All Things Married

Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Orlando, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sat, 20 Jun 2015 17:08:00 +0000

People don’t even understand how much being HERE means to me.

I was introduced to Harry Potter when I was a sophomore in High School, which was in 2001 and back then only four of the seven books were published. I was an instant fan and watching these characters grow in each book, parallel to my own personal growth, I felt bonded to the characters and their journey. I was there for every book release, every film release, and every website launch. So naturally, I always wanted to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando. Since we planned our trip to Disney World we left a day aside to dedicate to this little adventure.

You have to start your journey in Universal Studios at the Diagon Alley park. There, you can explore some of London’s muggle locations. Once you take in all the landmarks: Grimmauld Place, Kings Cross, the Knight Bus. You can go through the red brick wall into Diagon Alley. Your eyes open wide as you try to take in all the beauty that is the world of Harry Potter actually come to life. Your excitement shoots through the roof at the sight of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and the alley of shops including Ollivanders, Flourish and Blotts, Gringotts Bank, and the ever-dark Knockturn Alley. There are countless other shops and stands, all influenced by the world of Harry Potter that everyone can enjoy.

Some of the main things to do is visit Ollivanders to choose your wand. You can either purchase a wand pertaining to one of the many characters in the novels or purchase any of the unnamed wands by reading the descriptions of the properties of the wands and choosing the one you feel will fit you most. I purchased the Elder Wand – the most powerful – which was also Dumbledore’s wand. All wands are about $50. The wands have a sensor at the tip that make their use through the park interactive. The park has markers on the ground with an inscription of an incantation and wand movement that you can replicate. The signal from the tip of your wand is picked up by a receiver in each location, if the wand movement is done correctly~~ something magical happens.

You can also experience a wand choosing the individual in a short performance inside a secret room in Ollivanders. Small groups are taken to a back room resembling the same room Harry got his wand in the movie. They choose an individual in the small group, they ask you questions, lights change, sounds come on – it’s pretty cool.

There is only one main ride in Diagon Alley which is the Gringotts Bank ride. It’s a rollercoaster/3D/simulation ride. For these rides, guests aren’t allowed to bring in bags, wands, etc. They have set up lockers conveniently next

to each ride. You rent a locker for free using your fingerprint as your ID, which allows you to open and close your locker. The ride itself was AWESOME!!!

I normally don’t do well on simulation type rides, I often always get motion sick but I managed to survive this ride.

Once you are ready to move on, you can enter King’s Cross Station and catch the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 and ¾ and experience a real train ride that drops you off at Hogsmeade Village. For this, you have to have your two-park hopper ticket ready. To experience this ride you are leaving Universal Studios and making your way into Universal’s Islands of Adventure park. The train ride is cool because the window in your car turns into a screen displaying a “movie” of sorts and displays scenery from the films and has a whole bit about Dementors boarding the train.

Once at Hogsmeade you can enjoy a few more rollercoasters and another simulation type ride located at Hogwarts Castle. Unfortunately, I was not able to survive the Hogwarts ride, I felt motion sick for about 40 minutes after. We found a quite resting area with tables and benches and I was able to lay down and wait for the sickness to pass.

Apart from the rides you can enjoy other shops like Honeydukes or catch some lunch at the Three Broomsticks.

We tried BUTTERBEER! Yass!! It was good, it tasted like a cream soda (rootbeer) with a frothy whipped cream topping. I’ll admit, although it was not too sweet we were unable to finish ours. It would have been better to share one. Especially since each one was $6, a little more if you buy the frozen version.

Everything translated into an amazing experience and I was so happy to have been able to visit. Especially having a husband that indulged me and didn’t care that I wanted to stop in every single shop and look at every detail. Love him.

Disney World May 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 23:51:00 +0000

I think by now people get that Jabi and I enjoy Disneyland. Well, this year we decided to step it up a notch and we went to Disney WORLD! – It was amazing.

We were there for three days and managed to visit the main four parks: Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. We skipped the water parks.

We didn’t stay in a hotel on the Disney World grounds; we stayed in a hotel on the outskirts of the park. Looking back I think that was our biggest regret. Although it can be expensive to stay in a hotel in Disney World (they have MANY) we stayed in a friendly neighbor hotel because we were able to get an amazing deal of $27 a night through a time-share membership belonging to my dad. It was our regret – ONLY because to get in and out of the parks was the biggest headache of our visit.

According to Google maps our hotel was a supposed five minutes from the main gate – WRONG!!! It felt like 15 to 20 minutes – plus, for Magic Kingdom they can’t just drop you off near the gate. Nope, you have to arrive at Epcot and take a monorail to Magic Kingdom, then take a SECOND monorail or FERRY boat to get to the Magic Kingdom gate. We had no idea it would be such a journey to get into Magic Kingdom.

We left our hotel thinking we would return midday and take a nap and refresh (since we were on about five hours of sleep) – no! since it took us so long to get into the park, we decided to tough it out. We spent almost 16 hours straight at Magic Kingdom. We were beat, but we made the most of it, took our time, took breaks throughout the day and just kept a positive vibe.

Back to the transportation headache, our hotel provided a shuttle service, but their pick up times didn’t always correspond with park closure times so we would miss the shuttle pick up. We figured we would take a bus or Uber – although we managed it, we missed the correct bus drop off by a couple of miles and had to call Uber. Then the other days when we managed to get Uber from the parks, sometimes they couldn’t find us right away. Disney World has an extensive shuttle system for guests staying at their hotels or for those who want to maneuver from park to park. It all takes a while to understand it and we didn’t really figure it out until our last day there.

Apart from that, I loved how bigger Magic Kingdom felt in comparison to Disneyland. The streets were wider which meant a less crowded feeling. It was nice to see the differences in attractions the two parks share, so if you enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean you will enjoy seeing the differences in the attraction at Disney World. Also, each land was slightly more bigger and offered more to look at or experience. In Fantasyland, for example, they had a small replica of Tangled’s home land created as a rest area for guests. Also, they had the new Beauty and the Beast addition which included the super popular Be Our Guest Restaurant which I managed to score reservations for, and they had Belle’s village.

I managed to score reservations to the Be Our Guest Restaurant about a week prior to our trip through the Disney World Go App which allows you to make reservations, manage your itinerary, choose and organize your fast passes, plus so much more. I was checking restaurant availability daily leading up to our trip and when the opening appeared I snagged it! The food was top notch quality and the restaurant itself was grand and beautiful!! Never pass up an opportunity to dine there.

Ceiling in the Grand Ballroom

Magic Rose in the West Wing

Try the Grey Stuff it's Delicious!

The other parks, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot we managed to experience in half day increments. After our Magic Kingdom marathon we did sleep in the next day and didn’t make it into Hollywood Studios until noon. The day after, we split Animal Kingdom in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon. If you can, try and avoid doing two parks in one day.

All in all, Disney World is a must for the Disney lover. However, I highly recommend if you have smaller children to visit Disneyland instead. It’s just easier to get around, and you can walk across to California Adventure if you wanted to hop parks. You could easily go back to your hotel and rest and go back and not feel like you have lost hours of your day. If I have children I would wait until the kids are at a age that they don’t require naps so they can keep up with the demands and reality of visiting such a huge theme park.

Hello Again

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 04:48:00 +0000

I’ve been gone a long time.

Time flew by and a huge part of that was because I was busy – trying and failing to have a baby.

My one year mark of trying naturally came in November and then I was finally able to see a fertility specialist. I had to wait a year because of my age – I guess I’m “young” in the fertility world but in MY world I’m OLD. To make a long story short (in the future I’ll share more of my experiences) my husband and me did six months of fertility treatment ranging from pills to daily injections and it just didn’t happen. It has all been an emotional rollercoaster and after our last treatment, I decided that we should take a few months off to “rest” and just try to relax, focus on our marriage and ourselves.

One thing I wanted to focus on again – is writing and blogging. Stay tuned!!

Labor Day Holiday – Disneyland and California Adventure Trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 03:28:00 +0000

We’re at it again! We decided to take advantage of the long weekend and take a mini trip to Disneyland for Labor Day.

We were a bit skeptical about congestion when going around the holidays, but surprisingly both parks where not packed with people! We had been used to not buying the hopper pass anymore because it was always so busy, that going back and forth between parks in one day was not worth it. The only thing I wish I had known prior to our trip was that Monday (since it was a holiday) they did extend the park hours to Midnight, on Tuesday, Disneyland Park closed at 8pm! I didn’t realize the park would close early due to it being low season and it being a weekday. I suppose in the summer the weekday are extended. Since the park did close at 8, that meant there were no fireworks show or Fantasmic shows. Those experiences are important if you haven’t visited Disneyland in a long time, but for us the tradeoff was well worth it. The wait times for attractions were very reasonable and the congestion was minimal. The whole atmosphere was more pleasant and less hectic, which is always nice when you are on vacation.

On Monday (Labor Day) we drove down from the San Francisco area and arrived at the park by 1pm. We spent the rest of the day in California Adventure. We enjoyed a few rides and decided to indulge in our never to be missed Ghirradelli sundaes! I had the Peanut Butter chocolate sundae and Jabi had the “Treasure Island” sundae – both had vanilla ice cream, whip cream, chopped nuts, hot fudge, and a cherry! The only difference was that I had peanut butter and he had a warm chocolate brownie to top his off.

For dinner, we decided to check out the Pacific Warf Café. I opted for the clam chowder soup in a bread bowl and Jabi had the Chicken Apple and Walnut Salad that also came tossed in its own bread bowl. The café also provided an array of other soups, sandwiches, salads, along with sweet treats and the biggest cinnamon rolls I’ve seen in a while! Since we had the sundaes earlier we passed on any desserts that night.

On Tuesday morning, we had breakfast at the always-delightful Carnation Café. Jabi enjoyed a Ham and Cheese omelet with a side of chicken apple sausage and potatoes. I had the Classic Eggs Benedict with a side of fruit and potatoes. Before Lunch I managed to sneak in a Dole Whip float – located right next to the Tiki Room in Adventureland.

For lunch we made it to Café Orleans – and it was a winner. Jabi had the “Crescent City” Salad with Blackened chicken and I enjoyed a cup of the New Orleans Gumbo made with chicken, Andouille sausage and Tasso Ham, mixed in with some dirty rice! It was delicious and had the right amount of kick to it, not overly spicy. Along with that I also ordered the famous Monte Cristo Sandwich, which is turkey, ham and Swiss cheese fried together in a corn-like batter, dusted with powdered sugar and berry sauce. This sandwich can easily fit any breakfast, lunch or dinner category- definitely a must try!

Some simple tips and tricks to remember for your overall Disney trip is:

1. Bring panchos - for the wet rides! Yah it’s fun to get wet, but sometimes it’s easier to wear the pancho and avoid having to wait for your clothes and shoes to dry off. You might get some people calling you ‘cowards’ (playfully, of course) but who cares! They’re just mad they didn’t think of it! Typically Disneyland does sell panchos but I’m sure you can save yourself a few bucks if you purchase the non-fancy panchos from Target for $1.99.

2. Single Rider is the way to go! Even with the downsized crowd because it was off season, there were still some rides with a 20-30 minute wait time. The still popular ‘Cars’ ride had a 30+min wait time. Jabi and I always go single rider when possible, for the Cars ride, we used single rider waited a short 5 minutes and still ended up in the same care but just in different rows. A good majority of popular rides have the single rider option; you just have to check in with the cast member at the beginning of the ride. Sometimes single riders are given a bright ticket identifying them as single riders. Sometimes the ticket isn’t necessary, for example Splash Mountain, you just follow the exit back to the canoes and wait in your own little line.

3. Lilly Belle Train Car - Don’t waste your time asking if you can experience a ride in the train car – they will say NO. According to the captain of the Mark Twain Riverboat, Disneyland closed the cart to the public due to disrespect from guests. It was a combination of guests not appreciating the importance of train car and spilling food and drinks while on board. I totally understand.

4. Mark Twain Riverboat – if you want to ride in the wheelhouse ask the cast member left behind to close the gate as the boat is leaving. When you see the boat sailing off ask the cast member if you can visit the wheelhouse for the next tour – this ensures you are the first to ask. Then you have a short wait for the next tour to roll around. The wheelhouse is not that big, but enough to fit a couple of adults and one or two small children. Our captain allowed us to ask ALL and ANY questions relating to the park – so if there are things you are curious about, here is your chance to get the answers. Last but not least, you are able to sign the captain’s log and you get your own souvenir sailing license.

5. Disneyland Railroad Train – the ‘tender seat.’ You need to ask a cast member at the Main Street train station. The time I did it, they were training a new conductor so they asked if I wouldn’t mind coming back after a certain hour so I could do it then. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to go back.

Lastly, let loose and have fun!!

*all opinions are my own*

Maui Wow-ee Honeymoon

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sat, 12 Jul 2014 20:38:00 +0000

We discussed the possibilities of a great honeymoon location over dinner and we asked ourselves, what do we want to do? What do we want to feel? What do we want to experience? We wanted to feel the warmth of the sun on our bodies, the refreshing feeling of the ocean splashing on our feet; we wanted to taste new flavors, and to experience a vibrant culture. It had to be tropical and it had to be perfect for fall… It was settled, we were going to MAUI!

The one thing we didn’t anticipate causing a glitch when planning the honeymoon was our departure date. Sure, why don’t we just leave the next day after the wedding? Take it from me, if you can avoid it then do! Wait a couple of days to let your body come down from the wedding high. Jabier and I went to sleep around two in the morning the night of the wedding, slept for a couple of hours, and then took a five to six hour flight straight to Maui. Despite being jet lagged, as we stepped off the plane we felt that gush of warm air hit us and it felt incredible! We were instantly refreshed! We were swiftly shuttled to the car rental place and we picked up our Jeep because you can’t do Maui without the Jeep!

Even with the 5 hour time difference we were a couple hours early for our check-in so we grabbed some lunch in Lahaina – fish tacos, an island favorite called loco moco (hamburger patty over white rice topped with eggs over easy and gravy), and some shaved ice to finish it off!

After, we checked-in at the Marriott Ocean Club in Kaanapali; the resort was huge, with an onsite fitness center, shops, swimming pools, Starbucks and we were right on the beach. To be honest, the moment we got to our suite, which was beautifully decorated by the staff, we showered and fell asleep – for 14 hours!! We literally did not wake up till the next morning.

The next day, when the sun broke we were awake and enjoying the beautiful ocean view and listening to the sounds of the waves splashing onto the beach. It was one of the best feelings in the world, sitting alongside my husband and partner for life on that morning.

Knowing we had essentially missed a day traveling and sleeping, we wasted no time visiting the activities booth. We worked with Mimi Ramos who hooked us up for the whole week! She gave us the inside scoop on all the fun things to do and we booked our itinerary for the week. Within the next couple of hours we were on our way back to the airport, to take our first ever helicopter ride around the island. The sky was crystal clear and the island was so lush and amazing. I’m so happy we were able to take this ride and get a bird’s eye view of the island. A glimpse on something only natives have time to explore.

The rest of the week remained eventful. We took relaxed on the beach and had some fun in the ocean on some jet skis! We went ziplining through the mountain above Ka'anapali which offered amazing coastal views. We went snorkeling were we swam with turtles and bright colored fishes. We made the 50 mile winding road journey to Hana town, enjoying rainbow eucalyptus trees, waterfalls, a black sand beach, and sweeping views of the ocean. The road to Hana offered us two great treats of cheesecake pie from a roadside stand and fresh homemade coconut ice cream from Coconut Glens! Yum! Road to Hana is not a trip to take lightly. Its best to leave early in the day, pack some snacks, water, anything you may need for a day trip, because you really are gone for the whole day!

Apart from the activities, we loved the food! We went to Sansei’s Japanese restaurant twice! We could not get enough of their delicious food! Crab ramun, shrimp dynamite, smoked salmon sushi "butterfry roll," and for dessert, their fried tempura vanilla bean ice cream! AMAZING! We visited Leodas Kitchen and Pie Shop more than once too; we enjoyed their out of this world eggs benedict with an island flair of apricot-tomato jam and basil pesto! Lunch was great and you can’t leave there without trying more than one of their pie flavors. We were able to enjoy a Luau from Feast at Lele. The luau was a perfectly orchestrated dance and dinner show exhibiting four different island styles each coupled with their own meal courses. I personally returned home with five extra pounds on me, but it was worth it!

We were sad to leave but excited with the thought of one day possibly returning to this beautiful island and exploring it further. I would definitely recommend honeymooners choose Maui as their destination, there is just so much to do and explore, the possibilities are endless.

Selling The Gown

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Fri, 11 Jul 2014 01:46:00 +0000

I’ve sold my wedding dress. Not even a full year later and it’s gone…

Soon after the wedding was over I was faced with the task of deciding what to do with my wedding gown. For sure, I knew I wanted to get it cleaned and preserved. After more thought I settled that I would try to sell my dress on eBay. If it sold, great; if not, then at least it’s cleaned and preserved.

I decided to sell my dress for a couple of main reasons.

First, I did not want to hold onto it with the illusion that one day my daughter would wear my dress on her wedding day. If I do have a daughter, God willing, I would not want to pressure her or guilt her to choosing my dress to wear on her big day. She deserves the right to go through the experience of shopping for her own gown, and feeling that excitement when she has found the one. Being at the bridal boutique and standing on the pedestal, seeing yourself wearing the gown you know you will wear on your wedding day is a feeling like no other. I certainly wouldn’t want to deprive her of that.

Secondly, since having my dress preserved all I could enjoy of the dress was this small front section of the dress. When you preserve your dress it gets sealed in a box. If you break the seal, you would have to pay to repeat the process. I enjoyed my dress more through pictures and through memories. My dress, I felt, was so beautiful and it brought me such happiness with how I felt on the day of my wedding. I wanted to give my dress another opportunity to do that for another person, and give it another day to shine.

When I listed my dress I knew it wouldn’t be an easy sell. For starters I had done so many alterations to my dress, that is was no longer the original dress. The dress was altered to fit a person of my stature and I had to be very clear of the changes I had made to the dress on the listing for eBay. Any question that I would have if I wanted to buy the dress online, I tried to answer on the listing. I was specific to the factory measurements of the dress, to the measurements I was when I bought the dress, my weight when I bought my dress, the changes I made to the dress, what height I was, the heel height of my shoes for the wedding, then my final weight when I wore the dress on my wedding day because I did loose weight!

After having my dress listed for almost six months, I had a steady number of “watchers” and more than 750 views on my dress. Finally, I received a bid on my dress, after a short negotiation, I accepted her bid and it was official -- I had sold my dress.

The finality of the listing brought on a short panic attack with “what did I just do?!” thoughts. I just had to remind myself why I did it to begin with and then I was calm again.

After the confirmation came through for the dress, I was able to see the new owner’s real name as opposed to her username…so, I did what any normal person would do, I Googled her!

I found her (rather easily). I saw two pictures of her. One for her LinkedIn and she looked so pretty and sweet and the second for her Pinterest profile where she was standing next to her fiancée. She looked short compared to him and right away I knew she would have no problem with being too tall for the dress length.

We did go back and forth a few times in conversation before and after the purchase of the dress and I could tell that she was a sweet person. Being able to see a picture of her with her fiancée, happy, was a comforting feeling and I was happy to know my dress was going to her.

I packed the dress, included a nice note wishing her well, and shipped it off.

A few days later, she sent me a message that she had received and tried on the dress and it was perfect. She loved the dress and felt it was gorgeous! She was happy the dress fit her so well, the only thing was she would have to get it hemmed a little since she is only 5ft tall. She appreciated the note I included with the dress and thanked me again.

I hope (I know it’s weird) down the line after her wedding, she will be kind enough to send me a picture of her wearing the dress. I didn’t ask but I hope she’ll consider it on her own after its all said and done.

Makeup As I Go: Murad Oil-Control Mattifier

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 03:57:00 +0000

I have thee oiliest skin ever!

It wasn’t always this way, but over the last couple of years I have noticed a drastic change in the oil production on my face. Lately, I only manage to get about two hours out of my makeup before I begin to shine and have to start blotting. The oil is non-stop afterwards and by the end of my work shift my makeup looks smeared and so greasy!

It always made me feel so gross.

I tried new skin care routines, face washes, new foundation makeup, moisturizers; but nothing seemed to work. It wasn’t a seasonal problem either because it persisted throughout the entire year.

Finally, (I really don’t know what took me so long) I searched skin care products on Sephora for oily skin types and I found the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier – it had a bunch of positive reviews and I decided to give it a go.

… Best thing EVER!

It does what it says it does. It controls the oil for up to 8 hours. It keeps my skin matte and shine free, which is all I ever wanted.

The way I use it is after I wash my face, I apply a quarter size amount over my entire face and lightly over my eye lids. I give it about a minute to absorb before I apply a thin layer of my face moisturizer. Once that’s set I go about applying the rest of my makeup.

I’m sooo happy with this product and highly recommend it to anyone suffering from normal to excessively oily skin.

For reference so you can see how oily my skin gets. You can see the SHINE on my forehead! The Sun was literally reflecting off my face.
I (left) was with my good pal Cindy, we were wine tasting in Sonoma :)
Now my forehead is non-reflective like Cindy's. Ha!

Nope...Nada

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Thu, 22 May 2014 03:13:00 +0000

Hmm…. So it’s been seven months and no baby. Did I jinks myself with my Disneyland antics?

Since our Disney trip, I followed up by trying an ovulation kit. Let me tell you, it’s draining peeing into a cup every morning so I can monitor my hormone surge for optimal ovulation time. That month was obviously not a success.

I was feeling like I was putting a lot of pressure on myself and everyone says its not good to stress when trying to conceive, so I gave myself a break from the ovulation kit. Even though I felt more “relaxed” this previous month, my cycle began today...

I feel a mix of emotions. Like I’m being served a nice tall glass of discouragement oddly mixed with optimism with a dash of ‘don’t kid yourself’ (no pun intended).

I can see the disappointment in Jabi too, when I have to tell him that ‘it’ didn’t happen. He never makes me feel bad but I can tell he wonders if something is wrong with him.

My OB tells me that couples should try to wait at least a year before moving forward with infertility testing, but I don’t think I would want to wait a full year, perhaps 10-11 months and if nothing, then I'll at least get the ball rolling with setting up our first consult.

I hope it doesn’t get that far though.

Disneyland Getaway

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 04:46:00 +0000

I love Disneyland, the thrills of the rides, the delicious food, the excitement of discovering something new, watching the parades and the fireworks show!

Jabi and I were in LA over the weekend for his cousin’s wedding and since we could not resist we added a couple of days onto our trip to go to Disneyland! We may be nearing 30, we may not have small children yet, but it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy being big kids!

When we visit Disneyland we try to eat at the park as much as we can. I feel like some of the surrounding chain restaurants are just not good. Sorry to IHOP and Denny’s – but never again! I don’t know what it is, but the water is gross and the food just tastes so bad! It’s surprising because we figure they would want to attract Disneyland clients, but maybe they feel like there are plenty of people looking to save by eating outside the park that they will eat there regardless of the quality of food. Ugh, I always feel sick afterwards! Since then on, Jabi and I just eat at the park. The food can be pricey but usually it’s always delicious and worth it!

This most recent trip we had breakfast at the Carnation Café located on Main Street! The food was so good! I had a good old fashion breakfast of eggs, sausage, potatoes and a biscuit. Jabi ordered the apple granola pancakes! It tasted AMAZING, like warm apple pie!

Some never fails treats we must indulge in are the pineapple dole whip which you can find outside the Tiki Room in Adventure Land and the Ice cream sundaes at the Ghirardelli shoppe in California Adventure! We usually share, so we don't feel guilty of gluttony :/

We meant to have lunch at the New Orleans Café but they were renovating and so we were left making are way back to the Carnation Café for lunch too! Jabi tried the Green Chile Cheeseburger (It had a green chile and a fried egg on it) and I went with the old-fashioned cheeseburger. He said it was good but I didn’t try it. I loved the seasoning on the fries and let me not forget the side made famous by Snookie...the fried pickles!

We also went to Goofy’s Kitchen for breakfast the day after. It’s a buffet breakfast, all you can eat of course, $39 per adult which includes tax and tip. Totally worth it! Let me tell you right now…those egg benedicts are amazeballs! I had three! They have really good breakfast and brunch dishes, along with an omelet bar, cereal bar, salad bar and dessert bar! Goofy’s Kitchen breakfast is great it you have children and you want to get some photo opportunities with some of the Disney characters. The characters on duty that morning make their way around all the tables and you get to interact with them for a few minutes. Sorry I have no pictures of my food, I was too busy eating.

I never leave home without a few staple treats! The Minnie Mouse chocolate chip cookies are thee best! Especially if you like to guiltily eat raw cookie dough (I know it’s bad for you, but I don’t care!), these cookies taste very similar to raw cookie dough but it’s cooked so you don’t have to worry about any traces of E.Coli. Ha! Another treat I never leave without are a couple bags of popcorn, more specifically the cheddar popcorn and chocolate caramel popcorn! Hello!

Recipe: Tuna Casserole

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Every woman and man should know how to make one good casserole dish that they know their family will enjoy for time to come!

I want to share a recipe for a tuna casserole dish I grew up eating. My mom didn’t make it often but when she did, it was sooo good! Now that I’m out of my parents’ house and I have to rely on my own devices for feeding myself (not completely true, Jabi cooks too) I crave my moms’ cooking more than I ever expected to. In particular, I crave this dish, because a) I love pasta and b) I love cheese. He he he! Not everyone is a fan of tuna. For example, my brother-in-law, he hates tuna! So my sister substitutes canned tuna for canned chicken! I tasted it and it worked just as good.

I introduced this dish to Jabi years ago when we were still dating and thankfully he really enjoyed it. Now when I get around to making it, he gobbles it up, and especially enjoys it the next day for leftovers. He loves to add parmesan cheese at the end. Which is optional for those who want to give that a go.

You will need the following Ingredients:

1 lb. Rigatoni Pasta  

6 oz. of spinach fettuccine (half of a 12 oz. bag)  

4 cans Tuna (packed in water or oil doesn’t matter)  

2 1/2 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese  

3 c. Shredded Pepper Jack cheese  

7 hardboiled eggs, sliced  

½ cup to ¾ cup Mayonnaise, low fat or regular (the quantity depends on how much you like)  

Salt to add to boiling water for cooking pasta   

Instructions:  

1) Bring large pot of water to rolling boil add a dash of salt to flavor the pasta. Add rigatoni pasta and cook to al dente, different brands of pasta have different cook times. The brand of spinach fettuccine that I use cooks quickly (about 3min) so once the rigatoni has 3 min left on the clock I add the spinach fettuccini to the same pot.

2) In a medium saucepan bring separate water to a boil and boil eggs for about 12minutes.  

3) In the meantime, start shredding all the cheese. Also, open and drain the tuna (I use a mesh strainer and a fork to press as much water as I can out). Once you have drained your tuna, place into a bowl and mix in the mayonnaise. (My mom used to just mix the mayo in at the end with all the other ingredients, but I prefer to mix the mayo with the tuna before adding it to the whole dish. This way there isn’t dry tuna bits in the casserole).

4) Once the pasta and eggs are done, drain all the liquid, don’t run the pasta under cold water to cool – I find this removes some of the salt from the boiling process. Just transfer pasta into a large baking dish. Leave it there and start peeling the shells from the eggs. Then slice your eggs. 

5) Returning to the pasta, add the tuna-mayo mix, eggs, all the cheese (leave just a little to sprinkle at the top before placing into the oven) and mix with your hands. I find using my hands is the easiest way to make sure its mixed good, make sure your hands are clean, of course, and take off all your rings.    

6) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 min, or until the cheese is melted and some of the pasta on the top has crisped up! Enjoy!

Products I Love: Longchamp Le Pliage

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 23:25:00 +0000

Okay, okay! Let me just admit now that in the beginning when I saw a couple of my friends with this bag, I looked at the bag with disapproval and said, "Why did you spend so much money on a nylon bag?!” They tried to defend their bag, clutching it like it was a poor defenseless kitten.

Time went by and I was on the market for a new bag. I needed to find a bag that was multifunctional. It had to be larger in size without being too heavy, something that I could use when traveling, it could possibly double-up as a beach bag, and still serve as a day to day bag.

Surprise, surprise, the bag that kept popping up in my search was the Longchamp Le Pliage large tote bag. (I purchased the bag from Nordstrom at the retail price of $145.00)

After further review, it came to my knowledge that the bag was made out of quality nylon canvas and was incredibly sturdy and light! It was so roomy and one of the best bags to use when traveling for sure. It ended up serving every need that I wanted it for. It made for a great carry-on bag when flying, I could use it at the beach and not worry about sand clean up and if it got wet it dried incredibly fast, it’s a great bag that can fold and I can pack as an extra bag without having to forfeit precious luggage space. I love to use the bag when shopping because I can always tuck purchases into the bag and still have room to spare.

A nice feature that the bag has is the cowhide trim that gives it a more luxurious feel. The way the leather is sewn inward (I don’t think I’m describing that correctly but reference the picture -->) for the shoulder straps, it helps to prevent the straps from fraying. Which I absolutely love! You don't even want to know how many times shoulder straps from other brand bags have frayed for me in the past!

The ONLY complaint I have about this bag is that it only has one small slip-in pocket on the inside, big enough for a cellphone. When I do use this bag as an everyday bag I find that my belongings get lost inside the bag. It’s an easy fix, if I just purchase a bag organizer to slip into the bag, but that only means I have to buy something additional for the bag.

All in all, the bag is great! I, however, did have to suck it up when I confronted my friends that I teased about owning the bag in the first place. They were more than satisfied to see me admit how wrong I was about the bag but I couldn’t help but laugh at their “Ah ha!” faces when they saw me holding the bag.

*This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

Random Truth Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 02:36:00 +0000

This is a conversation I was having with my girl pal yesterday. My response (in the blue background) surprised me in a funny way and I couldn't help but share.

Marriage and Money

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 01:22:00 +0000

I’d like to share how Jabi and I handle our finances now that we’re married. I’m not a financial expert in any way, but so far, this works for us. If anything was to change in the future then of course we would re-evaluate our plan.

Currently Jabi and I both work full time jobs and we each make comparable salaries.

We have ‘our’ money and then we have ‘our own’ money.

We have our joint checking and savings account and then we have our own personal accounts.

Anything that is related to the house we share equally, for instance the mortgage, utility bills, groceries, toiletries, household goods (i.e., light bulbs, cleaning products, etc.) We calculate the approximate monthly charges and divide that between us. So each pay period, a designated portion of our pay check is directly deposited into our joint checking account, and the remaining balance gets deposited into our own personal checking accounts.

We use our joint savings account for very specific things/goals; it’s saving for a purpose! Most recently we used the joint savings account to save for wedding expenses. Now that the wedding is over, we are considering using it as a savings for our next vacation or for the kitchen remodel that we’ve been considering. The money we use to build the savings account comes from our own money. If there is no deadline, the amount we deposit or when we deposit it (bi-weekly or monthly) is up to the individual. If there is a deadline, then we need to establish the cost and the money needed from each to accomplish the goal.

With our own money we are responsible for our own expenses like our cell-phone bill, personal credit cards, oil-changes to our own vehicles, or clothes. Basically, we use our own money for whatever we want without the guilt of taking away from the others’ hard earned cash. There are obvious things, that as a woman I enjoy like pedicures and salon haircuts, but I would feel wrong spending my husbands money for my personal luxuries.

We don't combine all our money because it would feel weird if I had to ask “permission” to buy something or to have to explain why I bought something and vice versa. I’m his wife not his mother, he doesn’t have to ask me permission to use money. Don’t get me wrong, for huge purchases we would consult each other but I don’t feel it right that, as adults, we have to ask permission to use money that we've earned. C’mon now!

I don’t want you want to get the impression that we're strict with the way we handle money. It just makes sense for a couple who have similar salaries to share equally in the expenses of the home. If one of us is ever in need then we would help. For example, out of habit, Jabi was always a saver and I was always a bit more of a spender (nothing crazy!) but it meant that Jabi always had more money than I did. Months prior to the wedding I found my credit card balance was steadily climbing. I was paying wedding expenses in cash and everything else I needed, that normally I would have paid with my ‘own money,’ I was using my credit card. Since last December I have been on recovery mode and because Jabi sees how ‘tight’ I am with money lately he has offered to help me pay down my credit card. At first, I felt guilty accepting his help because it wasn’t like he was the one charging things to the card but he insists on helping. If it was the other way around and he needed help getting back on track, I would do the same.

Now, if things were different and one person made a considerable amount more than the other, then I would expect that person would contribute slightly more based on an equal percentage. For example, if his pay check is $1700 and mine is $1200, if we each contribute 40% then his contribution is more but still fair based on each respective income.

Then there is the question of what if only one of us worked? Well, that is a whole other story and I will have to save that for a later time!

One pill out, one pill in.

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 16:00:00 +0000

Once I mentioned to my Obstetrician that I was trying to have a baby, she made sure to remind me to take my folic acid.

Folic acid: it helps pre and during pregnancy. I’m not trying to get caught up in the specifics because it can be a mouthful.

My older sister recommended I take Trader Joes’ brand for prenatal pills. She felt they were easier on the stomach for those who are more sensitive. It contains all the folic acid I need in a trusty daily pill.

I have been taking them (not religiously everyday, I know, I need to though) and the only complaint I have is how big they are! Other than that I have noticed my skin has maintained minimal breakouts, especially since the birth control pill helped in that department, so this pill is a great alternative. Also, my hair has grown faster than normal, which I’m happy about because when I was planning my wedding – I lost so much hair!

Ask and I shall tell

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 03:38:00 +0000

It’s not a secret, Jabi and I are trying to conceive.

Typically after marriage the most asked question is, “When are you having kids?”

Honestly, I’m not going to lie about it. We want children, especially after being a couple for ten years and seeing our friends and family have children. The human desire of having our own children has grown in our hearts.

So when people ask, my answer is “We aren’t doing anything to prevent it. No pressure, when it happens it happens. It’s all up to God.”

We were married October 19^th and at the end of that month, I had finished my last cycle of birth control pills. To date I have been off birth control for about four months.

I feel like I have gone through my withdrawal of birth control having felt, super irritable, emotional, etc. I have been keeping track of my period with a period tracker app, which predicts ovulation, my fertile days, and when my next cycle should begin. Surprisingly, it pretty accurate. Some women can feel when they ovulate, I definitely can, especially now that I’m not on the pill, I don’t have the effects of the pill masking any cramps. Anyways, so the tracker is a good aid to have to keep me on course.

It’s funny, because when I start to hear myself talking about period trackers and ovulation, I feel like I’m putting effort into “trying to have a baby.” Then I feel worried that it will hurt my chances of conceiving because I’m thinking about it too much. Ugh, then I just feel silly.

Either way, at the moment, as far as I know, I’m not pregnant, yet.

Wedding: Photos of a Lifetime

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 00:31:00 +0000

One of the highest ticket items for our wedding was our photographer. Our photography package included our engagement shoot, about nine hours coverage for the day of the wedding, a CD containing high resolution images, as well as an online album for guests to view and order prints if they wished.

Photography can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. I looked at countless portfolios and the photographer I kept going back to was David Gene Photography of Campbell California. The photographer, David, was also the photographer for one of my grammar school friends and I absolutely loved her wedding pictures. I find his images are more than just snapshots of objects or people, they are artworks of life. The colors are vibrant, the lighting is perfectly used, the angles are thought out, and the emotion captured in the images can be felt. I couldn’t be happier with my engagement and wedding day photography.

After all the stresses of planning a wedding and the joys of experiencing the wedding day are all over, the only things that will remain are 'us' (me and Jabi) and our wedding photos. So, I wanted my photos to be something worth seeing for generations to come. It really is an investment and the key point for convincing Jabi why it’s acceptable to pay for quality photography.

After we decided to book David, I found that communication with David was smooth. He answered emails, questions and concerns in a timely manner. He was on time and prepared for our engagement and wedding shoot. Our bridal party enjoyed working with him and overall he made everyone involved comfortable in front of the camera.

Looking back, I can say that David was a pleasure to work with. He was not only our photographer, but he helped with coordination throughout the day that went above and beyond his duties. Also, I noticed that when you hire a skilled photographer, you aren’t only paying for great pictures, you are paying for knowledge. If a photographer knows what he is doing, he knows how to work the camera and work the people and objects to get those amazing and memorable shots.

I wish there was a way of sharing my wedding album of 1,600+ images on this blog but it would be crazy! Below are a few of many shots that are my favorites!

Products I love: Oh Tory, that Lovely Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 19:55:00 +0000

I awoke Christmas morning to find a beautiful silver Nordstrom box containing the contents of one of my most desired items of 2013 – the Tory Burch Black Reva flats. I had my eyes on these beauties for months, but with most of my funds funneling into wedding expenses I had to put this item on the back burner.

The week leading up to Christmas my husband excitedly teased at this gift that was sure to surprise me! Which it did, I remember mentioning it to him once or twice, but not with intentions of getting him to buy it for me or anything like that. I was happier at the thought that he zeroed in on my silly conversation from months ago, and was thoughtful about it! Best husband award!

The plan is to upgrade my wardrobe in the New Year. I want to buy more quality items that will last me longer and that will be staples in my wardrobe.

I have been through countless pairs of flats and if there is one thing I have learned; if you spend money on cheap flats, only expect a few good uses out of it. I had one pair of Coach flats, most money ever spent on flats, but they lasted me YEARS! When I tried on the Reva flats I felt the quality on my feet instantly, so I’m hoping to have these for the next few years.

Wedding Dress Restoration and Preservation

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 22:10:00 +0000

After it’s all said and done, what the heck do you do with the dress? Do you sell it? Do you preserve it? One thing is for sure, you have to at least get it cleaned!

We flew out for our honeymoon the morning after the wedding so I didn’t have time to inspect the wedding day damage on the dress until we got back. A week later when we returned, I looked over the dress and was surprised at how dirty it was. The dress was hemmed to my height with my wedding heels, of course, I took them off for a short period after the ceremony so my dress did drag lower than it was supposed. As a result, the train and trim was filthy! There was a few makeup stains on my collar/shoulder area, either mine or from a lady guest when we exchanged hugs and overall the dress just looked worn.

My goal is to try to sell my dress especially since the dress is still current. I looked into some consignment shops but most want the dress cleaned before they help you sell your dress. My other option was to sell it on eBay, but then again I would still want the dress cleaned before I try to sell it. If at the end, I can’t sell my dress at least I have it cleaned to set it up for storage.

The dress shop where I bought my dress has an alteration center where they can ship your dress out to a third party for preservation and restoration, when I inquired it was way over $275 – yikes! I then visited a mom and pop dry-cleaners that had rave reviews on Yelp for being inexpensive and great with wedding dress cleaning and preservation, so I made my way down and asked for a quote which ended up being $250 – seriously? No thanks. Finally, I remembered that David’s Bridal sold a preservation “kit.” At first, I thought it meant like a kit where I would have to clean it myself. Either way I decided to check it out. I actually used to work at David’s Bridal about eight years ago, but I couldn’t recall how the kit worked. When I got there the manager was nice to explain the kit, a box which includes tape, prepaid shipping and paperwork. You simply bag your dress, fill out a short slip with your information and dress information, put the dress in the box, attach the prepaid postage, and drop it off at your local UPS store, Staples, or other convenient drop-off locations. According to the manager, she had never heard of any complaints. Seemed easy enough, the best part was the price, it was only $143! I guess there are three price ranges, if you bought your wedding dress at David’s Bridal its only $99, if you are one of their registered brides and in my case my bridesmaids bought their dresses there, it was only $143, lastly if you didn’t do either you pay the regular price of $189. Regardless this has to be the best deal out there!

I bought the box, went home, set it up, packed it, filled out the slip, and dropped it off at UPS and boom, about three to four weeks later my dress arrives on my doorstep and it was BEAUTIFUL! It comes in a beautifully sealed white box, with a window front, so you can see the dress. The dress looked nicely placed and so clean! It had a lovely touch of a thin ivory ribbon with silver lettering place around the waist of the dress stating “Preserving Memories for a Lifetime.” The box came in an air-tight plastic seal which protects the dress from mildew, mold and oxidation. On the back of the box, sealed inside was the paperwork for the dress: the receipt, the certification of the 30 year warranty, the inspection checklist, and a sheet with details of the dress like fabric, color, etc. Genius, that way you never have to worry about losing the paperwork.

Additionally, you could request add on’s to the preservation kit like special monogramming on the front cover of the box with your wedding date and name for a small fee of $15. I decided against it since I’m planning on selling my dress. You can also add on other pieces like your veil, shoes, and other accessories and have it preserved and displayed for another small fee.

I love admiring my dress in the box, it’s so nice! What’s great is if I’m not successful in selling my dress then at least it’s cleaned and preserved and ready for storage.

Makeup As I Go

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 21:38:00 +0000

Let me admit this now, I’m not a pro at makeup. I feel like there is a lot to learn; I didn’t practice new looks/trends on a regular basis and there’s a lot that I missed out on. When I think about updating my makeup routine, I get a bit overwhelmed, there is just so much out there! I love going into Sephora, but half the time I don’t know what the heck I’m looking for. For the most part my makeup style has always been very natural: foundation, mascara, blush, and a soft lipstick. When I was younger I used to wear glasses, and I never wore eye makeup because I felt it made my eye area too dark – I have really dark under eye circles, so it was a real insecurity for me at that time and I didn’t want to attract any more attention to my eyes. So, now, when I do an eye makeup look it’s the same one over and over, which is a soft smoky eye. I kid you not, but I have been using the same eye colors for this smoky look for years… I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that. Every time I try a new look with my eyes, I either mess it up or I’m not pleased with the end result. So I keep going back to my ‘old’ look which has me bored! Although the eyes may be bust, I do have fun with lipsticks! My lips aren’t too small nor too large so I always felt comfortable applying it. Other than that I get tons of compliments on my eyebrows, which always amazes me and throws me off guard (like it’s a bad thing?), so I plan on sharing how I create my eyebrow look. I’m setting a challenge for myself this new year to one) update my makeup routine and two) practice new looks that I’m not familiar with to become more comfortable. I want to try new products, makeup pallets, and start using some of the things I have bought but have never used. I have thus named this series “Makeup as I go.” I hope to share my trials and hopefully learn some new things from you too!

Save the Date!!

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 00:59:00 +0000

There are so many reasons why couples should invest a bit of money and have save the dates sent out. Apart from the impersonal I’m “engaged” status on my Facebook (considering not everyone I know has a Facebook), it was a pleasant way to announce the engagement and upcoming wedding to friends and family. We sent our save the dates about seven to six months prior to the wedding. I felt it helped build anticipation for guests and it allowed guests to arrange this event into their calendar. Let’s face it, as a bride, you tend to live in this wedding bubble and you have to realize that everyone has lives outside of your wedding and some need plenty of notice. People like to travel and some make their plans months sometimes a year in advance. I have families that always go on yearly family trips. So it was important for me to give them plenty of notice because I wanted them present to celebrate with me on my wedding day.

I looked at plenty of invitation websites for inspiration and would have ordered through them but Jabi’s best man is an experienced graphic designer and he was able to create a beautiful layout for our save the date postcard. It was also a great way to save some money since he refused to take any payment for his work. (If you have skilled friends - ask them for help, you'll find most will be honored that you asked, but never ask for a free service, always offer to pay!)

The front of the card has some of our engagement photos, the date of our wedding along with the city and state of where the wedding will be held. We signed up for a free wedding website through weddingchannel.com and added our URL at the bottom of the postcard. That way if people wanted more information they have an easy resource to check out. The back of the card, had a bilingual message in English and Spanish, just a heartfelt message announcing the wedding date and that we hoped they could join us as well as to look for a formal invitation in the upcoming months.

At the end, our confirmed guest count was at 98%! (then we ended up with wedding crashers, but that's a whole other story.)

Front

Back

Garden of Proposals

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 19:18:00 +0000

Was I expecting it to happen? Yes. Did I expect it to happen that particular day? No.

That Saturday morning, Jabi and I were cleaning up after breakfast. I was on my “cleaning mode” totally distracted with household things I needed to do. Jabi yells out from another room if I wanted to have dinner at Barney’s that night. (Barney’s = Barney’s Gourmet Burgers not the big purple dinosaur.) I agree and respond absentmindedly.

Later that afternoon, as we are driving on Solano Avenue heading towards the restaurant he suggests that maybe we should try a new place to eat. So we begin pointing out all the other restaurants. We reached the end of Solano Avenue without deciding on a place and then he asks if we should just have dinner in San Francisco. At this point I’m up for anything, he starts to think but instead of settling on a plan he just continues to drive into the residential area. The houses in Berkeley are amazing and we often love to just drive around and look at the architecture of the homes. I figured he just wanted to drive around a bit before we went to dinner. So, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride, looking at the houses, not stressing about time. Then I see it – a sign - “Berkeley Rose Garden ->” and the thought of him proposing flashes through my mind. Of course, I don’t say anything, I just act as if nothing life-changing is about to happen.

We arrive at the garden and he suggests we get off and walk around. It had been raining earlier that day so everything was still wet and the air was fresh. In this time of year not all the roses are in bloom, but nonetheless it was still a beautiful place to be in. We walked the entire garden, hand in hand, talking about random things just enjoying each other’s company.

Finally, we’re standing on a wooden bridge with the sound of the river flowing underneath us. We had the whole place to ourselves. Jabi pops out his phone and plays a song by Marco Antonio Solis called “La Venia Bendita” which translates to “The permission, God’s approval.” It’s a romantic song about the love a couple has. There isn’t enough time in this life or enough blood flowing through their veins to support the love they have for one another. The beautiful love they share has the holy approval from God Almighty. After the song is over and a moment in his embrace, he knelt down on one knee and opened a little red box revealing a gorgeous ring. “Will you marry me?” and I said, “Oh my God...Yes!”

These pictures are from our engagement shoot in the early spring, he proposed in late December.

One Day in Senior Year

noreply@blogger.com (Imelda) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 18:31:00 +0000

Were we high school sweethearts? Sort of, maybe. Although we attended the same high school for the full four years, we didn’t meet until our senior year. A week into the new school year, I transferred into the morning theater class. I walked in and scanned the class for familiar faces and to my luck I spotted an empty chair at a table where a couple of friends sat. I took my seat and started to notice the guy (Jabi) who sat across from me, he was doing his best to not look my way. (Jabi later confessed that he was nervous because he thought I was pretty.) The more he refused to look at me, the more compelled I became to look at him. I studied him for a minute and he finally gave in and looked at me, before he diverted his attention again I shot him a quick smile. I grinned to myself and thought “He’s going to be my boyfriend one day.” A very matter of fact statement, but I believed myself to have premonitions back in the day.

As the school year progressed we got to know each other a lot better, we even played opposite love roles for Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream,” I was Titania Queen of the Fairies and he was Nick Bottom “The Ass,” respectively.

Almost ten years later, after the normal trials couples face, we have discovered a way to stay connected. We have fun and joke around; we also have respect for each other and support one another through everything life throws our way. Most importantly we are still very much in love.