latest update on my Dad…

Posted on March 15, 2008 by RJ

Bad news… My Dad is now having problems with the latest drug his doctor gave him. He was actually fine in the last 2-3 weeks or so but now, he was ordered to not take it anymore. He’s having some kind of allergic reactions from the drug and currently under no medications. He’s going to see the doctor sometime next week, so hopefully he’d get to take some kind of alternatives…

My bro-in-law talked to me earlier while driving to work. He mentioned to me that Dad could leave us in a month, in a few months or maybe even in weeks. I listened to him, but for some reason I do not believe him. I don’t know, maybe I’m in some kind of denial… hmmm, I really don’t know… I hope I’m right though… I won’t be able to accept it yet…

pictures still cookin’

Posted on March 6, 2008 by RJ

Our pictures from our wedding are still cooking. We have asked our friend Faye to become the photographer for that day and she has mentioned that she was supposed to make an album. We didn’t ask her to do all that but wow, very nice I should say! We also made an appointment to Keepsake to get our pictures done just right after the restaurant reception. Well, hopefully I get to post more pictures in the future but everybody is kind of busy right now. In the meantime, check out some of the pics taken using my camera.

the wedding day

Posted on March 5, 2008 by RJ

Brief update: 02-26-08

All I needed to say on that day: although it wasn’t complete, it was still one of the happiest days of me and alou’s lives…

and thanks to all the people who shared the moment with us…

we love u all!

before my wedding

Posted on February 26, 2008 by RJ

In a few hours, I will be getting married. I’ve waited for this special day for a long time, and it’s finally here.

Am I nervous? Everyone seemed to ask me that question over and over, and I reiteratively say “no”. My friends do joke around and tell me not to become Ross (if u watch FRIENDS then you know what I’m talking about!). Why would I be nervous? I’ve been with Alou for at least two years now and we’ve never really separated since we started a relationship. We were not one of those couples that are afraid of spending too much time together because they might get tired of each other. If I’m not mistaken, for the past year, we were probably apart for no more than 20 days. Well, that’s just how we are…

It also never occurred to me that “it’s going to be hard” or “maybe she’s not the one. It’s never been an issue to me.

Anyway, in about ten hours or so, there are still some questions mark in the air – like how many people are actually going to show up in the restaurant? I know it isn’t as grand as our initial wedding plans but we might have overlooked some important aspects. Hey, it’s not like we’ve done this before right?

Well, pray for me and my nearly future wife to be, Alou, as we venture into a new life together. It’s going to be an exciting adventure!

Italy trip cancelled

Posted on February 21, 2008 by RJ

Well, our hopes of going to Italy by the end of March are gone. Dad isn’t feeling very well, so he decided to tell us that the trip isn’t going to happen; at least for now. We still don’t know if we’re going to do it in the future. Mom is telling us that we should go to the Philippines instead, but that’s going to be hard for Dad as well. That’s all about Italy for now. It’s sad, i know. I guess Venezia, Milano, and Roma are just going to have to wait for our arrival someday…

civil wedding invitation

Posted on February 12, 2008 by RJ

We started giving out our invitations yesterday. It was a last minute thing, we weren’t even going to give out invitations in the first place. Here’s a sample of the invitation:

Anyway, our limit is around 50-60 guests. Still don’t know who we’re supposed to give the invitations to, especially our co-workers from the lab. Of course, there are people that automatically should get one. See the thing is, some of them have school that day, so they probably won’t be able to attend. Even my own brother, who goes to school for Physician Assistant probably, will be late for lunch. He won’t even make it for the court, although I’d really want him to be one of our witnesses. I guess I understand… Oh yeah, my niece, Avery, has school that day as well, and my sister probably won’t make her skip school. Me and Alou would love Avery to be present. But since it’s “just a civil wedding”, I guess Tuesday isn’t important enough for her to be there. Oh well, I guess I’ll get over it… We’re still hoping they’d come…

civil wedding

Posted on February 10, 2008 by RJ

So, me and my girl have decided to change some wedding plans this year. We really don’t know how’s my dad going to be later this year so instead of celebrating a big wedding in August at Swan Harbor, we are going to have a civil wedding. We already set up a date, and that’s on February 26, 2008. It’s the date between our birthdays. Some of you may already know that my b-day is on the 25th, and Alou’s on the 27th. The celebration is going to be held at Enotria Italian restaurant in Forest Hill, Maryland.

We’d still do our big celebration in the future but it’s just won’t happen this year. Besides, we have the trip to Italy to worry about, and maybe another trip back home late this year.

Have a good night!

Update on my Dad

Posted on February 8, 2008 by RJ

Well, he hasn’t done any chemo for at least a month now, and he’s a bit better. He can move around the house more as opposed to just sitting and lying on bed when he was doing chemo.

However, he gained weight a bit, not because of food but because of “fluids” in his body. His knees got weaker and couldn’t actually walk around the house much again. Half of his body was swollen; it started on his feet and up to his arms. But the doctor gave him a pill to flush out those fluids. Thankfully, he can walk better now.

But the last time we went to his appointment, the doctor had some good news and bad news. The good news is that the cancer in his left lung is getting smaller. The bad news is they found some more on the right lung. The doctor suggested another pill to keep the cancer from growing. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll try another pill.

After the appointment we went to Noodles&Company to eat. Now this restaurant serves like the ChowKing restaurant of the Philippines. You order and they actually bring you your food and tells you not to clean up. Anyway, my dad feels a bit energetic that day. Here are some pics:

save the date

Posted on January 31, 2008 by RJ

Last year, I’ve proposed to my gf on our 2-yr anniversary on August 29, 2007 . ‘Twas a great feeling and at the same time, very nerve-racking! We are giving ourselves one year to prepare for our big day, 08-29-08. We’ve initially liked the idea of having the outside wedding, so we already signed a contract with the Swan Harbor Farm. We also have seen a couple of photographers and loved the works of Story Motion Studios. I was assigned to do some “save the date” designs so we can give out magnets. Here are some samples:

start living the life

Posted on January 23, 2008 by RJ

“Start living the life…” Now is that good or bad?

Unfortunately, my Dad’s urologist found more lesions in his other lungs. The good news however, is the tumor in his brain is getting smaller. The neurologist told us that his main goal is to give my dad’s quality of life back, so he told us to do whatever he wants.

That being said, we are planning to go to Italy by the end of March. We have a lot of relatives residing in Italy right now. My dad and my sister used to work there as well. So Italy, here we come!

Well, come to think of it, what does “do whatever he wants” means? Does that mean he’s getting better? Or does that mean make him happy for he wouldn’t be here much longer?

Ausome Bros

Understand, Accept, and Embrace Autism by the Malacas Family

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