Family...

I've been amassing photos since we lived in El Paso; even more so when Sina came along.  Since I knew we weren't going to be there long, I didn't want to waste time printing and framing photos.  Now that we're here in Germany and will most likely be here for the full 3 years, I figured I could actually start decorating the house with personal family photos.  Along with the ladybug drawing I had framed, I had this one of our little family done as well.

The picture was taken when Sina was 6 days old (here is the post with all the other pics).  I found the wall decal on amazon.com and I am so happy with how it turned out.  It is hung at the hallway entrance that leads to our bedroom, Sina's room and the guest room.

I love this saying.  Our story began when Malu and I married 4 years ago (we celebrated our anniversary this past weekend!).  Even then, we were our own little family--just the two of us (well, 3 if you count Lucy).  Since then, more chapters have been added to our story to include buying a home, two deployments, multiple moves (too many to count), and most importantly, the arrival of our beautiful baby girl.  Not only that, we have the invaluable support of both our families at home and the Army families we have come to know and love over the years just because we had to move from post to post.  Our families have enriched our story in every imaginable way and make celebrating our anniversary each year extra special.

I didn't get to write this on our anniversary.  I was too busy making a big stink about Father's Day :)  But it was a great day.  We spent the evening having some of the best Thai food I've had in a long time.  Who would've thought that would happen here in Germany?  Anyway, Happy Anniversary to my partner-in-crime, my bestest friend and my sweetest love.  Here's to many more anniversaries to come!

~3 Years~

On Saturday, Malu and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary.  I'd say our 3rd wedding anniversary, but the truth is, we never had a ceremony.  We'd gotten our marriage certificate/license notarized on June 19, 2007 in Columbia, South Carolina; right after I graduated from my Captain's Career Course at Fort Jackson.  We'd always meant to hold a ceremony later, but just haven't quite made it there yet.  Oh, and I wonder why :)

Being the home bodies that we are...we left the house long enough to have dinner at a sushi place nearby and then returned home to watch a movie, which I not surprisingly fell asleep through.  It was perfect.  I mean, for the past few months, I'd prepared myself to spend our anniversary solo. So him being here.....I couldn't ask for anything more.  And pardon the picture above.  It's the only one we took that night and I am certainly looking pregnant in it!

All day long, we reminisced about the total of 5 years that we have been together...from the time we met in Iraq; to the one and a half years we spent traveling back and forth from Fort Rucker (where he was) to Fort Bragg (where I was) and vice versa and then from Fort Rucker (where he still was) to Fort Jackson (where I was) and vice versa; to the one glorious year that we actually spent in the same place (Colorado) while I completed my Master's Degree; to the two back-to-back deployments that Malu went on while I slaved away here at Fort Bliss.

We have been challenged, but we've triumphed throughout the years--through good times and bad.  If we've been through all of this, I know that God can take us through any obstacle in life.

I love you, Malu!  I thank God every day for you.  I can't wait to make more memories with you from here on out!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today is my mom and dad's 35th wedding anniversary! I always manage to miss the big anniversaries. For example, I was in Iraq for their 30th anniversary. And today, I'm stuck here in El Paso. I wish I could be there to celebrate.

My mom always laughs at how crazy people are about weddings these days--from the big diamond rings, outrageous proposals, and tens of thousands of dollars spent on lavish weddings. She's always quick to point out that half of those kinds of affairs end in divorce. We always laugh at the fact that she and my dad, got married at the justice of the peace 35 years ago in Hawaii...she in a muu muu and my dad in an aloha shirt, without any wedding rings. Shoot, when they had my sister and I in Germany (their first duty station), they barely had money to buy milk! But here they are...stronger than ever and probably more in love than they were when they first met. And I couldn't ask for better parents! They are truly my best friends.

Wow...what a year for you guys! Hitting your 35th year and becoming grandparents for the first time. You're on a roll. Thanks for the many years of love, guidance and support. I love you guys!

This picture was taken at a wedding in 2008. If you're wondering what my dad is wearing, it's Filipino formal wear called a "barong tagalog". They are sheer and worn over t-shirts. They come in all colors. Pretty, huh?