lovely time trick or treating last October 31 at the Nido Science Discovery Center at SM Mall of Asia. The challenge for the trick or treaters was to find Blurb, the alien. It was just the perfect theme for my son who has been so into learning about the space, planets and more recently about aliens. Which came about because, apparently, he has been watching a show entitled “Kokey” with my mom, during times that I am not around.

Dr. Bunsen Burner’s alien friend, Blurb is lost.  The challenge was for us to find him throughout the Galaxy and travel to different worlds where Blurb was seen. We were given this galaxy guide to help us with our mission. Read the rest of this entry »

posted by Jennie on Jul 17

Thanks to the LTO Facebook Fanpage for these Color (Number) Coding Tips that motorists all over the metro can make use of.   We thought we’d have this posted to help our readers as well know of these “basic” MMDA/LTO rules we have to comply with.

1. No window hours: Makati, Malabon and Las Pinas. Number Coding is in effect from 7 am to 7 pm!

2. No number coding: Taguig, Marikina and Paranaque. So, feel free to roam around these cities anytime.

3. Pasig City has window hours of 9 am to 4 pm (note the 1 hour additional to the normal 10 am-3 pm window).

4. San Juan has window hours now according to MMDA website.

5. Pasay City is implementing Number Coding except on the following roads: Ninoy Aquino Avenue, MIA Road, Domestic Road, Portions of Airport Road, Sales Road, Tramo.

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posted by Jennie on Feb 24

When our home insurance agent called early this month to remind us that our coverage is to expire before the month ends, we made sure we had to ask her to add in the “force majeure” feature.  Yes, we might be paying a couple more grand for the premium, but I think it is a small price to pay, just in case what happened during typhoon Ondoy will happen again – documented here, here and here.

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posted by Jennie on Feb 5

Last Wednesday, February 3, the hubby and I were invited, together with fellow bloggers to have a taste of Old Vine Grille and Kuse cuisines (Continental and Filipino) in Venize Piazza at McKinley Hill. It was a sumptuous Pre Valentine Dinner, to say the least. The ambiance was divine and laid back. It was fun how the restaurants’ managing partner, Larry Cortez sat with us for random chit chats – from the history of the Tessie Tomas Salad to our (the bloggers’) passion for photography. I was delighted to know that they are the same company behind Uncle Cheffy Restaurant in Eastwood Libis.

Uncle Cheffy is where we dined in on our 8th wedding anniversary last December. It made an impact on me because their staff were extra courteous and honest. We forgot some of our stuff in the restaurant and one of them actually went out of his way to come looking for us. We hopped to another restaurant and there he was with all our things – intact. I was meaning to make a blog post of our anniversary dinner but because of the crazy holiday schedule, I never got down to doing just that.

Here are a few of the shots that I took from our divine dinner treat courtesy of Old Vine Grille and Kuse.

Old Vine Grille entrance

inside Old Vine Grille

private room  (should accommodate at least 30 people)

Tessie Tomas Salad – P295 (small)/ P595 (regular)

Paco Salad sa Laguna (with Kesong Puti) – P 165

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posted by Jennie on Jul 30

Working with the youth has always been interesting. It is way easier to be able to relate to them now that I am outside the box and yet I still can so understand them because I have been there once before. God’s grace has allowed me to see these young people through His loving eyes. Firm enough to rebuke but gentle enough to encourage. It is not the easiest to be an adolescent, even a young pro. The dating game and all the hassles of courtship, which if practiced outside God’s umbrella brings about haste and destruction. Not to mention heartaches and everything else in between. Read the rest of this entry »

posted by Jennie on Jul 26

My coming with the hubby for this Breaking Point missions trip in Palawan would not have been possible if it were not for my folks agreeing to care for our son while Jeff and I are away. Aren’t grandfolks the coolest? Mine are. They really are. Aside from the fact that they are both retired, my son is the only grand child they have to date.

papa and mama at Hotel Vancouver

As much as they love being in Western countries better because of all its conveniences and lesser dust (mama keeps emphasizing this) compared to Manila, they are still here. I remember having a hard time going to events when they were outside the country last year.

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posted by Jennie on Jun 5

Turning down another wedding event is not exactly an exciting thing for me. Lately, I have once again turned down another event that is set for next year. As much as I would love to attend to its preparations, my upcoming schedule with my little kid as we home school has to come first and foremost.

In the last couple of years, I gladly offered free consultation in lieu of my committed service. Mainly because my schedule cannot accommodate wedding planning anymore and I feel awful having to turn down one of the things that I love doing and I should say I am very good at. I do not withhold my list of wedding suppliers – of trade show displays that can be used for wedding events, the banner stands that are now the norm of modern wedding events and even canvas printing services to those I cannot accommodate. I know I have a pretty good list and everyone deserves to have the best wedding ever.

Keeping to a priority, especially now that my son and I will formally start with the home school program in two weeks, is non-negotiable. The bride to be needed an answer soon and I cannot risk saying yes, if I will not be able to deliver. The most that I could do for now is to give out a list and files of my suppliers, from trade show displays provider, invites to makeup artists. I even give out program samples that soon to be married couples can use for their wedding.  

Hopefully, by next year I can get back to coordinating weddings again, even if it will just be “on the day coordination”. By that time, I should have mastered juggling all the things that I do.

posted by Jennie on Jun 2

After having recently bought another domain for myself, I pretty much have put more time on it than I did here on my main blog, this past week. Please forgive the less frequent updates on MarriageandBeyond.com. Aside from the blog updates that I had to do across my blogs (a couple of which still undisclosed), my sweet hubby gifted me with another website. I did not have to ask twice. Thanks, Jeff! It just occurred to me that this is a validation to my doubts that the web bug has bitten us.  If it were some years back, I would have found it queer to be gifted by my beloved spouse a blog. Of all things, who would have appreciated a website! Well, I do now. I would probably make a promotion of it in the coming days but I will have to let you in some bits about it, for now. It’s a wordpress blog, no less. A domain of its own and with a title that has been SEO-ed (if you know what I mean). Now I’m kinda stuck what I want more for a gift, Belgian chocolates or a website (good and well thought of one).

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posted by Jennie on May 31

The JIVE band did a great job today as they played their rendition of Superchick’s “Highschool”. Sing along as you watch this video clip. It was a back to school program they called, “School of the Rock.” The Rock is Jesus. The song encourages students who are going back to school to see the bigger picture and rise above what is usually expected of high school students.

We have to give it to the young people who came this afternoon for the back to school program. In spite of the bad weather and heavy downpour, there were still a lot of youth who came over to the party. They could’ve chosen to stay indoors or stroll in the malls with their families for wholesale tvs, but they all came! This is why malls are crowded this past week, because of the current back to school sale.

Enjoy the video clip and sing along!

Guy: Dude did you hear that Superchic[k]‘s playing the prom?

CHORUS:
High school (high school)
Could be (Could be)
A mini me of the rest of society
There’s always (always)
A prom queen (prom queen)
There’ll always be, always be sororities
Sadly (Sadly)
Some will be (some will be)
Eternally keeping score of popularity
And just ’cause (just ’cause )
They all do (They all do)
Doesn’t mean we have to act like we’re in high school

High school is like a big competition
Beauty contests, prom court is the mission
There can only be one queen, one king
Everyone voting, everyone competing
But these are the rules, the way of high school
If someone puts you down, that’s so high school
Someone talks behind your back, that’s so high school
Thinking you have to get them back, that’s also high school
I know, I’ll be graduating early

High school is like the state of the nation
Some people never change after graduation
Believing any light you shine makes their’s lesser
They have to prove to everyone that their’s is better
These are the rules, the ways of high school
If someone puts you down, that’s so high school
Believing they’re too cool for you, that’s so high school
and when you believe it too, that’s also high school
I know, I’ll be graduating early

Doesn’t mean we have to act like we’re in high school
Doesn’t mean we have to act like we’re in high school
We’ve all got bad yearbook photos
Which we’ve forgot to let go
And just like acne our insecurity
Should be something we left with the JV
So here’s to letting go of yearbook photos
Things we kept that hold us down so
That was yesterday, there’s always tomorrow
We are tomorrow, we are tomorrow
I know, I’ll be graduating early

posted by Jennie on May 30

During the first year of our marriage, we started off with the hubby taking care of our finances. Everything was jotted down. A checking account was opened for better monitoring. We were idealistic. An influence of what I have picked up from Fascinating Womanhood. It teaches about the importance of the husband take control of the family finances so that the burden will be upon him like it is designed to be.

As years went on, the hubby became overwhelmed with several things that he had to take care of and he had me take over the financial management. We were better off from then. He stays on as the provider, but had me take care of monitoring alongside every single household concern. Finances have been a major part of concern in marriage. An executive director of Evansville nonprofit community of Marriage Builders said, “Finances are certainly one of the top five, if not top three, problems that marriage faces.”

It is true that money can be a major cause of discord between couples and this is the very thing that we refuse to take over our marriage. Having both come from family of origins that did not exactly practice the biblical way of handling finances, we chose to do it God’s way. We’re still not perfect but we are happy to report that with God’s help, we are able to pull through the challenges that were thrown our way. Having each other to be accountable to for every financial concern keeps us from wavering. Even as simple as the purchase of the last Adidas shoes the hubby bought, was planned. Athletic shoes can be very pricey these, so we do not just buy without considering our budget. We make sure not to mindlessly indulge and continue be good stewards of what is given us.

Personally, I give it to my mother to have instilled upon me a prudent way of living. I would honestly go for discount shoes than the pricier brands. Of course I still go for comfort so that could be a challenge but not impossible.

Money matters in marriage. In fact, it could easily cause friction if issues are not immediately resolved. Open line of communication between spouses is important to be able to talk freely about several matters, including the finances. Security in the relationship is very important. Without this, financial talk about marriage could just about be looked upon as an issue of control.

posted by Jennie on May 28

SBC-Makati is one thrilled bunch as we altogether welcome another year of God’s faithfulness. We are celebrating our 6th anniversary this coming Sunday, March 31, 2009. We appreciate all the years that we have been with our church family.

A lot of preparations are being done, invitations are already out and the new tarpaulin is now ready to replace our current backdrop. We have also been contacting former attendees, hoping they will be available to celebrate our 6th anniversary with us. Our church office does not yet have its own internet service. Maybe a service similar to what verizon offers will be nice.  verizon bundles will prove to be the most practical, to say the least. Our local ones charge like crazy for the simplest of service. We could make use of its wireless phone service from the list of verizon deals. This would help people who are on the follow up ministry could easily contact members and attendees in our database list.

We currently do not have anyone on staff yet, but the volunteer workers are doing a great job at their ministries. They have this sense of ownership over the ministries that have been assigned to them. It helps a lot that they are working through their giftings and talents. We have been in a celebrative mood for weeks now and we move forward to our seventh year hopeful to an even better year for SBC-Makati.

posted by Jennie on May 26

Often our most urgent and fervent prayers regarding our children are for their protection. It’s hard to think about other aspects of their lives if we are worried sick over their personal safety. How can we pray about future events when we’re concerned about them even having a future?

Things happen when we pray that will not happen when we don’t. What might happen, or might not happen, to our children if we don’t pray today? Let’s not wait to find out. Lets get on our knees now.

These are the first and last paragraphs of Stormie Omartian’s The Power of a Praying Parent. These words reminded me when I first heard about Mike Tyson’s daughter’s tragic accident. Who would have thought that treadmills could be deadly for four year old kids, right? As a mother, I have my share of fears for my son and I guess it is but natural. And my resolve as a mother is to continually pray for every aspect of his life. Such that I will not bring him up by my finite and human wisdom alone but for the Lord to lead both me and his father to raise him up aright. As for worries about what could happen and his safety, I would rather also choose to constantly pray that the Lord’s hand be upon him always.

posted by Jennie on May 25

A busy schedule has the ability to rob us away of more important things that matter, like spending quality time with your spouse. Life can be pretty toxic, that is true. But whenever I find myself overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the reason is almost always that I did not take the time out to be alone with the Lord. My personal devotion is so important that the absence of which just about defines what my day ahead will be for me. It is often impossible to tweak our circumstance, but our attitude towards whatever will come our way will be up to us to control.

Spending quality time with the hubby is as important as having my personal devotion. We call it “couch time.” As we both work during the day, pressures coming from everywhere, it is easy to be disconnected with your spouse if there is no quality time spent together. It is not surprising that a lot of couples fall into the “falling out of love” trap. The lack of quality time spent together is always the culprit. My primary love language being Quality Time, I get cranky toward the hubby whenever we don’t spend time. Sometimes I even find myself wondering why I get cranky and later things will point towards the lack of time we spend together as the reason. Jeff knows me so well that he figures this out before I even get crankier. (lol) One of the things we enjoy doing at least once a week is watching episodes of our favorite tv series.

Last week, the hubby and I had no choice but to reluctantly say goodbye to three of our favorite tv series, the staples of our after couch time moments. It really looks like it is the end for Prisonbreak. We know it is going to be a while before the next season of 24 and Heroes will be back. It would be sweet if we have similar like that of dish network deals where we could choose a spin off from all of our three favorite tv series that recently said goodbye to us, all at the same time.

After terminating our subscription with our cable provider last year, we refuse to have anything less than what special dish network offers. I know it is pretty high standard. But why would we settle for anything less when, it will just cause us unnecessary headaches like what our former provider gave us. So unless there will be a local company that has similar offers like the dish network, the dvd reruns will have to suffice.

As of late, we have watched the first few episodes of Chuck and we are amused. Our friend, Frances won’t stop raving about it and I got curious. The series can be crazy hilarious and very entertaining. We are beginning to love it. A major shift from the heavier episodes of the former ones we got used to.  I so love spending time with Jeff. I especially love it when we pour our hearts out to each other. It takes us back to where we started off. The dynamics of a family can be complex. Life itself is. But zeroing in on the essentials, (like spending quality time with your spouse) make every waking moment a joy to behold.

posted by Jennie on May 23

Sumulong Baptist Church – Makati will officially turn six years on May 25, 2009. It was in the middle of last year when we started praying for a place to transfer to. We looked all over but found none. The location is not really the cheapest city in the country. In fact, it is the opposite.

We are more than glad that we were able to strike a deal with the owner of the building. It will give us more time to corporately pray for a better location. Another concern will be to hire a company to take care of REMOVALS. Read the rest of this entry »