running for those who can't

i was sitting in church earlier tonight when our pastor told us that pastor ferdie cabiling, "the running pastor", is already on his last day of run today. that means he ran 50 miles a day every day for 50 days, covering the whole stretch of the country -- from saranggani to appari. that's quite a distance, especially when i compare it to my 3-kilometer treadmill runs that i even complain about. (don't ask.)

i got to sit down with pastor ferdie the day before he flew to saranggani, his starting point. it was a casual conversation, but his passion for God and for what he does is just so inspiring i couldn't help but ask myself, "how about me? what do i do? how meaningful can my life be?" he was to run a total of 2,180 kilometers to raise funds for Real Life Foundation -- for young people hopeful for a bright future. in a sense, his run solidifies their hopes! what's more, he is able to encourage and move people like me to do more and be more. 

a lot of people love running. in fact, pastor ferdie does too! he said that running in a new place is a treat for him, and that running across the Philippines is a raw adventure! he talked about his favorite pairs of shoes, the physical preparations, his diet, and even the technicalities of running a marathon. but this lifestyle goes beyond being healthy or having a hobby. because he is fueled by God's love for him and His people, he is able to challenge himself to do outrageous things and run thousands of miles, of course all with a purpose.

one of my favorite stories from our conversation was about his son, John Philip, who can't run like you and me. pastor ferdie told us that years back, while in the middle of a marathon in Pangasinan, he wanted to simply give up. he was tired, and couldn't seem to find any reason to go on. but he remembered John Philip, how he has sturge weber syndrome and is unable to run. pastor ferdie then decided to finish the race, with renewed energy from his love for his boy. since then, the thought of running for those who can't has become his inspiration to go on and go farther. 

pastor ferdie is a man who likes to be challenged. after running across the country for 50 days straight, i wonder what his next goal is. no distance is too far for a runner who runs with a purpose that serves the glory of Jesus. 

"and as your days, so shall your strength be." - deutoronomy 33:25

give to real life foundation through the run50 marathon here:

http://www.igivetolife.com/donate/donate-to-real-life

nightdreams and daydreams

gail woke me up one saturday at an earlier than usual time because "may surprise ako sayo." i mumbled words i don't remember anymore, but i got up and got ready for his surprise, recalling the dream i was having: 

i was texting tin if she wanted to watch a repeat show of bantugan, a school play she took part in when we were in freshman hs. in my dream i even called her and i was super excited because the play was happening the next day, which means i'd see her soon. 

now back to reality. a few seconds after gail woke me up, somebody knocked on our door, and it was tin!!! and totskie. blooming and dalawang bagong kasal. yes totskie, blooming ka din. hehe. syempre may pasalubong akong pastries as always, thanks tin. and saya saya ko! didn't think my night dream would turn into a daydream come true: spending time with tin and totskie. di nga lang kami nanood ng play. :p

tin and i are both pregnant by the way, so we're back to our high school days of sending letters to each other almost everyday. yes, we did that back in high school bagamat magkasama kami araw araw. we were really mushy that way. hehe. now it's just more logical to write to each other. i enjoy my pregnancy more because i get to share it with tin and also with cheekcheek!

thank you guys for visiting! gail and i had fun! next time ulit. hehe. 

ps: tin makes cakes and pastries. if you're in LB or somewhere near, get your noche buena desserts from her!!! check her sweets at http://momscupcakefactory.blogspot.com/ :) and anytime you come back to this blog, just click the icon on the right part ober der. :D cheers to friendship, cupcakes and buns in our ovens!

how we found out

(this is one of the many drafts sitting in my laptop. im keeping my pledge to myself: just keep blogging.)

first, here's a song that reminds me of my baby in my womb. whenever i hear it, i see my baby. and i know s/he will even be more beautiful than my vision. give it a listen as you read. mas masaya. :p 

the journey to having a baby is one part exciting and one part scary. magkakababy kaya kami? are we healthy enough for it? i even googled "how to get pregnant" on our 2-month baby-making mark, and i researched if gail's anti-asthma medicines were hindering us from being successful at it. 

around a week prior to us finding out, jhorace texted me and told me that God prompted her to speak of a vision. "sky is coming," she said. i got super thrilled, knowing that God's promise stands and indeed, our baby sky is coming soon. 

it was also around this time that one of our churchmates told me to sit down and relax while we were talking, because "baka ka makunan." i told her "wala pa pong baby," but she said "meron na yan." so again, my faith was boosted. 

within just three months of trying, i was already struggling. i got frustrated every time people would ask, id ask God and id ask gail. thankfully, God always assures me, and gail always tells me that God knows the best time for baby to come. 

the day before my birthday, i bought a pregnancy test kit. i wasn't so excited about it. i wanted my expectations to be manageable. i just wanted to test because in case it's a positive, maiingatan ko na ang sarili ko agad. at syempre, alam nyo na ang nangyari, positive! i held back tears as i saw the two lines form, i didn't want gail to know yet. i wanted it to be my birthday gift for him. but my self control (and the lack of it) got the better of me. i went what the heck I'm telling him, and tossed the pregnancy kit to his laptop. when he saw it, he said "anong ibig sabihin nito?" smiling. i spoke with my eyes and he hugged me tight. 

the first one to know was my mom, because i wanted to know if i had to do anything. she said to just take care. oo nga naman. and remember she was the one who advised me to just "let the love flow" and not to get pressured about having a baby. love flowed all right. 

we haven't stopped daydreaming ever since. ano kayang mannerisms nya, ano kayang personality ang mabubuo nya, what will be baby's favorite songs and dances? we tirelessly pray for him/her. my personal prayer is that s/he takes everything from his/her dad, except the asthma and the dancing. :p 

sometimes we look at our living room and we feel that it's so empty. good thing somebody's coming along to fill the house with all sorts of joy and fun. we just can't wait. 

ps: sabay bang natapos ang pagbabasa mo at ang music? kung oo, ang galing mo!