all you need is love

It still amazes me that after all this time, he still never fails to make me smile over the simplest of things. Bits and pieces here and there, but overall, it still makes me kilig all over again. Hihihi. I really hope he gets to come back to the US while I'm there. I'm so excited to see him again. 6 months is waaaay to long. Ironic as it may seem, but the distance is really making us stronger. Tough indeed, but as long as you're both committed to it, it WILL work out :)

Counting the days 'til I see you again...

Easter Greetings!

I hope that you are having a wonderful Easter day filled with love, gratitude and family!

I am so blessed to have such an amazing family, wonderful friends, a healthy body and a place to share it all with you!

Thank God, hug your family, and enjoy your day!

Happy Easter!

3 years and counting

I can still remember it like yesterday...it became official after one of their volleyball games and we decided to hangout at Chatterbox in Midtown with his teammates to cap the night off. Fastforward to 3 years after, we're still together and as happy as can be :) It's indeed challenging with most of the time spent apart, but despite the distance we managed to survive and make it work out all this time.

Here's to more happiness, laughter and love in the next years to come...happy 3rd anniversary, dear! I love you! :)

slim and shake update

I am on day 3 of the Challenge and I think I'll do my weekly updates on Saturdays! Why not , right?

Just to catch you up if you missed the challenge details. I am doing a Slim and Shake Challenge for April. I'm going to be doing a challenge each month. You are always welcome to join in. The Slim and Shake Challenge consists of Slim in 6 workouts ( I am adding these to my P90X rotation) and Shakeology. 30 days. Workout 6 days per week, 1 rest/stretch day and Shakeology for at least 1 meal per day. Pretty simple, but oh so effective. I really believe that there is no better workout for women than Slim in 6. Debbie Siebers really knows her stuff. Slim in 6 works the lower body like no other. I was planning on doing the Shake cleanse for the first 3 days, but after this week, it just didn't happen. So, I'll do the Shake cleanse after I get back from my trip next week. Plan B in action.

Day 1 - I took my measurements and weight and before photos. Not thrilled, but I have a starting point. Workout was Ramp it up from Slim in 6 and a 1 mile walk outside with Brian.

Food Journal -

b - shakeology (chocolate mixed with water and ice)

s - banana

l - potato salad, baked beans, pickle

s - shakeology (chocolate mixed with water and frozen strawberries) 1/2 tropical fruit Larabar

d - caeser-ish salad w blackened shrimp (5)

Water - 64 oz.

I've decided that I will eat some fish and eggs throughout this challenge. I'm going to see how my body reacts and go with it.

Day 2 -

workout - Start it up, Chest Shoulders and Tris, 200 crunches

Food Journal

b - shakeology (chocolate mixed with soy milk and ice)

s - none

l - big salad with peppers, tomato, onion, avocado and tomato vinagrette and veggie enchilada

s - hummus and pepper strips and Sunny Hemp granola bar

d - chips and salsa, veggies and refried beans

Water - 52 oz

Today is Day 3 and I've had my shakeology for breakfast so far. My workout is supposed to be Legs and Back, but the guys were griping last night and I'm not sure what we'll do this morning.

I am walking with Brian when the weather allows it. He needs to get back to some type of exercise routine and walking is all he can do for now.

Ok, this is a little different post for me. Let me know what you think. Do you want to see the details or would you rather just have the beginning and end?

Feel free to jump in on the challenge with me at any time. I'm always up for some company. You can do whatever workout you want and use Shakeology or even your own meal replacement shake, although I can't recommend Shakeology enough. Remember, I'm happy to send you a sample.

Discussion: Do you like to challenge yourself each month? Do you focus on a certain body part or work on your body as a whole? Are you keeping a food journal? Anyone jonesing for an ipad? Oh, I'm just full of questions!

Crunch Time

It's Finally Friday! I'm so glad this week has gone by fast. I'm not one to wish my life away, but this was a tough week.

FRIDAY CHALLENGE

Last week was 100 pushups. Several of you participated and did all of them or as many as you could do! That makes me soooo happy! So today we are going to focus on our belly - CRUNCHES! 200 of em. Do all of them at one time for a great burn or space them out throughout the day. Lay on your back, bend your knees, let your head just fall into your hands and raise from the middle, not the shoulders. Try not to put too much strain on your neck. You can even put your hand on your belly so that you can feel the muscle working. This way you know you are doing them right. Be sure to tighten those muscles. This will be easy for some of you and really hard for others. You can do it! Of course, you can do more than 200 if you'd like. Be sure to let me know how you are doing here or on facebook or twitter!!!!

Crunches will help you to tone the muscles, but to lose belly fat, you must change your diet. "Abs are made in the kitchen" - Tony Horton

So, also work on eating a healthy diet, no processed foods, no sugar, no white bread, white rice, eat whole, nutritious foods and you will see changes in your belly.

FRIDAY FOLLOW

It's also Friday Follow. I really enjoy particpating in this, I get to find so many new blogs to read and new friends as well.

Today is the last day for the Function Drink giveaway. I'll be drawing at 6 PM today. Be sure to get your entries in! Just click on the link to the left (giveaways) and you will be taken right to the page!

Enjoy your Good Friday!

Recap

I've been on a blogging break for a couple of weeks, and now that I have the long weekend with nothing much to do, it's time to recap the events of the past weeks...

My little brother is not so little anymore! He just graduated from college (now, I really feel old! hahaha) and will now join the 'real' world. To celebrate this milestone, the entire fam with Tito Freddie, Tita Josie and Kuya Derick had the Seafood Buffet dinner at Circles (the softshelled crab and prawns were a sure winner!). Congratulations, bro!

*****

Just in time before the Holy Week weekend, we had our summer teambuilding at Coral View, Morong, Bataan. I personally didn't like the place that much but thank God for the company of good friends, it was indeed one fun outing. Lots of food, booze, bonding by the beach, midnight bonfire, chika galore, Lady Gaga presentation, B3 and B4 revelations (hahaha!)...what a weekend!

*****

On the reading front, I just finished Nicholas Sparks' The Last Song and it was really a good read - almost brought me to tears! The movie is about to come out soon and I really want to watch it but when I found out that Miley Cyrus is playing Ronnie, I'm having second thoughts. I just really hate her speaking voice and everytime I hear her, it just really makes me cringe. I can't imagine sitting for about an hour or so listening to her! But let's see...Liam Hemsworth as Will might be reason enough to still watch this. Hahaha.

*****

At 2 years and 3 months, Gabby is growing up so fast! He's really such a smart kid for his age - he now knows the entire alphabet, he can count from 1 to 10, he is able to distinguish the different colors (purple is his favorite!) and with his current addiction to Disney's Cars, he knows all the characters by name! He is such a cute boy and I can't resist him especially when he goes 'Nang-nang, buy car!' :)

*****

With only 2 weeks away from our US family vacation, I'm really excited already! I can't help but switch on my vacation mode but before that, I still have to finish tons of AOs first (yes, it's that time of the year again!)...sigh. But at least after that, I'll be stress-free for about a month! :)

*****

That's pretty much it. I still have a couple of days left of my long weekend and I better make the most out of 'doing nothing' for a change :)

RIP Luke Grayson

Today is going to be a very hard day for us to get through. Our good friend Luke, passed away on Monday. He was 35 and died of a massive heart attack. Today is the funeral. I want to share the words Brian wrote on his facebook wall.

Today we will bury my old poker buddy Luke Grayson. Luke was the kind of guy who could make you laugh even when you were the one he was making fun of. Luke was a big man with a big appetite for fun. If you ever had the pleasure of seeing Luke in full color at the blackjack table it was a sight you would not soon forget. Luke was in a very small group of people I would call a master craftsman, he could build or fix anything, he would do it right and he would make it beautiful.

Luke had recently brought the church back into his life and I feel he left in peace. Luke's life revolved around his family, whether at school or at play, he never missed a practice or game. Sonya, Taylor, Ethan and his brother Josh lost their patriarch and I lost a friend. God bless us all. Peace to Luke.

I really hope that we all will learn to not take life for granted. There is no guarantee of a tomorrow. So, please, for me, hug your children extra hard, call your loved ones and tell them just how much they mean to you.

Thank you so much for hanging out here with me. I appreciate each and every one of you!