Our 20 Appreciations in 2010 and 11 Aspirations for 2011

Growing up in the Philippines, New Year’s Day or eve is not a cliché, it is a great celebration with a bang – the most fun I had, even more than Christmas actually. It’s a symbol of new life- like what God wants us to be “born again”. Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

But living on this world is full of distraction, deceit & discipline-issues me and my family goes through everyday – it is tough to live alone and keep & live an ideal & keep an authentic life without God’s grace.

And so we continue to seek but continue to thank our Father God everyday and every year we publicly sum up our appreciation and aspirations. Me, Myla & Sam’s 20 thank you and 11 wishes for 2011:

Today, I write randomly thank You Lord for 2010 on the following events & grace:

1. Healing my father Carlito for his grave illness – a miracle indeed.
2. Finding a home for my mom Elena and all the hurdles she had and using Barbara to help her move around in Oxnard.
3. A great family time and bonding together with Myla & Sam after my 8 month deployment.
4. Myla for being such a true sport and keeping me grounded and live a healthier lifestyle to organize me and Sam.
5. Sam for excelling in school and sports and growing healthy and who loves God and also keeps both me & Myla live righteously.
6. A visit to Philippines (with Myla) and Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong & Thailand during my deployment helped us renewed our ties, expand our horizon and understand differences.
7. A great and healthy physical body. My blood pressure is lower, daily exercise and maintains the ideal weight.
8. A great church – South Valley Christian who also keep us grounded and worship our Lord with joy and connect with new friends (you know who you are – I think 5 are in my FB network)
9. Settled my Capella Tuition and finish a few courses with a B+
10. Fix all our debts and credits and live a better lifestyle financially through discipline, Dave Ramsey & being thrifty.
11. New Friends
12. Loyal Friends who stood there for us in times of hardship.
13. Hosting BBQ, dinners and party with friends (hopefully I wish at least 1 family shows up in our New Year’s eve party)
14. Monthly road trips around the country, this year from San Diego to Oregon. We enjoyed Oregon the most because we get to connect with our longtime friend.
15. Family, relatives, friends who are doing well in their own physically, mentally and spiritually.
16. Mentors, counselors and pastors who writes and speaks to our heart and mind.
17. Living without a TV Cable. Gadgets could be culprit but in some ways it made us connected (FB), save memories (Canon Rebel) and save us tons of money (Windows Media, Torrent, Roku)
18. USS Nimitz on dry dock means no deployment for another year and so family time would be awesome.
19. Navy Housing was a blessing with all the amenities and utilities, we feel so materially blessed & our best decision – guided by the spirit on where to live.
20. A God who listens every day. A Holy Spirit who guides us every day. A Christ who saved us from our sins.

With all the blessings, what else could we plead and petition for? I know God wants the best for all of us and here are our 11 wishes for 2011:

1. Detach from our gadgets (iPhones, computer) and spend more old fashion social lifestyle.
2. Live a healthier lifestyle and rid of my addiction to rice.
3. Heal our discomfort of burping, blood-pressure & bulging.
4. Bless our family and friends with abundance specially our parents Papa, Mama, Nanay & Tatay.
5. Protect us from the deceit and shallow beauty of evil.
6. Give us more time to travel and more positive adventures.
7. Bless Sam to continue excelling in sports, school & service to God even more.
8. To expand our business MVOSS and gain momentum and real profit.
9. To start again and finish my doctorate with Capella and earn my credentials or certificates.
10. To make the right decision whether to retire from the Navy and get a new vocation.
11. To get promoted to Senior Chief.

By declaring these wishes - we hope that our prayers including our friends' and family's will keep us on check and live in the right direction. But God’s wish for us must still prevail, for He said: He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way (Psalm 25:9). Thank you Lord for an awesome year and may Your will & wishes NOT our will be done.

Our only wish now is that whoever reads this would inspire to thank our Lord and seek Him more in our great wishes. Happy New Year!

Tony, Sam & Myla