A truly blessed Holy Week for us

It has been a long while since either Mitzi or I blogged here. All I can say is that we have been busy with many various concerns.

The biggest blessing we have received these past days is the fact that we are able to spend this Holy Week together as a family. I was originally scheduled to start with VMware by this past Monday but they graciously gave me a few more days here in the Philippines to sort out a few pressing issues and to allow me to spend the Holy Week, the holiest of days in the Roman Catholic church year, with my wife and our unborn child.

Big thanks to Melissa and Sam from VMware from both me, Mitzi and our unborn child for giving us a few more days together to sort out those issues and most especially for allowing our family to celebrate together the Holy Week.

Incidentally, this also allowed us to together celebrate our three month anniversary as a married couple last March 15th!

Yesterday, Holy Thursday, March 20th, we were able do the visita iglesia along with my mother-in-law and it was truly such a blessed time of prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

Though I was not able to accomplish or sort out all of the various concerns and issues I was hoping to sort out this past week, I am truly grateful to be given this opportunity to pray and spend the Holy Week here in the Philippines with my family.

Thank God.

Two steps for Mitzi and Junby!!!

Things are coming together though there are disappointments along the way. When friends ask how the wedding preparations are coming along, I can only say, I'm taking it a day at a time, which I am. Anything more and I overload my neurons with the stuff that I need to do in so little a time :) It's less than a month na lang before the wedding and I'm starting to feel it. Though I try to not pressure Junby, I know he feels it too. So what are the two steps for us?

1) The seamstress has finished one dress - one flower girl's. She's doing the final touches on the other flower girl's dress as well. Just five more to go -- including my own dress. :P Pinauna ko na lang ang dresses ng entourage especially those who live out of town, so that I can send them the dresses for fitting and still have time for adjustments, if need be. I hope there won't be any :D

2) I've paid 50% of the needed amount for the vendor who provides our flowers. I plan to finish all payments within this week para less hassle for my part on the day itself.

What other steps have progressed? Well, we've decided to have Junby's barong tailor made. Once in a lifetime naman kasi ito and I do want my hubby to be to have something special, same as I. :)

Confirmations for attendance are slowly trickling in. We've prioritized those who live out of town first so that they have time to decide. The ones that live here in Bacolod kasi are easier to give the invitations out to. Keep us in your prayers. Junby is due to come home on November 25. Please pray for his safe trip and continue to pray for us so that we can maintain our peace and good cheer even in the midst of all the stress. :) Thank you for your prayers! I think its a major reason why Junby and I can still keep on top of things even without 'professional' help. :)

Mail away...

Finally I've started giving out the invitations. God was very good in that he allowed me to send through a friend several invitations for my friends in community, Ligaya ng Panginoon. That cut back on the invitations I needed to send through a courier. Now to wait for their responses. . . .

While that is happening, I still need to update the missalette that Father Sean has already proofread. Once I've rendered the changes I will need to have it copied several times for people to use during the mass. I've paid 50% to our caterer, Misyel today. I have several small stuff to do for the wedding but by God's grace I'm still smiling. I guess Junby, though he is a thousand miles away, can still lend me his strength. Continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you and God bless to all!

Just a few more weeks away...am I panicking yet?

As an answer to the question above -- well I'm working hard not to be overwhelmed and Junby is helping by being my sounding board and he simplifies things for me. Little accomplishments keep me hopeful :) Some things that have been ticked off my 'To-do' list:

- started having the dresses made. Most of the cloths are with the sastre na and most of the measurements as well.

- spoke with our caterer and finalized the menu. I'm just waiting for the final contract. I must admit I found myself getting hungry just going through the list of food choices. :P

- started speaking to a manager on the possibility of having several rooms reserved for our out-of-town guests to stay in. It will be easier in terms of transportation concerns if most of the guests stay in one place.

-been in close coordination with an NGO who is taking care of our honeymoon plans. The NGO is Palawan NGO Network, Inc. They were referred to us by Onggie, Junby's brother-in-law. It is ably led by Ms. Offie and she has been most kind in dealing with the itinerary and all that it entails. A few days ago, Ms. Offie confirmed that she will now go ahead and make reservations for our flights and whatnot. :)

- I've been slowly scanning and putting together pictures of Junby and myself for our AVP. I just ran into some difficulties finding my childhood pictures amidst the boxes which contains our stuff from since we moved in with Lola Pen 1991. :P It might end up to be just Junby's cute childhood pics on the AVP :P

- We've more or less discussed the reception flow though we've given it to my cousin J and Junby's sister, Lea for perusal. These two are trained in producing events so our reception would be a no-brainer for these ladies. :)

- I've started to look into our living options as well since Junby plans to stay in the Philippines until March, while we wait for my the approval of my visa application. There's one promising prospect so please keep that in your prayers.

-Invitations! Well, Ani's friend, Med Ramos has been very gracious in lending her artistic help in creating a simple but elegant invitation. I hope to receive the invitations by Friday so I can start addressing them and mailing them to the four corners of the globe :) (naks!) Thanks Ani for being such a patient go-between. I must have driven her up the wall with my questions and following-up.

-Now we are looking into what gifts we can give to our Primary sponsors. Any ideas?

-I'm in the midst of doing the lay out for our missalette. I get confused with the pages :) but I think I've found a way around it now. I hope to finish it soon for Junby to proofread and edit together with Fr Sean Coyle, our officiating priest.

That's it for now. . . I hope to do more in the days to come and I hope I can remain calm and unruffled. Continue to keep us in your prayers.

Ticked off from 'to do' list...

Well this week has been productive in small doses. I was able to confirm that Ani's friend will have the template for the invitations ready for me to approve within this week. Then I've been able to inquire on the monthly rates that Circle Inn offers. Their quoted price was steep by my standards but when I asked Junby about it, he found it reasonable. Well, he does tend to convert from dollars to peso that's why he may find it ok. Will still discuss though other options.

I've also started to scan and compile various pictures that will become part of the AVP to be shown during the reception. Ang cute ni Junby! :P I can't resist but since he might not want me posting pics of him when he was a baby (check out our website for that :P) I'm going to post here a picture of myself na lang. This was taken when I was in fourth year high school with my mom, right after the photo shoot for our yearbook. Hehehe. . .



Also, I was able to purchase the various tela that will be used for the lining of the entourage's dresses and also become petticoats for the flower girls' dresses. I was feeling a little out of my depth while doing so since that isn't quite my forte but its a good thing the seamstress we got is quite patient with my constant calls asking for specifics of this and that.

Now, I'm about to work on the missalette. This is where the lay out skills I've acquired at Misyon will come in handy. Thank you to Anne for patiently answering my questions on how to do this or that. I aim to have the first draft of the missalette ready for Junby and our celebrant, Fr Sean to go over this coming week. Ah details. . . details. I feel there are a thousand and one of them but at least they are slowly getting ticked off my 'To do' list. Hopefully I get tick off more in the coming week. Wish me luck folks and keep us in your prayers. Thank you!

Our pre-nuptial photo shoot

As Mitzi already mentioned in her last blog entry, we were able to have a pre-nuptial photo shoot courtesy of Danny Dy. Danny is a good friend of ours and we all belong to related Christian communities (all three of us were serving God through Christ's Youth in Action at some point in our lives). As Mitzi had mentioned, it was fun posing for the camera knowing that the person taking the photos was someone that we knew and were comfortable with.

While we were initially facing the day with trepidation due to the unfavorable weather conditions of that Sunday afternoon, God blessed us in that despite the rains for a good part of the morning and almost all of the afternoon up to that point in time, once 3 pm rolled around and we were to begin the photo shoot, the rain ceased to pour. While it was still a bit humid at that point, it was pleasantly cool and the moisture in the air actually produced a nice foggy effect that made some nice backgrounds for the photos. Once 5 pm rolled around and we were all done with the photos and were on our way out, God let the rain pour out from the skies again. Again we were blessed in that Danny, who was heading back towards Makati (the same direction we were heading) was gracious enough to let us hitch a ride with him. God truly blessed our photo shoot in that He gave us a wonderful photographer to work with, He let the rains cease when it was time for us to have our photos taken, and He provided a way for us to get back to Makati without needing to brave using public transporation in the pouring rain.

Having our pre-nuptial photo shoot at Ateneo de Manila University was a pleasant trip down memory lane. We got to see some familiar sights as well as marvel at some of the new structures that were put in place since the last time we had been there to visit (though admittedly I was sad to see that they had put a structure in what had once been an empty field that I used to hang around a lot in when I was still a student). As part of the package we got from Danny, he gave me and Mitzi a CD of the photos he took as well as a DVD wherein he put the photos together into a nice audio-video presentation. Many thanks to Danny for all the time and effort he put into that. As for posting some of the pre-nuptial photos on this blog, well, Mitzi and I decided to not post anything here for the time being. We will be keeping them as a surprise for now. Once December 15th has rolled around and we have shown them at our wedding, we will post some of them on this blog.

Keep an eye out for more wedding related stuff both on this blog as well as our wedding announcer website at http://junbyandmitzi.weddingannouncer.com/. And please, drop us a line, leave a comment, or something. Any comments, suggestions and constructive criticism are always appreciated.

So many things yet to do...

Junby left for the US yesterday and as of this writing is sleeping off a major jetlag. I, on the other hand, am back in the City of Smiles -- work awaits both for Misyon and for the wedding. We had our prenup photos done while we were in Manila before Junby left. Danny Dy did the photos and they came out great. Thanks Danny! :) They were superb, if I do say so myself. It really helps when the person doing the shoot is one whom we both felt comfortable with and already had a prior relationship with. Made posing for the camera a breeze. Hehehe!

I'd really love to post some of the photos here but then that would ruin the surprise, di ba? So abangan na lang ang susunod na kabanata.

Some blessings related to the shoot: 1) the day was overcast but by God's grace the rain let up the whole time we did the shoot though there were foggy moments which in the long run helped create a certain ambiance to the photos, 2) the rains came down as we finished the shoot -- the Lord's timing is indeed great. :), 3) the photo shoot was done in ADMU and thus served as a means by which Junby could visit our alma mater after 1999 ata...Trip down memory lane na rin for us in terms of our years in CYA, etc.

We had fun and we think Danny did too. After the wedding, I promise to post some pics here. :) Continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you!

Waking from sleep...

Nice entry Sweetie!

Junby is right. His visit home this time has been most productive. I'm really glad he was around to finalize things with the vendors and the like. It lessens the stress knowing he approves of the stuff I've so far worked on. Now that some stuff has been finalized, I can concentrate on urgent and important things like the following:

* the entourage and how they are to be dressed...that includes me (hehehe). I heard from a friend last night that I need to pay close attention to the modista I have commissioned to do the gowns since she tends to deliver on the last moments. Kailangan lang daw tutukan para masiguradong magawa ang kailangan but pulido naman daw gumawa.

* Invitations - the design, lay out, printing and sending the invitations out by end of october at the latest.

* Reception details

* Transportation and Lodging for out of town guests

* Itinerary for those who wish to take the opportunity to explore Negros

* Updating the wedding website - uploading maps and the like which will help you, our friends and family become better acquainted with Bacolod.

* Reserving a bloc of hotel rooms so that our guests may have the option of staying in one place all together.

And the list goes on. I won't blog them all now but that's just some of the things that come to mind now that the major stuff has been more or less finalized. Continue to keep us in your prayers and we look forward to seeing those who can make it on December 15, 2007. See you! Visit junbyandmitzi.weddingannouncer.com for updates and practical details on the wedding. Thanks!

Ticked off the 'To do' list...

Hi folks! I've been quiet I know in terms of posting but I've been nibbling on the different items on my 'to do' list for the wedding. First off, I've finally reserved the rooms we will use before the wedding (Junby and his best man, myself and my maid of honor). It'll be at Nature's.

Why there? Well I like Nature's because of the fact that trees abound in the area. I think I will need all the calming I'll need on the day of the wedding and nature has always been a natural stress buster for me. When I feel my world closing in, I hie off to the beach or to any wooded area and soak in the calm that nature's wonders brings.

Next, I'm already surfing and asking around for ideas for the wedding invitations. I'm seriously considering making our invitations myself (to help keep us within the budget :P). If any of you have tips and stuff, send them my way please :) I've also gone and booked tickets for when Junby is in town come September. I took advantage of PAL's buy one ticket and get two free tickets promo which is a real deal :)

I've already sent off our missalette to our celebrant, Fr Sean to go over and check each detail. Once he's done with it, will work with the Sir Nel Dingcong, the choirmaster for the liturgical songs to be used. :) So that's it for now. The other details are still being processed. Will post some more updates when I have something substantial to report. :) God bless to all!

Some progress...

Well folks, I've started submitting the necessary documents to the church. I've submitted most of it, even sent off to Junby's parish the documents needed to have marriage banns posted. There are still some pending documents like the ones from the US embassy but those will get submitted when Junby comes home on September.

We still haven't finalized the missalette although it's more or less done. Junby just needs to approve the stuff I've written so far. Next step will be to have it scrutinized by the priest who will join us in Holy Matrimony, Fr. Sean Coyle. Keep us in your prayers.

Weekend work

Weekends are the days for me -- the time that I can do several wedding-related errands. Like this Saturday (June 16) for example. I have several meetings lined up especially after lunch and three are wedding-related.

First stop would be a trip to our chosen baker to discuss the design and maybe do a little taste-testing :P. Second will be a trip to Sta. Clara chaplaincy to submit some of the required church documents already. I'm supposed to be at Sta. Clara at around 4 -- that's the time Tita Barbs, the chaplaincy's secretary will be available to entertain my questions. Third trip (if its possible to squeeze this in) I may visit the recommended maker of wedding invitations.

So far, there is progress however minute. I thank God I am still able to keep my cool. Maybe as the months roll in and the wedding draws even nearer, I might not be able to keep my cool. Hopefully Junby will be around to help do just that.

That's it for now folks! Til next post -- keep us in your prayers. :)

One step at a time...

Hi friends and family! I know we've been quite quiet for a while so I decided to post just to let you know that slowly but surely things are getting done. It's now June -- that leaves me six months to go before the big day and help has come from various places.

First of all, thank you to all the friends and family who have offered their time, talent and treasure in one way or another. Rest assured, Junby and I will definitely take you up on your offer when the need arises. So far we'd like to thank Ani (appplause) for saying yes to being the coordinator for attendance(this includes sending out invitations and confirmations) for the Trinidad-Saguisag side and J (applause din!) for the Fuentes-Ramos side.

Second, I personally would like to thank the gracious offer that my Tita Bing and Manang J extended (for the information of those who are non-ilonggos 'Manang' is equivalent to the tagalog's 'Ate') to look into helping make the wedding favors. What these are...well, we'll keep them a secret for now, right ladies? :)

Third, Junby and I are making our way slowly through the lists of 'to-do' on both our sides. This would include the guest list (sigh, we so wish we could invite everyone who knows us until the 6th degree but . . . sigh), the vendors list and the practical details of the wedding, the reception and the honeymoon. I am glad Junby has grown considerably in patience these past years in dealing with me -- I know I can be a little 'type A' , at times.

I'll be going off to Manila by next week to traipse through Divisoria in search of tela and other bargains for the wedding. As for the honeymoon plans, hopefully we can come to a decision by next week. Keep us in your prayers! Thanks, 'til next time!

Small steps...

Hi folks!

It's been a while since I blogged. Rest assured though that I have been working on the endless 'To Do' list on my end. I inquired with the US embassy and it seems that Junby, being a US citizen, needs to procure an affidavit in place of the Legal Capacity to Marry document which the Philippine government requires of foreign citizens wanting to marry in the Philippines. Good news though is that the affidavit is released the same day it's filed unlike the Marriage license that needs 10 working days to be issued.

I've also been canvassing for possible places to stay for all our out-of-town friends. Will post the ones I recommend as soon as I check each one out for myself. One can't completely rely on just pictures found on ads. Other things I have done are to confirm, complete with down payment, reservations with the merchants we are going to partner with for an unforgettable wedding (pressure). For food we decided on Misyel's catering services. For photography, we decided on Photoworks. Looking at the works they had done before, I'm banking on a good storehouse of memories in print and in soft copy. We've more or less decided on getting Anne Co for the wedding cake.

All these are just a drop in the bucket but at least the wedding preps are progressing albeit slowly. Will keep you all posted and keep us in your prayers! Thank you!

The Ceremony

As Junby has posted last time, we are in the process of coming up with the wedding ceremony that would solemnize our commitment to each other. After all, the sacrament of Holy Matrimony is more than just a mass with people dressed up nicely. In the process of trying to make a missalette I came across www.kasal.com

It has a very useful guide in terms of making a missalette where you just choose the particular texts like the readings and prayers. Then you can even print it as soon as you are done. There are still several merchants I need to check for the reception like possible sound systems or DJ's and the like. If any of you can point out to me a possible resource especially those that are perfect for budget conscious brides, I'd be very much obliged. Thank you! Continue to please keep us in your prayers...

Until next post...