live it
It's been a strange week at work. I went in on Tuesday and found the mood to be particularly mellow. I later found out that a member of our team had been in a car accident and was killed.
Natalia was an RN. She was vacationing in Lake Havasu, Arizona with her husband to celebrate their anniversary and new pregnancy when they were T-boned into a camper trailer at 70 mph. All involved, including 3 others from the camper were killed.
Get this. The date was
06/06/06. I didn't know Natalia that well, but she was nice to me and nice to her patients. She had this cool Russian accent and warm demenor about her. May you and your husband and unborn baby rest in peace, Natalia, RN.
Working on our unit, you kind of expect things to go a certain way, but when things like this happen, it's really a shocker. It makes you realize that life is fragile, that everyday is not promised to us, that everyday that you are here, you should be appreciative of it and live it to the fullest.
It's also reminds us that we should tell the people we love that we love them because it's nice to hear it and acknowledge it once in a while.
Love you!!!
we're grown'd up
It's a hard thing to accept.
When did we become
grown-ups? Yeah, I got my degree six years ago and also have gone back to get another one, but still... I feel like I just got out of college, like I'm just now starting to stand up on my own.
Today, Ate Tin, Leia and I helped Isa look for wedding dresses....WEDDING DRESSES! Geez! I mean, I've been to plenty of weddings and many of my high school friends are already married. Yet, it is now (at least for me) starting to feel like the right time things like these are happening.
It's a scary thing...this adult thing is. You think if we stick together, it'll be less scary?
Oh,
responsibility.
BACK IN THE 'HOOD
Beautiful dresses here at Mon Amie on Bristol in Costa Mesa. We weren't allowed to take pictures of Isa trying on the dresses, but I did get this one of us looking through the racks for pretty ones for her to try on. Isa (Ate singing), "You're beautiful...you're beautiful, it's true."
Who here has worked at the UCI bookstore or knows anyone that has? I see your hands going up. Yep, it seemed like we all worked there. That was my first job and a really a cool place to work. We went to the bookstore to get Leia's cousin a sweater. While we were there we visited Shelley, Isa and my old boss from the merchandise department. We did the "what's going on with you" chat and reminised about the old days. The place looks the same as it did when we were still going to school there. [Time warp.] Shelley was a great boss.
I'm a "dream girl"
Have your parents ever talked about you, had a conversation about you, joked about you to friends or other people while you were right there infront of them? This was me last Saturday-
smile and nod...
smile and nod.
Ever since I graduated from nursing school, more now since I've passed my boards, I've noticed that aunties, a.k.a. Pilipino Moms are so much nicer, so much more inviting to me than ever. They're practically begging me to marry their sons. After I graduated, a family friend who is a real estate agent even said she'd buy me a "house and lot."
Last Saturday, I got to see the house.
My cousin bought a house in Bakersfield and on Saturday and had a housewarming and high school graduation party for his daughter. Auntie Rosy, Uncle and Didi also recently relocated to Bakersfield and came to the party. They bought two homes there, one for their retirement and the other one...for me.
My parents, aunts and uncles and I went to tour their homes and the entire time we were there they joked, in tagalog (which I don't understand) about me.
Here the jest of what I translated:
Mom: Let's go see auntie's new house.
Me: Okay.
Auntie (to me): I'll buy you one. (kisses me on my cheek)
Me: Okay, auntie.
Auntie: I'll buy you one if you become my daughter-in-law.
Everyone: Hahahahahaha....(everyone looking at me)...hahahahahahaha.
Auntie: You're my "dream girl." And Didi (her daughter) says you're her favorite. She looks up to you.
Me: Awwwwww...(blushing) Thanks.
Bakersfield 93307
Me and my future sister-in-law, Didi =)
RANDOM
CONGRATS, MAE! This is Mae's new room. She came up with the square ideas and colors on her own. Good job!
They forgot the air pump for the swimming hole, so the kiddies cooled off using the sprinklers and water hose.
It was 102 degrees outside. Hot!
Halo!
The OC's Foxfire
I'm really lucky to have the best Godparents there could be. To celebrate, Ninang Marie and Ninong Archie invited my parents, my brother and I out for Dinner at
Foxfire: An American Chophouse in Anaheim Hills. I don't know how to describe the food. I guess, traditional American fine dining? For the entree, I had the grilled Ono with mangos on some sort of red sauce and wasabi mashed potatoes. Yum. Ono is great.
Anyway, I just was to say THANK YOU to Ninang and Ninong for all their love and support.
MV FanGirl
OMG!!! I thought I was a little obsessed with Vartan. I think this girl takes the cake.
Check out her
blog.
cruise '95
Talking about and thinking about the Caribbean got me thinking about when I went to the Bahamas with the band in high school. Fun times. I don't recall too much 'cause my memory is poor and 'cause I haven't seen some of the pictures in a while, but I do remember a good time. Aimee, I want to watch that video if you still have it.
Anyway, I came across these photos in my iPhoto. Too bad I don't have a picture of us on the banana boat. You guys would have loved that. I think there were five people on it. I was at the tip. Haha...nevermind. I won't go any further.
This is Anjelica, who runs her own MAC store in NY, Aimee, RN and me circa 1995.
Why am I wearing bright pink shorts? Dork.
Pussycat Dolls? No, COF minus 4.
The other day, someone said I looked like Nicole from PCD. I said, "Thanks. I just wish I had her body." Then he showed eveyone the buttons video and they said, "Oooh...yeah, me too."
Caribs in 3 weeks!
jolly, jolly jump
Happy Engagement, Isa and Nick!
Isa and Nick had a moon bounce/jolly jumper for the kiddies to play in. What could be more fun, right?
Here, the big kids are waiting for the kiddos to get out of the moon bounce. Once we got it, it was on.....almost.
Riann made a new friend and...
Larnie kept falling,
and falling,
and falling.
Sinner virgins
Sorry, Ate... ...but you called it out.
Saints&Sinners virgins Ate Tin, Jeff, Larnie and her friends Jen and Kim joined in on the fun last Friday night and guess who was the winner- James! Hahaha...No, really it was Ate Tin!
When Ate Tin drinks, she gets really red/pink and warm. James gave her wet napkins to put on her arms to cool her off and somehow the wet napkins ended up somewhere else. When they came off, they revealed Ate Tin's headlights. All we heard from her the entire night was,
"JAMES!!!". 
Here we are watching her. Hilarious! She said something like "This is going to be on all of your blogs, huh."
Yup. Hee
2!
Okay, okay. So, Ate Tin wasn't the only one who was drunk that night. I might have been a little faded myself. I don't know what happened. I put my foot up on this stirofoam container and my foot fell through. Am I that heavy? I guess my foot is.
drunkass!
Drunk Ate Tin is great!
Hahaha...Larnie, why are you touching Anna's boob?
Fun drunk times!
Shiloh
I hope I don't get into trouble for posting these, but I wanted to join in on the baby craze. Beautiful baby.
glow
Class of '06
Congrats to all the 2006 graduates! Anyway, I just wanted to spotlight an old church friend.
I've known Elizabeth and the Maxims since she was born. I watched her grow up and even babysat when she was younger. Since I moved I've been a little out of the loop with what's going on at St. Paul's. While getting info for the graduate slideshow that I'm doing, I learned that Eliziabeth is Oxnard High School's Valedictorian and will be attending UC Berkeley in the Fall. She's super smart, super talented and super kind. More power to her.
Remember when that was us? Ready to go off to college?
Forrest Gump-ers
235- Dad's cholesterol level.
I asked him how he was going to try to get that number below 200. He said he'd exercise and diet. Dad loves to play ping pong. A few years ago we bought him a ping pong table. The trouble is, no one at home can really play with him. Jason and I are both out of the house and Mom ain't really good. So, he found this ping pong league that meets once a week for a few hours. They play at the old Oxnard High School gym. Boy, that brought back memories of the old school when I went to watch him play. This ain't no kiddie ping pong. It ain't that crazy with the balls flying at 80 mph either, but those guys did have skills. It was fun to see Dad challege them, even though he got his butt kicked by this old guy.
drunks come out at night
Last Friday, we said, "Let's get Anna drunk." During the night, she disappeared. We asked, "Where's Anna?" Here she is crashed on my bed. Yeah! We love drunk Anna.
Obrigado!
Thanks for Zabumba, guys! It was sweet.
Fried bananas with cinnamon on top. Yum.
Yet another random find. That was Great. =)
Gwennie, RN
Whoo hoo!!! I PASSED!!!
Gwen A. Antonio, RN
ID# 680035
VENTURA Co.
Thank you for all your support and encouragement, everyone. Thank you!
