Look what I found in the mail!

I was sooo tired yesterday. We got home at around 6 pm coz we had to go to Makati to pick-up something. So anyway I was really bummed coz we also have to go to work early. Then like an answered prayer I found a package on my bed! Yipee!!!

It's a bakers inspired pair. It would have been nicer if the heels were taller. But it's still worth the 1 month wait. Loves!

Thanks to Soule Phenomenon!:)

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My search is also over for a pair of acid wash leggings!

Bought it at 50th Ave, Soulier shop. Saw this last week and it's already the last pair then so when we went back the other day and it was still there--I snatched it from the rack and paid for it right away. Meant to be eh!:P

And this is my owl necklace. Super cheap from YRYS. :) I love that it's bronze and I love that the owl itself can be bent or moved. :) Lovesies!

What's going on?

I have a major dilemma. And it's--To vote or not to vote. I will feel uberly irresponsible if I just let it go. 'Coz this was the scene in Comelec, Marikina yesterday--palengke. And I don't think it will improve in the coming days. 2 days to go before deadline. And people (just like me) love deadlines.




We got there at around 1 pm. And I heard someone say they already stopped giving away application forms and numbers before lunch. So I tried looking for someone to talk to or confirm at least. We looked like some lost kid. I spoke with someone in their office and I was told to come back the next day and fall in line at 5am. Seriously?! I got super stressed I dragged Mich to the nearest thrift shop. Haha. I know I should have processed the reactivation of my voter's reg before pa.. Oh well. Sucks.

This is totally unrelated to my post but-- I remember myself saying I would never be caught dead wearing boots. OH WELL.

It's for HK! And I loves it. :P

We ♥ Picole

Our new favorite dessert (we're over Red Mango now). Picole popsicles.



...located at Megamall's basement. I love the strawberry flavor (not coating, not milk). Mich loves the choco-banana one. Price ranges from P30-60. Enjoy!:)

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Went to a funeral/burial last Sunday. My cousin's lolo died. Tatay, as how everyone calls him, will be missed by everyone in 6th avenue. Who else would organize our fiesta and New Year celebrations? Now it's time to pass the torch someone else. Uh-uh no, don't look at me. :P

After the burial at Holy Cross in Novaliches (hsuper traffic grrr) we went to Hap Chan for some late lunch. PG effect to the max.

how did JD got sooo big? :c d na sha baby!

achie and achie. hehe

tito, titas--thanks tito wil for the fun lunch!

Nostalgia Express

Mich found a picture of me when I was 4 or 5 years old. Believe it or not I hated the spotlight then. I'm not that enthusiastic posing in front of the camera.




...that explains the gulat smile in the 2nd pic. And what's up with the 10 pcs. of tissed bangs! Go laugh your asses off. Haha. We can't stop laughing either. :P

MANE-tenance

I hate my hair today. But most of the time--I'm lovin' it! I can't imagine myself going back to being straight. I can stay this way all the days of my life.

Wearing: thrifted plaid shirt, multi-strand necklace from cerashop.multiply, steve madden snakeskin flats.

Wearing: thrifted denim jacket, topshop white tunic, cmg black flats

My permed hair is more than a month old now. I use Vitresse and VO5 Heat Condition Spray to style it and Sunsilk Curl defining shampoo & Loreal Elseve Conditioner to wash it.

Volumized hair makes me uber happy. :P

P.S. Had my hair dyed & treated at Hairshaft-Podium and they have a Buy1 take1 ongoing promo! Sayang avail nio na! My hairstylist's name is KC. Just look for him there. :)

Resolution

I've started restricting myself to chewing all of my lip off. As a remedy, I asked Mich to remind me to re-apply lipgloss every 30 minutes (or less). She also asked me not to wet my lips with coke, water or even my own saliva. It's freakin' haaaard. I've been chewing on my lips since way back college! That's why I never really got to experience finishing one whole lipstick or appreciate those thick lip gloss/shimmer that my sister absolutely love. I'm into super light lip balm/gloss and lip tint. So--it's really an effort on my side, aside from my nail biting which I have quite improved on. Well, that's because Mich cuts my nail every week! Or anytime she feels threatened by my nails. Haha. I always scratch her (it bleeds sometimes, wawa) whenever we goof around.

So I promise to try my best on breaking all my bad habits. Including my best depiction of our all time favorite--Mañana Habit. Still have to go to Comelec to renew my voter's whatever. 4 days to go until deadline!

Argh. Kakatamad. Pwede bukas nalang?

P.S. I have a new military inspired skirt I thrifted and a new pair of black wedge that is the bomb. I'd show it on my next post! :P

Usapang Tanga: Remiiiix!

After manuod ng Wolverine sa ssyal na sosyal na Greenhills, sa kotse ni Vian pabalik ng opisina (cge dagdagan pa ng napakaraming settings)...

Aisa: Nice naman yung movie.
Mich: OO nga! Si Vian nakita ko lumaki yung mata nung tumalon sha sa falls.
Vian: Eh sumilip nga ako d ko makita, si anne gumilid din, sabi ko swerte nia!
Aiza: Padeliver nalang tayo ng food.
Vian: Cge pero ayoko na ng fastfood.
Anne: Yung high-end restaurant nalang that starts with the letter M. (mcdonalds daw....)
Aiza: Ay dude alam mo pano namatay si Wolverine?
Aisa: O pano?
Aiza: Eh.. Nagganito (mcdonalds na sign sa ulo)
Aisa: Hahaha! O kumamot sa pwet.

(at hindi pa natapos dun ang usapan, pinagkalat pa po nila sa office ang pagkamatay niWolverine, BOW.)

VIAN -- we miss you!!!!!

The 4 year old teenager

I have a cousin named Therese. And just like what Mich said, you won't believe the words coming out of her mouth. And she's only 3 years old. The cutest EVER. I always tease her coz she acts "maton". Her playmates are mostly boys. She screams and laugh and eats a LOT. She's smart but then acts sanga (as in tanga). Just like me. Right, a walking mini-me. :P The little girl in the pictures below is her:






... hmmm we do have the same bangs! Scroll down below for some of our conversations:

Aisa: Therese, Come dito... kiss mo ate. Bat ang payat mo na ha! Cguro play ka ng play.
Therese: Eh kc nagfifit and right ako eh!

O db, bata palang conscious na sa figure. My aunt told us that she got tired of hiding all her fit & right juices at the back of their refrigerator coz she still manages to get them!
_________________________________________________________________________
(Mich washed her hands in the bathroom, Therese followed her and came out wet)
Aisa: Therese hala nagbasa ka na! Bat ka ba nagbasa?!
Therese: Eh gusto ko eh, bat ka pa ba nagtatanong?!

...aba'y oo nga naman eh gusto nga naman nia eh.
______________________________________________________________________
(In the car on our way to 6th avenue from their house Therese and her sister is fighting because she doesn't want to go home. She wanted to stay at my Lola's house in 6th ave.)
Chesca: Therese uwi na tayo sa 14th.
Therese: Eh ayoko nga eh. Sabi ni Mommy Car (their mom's sister whom they also call mommy) sa 6th daw ako eh!
Aisa: Eh baby wala naman Mommy car din dun. Wala kang mommy dun.
Therese: Hmm eeeeh d iiiikaw nalang! (sabay smile na pacharming)
Chesca: Ikaw Therese ang kulit mo sana d ka namin kapatid!
Therese: Talaga! Eh d wag! (umaakting na sasapakin si Chesca)
Chesca: Ah talaga?! Cge cge subukan mo! Ang liit liit mo eh. D ka ba natatakot sakin ah?!
Therese: Eh! (umaarte pa ring sasapakin si Chesca)
Chesca: O cge tagal..tagal..lika dito!
Therese: TAGAL! TAGAL! TAGAL---naman makadating ng bahay.

_________________________________________________________
(Therese in her salbabida at a beach in Batangas)
Therese: Ate Mich magswim ako papunta sau!
(Mich stretches her arms waiting for Therese to swim to her)
Therese: Ate Mich lapit ka dito!
(Mich lumapit naman)
Therese: Galing ko noh yey!

... wow. Haha.
____________________________________________________________
(At the beach we saw a little girl also about 3 yrs.old walking on the shore with her Dad. She has the same hair & bangs as Therese.)
Aisa: Therese friend mo oh!
Therese: HIIII!!!
(the lil girl waves also) (After a few minutes)
Aisa: Therese kamukha mo yung baby oh, kapatid mo oh.
Therese: (runs frantically towards the lil girl and his dad screaming...) KAPATIIID!!! KAPATID!!!!!!
(The girl got scared and hid at his dad's back and Therese just stood in front of them looking at her, weird lang haha).
______________________________________________________________________

(On our way back to the house from the beach, Therese is sitting at the back of my Aunt's Revo) Therese: (suddenly shouts) Tito Neng! Yung pinto!!!
Tito Neng: Oo sinara ko!
Therese: Hindeeeeee! Buksan mo!!!

...we laughed so hard coz she wanted my uncle to open the door of a moving vehicle. Hahaha!!!

_______________________________________________________________________
(While we were all swooning over the 3 year old son of the owner of the house, ultimate cuteness too! He only speaks English and French)
Aisa: Therese say hi oh. Friend oh. Yiheeee.
Therese: Hello! Lika swim tayo!
Aisa and others: Therese english dapat ano ka ba.
(So after a few minutes he also jumps in the pool with us)
Aisa: Therese call mo sha dali "come here!"
(Eh bigla ako kinausap ng d ko maalala kung sino nasabi ko ng malakas "Come where?!) Therese: (calling the lil boy) Hey friend! Come where! Come where! (na dapat "come here" mga 1 million times niya inulit ulit)

_____________________________________________________________
(Therese playing with a plastic cup in the pool, acting as if she's in the bathroom taking a bath)
Therese: (nairita sa liit ng plastic cup) Wala bang tabo?!
Mich: Walang tabo dito.
Therese: Ate Mich dito ka lang wag ka aalis papaliguan kita.
(And so she scoops some water and poured 'em over Mich head)
Mich: (tinakasan si Therese) Swim lang ako ah.
Therese: Ate Mich Ate Mich halika dito papaliguan kita!
(Since d nia mauto si Mich ako ang nakita nia)
Therese: Ate Aisa clean ko yung hands mo chaka feet.
Aisa: Okay cge dali.
Therese: (while cleaning my hands with water) Dapat palaging clean yung hands mo para d mapasukan ng germs. (wow may future ha!)

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Last Saturday at my Grandma's house in Q.C (at 6th Ave)
Kikoy: (Therese's big bro) Ikaw Therese lika nga dito sasapakin kita eh!
Therese: Hindot ka hindot!!!!!!!!!!

...hahaha, what's hindot?

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At the department store while they're shopping for school supplies since Nursery na sha.

Therese: Maaaa--buy moko ng ano (umaarte na may nakasabit sa leeg)
Tita: Ano yun baby? Aaaahh--stethoscope? Bakit?
Therese: Eh kc... NURSEry nako eh!
.
..... cuuute.

Noynoy nalang kesa trapo na naman.

I was seething in anger an hour ago bcoz of a blog entry I read. Sooo not cool. (See the story here).

You can also find DSWD's official statement there. Which I find shitty and dirty. Coz I find it highly unlikely that they came short of volunteers--kung ABS and GMA nga overflowing volunteers why not them db??? And mas madami pa ata yung volunteers nung personal relief operation ng friend ko kesa sa DSWD! At least sila 11! Duh. So here I am super pissed. How can I volunteer kaya?

So to soothe my rage I just diverted my attention to planning my outfit for our trip on Nov. Hehe. It's my secret to share. :P Whenever I go on a trip I plan my outfit 2-3 weeks before. I write it down in my notebook which I carry everywhere. It's effective for me bcoz if I don't plan what I'm gonna wear I'll just end up bringing my whole closet! I'm crazy like that. :P

Can't wait for our vacation. :) And with the whole fam. I think we're gonna have a blast more than chaos.

P.S. Our 2 new uratex foam arrived last wed. Again--thank you Branders!:)

my last week's style diary

Sorry for the sucky pictures. Still can't find my digicam
so I'm using a cam phone instead. :c

Highlight: sequined Zebra print top.
Mood: Rocker-ish.
Style: Wear it blazers. Blazers go well with anything. I love how it makes casual outfit look a lil corporate. I wore it with black so as to highlight the print of my top.


Highlight: Black Lace Top.
Mood: Fun and Flirty.
Style: Worn it with a floral skirt and black flats. Threw on a denim jacket to make the look romantically casual. I swear I looked like I came straight from the 80's.


Highlight: Military blazer/jacket
Mood: I miss Michael Jackson.
Style: The jacket makes a statement by itself. So I just decided to wear a plain black dress underneath. I just accentuated it with a garterized belt with gold buckles.


Highlight: Vintage rocker/metal Tee.
Mood: Corporate Casual
Style. I threw on a soft blazer to soften the look and wore pumps for a girly power player effect.

Photos from my chictopia account. Dressing-up is sooooo fun.
It makes me happy. *smiles wide*

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

I love this song...

Lyrics | Black Eyed Peas lyrics - I Gotta Feeling lyrics

...it has a catchy beat that makes me high (as in coke/pot high) which I could just dance to all night

You know the feeling. ;)

Take Care.

When we were together I was blown away
just like paper from a fan.
But you would act like I was just a kid
like we were never gonna' last.

But now I've got someone who cares for me, (yeah)
wrote my name in silver sands.
I think you know you've lost the love of your life,
(you said) I was the best you've ever had.

because I'm in demand, (hey)
you're thinking of the way you should've held my hand
and all the times you'd say you didn't understand
you never had our love written in your plans...
but now I'm in demand.

I never think you saw the best of me
there's a side you'll never know
'cos love and loving are two different things
set your sights far too low.

but now I've got someone who cares for me, (yeah)
he wrote my name in silver sands
I think you know you've lost the love of your life
(you said) I was the best you've ever had

because I'm in demand, (hey)
you're thinking of the way you should've held my hand.
and all the times you'd say you didn't understand
you never had our love written in your plans.
but now I'm in demand

you're thinking of the way you've should've of held my hands
and all the times you'd say you didn't understand
you never had our love written in your plans
but now I'm in demand

it's only when I fall asleep
I see that winning smile
when my dreams just move along
you've lost the race by miles

because I'm in demand
you're thinking of the way you should've of held my (hand)
and all the times you'd say you didn't understand
you never had our love in your, (plans)

but now I'm in demand, (yeah)
you know I'm in demand
(say you're in demand)
you know I'm in demand, (yeah)

always in demand, (yeah)

never had our love written in your plans

you know I'm in demand

you see me in demand.

Stops and Starts

My blog title is due to my current LSS- After All na song by Peter Cetera and Cher. Haha. Cheesy. Soooo, we're now back in Marikina. Our house is still a big mess but it's now bearable. And I'm now sleeping in my room again. Yey! We already bought an airbed (temporarily for my Mom and Dad), garment racks for our clothes and a computer table. Last Sunday I spent the whole morning and afternoon folding and organizing all my clothes (I cleared 6 huge garbage bags full of our clothes--less garbage bags outside!) and putting some of my shoes in my stackable plastic shoe boxes. We still have a long way to go before we regain and fix everything though. But we'll get there.

Anyway, last Sunday on our way to SM-Cubao I saw big trucks plowing our street. I got excited. I thought they'd finally clear our street from mountains of garbage. But when we got home--surprise!--they're still there. Argh. Our street now looks like a basura war zone. A basura war zone/obstacle course on a dirt road. I heard BF say 70% of Marikina is now clean. Umm--I don't think so?! Oh well, there's damage everywhere so I guess it would really take this much time. :c But our street now reeks and people might get sick.

My dad said it happened coz we have so much blessings it's time for us to give some of it away (d kami mayaman po pero we're happy with what we have). We transported all our clothes to our Lola's house in Q.C. and it filled almost 10 big garbage bags. 7 bags are just my clothes. Hehe. Manang Sylvia our forever tiga-laba/family friend na-- looked like fainting na daw. Nahilo na daw kakalaba. Hahaha. And my Mom spent almost P2K for 9 dozen hangers + fabric conditioners and detergent. My Lolo just stared at their sampayan with disbelief whle crying out loud, "Mamigay na kayo ng damit nio! Ibigay nio sa mga relief!". So I did sorted my clothes and gave not nearly 1/4 of it away. It actually felt good--getting rid of unwanted stuffs that just deprives me of my much needed closet space.

Out of all the things we lost in the flood--it was the damaged beyond repair memorabilias that made us sad the most. Pictures, documents since we started school in the 1980's, my ballet book, baby pictures since panahon ni kopong-kopong, my parent's wedding album, my aunt's school diary, my UST Mountaineering photos, my self-made album (of my life), my HK and Singapore maps and tickets, letters that are more than a decade old, etc. etc. It's because you can buy new appliances or shoes or clothes but you can never bring back the pictures (d na uso negatives ngaun and I'm sure wala na yun sa face of the earth), school documents (cge magrequest ka ng original report card mo nung prep), etc. etc. *Sighs*

Oh well. Sabi nga nila, time to start anew. I can't say fresh start kc d naman amoy fresh samin. I'm just glad we're finally able to get rid of half of what's in our house like my Mom's super vintage filing cabinet (na super tagal ko na gusto I-exile!), sewing machine and all the other useless shits in our house. Whoever got the filing cabinet from the dumpster must now be a thousand bucks richer (junk shop galore!)Bigat kaya nun. Haha.

Anyway--we're still bound for HK 2nd week of November. Yey! 'Coz we need a much deserved break. :P

Taste Test -- Pepper Lunch!

Since we stayed near Shaw for 5 days I became a mainstay of Edsa-Shang. Hehe. And also got to try restos there. I especially love Cyma. I also got the chance to finally try Pepper Lunch! It's owned by a popular blogger (chuvaness) and since I follow her blog I've been reading a lot about their resto. They have lesser food choices (compared to Sizzling Pepper) BUT their food's a lot tastier. Maybe because of their popular sauces? or maybe the mix of flavors? I dunno but my sister and I really enjoyed it. :) Their pepper rice (with lots of corn and butter--I love corn & butter!) is also our fave. I got to try their beef & chicken pepper lunch, and their steak + hamburger steak combo. Also their kani salad on a plastic cup. It's one of the best kani salads I've tasted (and boy do I love kani salad). I loved everything I was able to eat there. Even their iced tea (kahit nestea lang yun) is perfect--not too sweet.

Kani-P98 and iced tea.

Chicken -- P155 (it's original price is P198 but they have an ongoing weekday promo)

interior

I was not able to take a picture of the other foods. I was too excited to eat. Haha. Now I'm craving again.

Ondoy Aftermath

Last Sept. 26's storm left us with a trashed car, house and most of all clothes. Haha. So it's a good thing our company provided us temporary shelter even just for 5 days. My boss already warned me it's a no frills hotel since they can't find any more available hotel. Since it's free I took their kind offer. Here's how our room looks like in Richville Hotel along Edsa near Shangrila.




... it looks old but it's cozy enough for me. I did enjoy our stay there with our everyday free breakfast (the food is not that good but at least they have cereals!) and it's accessibility. It's just walking distance to Shangrila and Megamall. It's a good thing we don't really live there coz I'd probably end up begging from al the temptation. Haha. :P

The day we checked-out we also visited our house in Marikina. Thought we'd be able to sleep in there but it still needs a day or two of cleaning so we decided to go back to my Lola's house in Q.C. And the garbage! Oh the garbage. :c






...and that's me still scrubbing off mud from our things. At least 70% of our house is now clean. Major repairs are still needed though.

But I'm excited to have our house restored. And inspite of what happened. I will forever love Marikina. There's still no place like home.

Silver Linings

I've been MIA lately. It's because we're still dealing with a lot of things right now, mostly ruins, after the tragic storm "Ondoy" last Saturday. I was not with my family when it happened. I was stuck here in my office in Ortigas.

It was around 10 am when I got a text from my sister asking me to buy medicines 'coz they can't get out of the house--said there's some flooding outside our house on the street. After 30 mins. she texted me again saying the water already reached the inside of our house and it's ankle deep. I got surprised 'coz it only means it's getting deeper outside since our house is already elevated. I even called my sister to ask her to put my shoes somewhere high and to ask what they're doing, she said they're transferring items on top of our beds and they're just sitting with their feet up. At that point we were still not worried 'coz in our 28 years in Marikina we never experienced flooding that extreme. But after a few minutes she texted again saying the flood water is quickly rising. I called her again to ask their status, she said the water have reached our toilet and they're now transferring items on top of the cabinets since the water already reached the beds. I got anxious upon hearing that and more anxious after I got a text again saying the water's already waist deep and they're now going up on our roof coz it might rise more. That's the time she asked if I could call for rescue coz if the water continues to rise where would they go next if they're already on the roof? And they were really worried for our neighbor because they have a 92 yr old grandma, 2 babies and 1 mentally incapable girl. After persuading them--they too got on the roof, the grandma didn't want to climb the ladder going to the roof coz she's 92! So they waited for another 30 mins to be able to get her (4 men had to put her in a duyan so they could thake her to the neighbor's 2nd floor by crossing the other house's roof).

For 1 hour I was in panic running back and forth in the office trying again and again to call all the emergency hotline numbers I found online. Some friends helped through facebook. But I never got through the lines, I guess everyone's trying to get themselves rescued too. So I told her to just wait. I also called Pats (my friend who lives on the same street as ours) and my other friends in Marikina. After an hour she texted again saying they've transferred to a neighbor's balcony on the 2nd floor. Thank God. They stayed there with 3 other families. Rescue never came. And they only ate "lugaw" and slept on cold floors. But at least they're fortunate enough to be sleeping under a roof unlike my friend Pats who waited on her neighbor's roof for the flood water to subside (grabe yun). And I slept for a few hours in our office clinic.

I woke up at around 4 am went to Mcdonalds with Mich and Lily to eat breakfast (for a long day of cleaning ahead) and then at 6am we started our journey back home to Marikina. We hailed a cab in front of Unionbank and asked the driver to drop us off to any point near Marikina. He said the nearest is Katipunan so we just said okay. So we got off in front of St. Claire and started our long WALK home. As in we literally walked. To appease my weariness I borrowed Mich's phone and took pictures of the damages of the rain the night before.

We didn't know what to expect when we started our long walk home.

Cars were merely moving.

A lot of people walking and on the streets. They blocked off the bridge going to Riverbanks.

They only allowed motorcycles and people walking to pass through.

It's like a seen from Deep Impact. Chaos everywhere.



People walking. People everywhere. Mud everywhere too.

People walking barefoot--their feet stained with mud.

Cars parked in all directions.



Rubberboats--evidence of the rescue efforts the night before.

Military tanks.

Abs-cbn setting up their cameras near Provident Village.

Ambulance and people walking to their possible relocation destination.

Tired volunteers.

What's left of a store. Mud and garbage.

Trashed cars -- inside and out.

This baby might be super tired. :c And it was drizzling.

Evidence of a grueling ordeal the night before.

Cars, ambulance, firetrucks, dump trucks.

In front of Provident Village -- it's like a crime scene.

Firetrucks in front of Provident.

Chaos in front of Provident.

More trashed cars at the side of the street.

and some dead people. :c


Some people tried to save what they still have.

Thick mud.
A car rammed against a post.

Marikina River.

I turned off Mich's phone as we neared Marikina Sports Center. I started feeling nauseous and tired as we're walking along Bonifacio going to Concepcion. The mercury drug sign became my inspiration. And Mich carried my bag when she saw me starting to walk sideways. Haha. As we're walking along Philstress I felt my feet switch to autopilot mode. I can't feel anything anymore. I was dead tired. But despite of the weariness we still continued looking for food stalls where we could buy food for my family. We were able to buy food in NGI market near our house. I bought other necessities and then we rode a tricycle home. Our street was full of mud. As in 5 inches thick mud. Everyone was outside or at their garage with all of their things. Cleaning. Sorting. Scrubbing. Then I saw our neighbor's honda civic rammed against a post. Our other neighbor's truck on the other end of the street as well as another neighbor's car. It was like all hell broke loose.

And then I saw our house. It stunned me-- and not in a good way. My parents were not sad-sad but you can tell they're tired too and they've accepted what happened. After all, we have no time for sulking. It already happened and there's no other way to go but forward. So hand in hand we helped clean the house--or at least what's left of it.

Midnight, my first car, was positioned sideways (it got submerged under flood waters) :c I'm just thankful it did not roll outside when our gate's lock broke.

Inside the car--more mud.

My sister's undies. Eew.

And all our other things.

My sister sorting through our things.




My room. :c




Our bed and some other things.

All my clothes. :c

Our dirty kitchen. :c

Goodbye shoe cabinet.

Goodbye TV.

Goodbye cabinet and walls.

We still have a lot of things to fix until now. We still can't sleep in our house. I don't know how we'd ever be able to sleep in there again with our destroyed walls and everything. It's a good thing Branders was kind enough to let those affected by the storm to stay in Richville hotel all expense paid. It's a no frills so-so hotel but it's better than sleeping in our trashed house. And just enough to spend the cold nights in. Some people ask me how I could still laugh and act normal after all this. My answer is, if my Mom is just okay with it why won't I be? My mom told me if she dwell on it she'd just get more stressed. And I could not agree more. And besides this is the perfect time to strengthen our bond with the Lord and ties with our family. And after all that happened I still feel grateful that no one from my family got hurt. For those who lost someone over this tragedy--my heart is with you.

There's always some silver lining after each storm. We just need to keep and hold on tighter to our faith.