Complete

That describes the way I felt last night...

Too bad all I can say here in my blog is that it was awesome.

I love you D... and I will, for a long, long time. :)

Thankful Still

I woke up this morning feeling so silly for crying last night. Hehehe. It must have been my serotonin level running low. They say serotonin levels are lowest at midnight so it was probably that. Hehehe. But I think that sometimes it's good to just let those tears flow, to just let 'em go like that. I got up feeling refreshed knowing that the love of my life is out there thinking of me too. I know that for a fact.

Then I went to my porch for fresh morning breeze and guess what! One of my bikes was stolen! It was fucking gone!

So there goes my good morning. Well, not really. I decided not to let little things like that bother me. It's gone, so it's gone. But I do feel bad about it coz I was planning to fix the other bike so D and I could go ride 'em. Oh well.

Commute on the bridge was easy today so that's something I am thankful for.

I am also thankful for the sunshine and the flowers and the birds.

Spring is finally here. That's one good thing.

It's 2:11 A.M.

Needless to say, I can't sleep. I already spent half the night watching TV. My eyes are tired. My body is sore from an hour jog/walk around the lake. Spent a good hour or two reading my LSAT materials. But still I can't sleep.

I even turned off the light and propped my pillows right. Still can't sleep. I don't know why tonight I felt this strange longing and aching for D. I just wanted him to be right here with me, close to me. I laid here on my bed in the dark, and tried to force myself to sleep but sleep's evading me. I tried to hug my pillow tight as I often do everytime I miss D but tonight, it's not doing anything to me. So I decided to grab my laptop and start yping away. Hopefully, sleep will come as I exorcise my mind from these thoughts....

Tonight, I felt sort of lonely. Yep. I did. Reason I can't sleep. It's fucking stupid. I'd like to think of myself as an independent woman, that I can do anything, that I can shape my own destiny no matter what. I'd like to think that as an independent woman I wouldn't spend a night like this, soaking my pillows with tears just because I am overwhelmed with an intense longing for the love of my life to be here, right here, right now. No, I never thought I would reach this point, me, crying because I wanna feeel his arms caress me, longing to be close to his warm body, and I want it right now. No, I'm not talking about sexual intimacy. Not at all. I just want him to be here...

And tomorrow, I wanna wake up in his arms...

That's all.

Sunday Hike

Here's a picture I snapped before rain started pouring.

It was a good 3 1/2 hour hike that left me tired and sore all over. I think I might have spent around 20 minutes in the pouring rain on my way back to the car. But no, it wasn't cold thank God. I didn't mind it actually. It was rather refreshing.

My Easter Bunny

D got me this for Easter. It was a total surprise! I got out of the shower and there it was, sitting on my nightstand by my bed .

I thought it was incredibly thoughtful of him! It made me feel so special and it put a smile in my heart, coz this is a first for me, as no one ever gave me flowers on Easter before.

It's amazing how D never runs out of ideas on how to show how much he loves me and cares for me. And I can't thank my lucky stars enough for bringing him into my life. :)

Thanks D for the Easter bouquet but most importantly, thanks for everything that you are...

Awesome Saturday Date

So tonight we went to Cobb's Comedy Club to see Alonzo Bodden winner of Last Comic Standing (Season 3). That dude was fucking hilarious! I just love his jokes! It was a total blast, D and I sitting there, laughing and having such an awesome time. Tess, one of the contestants from Last Comic Standing performed too. We bought Alonzo's CD on our way out and had him autograph it. Sweet, huh. :)

It was a very nice evening. And I thought it was cool how my favorite David Gray song (Babylon) was playing as we walked into a cozy restaurant in the City. We decided to eat something before we headed to the show so we sat there for a while, and just enjoyed the moment.

We had an awesome time, the show was fantastic, and D made sure that the evening ended in the most breathtaking way. Yes, it was literally breathtaking. And mind-blowing. ;) Hehehe

My "New" Phone

I know. It's just a Nokia 3595. But you know what's so special about it? I got it today at a garage sale for a buck! Yep, I paid $1 for a used cellphone in perfect working condition, with manual, charger and ear piece.

Can't beat that price, especially that my other phone has become a piece of shit. I've been planning to buy a new phone. Actually D got me a new one but we had to return it coz reception in my place is bad.

So I've been frustrated with my current cellphone and was ready to get a new one and thank God I only had to spend a buck.

What a steal!

Binago Ng Aking Mundo

Habang nagmamaneho ako papuntang trabaho kaninang umaga bigla kong naramdaman na talagang marami na ngang nagbago sa akin. Habang ako’y nakaupo sa gitna ng trapik sa tulay, napagtanto ko na hindi na lamang ang aking mundo ang nagbago kundi binago na rin ako ng aking mundo.

Lumaki ako sa magpakalingang tradisyon ng aking mga magulang. Sa kanilang palad ako’y pinakain, pinalaki at pinag-aral upang makamit ko ang tagumpay na inasam nila para sa akin.

Sa ilalim ng bughaw na kalangitan at sa gitna ng mga luntiang kabukiran, ako’y lumaki at nagkamalay. Araw-araw na naglakad gamit ang tsinelas na Spartan sa maputik o di kaya’y maalikabok na daan papuntang iskuwelahan. Ilang beses na hinabol ng mga matatapang na aso at ng mga naglalakihang baka na aking kinatakutan. Nagtanim ng kamatis at talong at tiniis ang nakalalasong amoy ng dahon ng tabako.

Dito ako lumaki at nagkamalay, sa isang maliit na bayan ng Hilagang Luzon. Lumaki ako sa mga tradisyong akala ko noon ay magpakalinga ngunit sa aking paglisan ay napagtanto kong marami sa kanila’y nakakasakal at mapang-api.

Araw-araw akong nagdarasal noon. Humahalik sa kamay ng mga nakatatanda. Naniwala din ako noon na mahalagang ingatan ang pagiging birhen hanggat hindi pa kinakasal. Naniwala akong “ang pag-ibig ay magpakailanman.” At kahiyahiya ang hiwalayan ang asawa. Hindi rin ako umiinom noon ng beer o alak o anumang klase ng alcohol dahil taliwas daw ito sa turo ng banal na kasulatan.

Nagdarasal pa din naman ako at humahalik pa rin ako sa kamay ng mga nakatatanda. Ngunit laking gulat na lamang ng aking tiyahin noong ako’y huling umuwi. Wala, walang nagbago sa aking anyo. Bitbit ko pa rin ang taba sa aking baywang at ang mga binti ko’y kasinlaki pa rin nong ako’y umalis. Ngunit habang nagkukuwentuhan kami sa veranda ng bahay ng aking tiyahin, nabanggit ng pinsan ko na may boypren na raw siya. Di ko napigil na sabihin sa kaniyang mag-ingat siya. Na hangga’t maari’y iwasan ang sex, hindi lamang dahil sa posibilidad na mabuntis sa maling pagkakataon kundi dahil rin sa HIV, AIDS, Herpes at iba pa. At sa huli ay idinagdag ko, “Ngunit kung sakaling hindi na kayo makapagpigil, siguraduhin mong gumamit kayo ng condom. Better safe than sorry.” Siyam na paris ng mata ang biglang tumitig sa akin.

Ah, nakalimutan ko, wala pala ako sa Amerika. Sa ilang saglit ay nakalimutan kong pansamantala pala akong nagbalik sa mapagkalingang lugar na aking kinalakihan. Nakalimutan kong ang aking mga pinsan at pamangkin ay nabubuhay pa rin ayon sa mga tradisyong akin nang kinalimutan. Nakalimutan kong ang aming mga magulang at mga tiyuhin at tiyahin ay hindi pa handa, at kahit kailan siguro ay hindi itatakwil ang mga nakasasakal na tradisyong bumabalot sa kanilang kaisipan.

Tumahimik ang lahat. Naramdaman ko ang hiya. Ngunit ipinaalala ko sa aking sarili na tama ako. Tama lamang na tapusin na ang kamangmangan at pagbabalat-kayo.

Pagkalipas ng ilang oras, kinailangan ko nang ipaalam sa aking buong angkan ang bagong ako. Hindi ko alam kung paano mag-umpisa. Natakot ako, nakaramdam ako ng alinlangan na baka ako’y itakwil nang ilan sa aking pamilya.

“Sa susunod na pagbalik ko, akoy dalaga na ulit.”

Katahimikan.

“Hindi ako nakatayo dito upang magyabang, kundi humihingi ako ng paumanhin sa inyong lahat dahil hindi ko natamo ang mga bagay na inyong inaasahan. At sa mga nakababata kong pinsan, huwag niyong sundan ang mga yapak na aking iniwan kundi mag-aaral kayo sa aking mga pagkakamali.”

Umiyak ako. Nag-iyakan kaming lahat.

Parang isang tonelada ang nawala sa aking dibdib noong nasabi ko na sa kanila tungkol sa aking )divorce. At sa kabila noon, naramdaman ko pa rin ang buong puso nilang pagtanggap sa akin.

Ah. Kahit pala marami nang nagbago sa akin, may pamilya pa rin pala akong masasandalan. Salamat na lang at hindi pa nawawala ang pagpapahalaga sa pamilya. Isang tradisyon na kahit kailan ay hindi ko tatalikuran.

Eto na ako ngayon. Umiinom na ako ng alcohol (bagamat malimit lamang.) Hindi ko na ikinahihiya ang divorce. Sa katunayan, kung may mga Pilipinong nagtatanong kung single pa ako, taas-noo kong sinasabing, “Hindi po. Divorced po ako.” Pwede ko rin namang sabihing single ako ngunit nakakaaliw tingnan ang mga reaksiyon sa kanilang mukha, lalo na kung sila’y nakatatandang kaibigan ng aking nanay.

Dati rin akong Pro-life. Ngunit ngayon ay Pro-Choice na. Pro-Choice ngunit laban pa rin ako sa Death Penalty. Dati ay naniniwala ako na kailangang ingatan ang pagkabirhen. Ngayon ay naniniwala na akong mahalagang i-test drive muna ang makina. Noon, hindi ko matanggap ang mga nag lilive-in at nagse-secret marriage. Pero kung tatanungin niyo ako ngayon, hindi na ako naniniwala na ang kasal ay para sa lahat. Naniniwala akong puwede kong mahalin nang habambuhay ang aking kasintahan kahit walang kontratang lalagdahan. Naniniwala akong wala sa papel ang tagumpay ng pag-iibigan. Naniniwala din akong kahit kailan ay hindi kayang ipagtanggol at iligtas ng isang kontrata ang inaanay at bulok nang relasyon.

Ngunit aaminin ko, masarap pa rin ang mangarap. Singsing na may batong diyamante, rosas at mga halik sa takip-silim. Mga bata sa duyan, siya at ako magkawak kamay habang nakatanaw sa araw na palubog sa karagatan.

Ngunit...

Eto na ako ngayon...

Ako sa bagong mundo...

At ako na binago ng aking mundo.

Random Things That Makes My Day

D called past midnight to tell me that he misses me and that he wished I was there, close to him to cuddle up to. I'm not sure if D had any idea how those words made me melt inside. As soon as he said those words, I hugged my pillow tighter, wanting D to be there, right there and then so I could put my arms around him and hug him tight.

We talked for half an hour and I was sitting there, feeling so loved and cared for and falling much deeper in love with the most wonderful man in the world.

I'm so lucky that D found me and that we walked into each other's lives at the right place and at the right time. And yes, I always knew in my heart that there was a promise of him...

I'm so happy I finally found that promise...

Finally Moved In

I know this is long overdue, probably for a week or so but yeah, I am finally moved in. I've finally unpacked all my boxes, put away all my stuff and everything looks perfect in my new apartment.

I thought it was going to be a very stressful move but thanks for D. He helped me all the way. He did almost everything himself! He helped me put away my stuff and decorated my new place. I didn't have to worry about how to arrange my furnitures or where to hang my wall decors. He did it all for me! I really enjoyed the move, the unpacking and those "in-between unpacking" smooches and kisses and touching and hugging and everything else that made me feel good and giddy inside. :)

So as a thank you gift for the most wonderful man in the whole world, I bought a pair of tickets to a Comedy Show in the City. I know he really likes Alonzo Bodden, winner of Last Comic Standing (Season 3) so I thought he would enjoy the show.

I know I'm always special to D but after my move I felt something deeper that words cannot describe. I started sobbing on his shoulder one night and told him I've never had anybody love me this way. And he held me tighter in his arms. I wanted so much to write an entry about the way I felt but as soon as I started typing, I got stuck coz I wasn't able to find words that could capture the intensity of how I feel. I was lost for words.

So I just reveled on the fact that yes, I am loved way beyond the ordinary.

D Day

Saturday is my D Day. We usually go out and do something on Saturdays and after taking an afternoon nap, D called to tell me he was on his way. I don't know why, but everytime D calls to tell me he's on his way, I still get these butterflies in my stomach all the time. But I'm not complaining. I actually love it! :)

I wasn't actually feeling too well today, you know, woman thing. But I think I just needed that D touch. :) He finished hooking up my entertainment stuff today. He brought an optical cable with him to connect my DVR to my TV so now I could listen to my TV shows in true 5.1 Surround. He also finished hooking up my DVD to my TV. and now, my home entertainment is all set up. And guess what, it is fucking awesome! He bought an HDMI cable Wednesday to use it for my Cable Box/DVR so my TV can get HD signals. And oh my god, after he hooked up the TV with the HDMI cable, the picture quality was so awesome I was freakin out! It was sharp, brilliant, lifelike! I was telling D how "bad" his influence was. I used to be satisfied with just a 14 inch TV and a VCR. Now, my standard for home entertainment was raised to the max. Thanks D! The night he hooked up my TV with an HDMI cable, I watched HD programs until 1:30 a.m and it was a work night! Now, everytime I go out, I can't wait to get home and watch TV! LOL. I am really enjoying it! Thank you so much D. If not for you, I would still be stuck with a little TV and a crappy DVD player. hehehe

Then I had him taste the Chicken Curry/Masala I cooked. He taught me how to cook it and this was the second time I tried. It's an Indian recipe with different Indian spices, chicken and vegetables. He said it was good but he could tell right off the bat that the masala powder was not cooked well enough. He said I had to cooked it very well while the onions are starting to brown. I have to remember that next time, I promise! :)

Then we went to the movies and saw Be Cool with John Travolta. It was an okay movie, a little entertaining and funny at some parts. Then we had dinner at Asqew Grill and I had Spicy Thai Salad. Oh, and before dinner, I dragged him to the spot where we first met. We stood there and kissed and relived the sweet memory of that evening. It gave me a very good feeling, a special high...

God, I love you D.

The rest of the night was awesome.... as always. :)

Homeless

Here's the third picture I snapped with my new camera.

I just got out of my meeting in downtown San Francisco and I saw this homeless man sitting right by the SF Dept. of Public Health building. He is distributing the Street Sheet which is a "homeless" paper. This is how some of the homeless in San Francisco make a living - selling the Street Sheet for a buck.

Got My New Camera!

I got my new camera yesterday! Yay! Just in time for Spring! I played with it a lil bit last night and yep, it is awesome! I love it! It's so tiny it's smaller than the palm of my hand!

I took some pictures in downtown SF today on my way to a meeting and the pictures came out nice! It has tons of features and I can't wait to read my manual so I could use it to the max!

Happy and Content

I am so happy and content I could burst!

And D knows why... :)

I'm happy, happy, happy!

I wuv you D! So much...

Been Busy Lately

Busy packing, moving, unpacking. But more updates comin up. :)

Can't Wait for My New Camera!

I got a $35 coupon today that I could use for a Canon S500. So I went online and checked it and guess what! It was on sale and on top of that I could still use my $35 coupon! How lucky is that!

I ended up paying almost $100 less than Circuit City's price. The only downside is that I have to wait until Thursday since I opted for the Free Shipping which takes about 3-6 days. But that's okay. I would still be getting it just in time for Spring. :)

Can't wait!

Summerlike Day

Today was a beautiful day. Temps were in the 70's, not a cloud in the sky. I drove to Mount Tam to enjoy the Pacific Ocean from up there, and walked down a little path that followed a stream down to Cataract Falls. There were lots of wild flowers and butterflies everywhere.

Too bad I had to do laundry today. So I went straight to the laundromat and spend almost 2 hours there because I was stupid not to press start on the washing machines after filling them up with quarters. Anyway, laundry is done. I gotta start packing.

I haven't done any packing at all. I can't seem to motivate myself into filling up those boxes in my living room with whatever junk I have in my closets. I tried to get rid a stack of magazines and junk mails and that's as far as I went in getting ready for my move.

It's almost 9 o'clock. I've been busy bugging Bing with my little rants, making it harder for to write an entry for her blog. But hey, it's been awhile since we chatted. So I'm sure (I hope) she doesn't mind. Hehehe.

I'm still waiting to hear from D about his auditions. I am excited to hear how it went so I hope he gets a chance to call me tonight. If not, I'm sure I'll hear from him tomorrow.

Ok, gotta start packing. Or at least try to get motivated.

What A Lucky Girl I Am

I had 2 missed calls when I checked my phone as I was standing by my car at the REI parking lot. It was D! I gave him a call back right away. He said his auditions are done and he wanted to do something.

We went to dinner at an Indian restaurant in Berkeley. I had my favorite Indian drink - Mango Lassi. Hmmmm, yummy. It was a nice dinner, we talked and talked and talked some more. I had a wonderful time just catching up with him, his auditions, everything. He said his auditions went well and they will give him a call tomorrow.

See what a lucky girl I am? I got to go out tonight with my baby! And of course I choose to leave out the details on how the rest of the night went but I guarantee you, it went wonderfully well.

I love you, D. I love all the things you do for me, all the big favors and those little ones you might not even be aware of. You do little things that tickles me and makes me feel so good inside. I love everything about you...

D told me last night he is not going to Tennessee this month anymore. He cancelled the gig. He wants to be there when I move so he could help me and so I don't have to deal with movers on my own. How fucking thoughtful is that?! Oh, sorry for the F word. Hehehe. I thought that was very thoughtful of him. Thank you, D.

Here's a text message I sent him the other night, and I'm gonna say it again: "You never stop amazing me, babe..."

Another Friday Entry

Happy Friday everybody!

I feel like I wanna go out tonight, maybe go get a cuppa coffee with a friend, dinner, anything. But unfortunately all my friends are either married, have kids or with their boyfriends.

D has an audition this evening for a record engineering gig in San Francisco. Crossing my fingers for you, babe. :) Lemme know how it goes. I'm sure you will blow them away with your talent!

So, it's Friday. I think I'm just gonna go to REI and get me a new pair of sunglasses. I think I have enough REI dividend to buy me a nicer one. Plus I have a 25% off coupon if I use my dividend. So I'm good. Yay for REI Dividends!!!!!

Or maybe I should just start packing since I only have a week left before I move. Or I could go to Barnes and Noble, get a cuppa coffee and enjoy a good book.

Hmmm, what should I do? It looks like my Friday night will be very busy after all. I have a stack of laundry waiting to get done. And I have yet to finish last night's episode of The Apprentice on my TIVO. Too bad Blockbuster doesn't have a copy of "The Motorcycle Diaries" so I can just sit on my couch and enjoy it.

I was also thinking of going to the Marina to practice rollerblading. Again. So even if I fall on my ass, I won't be too embarassed coz not a lot of people will be there to witness my failure. LOL But what if I fall and can't get up anymore? That would suck, no?

I'm just happy it's Friday. :)

A Steal (I think)

I got this hallway table for $35 on Craigslist last night. I think it's a great deal for that price. It's sturdy and glass on top is thick, probably half an inch. I thought it would look nice in my new apartment. :)

Easy Thursday

It was already 9:25 and I was still sitting in traffic! I wasn't even through the Toll Plaza yet. So I called my boss.

Me: Hi T.
Boss: Good morning Ms. Waves
Me: I'm sorry I'm gonna be late this morning.
Boss: Oh, don't worry about it. O and C won't be there until lunch time so there's no need for you to rush.
Me: Thank you. I'm stuck in traffic right now.
Boss: It's ok. Make sure you keep the door locked when you get to the office.

Hahaha! That was easy! See, I can't be alone in the office due to the nature and location of my job. So I took my time, stopped by a coffee shop and went to the grocery store to pick up something for lunch.

It's a fairly easy day for me. Or maybe it's just the caffeine kickin in. The phone keeps ringing but I seem to be in my best moods. Been like this for a few days now. And everytime I think of those little things that D does for me, it makes me feel warm inside. Like a few minutes earlier, I thought of my quick conversation with him this morning. He ended it by saying, "I wuv you, punkin." Everytime he says that, it tickles me inside and makes me giggle. Even right now as I am writing this, I am smiling... softly giggling.

I also just got off the phone with the apartment manager and they are letting me move in on the 12th which is a Saturday! Yahoo! I didn't wanna move in on the 15th or 16th because it's a weekday but they gave me 3 free days so I could move in on the weekend. Gotta start packing!

Tired Today

I am extremely tired today. I don't know why. There wasn't that much stuff at work but halfway through the day I wanted to go home so bad. Sigh.

I showed my apartment to a prospective tenant today. She really liked my place but she thinks the price is kind of steep. So I did my own little sales pitch. I mentioned the plus points of living in Montclair. It's close very to Montclair Village and it's quaint little shops, close to the tennis courts and only a short bike ride to the Regional Park trail heads. There's abundant wildlife even on my backyard, deer and racoons that visit at night. Blah blah. I actually enjoyed showing the apartment and it made me think about getting a sales job. But I'm sure it would be frustrating if you can't sell a thing. Maybe I should look into a car-selling jobs. Who knows, I might make more that way.

But I heard about this guy that works for a car dealership and he got fired because he would discourage people from buying those big as trucks unless it is necessary - like if they have a farm, construction firm or any other kind of business that would require the use of a truck. He is an environmental activistand he firmly believes that trucks, because they are major gas gulging monsters, should only be used for what they were really intended for. So he got fired, because he was causing too much loss on the car dealership's business. Was it justifiable that he got fired for it? Hmmm. I'm not actually sure. Looking at it on the business owner's perspective, yeah, he should have been fired because he was hired to sell and not to promote his own agenda. But then if you think about the social responsibility of these businesses, I would say, it was wrong to fire him. They shouldn't be selling those trucks to people who don't need it in the first place.

Or better yet, car manufacturers should stop making gas gulging monsters. We only have one earth and moving to Mars may be too expensive.

That is why my next car will either be Electric or a Hybrid.

Free Ice Cream!

I just got a coupon for free ice cream at Baskin Robbins for Yahoo's 10th Birthday! Want one? Here's the link:

http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/yahoo_birthday/

Life is Good

D just left. We had an awesome time together but I will spare you guys the details. Hehehe. But then of course, we always have an awesome time together. Always...

I had a mandatory meeting today in downtown SF and I figured if I left around 8:40, that will give me at least 50 minutes to get there. But guess what, I got to the Bay Bridge toll plaza and all those computerized signs were flashing: "CAUTION. ACCIDENT ON BRIDGE." I was so mad! No wonder why I haven't moved an inch in five minutes! So I got through the metering lights, past the accident then got stuck behind a slow moving car! How in the world can this happen to me! Just when I had a meeting and gotta be there on time, accidents happen and everybody seem to be taking their own sweet time driving on the bridge. Well, the truth is, the car before me was going on the speed limit which is 50 miles (80 kph) per hour but God, when I am late I don't care about the speed limit anymore. I'd rather go 15 miles above the speed limit, (75 mph which is around 120kph), as long as there are no CHP's (California Highway Patrol) around so I could make it on time.

It was 9:25 when I got off the freeway into the city streets. I thought, yeah, I can make it on time. But guess what, I had no money at all to pay for parking which is around $6 for couple hours and no coins so I can park by a parking meter. So I had to drive around 2 city blocks to look for free parking which is as rare as a diamond in the city. Luckily, I found one within a block away but it was limited for an hour only. I thought, what the heck, let me just park here and either get a parking ticket if I exceed the time limit or just take a break in the middle of my meeting and move it. So halfway through the meeting, I went and moved my car.

Went to Safeway after my meeting to get me some lunch and get cash back so I have at least a dollar worth of coins for the parking meter at the bank. I had to go to the bank earlier to get a money order for my deposit at the new apartment. As I was driving to the bank, D called just to say "Hi" and "I love you" as he was passing by my neck of the woods and he was wondering if I was home so he could stop by and give me a wuick hug. Aaaaaw! I thought that was so sweet! You have no idea how much those little phone calls mean to me. It was just a five-minute call but damn, it instantly brightened up my day.

On my way home, I stopped by my new apartment to give my deposit and sign my lease. Good lord, the lease agreement was probably 15 pages! Of course I made sure I read every single sentence, crossed out every blank space with a dollar sign on it, made sure I understand everything and signed it. Phew! Finally! I got it all over with. I looked around the aparment one last time and left.

Took a shower. Blowed my hair dry and waited for D.

D came and we spent an awesome, absolutely wonderful time together.