CRUNCH Time

And we're both showing a lack of grace under pressure.

To say that the past week has been stressing would be such an understatement! And both my Baby and I need TLC we couldn't really give sometimes, caught up in work pressures and wedding preparations and family worries.

I also had the real bad luck to get sick and scare the living daylights out of my groom... a month from our wedding day!

I'm telling you, mortality issues this early in your (non) marriage isn't fun!

Hay.

And because we're both stressed and my Baby had the added (mounting) pressure to deliver more at work (he had to leave at a critical time to be at my side at the ER, watch me for over 5 hours and then bring me home), we both went ballistic at each other the other night.

Sigh.

But all's well now with us. And we're back to the wedding preps with a clearer head and more loving hearts.

*~*

Got our sponsored invites.

Didn't like it much. But it's still a gift we appreciate. Unfortunately, we both didn't double-check the names THAT WELL and managed to get two names WRONG. Blessing in disguise that the invites are so simple (and basic), we're able to repair the damage by re-printing 50 or so entourage pages.

Met with our Priest and he was kind enough to photocopy the CORRECT verses for Feast of the Innocents... it being a Catholic Holiday. He just asked us to insert prayers/words on the slaughtering of the innocents with the marriage prayers/words... hehe.

Also had our canonical interview at St. Vincent's Parish... the priest was nice enough to keep reminding us to date. He also shared a very wonderful phrase that I'd be including in our missalette:

"Love is inventive unto infinity." (St. Vincent de Paul)

Printed Matter also didn't fail me when we realized we haven't ordered our stickers yet from them. Got them within 30 minutes, Phoebe was very accommodating :) Maybe i'll return to them to have Thank You cards printed (because Jojo felt we had to make bawi somehow for the invites with giveaways, and still make a donation to Kythe as originally planned).

Barbara's will be (hopefully) ready with the layout plan for the tables next week. And we've paid our remaining balance with PICC.

All guests sheets are ready, will just reprint the Kissing Bells instruction cards (i found paper lang na mas bagay), printed the RSVP cards too...

Will meet with Bernie tomorrow to discuss ceremony and reception music...

Already got the bag charms I ordered for my female entou (and to give to certain special people wh helped with the wedding). Love the bag charms!!! Parang I don't wanna give them away na nga eh... mwehehehe... also bought boxes and gift wraps for them...

We've also started planning what things to modify, renovate, etc for our future home. We'd be cleaning its walls and stuff next week and start acquiring stuff for it also next week.

We still have a million things to do... like worry over who'd play driver to our families on the day, who will pick up the cakes for the PS, etc.

Side by side with all the other deadlines at work we have to meet... and monitoring my health/diet to make sure I don't have another allergy episode.

Again, kaya to! :)

*~*

One other accomplishment I can report is having started scanning our old/baby pics...

whenever i look at his baby pictures, i fall in love again
and i feel weepy...
this is how he looked like when he was young
these are the things he wore and did
at a time i wasn't in his life yet
a time he'd only tell me about
and my gosh... he was really beautiful!!!


and i can't wait to be the FIRST WITNESS to who he is becoming :)

(btw, he feels the same when he sees my baby pics... ahihi)

Less than 40 days to go
Church interview is this Friday. We've had our entou fitting already last 13th. We're getting all the gowns (except my mother's and cousin's) on Dec 12. Both my Mom and cousin will have their last fitting on Dec 12. We'd also be delivering the gowns on that day to the rest of the entou.

We've bought hanky sets for the male SS and BM, as additional gifts (we already bought them money clips before).

We're also bought hankering to already improve my parent's apartment to make it our own.

I'm finished with the guest sheets and trivia and kissing bells instruction cards. Kissing bells are also already finished, and in a box.

Have yet to work on reception programme and follow-up changes in the missal if ever.

Our invites are already being printed (yey!) and hopefully, we'd be printing names on evelopes this long weekend.

I'm having MAJOR wedding jitters...

We still don't know if Pyro will be allowed to join us during the Mass as Honorary Best Man... for fear of exposing him to people who might pass germs onto him.

Had dinner with another Ninong, my MIL's good friend since her elementary/high school days.

Because things have been hectic, took my Baby shopping for shirts and undies and mojos and socks instead.

Am also going to start clipping payments already. And schedule meetings with Bernie Pasamba, PICC, Enigma.

Also have to contact Judy Uson.

I've also gotten another massage yesterday with my Baby.

kaya to!

Accomplishments indeed!
The past long weekend has been more productive actually. Do read on :)

PRIEST
Well, we finally got one! Karla was KIND enough to refer me to their parish priest, and since I trust her good taste, Jojo and I met with Father Ed Coroza. We missed his Mass (well, he held it in another parish) but he seemed ok to talk to. He was very accommodating and he is now checking our missal. See, Feast of the Innocents (Dec 28) is a religious feast and he promised to check if there are strict liturgies that could not be exchanged, even for a wedding.

And he texts back! How cooler can he be?!

INVITATIONS
Due to delays in the final list of sponsors (principal and secondary, mostly from my Baby's side), we've only just finalized the mock-up for the invites. Jojo spent the weekend at my house, and we were up till around 3:00 AM Sunday morning putting the finishing touches on the invites. We printed the mock ones Sunday night and also finished the map.

My sis and cousin liked the mocks so much, they thought we were shooting for a complete DIY. Well, it turns out that our invites are partly DIY because we came up with the layout and the monogram and etc. Raintree will just print it for us to get the yellow shade we really want.

And actually, the invites are very simple. Since the wedding is actually themeless save for the insistence on using citrus green, yellow and orange colors, and gerbera flowers everywhere, it's just going to be a sort of formal affair. That, and the fact that i've suddenly run out of all creative juices.

In fact, we got part of the idea of the invite from a menu card!

No pictures though because my camera is shot.

KISSING BELLS
We bought more bells at Divi and more ribbons (I bought a 1 1/2 inch thick organza ribbon this time). And lucky for me, who can't seem to ribbon up the organza well, my cousin started on them last night! Bwahahaha... she'd have them finished today. :)

GIFTS FOR ENTOU
I already ordered the bag charms for my female SS and MOH, and ordered some extra to send as tokens to our benefactors. We also bought some more piglets in Divi for other little girls who'd want one.

We're back to giving Becky's cakes to our PS (with framed photos with us at the wedding to follow).

GROOM'S PANTS
Bought 4 yards of Dacron Wool at Ylaya Textile Building (i dunno which shop), 2 yards each of black and caramel wool (we got the caramel wool at a discounted price of P175/yard, orig price is P190... yes, bless that lady). We've inquired from different shops in Makati (one haberdashery in Glorietta sells Dacron wool at P1k/yard, goodness!) and found one charging P1k for labor.

Jojo decided to try first the tailor near us. Turns out, they charge P350 per pants. We're getting his new pants on Nov. 20.

GUEST SHEETS, ETC.
Bought packs and packs of different-colored boards to print our guest sheets on. I intend to pack them in 10s to facilitate their distribution per table. I also have to finalize now the Kissing Bells instruction card. Am tempted to go cheesy but chances are, I won't.

What else... ah, the personal touch... Still really have to figure out that one.

STRING TRIO + TENOR
Jojo and I have decided very early in the wedding preps that we won't get a band nor string group for the reception. We said we'd make do with a good DJ and sound system. Getting Enigma also meant that we could offer videoke time to the elders if they choose to stay after the reception program (and finish off the free flowing booze while catching up on each other). We've also collected songs from our HS days to play for our friends.

All good. :)

But at the wedding expo last September, my Baby suddenly wanted musicians too. Granted we didn't have church musicians for the wedding ceremony yet. Still, we had to talk and agree again that we didin't allot money for them.

But two weeks ago, I just had to volunteer for April's parents' silver wedding anniversary, which led me to Bernie Pasamba. Yes, it's all April's fault that I was so touched by the music at her parents' reception, I absolutely gushed over this group! I seldom gush over something, sus!

But really, they were THAT good. It was as if the garden was ALIVE!!!

And I raved and raved and raved about them. And I was really sad not to have the P14k to get them.

But it turned out we do. Or that love will find a way.

After getting lost in both Glorietta and Greenbelt looking for Le Rosh Cafe last Saturday, we were able to pay downpayment already. We also requested for Austin (tenor) and Bernie (violin).

HOTEL FOR WEDDING PREPS
We were originally booked at Westin. Only, Westin has decided its grounds are off limits if you're not having your reception there. So that's goodbye photo ops. Westin also is very strict about bringin in snacks for the suppliers who will be fussing over you on your wedding day.

And although I have half-baked, devious plans of sneaking in food... it was just really a hassle I don't really want to be dealing with.

And then came an idea. Why not just forego the photo ops and get a cheaper hotel? Savings can go to Bernie Pasamaba payments instead! :)

So that's what we did. We're now booked at Pearl Manila (almost a stone's throw away from Paco Park, bwahaha) in a 2-bedroom suite (that's 70 sq. m. of space!) for 3 days-2 nights. Not only did we save some P5k on room accommodations (and it's an upgrade too, because our booking at Westin was only for standard rooms), we also saved on parking fees (Westin charges P100 which would really ruin pockets as people come and go, delivering food, running errands and what-nots) and corkage fees for snacks!

What's more, because the hotel is cheap, some friends and relatives are booking rooms there too :)

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AFTER THE WEDDING
My Dad gave us the option to use an apartment they're renting out (that's beside our house) for our intial home. Waking Jojo up, he agreed to the arrangements.

We really want a place that's not so near our homes to separate the life we're building together from our families. But this is the most practical arrangement financially (we can save the money instead as deposit for our future home), physically (it's near my work) and emotionally (Pyro will have his TCV surgery on January).

Now we can't wait for our tenants to leave so we can start repainting and whatever. We're also already antsy to buy our bed and maybe our first Christmas tree. :)

Still, I cannot help but be saddened that my Baby will have to leave the clean, peaceful BFRV village he's lived in most of his life... to join me in my part of Manila.

He admits he's hated our area ever since he first walked through its poo-ridden street. But it also just so happened that his love grew up there and he acknowledges that so far, nothing bad has happened to me yet.

And also, he said he'd be reminded every day to take me out of there and give me a better life.

(not that my parents didn't give me a good life, just because we grew up there)

Did we accomplish anything?

Monday afternoon found me gasping for breath, and a little sore all over.
I was dirty, I was sweaty, I was exhausted.
My Baby Jojo was the same.
We were both trying to catch our breath as we laugh/smile whenever we look at each other.

We were house-hunting. Some 6 hours of walking around Onyx/Main (Paco) to UN yielded some possibilities.

In all honesty, we're only now realizing how costly it would be to live together. For aside from the rent, we'd be spending for otehr bills as well as living allowance and kapritsos.

Tsk.

We found this charming abode, but at P7.7k a month, I think it's too steep for just 22 sq. m. (my bedroom alone is almost as big...)

Then again, I didn't like the CR at the P7.5k 2-bedroom unit we found beside this ice cream shop.

And heaven help me, it would be the death of me to live in that P4.5k unit up that horribly-made staircase where your neighbors can literally hear and smell you. But their CR was big (sorry, I grew up using a CR where I can do jumping jacks so it's really an issue).

And yes, we know, we have to compromise somewhere.

We've looked in just one general area anyway. We have yet to tackle Pasay, Malate Area and also Makati.

Heaven help us, may we find our new home (however temporary) before Jojo's 29th birthday!

*~*

Sunday, Baby and I met with one of our Ninongs. He insisted upon it, having made it a practice for couples who want to get him for ninong.

He had a lot of advice (like working to go on trips to places we've both never been, locally or abroad, at least once a year; establishing rules where money and gimmicks and child-rearing is concerned; taking each child as a blessing; allowing for each other's hobbies and interests, etc) and it was a very nice lunch, hearing him talk about how it was when he got married (he's only 40 yrs old).

*~*

We were such sloths, we didn't make it in time for a prospective Priest's Mass.

*~*

FIL made this half-meant comment that we're to give him a grandson asap. SIL is expecting a girl.

*~*

I suggested that if Westin wouldn't be amenable to corkage-free snacks and photo ops around its property, we just look for a cheaper hotel and use saved funds for a good musical group for the reception instead.

Esply considering that parking at Westin is P100.00.

So, yes, am looking forward to a more romantic reception now that we're getting musicians over the mobile we already got.

*~*

I dreamt I texted Tet (designer) to provide tummy allowance in my gown because i'm already pregnant and will give birth on April.

I just hope I really didn't do it, but I still haven't checked... and no, am really not preggy.

*~*

Jojo slept at our house for 2 nights so we could concentrate on our preps. We engaged in a dialogue as well as revisited our guest list, and also started listing our choice toilettries.

I realized am just really so attached to my family that I feel easily threatened that Jojo is going to take me away from them. Which is so far from the truth because he also loves my family and acknowledges that my family needs both of us right now.

There were other issues we talked about, we made suggestions about how we'd handle our money and future family.

Still, the most agreement we arrived at was to continue revisiting the rules we've set so far to see if they're still working for us... if they're doable and workable and fair.

Personally, i'm feeling some sort of anxiety with all the changes that are less than 60 days away... the lifestyle change and the risks and the compromises.

That's not to say am not looking forward to be with him. Let's just say that some parts of me are resisting being with him... knowing it won't be easy... knwoing it's relatively the UNKNOWN...