3 Years Ago

I just realized that there's very little wedding kwento on this blog.  So to "commemorate" our 3rd wedding anniversary, I'm giving you a sneak peek of sorts into our big day.

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Pre-wedding.

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Our invite, artwork made by our friend, Kerwin.

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We used my mom + dad's wedding arrhae.

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Wedding favors: kapeng Amadeo + notepads.

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My engagement ring.

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Our wedding rings on Richard's barong.

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Pre-wedding jitters?  According to our coordinator, the groom was a bundle of nerves, while I was cool and calm; totally relaxed.

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See? :)

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Mom and dad.

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My last meal as a single girl: KFC.  Hehe!

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Ready to roll...

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Church: St. James the Great Parish in Alabang.

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My "grand entrance".  Background music was String Quartet Tribute to U2's All I Want is You.

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My maid of honor, who also gave the most touching speech ever. 

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Our cord sponsors need to be mentioned because they brought us together.  Thanks, D&G! 

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Richard's best man: happy for kuya.

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Our little girl: thrilled for mommy and daddy.

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Reception: The Bellevue Manila.

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Raffle + newsletter of sorts to keep our guests entertained.

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Layout + printing c/o our good friend, Marc.

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My best friends and their partners.

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My fabulous Highlands friends, who came in full force.  Thanks, mga nyora!

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We cut the cake as soon as Richard and I entered the ballroom.  Dessert first before main course :)

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Flower girls.

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Aly loved her dress!  And she loved how her skirt goes all puffy when she sits.

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Dancing with my girl.

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Richard's officemates from Toyota came in full force too.

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My crazy cousins.

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How time flies.  3 years and counting...happy anniversary, sweetie!

Reading

Aly reading a book that she borrowed from the school library.

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I love how Aly borrows book regularly from their library.  She doesn't watch tv in the afternoons anymore because she'd rather sit on her favorite chair in the living room and read.  I love it when she does that.  I'm really impressed.  Full credit for Aly's reading habits go to my dear hubby. Richard loves to read and it's something that he taught to his princess early on.  He started buying her books even if she didn't know how to read yet; she would just look at the photos or scribble stuff on the pages.  Their nightly ritual includes reading bedtime stories no matter how tired Richard is from work.  When we're at the mall, we always stop by Kinokuniya.  Richard and Aly can spend hours browsing through the books there.  I think this is one of the best things that Richard has taught Aly.  Great job there, sweetie! :)  

Sunday Lunch at Chokchai Steakhouse

We deviated from our usual Sunday lunch of Japanese, Italian or fastfood (the little girl gets to choose where to eat too) and had something a little more special at Chokchai Steakhouse.

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Our first Chokchai experience was when we visited their farm with the Cenacle group sometime last year.  This particular branch, though, is in Bangkok.  Now we don't have to drive for two hours to satisfy our steak craving.  Heehee!  Yes, we are a family of meat-eaters and we love steak!

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Love the western-ish interiors.

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Richard and his milkshake.

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Aly and her 7-Up.

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Me and my Pepsi (wala silang Coke).

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The traditional Valdez Family toast photo :)

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Aly making funny faces.  Excited to eat steak!

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Wagyu steak: we'll get you next time!  

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Food is here!  Had to post in full color to give justice to the food!

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Sizzling prime rib.  Aly finished the entire thing!

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Yum!  I love the crusty edges of fat.  I know, baaad!  But it's so good!

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For dessert, we had: butterscotch sundae...

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...and blueberry sundae.

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This family of certified meat-eaters definitely enjoyed lunch!  Si Aly pa lang, when she took her first bite, said: "Mmmm!  I wish we can come back here next time!"  If it's good enough for the little girl, then it's good enough for mommy and daddy as well.  And yes, babalik kami :)

Flu Shot

We finally got our flu shots last week!  It wasn't as easy as walking into the hospital and getting the vaccine right there and then; you need to set an appointment because apparently, stocks are running out fast!  But calling ahead does not guarantee availability either; we only got our flu shot after our 2nd attempt.  Oh, well...that's the Bangkok flu scenario for you.  Uso kasi sya dito ngayon.

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Trying to put on a brave face but her daddy can sense a bit of nervousness already :)

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Mommy first (trying to look brave too!).

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Poor baby!  But you need this sweetie...

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Glad that daddy was here.

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After all the drama at the clinic, Aly deserves a treat.  She chose McDonald's because she wanted a cheeseburger.

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Sad no more!

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My Substitute for Shopping

When clothes or shoe shopping fails, I always, ALWAYS turn to food!  I have many issues with clothes and shoes -- too small for me, they don't have my size, nice na sana except for one tiny detail that I don't like or it's way too expensive...but with food...big or small, cheap or not, you can never go wrong with food!

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Last Saturday, I spent the entire afternoon going around Siam Paragon but I went home empty-handed.  Well, not exactly empty-handed...

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I wasn't able to buy shoes, so I bought this instead: Chokchai Burger with all the fixings -- bacon, mozzarella cheese, lettuce and caramelized onions.  It was soo good!

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To make up for the lack of love at Mango and Zara, I bought these cupcakes from Pandora: red velvet and citrus.

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 I couldn't resist: white chocolate cake.  Too pretty to eat, but I still ate it anyway :)

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Another attempt to shop at Lalaisap (lunch market at Silom) today, but still no luck.  Soo, I dragged my broken heart to Dean and Deluca, and I went home with this:

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Even Poppy seems to approve.  Hihi!

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A boxful of my favorite goodies to share with Richard and Aly: lemon meringue pie, chocolate chip cookies and almond croissant.

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But alas, food shopping only gives me temporary joy.  When I checked my weight the other day, I wasn't happy anymore.  Sigh...I need retail therapy...but no more food please!