Thankful For Another Year

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count.

It's the life in your years. (Lincoln)

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I am thankful to be here.

Football Fever

Contribution by Terrance Kirby

The game had been the topic of heated discussions for the entire week. There is nothing like football season in our Baltimore Maryland home. We begin most Saturday mornings sipping on coffee and watching direct TV Baltimore to get the game schedule. It is then and only then that the honey-do list be taken seriously. It’s all about priorities folks. Having been married for 13 years I have learned a thing or two about the old hubs. Not only does he work incredibly hard during the week to provide us with more than enough, he also needs his ESPN fix with no interruptions. I am happy to oblige him and he is way more likely to do what I ask of him with a smile on his face rather than in a resentful manner. Not to mention you can plan a little shopping trip while the big game is on. What could be better than some alone time in the retail world? Now, I just wonder what he will think of my New Orleans Saints t-shirt?

LP: Mahal/Pagmamahal (Love)

Siya ang aking Ina. Walang katumbas ang kanyang pagmamahal at pag-aaruga sa aming pamilya. Siya'y tunay na ilaw ng aming tahanan.

(She is my Mom. Her love has no equal especially in loving and taking care of her family. She is truly the light of our home.)

Of Birthdays And Being Me

I"ll be celebrating my birthday in a couple of weeks. Am I really that old? However, I am happy with what I have done and accomplished. I rarely compliment myself so my first statement alone is a good start.

Birthdays tend to make me reflective and sentimental. Although the idea of getting old scares me, I know that there's been so many enlightening moments in the process of maturity. It's a relief to mature (setting aside fine lines and wrinkles) and to know what I really want in life. I no longer second guess myself and my decisions. I no longer depend on my family and friends for decisions. I no longer crave for the approval of other people because I know that the only person that needs my approval is "me."

Most importantly, I now know that the only person that knows me truly to the core is "me."

New Year, New Hopes

We welcomed 2012 with simplicity and high hopes. Our New Year in Maryland was quiet and unmuddled by the noisy, flashy fireworks. We treated New Year's Eve as a time of reflection, a time to let go of the past and a moment of renewal. We had a quiet dinner and spent the night watching movies. We did watch the ball fall at Times Square at 12 a.m. That's the moment that struck me, a brand new year just started ticking. I couldn't believe that finally I could leave 2011 behind and look forward to a brand new year.

 Our butterscotch New Year cake from the Korean bakery.

 For good luck, Mom bought all these for New Year.

 We also made suman. When I went to the Vietnamese store, I saw them unloading boxes of Banana leaves, so I bought a whole pack. How I miss suman.

 Here's our small, simple spread for New Year's Eve dinner.

The star on the dining table is this lechon al horno I made. This came out really crispy and delicious. I've always made lechon by frying and this was my first time making it in the oven. I'd love to make this again.

Now, I have to put my 2012 list together and get excited to start a brand new year.

2011 Roundup

2011started with a blast. I traveled to Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Germany and Sweden (you can read about my travel adventures at kayni's corner cafe). I finally was living my dream - to travel worldwide. After coming home from these trips, my aplastic anemia wanted more attention. T'was in the midst of September that my platelet count started to decline. The months of October and November were a blur; it was a mixture of depression, ER trips, lots of bloodwork, sleepless nights, pain and tears. These were rough months. How badly I wanted 2011 to end as soon as possible. I yearned for a brand new start, but most of all, I wanted my disease to go away, but aplastic anemia doesn't work that way; AA has its own schedule. It took me a while to understand my situation - that I have to learn to live with this disease but should never let it define my life.

Currently, I'm under treatment for more than a month now and my recent bloodwork showed improvements on my platelet count. I'm not yet overly excited as it could just be a fluke. If my next bloodwork shows more improvement, then I'd say my current treatment is working. I am praying that the medication is working, as I have been feeling a lot better compared to how I've been the past few months. I still get tired easily but not as often as it used to. I would be out-of-breath just by climbing a few steps but now it's been bearable to go up and down the stairs at home. I hope that this is just the start of great beginnings - my road to recovery and normalcy. For 2012, I intend to fight stronger and beat AA.

In the Fall of last year, I also went back to grad school. I got accepted to Georgetown in 2009, but deferred starting my studies for some reason. It was challenging to be working full time, dealing with hospital visits while attending night school and writing papers to the wee hours of the night. There were nights I'd feel weak and fatigued that Kepi had to drive me to school and wait outside my classroom until my class is over; those times I saw how much I'm loved. Kepi's never left my side even when the going gets really tough. Thank you so much, Kepi. As I am preparing to attend Spring semester in a couple of weeks, I am praying it will be smoother. I also intend to get my degree in three more semesters. I am also happy to report that I got all As this recent semester, and I hope to do a repeat in 2012.

2011 was filled with ups and downs, but there's one thing that tops all my experiences this year - this is the year I got engaged. Kepi proposed to me on top of a rocky ledge at the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was an absolute, wonderful surprise. This is one day in my life I'll never forget and no one can take this away from me. We haven't set a date for the wedding, but hopefully, we'll get our schedules straightened out soon. If you were to ask, I want a small, simple and intimate wedding. However, I do want a grand honeymoon.

2011 was a full year. A year of challenges and triumphs, a year of tears and growth, and a year of loss and gain. I am hopeful that 2012 will be a great year - a better year for all of us.

To a wonderful, blessed New Year! Welcome 2012!

Our Christmas

Here's a peek into our Christmas weekend.

We tried not to pack a lot of activities during this weekend as it was more about being with family and celebrating the birth of Christ. We did manage to drive to the National Harbor and watched Santa and the Elves ski. It was windy and chilly at the Harbor, but we still had a lot of fun checking out the Christmas decorations and watching Santa and the Elves water ski.

Looking up the Christmas Tree at the National Harbor

Families gearing up to watch Santa and the Elves ski

Saw this sign at the National Harbor

Dizzy enjoyed playing with the Christmas wrappers

Hey, it's my wrapper!

A beautiful bracelet from Kepi.

And something I've been wanting for so long, a mixer.

Youngest in the Family

Content by Mauricio Benson

Being the youngest in the family means I get tasked with teaching everyone about technology. I know it sounds like not that big of a deal but when you’ve constantly got to walk people through http://www.direc4u.com/ and how to use their smartphone and where the buttons on the security alarm are well, that can get old. I love being good at technology but it means I’m the first person anyone calls when their computer breaks and whatnot and I’m not exactly an IT guru. I don’t have the time to constantly be fixing everyone’s tech and I’m also not great at it so they get mad at me when I don’t know the answer! I know my parents have been given thousands in free It help through me and my sister’s really no different. I mean, I respect that they’re trying to get with it but at the end of the day I get really sick of constantly being a teacher – sometimes I’d just like to get out my iPad and not be bothered for a few hours!

Greetings

Thank you so much for always reading and commenting.

A wonderful Christmas to all.

The Day I Gave In

I've been to the Coach store several times in the past and ogled at their bags. I don't know how many times I've walked out of that shop empty handed. However, this weekend was a different story because I walked out with two bags. I've known myself to use shopping as a stress outlet, but this time it was different, I think one of the reasons why I bought a Coach bag was for celebration. I've survived some tough months this year, and I am very happy and thankful I am here today. Buying that bag was a celebration for me - that I am working on getting better every day.

I love how the lady wrapped the bags in Coach sheets and attached each a sticker on them. Also, they don't just give you your shopping bag on the counter.  Instead, they walk out of the counter and hand you your shopping bag. That was a nice shopping experience.

This is an early Christmas present for me.

I got this one for my Mom.

Additional reasons why I decided to shop that day was, I was handed a 30% off coupon and the bags were already half priced. I just couldn't resist.