Today is my 27th Birthday. I thank GOD whole heartedly for giving me for another magnificent year added to my life, for another year of good health and especially more time to spend with my family! I don’t know exactly what to expect now at the age of 27 all I know is that time flies so fast and here I am again celebrating another year added into my life and God is not done with me yet as he has still a good plan for me. Thank you Lord for the countless blessings I have received throughout the year. There are so many things and people I need to be thankful for.


Thank you for my loved ones who genuinely cared about me, for their love and support during my darkest days. Looking back on the past years I could say that I’ve encountered lots of pains and trials yet I thank God for not leaving me as well as for giving me a supportive family that help me to stand strong during those times.


Thank you for the experience of being a mom to my one and only precious son Caeden Ezekiel Vonn. He is truly my stress reliever and makes me feel so alive! Thank you for keeping him safe and healthy. I know things are not the same especially now that an angel was sent to me from God above yet I considered my son as one of the greatest gifts I ever received from God. He is really. Thank you God for my warm and caring friends who stood by me through good and bad times and for those that have been a part of my life. Thank you for my FB friends; for remembering my special day and posting their extraordinary and warm Birthday greetings.

I could say that there are lots of changes happened in my life and I have learned a lot of things and to tell you a few…


Well I’ve learned that there was a time in my life that I have wasted so much of spending my time to people that made nothing but trouble in my life, I’m not blaming anyone here but I realized how important to choose very carefully the people that you will give so much of your trust and the people that you will going to be with to avoid too much trouble on your part coz at the end of day those people that are present in your happiest moment will eventually absent in your sad moments. I know many would agree with me on this. So choose your friends! ^_^


Next is that no matter what you do and whatever happens, your family would still be the very first and last that will help you all the way. Your friend, boyfriend or whatsoever might leave or betray you and ignore you but your family won’t. Thanks to my Mama, Papa and my Bro and my family and relatives who never stop loving me and never leave me even sometimes I’m just too stubborn!


Third, I have learned who among are my true friends and who are not. And I am so much blessed having those true good friends. So thank you guys, you know who you are!


I’ve learned so much things but it would be too long to mention it all but all that things listed above are I guess the most relevant things I’ve learned in my life in my 27 years of existence on Earth.


Above all, God truly made so many great things in my life that I should be thankful for. My Birthday celebration now might not be as extravagant like the way it did before that with all the balloons, cakes and Lechon but I am really happy for I am very much blessed surrounded by people that truly loves me.


Thank you Lord for all the challenges, frustrations, fun and triumphs that made me who I am today. Thank you God, I could never have made it all without you. Thank you for the simple yet fulfilling life. Thank you Lord Jesus...


Again thank you so much for all the Birthday greeting and God bless you all!

The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in the City of Golden Friendship

The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in the City of Golden Friendship

Here in my city Cagayan de Oro, locally dubbed as the City of Golden Friendship, one of the places that people of Cagayan (Cagayanons) may be proud of and may consider as one of the tourist haven is “The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine”.

The shrine is also known as one of devotees destination to spend their Holy Week . Every first week of April, every Filipinos observe the Holy Week tradition to commemorate the passion and death of Jesus Christ.

It surely attract many tourist especially devotees due to its beautiful view that anyone will enjoy to capture by their cameras and due to its adventurous route with nine (9) crossing river.

To get to Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, devotees, visitors needs to walk four (4) kilometers and cross 9 times through the river that connects the different Barangays of Cagayan de Oro City, the river of “Umalag” and while crossing the river there are 14 Station of the Cross where you can pause to pray and offer your petitions. Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine with its maze-filled road will allow you to enjoy the wonders of nature and meditation.

The river crossing and the shades of the vegetative landscape provides the coolness and shade from the heat of the sun, which makes many people continue to visit and love The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine.

After the four kilometer stretch and crossing the river tributary devotees, visitors and pilgrims will surely be more amazed not just by the majestic view of nature but also by the beautiful sanctuary and the unique altar made of drift wood that signifies the antiquity of times.

Upon climbing the 75- steps and unique stairway up to the Chapel where you can see the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that were said to be brought by group of devotee’s way back May 1987, you can also see the Statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was donated also by unknown devotee. Upon reaching the Chapel, devotees can stop to hear mass, light a candle and pray.

Despite of the long walks it is said that many devotees keep coming back here in the shrine because aside from the adventure that you will experience, it is believed that The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine grants many prayers.

After the entire day crossing river, climbing the stairs going to the chapel they also have affordable food chains that offers delicious food that many would surely love. You may also bring your own food and enjoy the cool breeze of air while eating and sitting in the benches or in the grass like having a picnic.

And if you are still looking for adventure, fun and adrenaline boost, you could ride a huge tube just like having white water rafting in going back to the trails instead of crossing the river again. There are still small to medium range rapids that you would enjoy. You would be brought back to the origin of the trail. It's being close to nature, green scenery, water trail and hear the birds singing.

And at the end of the day after visiting The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, you would also tell to yourself, just like what I had experience during my visit to the shrine, that it is not just about adventure, not just about fun but also about getting closer to God. You will able to feel the presence of God guiding you all the way as you go along your way.

A Message For My Son Caeden Ezekiel (4months old)

They say time flies when you’re having fun. I know now just how true it is. The last 4 months have been the best of my life and man they sure have flown by! Over the last month you have changed so much. You are doing so many things you weren't doing before and you are really developing quite the little personality. You are such a happy baby and you love people! You are happiest when someone is talking to you. You are so smart and you are really starting to figure stuff out. 

It is so hard to believe that you are already 4 months old now and I continue to grow more amazed by you every day. You are so alert -you're getting so big and your neck, arms and feet are getting stronger, eating better and loves being out and about, you always watch what is going on around you and always watching me when I'm around you and also your Mommy La...

Always smiling and laughing at the funny ( or sometimes not so funny) faces I coo at you. You're this Mama-comedian's best audience, right now. And I'm your proud Mama watching you.. trying to learn how to raise your head, do a lot of baby talks and also trying to learn how to crawl by yourself..
      YOU"RE DOING GREAT MY SON ! =)



        I know son one day you would be able to read this and I want you to know how you have brought a tremendous amount of love and joy not only into my life but also to your Mommy La and Daddy Lo and to your Tito Michael and we cannot imagine life without you!

        You are my heart, sweet baby. I thank God each and every day for such a healthy, happy and handsome baby boy! Sometimes when I look down at your sweet face I still cannot believe that you are actually MINE! You are just perfect! I am so proud to be your Mama and I know that God has so many great plans for you.


        You are the most perfect extension of my ultimate happiness. To hold you and kiss you my son, is to be complete. Thank you for making me proud and happy and so fulfilled every single day!

Happy 4 Months Birthday and I love you to infinity and beyond my sweet little Caeden!


LOVE AND CARE,
MAMA

being a first time mom

I remember when I was still pregnant and I had all these hopes of grandeur. I would be the perfect mother. I would breastfeed. Change a diaper? No problem! I could do it. Being a mother was a piece of cake! Then the day came. Last November 12, 2012 after a long and difficult labor @ 10:50 in the evening my little Caeden Ezekiel Vonn arrived, and I was completely terrified of being a mother!  I gave birth with my precious baby boy. Amazing how it all changed from total “I can do it all” to reality “Oh my gosh!

Being a first time mom is an amazing experience, the love that you feel is unbelievable, the tiredness and all the pain during labor can be erased with just the smile or look of your baby. I could say that it is true that you never know how your pregnancy and delivery will be and you can't really have a plan because most likely things will change and in the end you'll end up doing what is best for the baby. Being a new mom is such a blast. The daily smiles and coo's...daily changes watching him grow and experience everything for the first time.... I could say that my life is totally different now... it is one of life's most exciting, life-changing moments from handling dirty diapers to constantly feeding a hungry, waking up in the middle of the night, my entire world has been wrapped up in this little angel 24 hours a day seven days a week.

You know you hear the wonderful advise “Sleep when the baby sleeps.” Ya sure sure, I will. Just a min. Some mothers take this advise and glen from it. I was not that mother. I slept a little but was to excited about all that went on, and wanted to do what I wanted. Like play World of Warcraft! upload photos in Facebook. I am a mother that wanted to sleep when I wanted to. Pure bliss, my time is no longer fully my own.

I absolutely had no idea what being a new mom entails. Being a first time mom is overwhelming and was tough and scary at the same time especially in my part. Seeing my son cry and vomits every now and then after birth because according to his doctor he swallowed maternal blood or meconium and needs medical attention it really tears my heart wishing and praying for his safety and fast recovery.
But then God is so good and my baby boy is okay now. His whole abdomen was checked early this morning through an ultrasound and again thank God coz everything is okay.

It's been 15 days now since the day I gave birth to Caeden Ezekiel Vonn and I am still trying to learn many things, being a mom... its not that easy but I could say all tiredness, sleepless nights.. its really worth it.

2 years of blogging

For now, i'd just like to celebrate a little milestone with you all because I've lately hit my 2 years of blogging mark. This may be a little cheesy and gushy, but i wanted to say a big thank you to all my followers and blogger friends for the past years. The Internet is such a weird but wonderful place, and I've loved every second of creating my own little space. I hope the years to come remain this enjoyable!

I never would have thought I’d be a blogger and time definitely flies when you are having fun and 2 years has passed since I started my blog! I seriously cannot believe how fast it has gone and all the amazing things I have experienced have kept at this for 2 years.

 I’m glad that I have this outlet (sort of speak) to release a lot of my creative juices! Sure, there are days where the last thing I want to do is sit in front of my laptop and blog or pick up my camera and take photos, but I’ve learned to have balance, especially now that I am a new mom, it’s defiantly something I enjoy and I think it’s important to do the things that make you happy. 

When I started this blog last 2010, I had no idea it would grow to what it is today.
I originally started blogging because of some personal troubles and i needed something to take my mind off them, as well as having a place to turn to when i felt down. Is there anything that I would go back and do differently? I really don’t know the answer to that, When I started blogging, it was a side hobby of mine…I would say that I was giving anywhere from 10-30% of my effort and energy into it. Yet, I’ve managed to see amazing results that encouraged me to continue. I am really happy with where my blog is right now. And I am really looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I don't really have a solid plan set out for what I wanted to talk about in this post, the only thing I knew for sure that I wanted to do was to say thank you to all of you for reading my blog, and all of the things you do to make this such an awesome experience. It’s all of you that keep me gong and keep everything so enjoyable. So thank you for that.

I have to say that I am pretty proud of myself…for sticking to it, for following my heart and being patient and persistent enough. As a 2year blogger I’m still a beginner and I have a lot of stuff to learn but I am so grateful for this blog, for my followers and the people supporting me in this journey. I am always excited about posting new articles, about creating new content and spreading the love! It’s so nice to be able to combine my creativity and my passion, write anything about what's happening in my life and anything that comes in my mind and build something out of nothing.
In some ways, it certainly feels like a year. In another ways,I just can’t believe years has gone by, it seemed like it went by so fast and yet not fast enough. I have so many ideas for the future, so many new and exciting projects… I can’t wait to share them all with you guys! This journey is not done and I’m excited to see where another year of blogging will take me!

“There Is Time For Everything”

According to Thomas Edison: “There is time for everything”. According to George Head:“If time be judiciously employed, there is time for everything”.

In this life, we go through hardship and good times.Often time we worry about things in our life that has yet to happen. Unfortunately, sometimes we may lose hope. Yet we must always remember that there is a time for everything under the sun. There is a time to mourn and a time to rejoice, a time to hate and a time to love. Everything has its own time and we must not fret because God controls the time capsule.


No such thing as the wrong timing. Everything happens exactly when it’s supposed to. There is a lesson in everything and the lesson always comes at the right time when you need it the most, even if you don’t realize it right away.

There is also a bible verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that says...

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens”

It remind us that everyone and things has their own time in this life. It gets frustrating at times when we are going through hardships while it seems like everyone else around is doing so much better. But we have to remain strong and continue to have incredible faith and fix our focus to the Lord because He can do amazing things.



Just like in my own experience, my life is hard sometimes and I’m human. I bend, I break, I fall to my knees.. I've been through a lot of pain in the past I have to admit that life has a way of getting me down, sometimes I complain and question God in times of difficulties. Telling God I don’t deserve the trial or the pain but God has been the same. I may always fail Him on how I respond on each of these situations but He always been faithful. God has placed so many blessings along this hard path… I serve a mighty God! There is no one like Him!

I’ve realized that God has a funny way of making me laugh. I find myself laughing at my past several times because I’ve realized my past has helped shape my present.
I have learn that whatever struggles I may face, I should not give up on my goals and reach for the heavens coz God is ever present. Whatever giants I may face, I should remember giants do fall! I may be struggling with my love life right now, but I know in my heart there will be a time when I will be blessed with the love and partner I deserve.


Although I may not be where I want to be, I know that if He can get me through where I used to be, there is no doubt that He will get me where I need to be. I should just always understand that God made everything beautiful. The good times and even the difficult times happen for a greater purpose and for God’s glory. He uses these times to manifest His power, grace and love . I must learn to trust Him at all times and learn to obey. God makes no mistakes. “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

privacy

I am pretty honest and open about all aspects of my life and my personality. I've encountered difficulties and painful life lessons as all young people do and was in a very exaggerated circumstance and I guess all people knows about that. I have found that for me, it is far better to just let it all out than to try and keep secrets.

But then things changed, I understand now why some are private and reserved. Even there is also something positive about sharing real life experiences with the world, some things are better left in the realms of your mind. I realized that there are things in life that are better left unsaid and better kept as private.
I know many would hardly understand why I have to be this way but maybe to lessen questions that would stressed me out to answer it all... and because I am not a celebrity that every now and then my personal life has been watched closely by the media or crude paparazzi. In short just wanted to have a quiet, peaceful life.
A life which is far from judgemental people, from gossips and all stressful questions.

me @ 26...

When I started writing this post, my intention was to say that my 26th birthday wasn’t that big of a deal. That, and how compared to my first birthday or even my 25th, it wasn’t made much ado of. But as I started writing I realized that wasn’t true, because my birthday this year was flippin’ fantastic, a blast, and one for the memory books for sure.

 

Me now at the age of 26, looking bright and sparkly and new. Though change is sometimes hard for me, I’m excited about what the coming year will bring — and how things will look next August. My hope is that 26 will be filled with good reads, happy moments, gorgeous sunsets and new opportunities to learn. I have a few goals — volunteering more; worrying less — but am learning not to put too much pressure on myself. 

August 11, 2012 my 26th birthday celebration was probably the best I ever had.Simple yet for the first time in my life I had all my best friends in one place (house). Usually at least one person is away or busy doing something else, but this time, I had luck on my side. The evening started with simple dinner thanks to my mom for helping me prepare all the things for my birthday celebration and to my cousin Albert, Tita Aida, Tita Jhing and Tito Ontok for their generosity sponsoring drinks, cake and some foods and all ended with gulp session at Yhackyzoda store. Thanks for gracing the eve with your presence it was a very enjoyable experience.



I would like to say Thank you also to everyone who remembered my birthday and for all birthday greetings.
I woke up with so many birthday wishes and greetings even the day after the celebration and each greetings really meant a lot to me and absolutely made my day.It’s almost impossible for me to describe how much I love each and every one of you who take the time out of your day to be a part of my life. And I don’t just mean the very close few of you who get drunk with me on weekends or know what my bedroom looks like. I mean everyone. Everyone who looks at the crap I constantly post on Facebook, everyone who reads my Tweets and blogs, everyone who takes the time out of their day. You people keep me on the ground. You keep my days interesting and my whole existence centered. Truly, you’re remarkable.

 Since I am writing about my birthday, I feel that I should mention my reflections on how I lived my previous year. it was not a smooth sailing adventure yet I certainly do not regret any of them even though a few did not lead to the results that I had hoped for.After all I am also very glad that my brother didn't forget my birthday and most of all my dad and I are okay now after a very big misunderstanding.  

During the night I kept thinking about how lucky I was to have the family and friends that I have and how much each of them have contributed to my life. I actually almost started to tear because I was so happy. My family and friends are one of the main reasons why I am what I am today and I am sure I would be less of a whole person if it were not for them. I may not be lucky when it comes to love life yet I am very much lucky and blessed with good friends and family.

So you see, my birthday wasn’t just ‘no big deal.’ It was actually quite a big deal. And not because I made it that way, but because the people in my life made it special. And for that reason, I have much, much, much to be thankful for.

So here’s to 26. Here’s to being a bit more humble from here on out. And here’s to recognizing how incredibly blessed my life is, because it really, really is.

Above all Thank you Lord God for the bounteous blessings You continue to shower to me and to my family. Thank you Lord for giving me sweet and thoughtful family and friends and that I got to spend my birthday with  them. for answering my prayers and thank you so much for giving me another year of life. I love you Lord!

i hate being sick

I woke up this morning and I felt awful. I feel my temperature is rising. I lost my appetite. I feel so weak.I spent most of the day in bed with stuffy & runny nose, sneezing, congestion, & body aches & chills ,which I really hate. I hate being sick, especially when there are so many things I really wanted to do. Not sure exactly what’s wrong … general all-over me but I think it’s just a good old-fashioned case of flu. And as some of you may know it's my Birthday on Aug. 11 and I don't know but everytime my Birthday is nearly coming I always felt sick.Anyway, just wanted to let you all know I’m still out here … just not really doing much of anything.On days like these, thank goodness for the inventions of laptop, I can be able to use Facebook and any other interesting websites, even I’m sick, games are still part of my life and I can also be able to write a new blog post while lying in bed.I'm going to hit the bed now and have a sound sleep.well I'm hoping to feel better tomorrow.

Happy One Year Bowfam!

“A good friend is a connection to life – a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.”
– Lois Wyse

Happy 1 Year And Counting To Us Bowfam!

        Have good friends in your life. They feed the soul, make life more bearable and help you in times of need. No one is ever too old to begin new friendships. It is good to have a friends who can really understand you and give you a hand when you need help. Who would have thought that by just simply having a little chitchat, sharing of life's experience, a good friendship will develop and became not just an ordinary friends but like a family..


July 20,2012 Bowchikawow Family is celebrating its 1st Friendship Anniversary, but due to our hectic schedules we members of Bowfam decided to celebrate it late, well its better late than never and yes last night July 26,2012 we celebrated our 1st ever Friendship Anniversary held at Co's residence and all things went well..

I guess the celebration won't be that successful if all members didn't give their time and give any effort to participate and also without the generosity of Te Aillenne Punay for donating Lechon. And as a part of my simple contribution for this event I made this simple banner and I am so glad that all love it...

made by me ^___^

Anniversary Chocolate Red Ribbon Cake

What an impressive result from last night's celebration. Drink Up" party dance, sing-a-long, zillions of taking pictures, unlimited food and chikas, we really had a great party last night and we were very happy with how it all went. Even i can't believe Bowfam friendship been this far already!
after that party we again decided to continue the celebration July 27, 2012 a pool party this time at Arje Resort and also celebrating the 11th Monthsary of Ate Pia and Kuya Cesoy.












Exhausted, perhaps, after a continues celebration and all the activities but it was worth it.

I had so much fun being with Bowfam.

Thanks to God for bringing Bowchikawow Family together as friends...More years to come Bowfam!