healing

healing is, by far, the hardest thing i've ever had to do. i'm not talking about healing from a bodily illness or wound. i'm talking about healing from an emotional wound. i realized that the great difference between healing from a bodily wound and healing from emotional wound is, when you are physically wounded, you can just go to a hospital and let the doctors or nurses treat you and pretty much do the healing for you. i.e. someone stabbed you? just lie down and they'll stitch your gushing wound up. on the other hand, when you are emotionally wounded, you have to do the healing yourself. you can't just lie down in a hospital bed and have someone stitch up that emotional stab wound for you, can you? and man, that sucks for me because healing takes time, and time takes forever, and i admit, i am not very good at this healing thing, especially when the wounds just keep coming one after the other. i can barely treat myself from freakin' colds.

oh yes, i am not one happy camper today. ugh.

sweeter the second time around

to view in a full size version: click here!

i believe in love

i BELIEVE in the sun
even when it's not shining;
i BELIEVE in love
even when i don't feel it;
i BELIEVE in God
even when He is silent.

[from BarlowGirl's "I Believe in Love"]

how beautiful

since i woke up this morning, i have been lavishing in music. you know, just browsing through endless music that mike and i can possibly use for our praise&worship line-ups. then, i stumbled upon how beautiful... the song that i used for my bridal march. i remember how many were puzzled or even weirded out that i picked this song for my bridal march because it talks about "the body of Christ," and although it's a popular song for weddings, it's usually used for the communion part of the wedding ceremony.

anyhoo, i haven't heard this song since literally on the wedding day. i hate-hate to be mushy or anything, but i couldn't help but feel tears damping my eyes. in all honesty, it's almost as if i almost forgot how truly, how truly beautiful is Christ... i almost forgot that He was the reason why i was able to walk down that aisle without shame or humiliation and instead, with humility and grace - His grace.

i'm not going to hide that mike and i are not living happily ever after. we have innumerable differences that we get frustrated with each other about three times a day :)... but of this i'm certain: i can never thank God enough for His undying love and neverending grace for me and my husband... i can never thank Him enough, not only for bringing mike into my life, but for giving mike to me as my partner in life and for life.

How Beautiful

How beautiful
The hands that served
The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth.
How beautiful the feet that walked
The long dusty roads and the hills to the cross.
How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ.

How beautiful the heart that bled
That took all my sin and bore it instead.
How beautiful the tender eyes
That chose to forgive and never despise.
How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ.

And as He laid down His life
We offer this sacrifice
That we will live just as He died
Willing to pay the price, willing to pay the price.

How beautiful the radiant bride
Who waits for her groom with His light in her eyes.
How beautiful when humble hearts give
The fruit of pure lives
So that others may live.
How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ.

How beautiful the feet that bring
The sound of good news and the love of the King.
How beautiful the hands that serve
The wine and the bread and the sons of the earth.
How beautiful, how beautiful
How beautiful is the body of Christ.

[special thank you to Ezra for the voice & Evan for the music for making my bridal march as close as possible to how i dreamed for it to be.]

wedding hangover

hi.

i am having a serious wedding hangover. it feels like every fl. oz. of me has been drained dry.

after getting back from cancun for our mini honeymoon - or must i say, after getting back to reality - i find myself not feeling like doing anything. i don't wanna think or do. too bad the holidays happened to fall after the wedding that i seriously slacked off on christmas shopping. are you kidding me? i was so sick of the mall or any retail stores for that matter. i seriously couldn't even go within three mile radius of any mall. oh, and walmart? i must've spent every single night at walmart (and michael's) during the last three weeks before the wedding. At 9pm on the night before the wedding, i was still at walmart looking for last minute stuff. until now, walmart makes me nauseous. gah, i guess, i just got so tired of running around and racing with time.

i also blame my wedding hangover for not updating my blog as soon as you'd expect. i don't think i'm ready to reflect on the big day as of yet. part of me doesn't even know what just had happened. that's how seriously hung over i am! hehehe...

as of now, the wedding photos are about the only thing that keeps me from going into full hiatus! the past four months have been extremely crazy, chaotic, and insane for me (and mike) that i am not exaggerating when i say i almost lost hold of reality. (only the few closest ones to us know the real behind-the-scene of the wedding.) the photos are my only tangible proof that the wedding indeed go through... after all!

thank God that i did not just have any photographer cover the wedding. again, i would like to give special credits to Kuya Rene Gaviola's team (assisted by the fabulous Ellen Tuyay and the passionate Marco Ingco) for the extra effort they had to put in our wedding - especially during the church ceremony when flash photography was not allowed. i also gave Kuya Rene a heads up that we wouldn't have a professional videographer, so it was an even extra challenge for them to document the event in still images in a way that the reality of the event will be, nonetheless, accurately reflected without the dimensions of sound and movement.

speaking of which... we would like to express our long overdue congratulations to our wedding photojournalist Rene Gaviola for being included in the top10 of [ag]wpja Q3 2007 contest. a couple months back, he also won as a finalist in a competition jointly sponsored by Brides Magazine & WPJA, and his award-winning photo was featured on Brides website.

(little background info: there are currently only two Philippines-based wedding photographers in the highly-selective, prestigious, world-renowned Wedding Photojournalist Association. "Membership in the WPJA depends entirely on photographers meeting our high standards for inclusion. One CANNOT simply pay his/her way into the WPJA. We emphasize this is NOT another ad-driven wedding web site.")

wooot-wooot!!! can you believe we actually had an international-award-winning photographer cover our wedding? :) me neither. we've said it like a million times, but we consider Kuya Rene a God-send blessing to us, and it's true: when God blesses you, it's never an "average" blessing.

and of course... thanks again to everyone who made our wedding day possible and beautiful. you know who you all are. we still owe you a thank-you after-party! mike and i have not forgotten! just give us time! we love you, guys!

oh, and we hope everyone had a wonderful CHRISTmas season and a happy new year!

november twenty-four two thousand seven - part II

] click on images to view full albums [

PRE-CEREMONY

CEREMONY

POST-CEREMONY

[RAW IMAGES (C) RENEGAVIOLA.COM]

november twenty-four two thousand seven

] please click on the images to view full albums [

PRE-CEREMONY

CEREMONY

POST-CEREMONY

DINNER & DANCING

[RAW IMAGES (C) RENEGAVIOLA.COM]

three (3) days!

my brains are currently in a knot, thank you very much.

first things first!

to my wedding favors team including sis. jo, nicole, my sister and my mommy, and of course, headed by miss val: you, ladies, are awesome! thank you for putting in your whole day today. i can say thank you unlimitedly, but unfortunately, words will not do justice.

kuya rene, our main photographer, has arrived tonight all the way from the philippines! marco of new jersey, who will assist kuya rene, will be arriving at 9pm tonight (since it's technically 11/21 now as it is past midnight!).

ate kathrine, our dance crash course instructor, has officially accepted (actually, i didn't even have to ask her - she generously offered! suuu-weet!) taken on a new position in our wedding team as our on-the-day wedding coordinator. uh, hello? how fabulous is that! so ladies and gents who are part of the bridal party, when you see her on friday and on the wedding day, don't be wondering, "who's this lady bossing me around?" LOL just kidding. she won't be bossing you around; she will just be helping out, so please be nice (and obedient) to her. thank you. =)

went to westin this morning and fully paid off the reception and catering, and it feels soooooo good. thank God! (literally.) rhonda, the wedding coordinator, said they will start putting the tables by today, so by friday, it will be ready for us to set up.

the flowers arrived in bud form thru fed-ex today just in time to open up for saturday. flowerbud.com is great and highly recommended!

reserved the lcd projector and screen today from rebel party rental. they will be ready to be picked up on friday.

to our handsome groomsmen: tuxes our ready to be picked up today at mens wearhouse. please don't forget! they are closed on thursday and friday due to thanksgiving holiday.

to our absolutely beautiful bridesmaids: i don't know much of the details, but i think you are planning to meet this afternoon to shop for accessories and do your bridal henna tattoos. if you are a bridesmaid and don't know much of the details of this, please contact any of your co-bridesmaids.

reminders: friday, 11/23: meeting at the westin at 9am to start setting up decors at the reception; meeting at the first presbyterian church of las vegas at 11:30am for the church rehearsal; lunch will immediately follow; return to westin to finish setting up.

weather: from the weather channel
Detailed Local Forecast
Tonight: Mainly clear skies. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 15 to 25 mph.
Tomorrow: Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 63F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy skies early will give way to clearing overnight. Low 42F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. High 63F. Winds light and variable.
Friday: Sunshine. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 30s.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the low 40s.

i was so hoping that the warmer-than-the-usual-las-vegas-fall-temperature weather would keep going, especially when it's been like awesome Low-60s-High-90s in the past six weeks... but no, apparently, just right on time for our big day, temperature suddenly goes down 15 degrees. ugh.

lastly, mike is currently sick (colds with fever), most likely due to season change. please pray for his quick healing that he will be perfectly well for our big day.

again, thank you infinitely, everyone!

seven (7) days

i think, in approximately eight days, i will completely lose my mind. fortunately, the wedding's in seven days, so it should be alright. ehh.

ten (10) days!

for a long while, when people asked me how i am feeling about the wedding, i usually say, "ehhh, 'more anxious than excited..." as of this moment, however, i have to admit, i am starting to feel an inkling of excitement. :)

i am sooooo cramming, but it's actually slowly starting to come together... well, you'd think, right?! when the wedding is next week!

i accomplished quite a handful today:

• had my second dress fitting - i have to say the dress looked quite stunning after all that alterations... oh yes, lucette did give me boobies. my cousin noemi came with me. thank you, girlie :)
• finally bought lydia's flower girl dress. lydia is my niece [noemi's daughter] who just moved back from hawaii and was not able to get a flower girl dress ordered on time. (thus, we failed to include her name in my bridal party list on our invitation.) noemi and my auntie melany had been looking everywhere for a dress that's similar to the original flower girl dress that we bought for mikayla. the closest we could find is noticeably different, but oh well, as long as the fabric's chocolate brown! our sweet lydia's worth it :)
• found and bought my bridal garter at frederick's of hollywood... and thanks to ate noemi's tip, we were able to get it for like crazzzzy cheap when the other bridal places jack up the prices to like ten times the price!
• finally found and bought my bridal jewelries (just earrings and bracelet with bare neck shoulders ;) that were picked out by mike
• mike and i went also perfume shopping courtesy of my mommy, except she doesn't know - i used my macy's credit account that she pays for monthly ;) hehehe...
• got ring pillows and flower girl baskets compliments of demetrios
• programs and order of events are getting more finalized and finalized each day
• set up the wedding rehearsal with first presbyterian church
• finally heard from james today (after he went m.i.a. on me for a good number of weeks) regarding our paper and printing needs ;)
• same thing with kuya evan regarding the reception decors

still have an overwhelming major details to take care of! i'm so stressed out, but it's a good stress... if that makes sense.

okay, this is it! no more turning back now! tuloy na tuloy na tuloy na ito!

when i almost 'lost' my aisle...

"If I have to buy or build hundred churches for you... I would, so I could marry you in each one of them."

my husband actually said this... like, in real life and all!

eighteen days

everyone's been giving me countdown expressing their excitement, and here i am, going, "noooo, wait, not yet!!!"

oh.
my.
gosh.

why am i getting the cold feet?

okay, sheila, hello?!?!? you have been married for, like, the past eleven months!

second dress fitting

i finally went in yesterday to get my fitting done. yay for me! fittings should be by appointment only, but i had to walk in because i already didn't show on the last three appointments that i made, so i didn't want to call another time to make an appoinment and have them recognize my name. sure enough, when i walked this afternoon with my sister and they asked me for my name, the ladies there were, like, "oh, you're Sheila... you've cancelled several times." ehhh, yikes.

my original appointment was scheduled back on 10/1, and then, i cancelled and postponed a couple of times in hopes that i could put on more weight. my lunch buddies at work have become my cheering squad. every single lunch break, it's not uncommon to hear, "just one more bite..." or "go get dessert..." from them. well, obviously, it hadn't work! so the other day, after i realized that i have less than 4 weeks, i finally just gave up on this whole weight thing and decided that i just need to get the whole fitting over with.

my seamstress lucette is so adorable. she's this little old lady who came from france - which by the way says alot about her seamstress skills coz she went to school in france, the capital of tailored fashion - so she has this really thick yet adorable french accent. she kept shaking her head from seeing how tiny i was and would blurt out quite repeatedly, "oh, you're so tiny. don't worry, dear. i'm going to give you boobies."

so as predicted, i am going to need major alterations done on my dress. lucette is basically eliminating 1/4 of the original dress. i know. i know. it's almost disgusting. you'd think i would end up paying less than the regular price of the dress, but no, i actually have to pay significantly more to make the dress smaller. i was speechless for good three minutes after lucette explained to me what needs to be done with the dress (she's pretty much re-building the whole dress fromtop to bottom) and how much it will cost. the alterations cost 1/3 of the price of my dress for cryin' out loud! i had to convince mike it's worth it. hehehe...

so yes, there's a first big wedding preps progress for me in pretty long while: i paid off my dress!

i have my third fitting on nov 14. "when i say, you have to show, you show up, okay?" lucette scoldingly reminded me. hehehe...

big thanks to my sister for going with me to the fitting. oh, and she and i definitely had fun with my veil.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

lessons learned before the wedding

• marriage takes way more than "staying" married to someone.
• just when i thought i cannot emphasize it anymore... true love is a verb.
• "for the rest of my life" is a loooooong time; even mediocrity does not make it worth it.
• hurt and pain do not necessarily have to damage me; brokenness can make me.
• bubbles do and will burst.
• everything comes to an end, which means there will always be a new beginning.
• we always have choices.
• always communicate... with respect.
• "first-hand" experience is not and does not always have to be the best teacher. i.e. do you have to murder someone first before you are able to fully grasp that murder is wrong?
• i am married to a good-looking man. (i just had to say it for mike. hehe)
• nothing and no one in this world and of this world can satisfy me, except Him.
• God is too great and awesome to be true; yet, He is more real than the air you breathe.

ATTN: MGA POGI

Hello sa mga pogi naming kaibigan,

Mike and I decided to move our group tux rental registration from AfterHours to Men’s Wearhouse.

Here is the info for our group rental:
Group’s Name: TUZON/ROMULO
Group’s Number: 1423823
Fitting Deadline: 11/10/2007
Pick-up Date: 11/21/2007
Rental Rate: $79.99 plus tax [package includes: coat, trousers, shirt, vest, long tie, cuff links, and shoes]
** There may be $20 Down Payment (towards your rental fee) at the time of your fitting.

We have already picked out the style, so all you have to do is mention the group name/number and get your measurements/fitting done.

Also, please make sure that you get your fitting done on or before 11/10, Saturday, to avoid the $20 “rush order” fee.

You may come in to any of Men’s Wearhouse locations: Maryland/Twain, Charleston/Durango, Stephanie between Sunset & Warm Springs, Lake Mead/Rainbow

Mike and I appreciate everything!

feather fascinator

modern organza & feathers

from: herecomesthebride.com

feather barette - karin's garden

from: mp.hairboutique.com

currently out of stock - darnit!!!

1920s Chic and Glam Birdcage

I wish I had taken more time to decide. Now, I just truly realized I woul have really loved this sophisticated alternative to a veil, and i think it would complement my vintage-inspired contemporay dress... except, I had already ordered and paid for my classic veil six months ago under a no-return policy, so too late. :(
















from: leah c. couture millinery @ leahc.com

paper lanterns

i am a sucker for paper lanterns.

i think it's perfect for the urban feel.

what i love about them the most is that if you really think about it, paper lanterns are so basic and simple - nothing ornate at all;

yet, they can give any space a festive yet elegant look.

and they look great in photos!

[photos by: Blue World Studios blueworldstudios.com]

edit: my version of paper lanterns...

see more here: dinner and dancing at westin casuarina

poknat

today, some time before my lunch break, i got a surprise call at work from my sweetest gurrrlfriend everrrrr!

"uy, tita mae, let's go to lunch. i'm gonna feed you! my treat!" she said in that cheerful, vibrant, world-rocking yet adorably sweet voice of hers - her trademark. (o ha, antarush!) and of course, how could i say "no" to that??? not because the offer is irresistible, but because the offer is from valerie. ;)

then, as if, she hasn't fully convinced me yet, she had to add, "c'mon, i really want to do this before i completely go back to college student poverty... just consider this as one of my ways of fulfilling my bridesmaid duties."

awwwww... when i heard these words, i could just cry... in laughter. hahaha! no, seriously, i was super touched!

so there she went... complete with picking me up at work, taking me to cheesecake factory, MAKING me go thru the whole nine yards - appetizer, main entree, and two (2) varieties of guilt-filled chocolate dessert with so much stuff left-over for to-go, and dropping me back off at work. you should have seen how we tried to multi-task to avoid any idle time since i only have an hour lunch break: talking nonstop while masticating our food. hahaha! the weirdest thing is ( it is very weird, alright?) that after all that effort to avoid wasting any time, i still ended up taking over an hour lunch break. yikes, i was actually gone on a lunch break for almost two hours. i know, right?! but trust me, every second of it was very well worth it... even though i had to stay an hour extra unpaid after work. ;)

to val: wow, sum'kaynopa espesyal panawagan epek pa 'to ha. hahaha! no, pero seryoso nga, on a serious note, (hahaha anlabo!) what can i say? it's hard for me not to be baduy right now coz like i said today, "words are not good enough..." but i am willing to strip myself bare, baduy and all, for you! charing! haha! sige na, seryoso na... i just really appreciate our times together coz i know how extremely busy you have been - like, you haven't even been able to go home earlier than 9-10pm every single day; yet, you are still willing to squeeze me in between even if it means staying up with me until five-thirty a.m. on a sunday morning just to bitch, whine, vent, and laugh our asses off together. hihihihi! Eight hours later, i still cannot stop myself from from smiling with matching kilig epek because of your gesture today... but i am even more amazed as i was reminiscing our past to where we are now. the story of our friendship - even from how we specifically met - with all the laughter and the drama and everything in between, has truly turned out to be (and i'm sure, will always be) "beautiful in His time." (o ha? nakanampoooch!) i know the roller coaster ride of our friendship has not ended, but no matter what happens in the future, i just want to make sure that i told you this at least once: we will always be... poknat and bokbok forever at the dulo ng rainbow. love kita talaga, val <333

excerpts

before i share this with you, let me give you a little background. the email excerpts i will be sharing with you shortly are email series of me and vince, my former co-worker at coldwell. for some number of months, i was assigned at the desk next to his (i guess, until my old boss found out that half of my shift would be spent chatting with him instead of working... hehe), which how we became pretty good friends even outside work. he would usually listen to me - fairly patiently, for that matter - whine endlessly and repetitively about me and mike's drama. oh, yes, the good ol' days. so anyway, when we both quit at coldwell last year, w e did pretty good in keeping in touch (usually through email at work hehe) even though we did not see each other regularly. that was until the beginning of this year; our emails slowly became more sporadically.

anyway, i'm sharing some bits and pieces of this email since it honestly describes a summary of my viewpoint of me and mike's upside-down-turning journey together within the span of a single year...

last week, after several months of no communication, vince shot me an email just to catch up. the series below start with my reply. here it goes:

_____________________________________________________________________________
Subject: RE: Haaaayyyyy!!

Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:13:35 -0700

From: xxx@xxxxxxxx.com

To: xxx@hotmail.com

Well, Hello, Mr. Soto.

It’s been ages!!! I mean, look, the last time we talked was before your parents’ 50th wedding anniversary! That’s a looong time! hehehe… sure, I’d love to see some pics. I never met any of your family, so it’d be nice! Believe it or not, I have not partied hard since last year so I have no interesting pics to show you. hehe…

So you work with two Filipino women? I don’t feel threatened at all. I know mike and I will always have THE spot! Haha…

I know I mentioned it to you before, but since we have not talked in a while… Mike and I will have our church wedding (the whole nine yards and all…) on nov 24, so I hope you’re not planning on going out of town since that is the Saturday of thanksgiving weekend. Email me your home address so I can mail an invite to you… once it is done… yes, 8 weeks and all, and I still have not sent out my invites. I know you have not forgotten that I am the reigning queen of procrastination.

Anyway, I’ve been good, extremely busy but good. My life has been constantly spinning and changing as you can see since I moved out of my parents house last year. Mike’s daughters (ages 13 and 6) have come back from the Philippines; they stay with us 3 days per week, so aside from learning how to be a wife – a “good” wife, for that matter – I have been playing stepmother to girls who can practically be considered my little sisters. How fun is that!!! Heh… nah, it’s been a cool but crrrazy experience.

What about you? Anything else new???

sheila

______________________________________________________________________________
From: vince soto [mailto: xxx@hotmail.com]

Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 6:12 PM

To: Romulo, Sheila Mae

Subject: RE: Haaaayyyyy!!

YOU'RE A MOM!!!!!!!!!!

You have to admit that that is kinda funny - it wasn't that long ago that you didn't even want to get married because you said you were still too young and now you're a MOM...

C'mon.....you have to admit that that IS funny....at least a little....

_________________________________________________________________

From: Romulo, Sheila Mae
Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 10:21 AM
To: 'vince soto'
Subject: RE: Haaaayyyyy!!

OK, yes, it IS funny. I am not denying the irony of my life! It seems like everything that I dreaded to happen is happening… faster than a bullet.

There are still times when I wake up in the morning and feel mike next to me, and like a lightning in my head, I realize, “oh my gosh, I’m married!!!” Then, add to that: a few minutes later, the kids would come barging in our room to wake us up (to make them breakfast), and I feel as if I am floating above my self watching the whole scene and laughing at myself mockingly, like, “are you freeeeakin’ kidding me?!?!?!”


sheila