Crazy August

Have I seriously not written anything in a month?! August has been extremely busy.

Two bridal showers
...both from 6:00 PM until the next day - but of course I only stayed until the night! Cinderella ang peg ;)

One of two showers I attended this month.  Obviously the theme was The Great Gatsby ;)

I'm no fashionista so I get so stressed out with themed/costume parties, thank God for friends willing to lend me stuff!

CRUZ-MA NUPTIALS, the 2nd in our barkada of 12!

Girlfriends of over 10 years! <3 ...and the boys :)

Bride is the one in the center, in her beautiful Edwin Tan gown, turned short dress.
(One Esplanade)

Adrienne, my BFF who is home from New York (but leaving tomorrow, I cry) // Dianne // me in a gown made by a co-teacher/co-ICAN, Mia Syson <3

Eating out almost every weekend :O
...with the barkada since 3 of my friends based abroad were home for the said wedding.

Here's our first brunch with Aids who just arrived the night before ;) 

(Cafe Breton, Podium Mall)

Long runs.  
I've ran up to 16KMs already, 2 more weekends and my legs will be ready for the October 6 half-marathon! As for finishing it sub 2, that's another story.

Trying to lose more of the weight I put on in the pregnancy.  

September 2012 and August 2013

A difference of about 30-40 lbs.

I'm still about 10-15 lbs away from my goal.  I told myself, I will only register for Condura Skyway (42km) 2014 if I reach my goal weight by the time registration starts! Ughh how much time do I have? Maybe 1-2 months? :|

Checking papers, exams and finalizing grades
Of course, doing the teacher work I dread.  I mean, I love being in the classroom but the checking just takes so much time! Because I teach religion/Christian Life, most of our assessments are in essay form and handling 7 sections is not an easy feat! That's about 40students x 7sections = 280 papers to check! :p Phew.  And I am writing this entry because as of present time, I'm done with all papers to check and grades to finish! Praise God.

So, yes, life has been busy but it's been good.  Had some super duper stressful moments but never without God's Grace, so I survived.  But still...

I'm so glad August is over.

Gali + Amie (plus Liam)

It's my brother-in-law's wedding today and for the first time ever, Alvin and I will be part of the entourage as secondary cord sponsors.  The last time I was in an entourage was to be a flower girl, eons ago!

Here's a photo of my brother-in-law and his bride with hubby and I during our wedding day.  I really am looking forward to their wedding and having another addition to the Guce family.  I can't believe it's been over a year since this day! So much has changed since.

Case in point: It's already been 7 months with the baby! Where did the time go? I used to think of how I wished he'd grow up faster, since taking care of a newborn took so much effort.  Now, he's beginning to work his way through baby talk and I'm getting all sentimental thinking that in a few months, he'll be walking on his own! Sniff.

Well, enough about that.  Now time to have breakfast (yay, can take a long, slow, relaxed brekky since I'm on leave today), shower and head to the hotel for wedding preparations! It's like my wedding day all over again, hehe ;) 

I Do

I was looking through our wedding photos when I came across one that was taken while the personal vows were being said.  We didn't really plan on writing personal vows - we always thought St. James (our church) didn't allow it.  Plus, Alvin was initially against it, shy type daw.  It was only about a week before the wedding when we checked and found out that they DID allow it, and so I required him to write his, haha! So we started writing.  Contrary to other couples, Alvin and I read our vows to each other prior to the wedding ;) We wanted to make sure our vows, when put together, made sense and were not redundant, or anything.  I cried while he "practiced" reading it to me, so there were no tears anymore during the actual reading.  I cracked, though, when I read mine! Hee.  Wedding video here:

As for the personal vows, I thought of immortalizing them here, as I am not sure how long these index cards will last ;) Plus, it would be nice to read them once in a while, eh?

Vin:
"Days after the welcome night for the new members of the Ateneo College Ministry Group, I was already asking my mom and dad, 'Meron ba akong Chinese blood? Kahit mga 2% lang...'
I stand before you now, after more than 5 years, still with less than 2% Chinese blood and now with a few Fookien words and phrases in my pocket.
Marybeth, it was in wanting to find and serve God that I found you. It was in wanting to follow Him that I was led to you. This is what makes everything about you, about us so special and so right. Now, with God's overflowing love filling my whole being, and in front of our beloved family and friends, I promise to love you with all my heart, mind, body and soul.
I promise to be always by your side, I promise to be patient when you're late or when PTC (Parent-Teacher Consultation) is already going overtime, let you use the vanity mirror of the car, watch Star Cinema movies with you, make you laugh and cheer you up when you're down.
Motivate and support you in everything you do. Next to God, you will be my #1 priority. We will be together in everything babe. We will always be a team and I will never leave your side. I will be a good husband, friend, and partner to you and I will love you for the rest of my life.."

Marybeth:
"I found my 2005 planner and discovered that only 3 months after we met, I was already writing my wedding guest list. I may come across as assuming but looking back, I see how this is proof of how everything about us is just so sure and secure.
 In the almost 6 years we've been together, there was never a break up, never a fight that did not end over an hour after it started.  Each day began and ended with an assurance of your love.
Today, in front of the people I love most, I promise to love you all the days of my life.
That means being more than ready for a lifetime of having to sit thru morbid and gory movies, of learning how to play Dota, of checking out cars and knowing the difference between mags, double overhead cams and fuel pumps. I promise that there will always be a warm smile and a big hug to welcome you after a long day at work.
We will celebrate our victories together and go through life's disappointments only with the comfort of never having to be alone. You, along with our family, will be my #1 priority. Beginning today, there will no longer be I's but only we's.
Paulo Coelho once wrote, 'To love is to be in communion with the other and to see in the other the spark of God.' Not only has loving you brought me closer to God, but it is also through you that God's love me for becomes evident. You are the reason why I now fervently believe in answered prayers. You are my answered prayer.
Above everything else, I assure you one thing today and everyday...
You will always have my love."

Cheers to almost one month of being a Mrs. ;)