Soulful Thoughts of Rachel

Q: Do you allow your partner to go on a night out alone (means without you around)?

A: Yes, I do as long as it’s not too often. I enjoy occasional girls’ night out so I don’t deprive him of boys’ night out. We both trust each other.

Q: When did you find out that your partner snores? Was it annoying or tolerable?

A:  Interesting question this week. I learned about it after we got married. My hubby only snores when he’s very tired but it’s not irritating or bothersome. Most of the time he sleeps quietly.

Q: If we set aside an extra hour each day to do what we would rather do and not what we should be doing, what would you choose to do? - Greenbucks

A: I would spend each extra hour with my hubby and son doing some fun activity together. Yohan is growing up so fast and I’d love to take advantage of every moment.

Q: Right after your husband proposed, what was the first thing that came to your mind?

A: It was more of a mutual agreement that we get married. The first thing that entered my mind was the choice between staying in Manila or moving to Batangas after getting married. The latter happened.

I was tagged by Abby …

*** Start Here ***

Friendly Rules:
1. Simply copy the inspirational story and in the end write down the lesson you have learned out from this.
2. Put your own blog name and link. Pass or tag this to your friends to inspire them.
3. Start copy from “Begin Copy” until “End Copy” to your blog.

— The Best Gift Ever —
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money you give me a Bible?” And stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse,

Matt 7:11, “And if ye, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly father which is in heaven, give to those who ask Him?”

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words… PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God’s blessing because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Pass it on to others. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for…

PLS. SEND THIS TO AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE SO AS TO LET THIS GREAT LESSON FLOW AROUND.
***End Copy ***

Lesson I learned: (Write here what your learned)

I was touched by this story. It’s nice to have material things but we should learn to appreciate the more important things in life before it’s too late. Relationships are far more valuable than expensive things.

Sometimes in life we encounter some disappointments. We should not let these moments tarnish our future. Great things come to those who are patient and hopeful. If you give up now, you might lose the chance of seeing the silver lining.

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I’m tagging Mitch, Princess, Julie, Kay and Leah.

Q: Can you describe yourself as a friend? Or how do your friends describe you as a friend? - Greenbucks

I edited my answer. Instead of answering it directly, I have compiled the following from friends…
A quote from my friend, Jackie:

“Rachel, I may say, is the best friend only a good person can have. Because she is really nice and it would be unfair for other people kung bad ka and yet friend mo si Rach…She’s gentle and calm but knows when to speak her mind out.”

A quote from my friend, Ces:

“Friend ko to since prep pa nga, tama ka diyan Rachel! Pati moms namin magkakilala din noon pa…Sobrang thoughtful nitong babaeng ito, may it be something that she made or wrote basta pag gusto niyang magbigay she will do it to show you she cares. Magaling mag-drawing (pa rin ba?), very patient, trustworthy, iyakin (o madaling paiyakin), at madaling kopyahan! A person who is very appreciative at may gentle nature.”

A quote from my friend,Iris:

“I have never met anyone as thoughtful as Rachel. If people can just be as sweet, this world would be full of smiles and cheerful faces.”

A quote from my friend, Kelly:

“I’m really blessed having rachel in my life and i must admit that having her around all these years through ups and downs have helped to be the person i am today, confident and happy, always looking at the positive things in life and counting my blessings.”

A quote from my friend, Sheryl:

“I value her friendship and I thank her for keeping me in her life and continuing to share her joys with me, especially now that we’re both moms. When we do get together, the years just melt away.”

A quote from my friend, MaryJane:

“This is one creative, thoughtful lady …when we were still into snail mail (and I was collecting the stamps) I’d get the most unusual looking letters from her … folded in different ways and full of artwork. Did you know she won a prize in an international children’s art contest?

She may be quiet, but beware - when she’s made up her mind to speak, especially in an argument, she doesn’t back down.”

I got tagged by Jenny to do this romantic meme.

Are you deeply in love with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend? If you do, let’s try how well you remember the moment of your life with him. But before you put yourself in the hot seat please read the rules of this tag first.

1. This tag should be pass on to your friends.
2. Visit the blog of the person you’ve got this tag.
3. Leave a comment on her/his tag post. Be sure to thank her/him for this tag.
4. Highlight and link all the list of people who accepted this tag by visiting their blog site.
5. There are 10 questions that you need to answer but you will be the one to write the 10th question for the next person you want to pass this tag. Here are the questions. Be honest with your answers.

Let’s Start:

1. How did you meet your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend?
I met my hubby at work. He was working at the main branch while I was assigned at another branch.

2. Where did you go on your first date?
He invited me to see a car show (October 1997).

3. When was your first intimate kiss?
During the first month when we were officially together.

4. How many girlfriends/boyfriends he/she had in the past? Do you honestly know?
He dated a few women but never got into a serious relationship.

5. What is his/her ethnicity?
He’s Filipino.

6. What is his/her favorite food?
He loves steak.

7. What is he/she like if he/she is mad?
He becomes unusually quiet.

8. What are the things he/she did you thought is the most romantic thing he’d/she’d ever done?

On the 9th month we were together, hubby surprised me with a bunch of balloons. He gave me 9 blue balloons corresponding to each happy month we’ve been together and 3 red balloons symbolizing the words I Love You. Each balloon had a special note inside so I had to pop each one in order to read the messages.

9. Describe how he/you proposed to you.
There was no fancy proposal. We had a mutual decision to get married.

10. When did you know he was the ONE?
When it felt so hard to part at the end of each day.

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I would like to invite Odette to do this meme. I’m a new reader of her blog and I was easily captivated by her beautiful love story.

Q: Let’s try to be a little practical and wise and philosophical this week and answer this question: What lies ahead for me (and my family) during these tough times? Do we know where we are heading?

It’s alarming how fuel prices continue to rise. The price of gas is almost P59/liter. A few weeks ago, the thought of gas rising this high is horrific. Now, it’s a reality.

I agree with Teacher Julie, we are indeed facing tough times ahead. I’m also not sure what lies ahead.  I don’t want to be totally pessimistic. I do hope a better future lies ahead. For now, we try to cut down on expenses particularly gas consumption as much as possible.

Teacher Julie started a nice weekly meme at her other blog, GreenBucks. The rules are simple: Just post and answer the question provided by Teacher Julie weekly on your site. Enjoy reading about other participants’ answers by visiting their blogs.

Q: What valuable lessons have you learned from your father?

My Dad has taught me many wonderful things in life and he has inspired me in so many ways…

• Creativity - My Dad is a very artistic creative person. He inspired my love for art. He taught me the basics of drawing and painting. He encouraged me to join art contests in school and he always made me feel like a great whether I win or not.
• Honesty - My father taught me how important it is to be honest in everything I do. When I was a young girl, the cashier at a restaurant handed my Dad more than the expected change. We were already outside the restaurant when my Dad counted the change. He insisted we all go back to the restaurant to give back the money to the cashier.
• Faith - Both my Dad and Mom taught me to have good faith in the Lord. I admit I easily get discouraged in life but whenever I seek help from my parents, I always get enlightened. They always tell me to pray and ask for God’s guidance.
• Strength and Courage - My Dad is a kind and gentle man but he is always ready to defend his family against people with bad intentions. He taught me to be kind but at the same time to be strong and brave. He told me never to be afraid to speak up and pursue what I believe is right and just.

Visit more Camera Critters participants here.

I dedicate my entry this week to my Dad in honor of Father’s Day. This photo was taken last month while my parents were having a vacation with us. My Dad developed a nice bond with our dog, Bruno. My Dad enjoyed taking Bruno for a walk twice a day around the village. Whenever Bruno would sense my Dad’s presence nearby, he would wag his tail and bark enthusiastically. When my parents left for the States, Bruno lost appetite for a day or two. It showed how much he missed my Dad.