I guess I’ll blog about the wedding little by little.  But months before, since Perze, Emma and myself were all in the wedding party, we decided to buy the cake topper.  I searched really hard to find a personal one for a decent price.  Initially, I planned on buying a Hello Kitty one w/ the Hello Kitty Bride and Groom.  But then I ended up finding something so personal for the couple.

Check it out:

It was whimsical and very Rogie & Leila since Rogie is very well known for his love of Jeeps.  We tease him all the time that he’ll eventually have to sell his "Jeepsus" one day, and coincidentally, I found a cake topper of his actual Jeep, same color too.  We’re really glad they loved that tiny detail.  I’ve been keeping it a surprise since April so at the reception, when they finally got to see it, their reaction was priceless. 

After their wedding, the next day, we decided to stage a similar scene, which is seen on the right picture.  I’m glad we got it for them because I know years later, Rogie will be on the verge of crying, remembering his Jeepsus, as he looks at Rogie Jr.

My daughter LOVES the beach. Last Saturday, we were able to hit the beach for the first time this year, and Em’s behavior gave the impression that we’ve deprived her for life.

We helped celebrate Eli and Amia’s birthdays in a joint beach party, filled with plentiful food, under gracious tents that blocked the generous sunshine.  It was really a perfect day for a party since there was wind amidst the sun. 

Seeing friends at a beach party, with food, and an overjoyed toddler, sitting under a shade and hearing the beach chatter is just really calming.  It made me very thankful that we came, esp. seeing Em so happy covering herself with sand and teasing the waves.

But a behemoth thanks to the Frago family for inviting us!!  We had a great time.  (see right: Em & Eli)

For the complete album of our Island Park Beach Party, please visit our Twelvesixteen.net Photo Gallery.  We’ve uploaded all our pix.

So, just recently, our laptop got really sick. Weeks ago, we should have paid more attention to it, noticing its signs of slowing down, but we shrugged it away and thought it was because we were quickly filling its memory up with gigantic pictures.

Well, this weekend, it finally waved its red flag and decided to stop running certain basic programs; we couldn’t even run task manager. Just yesterday, Perze was able to back up all our files and reinstall everything on the laptop.

And that’s why we’ve been a little behind on facebook, on twelvesixteen, and even sometimes meebo. Hope our readers haven’t given up on us.

Blogs soon to be up for posting:

disputes are normal. disputes eventually occur.  The important thing is getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, while also making sure that all the important issues are addressed.

After going through Paypal’s machine operator for several minutes, I was finally transferred to a claims representative who spoke so fast, I felt like throwing a Mario turtle at him to slow him down.  I finally caught up to him and addressed my issue regarding buyer protection.  After I explained how I felt misguided by Paypal’s email, we kept going in circles about how I should have obtained a tracking number for the returned item.  I got so frustrated that I had to throw another Mario turtle at him and tell him that I understood what he was trying to say, but that I needed a resolution to my problem.  Finally, I asked him if there was any other way I could get refunded and he finally offered a tiny hole of hope.

He said I could appeal my case and fax over my receipt of sent item to Paypal, which would then be followed by contacting the 2nd party to confirm the delivery.  After minutes of solidifying the protocol, he finalized his suggested plan and said, “once you fax in your receipt and even if she calls us tomorrow, we’ll send out your money.  We just need to know it got there.”  With some frustration, I asked, “well, can’t I just have her contact you, say tomorrow, and confirm the delivery without going through the huge list of steps?”  And with chagrin, he apologized and clarified that all she had to do was say she received the package.  No receipt, no fax, no appeal, no circus tricks and pin tosses and mexican hat dance.  Just a click on her paypal account, with a message of receipt.

By this time, I really wanted to throw a Mario turtle at him.  This was all for a 45 minute phone call.

Which goes to show…disputes are inevitable…but:

• focus on a resolution
• attack only the relevant important issues
• stay away from circular arguments
• avoid unnecessary detours, turns, time travels.  just attack the issue.
• be fair
• always carry a Mario turtle on hand, just in case.

So much fun!

I can’t believe I’m reading up on preschools already. When did 3 become the new 4?  When did familiar memories of going to school at age 5 suddenly advance into a whole new academic ballgame?  And why is there such an invisible pressure to teach your 1-2 year old how to read their ABC’s and 123’s and point out shapes like an octagon or parallelogram? 

Today at church, I wore a halter w/ my linen pants. Mind you, 80% of the young females have worn a halter, but the day I wear one, I get side comments like “you look young” (from the older members) and “you’re too old” (from the younger members).

Here’s the blunt fact: I’m 28 years old.

This means two of two things:

• I am young.
• I’m not too old.

When did today’s youth get the agency to call 28 year olds, OLD?  hahaha…I told them that they could call me out on a halter when I’m 55, but hopefully, when I’m that old, I could still pull it off.

Sometimes, I have to remind myself that 28 is still very young, even w/ a husband and child. It just somehow gets covered by the mask of motherhood and maturity.  But deep inside, esp. to those that know me, I’m a ball of jokes and laughter.

I think it’s really time to get the twenty year olds out there and show the 18-21 how much more fun it is to be past 25…and no I don’t mean getting drunk and dancing til 3am…I don’t miss my days of 18-19…I love living with the person I absolutely adore.  I love being to make my rules instead of having it enforced on me.  I love scheduling my day and working on the things that I know make me me instead of finding who I am and who my friends are.  I love that I don’t have to have my mom cook for me and that I can actually whip up edible meals.  I love that I can plan trips w/ my husband instead of sneaking around w/ my significant other on holiday. I can attend activities and go to the events that I want to go to without asking for permission.  And I love knowing that I’ve matured from my mistakes of youth…that is something that youths still have to go through…

I love my youth days…but with all honesty…life is better now.

please be patient with our updates.

By next week, blogs on Emma’s 3rd bday week and the Rabanillo wedding will be posted.  I’ve just recently updated our Twelvesixteen.net Photo Gallery and added (or updated) the following albums:

• Emma’s 3rd Bday Week
• Mr. & Mrs. Rabanillo: Wedding of Rogie & Lei
• Jake’s Visit to the US
• Emma’s Fourth Year