Holy Smokes!!! We've been featured.

Well, okay, not really featured but close enough! ;)

I check Diane Phillips' blog every so often to see what kind of beauties she's been creating lately. And I went to check out her blog today as I normally do and guess what I saw? (It was posted on her September 20th blog.) The following, which was copied and pasted from Diane's blog:
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Real Wedding - Joyce & Christian



One thing I love about what I do is obviously working with my couples on creating their unique style they envision, but I also enjoy working with some really wonderful and very talented wedding professionals. The photographers who capture my artistry who I have had the opportunity to work with over the years are truly amazing. Many of them I have never even met, but I'm grateful to them because they so kindly share the photos with me so that I can showcase them on my blog and website.



Joyce and Christian hired me to create the bridal bouquet, boutonnieres, cake topper and favors. They recently got married earlier this month at SeaWatch Restaurant in Wailea, Maui. The SeaWatch Restaurant is the place where my clients, Alyssa and Daniel got married this past December and the SeaWatch Restaurant does a great job with their weddings and special events.



Stewart Pinsky was their photographer. Stewart was responsible for getting Mae & Jeremy's wedding featured on theknot.com which has brought me a ton of business over the last year and a half! I was so happy to hear he also worked on this wedding.



Just a couple of days ago I received a package from Stewart with the photos from Joyce and Christian's 20's vintage style wedding. I almost feel like it's a "speak-easy" style wedding when I see their photos.



If you are interested in hiring Stewart for your destination Maui wedding, you can see more of his wonderful photography at www.mauiweddinggallery.com. Thank you again Stewart for sharing Joyce & Christian's wedding images with me and my readers!

Job Search And A Decision

So, now that I have come to terms with my hot feet and tingling/numbness of my right arm, I am becoming more active on my job search. I've been applying to various hosipitals that are not firm with their 1 year experience requirement. I've also got in contact with some staffing agency as well. We'll see where the job search leads me.

I also went on a job "interview" the other day to work for a hospice agency near my house. And I turned in my paperwork on Tuesday to the agency and now waiting for a call back from them. I'm a bit nervous because I'll be alone at the clients' places and will be on my own. But I'm sure I'll get training. On a side note, I also emailed my teacher to say HI and she emailed back to say that we're going to be co-workers. I didn't know what she meant and then she told me that she is also going to be working for that agency per diem starting this weekend. What a small world, huh? =)

Also, my sister, who has been working overtime on the job search for me, told me to contact an agency she used to work for to do flu clinics. I emailed a lady around 11 in the morning and she called me back around 5:30 to tell me that there is a flu clinic I can do in San Francisco this Tuesday. And this agency pays more than the other agency I signed up with. After my phone call with the lady, I was so excited. Mind you, I'll only be working for 2 hours but still I was very excited. Mr. JB said it might be because I will be actually working as an RN and cuz I'll be earning my first paycheck (it's less than $100). I am still waiting for the lady to email me some paperwork that needs to be filled out.

And because I haven't really gotten a real job lined up, I am also looking into going back to school. University of Phoenix offers an online Masters program and it sounded really good....BUT the tuition is a kicker. $28,000!!! WOW. It's $550/credit. And I think it's a good deal if I had a job lined up already but since I don't have a job, I am hesistant to get into that much debt. Samuel Merritt (another college located in Oakland, CA) charges $680/unit. And the great thing about University of Phoenix is that the classes start at varioius time and you don't have to wait for January or August to start the semeseter AND you get into their programs very soon, instead of having to wait for a long time for the nursing director to make your life decision if you were to applied to a State University. And I really want to do it and so do my mom and Mr. JB. BUT I'm still being held back by the tuition. Sigh.... Hopefully I will make my decision very soon.

Say Yes To The Dress -- love that show; not the price tags of the dresses

Have you seen that show?? It's on TLC and I love watching it. Mr. JB is so cute because when that show is on, he would say "honey, your show is on." Of course, the best part about watching that show with him is to reminisce about our wedding and the money we did not spend on my wedding dress. I can't believe these ladies (brides) spend so much money on a dress.

The other day, I saw a mom who was paying for her daughter's dress and when asked about the budget, she said "it's not about the money; it's about finding THE dress for my daughter". And the sale consultant brought dresses that were GRAND. And the daughter ended up loving a dress that was $14,000!!!! OMG! Really? That much for a dress you'll only wear for a few hours? I can't imagine how much the whole wedding was going to cost them. YIIIKKEESSS!!!

I can't imagine spending lots of money on a dress that I will only wear for a few hours. The money can go towards a trip or something. I mean, I know different people have different priorities and all but .... WOW!!!

I mean, these brides' lowest budget is like $2000. Maybe because Kleinfield is supposed to be expensive place? Or something? And some people are from the West Coast. So, I wonder if these brides travel from the West Coast to the East often for that dress. I mean, think about it. The intial appt, the fittings, etc. And the tarvel cost, on top of the cost of the dress. WOW.

Also, you can see the relationships the brides have with their moms.... Wow. Some relationships are great and some are just out there! And when I went dress shopping, my mom didn't have the reaction I was looking for. Well, neither did I. I thought I was going to cry when I find THE dress. But I didn't have any emotional feeling about any of them. Neither did my mom. hee hee. For me, it was because I couldn't commit. I don't know why my mom wasn't emotional. Maybe she is not that kind of person. Who knows?

Anyhoo, I love that show. I especially love the clip they show at the end of some of the weddings. Swoon....

We're back (again..)

We're back from our Australia / New Zealand trip. And we were totally jet lagged. Well, at least I was for sure. I still am. It's 3 in the morning and I'm wide awake. UGH!! So annoying.

I'll write about the trip soon, I hope.

And we just got our thank you cards from Costco and I'm going to work on them this week.

And I'm also working on my wedding albumn.

I've also been dealing with that health issue I was having. I'm happy to report that I saw a rheumatologist today and he said I don't have lupus. Thank goodness!!! I was really worried for a few days after my primary physician has told me that based on my lab results and my physical symptoms I was reporting, it could've been lupus. But we still don't know what the reason is for the numbess, tingling, blue fingers, etc.

Can it be? Hooray for the sun...

Thursday August 27th: the day the sun came out in our neighborhood

I live in the Sunset district of San Francisco. And usually, I love the foggy weather. It can be gloomy but my skin loves the coolness the fog brings. BUT after coming back home from Hawaii, I noticed that my body isn't loving the fog as much. And I've been sort of lethargic and weak all around, not wanting to do anything. And because my feet are feeling like they've been on fire, it was another reason to sulk in our TV room, wanting to do absolutely nothing. No cooking, no cleaning, no nothing. I just have been sulking. Oh yes, that also mean, not wanting to do anything wedding or work or school related either. Besides checking email, I wasn't even in the mood to blog. Just blah.

And usually, I pack my luggage WAY before we leave for a trip. And since I've been sulking, I didn't start packing for our trip until today. Mind you, we're leaving for Australia and New Zealand tomorrow. And of course, yesterday, I was telling myself that I have to snap out of my sulkiness so that I can have energy. And today, the sun helped me out by coming out in our neighborhood. It's bright and sunny and I feel like the sun is giving me some juice for the "almost out of juice" battery I have in my body. Horray for the sun! =)

Feedback from pictures

Since we got pictures from our photographers, we were able to upload some to the Picasa website. Then, we sent those 140 images to families and friends. And here are some of their feedback:

"Oh my Gosh...you are absolutely beaming! That looked like so much FUN! What a terrific collection of pictures! YOU LOOKED BEAUTIFUL! I love all the fun details...frog pillow, Chris's hat, your vail, the pineapple chairs, petal cones, the table cards, the fans...so much thoughtfulness into it! (Guess that's what so many years will do waiting for such a fantastic event!) Keep your happiness close and remember exactly how to capture it again, it will come in handy!
I'm so impressed! You go grasshoper, think you are now a butterfly instead!
Love,
Anne : )"

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"Thanks for sharing... are you home or on your honeymoon still? Let me know and we can chat...
xoxo The pics are lovely and you looked beautiful and yes, your niece is the picture of you....
Larissa"

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"You look absolutely beautiful! Chris looks so cute. What was the name of the place you had the ceremony? It looked like it was a private area.

Regina"

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"aww. your wedding looked perfect! and you looked pretty the cake looks great, and your wedding party is really small.. wow. I like your theme color too.. it stands out. do you have pics from the reception?"

Then I sent out some more pictures and she responded with:

"those are some really really nice pictures.. and I love the color combination! you're making me really think about having a destination wedding, but i'm just scared that my grandparents won't be able to make it.

Donna"

Note: I'm so glad I was able to inspire someone to have their wedding elsewhere other than at the home base. If I had to do it over again, I would still have our wedding in Maui...

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"Thank you Mrs Escobar for sharing your picture!!! Did it hit you yet? That you are indeed (Mr. JB's) property now? hahahahah! jk. Congratulation and too bad for me I missed the whole thing somehow somewhat ill make it up to you ... hehehehe!

Ning"

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"I am very happy for the both of you. The pictures look great!! It also appears that the weather was kind to you as well.

I am all smiles for the both of you. Sorry, we could (not) be there.

Bobby and Olivia"

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"Congratulations!!! You guys look really great, and happy :) I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures!

Josephine"

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"Very nice scenery. Of course, the bride and groom look gorgeous.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. (JB)!

Enjoy your honeymoon now....

Sue"

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"Thank You for sharing, how beautiful!!! Ms.JB your face was glowing and the flowers were so colorful and pretty. Yes, you will wake up for months saying wow this is my husband, enjoy!!!

Adrienne"

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Of course, reading these comments made me glow some more. I have no idea if people say they like the pictures because it's a polite thing to say...BUT I like the details I put into the wedding and as Mr. JB usually says: "who cares what others think. As long as you and I loved our wedding, that's all that matters." Oi..so sweet! =)

Broken Goods..

You know how I was feeling numb and tingly on my right side of the face and neck? Well, things got a little scary on Monday night when I was in the shower. I was shampooing my hair and I realized my fingers were feeling tingly and I couldn't really feel my fingers feeling my head. I thought it was strange. I looked at my fingers...an they were turning blue. Seriously blue. I thought I was seeing things and called Mr. JB to ask what he saw. He said they were blue too. I was worried. Normally, you'll have blue toes and fingers if you're cold. BUT I was in the shower.

I did my own physical assessment, of course. My capillary refill was longer than 3 seconds (normal is 3 seconds). So, thinking it was circulation issue, I moved my arms like crazy to make sure I had circulation going. It took a good 15 minutes to get it back to normal. Then, the capillary refill was back at less than 3 seconds. But the tingling I was feeling didn't go away. The pinky on the right hand is still feeling weird.

I decided to call Kaiser on Tuesday to make an appointment. I got an appointment with my doctor on Wedneday at 8:20.

Wednesday came and I saw my doctor. She was really cute and sweet. She's my primary physician, who took over the Nurse Practitioner I was seeing for years. Anyhoo, I told her about my symptoms plus the cough I had for weeks now. She ordered a chest x-ray, and gave me prescription for my cough. Then she said she's going to start the MRI process. I told her that I still had to do the blood work that was requested of me by the neurologist. And off I went to another building, visiting 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor. Third floor was for chest x-ray, 2nd floor was for lab and 1st floor was for pharmacy. A busy Wednesday morning.

And the lab results started to pour in yesterday night and today. I'm happy to announce that I don't have diabetes. And just now, I checked the other results and saw that for my ANA, normal result should be negative but I had positive as my result. What does it mean?

"An antinuclear antibody (ANA) test measures the amount and pattern of antibodies in your blood that work against your own body (autoimmune reaction).
The body's immune system normally attacks and destroys foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses. But in disorders known as autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks and destroys the body's normal tissues. When a person has an autoimmune disease, the immune system produces antibodies that attach to the body's own cells as though they were foreign substances, often causing them to be damaged or destroyed. Rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are examples of autoimmune diseases."

"ANAs can be found also in patients with infections, cancer, lung diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, hormonal diseases, blood diseases, skin diseases, and in elderly people or people with a family history of rheumatic disease. ANAs are actually found in about 5% of the normal population.

The ANA results are just one factor in diagnosing, and must be considered together with the patient's clinical symptoms and other diagnostic tests. Medical history also plays a role because some prescription drugs can cause "drug-induced ANAs".

I have no idea what's next....or if this is really my result...

Maybe more tests? Maybe it's nothing? I dont' know...

Poor Mr. JB who is now responsible for me, the broken goods. He's such a good sport about it though. He worries and usually wake up to see if I'm doing okay during the middle of the night, while I'm having my coughing fits. Mind you, he used to sleep through the night but lately, he hasn't been able to sleep well because of my coughing. But yesterday, I took the cough syrup and went to sleep fine. Only two bouts of coughing. Not so bad.

I'll keep you posted on the lab result. I'm sure it's nothing...