It's Fall 2020

I have so many reasons to be thankful

I am now married to Paul

Without a ball

We pull

A simple ceremony before the fall

And this weekend we borrowed my grandson

Who is now Paul's (also) grandson

Little Josiah gladly welcomed

Grandpa Paul without a question

He was such a delight

Easy to excite

With kisses, rides, bubble bath, and chocolate

But he got so active, we thought we had triplets

After that, Paul and I have decided

Milk chocolate drink? We should have skipped it

Because little grandson (and grandparents) 

Would be better without it

Oh after the wedding, we had small get-togethers

To celebrate after in good times and weather

We entertained friends, we barbequed together

And maintained a safe distance

As our health truly matters

My friends' son, so chatty 

Bragging about his stuff

He was showing me his airplane, scorpion, and other stuff

Oh, I have to tell you

I just got elected

As president-elect in a nursing organization

Where 11 years I invested

Nursing service volunteer work

Where I am needed

We did the inauguration via Zoom

When in the past we did this celebration

In a special destination

With a big production

But my team learned to do it online

And the organization turned out more than fine

We had a beautiful inauguration

The best for the time

To end this post, I had to look

For every autumn - ish picture from every recent nook

Here's my wedding cord

When we tied the knot,

A hotel shot where we booked,

From a casual shot, I took,

 the bouquet I used,

A coffee mug we chose

To go with our wedding cake

That's oh, so good

There's a shot from our last breakfast

Two days after the wedding

And the last pic was the time

To the altar, we were walking

That is all folks

Thanks for reading. 

Sunrise Amphitheater Elopement Wedding

 I am trying to load some pictures but they must be "heavy" and won't load. I got married a few days ago and I am beyond grateful finally tying the knot with my soulmate of ten years. We are living together now and are still finding new things about each other.

I can watch this raw video over and over, with or without audio. I am sorry, it is quite long--28 minutes. No editing has been done yet.

We did a wedding 2020 style, no visitors. Everybody is safe. No guilt.

Indoors or Outdoors?

Indoors or outdoors? These choices are as easy to answer like paper or plastic? We answered outdoors, of course. While we can and while it's available.

The weather is decent this week we got to have the top down for a little bit while driving to Steamboat Springs and breathe (mostly, I hope) fresh air. The experience is so freeing unlike wearing a face mask inside a store, for example. 

I thank God, for the beauty of nature we can still enjoy. I thank God for our health that we can still hike a little bit and get to see the falls. 

We have harvested a few tomatoes untouched by the birds. Perhaps they are really afraid of Mr. Scare Owl especially that he looks scary after the ugly feathers I attached to him. :) Thank you, Mr. Owl.

I am having another batch of donations as I unpack more belongings from my move. I am thankful I am lucky enough to have some extras to share.

I am happy to find little plants for the fairy garden. 

With the 4th set of grow lights, my indoor plants are perking up. Perhaps in two weeks, I would have some lettuce to harvest.

I hope you all choose to be happy next week the best that you can.

August Thankfuls

It is August first. It is my mother's birthday. We would have been celebrating in Las Vegas today and having a reunion but because of the current circumstances of doing our part to keep each other healthy, we canceled the get-together. We celebrated in spirit and togetherness via Messenger video. 

Here's my gratitude list.

• A visit from my son in my new home. He stayed a bit and we talked and ate together. Just the two of us.
• My reservation in a nearby city went through however last-minute. It will be nice to get away but not have to fly to a new area. It has been months since I did something for fun away from home. I will be doing short hikes with Paul. The patio picture is a little glimpse of the place.
• A picture from 2018 with my mother in Vegas. We went swimming. It was a good day on her birthday week.
• My grandkids greeting their great-grandma with a video.

• This week's humble harvest and the near future's.

• Support from Lettuce Grow where I got my planter. I don't think my plants are growing fast enough. They gave me some tips. One more grow light. I don't see a lot of difference so far from weeks 1 to 3.
• A new hobby that makes me smile--miniature garden. It is a sort of fairy garden without the fairy. I want to use little animals instead.
• 8 days off from work. 
• My daughter and daughter in law helping me do my last boxes of packing.
• My family in the Philippines for making my mother happy on her colorful birthday.

Indoors

Hello. Another week has passed, and another opportunity has come for me to reflect on things to be grateful for. But looking at 3 years ago, I am reminded of a riveting experience but is so amazing for me--a live show. My favorite is the performance by Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. I first saw this group in Denver. I am drawn to their story and acts as they gracefully move from swing to swing, suspended in the air most of the time, or "acrobatting" in big productions platforms, sinking ships, or whatever their plot is as I hold my breath most times hoping they keep themselves safe. Their performance is flawless. I am glad I got to see their shows twice. 

This week is supposed to be my family's reunion in Las Vegas for my mother's birthday. She cannot fly overseas because of restrictions. We want to keep her healthy. I am grateful enough for her health and that no one in our family is severely affected by it healthwise.

As we take things kinda slow and mostly indoors, here's the rest of my "thankfuls:"

• I am thankful for indoor plants that do not only add color in the house but clean air.
• Have you heard that it is good to have a minimum of 1 plant to every 100 square feet of your home for air purification? Whether that is a myth or a fact, my hydroponic tower alone has 36. With my other plants, I have at least 51 for a 2,400 square feet home. I am thankful for the probable-cleaner-air in the house.
• I am thankful that many of my indoor plants are hardy and low maintenance. Watering once a week is very doable.

• My hydroponic planter and seedlings are doing well. The left is about two weeks old, the right is one week old. 
• I harvested two tomatoes. They are perfect. 
• I have more eggplants, cucumbers, and peppers coming.
• The potato plants I grew from old store potatoes are doing well. I added more soil to mountain them. (My $17 potato seeds I bought has not produced seedlings yet).
• Yummy shakes delivery to our door.
• Mealtime app to guide me on what meals to prepare with free grocery service. I just have to pick up the groceries while waiting in the parking lot. The veggie burrito bowl was so delish!
• Pick up service for donating items we do not use anymore.
• Good pup app dog training service. Wally, my border collie improved so much and not barking on every living thing passing on the street. I like the app so much, I will gift a subscription to my son who just got a puppy.

That is all for now until next week.

Grin and Greens

Hello. It's been another busy week. I am so thankful for a smooth week, except for a toothache that is now better. I am waiting for a second specialist to call me back. But at least I am no longer in great pain.

Here's my gratitude list.

• I am thankful I finally filed my taxes, on time! I can still smile after :)
• My seedlings have arrived from the mail. 5 out of 36 were so limped. They are getting replaced free of charge. Look at these baby seedlings. Most are them are for a salad--kale, tomato, cucumber, and lettuce.

• I visited my grandson. Look at him trying to massage himself like grandma.
• He still likes "reading" books as much as he likes his electronic high-tech toys.

• My outdoor patio garden is doing well.
• Look at my eggplant and tomatoes!
• My scare owl is doing its job. :)

Till next week!

A Bright Week

Hello, hello. It's been a busy, pleasant week. I have many things to be grateful for.

• My indoor planter has arrived. I am so ready with my grow lights and makeshift trellis. Next week, I hope I receive my seedlings. This is my first indoor vegetable gardening with a promise of 36 plants! I will grow lettuce, tomatoes, kales, cucumbers, and other veggies with this. Wish me luck.

• Paul and I have not dined out in a restaurant for months. We love hotpot so we're doing it on our own. We also have not done any camping. Here is our version of "eating out" with makeshift "campfire and have the benefit of real bathrooms, electric power, and fresh seafood (from the grocery store). Some of the vegetables are from my gardening. And we could drink as much wine as we want last night as we were not driving. We enjoyed this eating out 2020 style. We will do it again.

• I helped put together a simple send off to my co-nurse at work. She worked in our hospital for 38 years. She was an excellent nurse. We will miss her. We're not allowed to throw a big party but we had a good time at lunchtime just the same. The bundt care (raspberry and pecan) tasted great and we ordered Korean food from a food truck who donated food to us during the peak of COVID in our unit. 
• I thank Paul for putting together the bouquet. I was busy at work and I asked him to get a flower arrangement with sunflowers as our cake has a sunflower. He could not find that specific arrangement so he made one himself. We think it looks great.

Happy Independence Day, USA

Happy Independence Day, USA. We have no official fireworks celebration this year due to physical distancing. I am thankful, just the same, living in this country, with its wealth and freedom. Of course, no country is perfect. The USA still has a lot of promise, and I want to contribute to its fulfillment and the peaceful fix, however small.

Here's my gratitude list.

• Toddler, Josiah, and Alayna are sporting their red and blue outfit on the 4th of July. For them, it's another day of play, enjoying the outdoors.

• I continue to enjoy my patio garden, small and manageable for me. I haven't bought a bouquet of flowers for weeks.

• I am thankful for the bees and butterflies in my new home. I didn't know that these insects play an active role in pollinating. Maybe I will have pumpkins this year and not just pumpkin flowers.
• My vegetable scraps are growing tall, at least, a centimeter a day. The picture is a 5-day old picture with goldfish in the bottom-feeding the plants continuously with organic fertilizer. :) They're fun to watch while I'm doing the dishes.
• I continue to have new tomato and eggplant flowers.
• My herbs are happily producing many leaves. I just picked some cucumber, parsley, sage, mint, basil, and cilantro.
• I have some netting around my vegetables. So far, I don't have uninvited creatures feasting on my patio garden leaves. I see squirrels and birds, but they don't go near my plants.
• Spin wheels and scare-owls seem to do the trick on keeping some creatures away.
• Paul's and my energy to work morning and afternoon yesterday, pruning and weeding. We filled ten lawn bags.
• Garbage day today!

• My new workspace with less clutter where I blog, do homework, and bills :(
• Paul and I frequently eat out in the backyard. It's several "steps" away from eating from restaurants. We redefined the meaning of eating out.
• The mature trees around the backyard replace camping for now.
• Debriefing at work post-busy-COVID times. It feels good talking about our past struggles as front liners, our feelings, what we liked about the workflow, what worked, and how we can improve.
• COVID census in the hospital continues to shrink.

Smile

Hello, hello. We're passed the middle of the year. How different this year has been so far. I only hope it will get better with more peace and good health needed around us. I understand we cannot totally control the world if at all. But I can improve myself and hopefully positively influence others.

My little grandson turned 15 months and can walk faster now while he plays with his toys holding one with the right and the other with his left hand. Every time he falls, he gets back up on his feet quickly without crying and asking for help. He has grown so much in less than two years. He is easy to please, and smiles from the simplest things--a cup of fruit, playtime with family, a new toy . . . He likes to do things independently and asks in his own way for assistance when he needs it.

I can smile too with the simplest things around me and be grateful for what I have. I have many blessings so far. We are healthy, we have food on the table, we have jobs, we have a loving family.

My planned vacations that I set 1-3 years ago, all got canceled and got replaced with staycations. I put more time into leisurely walks and gardening instead, and so far, it's been fruitful. I am no near self-sustaining. It's the other way around. I spent more money on soil, seeds, plants, and planters combined in exchange for the small harvest. But the joy of seeing I can grow something, even mushrooms, is gratifying and a real stress reliever.

I have a sole eggplant, tomatoes, and herbs. I even harvested some strawberries that my grandkids enjoyed. I have many more gardening duties to do, mostly pruning.

This year is my tenth anniversary with Paul as a couple. We are finally sharing a home, and now I have a bigger backyard to get busy with. Our children are not surprised. Our friends are not either. It is more like, "finally." It is the unspoken word, but they look happy, just the same. We are getting married!

I admitted 2-critically ill COVID-19 patients this week. Patients are still trickling in, and most of them get better. Generally, the COVID census stays low, so that's reassuring.

Sweet Times

Say hello to our new dog, Bando. He is an 8-week old boxer mix dog. We estimate he will grow and weigh up to 70 pounds. As my family got over the untimely death of our miniature poodle, Snowball, we all welcome this new baby, Bando, into the house.

Josiah loves dogs and our dogs love him. They are all are very sweet. 

We can't have too much sweetness in the house. So grandma got some cupcakes for them to decorate. Josiah decided to decorate his face instead though.

It was a mix of cool nights and warm to hot days. It's nice to go out and be around the water, even man-made dams. We took a hike this morning.

I am still growing plants, even indoors. Here is today's picture of my little aquaponics. Fish in the bottom, plants on top. I like these sprouts on my salad.

I lost my father a few years ago. He died in the hospital after a few days stay. His passing, however painful to us, was a relief for him. I am thankful his suffering ended.

I feel grateful for a good week. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers at heart.

Daisy

It's been a good week. My Friday ended with a nomination award from a co-worker who witnessed me helping an African-American man in the hospital pharmacy last March. He did not have enough money for his co-pay. I helped him pay for his prescription without him asking. My boss and a couple of co-nurses saw me receiving this award. I guess I made more than one person happy from this act. I, for one, am so happy I was in the pharmacy at the right time. This is the 5th time I have been nominated for the DAISY award so it is a big deal for me. 

I am a rookie gardener. So I am proud of the little successes in my mini garden. Look at my future eggplant, tomato, and a few strawberries. The strawberries are small and sweet.

My grandson often makes me laugh. At 14 months, he is riding this tricycle for the first time and is having such a great time.

We only have 18 COVID patients in the hospital. That is good.

Have a good day you all.

June Thankfuls

Another month, a fresh beginning. It is another busy week but I make time to recognize the goodness around me. I have many reasons to smile this week.

Here's "we woke up like this picture." My grandson was crying so I help the couple by "borrowing" him. He instantly stops crying and here he is with sister, messy hair and all.

My current school for my Master's donated a carful of snacks and beverages to my units to recognize the staff, especially it is the year of the nurses. May is actually the nurse's week but we were too busy with COVID that my hospital did not have the celebration at all. This very nice gesture by American Sentinel University is very much appreciated.

Here's this morning's 2-hour hike in a nearby city. It was overcast and just perfect for hiking!

Bubbles, Greens, and Splashes for Partying

Happy Birthday, Ttot. You are 7 years old. How time flies! I am glad this group is around and somehow shaped me to look at the positive side of my life including theirs. This is a group I want to continue to be part of. They are contagious in a good way. This is how I celebrate this week.

Here is the recent growth of my transplants and direct sow. The eggplant is looking good. The beans look happy as well. I got sweet potatoes too. In the Philippines, they are called "kamote." I've always liked it. I have a pair of strawberries to date from a plant. This renewed hobby keeps me happy, so far. It looks like, I won't be going on long vacations this year so I might as well keep a hobby while staying close to home. My daughter and granddaughter are doing some planting on their own too, and help me once in a while with mine.

Paul does not care about any planting. But he'd go with me on some walks and hikes. Here is one from today. It was a good 4-mile hike on a nice day.

An easy way to feel young is to have fun with the young, my grandchildren--in the store, indoors, or outdoors (when they are in a good mood).

The peak of the hike is the mists of water from this dam. It was enough to cool us off halfway through our hike.

I found out, my grandchildren love popping bubbles. Simpy so fun!

We almost had only 1 (out of original 4 COVID) unit this week. But we admitted more COVID patients by mid-week so we reopened the 2nd unit. It is still better than needing 4 hospital units for COVID as before. Something to be thankful for. You may be getting tired of my updates. We, hospital staff, are getting tired too. Oh well.

Wait, I have to end this post on a positive note. I was surprised by a cashier who came after me to return a $100 bill I dropped by accident. I messaged her boss to report this act of kindness.