Wishing everyone a day & life filled with hearts & love.♥ In honor of the romantic love I've been blessed with, I've filled out this questionnaire for married (that's us), engaged or dating couples. Feel free to copy & paste and fill out with your own answers for personal social media sites. Again, Happy Valentine's Day! XO

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In what I feel was a very special moment at the historic "Women's March" after the Presidential Inauguration 2017, a group of women led by the song writer MILCK, started singing this beautiful song. Putting aside political differences, the song is hauntingly lovely & powerfully fierce.

Click here to hear the song & see the music video.

This was posted on Facebook. Interview your children with these questions, but don’t prompt them, correct them, or put words in their mouth. Write down their answers as they say them. These rules make the answers more interesting. I wrote down their original answers even though sometimes they (especially my first-born), wanted to change the answer. Also, it’s pretty cool to see yourself in the eyes of your loved ones. I couldn’t help myself & included my personal commentary in…

My latest contemporary romance novels recommendations:

• Breakaway by Catherine Gayle
• When You're Ready by J.L. Berg
• Fever by Melissa Pearl

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I've been watching the Tournament of Roses Parade on television for about 35 years now. It has always been a beautiful & traditional way to start off the new year. I've always wanted to see the floats up close & personal and this year, we did it! It was an awesome experience and I feel truly privileged to see these giant artwork pieces right in front of me.

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I can't listen to this song without feeling strong emotions--sometimes I have to choke back tears when I'm listening to it. Yeah, I'm a big sap. But I own it. LOL! I love songs that inspire & this song has that quality, in whatever way the listener wants to interpret it. Andra Day's voice is haunting & so pure. Please listen & enjoy this song. I hope it moves you in some way too.…

Please watch the following eye-opening video. "Amazingly 60% of Americans have never spoken to a Muslim about Islam. With the backdrop of violence and terrorism associated with Islam, The Review of Religions team traveled across America touring 6 States over 8 weeks asking the public if they had any questions about Islam. With questions ranging from Jihad to Feminism, the response was amazing!" Source: The Review of Religions…

In light of an extremely volatile Presidential election that concluded unfavorably in alignment to my beliefs and ideologies, I must continue to march forward and contribute to my country and my world as best I know how--that is to continue to spread messages I believe are right and true to my morals. And I will continue to raise my boys to be the men who act & believe in ideals I can be proud of.…

The election did not go the way that I had hoped. And I have to admit, it left me pretty shaken and continues to send me on occasional emotional lows. But as I always try to do, I choose to find the positive in everything. One of my favorite reactions was from Stephen Colbert.

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Contemporary Romance Novel Recommendations:

Wilde Nights in Paradise by Tonya Burrows

My First-Jason & Katie by Melanie Shawn

The Wedding Trap by Adrienne Bell

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Along with most schools nationwide, my boys' school participated in Red Ribbon Week at the end of October. The main message was YOLO (You only live once), Don't Use Drugs. Of course, I've always told my kids about the dangers of drugs, but as all involved parents can relate, I hope that they've been listening and follow through in the decisions they make. As they are now experiencing the jungle that is Middle School, I hope that the continuous conversations we've had and messages they…

As Filipino-American, I've grown up with the notion or the running joke (depending on how you want to look at it) of time being relative. When a time was set, there was always the question, "Is this Filipino time or American time?" with "Filipino time" being the later option. This works fine during an informal house party gathering or casual get-togethers where arrival is fluid and it's preferable for both the attendees and the hosts for guests to arrive "fashionably late". But when it's a…

I can often be cynical about commercials and public service announcements (PSAs), but I love when I see a piece that stands out and speaks to me. Have you seen the Android commercial with the rock, paper & scissors? If my memory holds correctly, I first saw it in a movie theater & enjoyed it. Aside form the cute characters, the message is solid: Be together. Not the same.

Click the…

I can often be cynical about commercials and public service announcements (PSAs), but I love when I see a piece that stands out and speaks to me. Have you seen the Android commercial with the rock, paper & scissors? If my memory holds correctly, I first saw it in a movie theater & enjoyed it. Aside form the cute characters, the message is solid: Be together. Not the same.

Click the…

We've come to that moment of parenthood that came much too quickly for my preference, but nevertheless, it's here. We are now looking into high schools for my first-born. I've always been a private-school, Catholic school kid & parent so now we're transitioning to the public school system. I've decided to go out of my comfort zone because we're fortunate to belong to an awesome school district with great high school pathway options. I've done some outside research & now it's a matter…

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...This week has been a true test of my sheer will and strength as a mother--sending my 13-year-old, my first-born off on a 5-day retreat miles away, off the grid---no contact! It's been emotional--up & down--happy for him, worried for him, excited for him then missing him. Very much missing him.  And I survived. My Huz has survived (barely) & his younger brother (very bonded to him) also survived.  We missed him SO SO much!! But we love him and want him to experience…

Today, I send my first-born off on a week long academic & spiritual retreat with his fellow 8th Grade graduating class, their teacher, and chaperones. He will be about 6 hours away driving distance, and about an hour away plane distance. He'll be off the grid--no communication via phone--for almost 6 whole days. What seemed like an abstract concept ("oh yeah, he's going on a retreat in the 8th Grade") is now my reality. Make no mistake about it, this is going to be the longest week of my…

There's so much tearing down out there. Women, men, older people, children--non of us are immune to hurtful and angry words. I'm craving something positive! So, naturally I turn to music to give me some solace. Here's a song that tells you to be proud of who you are. You are beautiful--just the way you are. Focus on being a good person. That's beauty--that's the light that shines within.…

I'm thankful for all the talented authors out there constantly churning out amazing stories and introducing readers to fantastic characters we love, hate, or love to hate. Please, please never stop writing because we readers will never stop reading. A specific shout-out to the writers of Contemporary Romance--my favorite genre. Here are my recent three book recommendations...

• Breaking Up With Barrett (The English Brothers Series) by Katy Regnery
• Elizabeth the…

If you're going to spend your money anyway, doesn't it feel good to know that you're supporting a small, local business? If you live or are in the Lakewood, CA area (in the county of Los Angeles), I encourage you to stop by the Veteran-owned Captain Vic's Coffee and Ice cream, hitting all those points of interest. Here's a Shop Lakewood produced video giving you some insight on this local business...…