AQUARIUM FUN!

I have not been keeping up with this blog:[ Sorry! 

I've been busy with work and school:/ Isn't that a good thing though?

Well.. in other good news... I'm finally gonna make a blog AND guess what it's about?! THE AQUARIUM. I have no idea why... but I looooooooooove aquariums. They fascinate me. I was pretty much a kid in a candy store at the long beach aquarium. I took jessica with me as a going away present:[ She's leaving for Korea soon to teach the kiddies english. Which I am both extremely happy and EXTREMELY sad about. She hasn't been to the aquarium of the pacific.. so I thought it would be a perfect place to go to! Nicole and Jose came too:] Twas a lovely day at the aquarium! Here are some pictures:]

whale kisses

whale pinches

whale hand holding

One significant question Nicole asked me while we were looking at all the magnificent fishes:  

How can people say that there isn't a God?

I had to wonder the same thing.. Seeing all these amazing creatures... How could there NOT be a maker? Everything is so specifically beautiful and different. There are HUNDREDS.. even THOUSANDS of species of fish ANNNNNND there were so many fish at the aquarium BUT there were/are still millions more in the ocean. OMGOODNESS.. God is limitless.  It's one of the MAIN reasons why I LOVE going to these kinds of places. I had the perfect opportunity to marvel at the work of our creator.  God is so gracious to give us such beauty. Thank you Lord for providing us some beauty in such a flawed world.

In other news, I was gonna gush about how much I love Jessica and how much I'll miss her but I'll save my words and tears for another blog:]

- Rachel Marie

Mr. and Mrs. Melo

So this past weekend... MY KUYA MATT FINALLY GOT MARRIED!! He married his long time girlfriend ( of 11 years) Lee:] Beautiful wedding! The greatest thing I got to witness was seeing how happy my Kuya Matt was. You saw it in his attitude and smile the whole entire day. He was absolutely happy/excited/relieved/relaxed. 

Honestly, it's the first time where I really focused my eyes on the groom during the wedding.. and I almost completely lost it when I saw my Kuya's face as Lee walked down the aisle. I grew up knowing this man.. AND NOW HE'S MARRIED! Lee was beautiful (as always of course).

 There is always something special to the "first look" to me. It's a gaze into their own futures. It is a moment where the woman takes those steps towards the man and with her comes her own heart, soul, passion, and life. 

Man. I love the symbolism of the woman walking down the aisle. She is pretty much saying.. "I am walking towards you with everything I am and will be. I am giving my whole self to you."

And the man responds by standing firmly.... stating that he is completely and fully accepting her extraordinary gift and will not budge/waver/hesitate. This shows his sincerity, integrity, and willingness to take all that she is and love it. That MUST be an overwhelming experience. All the moments recollect and lead up to that ONE MOMENT. It must have been a greater experience for the both of them because it was 11 years in the making for that one perfect moment. 

So, I took a few pictures BUT I ended up filling up my memory towards the beginning of the wedding:[ So I didn't get to take as much pictures as I wanted:[ I did not even get to take more pics of my cousins!! I was even gonna try to make a video again but I couldn't. I was really sad about that.. but I'll show you guys what I was able to get ( not much but it's something!):

the wishing well Kuya Matt made.

Dad and Mom:]

 Brittany looking at the fishes

 Sibling love

 My beautiful nieces as the flower girls

 walking down the aisle

 Kuya Matt giving Ate Lee a kiss on the cheek after she said her vows

Congrats again to Mr. and Mrs. Melo! I pray that God may be at the center of your relationship. Continue to rely on him to get you through things and remember that he has blessed you two with each other. He loves you two unconditionally and wants nothing more than to see you happy. ENJOY THE LOVE THAT HE IS CONTINUALLY GIVING YOU AND HAS ALREADY BLESSED YOU WITH! The Cardenas/Melo Clan love you two VERY much and are so happy for you guys!! We are ALWAYS there to support you guys. We wouldn't have missed this occasion for anything. Glad we came and that you allowed us to join you for that special day. LOVE YOU!

-Rachel Marie

Welcome to the World of Disney!

So. WOW. I have not posted a blog in QUITE awhile!! I've just been really busy with work and all other types of events. HOW ABOUT.... I talk about disneyworld?!?!?!?! YES. DISNEYWORLD! I got to go for the very first time with my fambam.. and it was probably the best trip...I mean IS the best trip I have ever had. 

Let me try to condense things as much as possible...

Well the plane ride there... was about 5 hours long. Dinah and I actually had to sit in a row with a stranger.. which I thought was gonna turn out either horribly or whatever. It turned out to be one of the most interesting plane rides I have had to this day. Dinah and I met an old man by the name of Saleh. I thought he was going to be an old grump, but turned out to be such an interesting and kind person. We got to know him personally for a little bit and even got to share our faith with him. He, being a long-time muslim, was surprisingly responsive and was not at all defensive. We just shared that we believed in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. In his religion, they believed that Jesus was just a prophet and good teacher. We asked him some questions regarding heaven and hell and how one can receive salvation. I'm a bit sad that we couldn't lead him to Christ for he had already been set in his muslim beliefs, but I'm just glad that we were able to share our beliefs and that he took the time to really listen and understand. It's kind of weird that it only took me 5 hours ( or even less!) to genuinely care for that guy. Til this day, I'm praying for that man wherever he may be now. I realized that I need to study more about my faith so I can share more effectively in order to lead others to Christ.

Anyway, My family and I stayed at the beautiful Sheraton hotel about 30 minutes away from the parks.LOVED the place... HATED the frogs and lizards that came with it. hahaha. If you guys didnt know... I'm totally freaked out my amphibians and reptiles. It's honestly... quite an irrational fear, but VERY comical if you see me scream because of them. hahah

Florida is beautiful and much more abundant in foliage and space. If you live in Southern California, you would probably appreciate the amount of space you get in Florida. Totally different atmosphere. Unlike others, I enjoyed the humid weather. It reminded me of the Philippines!

My family and I got to go to 3/4 parks : Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot.

just thinking about Disneyworld makes me giddy.

I could probably tell you guys down to the detail what happened... BUT.. that would take years.

All I could say is that Walt Disney is probably one my inspirations. If only I could imagine up HALF of the things that that man had imagined and have HALF the courage that he had in doing things. He really inspired me to dream. SOUNDS CORNY, but really. Disneyland was just a DREAM of his. He created Disneyland because he wanted a place to have fun with his two daughters.. and yet he didnt stop there. He created a DisneyWORLD. A place people WANT to go to and DREAM of going to. AND THE PLACE IS STILL GROWING!

And all of those dreams and creations stemmed through ONE significant character he created: Mickey Mouse. CRAZY!

I have so much to offer this world and I pray God may use me in some fashion. Not necessarily to get rich or show off... but to truly enjoy the talents God has given me and utilize them to bless others and share Christ's love. That is one of my biggest dreams!! 

On another note. THANK GOD for my family. I love them soooooooo much and God has blessed me GREATLY. I love my parents and my sisters and I am so glad I got to experience Disneyworld with them. IT TRULY WAS MAGICAL. THANKS MOM AND DAD, you guys really worked hard to allow us to do these certain things. Wouldn't have been able to experience any of these things without you. I am beyond blessed. Can't say that enough.

 

 

And... I know it' s weird... but I actually DID NOT take a lot of pictures this time around because I took more video to make THIS.

It's a video of our trip, and I bet it explains how my trip went a WHOLE lot better than me talking about it;] ENJOY!!

- Rachel Marie

Baby Brooke

This weekend was Ate Aprille and Kuya Bryan's baby shower! Brooke is almost here! So excited! It's Kuya Bryan and Ate Aprille's first child which makes it even MORE exciting! This baby shower is probably the cutest baby shower I have ever been to. Oh Ate Aprille and your crafty skills! ( She made pretty much everything from the decor to the desserts!). So cutesy, fluffy, whimsy, and light! I loved it. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the whole thing because I had work.. but here are some of the pictures I was able to capture while I was there. By the way... IT WAS OWL THEMED!

These are the soon-to-be parents! I wish I took a better picture of them, but I had to leave so quickly:[

Again... Congrats to the both of you! She's coming she's coming! I am so excited for you two. Thank God for this blessing and I can't wait to meet her!

- Rachel Marie