Wednesday was our appointment to apply for our marriage license. It was the longest day ever! We got up around 7am in the morning and we left for the Cainta municipal hall around 8am. First we just had to sign in. Around 9am we had to go to two seminars. Only they were in Tagalog and I didn’t understand them. The first seminar was 2 hour long. The 2nd seminar was a “health” seminar… AKA sexual education class in Tagalog! F.B. said they don’t have sex ed classes in school. It was about an hour long… though I could figure out that one from the nurse’s props; (condoms, birth control pills, etc). We were given certificates for attending the classes. (Though I don’t know how I counted- considering I didn’t understand anything! Hehe!)

After all the classes were finished it was lunch break for the employees so we couldn’t fill out our application for our marriage license. We went back to F’s house to relax until we could go back to the municipal hall. It only took about an hour to submit our paperwork and fill out our application. F.B.’s mother brought her friend along who is secretary to the mayor to see if we could expedite things. After we paid our fee for our marriage license they gave us a receipt saying we can pick up the license on December 14th.

F.B.’s mom wanted to see if the mayor of Cainta could do our wedding ceremony so we went to wait until we could see him. It ended up being about 2 and half hours and I am very impatient with waiting, lol. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except we were just sitting around for all of that time and I was tired already and had a headache and hadn’t had lunch yet. Around 4pm we got to see the mayor. Since he had a lot of appointments that day we agreed to do the wedding ceremony at 10am at the Cainta municipal hall. Then later in the evening around 6pm we will have our wedding dinner at the Manila Hotel.

Our wedding invitations arrived and F.B. showed me one. I took a picture of it to share with everyone.

Sunday we were going to see the movie 2012 at Robinson’s Galleria but it was standing room only! So we went to SM Marikina instead to buy tickets. (The movie was okay- it was kinda predictable to me.) We had dinner at Tokyo Tokyo. They have teriyaki salmon now! F.B. got that but he didn’t like it very much. I think I will try it next time. I got the teriyaki chicken. We also had California maki, yummy!

I found a neat little pink roll away suitcase at SM Marikina for about $20 USD! (50% off sale!)It’s a bit smaller and nicer than the carry on I brought with me. It also has a longer handle. (The carry on I brought with me has a crack in it, that F.B. helped me repair last year, but it's cracked in the same spot again.) It was just by chance we found the suitcase sale!

At Robinson’s Galleria we found an 85 Peso store. (Almost $2 USD) I got this neat light up keychain that turns different colors and this cute keychain mouse. I want to hang the mouse on my rearview mirror in my car when I get home.

When we were walking to the supermarket at SM Marikina we saw a pizza in a cone stand!!! Lol! It reminds me of the movie ‘The Jerk’ with the pizza in a cup stuff. F.B. & I want to try it some time just because pizza in a cone sounds weird!

I also got a Ratatouille Pez dispenser at the supermarket, hehe!

Oh and F.B. got his picture next to his “favorite” person, Hannah Montana!

We keep seeing this ‘Swish’ guy EVERYWHERE! It’s an advertisement for mouthwash! He was on the front of Mega Mall too!!!

And I thought this was funny, the mini tissues I got at Watson’s drugstore were called mini hankies, hehehe!

F.B. ruining my picture, lol!


NOTE: If you are getting married in the Philippines and you are a US citizen these requirements from the US Embassy in Manila Philippines, will be helpful: Getting Married in The Philippines.

 

Well, I'm leaving for the Philippines next Tuesday. And then it's just a little over a month until our wedding on December 19th!

I thought I would share what I'm wearing and my wedding accessories with everyone. If you've read this entry "You're Not Having A Wedding?" I showed off some of my wedding accessories and talked about the ceremony itself, etc. We are having a civil ceremony on December 19th, so we will be married by a judge at the Manila Hotel. Later in the evening we will have our wedding dinner. We just wanted a very simple wedding ceremony. I've never wanted a large wedding or wanted to wear the traditional wedding gown, etc. That's not me and that's not really F.B. either. So that's why we are having the small civil ceremony.

F.B. will be wearing the traditional Philippine Barong. I'm just going to wear a simple black skirt and a purple lace tank top. It's what I feel comfortable in. I hate wearing dresses. Actually I have pictures of me wearing the same outfit from my cousin Heather's wedding. So I will be wearing this outfit at my wedding:

Honestly, I only own TWO skirts, lol. I am not a dressy skirt wearing kind of girl at all! I'm the t-shirt and jeans girl, so F.B. is lucky I'm wearing a skirt for our wedding! I love my skirt though, it's got two layers, the top is sheer and swirly and I love it. It stops right below my knees.

My wedding jewelry will be Philippine freshwater pearl bracelet & earrings. And my gorgeous Swarovski pearl drop necklace from KYM Jewelry

I can't wear heels around F.B. hehe. He's 5'3" and I'm 5'6". Normally when we stand side by side there's not much of a difference but if I put on some 2 inch heels there will be, since I'm already 3 inches taller, haha! So I will be wearing a pair of silver dressy sandals for my wedding. I'm going to wear a light pink nail polish.

Here we are side by side at Baguio Philippines, awful pic, haha!

Also in case it gets cold in the hotel with the aircon, (air conditioner is called an aircon in the Phil!) I ordered a purple Pashmina shawl. I didn't know they were made of goat fur! Ack! I like goats too! Haha! It's soooo soft though!

I also got a dressy silver beaded evening bag for the wedding:

And last but not least, our wedding rings! F.B.'s is on the left & mine is on the right! They are Titanium.

I will be changing my name too. F.B. said to me once, "When we get married you'll be Sarah Lynn Clydesdale-Bernardo." And I said. "No way! I'm dropping Clydesdale!" Seriously Clydesdale may be unique, but hyphanating it would just be too long.

Less than 2 weeks until I leave for the Philippines. So crazy! I have to start packing next week & then I will just have last minute stuff to throw in my suitcase the night before I leave. I already have some stuff that I'm taking already in my suitcases, it's just not organized & I don't have any of my clothes packed yet.

The 20th, I believe I'm going to have my "Thanksgiving/Christmas" with my family. I think we may go out to eat for dinner and then exchange gifts before I go away. This will be the 2nd year I won't be home for Thanksgiving. Last year since I arrived home a week after Thanksgiving, my Mom froze me a plate of Thanksgiving dinner. This year I won't be home until the end of January. (This will also be my 2nd Christmas & New Years in the Philippines.)

I think F.B. & I are going to do what we did last year for my Thanksgiving. (Since it's an American holiday.) We'll have dinner at Gerry's Grill, go to Trinoma Mall, pick out some Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider, get some mashed potatoes from KFC & watch a movie at his house. Hehe.

I think we're also going to get our I.D. Photos taken at the mall when we go out, we will need them when we apply for our marriage license. We'll have to wait until probably November 30th to go to the USA Embassy to get my 'Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage' because the US Embassy in Manila will be closed on Thanksgiving. Unless we go on November 27th. I'm not sure yet. I know the week of the 30th we will be applying for the marriage licence, because there's a 10 day waiting period & we may or may not have to take premarital classes.

NOTE: If you are getting married in the Philippines and you are a US citizen these requirements from the US Embassy in Manila Philippines, will be helpful: Getting Married in The Philippines.

Today I did some baking. I love baking Pumpkin Bread, etc around Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year I tried baking Iced Pumpkin Cookies! I found the original recipe here, but I altered it a bit. I left out the chocolate chips (didn't have any!) and the walnuts (I don't like them.) And since I didn't have Pumpkin Pie spice handy, I put in a 1 tsp of cinnamon & a 1/2 tsp of nutmeg.

Here is the altered recipe that I used:

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1tsp. baking powder
1/2tsp.baking soda
1/2tsp. salt
2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
1tsp. vanilla extract
Vanilla Glaze (recipe follows)

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease baking sheets.

Mix wet ingredients together and dry ingredients together in separate bowls, before combining & mixing well. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Spread or drizzle with vanilla glaze.

Vanilla Glaze:

Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in small bowl; mix well.

Yum! They turned out well! I put the icing in the fridge to firm up a little while the cookies were still baking.

F.B. & I are getting married December 19, 2009 in the Philippines. I will be coming back to the USA after the wedding & F.B. will be staying in the Philippines while we work with our lawyer. Our immigration process is estimated to take at least 2 years. We are doing a longer immigration process on purpose because in the long run it will save us some money and also because when F.B. finally does come to the USA, he will be a permanent resident as soon as he steps off the plane and be able to apply for a job right away.

We do not have a wedding registry and we are not asking for any household items, gifts, etc like most married couples do, because we won't be living together for at least two years. So this is kind of cheesy, but if any of our friends or family would like to send us a wedding gift, we will be accepting donations through Paypal. Whatever amount you wish to donate is appreciated and will be used towards our lawyer & immigration fees and after that towards household items (appliances, furniture, etc.) once F.B. moves to the USA. Or you can email me & let me know what you would like your "gift" used for.

There will be a button on the sidebar of my blog (below the visitor map) if you would like to donate. It is through Paypal so it will be secure. And I believe overseas donations can be accepted also. You can also click the button below to be taken to Paypal. Thanks so much!

A big thank you to everyone that entered the giveaway! Out of 25 entries, only four people guessed the correct date! Our wedding is going to be on Saturday, December 19, 2009!

Since four people guessed the correct date, I had to use the random number generator to determine the winner!

And the winner of the 'Guess The Wedding Date' giveaway is....

MarvelousMOM from Lucky In Love and Life! I've been reading Stephanie's blog since before she was married & had her sweet baby girl Skylar. She always has positive outlook on life & I really enjoy her blog! Congrats Stephanie!

Please email me at: tunaymahal8279ATyahooDOTcom

And let me know what color pearl you would like on your necklace! (See Swarovski pearl color chart here.) I will also need your address so I can order the necklace & have it shipped directly to you from KYM Jewelry!

We will be having our civil ceremony December 19th at the Manila Hotel, and we will be getting married in the Champagne Salon earlier in the evening before our wedding buffet dinner.

Here is a picture F.B. sent me of the Champagne Salon:

F.B. also sent me several buffet menu choices that his family had narrowed down. There were 4 menus for me to choose from. The one below was my favorite. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) After I chose, he told me that was the menu his mom liked best too. I think that's the one we are going with. I love all of the salmon dishes on it. Yum! Salmon is my favorite! Can you believe all of those dishes on the menu will be served at the buffet? I couldn't! Wow!

My cousin Chrissy was married to her fiance Matt on November 7th! You can check out the slideshow below of her wedding!

Today I had to go out to run errands for trip items. I had $160 advance cash from my Citibank credit card to get stuff with. (I'm not working right now, sad... I'm on unemployment.) Anyhow, I went to the $1 Tree, Wal-mart & Ross. I got a ton of little items for the trip, batteries, sleeping pills, mini travel toothbrush (with the toothpaste already on it! I got a pack of 4 for $1.49.), tissues, razors, lint roller, face powder, quart size baggies, pepto, vitamin c, a new hair brush, wet wipes, etc. I got more than that because I also picked up some Christmas gifts, Birthday gifts, a card and gift bag for my cousin's wedding on Saturday. And household items, paper towels, etc.

My favorite store of the day was Ross. I always find good deals there. Especially on luggage. A month ago or so I picked up a medium suitcase at Ross from American Flyer for $34.00 (Retailed $70!) It was extremely light weight for a roll away suitcase. After lugging my large purple suitcase out of the closet last week, I decided I was going back to Ross and get one of the newer light weight suitcases. Most of the new luggage is being made lighter now because the airline's luggage rules have changed.

What color luggage do you use when you travel? I always try to get bold patterns or bright colors because it makes finding your luggage easier at the airport. I also always tie a bright colored ribbon onto my suitcases besides luggage tags to help identify mine more quickly! You can't imagine how many people have plain black luggage- my 1st suitcase was black & it makes it really hard to spot in baggage claim!

I found a nice large mauve suitcase at Ross for $54.00 from designer Oleg Cassini that retailed for $140.00 before! Can't beat that! I also got a pair of boot cut Levi's for $14, a cute Bongo tote bag with zipper for $8. And some panties for about $1-2 each. The hoodie, that was a bit of a splurge. It was $19, from BCBG (Retailed $52!) But I like the color of it, with the little rhinestone embellishments on the pockets & the foil logo on the back.

(Shhh... I'll pretend you guys didn't just see my underwear... lol!)
October 30th, was my cousin Chrissy's surprise bachelorette party. Most everyone had a halloween costume on. (Well, I wore my skull hoodie, haha!) There is a slideshow below with pictures from the party.

Giveaway is now over! Congrats to the winner!

We finally have a date for our wedding! F.B.'s parents were able to book the Manila Hotel for our wedding in December! His parents have booked the Champagne Salon, which is part of the Champagne Room for a buffet style dinner in the evening. We still have to set up an appointment with a judge, but we will probably have our civil ceremony at the hotel as well, earlier in the evening. We will also be staying 2 nights at the Manila Hotel, as a wedding gift from F.B.'s parents. So exciting!

And, because I've mentioned it before, I want to do a "wedding date" blog giveaway!

I just ordered a gorgeous necklace from KYM Jewelry on Etsy to wear at my cousins wedding & my own wedding. It's made with two gorgeous Swarovski pearls & a crystal spacer on a delicate chain. I chose white for my own necklace. I think it will go along nicely with my other wedding accessories & dress purse.

In celebration of our wedding; I would like to order & give away one of these lovely elegant necklaces for one of you. You can customize your necklace with the color pearl of your choice. ( Swarovski Pearl Color Chart Here.) The necklace is perfect for any special occasion.

To enter this giveaway you will need to do 2 things, by leaving a comment on this blog entry:

1. Guess the date of our wedding in December.
2. Leave the color pearl of your choice. (Optional)

Remember anyone can comment, you don't have to be registered on blogger!

Whoever guesses the correct date or guesses the closest will win the giveaway! In the event 2 or more people guess the same date. I will use a random number generator to determine the winner!

This giveaway is not restricted to the United States, so my international readers can enter! And, family & friends are not excluded from this giveaway- as they haven't been told the exact date yet either!

The deadline to enter this giveaway will be: November 7th, 2009

Our wedding date will be revealed, when the winner is announced!

KYM Jewelry also has another website here!

I've been able to speak to F.B. 3 times on the phone since the flooding happened in the Philippines. Today I was able to speak to him for almost half an hour. They are now back in their house. They are all staying in a room off the dining room while they clean up the rest of the house. They also have power again. My future sister in law has been able to get to computer & has updated her blog about the flooding. You can read about the aftermath here. Thank you for all your thoughts & prayers, they are greatly appreciated.

There is another typhoon approaching the Philippines that will possibly hit Saturday, so please continue to keep everyone in your thoughts & prayers, that this new storm will not cause more damage or complicate rehabilitation efforts in the areas effected by the flooding. (Update: New storm has been upgraded to super typhoon)

I will still be leaving for the Philippines November 24. And F.B. & I will still be getting married some time in December.

In other news, I finally got an evening purse for my cousins wedding & to use at my own wedding. I really love it. It is silver & beaded. It will go along with my other accessories nicely. (I got the purse here.)

I've got a bunch of questions from Misguided Mommy, so I'll answer some of them heehee!

Whats up with you and FB lately you haven't updated us in ages. Gosh! Nosey people need answers! How is he? Did he end up finding a job? Have you heard about your visa? Do you know where you are going after the wedding? How is work? Gosh girl your leaving us all hanging over here!

1. F.B. is fine. We were going back & forth on each other's facebook pages today. We have been meeting for "dates" every other day online to chat. I think we spent almost 4 hours talking today.

2. We did discuss some wedding dates for December. Right now we are waiting to see when his parents will book the hotel we will have our wedding "reception" at. I believe it's just going to be a small dinner with family & friends. I do know it's going to be at a hotel in Manila. But we aren't sure which one yet. I've already invited my friend Gayle to our wedding dinner, which I'm excited about! Gayle & I met on myspace a few years ago. She is also a mutual friend with my old coworker & friend Christie. We got to meet in Makati City in January 2008.

His parents have also said they will pay for 2 nights at a hotel for our wedding night. I don't think we are really having a honeymoon, since my whole trip in the Philippines is like a vacation. I do think F.B. & I will take a day trip to the beach sometime (Maybe Cavite?) and we talked about staying a few nights up in Tagaytay again, since they've built more shopping places, restaurants since our last stay there and we could go to Enchanted Kingdom too. Plus I always love seeing Taal Volcano. We won't be staying at the same hotel we did last time though!

3. Next year I'm not going back to the Philippines. F.B. & I have already discussed this. We agreed to take a year off from traveling due to the expenses. He's going to focus on the job thing next year and take anything he can get so he can save up some money for when he moves over here. He also won't have to worry about taking time off work to be with me if I come to stay 2 months.

I'll be working here in the USA with our immigration lawyer and be able to save more money while I'm not worrying about $1,500 plane tickets and other travel expenses. Immigration may take up to 2 years. I will be going back to the Philippines for another visit in 2011. The long distance sucks... but at least we'll be working on our immigration process and closer to being with each other for good!

4. Visa question can be answered here!

5. And work question can be answered here!