1 of 365: 2019 New Year Celebration of God's Goodness

NYE Celebration 

Happy New Year!
Last night was the first time we celebrated our New Year's Eve in a church, praising God all throughout the remaining hours of 2018. It was simply amazing, being with my beloved hubby Yan, and our new friend and colleague Harold. The people of Letchworth Garden City Church were welcoming and friendly, and we thank God for my work mentor Joe who invited us to the service and encouraged us with a short message on God's faithfulness this 2019. 

Personal Renewal in 2019

There were 3 steps to renew my self that I learned during the service:
1. Renewal - ask God for transformation
2. Recommitment - serve God, again!
3. Realignment- adjust and move to keep in step with the Holy Spirit

40 Days of Purpose: Day 1

"...all things have been created through him and for him." - Colossians 1:16

Part of my action to achieve spiritual renewal is to rediscover God's purpose in my life. Pastor Rick Warren writes: "The purpose of your life is greater than your happiness." In the past year, I think I've focused too many hours on planning our wedding, travelling places, fitting in a new work environment, that I have lost my devotion on God.  This 2019, I claim that God will give me a spiritual breakthrough - both to be blessed by Him and to be a blessing to others. May the Lord bring me to a deeper knowledge of Him this year, and that I can be more of a humble reflection of Jesus. I pray for the same thing to happen to you this year.

Love,

Sai x

Paris, France: Our Travelshoot-turned-Surprise Proposal

After months and months of planning for our travel photoshoot, finally we got our Schengen visa, packed our bags and flew to the City of Love -  Paris, France! 

We prayed (and expected) for a sunny photoshoot in two of the most iconic places in the world – the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. But with a little bit of disappointment, we were welcomed by a rainy Tuesday morning. I emailed Oksana, our lovely photographer from Ever Photoshoot, and asked if we were going to continue the shoot, considering the bad weather. I was a little bit surprised when she said she could do the shoot with us. This was my sign from God na itutuloy na talaga namin ito. THIS IS IT! Instead of starting at the Eiffel Tower, she advised that we meet her at the Louvre. So off we went to Chatelet station and then to the Musee du Louvre station.

Convo Before going to Paris:
Sai: Gom, let's not bring an umbrella. It's most likely sunny in Paris.
Yan: Hmmm...Okay gom.

...And I could have never been soooo wrong! Sobrang lamig at lakas ng ulan, but Westerners think of this kind of "Pinas storm signal number 1" as "rain showers". Hahaha So we did not have any choice but to buy an umbrella, which was a little blessing in disguise because we were able to use them as props for the shoot. Yey!

The Louvre Museum Shoot

Our first few photos at the Louvre were silhouette shots. We could definitely feel the love from these photos.The museum itself was closed, and I actually didn’t know this when I booked for a Tuesday photoshoot. God is good, because my ignorance is another blessing because there were no tourists in the Louvre, so we were able to concentrate as nobody was around while doing our cheesy poses. 

It was really cold, and the umbrella actually got broken because of the strong wind. As you can see, I was the only one who did my simply makeup because we were on a tight schedule. The rain destroyed my make up, but at this point, it didn't matter at all. All I knew was that we had to make the most out of this precious, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime shoot together.

The pyramid at the Louvre was such a brilliant piece of architecture. It's a shame that we were not able to do the shoot here at night, when it showcases a golden glow. Still, we felt grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime photo op with the glass pyramid.

The Eiffel Tower Shoot and Proposal

I always see images of the Eiffel Tower online, and I must confess that I was not really its biggest fan. However, when I first glanced on it, iba 'yung feeling! My jaw literally dropped in awe of the beauty of the Tour Eiffel. I looked at it from the bottom to its top, and suddenly this realization hit me: the tower perhaps symbolizes the sturdy unity between two people becoming one. And like the Eiffel Tower, we want our love to point towards heaven, the throne of the Most High God.

When we arrived in front of the Eiffel Tower, the photohgrapher told me that she would take pictures with me only. So I did some poses for her. 

Suddenly, Yan came to me and knelt down for the nth time, but this time he's holding a diamond ring. He was grinning at me, and I could not contain my happiness!

Actually nag-hang sya LOL!
Sai: "Hahaha! Ano?!" (What?!)
Yan: "Ay! Haha WILL YOU MARRY ME?"
Sai: "YES!"

He put the ring on me, and I was so amazed. I felt like I was in cloud nine. Thank you, Yan, for making my dream come true.
I am glad to be engaged to you...again! Now, we're just counting the months before we say "I do", in front of our family and friends. How exciting!