Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Yesterday was the 26th Anniversary of my amazing parents..my oh my..how time flies when you’re in love!

Mom & Dad posing in Laguna Beach

So, as I was trying to find the perfect picture to post of my parents…I realized that I don’t have too many of them together. But, I definitely wanted to recognize them because they made it through 26 successful years of marriage! That’s a pretty LONG time! Ha. I’m definitely not an expert at marriage, in fact I haven’t even made it through 1 yr yet, but I give all married people props. I love being married, but I’m not going to lie…it has its challenges.

My parents have always taught me that if you work hard enough for something, you can obtain it. That’s what they did when they moved from the Philippines & Vietnam over 30 yrs ago. My dad was only 6 when he immigrated here and my mom was 11. Their paths never crossed until they met in college on a blind date. Their college stories are kind of funny. My dad was always naturally smart, never had to study for his tests and aced them anyway! You could always find him at the arcade (TANGENT: no wonder my siblings and I like games so much!) or playing pool or ping pong. My mom, on the other hand, studied like crazy and barely passed her tests. She would be in the pool hall sitting on the tables with all her books in hand while my dad played until the wee hours of the night.

Anyway, once they fell in love and got married…they had me, their first child. They had to pay their way through college and their tough Microbiology programs with 1 kid…and soon another (my brother) before they even finished school. My dad worked several jobs, one was at Denny’s, to make ends meet. They even started a small business selling personalized books at local Swap Meets. I remember living in so many different apartments while I was little. We moved a lot. Finally, after about 4-5 yrs they bought their first house in West Covina. They had their 3rd child, my sister, and settled happily there for a bit.

Many unfortunate things started happening though. Our West Covina house was robbed twice. Because we lived right next door to a high school, people would always destroy my mom’s rose garden and she would get so pissed! Graffiti began to appear in different areas throughout the neighborhood. They knew it was time to get out of there! Eventually, they ended up moving our family to a smaller and quieter city called Chino Hills. It was empty back then…nothing to do. Now, the city has developed and grown tremendously.

Anyhow, they are comfortable and permanently settled in. They both landed jobs at a hospital and have been very successful at what they do. They’ve also found a hobby they could enjoy together: POKER! If they’re not home, you can find them at the Bike, Lake Elsinore, San Manuel, or Commerce Casinos. They even started a local poker group in the neighborhood with friends much younger than them, but they manage to fit it just fine.

Well, mom and dad, if you’re reading this…I just spilled the beans about your whole life. Hope you don’t mind. Congratulations on being married for 26 years! Sorry we didn’t celebrate your “silver” one either, but hopefully in the future we can plan something nice for you both. I love you!

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