So I went by the mall yesterday, still thinking of what I can give her, taking mental notes that she intended to be a stay at home wife and that she loves to cook. She would probably end up doing nothing but chopping, cooking and baking for the first few years of her marriage. And out of nowhere, I saw it, the perfect gift for my practical pal, standing sturdy and elegant in a shelf under a large cardboard sign that says Convection Toaster Ovens. I was really excited then, a toaster and an oven rolled into one. I remembered my friend complaining that her oven was bulky but she likes what it can do, she added that if it could just be smaller but a little larger than her oven toaster then she would be in total bliss. I asked the salesperson if it could do all the things you do in an oven by using this little-bigger-than-toaster-thing I am looking at and she said yes, I smiled and pictured my friend in total bliss.

When my daughter was born I kept a journal just keeping records of her “baby” accomplishments like when she first smiled, the time she uttered her first words, all the firsts you could imagine. It was written in my journal in detail, the time, date, place, it took place. But I wanted to do something unique for my special daughter. So apart from having a scrap book and a baby book, I have stories of how I feel about her which you will know by simply analyzing her 16 gold charm bracelets – one for each year of her life. Like her first bracelet, you will see there charms of an angel, a heart, sun, and a cross symbolizing the peace, love, hope, and faith that she brought to my life when she was born. She really loves her bracelets, especially when I explain to her the meaning of the charms I add there randomly. She brags this to her friends saying that her bracelet is our love story as mom and daughter.

I am an Arts teacher and I have the vaguest idea of what my husband does, at least the technical side. I wanted to know more about his job and his company so I secretly researched anything I can find out about the asphalt industry and the role of my husband in all of it. But there were a number of articles about the asphalt industry and they are mainly technical, something that is really hard to comprehend if you are not immersed in it. I would just like to surprise my husband on the things I know about the industry and the job he loves. So that through this simple gesture he would know that I care about what he does and what makes him happy.

Since apparently my plan of self-teaching didn’t work, I just told him what I did and my intentions for doing it when he went home. I thought he would be disappointed by my ignorance, but it turned out better than I expected. He personally guide me through his typical day at the office, he also shared with me the vision of his company and his role in attaining it. I knew my husband is a good man, he proved it again.

So here I am fresh out of college, brimming with hope and excitement, about to start living my dream. Thanks to my parents who financed my business venture, of course I will pay them back, the inn is already under construction and I just came back from supposedly just scouting but end up buying office furniture in San Antonio Texas.

I was thinking of a semi-corporate set-up for the inn’s study; you know a nice, elegant but comfortable office chair and a table to match but the shops in San Antonio were really amazing. I end up buying rugs in earthy tones, book shelves, and other accessories on impulse. I was feeling rather guilty but good thing my decorator told me that she has a design that would make use of all the things I purchased and more importantly something that will make the inn look good.

So I know that I should get another health insurance. Hospitalization is very expensive and no matter how much you try to be healthy, you know eating the right foods, exercise, no drinking, no smoking and other vices, fact remains that you can still get sick. I thought I have to get this over with while I am still healthy so I called different agents to ask for individual health insurance quotes from them. Most of them are friendly and accommodating and I was impressed as they can readily provide me with an estimate of how much it will cost me to be “assured of a good health”. I have yet to be lucky. I just wished that there is a plan out there that I can afford. I am really keeping my fingers crossed.

My mom said that I make clothes look good when I were them, though. But then, she is my mom and mom’s opinion never counts, right? I just believed her when a couple of days ago I run by some “agents” trying to cast models for their latest advertisement shoot for the best brands of waterproof digital cameras. The ad aimed to compare the different brands of digital cameras in terms of crispness in picture quality underwater. The agents said that with my height and figure I would look good in a swimsuit, smiling and having fun under water. I was doubtful at first but then I know that I cannot pass up that opportunity. So guess what? I had my first photo session this morning and the agents were right, I do look good… even underwater!

Thank God for modern technology! God bless the inventor of air purifiers! I read what it can do; it purifies the air and makes it allergen-free—the perfect solution to my problems. So I started browsing magazines and reading different advertisements about different brands of purifiers. I am not familiar of the credibility of any of the brands; the only thing I was certain about is that it should feature a HEPA filter. But after reading several advertisements, I gave up. What was I thinking? Of course you will have nothing but high praises for your brand. So what I needed was an objective assessment of the different types by the people who actually used them. So I went to my computer and searched for HEPA air purifier reviews in the web. It was a relief to be informed of the pros and cons of the product you are buying based on the collective experiences of the people who were not paid to say anything about the product or the brand.

She has the most expensive and most fancy and in a variety of colors too! It was one of her many “endearing” qualities. One time I tried to trick her; I served her favorite pasta dish but I ground the spices manually without her knowing. Well… she really is a “grinding wiz” if there is such a thing, she knew it was ground manually. She tried explaining to me the difference. I think she said it has something to do with the fineness, the taste and color. Of course none of which I appreciated but I didn’t want to offend her of course. But from then on me and my other friends started calling her the “Queen of E.S.G,” and guess what? She loves it!

As I grew a bit older, a couple of years away from being an official high school student, I switched to other “cool” hobbies; reading and writing became my past time. But these hobbies were not actually making me any more popular to the rest of the school. So I thought then that I needed to change or at least alter my personality to somehow fit in. And it suddenly dawned on me, what I had to do. So a few days after, I organized an amazing Disney Vacation! Just when everybody heard it I was a campus hit! Almost my entire class wanted to go. The day finally came and we had a blast especially in the water and theme parks. I still enjoy reading and writing but lately it was more or less all about that awesome vacation!

So I would have never imagined, even in my wildest dream that the solution to bringing the passion back between my husband and I is an incandescent under cabinet lighting! Yes, that mysterious, magical but relatively common light under our kitchen cabinets.

What’s the story? Two nights ago I went to the kitchen for a midnight snack and I didn’t even bother switching on the main light, just the cabinet lighting. I was engrossed with my thoughts so I didn’t even hear my husband when he walked in and embrace me from behind. He whispered that after 20 years he can’t believe that I am still as lovely as the first time he saw me. I guess the effect of the dim light highlighted my features more than I expected.