731 days of love. ♥

September 24, 2012, 1:15 AM. We are exactly two years together!

Well, we welcomed the day with our friends, slept at around 3am, got up at noon just in time for lunch. Pretty lazy day at first as we had to wait for Lyeo to come home from work (because he brings the motorbike with him). So at around 4:00 PM, we put on our motor gears: rubber shoes, black jacket, backpacks, Lloyd's hand gloves, arm sleeves, and our helmets and started hitting the road at 4:20 PM. Destination: Tagaytay City! ♥

Our route itself was exciting as we are trying on a new one. We took the Timbao road which is just near Carmona Estates. The road leads to Laguna technopark where I got a view of Amkor's plant 4 (hurray!). Unfortunately, since we don't have a Nuvali sticker, we were not allowed to pass through Nuvali gate so we had to re-route via Greenfield and drove along with the shuttle buses for employees working in the Technopark.

We traveled this route for 1 hour 15mins with our motorbike

Our journey was easy and breezy and I really thank God for the perfect weather. There was no traffic and no hassle at all. And we knew we're near our destination as we already felt the cool Tagaytay breeze passing through our helmets and touching our faces. Finally, at 5:35 PM, we checked in at Keni Po hotel.

photo from wandering gene

We fell in love with the place at once! Well, I first checked out some hotels in tripadvisor to find some cozy yet affordable places to stay in Tagaytay, and this hotel has really captured my interest. It's just along Tagaytay-Calamba road, right beside one of my favorite churches, Ina ng Laging Saklolo Parish Church. The room we had was just small and simple, but really comfortable. (unfortunately though, we don't have much pictures since we're not fond of taking pictures of ourselves. boo!) A sliding door leads you to a veranda, and our room is facing right the parking lot of the church (weeee!). The room also has its own mini-bar where it serves bottled water, soda, beer and snacks, which you may get anytime and just pay later when you check out. We really loved the place that we will surely come back here every after 3 months. :) Anyway, more pics on their blogsite: http://keniporooms.blogspot.com/

We then felt our tummies grumbling at around 7pm and decided to drive along Tagaytay and find a place to dine. Where to? We have no idea! But we simply enjoyed our stroll, with still the cold breeze kissing our faces, and we were led to Carlo's Pizza. It's just in the same compound as Starbucks and Teriyaki Boy. We first thought of dining at Teriyaki Boy or Yellow Cab, but I insisted that we don't since we can also find these restos in Manila. We gotta try something new! So yes, we gave Carlo's pizza a shot!

Carlo's Pizza is an Italian restaurant which also offers a good view of the Taal Lake. Unfortunately though, since it's already dark, we can no longer see the lake. But the cool breeze from the lake and relaxing ambiance in the resto made the night romantic. :) Service was good and the waiters were attentive. Now for the food choices, since Lloyd and I are both salad lovers, Caesar Salad won't be missed in our choices. I had a dish of Spaghetti Bolonese while Lloyd had a two-pc chicken combo, one of which was Italian-glazed and one was crispy fried. Finally, since we are dining in a pizza place, why not try their pizza! Hence we had their Pizza Verona (it has garlic, mozarella and cheddar cheese) which was delightfully tasteful and was made even more special when you put on some Caramba Chili Verde which of course is a chili sauce but still brings out the pizza's natural taste even more. hhmmm yumyum!

Affordable Italian dining experience 

Pizza Verona!

We capped off the night by dropping by Starbucks to have coffee for desert, for some more kwentuhan, planning, discussing about some more stuffs, and just simply laughed around. That's where Lloyd is best at, making me laugh and making my heart equally happy and joyful. :)


The next morning, we hit the road once again at around 11am, dropping by the pineapple stalls for pasalubong for his and my home. Stress-free travel! Thank you Lord. ♥ and if there's one most special thing about this trip, that is I know that I could always live like this and I could always enjoy these simple roadtrips with my sweetest blessing. There'll be more roads to take, and even foods to eat, and I'm sure I'll enjoy every piece of every moment. Being on our second year, maybe we were already past through that very cheesy stage. Because right now, we're just busy - and excited - of working and planning and building for our future, together. ♥

Something for the boys

Now here's something naman for the brothers. Don't want to be in the Friend Zone? Here are some tips:

LIGAW KIT FOR SFC BROTHERS

Basic Checklist of Courtship for SFC Brothers

You are ready to court a sister if:

• God is your no. 1 priority
• You love your family dearly
• You are emotionally healthy/ready to get hurt
• You are financially healthy /will be able to provide
• You are a servant
• You are committed
• You are willing to guard your and the sister's heart as you discern your future together in this courtship stage. 
• You will keep this relationship pure and pleasing to God at all cost.
• You are willing to sacrifice your own interests and comforts for the sake of another.

In discerning for a sister:

• Be careful with your actions and words especially when you are not sure yet. Do not mislead the sister.
• Why this person? What are your motives in pursuing her?
• Do you know her well enough as a sister, friend, and co-worker in God's vineyard?
• What do you like about her? Are these what God wants you to look for in a future partner?
• Am I ready to discern this person to be my future spouse? Do I see this person as someone who can possibly be my partner in building a Christian family?

In courting a sister:

• Discern for God's time for you to enter a relationship
• It goes with your packaging. If she's beautiful in your eyes, be handsome in her eyes.
• Let the sister know that you are pursuing her, how you feel and what your intentions are. No mind games.
• Court your future wife, not just your future girlfriend.
• Respect the privacy and purity of the sister.
• Court in the sister's home, not in streets.
• It is not in the amount of the gifts, it is in the presentation.
• Be consistent in courtship, don't give false hope to the sister.
• Reveal yourself to her, so she'll love the real you.
• Allow the sister to entertain other brothers if she doesn't have a commitment with you yet. Be a sport.
• Don't expect anything in return. Just be happy that she's allowing you to court her. Just love her anyway.
• Get guidance from someone who has moral authority.

If she's a gift from God

• She must be something special.
• You don't have to force God, He will freely give her to you in time.
• Pursue her. Others might get her, or she'll just slip away.

Ligaw Kit for Sisters

I got this almost exactly 2 years ago, September 4, 2010, during the SFC Regional Conference in Rizal province. This actually just came right on time when I needed it. It was when I was actually discerning for Lloyd (yeeeees nemen! :p) and this has really helped me pray for him and for my heart. Well, where did this take us now? :p 

Something really worth sharing.

LIGAW KIT FOR SISTERS
Basic Checklist during Courtship for SFC Sisters


You are ready to allow a brother to court you if:

• God is your no. 1 priority
• You love your family dearly
• You are emotionally healthy/can be honest with your brother/suitor/ready to get hurt
• You are financially healthy/good steward of resources
• You are a servant
• You are committed
• You are a winner
• You are willing to guard your and the brother's heart as you discern your future together in this courtship stage
• You will keep this relationship pure and pleasing to God at all cost.
• You are willing to sacrifice your own interests and comforts for the sake of another.

In discerning for a suitor:

• If you are confused whether a brother is courting you or not, ask. Unless the brother states his intentions, do not assume. Ask what his intentions are. If he can't say, then don't entertain him as a suitor.
• Why this person? What are my motives in considering him?
• Do I know him well enough as a brother, friend and co-worker in God's vineyard?
• What do I like about this person? Are these what God wants me to look for in a future partner?
• Am I ready to discern this person to be my future spouse? Do I see this person as someone who can possibly be my partner in building a Christian family?

During courtship:

• Discern if the brother suitor is the one prepared by God for you. Discern if he can be your future husband, not just a boyfriend. 
• Be honest with him, tell him where he stands. Treat the brother with respect and don't ignore him. Through discernment, if he is not for you, have the courage to say no and tell him right away. Don't leave him hanging.
• Be courted at home, not in the streets.
• Be mindful in receiving gifts from the brother suitor. Don't give false expectations by accepting extravagant and extra special gifts.
• Reveal yourself to him, so he'll love the real you.
• You can still entertain other suitors if there are any as long as you've not committed to a brother suitor.
• Get guidance from someone who has moral authority.
• If you must turn him down, do so with respect and love for him as your brother.

If he's a gift from God:

• He must be someone special
• You don't have to force God, He will freely give him to you in His time.
• Allow him to pursue you. He might be the one and might slip away.

It's been almost two years, and I'm just thankful for everything that has happened since the day this kit introduced itself to me. :p