Better Days

For the past 2 weeks my dad has been in the hospital. It's been a journey shared by family and loved ones.....a rollercoaster of emotions: feelings of worry, feelings of relief, feelings of exhaustion, and feelings of hope. Today my dad has been taking the steps towards recovery. He was transferred to Telemetry from the CCU and has been making steady progress. I'm grateful for these better days. Today he was able to walk with the Physical Therapist to the door and is able to sit upright in a chair. I'm so proud and happy for him (Not just as a physical therapist myself....just as a daughter who wants him home). I know if he is able to walk to the nurses station, I'm sure it will prove he will be ready to come home soon. I want to say that I have such an admiration for my mom and my brother, who is able to be there for my dad. I've witnessed their loving care, the sacrifices made, the exhaustion they endure for him. I'm so grateful for them for all that they have been doing, and I think of them often and wish I can have more time to be there to take some of that exhaustion off their shoulders.

Dad- We love you...keep it up. Emily is rehearsing the harmonica and tamborine for you when you come home. We'll see you soon...it's so good to see you smile.

My Dad's new Ipod

My Dad, despite all the physical trials he has been going through the past week in the hospital, has managed to keep his corny humor intact by saying he will be getting his new "ipod". It was a relief to hear him have a good sense of humor, because I knew he was naturally frightened about the "installation" of his new device. However, I'm sure he finally had come to terms that this needed to be done in order to prolong his life. There were no round about ways about it. I knew his heart will be listening to Cool Beats to keep his heart pumping. My Dad's Ipod is really cool. Not only does it set the "Rhythm" for his heart, it also will ensure it keeps it in rhythm. In other words, if it loses it's "rhythm", it will shock it back to a normal beat. So my dad his own personal defibrillator within his "Ipod". Here is a better look at what it does:




Medical Technology is amazing.....We are so grateful for all the skills of his team of doctors that have been helping him this past week. We continue to pray for his speedy recovery. As far as I'm concerned, I can already see him dancing his way out of the hospital. I won't be surprised if he does. :)

Dad....

This is a picture of my parents a couple of years ago and it was taken on an Alaskan Cruise. I'm so grateful for the opportunity that we had to do this trip... Creating memories with my parents is one of the greatest gifts. This trip had to be one of my most favorite trips ever taken.

My Dad is awesome. He has the corniest humor ever, and he is fun to tease and banter back in forth in conversation. He is a usually happy-go-lucky type of guy who gets along with everyone. He is also downright vain (it's hilarious) and loves to look at his reflection when he passes a parked car- taking that little black comb out of his pocket and ensuring his cool locks are not out of place. He is also a loving dad that has supported me throughout my major life's decisions. He is a doting grandfather...in our Filipino culture we refer to him as "Lolo". He absolutely adores our little Emily, and just to see how happy he was with the adoption finalized, gets me teary eyed.

Right now we are praying hard for my dad. He was rushed to the ER last Monday and is currently in the hospital battling multiple systems that have been compromised severely. He needs all the prayers he can get. We love you dad...hang in there.

Emily's 1st Day of Pre-school

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Check out the Smilebox. Please press pause on my playlist before you see it! Enjoy!

Chocolate Heaven

This picture is of the Smores cake that they sell at Nieman Marcus. Doesn't it look Heavenly?. Thank goodness that it's only a thumbnail, because if it was a bigger picture, I would literally cry. It feels like I'm so far away from reaching Chocolate Heaven. As some may already have guessed it, I am on a restricted diet by choice and necessity. I wanted to wean myself of high blood pressure meds and reduce my weight so it falls within "normal" of my height and weight. Anyway....it's been very difficult the past few days....however, I think that the goals I have set for myself may come to fruition. When that day comes, I will have a massive Chocolate dessert of some kind. HEAVEN.

Re-setting Goals- Getting HEALTHY

So It's Post-Cruise reality. Yes it truly is. On a Cruise one is so spoiled with all the delectable and savory delights. It's a cornucopia of gourmet dishes & guilt-ridden desserts that tantilize every sense- It's absolute heaven. Luckily, Jason and I were determined not to come off the ship packed with too much personal cargo and this was helped by deciding to take time to exercise appropriately 5 out of those 7 days of heaven. Previous to past cruises I've lost weight in order to enjoy the cruise....after the cruise, I'm CURSED with laziness and lack of motivation...it's unbelievable. Then the effects of lacking the motivation, going back to old eating habits will develop into 30 more lbs of me to love and 30 more lbs of me that my joints would love to hate. In addition, I'll never wean myself off my high blood pressure medicine...and I feel at the age of 33, I shouldn't be on them. How does this happen? How does food do that to one's psyche? Because it tastes good...and it translates to good times right? It's a topic of conversation and enjoyment, and essentially with how much food we have accessibility to, eating food has also become an "Extracurricular Activity". I think to a certain point the abundance of food is a curse. We are guided to portion control and eating "sparingly", yet we are victims of rationalizing that it's okay to eat more just because we CAN. I do believe we should be able to eat what we want...but if it plagues our health, we really need to face the reality of what effects it has on our lives. It's interesting how the diets have changed as well...yes fast food restaurants, food to go at your favorite eat-in restaurants, easy meals and canned goods have plagued our lifestyles...and have profited from our "TIME" by making our life "easier". Concerns for the disease of obesity and diabetes on the rise...I need to snap out of my "I love and want chocolate and ice cream mode" to...."I need to get healthy mode". I'm choosing to be Healthy. That's why I'm typing out this blog to motivate myself again on the eating sparingly diet (HCG diet). Who's with me?............................................Wait a minute.......................are those the sounds of crickets?