Easter Weekend

You guys, I had one of the best Easter weekends. I can't stop smiling about it. Russell and I drove up to Oroville on Friday night to spend time with his family and drove back to Orange County on Sunday afternoon.

The week before Easter had been a stressful week. Between work, packing, worrying -- my body signaled its unhappiness with me. Lots of back and neck pain. On the drive up to Oroville, Russell had to exit and pull over for awhile because I got the worse headache ever.

However, pulling over to the side of the road around 3 AM ended up being perfect because little did we know, there was a blood lunar eclipse happening! I remember looking up (because my neck hurt and I was trying to stretch it) and pointing out the moon to Russell and how red it was. Later, I saw a news article about it being one of the shortest blood moon total eclipse. Around this time, we were in the middle of nowhere (Bakersfield), at the side of the road off a highway, where no city lights canceled out the stars. I think we stood at one of the best views. It was beautiful.

We stayed with Russell's mom in Oroville and she gave me her sewing machine she received when she was 9. It was her first ever sewing machine and I felt so special when she gave it to me. This machine was made in the 50s and is still in great condition. She taught me the basics of sewing and now I am excited to practice. Hello pillow cases and curtains!

She also gave me some pretty cool outfits from the 50s. Just in time because high-waisted skirts and crop tops are coming back again.

On Easter Sunday, we attended their church, sang hymns, and put flowers on the cross (which I had never done before. Oroville has some of the best wildflowers I've ever seen and everyone put their own flower on the cross. The end result was beautiful. I wish I took a picture - so just take my word for it). We had Easter lunch in Russell's uncle's house where we quickly caught up with his relatives, some of the best people you could ever meet.

Russell's grandma found out Russell and I don't own a TV and I think she felt bad for us. She insisted we take her old extra TV she had lying around in her storage shed. Friends, this was such a sweet gesture and what she gave us made me smile so much that of course we had to take the TV:

Straight from the 80s

It only plays in black and white. It's fairly small and its screen is not even as big as my laptop screen. It even contains a contrast setting on the back of the TV as well as a built-in antennae! After receiving this gift from Grandma, I am smitten with it. We are planning to get it working. I mean, if we are going to have a TV in our house, this TV would be it. How amazing is this? Come watch the game at our place, guys!

I came home feeling so blessed after this weekend. Grandma even insisted we take some plants from her greenhouse so we now have a roma tomato plant and a butternut squash plant. What started out as a stressful week ended with so much love and happiness.

Catching Up: Philippines | Winter Vacation Edition

Philippines. I can always count my trips to the motherland to be filled with family, memories, and good food. After all, Filipino culture does revolve around family and food ;)

What was even more special about this trip is that it involved New Year's Eve which is one of my favorite holidays when I'm in Philippines. Seriously, it's the best. It was even better this time around because I had Russell with me to experience it. I tried taking photos but some moments are impossible to capture. Just image seeing fireworks coming from every direction you look, loud noises everywhere, all the neighbors awake, and the smell of barbecue and food.

Here's one photo of Russ and I holding sparklers in Pampanga, Philippines on New Year's Eve.

I saw and visited many places in Philippines but that all seems kind of meaningless and redundant when it's family that made all the trips wonderful. I love being with my cousins, Titos (uncles), Titas (Aunts), Lolos (Grandpas), and Lolas (Grandmas). It's the best feeling to sit around a dining table with them and laugh and talk. Russell picked up so many Tagalog phrases that he would use at the right circumstances, delightfully surprising my family. This made my heart soar even more. To have a husband also embrace his wife's culture and family is one of the best feelings.

Family:

Borocay

Subic Beach

Manilla

Writing this all down makes me miss my vacation there so much. I still ache for it. Sometimes I catch myself calculating the current time in Manilla/Pampanga. I count those 16 hours ahead and wonder what my extended family is currently doing. Are they sleeping? Eating? Laughing? And then I'm pulled back to my current state and to my current time zone, and I get just a tad bit sad. I'm chasing the impossible time lapse.

Anyways, I'm all caught up. Readjusted to America and all it's glory. I remind myself that the majority of the world does not look like Southern California. And that I am spoiled for living here. But then I am also thankful.

One day I'll visit again. When I have kids (and when they're old enough to not cry and whine on an airplane), I'll be sure to take them there. I want them to see the beauty and joy of family, to eat until their stomachs hurt, and experience a culture that's warm and inviting.

Oroville, CA

Russ and I went up to Oroville a weekend ago. It was his grandma's 80th birthday and the whole family came out to Aunt Linda's house. [Side note, Aunt Linda kind of has the party house. We got married on her ranch because it's such a fun place. She makes her own wine, makes homemade ice cream, has a pond, great wrap-around porch, and not to mention the beautiful scenery] Many of these people we haven't seen since our wedding so it was a treat to be able to catch up with everyone again.

Time to sing Happy Birthday to Grandma!

While we were there, there were lots of activities to do. Aunt Linda had set up a 2-player basketball game similar to what you find in arcades, there were water guns, bubbles, a beach ball...there was a lot going on and what can I say except party house.

Also, we did a lot of things I normally don't do (or have ever done, actually), such as...

Fishing:

Trying.

Russell's family has a lot of professional fishers in it. His cousins win fishing tournaments. It's that serious. So of course, fishing poles were brought out and Russell tried teaching me. During my brief time trying, his cousins would shout suggestions from across the pond. "Reel it in faster!", "Try to cast it parallel to the where you're standing." I knew right then that fishing is never going to be my thing. When I handed Russ the fishing pole, he caught a pretty big bass (see picture above) almost instantly. I mean, the skill must run in his family, right??

We also went sailing (Wait, what? Yup, sailing. In Aunt Linda's pond which is deeper than it looks):

Mini sailboat, during sunset. I was lucky enough to experience this.

When the little cousins went, they just rowed the boat. But later on Russ wanted to try the sail. Little Addy (who was also one of my flower girls!) was brave enough to join us. I have to admit, she was braver than I. I kept fearing that the boat would topple over and her reasoning would pierce through my fears when she calmly explained, "...but there isn't even any wind."

Our dog Lewis had a fun time too. He amazed many of the guests with his "Bang!" trick which is when you yell bang! and he comes to your feet and lays down on his back to play dead. Sweet dog.

Doggy dog world.

Even though it was only a weekend, it's always nice to be back in Oroville. The scenery never ceases to amaze me.

Surfing | July 26, 2014

While the Canadian cousins were here, one of the things they wanted to try out was surfing. Good thing my brother-in-law loves all activities that involve the ocean so we were able to borrow his surfboards, paddleboards, and wetsuits.

Here are some pictures of my family looking all California:

Facing the waters

From left: James, Jacob, Russell, and Abby

Jacob with a long board

California babes

Husband and little brother

Reno | July 2014

At the end of June, Russ and I had to make a sudden trip to Reno for family matters. Russ was able to work remotely for a week in Reno but I had to fly back down, work for the week here in SoCal, then fly back up on the 4th of July.

Side note: I have decided that the Reno airport is one of my least favorite places. Not because of customer service or anything that has to do with people, but because they almost always fly you in and out of Reno in tiny planes which is the scariest thing ever when going through the mountains/valleys of Reno. That little plane shook so much I thought I was going to die.

I had my first All-American Forth of July this year.

Proof of my All-American 4th of July

It was lots of fun. We celebrated Independence Day at our friend's cabin on Donner Lake, complete with silly hats, good ole American food, 200 pound dogs, and good company.

USA cookies (left) and USA flag (right)

Gigantic 200-lb and playful dog

The Damontes--look at baby Piper, so cute!

We were so fortunate to be able to catch up with lots of friends in Reno. Usually when we're up there, we're on a quick trip to see Russell's family but this time, we got to see a lot of people and spend some quality time with them. 

While being in Reno and experiencing the fireworks show up there was an experience I am thankful to have, I sadly missed my side of the family's celebration in SoCal. My brother and his wife hosted a barbeque at their condo. Lewis even got to be part of that celebration since we couldn't take him to Nevada with us. My brother with his unending humor texted me this photo when I asked him how Lewis was handling the fireworks:

Hehe, too bad I missed seeing Lewis' first experience with fireworks. There's always next year!

Introducing, The Henry Pets

Russell's feet, Lewis, and Tiki the Turtle (right of the white fence)

Hey there! Here's a picture of Lewis and Tiki meeting for the first time. Both our dog and our turtle are curious creatures. While Tiki likes to stay in his cave during the afternoon (Interesting fact: desert tortoises survive hot weather by hiding from it), he came quickly to the white fence when he saw Lewis peeking through. I don't think Tiki has seen may dogs up close since he kept trying to stick his face through the hole in the fence. Lewis was less calm about meeting a new creature and kept trying to lick Tiki's head every time our tortoise stuck his head through the fence hole. Eventually Lewis got tired of not being able to reach Tiki that he lifted his leg, and...peed on Tiki.

Cuddle buddies

The man Lewis was named after!

We've also got our saltwater fish tank set up. Russell has slowly been adding fish into the tank and just this weekend we were able to get some free coral from our new friends down in San Diego. And somewhere in that tank should be a baby starfish.

One of our clearer fish tank pictures. Here's one of our fish (upper right hand),
a cleaner shrimp (mid-lower left hand), and a bunch of hermit crabs (the shells on sand).

Our family is already growing. It's been a happy home.

Selfie family portrait

Quick Blog Entry: Wedding Bells

Russell and I have been to two weddings in the last two weeks (one of which was my brother-in-laws)(!!!) and both were so beautiful in their own ways.

Dan and Kelsie's Wedding

Russ and I drove to Reno for one weekend to watch Dan marry his bride, Kelsie. They got married at our friend's massive and historic backyard. Here are a couple of pictures:

Backyard wedding, ceremony and reception

The fine, intricate details that are Pinterest-worthy

Joe and Kristin's Wedding

Last weekend, Russell's brother got married! It was a beach wedding and now I finally have a sister! Granted, Kristen already has two sisters of her own but now I can say that I have a Henry sister :)

Joe and Kristen's first dance

Hyperactive cousin Ky who was deliriously tired by the end of the night. Here he is on Russell's shoulders. Fun kid. Fun family. I love being a Henry. 

Five More Days!

Only five more days until the wedding!! This will probably be the last post I make before I go into total beast planning mode (Lists! Sticky notes! Planners!).

Last night, Russ and I had an awesome dinner with my family. Despite all chaos that leads up to the wedding day, we try to spend as much quality time as we can with the people we love. I really wanted a dinner with my family 'cause I know I'll miss them lots so Russell took them out to one of my favorite restaurants.

At The Balcony

Yum. We were all pretty stuffed afterwards. Nothing beats good food with good people.

Half Empty

Childhood memories.

I've slowly been packing up my room and every movement is an obstacle. Packing up my books, emptying my drawers, tearing out posters, stripping down my closet—I feel like there's a breakdown waiting for me at every corner. It doesn't help that I only have a week left in this house. I hate count downs but I can't help it. I'm counting down the nights I have left in my bedroom, and with my family. To be honest, it sucks. I'm going to miss them so so much.

I know I'm still excited to move in with Russell after we get back from the honeymoon. I'm thrilled to see how it'll be like to live with my best friend/husband. Don't think I regret any of it. It's just...what I do regret is not appreciating my parents and family more when I could have. I wish I had never complained about curfew but instead saw it as a way to spend more time with my family. I wish I hadn't lost my patience with my parents as much as I did. I wish I had been smarter and wiser.

Cleaning up my room is catapulting me to nostalgia lane. Most of the furniture I have in my room I've had for more than a decade. I know I've outgrown many of the things (drawers that are breaking, hot pink chairs, etc.) but I kind of wish I didn't. I'm attached to them the way I'm attached to my childhood. Seeing my room now half empty makes me want to wake up my parents and crawl into their bed. A part of me—3 year old me who cried whenever my older brother dropped me off at preschool because I hated the thought of not seeing him for hours; 11 year old me teaching my little brother how to write; teenager me learning how to drive from my dad; college me sitting on my parents' bed and having girl talk with my mom —will always miss this.

Now it's just a half empty room becoming emptier by the second. I'm going to miss these sky blue walls and when dad and mom went with me to Home Depot to pick out the exact shade of blue I wanted. I'm going to miss the Harry Potter collage I made in high school that my mom does not have the heart to take down. Man, I'm even going to miss mom hiding all my finished puzzles under the mattress and underneath the rugs. It's not fair. I wish I had known to appreciate all the moments when they were happening.