First Snowfall 2008

The first snowfall of 2008. Adney and I went bowling with friends, played arcade games so us girls can get enough tickets to get BFF necklaces, and then goofed around both inside and outside the bowling place. Disturbance varied from Barbie and Ken dance moves to after-strike poses, dance rev challange, modelling the arcade game and the boys' lame snowball fights. Headed to Tintin and Connan's after for SATC movie and sleepover. Oh, and let's not forget Connans' classic line "Do you guys need a blanket?".

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

August 2008 Salt Lake City

This was Adney's first "mailed" letter to me. They came with a bunch of roses in a vase and chocolates. He ended his letter with what I thought to be a normal greeting- "Hope you have a wonderful weekend." I spent the next two days thinking of him every time I saw the flowers on the table. I have forgotten how flowers can do just that-- remind you of the person who gave them to you! That Thursday night he showed up at my doorstep from Arizona. He drove twelve hours. For the first time, I knew that his visit was for me! His previous visits to Utah were for our common friend Ryan Rubio and the rest of the Filipino crew. But this time, I knew that it was just for me. Just me.

He had the whole weekend planned out. Friday night, we dressed up all pretty to go to The Roof, a nice restaurant located at the top of the JSM Building right on State Street, overlooking the magnificence of the Salt Lake Temple.

It was a gorgeous evening. We had dinner together for our first official date. Just us. We talked and took time to get to know more about each other. Although I have known Adney for six years that time, I have never really tried to get to know him with the possibility of “us” in mind.

We took a walk around the square that night. Just us. I learned more about him that night than the past six years that we have known each other.

When we got home to get ready for the rest of the night, we found my girls outside my place! While I was strolling around, there were my girls, locked out, freezing, but patiently waiting for me. J Gotta love the dream girls! The rest of the night was pure fun.

The following morning, Adney and I got ready for his “surprise”. Just us. He took me to The Kura Door, a japanese holistic spa.I haven't been so pampered in a long time.I was three months into my program and he knew that I was having the stress of my life.He said he took me there because he knew I needed it, and I sure did!He went to his own private room, and I went to mine.We didn’t spend much time together but it was almost like the flowers he gave me.Because I was thinking about him the whole time I was there.He told me that he fell asleep from the massage so we know he wasn’t thinking about me! Haha.We went to Tin and Connan’s place afterwards for some BBQ and summer fun. J

Sunday came too soon. We walked to the temple square and took pictures we will treasure forever! :)

To say that I had a wonderful weekend is an understatement. He made sure I had one of the greatest weekends I have ever had!

Hun, can we go back to the house now?!

April fools day of the year 2009.

Salt Lake City

Adney recently moved back to Arizona some weeks prior and I was still living in Salt Lake. He flew in just a couple of days ago to be with me. When he's in town, he drives me to school and picks me up after work. So I've scheduled for him to pick me up at about 9pm when I normally finish work. That day however, I forgot that I was suppose to pick up my graduation gown and cap from the U bookstore. I called him quarter to 5pm and told him to come pick me up ASA.P The bookstore closes at 5:30 and I lived a good 15-20 minutes away from campus. So he hurried and off we went to the bookstore.

On our way back home I asked him what he wanted to do and if he had made any plans for us that night. He said "Don't worry Hun, I have our whole night planned out." I thought sweet, at least he doesn't have to keep asking me what I wanted to do. We dropped off my sister Georgie at home (he picked her up at the library on his way to my workplace) and we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Sawadee. We ordered the usual pla-lad-pik. While waiting, Adney seemed to be preoccupied so I asked if he was OK. He said he's fine. We finished dinner a good hour after. It's about 7:15pm and we had nothing else to do. Then he asked me what I wanted to do. I thought he had the night planned out?!! I told him we still have a lot of time before we need to go home. We decided to go to Tabularasa in Trolley Square and walked around the area. We didn't really find much to do and so I asked him what he wanted to do. Then, he smiled and said, I will take you to this place.

He drove me to one of the lookouts in Salt Lake City. It is situated right behind the state capitol and has a view of the entire Salt Lake Valley. It's one of my favorites because it's peaceful up there. It reveals the genius of the city planning, the virtues of those who developed it, and the majesty of the mountains that cradle it.

We stepped out of the car and walked towards the edge of the lookout. He wrapped his arms around me as we stood still to appreciate the beauty. Five minutes later, I asked, "Hun, can we go back to the house now?" He replied, "Are you cold?" I said yes. He insisted on staying there because he really wanted to and I insisted on going back to the house. I am not a good liar. As much as I wanted to keep myself from telling him the real reason, I felt guilty that I lied about why I wanted to go back to the house right then. He looked like he really wanted to stay there so I finally admitted "Hun, because I have to go do number 2!" He started laughing really loud. For two reasons I thought. First, because I have never really told him before that I have to go do number 2. And second, he probably thinks it's funny that I couldn't keep the truth form him as embarrassing as it is!

He then agreed but first pulled out a black journal from the trunk. Inside are entries he had written prior and he wanted me to read them at the lookout! He told me not to read it yet but I insisted. As he drove down from the top of the hill, I started reading what he wrote...

The rules of this journal is simple. One of us will always have the journal. Then we write our feelings, thoughts or whatever you feel like writing in this journal then we pass it back and forth at random times.

I wanted to cry. Eversince I can remember, I have alwayd imagined doing this with someone special but I have never been able to. Here is a man who actually initiated an unspoken wish in my heart. How could he have known? I was trying really hard to keep the tears from falling. So many thoughts were racing through my mind at this point-- Was he going to ask me to marry him? Did I just ruin his proposal plan beacause I had to go potty? Will that be in the story forever? I wasn't sure if he was going to pop the big question. I didn't want to be too emotional. I can't cry, what if he's just bluffing, it's April fools day. He totally would! The believing part of me then panicked. "Did I just ruin it?" I said out load. He just looked at me, laughed, and kept driving. "Can we go back to the lookout?" He said it's okay so I continued reading. He went on to write about our journey and the choices we have made that lead us to each other. He talked about our dates and the experiences that has brought us closer together. As soon as I finished reading, we parked right outside my place. He asked tha I sit still because he has other things in the trunk. He pulled out a dozen of red roses, my favorite dessert, plates, utensils, and my purse. He said "I am not going to wait any longer."

He pulled out a ring box from his pocket and opened it. It was empty. He said "Someday, I will be able to fill this box with a ring for you." (Adney quit work nine months prior to that and so I really wasn't expecting him to buy me a ring yet.) He took my hand. His were cold and shaking. He finally said "Maaari ba kitang maging kabiyak?" which literally means "Will you be my other half?" But I figured he probably really meant "Will you marry me?" I laughed, I put my hands in his face, looked him in his eyes, smiled, responded "Awww, of course Hun, I will!" and kissed him! *censored, haha*

He told me about how he has planned to cook dinner for us that night, buy my favorite dessert pick me up at 9pm, take me to the lookout and do the whole proposal up there. He said he has been practicing his line the whole day that's why he lookd nervous at the restaurant. He was afraid that he might not be able to say it right. Haha.

Just when I thought that it was the end of all the surprises for that night, he told me that he had another and pointed toward the direction of my purse. I picked up my purse and inside I found a little brown teddy bear. (Two weeks prior, I had a dream about him proposing to me in a room full of about 50 teddy bears of different sizes.) I pulled out the bear and found a gorgeous ring tied around its neck. I said, "REALLY?" He laughed, I hugged him and at that point, I could no longer hold myself back from crying!