Family: Jops & Gabz Wedding

December 04, 2012

It's always a privilege for us to be invited to weddings of friends and family members.  This December, it was my cousin's Joan to get married to Gabz and their wedding was held at the Shrine of St. Therese.  It was our first time to step into this Church and they picked a great one :D  Here are photos of the Paypon side of the Bride, excluding Gabz :)

Gabz, The Groom

Jops, The Lovely Bride

Cathz, Matron of Honor

The Parents of the Bride

 Here are the newly-weds on their way out of the Church and getting a running start to their New Life.

With every wedding ceremony, there's usually some idle time as people are busy setting things up.  So, we kept the kids occupied with having their picture taken haha It's rare to see them all dolled up :)

The reception was held at The Pergola, just across the World Trade Center near Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.  Dana really enjoyed her first Virgin Mojito and if she had her way, she'd probably be drinking that the whole evening. :)

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Tracy with the Blood Red Sky behind her.

It was an enjoyable event, so thanks to Jops and Gabz and Congratulations!! :D

Cars: Toyota 86 for the long weekend

November 30 - December 04, 2012

One of the most memorable test drives that Patrick has ever brought home in the four years that he's been test driving cars is THE Toyota 86.   During this week, he will have the Toyota 86, which we've fondly nicknamed Kratos (from God of War), to test drive and our first stop was at the Manila Auto Salon at the SMX of the Mall of Asia.  Of course, before heading out, we all had to have our picture taken with Kratos haha

So guess what we first saw at the Manila Auto Salon?  A red Toyota 86 at the Top Gear Philippines booth hahaha

After browsing through all the nice cars at the show, we were ready to go home.  We still couldn't stop ourselves from taking pictures haha The car was a real Beauty and Beast !! :D Granted, the kids were comfortable in the back seat, although of course, they preferred to be able to see outside, but they liked it when Patrick "drifted" the car LOL As a passenger, I felt that the car really handled well and though it is a sports car, the suspension didn't make me dizzy.

It felt good to be driving around in it since we all saw how people reacted to the car.  Some pointed it out.  Some wanted to take pictures of it.  There was even a time when at the traffic light, a jeepney driver had a conversation with Patrick about it.  It surprised us when the driver thanked us for taking the time to talking to him about the car!!

I'm sure if we had money, Patrick wouldn't need any prompting to buy the Toyota 86! :D The kids would probably love it too :D

Kids: Kimmy's birthday at Kidzville, The Podium

November 17, 2012

Today is Kimmy's 1st birthday and we've been invited to attend.  Den and Tracy spent the night here so that they can attend the party with us.  The kids were already excited because they know they can play in the playroom for an indefinite period of time :)  Den and Tracy spent the night and apparently Dylan wanted to camp out with them.  Look at that smile while crawling all over Dylan :D 

So, at the party, the kids participated in the games although, at one point, Dylan became overwhelmed and simply returned to his seat :)

We had fun because there was a lot of food choices.  Ruthie really did a great job with the planning and she knew what the kids and adults would want to eat.  There was a corn dog stand, a french fries stand, a taco stand and there was a separate group of main course for adults and kids.

After the kids had their fun, eating and playing, we went to SM Megamall, but first, some picture taking opps at Cinderella's carriage just outside of the Podium.

We had dinner at Amici because Den was craving some good food.  I guess she was deprived LOL  The kids shared a serving of spaghetti, Patrick had the lasagna, I forgot what Den ordered, and I had a spicy pasta (which was a first for me!).  It was our first time to eat here and there were a lot of people but we were able to find seats immediately.  The wait was considerable but the food was delicious!

Here are the kids with stuff they got from their loot bags.  Dylan loved the Lego glasses and the necklaces :)

Kids: Trip to SM City Sta. Mesa

November 12, 2012

Dylan and I don't often get the chance to go off on our own so when the opportunity to go somewhere together came up, we did!

Together, Dylan and I went to SM City Sta. Mesa.  It's been a while since we last visited SM Sta. Mesa although when my mom was alive, this was where we usually shopped since it was the most accessible to us by public transportation.  Lately, we've been going to Mall of Asia and Cubao because there were more shopping possibilities there and I guess having a car meant that you can really drive anywhere you want to go.

Anyway, we couldn't resist taking a picture with the Christmas display at the entrance.

This was the Christmas display at the Ground Level inside the mall.

Who could resist Gingey at the Food Court?

I was actually surprised at the new Cyberzone level at the top floor and the numerous new food choices at the Food Court.  The Supermarket has also been renovated and enlarged if I remember correctly.  Maybe we'll keep coming back now that we know what's new at SM City Sta. Mesa.

Dinner with the Peredos

November 03, 2012

It is always a pleasure to discover that friends whom you haven't seen in a long time are now back in town.  You would heaven and earth to be able to meet up with them just for the pleasure of being with them even if it's just a short while.  Filipinos will probably agree with me that when balikbayans come home, there schedules are so hectic, it's like they're celebrities with everyone wanting a chance to be with them from here to there :) You suddenly have a lot of family to be with.

Well, when Keith and Janice came home, Patrick was ecstatic so say the least.  It has been a long time since he last saw the couple and it was poignant for him too that he wasn't there when they got married.  At least, this time, they were back and he didn't intend to miss the opportunity.  So off we went to Keith's house in Project 2 for dinner.

It was the perfect timing too because it was the semestral break so the kids were able to come with us.  Dana is Keith's godchild and he wasn't here when Dana got baptized so this will be their first time seeing her.  It will also be the first time we're seeing Kayla, Jan and Keith's first child :)

So we arrived early and the kids were immediately enamored of the tree deck and were letting their imaginations run wild!  The evening was spent catching up on years of news and reminiscing about fun older times.  The food was superb! The drinks free-flowing.  We had so much fun it was already 3AM when we all went home.  :)

We all hope that it doesn't take another 10 years before we see each other again, Keith and Jan! Johann we missed you this time! :)