Hello, my dear blogging friends!
This week has just been again, super busy for me. But I'm managing okay and I've actually been feeling more energized than before. Maybe because I had a great July 4th holiday weekend. ;)
So on July 4th, Dan and I stayed at the St Regis Hotel Washington, D.C. just two blocks from the White House and stayed there for the night. The hotel was one of those elegant, old-world style hotel. Their room rates start at $400 a night and we stayed on the deluxe one that's like $800 per night. But guess what, we didn't pay for it. Why? Dan gets these free hotel perks from one of his business reward cards. Whew, we certainly don't have $800 to spend on a luxury hotel, so it works great for us all the time! :)
Anyway, we've been wanting to do this for a while so I have a chance to tour Washington D.C. without rushing to go home and fight the traffic. As you know, D.C. is only about an hour away from where we live in Woodbridge, Virginia. But the traffic is quite horrible getting home, especially on holidays. And since we were both "kid-free" for the weekend, what perfect timing to go to D.C. than on the July 4th holiday weekend! ;)
Anyway, all day on July 4th my honey and I just roamed around Washington D.C. We took a lot of photos of the White House and other historical buildings, monuments and statues (a few photos shown here). We both enjoyed our little weekend getaway and we even had a perfect spot to watch the fireworks in between the Washingtton Monument and the Lincoln Memorial- two of the most popular spots in D.C. :)
How did your 4th go? Please share! :)
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Our July 4th Holiday Weekend
Friday, July 3, 2009
Happy Birthday, Gabriel!
My son Gabriel turned 4 today. We had so much fun at Chuck E. Cheese's at his birthday party last night. :D
I didn't actually expect for the party to be nice and smooth like it turned out knowing Chuck E. Cheese's is always crowded no matter what day or time you go but the one in Woodbridge, Virginia where we had it held is actually nicer, newer and cleaner than all the other ones we've been to. And since it was a week night party, we didn't have the same crazy crowd and we even had unlimited time at our tables instead of just the usual 90 minute-limit on their birthday parties. So anyway, everyone had a lot of fun, even the adults!
Gabriel received some cool presents from family and friends that included a giant train Imaginarium from his dad, Thomas the Tank train set, play-dohs, and random little cars and books. No, he didn't get an XBox which is becoming a typical present a kid gets these days. Gabriel certainly doesn't need anything like that anytime soon. ;D
Anyway, to all our family and friends who helped celebrate Gabriel's birthday with us: THANK YOU SO MUCH! Gabriel is currently enjoying his new toys (presents) as I'm writing this entry. ;D
Looking Into Fitness
I was driving by my local recreation center today and read the big neon sign ad about spinning and yoga classes. Hmmm, it got me thinking. So I went online to see if they offer any night time or weekend schedule for those classes that I might be able to get into. The good news is that they do have a few that will.
One of my immediate fitness goals is to really lose this darn bulge around my tummy. So I've been doing my at-home yoga moves and cardio dancing whenever I get the chance. Spinning, I heard, is a big fat burner so I'm quite excited about enrolling in this class.
Let's see how it goes. How about you? What kind of activities do you do to keep yourself physically fit?
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Gabriel is going to be Four
It's been a year this month since my boys Gabriel and Jaden and I visited my family in the Philippines. It didn't seem that long ago. We even got to celebrate Gabriel's 3rd birthday party there last year.
This Friday- July 3rd, Gabriel is turning four. Dan and I decided to give him a Chuck E. Cheese party this year which we're doing one day ahead- tomorrow. We've invited a few friends here in Woodbridge and their little kids so it should be so much fun! I'm always the last minute preparer of things so today I went to the local Safeway and ordered a "Cars" themed sheet cake. Cost me about $32 but I figured it's better to have more than enough for everyone. There will probably be about a dozen kids and a dozen adults who are coming. I also went to Party City for party hats, favors and confettis.
I'll be sure to post photos of the birthday party by the end of the week, I promise! :D
Monday, June 29, 2009
Beautiful Saturday
How did your weekend go?
Saturday for me was beautiful. My honey and I attended a nice wedding of our friends- the bride was a Filipino girl I've met a few months ago through Dan's friend and co-worker who was her fiance. Anyway, it was a simple but beautiful wedding and although it was one of those quickly put together weddings, it turned out very well. Even the groom's speech was well-said before the champagne toast. Everyone commented how he didn't have any stage fright and how he could very well be a politician for his almost perfect speech. :D
Anyway, here are a few of our photos from the wedding.
Sunday was just all about house chores and laundry. Although I am not complaining about it. Those things are needed to be done and I feel proud at the end of the day when I know I am doing good enough as a mother and partner. ;)
Please share how your weekend went. I'd love to know! :D
Do You Like Jogging?
Lately, I've been looking into start to go jogging again for weight loss and tone my body. I used to jog when I was single but after the kids, it had been a challenge to find the time (or the effort) to do that. Now if I only have one small kid, I probably would be more motivated to do it with those three-wheel strollers, such as the Bob stroller or similar strollers that I've seen many new moms who jog use. Aren't they neat?
But then again, I'm thinking that I could do it after 7PM on weekdays when I'm already off my duties as a mom and could jog around the neighborhood by myself. Jogging is certainly a cheap way to exercise that doesn't require any gym membership, don't you all agree? :D
Travel-Hungry
The nice thing about me and my boyfriend Dan is that we're both travel-hungry people-always wanting to go places, lol. Even if it's just a day trip to a winery or checking out an old town with quaint shops or museums to explore, it's always an exciting activity for him and I. :D
So lately we've been considering about going for a weekend trip somewhere close by where we could just drive to it and stay for a few days. There's the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Georgia, or even Westgate in Florida. Hmmm, it's hard to pick but who knows where we end up going next? It changes with our situation with the kids and my availability. My boys are with me every other weekend and so if there are weekend travel plans that include them, we make sure it falls on the weekend that they're with me, and vice versa. So let's see where we end up going. I'm excited! :D
Friday, June 26, 2009
So Long, Michael and Farrah...
I was driving out to meet Dan for lunch today and my car radio was playing nothing but Michael Jackson's music. Gosh, I am a big fan of MJ. I must have cried for straight five minutes in my car while good old all-time MJ hit "Billie Jean" was played.
I mean who doesn't know Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett- two of the biggest American icons in the music and film industry? Ask me about Michael Jackson and I can probably name all his songs 99% of the time. And Farrah Fawcett? Wow! I am definitely a Charlie's Angels kid in the 80's when this hit TV show was at its prime. I remember my four sisters and I would pretend we were one of the "Angels". No, I wasn't Farrah Fawcett. I was Cheryl Ladd, LOL. HINT: Can you tell my age? LOL. :)
Anyway, like everyone else, I am so saddened by the passing of these two great artists. And they died on the same day (yesterday, June 25th, 2009) only a few hours of each other.
So long, Michael and Farrah... you both will be so missed.
