Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER)
The Couples for Christ Wellington (CFC) Chapter held an MER (guess where?) at our home and as you can imagine, our house was jam-packed with couples and friends attending the retreat. It was a refreshing retreat as it made Ronnel and me reminisce why we're together in the first place, that there is an unseen force that led us to where we are now, that we are here not because we want to be here but because He wants us to be here. I'm still waiting for our official photographer to upload the pics but I'll share them with you when I get them.
I'm a CBAP!
This is one of the things that has kept me reeeaaaallly busy these past few months. That's on top of the big project I was working on. I was encouraged by my bosses to go through the certification process of the IIBA (International Institute of Business Analysis). It was a bit hard to explain to my grandma what exam I was taking – I just told her it was kinda sorta like the BAR exam for lawyers. A CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) is what they call someone who’s passed the application process and exam. At first, I wasn't really keen on taking the exam this year (I was hoping to wait for next year so that I have enough time to study) but with constant prodding and support, I went through it. I'll be honest - it was a tough and tedious process. Filling up the application form alone took me a whole week. Studying for the exam was even harder since I usually got home at around 8 pm, tired and sleepy. But I found a perfect study partner, who else but my ever supportive hubby, Nel! His sole responsibility was to make sure I was studying. A few weeks before the exam, we made a deal. If I passed, he was going to buy me my dream phone. And so that he's motivated to motivate me, he also gets something out of it. I promised him that if I passed, I'm going to buy him whatever he wants. That wasnt so BA-like of me as I forgot to get his detailed requirements! I should have known better. Anyway, I got through the application and passed the exam! Yay! It was big deal not only for me but for the Bank I work for because I'm the first BA who's been certified. Apparently, there are only 432 CBAP's in the world and 15 in New Zealand! I'm one of the 15 and I'm not even Kiwi! I immediately told my parents, my grandma (who's been holding novenas for me) and friends who shared my joy. With this kind of support (and blessings from God!), how can I fail?
But wait, there's more... Remember I told you about my deal with Ronnel? Little did I know that he wanted a new car! And since I gave him my word, I had to oblige. So we had to trade in Sue (our old car- model is Premacy, hence, the name Sue) for bigger and better car that Nel has been eyeing for quite some time. And now we got Byaku (Short for Byakuya, the really handsome anime character in Bleach). So now that we spent our savings on Byaku, we no longer have funds to keep the other end of the deal. Bye for now, dream phone. I will see you this Christmas. But Im really happy for Ronnel. I remember when we were going out, Ronnel's dream car was quite simple, a Nissan California. I urged him to dream big, to stretch his ambitions, to see how far he can go. That's what I learned from my parents. They've always encouraged me and my siblings to use our God-given skills and talents to see where it will lead us. One of my mantras has always been "Reach for the stars, if you fall, you fall on the trees. Reach for the trees, if you fall, you fall on the ground." I suppose that's why we're not on the ground now. Thanks ma and pa for instilling that in your children. Anyway, before I get overly dramatic here. I'm really happy for Ronnel. His face lit up like a little boy opening a present when he got the keys for Byaku, and it’s worth giving up my dream phone…. well, for a few months, anyway.
Finally Seen Snow!
One of my childhood dreams is to see snow. You see, when I was young, I’d stick my head in the freezer and imagine I was an Eskimo. But it wasn’t the same, for one, the ice in the freezer smelled like fish. That was why when Nel and I came to New Zealand, I decided that I must see snow at least once. And this weekend, not only did I see snow, I touched it, smelled it, rolled in it and yes, even tasted it. The last one made Ronnel think twice about my sanity though.
We went to Mt. Ruapehu with friends from CFC. It was a 5-hour drive from Wellington and it was the first test for Byaku and his master, Nel. The sight of the snow-covered mountains was breath taking. It really makes you feel how small you are relative to the universe, and how great and powerful our Creator is. Ronnel couldn’t ski because of his basketball injury but he understood my thirst to try new things so he encouraged me to go for it. It was good that he was there since he played the role of my ski assistant, picking me up when I fell which was all the time and bring me my skis when I couldn’t lift them. Once again, I’ve proven that I am not suited for sports. Hours of practice in the Wii Ski did not prepare me for the real thing. Who would’ve thought that skiing was that hard? I always scored high in the wii! So after a couple of hours of falling and sliding, I’ve resigned myself to just playing with snow. We threw snow balls at each other, made snow angels, took pictures with friends and ate sushi surrounded in snow. We even took some snow and put it on a cooler bag to cool our drinks! We spent the night at Taupo and did some sight seeing. And so I'm really grateful that we found good friends.. thanks to Donald and Tin for organizing this trip! You helped me realize my life-long dream to see snow!
Below are pictures of us with friends frolicking in snow and some sights to see in Taupo.
