2009 in review

I don't know about you, but I think I'm glad that 2009 is almost over. Our year started out rough with Jake accidentally shooting himself in the neck. Thank God he was okay and just had to get stitches. But, what a start to the year. Little did I know that it would continue like this. All of our boys celebrate birthday in Jan and we celebrate on the 9th, 19th and 29th. Talk about planning huh????

February is Brian's birthday month. We traveled to Kansas City to spend Valentine's day with friends and had a fab time. Our friends son got engaged that weekend and we had a lot to celebrate! I went to St. Louis with my friend Doris from Texas and went to my first First Steps to Success Seminar. I loved it!

March brought the Beachbody summit and I went to California. Nothing like a bunch of fitness freaks all in one place. Jake hit a deer and totaled his truck. He was okay again (glad that boy seems to have nine lives!) This is also Meredith's birthday month.

April was prom month for Jake. He and Morgan looked great and had a wonderful time! It was also the month Jake had surgery to remove part of the shell casing that was in his neck from the accident in Jan.

May was a stormy month. We had a tornado like winds (they aren't calling it a tornado) and had damage to several of our rental properties. Jake graduated high school and I went to Chicago with Doris for the Creating a Dynasty seminar. Brian created his turkey trophy instead of a Dynasty! Brian and I parasailed for the first time and really loved it!

In June, Brian and I went to Memphis for a long weekend. We had a blast. Toured Graceland and had a lot of fun on Beale Street. Our neice Cassie had her baby Avany Rayne. She is so beautiful and makes me anxious for our little one to make her arrival!


July was a crazy month. I went to New York City for the first time with Mom, Hermina, Lisa and Judy. We had so much fun, saw some GREAT broadway plays and just enjoyed ourselves immensely! Our favorite restaurant in Joplin, Isadora's closed it's doors and we were sad to see that happen, but understood. My cousin Kathryn got married and it was good to see all the family and she made a beautiful bride. Then our world collapsed. Brian was in a motorcycle accident on the 31st. August was spent with Brian in the hospital for 10 days, several surgeries and then recovering at home. It was hard learning to take care of him, it was hard on him being in a wheelchair and us not really knowing what the future would bring. This month also brought us Miss Madelyn. She is just perfect. Just ask us, we'll tell you!! Brian and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. He surprised me with a beautiful ring. I was so shocked, I was spending every moment with him and couldn't imagine how he pulled this one off, but many thanks to Meredith for helping him!!


September is my birthday month. Mom and Dad, Devin and Dalton came for the weekend, not because it was my birthday, but to see the new baby! LOL! It's okay, I completely understand... It was nice to have something else to focus on. Brian was able to get around more and we started venturing out amongst the people again.
In October Brian got on crutches. No more wheelchair - YAY! Still not able to put any weight on his left leg, but things are progressing. Lauren has her birthday in Ocotober and we celebrated! The baby is still perfect and beautiful and was a pretty pink poodle for Halloween. Nick got his new puppy and he was a hot dog for Halloween.

November is here and Brian is still recovering and not able to walk yet. Physical therapy is plugging along and we are getting out more and more. I was brave and left Brian for an overnight trip to OKC with the girls. We went to a raw food restaurant and the Celtic Woman concert. Had a great time! Brian survived without me - go figure. Brian and I went to Dallas for a Beachbody seminar and had a great time visiting friends. Thanksgiving was extra special this year. We have a lot to be thankful for and we had our 5 generation photo taken since June was able to come!

December brought us good news, Brian can start walking again! He's still in quite a bit of pain and has a ways to go. May need another surgery on his right leg, but the left leg is healed! December is also a month of family for us. I don't get to see my family near enough, but I love it when we all can get together! Christmas was wonderful and we had a big snow and ice storm, but we all braved the weather and made time to get together!

I want to be sure to thank all the wonderful companies that have allowed me to try out their products and even give some great things away! I look forward to being able to bring even more great things in 2010!

So, it's been a year of ups and downs. Both the ups and downs were big this year! I'm looking forward to a better 2010 filled with family, friends and fun!

I wish each and every one of you a new year of health, prosperity and good times!!

2009..looking back

About a year ago, I recapped how 2008 has been and with the new year just a few hours away, it's time to look back on the events of 2009...

I must say that this year has been quite a rollercoaster ride for me. Not exactly the best of years, but one of those I'll definitely remember.

Dad. I usually say no regrets and no going back in time, but if there's one moment that I'd like to go back to, it would be this year - not to undo anything (I still believe that everything happens for a reason) but just to say goodbye. I can still vividly remember that fateful friday morning when I got the text which changed our family's lives forever - papa passed away. But somehow, it was much easier to accept it knowing that he no longer has to suffer...he's in a much better place right now and though he's not with us physically anymore, we know that he'll always be around looking over us. We miss you so much papa!

On a lighter note...

A year older. Gabby turned 1! (let's not talk about me getting older...hehehe). We had a big Nemo party for him and we're already planning the next one in just a couple of weeks. He is as cute as ever and such a smart kid! Can't help but spoil him like crazy...hahaha. He's starting to talk already and he now calls me 'ninang'! Yey! He's growing up so fast and learns something new everyday. But he'll always be our dear little baby Gabby :)

Minneapolis Part II. I had another onshore assignment but only for 6 months this time. I still had that excitement with the whole thing but this time around, I was always counting the days til I get back...missing my family was a given, but I sure did miss him big time! It was somehow easier this time though since we've been through it already before. On the other hand, Minneapolis will always be my second home. It was a more 'relaxed' assignment this time and it was filled with lots of fun moments with my roomie and our Minneapolis 'family' - weekends with mommy and daddy, happy hour with Cads and Lawrence, Friday nights with the downtown gang, lunch hour with the Oracle folks - Ila, Abel, Von, Cads and Lawrence, endless Pinoy parties for all occassions, night outs at downtown, spur of the moment Albertville trips, movie nights...and a lot more!

Travel galore. My traveling goal for this year is a definite check - Chicago, New Jersey, New York and Los Angeles. I wasn't able to go to a new state though as planned, but there's always next year for that! Hehehe. On the local front, it was Boracay just before the year ended with my good friend, Cristy :)

Work. Nothing much new on this front...my project is as challenging as ever and I'm seeing that it will be more 'exciting' as I go back to work next year. It wasn't that rewarding though for everyone as we felt the global financial crisis, but things seem to be looking up. Hopefully next year would be more financially rewarding!

Meet the family. I've already met his mom before and this time around, she was back in Manila with his 2 older sisters. They were really nice and more importantly, they liked me! :)

Surprises. It kinda sucks that we're apart for most of the important occassions like Valentine's (I'm in MN) and the holidays (he's the one in MN this time) but he never fails to make it special. On Valentine's, I came home to the apartment with a beautiful bouquet of pink flowers and chocolates, and for Christmas, he got me the watch I've always wanted. Thanks, dear! Here's hoping that we'd finally be able to spend these occassions together next time!

2 years and counting. We've been together for more than 2 years now and things have been really great. He left though late this year for Minnesota but we're still as strong and together (though not physically at the moment) as ever. Big decisions need to be made soon and I'm just continually praying for the best. We've been through a lot already and I'm positive that things WILL work out as always. I love you, dear! :)

2009 had its ups and downs but just the same, it was still a year full of love, happiness and some tears...but all for the best. I pray that the coming year will be good for all of us.

Happy New Year!

totally crazy day

I've had a crazy day today. The internet has been down for the majority of the day. Bring in AT&T to save the day..... don't hold your breath just yet.

The repair guy showed up quicker than I thought he would and he was a very nice man. He told me he was new (uh-oh) and would see if he couldn't get the problem resolved. He installed a whole house filter, did something outside on the phone box and it seemed to be working. Cut to 30 minutes later.... no internet again. UGH! Luckily, he left me his card and cell number and told me to call if it didn't work again. So, I did! I think he might've been a little surprised to hear from me, but he said " I knew I would regret not changing out that modem!" So, I now have a new modem. We'll see if that fixes the problem. I hope so!

Meredith came over in the midst of all the internet fun and we did Brazil Butt Lift Bum Bum workout. It was good and I think we'll both feel it in the morning. She told me that Leandro ( the workout trainer in the videos) reminded her of Franc from Father of the Bride. Not in the way he looked, but in the way he talked. When he told us to move backwards, Meredith thought he said something about the curves. So, we laughed and sweat through the whole thing! That is always a good thing :)



My eating has been odd today. I've been hungry all day. I had my pb oatmeal for breakfast, it was yummy sweetened with agave nectar and a splash of almond milk. At 10:00, I was starving again. Leftover pasta primavera was calling my name. Lunch was a tofurky sandwich on the new thin buns. I REALLY like the thin buns. 100 calories and multi-grain to boot! I added a little hummus and a couple of tortilla chips ( I don't think I've ever mentioned my love of tortilla chips hmmmm.. that could be a whole other post).

It's almost time for my next workout today. Brian, Jason and Kristi are coming over to be tortured, I mean, workout with me. I haven't decided what we will do. Maybe some yoga, maybe some Insanity. Just have to see what I feel like when they walk through the door.

What are your favorite workouts? Do you prefer the gym or working out at home. Machines vs. videos?

Eco Tools Giveaway!

I did a review on the Alicia Silverstone designed Eco Tools hemp bags recently and now I have 3 (yes, I said THREE!!!) to giveway!

These bags are so pretty and very nice! I have been using the brushes and I love them. The bags are very handy!

THIS OVERNIGHT BAG IS EARTH-FRIENDLY:

•Bag is made with natural hemp material.
•Lining is made with recycled plastic (PET).
•Floral design is printed with non-toxic inks.
•Hangtag printed on tree-free stone paper.

This EcoTools by Alicia Silverstone Overnight Bag is perfect for a weekend getaway or vacation! Includes two clear removable and versatile inside compartments for traveling convenience.

In order to win a bag, you need to enter! Here's how to enter:

1) Head over to Eco-Tools and tell me which product you love the most!

2) Tweet or facebook about this giveaway! (I hope I win the Eco Tools Alicia Silverstone overnight bag from Feeling Fit with Dana @Danamoritz)

3) Become a follower of my blog

4) Become a fan of Eco Tools on facebook

5) Become a fan of Feeling Fit with Dana on facebook

6) Grab my button to put on your blog

Ok, 6 chances to win! You must do the first entry in order to get the extra entries! If you already are a follower , just say so! Please leave an email addy or some way for me to get in touch with you if you win!

Good luck to you. Winners will be drawn on Jan 4th by random.org. Winners will have to get back to me within 48 hours or a second chance drawing will be held.

Congratulations Zachsgran!

You are the lucky winner of the Save Your World giveaway! I'll get an email off to you this morning! YAY!!!

Nut butter!

I love almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter - any kind of nut butter and I am a fan! Recently I got a Champion juicer. I like to juice, but the main reason for wanting one was to make nut butters!

I made several jars for gifts and had to make some for myself as well. It is so easy when you have the right tools!

I used roasted, salted nuts (almonds and cashews) and ran them through the Champion. It really doesn't get any easier than this.

My only complaint about the Champion is that it is hard to clean, but this time around, I soaked the parts for a little while and the clean up was much easier YAY!!!

The almonds are roasted and go into the feeder:

Use the tamper to push the almonds into the chamber to make the nut butter:

Here's the finished product, catch it in a clean jar and you are ready to enjoy!

Christmas recap

It was a great Christmas here in good ol' Missouri! Mom and Dad showed up and we got right down to business! Opening gifts with all the kids and a great meal! Vegan pot pie and salad and for desert, apple crisp! YUM!

Mom and Dad got Brian and I a NuWave oven and I couldn't wait to try it out! This thing even has a dehydrator. I'll be making all kinds of things in it. This will be fun!

The kids got us these great name photos! I love it. They chose the letters and then put the whole thing together. Dad and Brian opened them together. I've got the perfect place picked out. It will go over the couch in the family room! I'll get a photo when we get it hung.

Little Miss Mads had a wonderful Christmas too. Not sure if the quacking/singing duck or the animal zoo was the favorite. It might have been the new silkie!!!

Christmas Eve was pretty quiet other than waiting for the weather. It was predicted that we would get ice and snow. The forecasters were right. It started out raining, we got some shopping done and then came home ready to hunker down for the blizzard. We really did have a blizzard warning. First time I've ever seen one of those! It didn't disappoint. We woke up to a beautiful white Christmas. About 9" of snow with a nice layer of ice underneath. This really hampered our Christmas plans. Brian's family couldn't get here.

The kids all came over around 2 and we had an amazing meal of scalloped potatoes, salad, ham for the meat eaters, green beans and some great bread. The new oven worked pretty good on the ham. We are going to have to learn how to use it, we had the setting wrong and cooked the ham on low. It took longer than we thought. Dinner was about an hour behind, but it was well worth the wait. Desert consisted of chocolate pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Sooo good!

The kids left for other Christmases with their girlfriends families and then we all took it easy for the rest of the night. Mom and Dad just left and we are praying for a safe trip home for them. The roads are still considered slick and hazardous in Oklahoma. We are heading to Grove today to have Christmas with Brian's family. It will be thrown together, since it wasn't planned. I'm sure we will have a good time no matter what.

Now, it's back to reality and back to my routine of healthy eating and exercise. I'm starting a round of Insanity and Brazil Butt Lift. I'm also participating in the PCRM 21 day Vegan Kickstart. 2010 is going to be the year of health! Feel free to join me ;)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve (or more of the day before Christmas) won't be complete without all the last minute hoopla. I was somehow improving this year as I completed all my shopping by the 23rd. All that's left was to wrap the gifts and I would have been done early as well only if I didn't run out of boxes. So today, I was set to just drop by quickly at SM to buy some boxes and that's it. But of course, the day didn't go as planned. Of all days, Gabby was down with the flu and my sis had her bout of back pain which pretty much made her unable to get up :( The driver didn't show up as well so all the things that my mom and sis were supposed to do (read: go to the mall and grocery for last minute shopping) landed on me and my brother.

Let's just say that my originally planned 10-minute trip to the mall turned out to be 4 hours. We had to go all the way to Town to get a cake from Sugarhouse for tonight's dessert, buy croissants for Christmas breakfast - which took us about 2 hours since we had to wait for Delifrance to bake a new batch, go to the grocery to buy ingredients for Noche Buena and of course, get my boxes at National. Whew!

It was already past 3pm when we finally got home and I was just so tired that I had to take a nap. About an hour later, I woke up and was set to finish my gift wrapping when my brother called me to get dressed since we had to pick up the Roast Beef we ordered from Almon Marina - again at Town. Effort!

Finally by 7pm, I finished wrapping all my gifts. Good thing we open our gifts on Christmas morning so at least di naman sayang ang pag-wrap ko. They'll be able to stay under the tree for a couple of hours. Hehehe.

As always, it was my job to set the table for Noche Buena and as I placed the last plate setting, I can't help but feel sad that the head of the table is now left vacant - that's where my dad used to sit and this would be our first Christmas without him.

Compared to the previous Noche Buenas we've had, we decided to cut down on the menu this year and just keep it simple (in a way, it's in keeping as well with my dad not being around anymore - he's the one who gets all excited seeing the table full with food).

We had Roast Beef from Almon Marina (our Noche Buena staple):

My mom's Parma-Ham pasta:

And my Caesar Salad (yup, I made the dressing from scratch!):

For dessert, it's Sugarhouse's Concorde cake which lived up as being their bestseller - 3 layers of vanilla chiffon cake with chocolate mouse filling in between and covered with chocolate meringue...sinfully delicious!

With my tummy bursting full from Noche Buena, I wasn't ready to go to bed yet so I called up Lec and we ended up talking for about an hour. I asked Ron to give him my gift already earlier (a Rockband set for his PS3) and I'm happy that he wasn't expecting it at all (as if I could let Christmas pass without getting him anything). He really liked it! My Christmas surprise was a success! :)

How we wished we're together for the holidays. I told him that Santa didn't answer my wish though I've been a very good girl this year...and Lec was like, 'Yeah, I was waiting for him to come to put me in a box and send me to you...' Awwww...if only it was that simple! Being apart really sucks especially during this season...but at least in our own little ways, we were able to still make this season special for each other despite the distance. Talking to him just made me miss him even more but at the same time, it completed my Christmas eve :)

I better get some sleep...have to be up early tomorrow to open the gifts, then off to our annual Christmas lunch and dinner family reunions. Merry Christmas everyone! :)