Gildavid Moments

May we live the miracle of Christmas in every moment of everyday.

     It has been said that money is one of the biggest stressors in a marriage, and couples need to talk about it openly and honestly to avoid resentment and disagreements. Before David and I got married, we discussed this issue and found out that we were on agreement on how we looked at money and on how money should be managed.

     Thankfully, in our married life, we have not had money disagreements (knock on wood) and every now and then, we would talk about this issue to make sure that we are on the same page.     

     Last week, while watching the volatile stock market and monitoring the so called “bail out” resolution being discussed at the House of Representatives, David and I had our own short discussion as well.  We acknowledged that the economic situation is not good right now and that, to some extent, it would have an effect on our own finances.

     Having said that, we were also aware that we are in a better position than many others who are worrying about their morgages, car payments or tuition for their children, and for that we are very grateful.

     We discussed what we can do as the country rides out this storm and we agreed that we just needed to monitor our expenses and live simply, pretty much what we are already doing now. We would probably delay some plans like making upgrades on our house (we want to have a luxurious bathroom, hahaha) or buying a new car or going on a trip to Europe.

     After our talk, we hugged each other and later David said, “It is so nice to have my Filipina with me in times like these”.

     How can you not love this man?

     For a related entry click here: http://mgcr168.bravejournal.com/

     Two weeks ago, Ohio State University Buckeye fans grieved over the humiliating loss of OSU to the USC Trojans.

     An interesting turn of events happened this week. The Trojans got beaten by OSU twice.

     Last Saturday, OSU beat the Trojans, that is Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Troy Trojans.

     Last night, OSU beat the Trojans again, that is Oregan State University beat the USC Trojans.

     Hopefully next year, it will be OSU BUckeyes beat the USC Trojans, keeping my fingers and toes crossed :).

      David and I watched the late game (Oregon vs. USC) last night, it was one of the best games I have watched this season. Obviously, we were rooting for Oregon, because the enemy of my enemy is my friend (we still haven’t forgiven USC for hammering us).

     Having said that, and I know Buckeye fans will probably nail me for this, I will have to say that I have a grudging admiration for USC quarterback, Mark Sanchez, for the way he tried to rally his team even when they were 21 points down. They made a come back in the third quarter. 

     However, my player for the night was OSU’s Jacquizz Rodgers, the true freshman who could not be stopped by the very solid USC defence. It was amazing! When asked after the game how he was able to get through the Trojan line, he said, “I hide behind the line backers, I am a small dude, they could not see me.” David and I laughed out loud, he could not have said it any better.

      Now I will be watching two OSU teams, the Buckeyes and Oregon State. How about that, Sandy?  Go Beavers!

      Now, I have to go bake a cake for the game party tomorrow, Buckeyes vs Minnesota. Go Bucks! 

Last September 8, David and I went on a pilgrimage to Our Sorrowful Mother Shrine in honor of the (Catholic designated) birthday of the Blessed Mother. Back when I was still in Cebu, I would make a “mini pilgrimage” to different churches on this day, so I found it a special blessing to be able to do it here in the U.S. with David.

     The shrine was about one and a half hours drive from our place. It was a lovely day and we enjoyed driving through farmlands and charming small towns. The 105 acre shrine has a lovely chapel, a large outdoor chapel, grottos, stations of the cross, a gift shop and cafeteria. The last one was most welcomed because there were no places to eat nearby.   

     When we got there, we went to the office to see if they had a map of the estate. We found one and that made it easy for us to navigate our way through the woods.

  The first grotto along the walkway was that of Our Lady of Fatima.

     Then we saw a tiny shrine donated by the Filipino community in honor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint.

      Located deeper in the woods was the Sepulcher, where a statue of the entombed Christ was lain. The whole place radiated of peace and inspiration as we went further in to the woods.

   There were the grottos of Our Lady of Lourdes (above) and to  Our Lady of Guadalupe (below).

     I thought to myself that maybe the next time I go back to Cebu, I would bring an image of Our Lady of the Rule so that She can grace this shrine too.

     Walking through the woods, we saw several statues of Jesus, the Blessed Mother and saints enshrined in the trees, like this one of the Holy Child of Prague.     

     After our walk, we went inside the chapel where I prayed the last part of my nine day novena prayer to Our Lady of Fatima. Inside the chapel, I saw crutches left behind by people who have experienced miraculous healing in this place. Infront of the altar was an icon of St. Paul, the Aposle. Icons (which are different from religious pictures and paintings) are traditionally placed in churches as an aid for meditation of the faithful. I found it very appropriate to see this particular icon displayed as an invitation to prayer and reflection.

     I was surprised to see that the “candles” in the chapel were actually small electic lights which you “light” by turning on a switch. The only other place where I saw this set-up was in Rome.  I would have preferred a real candle.

     By the time we left the chapel, we were hungry, so we went to the cafeteria where they (believe it or not) served a simple but delicious lunch. A group of senior citizens were there ahead of us. I concluded that they were there for a day of recollection. I appreciated the friendly disposition of the staff, from the one who served us lunch to the lady at the gift shop, even the ones cleaning the chapel and the restrooms. I was happy to find small bottles for holy water at the gift shop. I have some holy water in my prayer room but I did not have the appropriate container for it. I just used a recycled bottle for mushroom and it did not “feel right” to use that container for holy water.

     After our lunch, we decided to take a walk around the shrine one more time through this beautiful place.
 
     I found out that they have a “Philippine Sunday” where the Filipino devotees come and spend the day together for prayer and socialization. They even roast a lechon (roast pig). David said that if I wanted to come for that day, and they would have a lechon, ” I’m in.”. I said, “I’m in too.” hahaha.

     Finally, it was time to call it a day. We left with a feeling of peace and an appreciation for what the day had been for us.

     I am most grateful that David agreed to make this trip with me. It reminded me of the times when he was in Cebu and we made a “courtesy call” to Our Lady of the Rule in Mactan, the Basilica of the Sto, Nino, and to the cave Our Lady of Guadalupe. The circle had come to another completion.

     Click here for related post: http://mgcr168.bravejournal.com/

    One of the first things David and I did when I first got to Columbus was to watch Buckeye football at the Ohio State University stadium (fondly called “the shoe” because it is shaped like a horse’s shoe).

     In Columbus, college football is a secular religion. Over a hundred thousand fans flock to “the shoe” to cheer their beloved Buckeyes (a buckeye, I learned later is a nut, a toxic one too) to victory.

     For convenience, we took the bus from the airport to the stadium. On the way to the stadium, I saw an orderly but high spirited crowd walking towards the stadium, all dressed in their Buckeye (OSU) outfit (t-shirt, jerseys, buckeye necklaces, hats, etc). I was very excited because I have never seen anything comparable to it in the Philippines. It was an impressive sight!

     Before the start of the game, the marching band came out from “the tunnel”. It was a grand sight. They proceeded to make the famous “script Ohio” and I was hooked. 

     That’s how I became a Buckeye fan, and every year, I look forward to the games. If we are not watching it at “the shoe”, we hold a Buckeye game party at home. David’s cousin Richard, and sometimes a few other friends would come and watch the game with us. There would be food and drinks, lots of cheering when the Buckeyes make a score and some not so nice words when we miss a point. I have a “Buckeye corner”, where I post pictures of the players.

Ever since I got into Buckeye football, the team had only lost 4 games. They went to one major bowl and two national championships (they lost in both championships, and lost big to the shame and grief of all their fans, hahaha).

     Yesterday was the first game of the season and the Buckeyes won big. They are ranked # 3 this year and we are keeping our fingers crossed that they will make it to another championship game and this time win, and win big.

     We will be going to the shoe twice this season, and I look forward to another exciting game experience.

     O - H - I - O !!! Go Bucks!!!

     My birthday this year was different in that it was celebrated in 3 states. Isn’t that amazing!!

     First, there was the joint (Tatay’s, mine, Joe and Steve) party at my father-in-law’s yard attended by about 50 people. We had tents, music and the most unique birthday cake made by my sister in law Leslie. I got my first batch of gifts.

     Then, there was another joint (mine and Triz) party in Michigan with my friend Lanie hosting. Click here http://geri.tabulas.com/ and here http://mgcr168.bravejournal.com/ for more details.

     Next, I had birthday lunch in Chicago with Judy, Geri and little Evan.

     Last, David made a birthday-welcome table when I came back to Ohio.

     David did not join me on the trip to Chicago and Michigan because it was a get together with my Filipino friends and he would not enjoy listening to us chattering in a language that does not understand.

     When I told him about the get together, my most considerate husband bought me a ticket online and gave me his full support. He made sure that my travel plans were in order from my departure to my arrival and everything in between. 

     When I flew back, he welcomed me at the airport and told me that I had a birthday table waiting for me at home. I was pleasantly surprised because I did not expect him to bother with another birthday treat. I had assumed that my trip was his birthday present for me.

     When we got home, I saw my birthday table complete with a birthday card, a lovely plant in a Buckeye planter shaped like a football (OSU football season starts this Saturday), a cake and two wrapped presents.

     David sang (yes, he really did!) "Happy Birthday" while we hugged each other. It felt so good to be home and to be with him again. Really, it does not get any better than this man.

     I was overjoyed to see a Japanese teapot (actually saki set) when I unwrapped his present. He knew that I had been wanting to get one for our "Welcome Lady" in the foyer. He had been non commital when, earlier, I was admiring the teapot display at the Asian store. Now, our Welcome Lady has a beautiful teapot with which to greet anyone who enters our home.

      The other present was a fragrant candle from Aunt Peg and Bob.

      David asked if I wanted to go out for dinner, but I was tired  from the trip so we decided to have dinner at home instead. Since it was the first day of the U.S. Open, we watched the evening match while enjoying my birthday  cake and ice cream.

     The following day, we went to lunch at Mongolian Barbecue (it was time to eat healthy again after having indugled in the last few days with not too healthy eating).

     Thus ended my long long birthday celebration for this year. I am so grateful for having celebrated it with my new family and friends, and most specially with David, whose love is my most precious birthday present.

     Here is another “How to Make Your Husband” entry…

     Three weeks ago, our priest announced that they needed some volunteers for the church rummage sale. I thought it would be a good chance to help out. Besides, I like rummage sales and working with other church members, so I figured that it would be a good experience.

     My Flying Knight, on the other hand, is not a fan of this kind of event, so I suspected that he would not be interested in volunteering for this one. We had done volunteer work together last Christmas but this would be different because he does not like going through “other people’s junk”.

     Volunteers were asked to report twice a week for three hours. Since I (still) don’t drive, I had planned to ask David to bring me to church and fetch me after three hours.   

     I was pleasantly surprised that he decided to join the volunteer group. I guess he was so used to us doing things together that he just automatically participated because I volunteered, hahaha.

     As it turned out, we had a good experience. We were sorting, pricing and organizing for two weeks. I enjoyed bonding with the other volunteers. David bonded with his uncle who had also volunteered.  They did all the heavy lifting.

     During the sale itself, David was one of three cashiers and I was his “bagger”. I enjoyed talking with the people who came, handing them boxes when I saw that they had their hands full.

    One of those who came was managing the soup kitchen of a nearby parish. He approached me because he was interested in some aprons that had not been priced. We negotiated and agreed on twenty five cents each (six dollars for the whole bunch). I felt like an accomplished rummage sale negotiator, hahaha.

     As volunteers, we were allowed to buy the items we were interested in on the day before the rummage sale. This was because we would have our hands full during the sale itself and will therefore not have the chance to make a purchase.

     I had my eye on a few items and ended up paying over seventy dollars. David could not believe how much stuff we were able to get for our money. It was a car full! I told him, “It’s OK Sweetie, the money will go for the repair of the church. Besides, it is an inexpensive way of decorating our house.”

     Below are a few things we got from the sale.

(#1 the screen behind the Buddha and the picture above it, #2 the pillow cases, #3 this lovely vase, #4 a most useful crackpot, #5 and #6 these two beautiful angels)

     I look forward to doing this again next year. Who knows, I may be able to get the Flying Knight to volunteer one more time, hahaha.

     David and I have observed some “traditions” that we like to keep simply because it feels so Gildavid. For example, we have been going the the same restaurant for our wedding anniversary because it was the restaurant we dined at after our wedding. Another would be that we always clean the house and change the bedsheets before we go on a trip so can come home to a clean house with fresh bedsheets.

     Going to the Cincinnati Tennis Tournament is becoming one of these traditions. Early this week, we went to Cincinnati to watch the games. We always look forward to this trip and, this year, we had a wonderful time indeed.

     We were not able to see Roger Federrer (#1) and Rafael Nadal (#2) play but I got a chance to see them at practice (David was glued at the courts watching the games while I looked around to see what was happening in other parts of the grounds).

     It was exciting to see Federrer arrive with two marshalls (he was besieged by fans wanting his picture and autograph). He was about 2 feet away from me, I was able to take a close-up picture. This world’s number 1 (as of this writing) has so much class, I cannot help but admire him.

     I admire Nadal too, he is getting better and better each year and has managed to stay humble and likable. When I saw him, he was practicing with another good player from the “Spanish Armada”, Carlos Moya.

     I saw Marat Safin practicing with Fernando Gonzalez from Chile and got a good picture of both of them relaxing after practice.

     We enjoyed watching James Blake and Sam Querrey (they lost) play a doubles match against two young players, Todd Widom and Michael Yani.   Another game I saw in passing was that of the number 1 ranked doubles team of the Brian Brothers. I saw Novak Djokovic play a thrilling first set against Simone Bolleli.

     The best game we saw was probably between Igor Andreev and Radek Stepanek. It was excellent tennis played a little over 3 hours.

     It was nice to see John Isner playing again (he lost to Andreev).  The first time we saw him play was at the Racquet Club in Ohio when he was still a college player. I am happy that he made it as a professional tennis player.

     I enjoyed looking around for freebies (below), and got a few to bring home to David’s amusement. I also brought home this year’s official Cincinnati cup (shown below with cups from the last two years).

     We took a “food break” and sat at one of the big tents where a band was playing songs from the Beatles (shown below). It was really neat.

     I am so glad that David got me into tennis. I never thought I would be playing a sport for the first time at 45 years old. I am grateful that we are blessed with the chance to go to tournaments and watch these amazing players and learn from them.

     For more pictures, click here: http://mgcr168.bravejournal.com/

     Early this year, David asked me where I wanted to go for a vacation. We had considered going to the Florida Keys via Jacksonville because Skybus had $10 if you order them early enough. We had planned to visit our dear friends Rhebs and Tony before driving down to the Keys. 

     That did not work out because Skybus folded up as gas prices soared. We decided to go somewhere nearer instead.

     I saw an advertisement about Williamsburg in a travel magazine and I told David that I was interested in going to Williamsburg in Virginia. He was not only agreeable to the idea, he suggested that we could also go to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. I have read Caroline Myss’ book, “The Sacred Contract of America” and that added spark to my already enkindled interest in the founding fathers of America.

     HBO’s mini series on John Adams (loved it) had showed some scenes of Monticello. David and I were watching the final episode when he recognized Thomas Jefferson’s room and office. I was excited to see that room and some of Thomas Jefferson’s inventions and contraptions.

     Since we would miss going to the beaches in Florida, my Flying Knight added that we could spend a few days at Cape Hattiras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We would have history, the mountain view of Virgina and the beaches of South Carolina.

     What more can you ask for in a vacation? 

     The drive through West Virginia had me identifying with John Denver’s song, “Take Me Home”. The view of the blue ridge mountains was  breath taking.

Our first stop was Monticello. I felt transported to the time when people traveled by horses, farmed plantations with human (and slave) labor, lighted their homes with candles and heated them with fire places.

           Going through Thomas Jefferson’s house gave me some insight into the life and times of this writer of the Declaration of Independence. If I remember right, this house was designed was Jefferson himself and was built in a span of 40 years. Here, great prominent historical figures paid Jefferson a visit. This house is a witness to the birth of America as a nation.   

Walking through the estate was just as interesting as the house tour. I could picture the buzz of activity from farming, animal raising, carpentry and light industry that took place here. 

     Next stop: Williamsburg

     The stop at Monticello was a perfect way to prepare for Williamsburg.

    Colonial Williamsburg is not a destination, it is an experience. It is a living museum which takes visitors back to the time just before the revolution and into the creation of a self governing republic.

     Seasoned actors dressed on the costume of the era interact with the guests.

     We heard the debates and speeches for and against the pertinent issues of the time: the consequences of waging war, the discussions at congress, slavery, international relations, the ideals of the new republic. We witnessed how the colonials - printers, blacksmiths, farmers, artisans, slaves, preachers, and many more - carried out their daily routine.

     We saw Jefferson and Martha Washington (arriving in a horse drawn carrriage). We toured the restored Governor’s Residence and the Capitol building.

     I really enjoyed Colonial Williamsburg and I hope we can go back there someday. (for more on this part of the trip, see my “Fourth of July entry here: http://mgcr168.bravejournal.com/)

…to be continued

     “This is going to be another blog entry.”, David said when he found himself helping me cut down a tree beside our garage.

     Last spring, this tree had bloomed beautifully but by May, I noticed that the leaves looked sickly, as if it had a disease. I remembered what my grandfather, who was an agriculturist, told me about a leaf’s appearance and I knew this tree was in big trouble. Besides, it was touching the house, and on a windy day, its branches would rub against the gutter. I was afraid that it might damage the gutter if we had a severe storm.

     David and I have been talking about cutting down the tree but somehow never got to doing it.

     This afternoon, as I went out to water the plants, I saw the tree and decided that it was a good time to cut it while the temperature was comfortable. We have been having above ninety degree temperatures in the past few weeks and it was hard to do yard work for a long period of time outdoors.

     I assessed the situation and concluded that I could do the job on my own. David was in the family room watching a game of tennis and did not know what I was up to.

     I took out the prunning shears and saw and started pruning some branches. I had managed to cut off a big branch when David came out and saw what I was doing. By now he is no longer surprised by the fact that, left to my own devices, I would get into trouble, hahaha. He once said, “It is like leaving an intelligent dog alone in the house. You know that sooner or later, it would get into trouble.”

     Well, when he saw me this afternoon, he was not amused. Nevertheless, he changed into his working clothes and came out to help me. Together, we had the tree cut down and put away in less than an hour.

     As we were about to finish, he said, “This is going to be another blog topic.“. I laughed and said, “Yes, it will be entitled, ‘How to Make Your Husband Cut a Tree’.”.

     We looked at what we had accomplished and decided that we did a good job.

     So girls, if you want to make your husband cut down a tree in your yard, this is a stategy that you can use.

     However, let me warn you that this will only work if you have a loving, thoughful and considerate husband like mine. Also, be sure that if you start the task, you can finish it yourself in case your husband will not do it with or for you. I make no guarantees. I can only say that it works for Gildavid.