"I can still remember us musing about where our "The Ones" could be at that particular moment over Mamia's iced coffee as we sat on one of the cold benches at the boulevard. Now it's your wedding day and that question is not as significant as before, because it didn't really matter where he was at that moment. What really matters is that he was destined to be with you in this one. Wheeeee! (happy noise sa.) A blessed, happy, exciting life full of laughter and joyful tears to you and Adrian. "

That's the message I had for a good friend of mine who got married today. Fre is one of my close high school friends and despite being drawn to different areas of interest as we got older, this group of friends that we belong to always found that we would effortlessly gravitate toward each other, something that has kept us close through all these years. We would spend hours in cafes talking about our future group dinners together with then unknown boyfriends. Now,most of us are married, Fre being the newest one to enter the club. Having seen how their story unfolded in front of my eyes, it brings in just the right dose of inspiration, something that tells me that things have a way of working out the way you hope they would.

couples, couples, couples, couples, couples, couples, couples, couples, couples, couples, couples

When Fre texted me to ask if I was available to do a shoot for them, I immediately said yes. This was a way to catch up, give something to a friend for her special day, and one day where I could see Fre and Adrian in love and having fun. And they didn't disappoint! They were naturals, posed and hugged and laughed like I wasn't there. It was so much fun just watching the two of them smile and laugh at some little inside joke or talk about what they had planned to do next after the shoot. And the way Adrian would look at Freslyn during the rare times when I pulled them apart---precious!!! 

That's Theodore right there. Cute as a button in his suspenders and spectacles. Kudos to Mama Ingrid for getting his outfit together in time for the shoot! The last time I saw David Theodore (such a cute name!) was when I was doing a fun shoot with a friend and we happened to drop by their house because it was pouring outside and we wanted to keep our cameras safe. Baby was still a few days old then but even then I knew he'd be a looker. And I wasn't wrong! Such an adorable smile, and those chubby little arms and legs, I could just eat them up. This shoot was nothing but fun, fun, fun, especially since I also got to spend some quality playtime with big sister Debra, who insisted on ready me a fairy tale while we were preparing for the shoot. No words, just ADORABLE.

“No, this is not the beginning of a new chapter in my life; this is the beginning of a new book! 
That first book is already closed, ended, and tossed into the seas;
 this new book is newly opened, has just begun!
 Look, it is the first page! 
And it is a beautiful one!” 

― C. JoyBell C.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, 
so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I started this week with a bang, if you could call it that. My  JD thesis defense was scheduled for 3:30 PM on Monday. This thesis and the thought of standing in front of a panel of lawyers who would grill me for two hours on a paper that I fussed and cried over and wanted to shred to pieces numerous times during the past months... well that thought was enough to make me unravel. I contemplated quitting law school just because I didn't want to deal with the thesis. And after I saw how critical the past panel members were, the anxiety and dread about my impending defense mounted and mounted until finally, on that very day, I felt nothing at all. It was strange and weird and I felt a teeny tiny bit of anxiety because I didn't feel anything! It was probably my brain and body shutting down from all that tension and anxiety. After months of being scared, my body got tired of feeling that way and simply gave up and started feeling normal again. That's my theory at least. 

I didn't really think much of it until I was gathering my things and making small talk with J, the school attendant (best guy ever!) while he was cleaning up after my defense, just how blessed I am. The unworthy recipient of so much grace, that's who I am and for a moment I felt ashamed. I spent the past months totally taking this on and doing such a mediocre job of showing grace under pressure (I was the epitome of "stressed under pressure" which is the exact opposite, LOL!) And here I was, being shown so much grace and faithfulness when in the last months I showed none. I was moody, irate, anxious, faithless, mean sometimes, and I turned to all the wrong things for comfort when I needed a quick fix. A humbling experience, that defense was. I did pass it (and I was even given pre-defense advice by the ASec of the DOJ himself!) but the more important lesson that I got from all that is that I was and still am the recipient of so much undeserved grace. It was a reminder that He always stays faithful, even when I fail to live up to my end of the bargain. 

I rarely post spiritual stuff here on my blog but it's never too late to start, methinks. And what better way to do so than to show just what a powerful and faithful Father I have. :)