5 years ago today F.B. & I first said "I love you." 5 years ago today we decided to start this relationship. April 1st, 2004 was a defining moment in our relationship. We've been through so much together in these past 5 years, and I look forward to our future together...

Happy Anniversary Baby, I Love You.





4. She Will Be Loved: Maroon 5

5. A Thousand Miles: Vanessa Carlton

6. The Reason: Hoobastank

7. It's Gonna Be Love: Mandy Moore

8. I'll Be: Edwin Mccain

9. Wait For Me: Rebecca St. James

10. Iris: Goo Goo Dolls

11. Naked: Avril Lavigne

12. Beautiful Soul: Jesse McCartney

13. On The Way Down: Ryan Cabrera

14. Happy Together: The Turtles

15. Unwell: Matchbox Twenty

16. Passenger Seat: Stephen Speaks

17. If You're Not The One: Daniel Bedingfield

18. For You: The Calling


There are also a few albums that really stand out to me. Whenever I listen to them I'm reminded of how our relationship began 5 years ago and how far we've come.

A Walk To Remember: Soundtrack

A Walk To Remember: Soundtrack, was one of the very first albums F.B. & I shared and listened to. It just fit for the feelings we were starting to have for one another.

Michelle Branch: The Spirit Room

One of the first private messages I ever sent F.B. I quoted some lyrics from the song 'Breathe'. It was also the first song I ever played on the guitar for him over the phone.

Michelle Branch: Hotel Paper

'Breathe' & 'Desperately' were song lyrics F.B. shared with me. We both had Michelle Branch's albums and it became a way to connect with each other by listening to the same music.

Maroon 5: Songs About Jane

This was one of the first CD's I went out and bought after F.B. recommended it to me. He would quote Maroon 5 lyrics to me sometimes. And 'She Will Be Loved' is one of our favorites.

I had to take Sugar to the vet again last Saturday. She's been on her antibiotics and the metacam for nearly 2 weeks now. Her eye infection is completely gone but she started to develop a scab on her swollen paw. Which made me start thinking she's had an abscess this whole time instead of a sprain. So the vet saw her and confirmed what I thought, that it was an abscess. He was able to drain it for her and told me to keep it clean with peroxide twice a day. She's also to stay on the SMZ-TMP antibiotic for 2 more weeks. Another week into the antibiotic and her paw is starting to look like a hand again after almost 2 months! Though, I've noticed two more abscesses appearing. So it seems this whole time Sugar did not have a sprained paw, she had a really bad infection that was spreading due to the abscesses. Blech. Poor girl, at least we know what it is now. And the vet was so happy to see her eye looking better and to figure out that the lumps were not suspected tumors after all!

I mailed F.B.'s late valentines/anniversary package last week. Only thing is... I forgot to include the mix c.d. I made him... it was still in my car's c.d. player after testing it to make sure it was okay! Arrgh! I feel so bad about that. It's so expensive to send express packages to the Philippines. (I don't send it any other way except express because then we can track the package's progress.) He said it arrived on Friday in the Philippines when he checked the tracking number, so he should have his package sometime next week. I also included ring guards for his sister Lady. (She got engaged last month!) and a pretty thank you gift necklace for his mom. Besides some stuff for him. Our 5th Anniversary is coming up next month so I guess I'll send another card and include his mix c.d. in that!

I've started looking for plane tickets back to the Philippines. I am thinking of leaving either the week before or the week after Thanksgiving this year. So far I haven't found a good deal yet or a good flight so I'll keep looking.

My old black & white converse sneakers fell apart. I only had them a little over a year. For some reason the one shoe had a defect and my little black stripe kept trying to fall off. I kept super gluing it down, but one day when I got home I discovered it had torn off in a much larger piece somewhere and I couldn't fix it. So sad... has that ever happened to anyone else that owned Converse sneakers?

Discover card kept sending me emails and letters about using my credit card. "Why haven't you used your card?" "If you don't use it, you can cancel it." So I finally just went ahead and put a new pair of Converse sneakers on my Discover card from Zappos.com. I looked on Ebay first for a good deal but they were all going for over $40, so I just ordered them for $45 on Zappos.com brand new plus free shipping! I just got the same color to replace my old ones.

I try to make sure I use a credit card a month, even for a small purchase so the banks know I'm using my cards. I've been a little behind with that though lately trying to get my big balance from last years trip paid off by spring... I guess Discover card felt forgotten, lol.

I recently ordered and received 'The First Queen of England: The Myth of "Bloody Mary"' By, Linda Porter. I don't really have any historical biographies about Mary Tudor, except for The Children of Henry VIII By, Alison Weir, but that is also about Elizabeth I, Edward VI & the Lady Jane Grey. So far the book is interesting, though I think I still prefer the way Alison Weir writes.

I've also modified my workout routine to 3 days of the week to 20 minutes of running/walking. I have to lose 10 pounds by November and for my wedding in December. I would like to be back at 130 and I am 140 right now. My cousin is getting married in November and I am supposed to be one of her bridesmaids and whatever dress I buy or get made I am most likely going to wear for my own wedding in December. She wants dark purple and she said we could all pick a style that suits us, so that makes me happy.

So as I mentioned the other day my brand new 3 week old Nissan Versa has a few scratches on the hood. It happened last Friday. I was at several stores and in several parking lots that night. Either someone scraped it with a key, walked into it or was sitting on it with the back pocket buttons of their jeans. The only thing I can think of is when I stopped at Walmart there was this sports car parked next to mine and these teenage guys hanging around admiring it. So maybe they leaned or sat on the front hood of my car and accidentally scraped it. Either that or someone scraped it intentionally. Either way it really really sucks! My first payment is due on Saturday.

I took the car up to the dealership today. I had to leave work an hour early to drive up there. When I called the salesman that sold me the car yesterday he said to bring it up and he would look at it and see if they could just buff it out. Well, they tried buffing it out with their strongest stuff and the 2 lighter lines are gone, but the 2 deeper vertical fine lines are still there, they couldn't get it out. Still looks white against the black paint. He said I could take it down to the collision center and get an estimate. He thought it might just need a wet sand. Well the man at the collision center said a wet sand probably won't get it out- it would need to be repainted. So I asked for an estimate and he said $400!!! I tried not to fall over after that price. I said I would have to think about it so he gave me his business card.

That's really too expensive for me. I can't afford that. My Dad said he could try a wet sand but if it needed to be repainted he could do it for much much less. My dad used to do auto body repair before he retired. He said to try a colored wax or touch up paint first though so I'm going to see if I have any luck with them before getting anything drastic done to my new car. First I ordered a Nissan Versa touch up paint pen with my paint color & clear coat. And I'm also going to try Turtle Colored Wax Since I had to order the paint pen online and it will take a week or so to arrive I'm going to see if they have the colored wax at the auto store tomorrow after work.

My manager called when I was on my way home from the dealership and said they would be offering overtime tomorrow from 6am-11:30am so I'll be off to work tomorrow. I really need the money. I have to pay off these credit cards so I can buy a plane ticket to the Philippines sometime this spring.

I also had my taxes prepared last night and my $600 refund will at least put a dent in my $1,800 balance on my credit card. I have to pay that down before I can afford to put $1,500 back on another card. I already got a new 0% APR card from Citibank that I'll be using for my plane ticket when the time comes. I'm thinking of going to the Philippines before or right after Thanksgiving and arriving home mid January 2010. That will give F.B. & I enough time to get our paperwork together before getting married in December.

I still haven't mailed F.B.'s valentines stuff... looks like it will also become his anniversary gift! (Our 5 year anniversary is April 1st.) I ordered his sister some ring guards for her engagement ring. (She got engaged a few weeks ago!) and I ordered F.B. a small something and then I ordered his mom a gift off of Etsy.com. So I have to wait for it to arrive before I mail everything.

I have to call the vet on Monday. The swelling on Sugar's paw has still not gone down completely. It's been about a month and her metacam only lasted 3 weeks. She can walk on it and climb and eat with it. She doesn't cry when you touch it. But she's can't really stand or walk properly on it. It's still so swollen she can't straighten her paw out completely so she walks crooked on it. Also she has alot of porphyrin around her eyes in the morning and rats do not get that unless they are stressed, in pain or ill. I'm hoping when I call the vet on Monday he can just prescribe more metacam since he said last time there was nothing else they could really do for a sprain.

Still Swollen:















It's going to be a very tight paycheck because too many of my bills are falling on the same week. I got my first car payment & first insurance bill and they are due when a few other high bills are due. I called Chase bank to find out about moving the due date for the car to the middle of the month but they said I must make the first payment before they will be able to move the due date. That's another reason I'm hoping she won't have to go in for an office visit, since it's $45 just for the visit and a 2 week metacam prescription was around $26. That's also another reason why I have to go in for overtime tomorrow!

Last Saturday we had overtime at work and I worked 8 hours. I was exhausted by the time it was Friday. Lucky for me Monday is a holiday and we aren't having any more overtime for awhile, so I get a 3 day weekend, yay!

My Valentines was okay... I started with another cold this week a sinus head cold and by Friday I was feeling worse and F.B. & I had a misunderstanding and I was upset with him so I just slept in on Valentines Day and didn't meet up online with him for our "date". This morning I didn't either, but I was just feeling so sick I took some NyQuil and went right back to bed and didn't get up until the late afternoon.

F.B.'s mom had some personalized sheets and pillow cases made up for my parents and a set for me too. They arrived on Valentines. F.B.'s Dad had mailed the package. He's a ship captain and happened to be docked in PA so he mailed the package while he was in the USA. My sheet set is purple. The 2 pillow cases match the sheets.











I texted F.B. and told him they arrived and then I got a text message back from him later asking if there had been anything from him in the box. I hadn't noticed it way at the bottom of the box under the sheets. Turns out he had enclosed a package in the box with my valentines cards and a letter as a surprise. He even sent me San Mig coffee & lemon mint Closeup toothpaste in sachets and a Watson's mint lip balm, because he remembered I just ran out of mine. That was sweet of him, I wasn't expecting a package. Too bad I didn't look in the bottom of the box until Sunday morning! I would have gotten my Valentines gifts on Valentines Day, haha!













Cinnamon turned 1 years old today. She's had such a full year. Getting to know her sisters Sugar & Spice, getting an emergency spay in May, losing her sister Spice in December and gaining 2 new sisters Ginger & Nutmeg. We had a little party for her, I bought ice cream cake for the family and the ratties enjoyed a slice too for Cinnamon's birthday, they really enjoyed themselves!

















































Saturday I also gave my new car a wash and discovered some scratches along the front of the hood... like someone almost brushed against it by walking by with something or I don't know what! There's 4 actually. 2 were very light and came out when I rubbed compound on it and then wax. The other 2 are quite deep and look like 2 fine white lines against the black paint. I'm hoping it's not very deep but it's not coming out with rubbing the compound with my hand and the white scratches are distracting against the black. My dad has to get a new pad for his buffer & is going to try buffing it out. I guess if it doesn't come out I'll have to take it to the dealership for repair. Sigh. Saturday after I came out of work from overtime someone has scraped their door against mine and there were 2 big scratches on it then! I had to use the compound on that too, but it was just in the wax coating. What the heck?! I don't make any payments on my car until March and it's already getting scratched by morons in parking lots! Arrgh!

Today was our 2 year engagement anniversary. Last year I was in the Philippines in January and F.B. & I were able to spend our engagement anniversary together. We were staying in Makati City that week and went out for dinner to Saisaki Japanese Buffet. Mmmm... sushi. Haha! Wish we could have spent today together as well... last year was really nice. Happy Anniversary, Baby. I love you.

My Anniversary Cards arrived yesterday from F.B.! My boy spoils me.... as you can see below. A letters, cards, stickers. He also sent me an 'I Love You' keychain & bought one for himself so we both have one. I just hope my anniversary cards arrive to him on time, Philippine mail is slow and sometimes letters get lost!

You can view the rest of my park pictures on my photobucket account!

I'm also a girl that takes her pet rats to the park! Pics here! They loved it!

I returned to the Philippines this past January (2nd-24th). It was quite an adventure this time though. In Philadelphia alot of flights going to Chicago were canceled because of snow and my flight was delayed until 9am. By the time I got to Chicago I only had 45 minutes to get to my next flight when I was supposed to have a 3 hour delay there!

When leaving Chicago the plane stopped on the runway because the air conditioning unit fell off the plane. They had to return to our gate to fix it. We were delayed nearly 3 hours just sitting on the plane before we took off. I was late getting to Hong Kong and I was supposed to have a 4 hour delay there but when I got to Hong Kong it was already 8:30pm and my next flight was boarding at 9:20pm. I had to rush throught the airport to make it to my flight!

During my flight to the Philippines the stewardess asked me if I would give up my seat for a mother and child so the child could sit next to her mother. She ugraded me to first class! That was an interesting experience I've never been in first class! The seats were like lounge chairs. They put a table cloth on your pull out food tray & they even had real dishes and utensils. I had salmon on the plane (yummy!) and they had this fancy cake for dessert and they would keep refilling your water glass!

I arrived in the Philippines around 11:40pm. I met F.B. & his Mom in the waiting area outside the airport. They were holding a red 'Sarah' banner this time, so I could find them. We hugged & I didn't say anything stupid this time around, lol! (See: You're not so short!) He had flowers for me in the car. We got back to F.B.'s house around 1am. When I arrived at his house his family had made me another welcome sign. F.B. had rose petals scattered all over the floor of his sister's room that I was staying in. So sweet! Hehe!

We spent a week in Makati City this time. We stayed at the Best Western Astor Hotel again. We got to spend time in Greenebelt again and Glorietta Mall. We also spent alot of time at Mall of Asia in Manila. We had our 1 year Engagement Anniversary on January 10th. We went to Saisaki Buffet for the occasion! Saisaki is our favorite Japanese buffet! I got a cute stuffed horse/donkey? with F.B.'s iced tea. Saisaki always does that. Last year I got a purple stuffed dog, hehe.

We also visited the Ayala musuem while in Makati City. Where we saw Philippine History Dioramas and Philippine Art. On January 9th I got to meet up with my friend Gayle whom I met on myspace. We got together at a Starbucks in Glorietta Mall. F.B. & got to see a play on the 11th in Greenbelt. We saw 'Tuesday's with Morrie.' (My first play!) And we went to see a 3D movie at the Imax Theater at Mall of Asia.

I caught the cold his family was passing around when we were in Makati City. I had it pretty much the whole trip. F.B. gave me some vitamin c pills to take and some medicine. The one afternoon at the hotel he let me sleep in. And I got to visit 7 Eleven in the Philippines and bought some Gatorade.

We visited alot of malls during my stay. Sta. Lucia and Big R. Trinoma Mall, Mega Mall, Market Market, Glorietta, Mall of Asia. And got to eat at all my favorite Filipino places, Gerry's Grill, Chow King, Tokyo Tokyo. I also got to try Jollibee this time. (Basically a Filipino Mc Donalds.) And Yellow Cab Pizza became one of our other favorite places to eat. I finally got to try Wendy's in the Philippines, that's my favorite fast food place at home. And Starbucks... we must have gone 9 times in 3 weeks! I'm addicted now! Help!

I got to try Goat for the first time when his family had a family reunion lunch. The dish was a bit spicy for me. My favorite Filipino dishes are Liempo, Pansit, Chicken or Pork Adobo & I love Corn & Crab soup with Quail Eggs. Yummy!!!!

I also got to go to my very first Basketball game in the Philippines. We went to the Cuneta Astrodome on January 20th. We were just behind the courtside row. There was a lady reporter there filming, I kept ducking because I didn't want to be on TV, haha! F.B.'s mom & Aunt said they saw F's hair on TV! We also took some amazing sunset pictures at Manila Bay outside of Mall of Asia. The year before it had been too cloudy for sunset pictures.

The one night the power went out at F.B.'s house around 11pm. He tried playing around with the fuse box but that wasn't the issue. So I had to take a shower by candle light that night. Then we sat outside on his porch talking and having s snack of dried mango and some pringles. I saw a lizard climbing up the porch wall. And we also saw a bat flying over one of the palm tree's. The power didn't come back on until about 9am. It was hot without the fan so F.B. fanned himself and me while we tried to get some sleep that night.

F.B. & I had such a nice time together. It was sad when we had to part after the 3 weeks again. Got to the airport in Manila around 6am on January 24th. F.B. and I said our goodbyes. We were both crying outside the airport. Luckily I was at the smaller airport again just for Philippine Airlines so he was able to watch me through the windows. We waved to each other until I had to go past customs.

I arrived back in the USA on January 24th after a 24+ hour grueling travel day. The lines were really long for customs in the Philippines and I almost missed my flight. The airport tax changed from $12 up to $18 now! You have to pay the airport tax to leave the country.

I got to Hong Kong for my 15 hour flight, but got stuck next to this crazy Asian lady. The guy on the aisle seat was going to Philly also, and we kept giving each other these 'looks' when the crazy lady did stuff. She was like hanging over the guys food tray talking to people in the aisle, she accidentlly split beer on me. Thanks and when I was sleeping she kept taking snacks and stuff from the stewardess for me- poke me when I was sleeping and I'd have to say, "I don't want it. I just want to sleep."

Got to Chicago and had a 1 hour delay which was not enough time to go through customs- wait for my baggage hand my baggage back, take the tram car, go through more security and get to my gate- the entire waiting area was empty everyone was on the plane, I barely made it. I got back to Philly and guess what? No baggage! My luggage was missing! 5 people including me that were on the Hong Kong flight to Chicago and then back to Philly lost their luggage because our flight left. Luckily United Airlines returned my baggage later that same night.

F.B. kept a journal the entire 3 weeks. At night he would briefly write down everything we had done that day. When I got home he mailed me the original and made himself a copy. That was really nice, because now we can look back on our trip and read about what we did on each day.

Please check out all the photos from my Philippines Trip in January by clicking here!