Happy 34th birthday to me!

630 I wake up and feel Kenneth’s foot on my mouth. Oh well. Ay, dreamt John Lloyd Cruz is very interested in me hahaha. Husband kisses me happy birthday. What a beautiful morning indeed.

Checks Friendster, oh my, greetings all over! Lielani Teodosio, Olivia Rembulat, Riva Apelit, Russel Grace Acuesta, Tyrone Zabal, Juliet Celis, Bernadette Ang — all of them I havent seen in 5-15 years! Heto pa, from Jeunesse Franco, fellow akeanons Marlyn & Laurie! Even nicer are those who greeted me yesterday — Rommel Constantino, Joyce Nable, Randy Salazar, Christy Tarusan, Charlotte Dianco, Joyce Conti, Arnie Tukayo, Rolly Hibidonia (2x thanks!), Jeselee Militar ! I even get birthday greetings, via phone, in days advance: Francis Leonidas and Juby Reyes. Grabe! Viva La Friendster!

650 Wake Khayla for school. She washes her face and gets dressed after her catheter care and stretching exercises. Feeds herself, fixes her hair and waves bye when the bus came. She doesn’t want to be kissed in public. Hay, so proud, almost independent na.

735 Si ako — Waters front garden. Harvests tomatoes. Picks up dirty diapers. Throws trash. Fixes dining table Summer Style ala Pier Imports. Drinks day-old coffee. Prepares breakfast for Ken & husband: oatmeal, pan de sal. Wakes up the snoring men – hoi bugtaw! Sweeps floor. Folds yesterday’s laundry.

Checks voice mail — my sister Heidi in panic, missed her RDU-ATL flight, now she’s coming from Salt Lake, Utah. ETA to SMF 1230 pm daw. Read text messages — baw, I got bday messages from Dennis Isleta, Johnart Iguban, Anna Liza Matorres, Mel Constantino (2nd greeting, thanks!). Checks company email — about 10, nothing in crisis, so can wait till tonight. Checks fax machine — employee time sheet. Oo nga pala, a-kinse, pa-sweldo ngayon.

755 Ken and husband ready for breakfast, dressed to kill. Gwapo mga lalaki ko ba. Tuned in TFC’s Magandang Umaga: exclusive — beheading. What the…??? Screams. Turns the TV off. Erase-erase bad mojo.

Husband getting ready for work. He wants to wear his black Express pants, but I tell him it needs sewing. Why don’t you wear your black Lauren pants, tutal pareho lang naman. He grumbles. I get the hint, looks for my needle and starts sewing. Husband off to work at 850.

900 Conference call with LifeStages Magazine Operations Director. We want to advertise, so he gives me a quote: $3,100 semi-annually. *** gasp *** mahal pala.

Negotiate, Cheryl, negotiate. Finally after the longest time, he gives me 50% discount with free professional lay-out and website link. Closes the deal in 90 minutes. They e-fax the contract, I am not happy. Asks to revise the contract. 2nd e-fax, then everything looks good. Faxes it back to their Texas headquarters.

Turns around to see Kenneth in a mess. My business cards all flipped. Lotion splattered all over his face. Papers full of scribbles. God help me.

1030 Checks Friendster, oh my, more greetings! Rhea, my dear neighbor and akeanon Devzie. Messages too from Harry and Thadeo Salido. Aw.

Potty training with Kenneth. So far, so good.

1100 Phone starts to ring like crazy:
. Mortgage – hoy, I paid already, last week pa! Stop harrasing me!
· Khayla’s medication ready to be picked-up
· Isabel Care Home staff called to greet me happy birthday
· Client referral, made appointment for assessment
· An invitation for a new business venture — ANO BA YAN!? No more raket please stressed na ako! Politely declined the invitation.
· Kenneth’s childcare has new slot openings, thank goodness! After begging them for weeks! Now he can go full time and leave my office in decent shape!
· Christopher Care Home staff calls to greet me happy birthday, and gently remind me about paycheck
· Farmers Insurance gives reminders that I need to pay our car and home insurance. Jeez, never ending bills

1230 Heidi calls “Ate, dungka^ eon ako”. She is talking about her Delta Airlines flight, of course. Pick her up from the airport, which is 5 minutes away from our house. Glad she has chosen to spend her vacation time here with me!

100 Khayla’s bus arrives. Checks her bag for homework and notes from therapists. Gets reminder slip to tomorrow’s bi-annual physical therapy assessment. Yup, we’ll be there.

130 Lunch: left-over baby back ribs I cooked yesterday. Chica with Heidi and Mom, who just got off from work. Mom brought frozen lanzones, intended for Heidi, but gobbled it up. Hay, nakakaguilty, $2.50 for 50 small pieces! Bribed Ken to nap, no epek, he’s still jumping up and down.

200 Business again: project advertising listing. As in design. Used Photoshop 101 in attempts to make it look good. But draft lang naman daw ang kailangan, then professionals will configure the lay-out. Glad they will, as my work is so B-L-A-N-D.

Fax the draft to Celso’s office, who tells me I need to do this, add this, delete that. Hmp reklamador, aber ikaw nga gumawa. He said he’ll work on it tonight. Asked where do we want to go tonight, sabi ko, kahit saan.

Instinctively, I turn around. Kenneth is happily dumping contents of my purse and putting all my coins in a pile. Aghhhh! Bakit ayaw matulog ng batang ito?

430 Visits residential home construction site. My project, a care facility for the developmentally disabled, is almost done. Inspection will be this Thursday. Hope I pass, along with my submitted project design. Hope, hope, hope.

Errands — picks up Khayla’s prescription, buys milk (what, $4.19 a gallon?), have my minor traffic violation cleared (broken tail lights, $25), returns overdue book ($5), pay last week’s childcare ($600 hikbi), etc.

Hay, coffee break. Mmmmm — peppermint mocha frappuchino for Hydes & caramel mocha frappuchino for me.

Arrives home to see 3 red roses and a chocolate cake. Ah, sweet!

700 Dinner at BJ’s Brewhouse and Sportsbar. Waiting game outside for 20 full minutes, pose muna sa artwork. Kenneth already agitated by the time we got our seats. Orders spinach & artichoke pizza – no one shared with me, bakit kaya? Overall, the food is good, but this is not a kid-friendly restaurant — too dark, food took so long, and no french fries offered!

Dad calls from Mosul, Iraq. Utang daw muna gift, hirap daw magshopping, sa gitna cya ng gyera eh. My brother Franz, now living in New Mexico, text’ed me birthday greetings as well.

1000 Arrive home with 5 boxes of doggie bags.

Husband and I too tired, but have to do our chores. I bathe the kids, while husband washes the dishes, cleans up the playroom and secures the house. He puts the kids to sleep while I prepare Khayla’s supplies for the next day and Kenneth’s stuff for tomorrow’s day care.

1130 Kids finally asleep. For the first time today, quiet time for me and husband. We then take our hot shower — our special daily ritual since the day we got married. Tells him he is too quiet this afternoon. I am right, one of our major contracts has ended prematurely (hospice patient died). Assures him I’ll work on brochures this week. We’ll work on a more aggressive marketing campaign strategy.

Philippines called — my super duper wonderful in-laws calls to greet me happy birthday. Manang Celine text’ed me pa. Humabol talaga. Thank you gid, I cannot ask for more.

1200 Husband grabs the laptop and surfs the net: balita. He then falls asleep.

I surf the net for, what else, Friendster. More birthday comments from Jonalyn Dator & Cisco Pomperada. More birthday messages from Dondi Tiples, Charito Barrios and Arlette. Retrieved voice message from my sis-in-law Frances. Got a YM message from good’ole Yermak Formacion.

1230 About to do web bill-pay and make my to-do list for tomorrow… but this is my special day. I turn the computer off and kiss my husband goodnight.