silver dollars

The husband has a collection of silver dollars. He said he started collecting when his older son was a little boy. He bought silver dollars for both of them from the flea markets but there were some he ordered online. He has stopped collecting when his son got older though and the coins he put in a safe deposit box for safe keeping. He has all of them but he said he will give his son his share of the silver dollars soon. He then asked me to check on the morgan dollar price guide for reference. I think he knows that the younger man will end up selling his share when he gets it. They will have to talk about it and split the loot (there is really not that much anymore for he lost some of them through the years of moving) between them. If I know him, he might just give it all to his son which is fine since he did start buying silver dollars because of him. I hope the younger man will keep it though until the price is really up then sell them. There is no harm in getting more money from an investment.

who needs extra sink?

The husband and I had a minor argument today over, of all things, sinks. He told me I need to help him figure out where to put an additional sink in the kitchen of the new house. I did not know anything about an additional sink and I told him about it which made him upset. He said he did and I stand firm that I didn't. He must have talked to his sister about it because for the life of me I could not remember any conversation with him about an extra sink. I told him we talked about gazebos because I think I want one in the yard. He walked out on me after I said that thinking I was making fun of him. Sigh! I am being honest here, I don't know anything about an extra sink and in my opinion, the kitchen does not need a third sink especially one that is as big and wide as a utility sink. But apparently, the husband does. I will have to convince him an extra sink will have to go outside, not on my kitchen. If only he will listen.

age appropriate games

My little man is into playing online games. He loves to discover new games online to play with. I allow him to play games that I know will help his thinking skills. The games also help him being nimble on his fingers when clicking keys on the keyboard. Boy, he is fast! He is only five years old so I keep an eye on what he does and where he goes online to make sure he is not doing anything he is not supposed to. He talks to his one cousin about online games (the older boy plays online too) and they compare games and technics to win games. One time his cousin asked him if he has Playstation and if he has heard of a game Assassins Creed: Revelations because he is starting to play it. The little man said no but he seemed to be interested. I told him he cannot play games like that yet though. His cousin is way older so he can play the game with his dad but the little man is still young for such games. He seems to understand but I have been asked several times already if he is grown up yet, lol. I hope he will forget about the game for now. Maybe in the future if he is still interested we might let him play especially since his cousin already has the game. It will be easier then. For now, he has to stick playing games that are more age appropriate.

six years

Later today will make six years since I arrived in the US. It was a cold day when the husband picked me up at the airport. He asked if I wanted a jacket to which I said no at first because I thought the temp was alright. Until we got to the parking lot and the cold seeped in my Filipino bones and I started shivering. He did not have to ask twice, I asked him for the heavy jacket he brought for me to wear. Then we went to the mall to buy a pair of winter boots for me. The jacket and the boots are still with me after all these years and are still both in good condition.

We reminisce about that day a lot partly because it marked the beginning of our lives together and mostly because the husband said I looked like a lost little girl when I got off the plane. He made fun of my pink tennis shoes and backpack, lol. I told him I could have worn something nicer but I opted to be practical since it was a very long flight and I was alone. I still have the backpack but the tennis shoes is long gone having been given away to my sister-in-law after it was replaced by a newer, better pair. There were no pictures taken on that day which is a shame. I would have loved to see what I looked like that day but we were both excited and the husband had work waiting for him (he actually had to take a couple hours off to pick me up then went back to work) so there was no time to goof around.

Six years and two kids later, we are the same persons but also different. He said I am not the same girl he married almost six years ago. I have become Americanized in some ways but I can say I have retained some of my Filipino values. He said he misses his meek, submissive wife but I told him I was never those things to begin with. I am the opposite. I just masked it to make him believe he found a treasure, lol. We will be celebrating our six years anniversary in a few days. We are hoping to celebrate more together in the years to come.

mom

Guest post from: Constance Rodgers.

My mom is a very independent woman. She has always done whatever she wanted to do whenever she wanted to do it. She is in her early eighties and still has more energy than I do. Mom has a different activity for just about every day of the week. Ever since my dad passed away I have been concerned about my mom living alone. I convinced her to have an alarm system installed at her house through total alarm systems. This way I will have peace of mind when she is coming and going to everything that she is involved with. Recently she joined an exercise group called Silver Sneakers. She goes and works out with all these older people at a gym near her home two nights a week. I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch that class. Mom says that part of the class involves learning dance steps to some pretty lively music. I can only imagine what that looks like. All I can say is that my mom is my inspiration to become more active and involved in as many activities as I can. We only have one life to live.

a day of shopping

I hit the mall the day after my birthday. It was the husband's present to me since we did not do anything special on my day and it made him feel bad according to him. So I went shopping. I enjoyed roaming around the stores trying on clothes, salivating over shoes, and getting a headache over the prices on kids' clothes. I had a good time. I bought clothes for me and for the kids. I wanted to look at purses but I stopped myself because I still have a couple purses I have not used and there is really no point in buying a new one, it will be impractical. I looked at shoes but did not see anything that I am willing to pay full price on (the sale items were not my type) so I did not linger in that section. I did good on my trip without even a list to buy. I just browsed around, found something I liked then grabbed the items. The cashier was good enough to help me save money on my purchases by doing several transactions so I could get good discount. Hurray! for good customer service. I thanked the husband for his generosity and promised him I will be good for a while, lol. I am like a kid, give me a little treat and I will be quiet as a mouse with no demands whatsoever. A family member once commented that the husband is a very lucky person to have me as his wife to which he said if the other person only know, lol. He does admit he is lucky because aside from the occasional shopping trip I don't demand much. As long as I have plenty of food I am happy as a pig :)

home gym

Somebody I know is building her own gym at home. She said she wants to get fit, and hopefully get slim while at it. Her husband bought her an elliptical which she gushes over, among other things they have planned to buy to set up their gym. She bought yoga mat last I heard and she said she is ready to start getting fit. I don't know if she did buy yoga apparel or if she will use sweats to work out but I know that once she has made up her mind she will not get swayed. Which is good in a way. I do hope she will get fit, she has done it before and she did good at it. I am waiting to hear a report from her a couple weeks from now to see how she is doing with her quest to get fit.

we met online

When people ask me how my husband and I met (believe me when I say we get asked a lot, lol) I tell them we met online on one of those free online dating websites that are readily available to people who hope that they will eventually meet the right person for them. We met eight years ago and will be married six years come January. It is not always fun but I don't think marriage ever is what with all kinds of responsibilities and, with us, culture differences. But we are taking it slow, we talk, we argue, we make up, we love. It is what life is all about anyway, to be lived. I am glad he found me on that website and thought he needed to say hi because I looked lonely on the picture I posted, lol. I am glad I took the chance of communicating with a virtual stranger, and found my better half.