A few months and some little things.

The last time I visited this quiet little corner of mine was back in February. My heart was so full of excitement for March and the trip to Guam I’d been dreaming about for two whole years.

Then the war broke out, and suddenly the choice of whether to go fell entirely on my shoulders.

I chose to stay home.

A big part of me was heartbroken—I had been counting down the days for this trip for two whole years

Yet a tiny piece of me found comfort in staying, knowing my husband was right - keeping our family together mattered most. 

March wedding flowers. 

Our dear Julia finally graduated from Elementary School. 

We are mighty proud of her!

Took Julio to MR Ranch to see the buffalo in person. 

Slightly confused about whether they were pleased to see us. 

Such a beautiful horse. Standing tall and proud. 

Celebrating International Women's Day with my little women. 

Gave Jules this as a birthday present - turns out, I gave him a gift I would enjoy taking care of.

Breakfast date with my Grade School friends at Marta's.

So March slipped by, taking April and May along with it. 

Thankful for friends who can successfully grow their own Lavender garden. 

Slowly filling up this wall with beautiful plates. 

Endless blues - the kind that spark joy.

Thank you for making us a lovely place to come home to.

Or even to spend a wonderful time at night.

A short visit to Cebu for my labs and tests. Treating myself with this cookie just because my tests are all okay.

Never letting go. My faith and yours are always bigger than our fears.

Will be sharing a post about her journey soon.

A short but sweet trip to the South to rekindle our love affair with Summer.

Found a secret spot.

Missing Julia as we explored the beaches.

Nature Heals - Met Barbara Oneal in person.

Feeling the heat of summer but not complaining at all.

Comfort food - always!

June was long and short all at once as we prepped for our Grand Alumni Homecoming—which was a complete success! We stormed the heavens with prayers for our event to be remembered and celebrated as it deserved.

When Julio turned 5 and wanted to be Johnny.

 

At Taste of Ormoc Book launching where, my sister Ina became one of its contributors. 

I am one proud sister!

Endless meetings as we cheerfully entertained ourselves for everything to be alright.

Pretty table setting during one of our prayer meetings.

Fit check for our official souvenir-something useful and sustainable.

This is us, the Core Committee (Mark, Alexis, Kathy, and me), storming the heavens with our prayers as we visited the Capuchin Sisters.

My Mama and my Tita Inez at our Grand Alumni Homecoming.

We cleaned up pretty well. 

July is always wellness month. So glad to see Sister Liu and do a full overhaul for my mind and body.

Our dear Tito Sonny turned 85 years old, and he always throws the best parties- the fun and always the happy one with overflowing drinks.

Winning moment for my sister Ina and me as we finally got rid of something old that wasn't of use to us.

August flew past before I could even catch my breath. 2026 has felt like such a whirlwind. Wouldn't you agree?

I find myself wondering: where did our slow, quiet mornings go? Where did those soft, gentle days go? Why do we let ourselves get pulled into such a constant rush?

Life is so precious, fragile, and fleeting. 

             Appreciate the little things, even if somehow they are fleeting. 

If anything, this has reminded me how fragile and precious our time really is. We truly have to treasure the quiet moments, and truly live every single day as if it were a gift.

In all things, we must give thanks. 

Love and light,

R

February.

February must have happened to me all in a midday dream. 

Like a nap, it ended quite longing for that extra snooze, the kind that you never want to end, but still it must. 

It was fleeting in a way I can better describe it, but somehow it ended quite cheerfully. 

I spent half of the month away from my other kids as I was tending to Julia’s medical visit in Manila. 

Shake shack at BGC.

I specifically love the daily walks that I had and the daily masses offered for Julia’s ultimate recovery and healing. 

On my way to the Farmer's Market one Sunday morning.

I must admit, I was on the verge of total weakness from the hullabaloo January brought. 

But February was all about fresh start, new found love, trying something new, believing and fighting for love, trying to be healthy, talking to God in the deepest silence of my heart, watching the sun set amongst the clouds, surviving a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, coming back to work, trying the new coffee beans from land down under, visit from our favorite humans from land down under still, and basically trying to survive life’s surprises one day at a time. 

  

Trying out this trend I found on Instagram.

                                                      Made a big batch of Baked Spaghetti.

Admiring this couple at church.

Sunset beyond the clouds as we journey home.

Back at work!

Felt so happy when a group of Korean Tourists came to Marta's for dinner and ordered everything Filipino they could find on the menu.

Thank you, Ganna, for my coffee beans from Australia.

Thank you, Tud for visiting us from land down under.

Proud of my little prince!

Channeling Wuthering Heights.

Photo by my sister, Ina.

I say goodbye to February, and I am very excited about March. 

Make haste, March, I am so ready for you. 

Hello, January!

One slow evening as I was tidying up my work table and just waiting for the last reservation to come in, I was prompted by an email that led me to my long-lost love. 

In a quiet corner of the world wide web, I created a small space for my thoughts and feelings and named it Simple Pleasures. It began during a time when I had the luxury of sitting down to share my daily musings with the world—life as a new bride, the early stages of motherhood, monthly love letters to each of my children until they turned 1, and almost anything under the sun.

So, I thought to myself, why not revisit it now? How about making it a point to write one note a month? It can be done. I know it can. 

And so, here’s how my January unfolded, or how at least I remembered it:

 

New Year's Eve with the family -

       Dinner at Mama's house

At Richard and Lucy's home

I remember waking up to all the aches and pains that the New Year brought—especially in my tired feet (blame it on the heels)—and the constant waking up in the wee morning hours because the littlest one couldn’t nap (blame it on the boating trip on New Year’s Eve afternoon).

TIP: Always take that afternoon nap on New Year's Eve.

     

The boating trip on New Year's Eve afternoon. 

The kids had so much fun, though, thank you, Dear Don!

 But we all quickly put together a clean outfit ready for New Year’s luncheon with the family. 

Our first meal of 2026 was Cocido. It always is, always was, for as long as I can remember. 

We had all sorts of fun on that day, too. 

Most especially, doing the walk that was supposedly trending.

We had so much fun that night that we told other family members to recreate it the next day.

So natural these two!

          Missing Tito Paking.

 One of my favorite photos of that day!

               I particularly love how we laughed our heart so much this day!

                                                     

Spontaneous beach trip with cousins just because it doesn't happen every day that we are complete. 

the best of us all in one photograph - our pride and joy!

our little ladies

thank you, Char for the stories!

Work was always on the way every day, but I committed myself to putting as much as I could into a healthy lifestyle, so I committed to going to the gym as much as I could. Apparently, I do not have photos to share. 

Something new to try at Marta's. The Ube Halaya Pancake with Queso.

Re-purposed the old fiber pots that weren't used anymore. Hung it on an Avocado tree by the parking lot to create a warmer vibe that lights up perfectly at night. 

One cozy sunset afternoon at work. Yes, at work! I am so lucky.

At work, we were all excited and also anxious for our cousin’s upcoming wedding – but oh boy, oh boy, it turned out oh-so-fine! Thank you, Dear God, for the successful turnout. I believe that success comes from hard work, team effort, and much prayer. Prayers that you gently whisper every day at the workplace, even on the go, a prayer is still a love letter to God. 

Fresh chamomile flowers.

We also had another wedding – a beautiful one where the groom offered to sing for his bride. The bride was in tears, and so was I.

The only photo that was perfect before the heavy downpour.

Then came our school’s Foundation Day. So proud of all my children!

My little prince!

The New Year Run, which we all worked so hard for. Thank you, Dear Lord, for bringing it all together with the right people!

Cannot believe it's been 25 years since high school.

The beautiful sunsets remind me that there are more “red days” ahead, but with the weather so cool lately, who am I to complain?

Golden hour in front of me every day.

Finally, ending January with a trip to Manila for Julia's check up. 

Please do say a prayer for my brave girl.

This photo is taken after hearing mass. The homily reminded me of an Instagram post I made before. It settled my anxious heart right then and there. 

Thank you, January!

Thank you, Dear God!

love and light,

Rica