I woke up this morning without hearing my alarm thinking, dang I must be old because I heard old people don't need alarms to wake up in the mornings. I got up, looked at my alarm (from my cell phone) and it's 6:33. I didn't realize it's been ringing because it's set at 6, I just didn't hear it. I attempted to wake Donna up and she mumbled some excuse. I tried to turn off the AC but for some reason it wouldn't respond to the remote so I just went to the MB2 to check my eMail. All of sudden the doorbell started ringing incessantly. It's our walking buddies trying to wake us up. I went back to check on Donna, lo and behold she's already up. Her eyes were still closed but she's up nevertheless which is always a good thing. By the time we went out the gate, with Indo in tow, the guys were gone. Walkers here go on a clockwise route and when it's just Donna and me, we go counter clockwise. We met Doret and Bong Naguit halfway and we turned and walked with them. Bong suggested we'll do a breakfast thing again tomorrow after our walk just like what we did for
Engr. Pineda before he left for New Jersey. By the way when we started walking we were pleasantly surprised by a really cool breeze,
amyam, we call it in Capampangan. It signals the start of the Holiday season. It's too bad it only lasts for a few hours early in the morning through February. It's still a welcome change to the otherwise hot-all-the-time weather. Some stores in the mall are already on a countdown, so many days before Christmas.
Today I got a text message from college friend Vangie asking me if we're still on for this Thursday. I said sure, I just had to make a few follow up text messages which fortunately I got mostly favorable responses.
Anyway, back to the blog at hand...
My brother-in-law Kuya Francis came from Baguio one day, approached me and said his son Glen wanted me as one of the major sponsors on his wedding to his fiancee Richie, Saturday, August 30. So I told him sure with me and Donna having made a decision way in the past that we will not turn down similar requests. I'd like to think that people will have a good reason for thinking of me and/or Donna to become their godfather/godmother in their wedding or their child's baptism or confirmation.
Anyway, when Eph, Dan and Reg, Rach and Gen were here December of '06, I drove and took them to Baguio. I didn't care to do that again so we hired Lando to drive for us. He used to work for my sister-in-law Ate Pie at the Guagua Water District. He actually still works there but Ate Pie has since retired.
Since we had to drive out fairly early the day of the wedding, my father-in-law and sister Gay had to sleep over here. Berna and daughter Nica, Len and her daughters Ems and Erika just came over that morning.
Of course we had to stop by the Lion's Head on Kennon Road to stretch and to take pictures.
It was around noon when we arrived in Baguio City so we went to that Chinese restaurant Cong Francis took us when the kids visited in 2006. I think it's called the Rose Bowl. After lunch we drove around the city and we took Ems and Erica to the Wright Park Pony Boys for their first pony ride experience.
Glen rented a room at Teacher's Camp so the guests can change for the wedding. The ceremony was held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. They almost kicked us out of the church for taking so many pictures. I guess there was another wedding or a mass right afterwards. As for my hair, you have to realize these pictures were taken way before my
"Harvest".
Cong Eddie Tiongson, Donna's cousin and owner of Fisherman's Grill was also one of the principal sponsors.
They had the reception at Ann's Place, a party hall on Dominican Hill in Baguio.
My brother Cong Naring had a son Jimmy, who died young while his two daughters were mere pre schoolers. The older one, Fel (short for Felicisima, after my Mom) got married last October 20. Yes Eph, you share the same anniversary. Fel graduated from nursing at the University of Assumption and passed her board exams. The groom is Albonn, her nursing classmate. His aunt Erlinda, by the way, was one of my grade school classmates. His Dad Romy, is Erlinda's younger brother. Erlinda nowadays lives in Italy and is married to an Italian.
Fel and Albonn visited a while back and formally requested that I and Donna be two of the major sponsors in their wedding. Like I said above, this is something we won't turn down.
They had a civil wedding officiated by Mexico town Mayor Tumang and held at the garden of their house in Sabanilla, Mexico a barangay right next to Masamat where Cong Naring lives. It turned out to be a beautiful wedding.
During the wedding the mayor asked me and a couple others to say something for the newlyweds and I basically told them the old spiel (Donna's actually, but didn't want to stand in front of the crowd) on how a good marriage is like heaven on earth and a bad marriage is the opposite. I guess the emcee of the short program during the reception was pretty impressed with what I said so he had me talk some more.
