Home Sweet Home

A HOME I HAVE IN MIND

            Once you have your husband and your children, you should really think of moving into your new house. As for me, it is best to live separately from your parents or your husband’s parents when you decide to finally get married. You are a new family now so you should live independently from then on. If I were to choose from an apartment, a hotel room or a brand new house, I would prefer living in a brand new house. It would be nice to be contributing for the house’s design. I want that while constructing the house, I know the plans and designs of the house. I would be very pleased and happy to be a helping hand in choosing the furniture, the theme colors of every room and everything else. How exciting can it be! It would be like shopping for someone else. The difference is that this is my very own house together with my husband where we can finally start our own family.

            My ideal house would look like a grand hotel or a resort. I want the place to be really big and wide. I want the landscape from outside to be amazing and overwhelming through the very nice view. There is a very nice garden where we can find beautiful ornamental plants and flowers. There will also be a mini-fish pond filled with little and colorful fishes of course. Beside it is a striking cascade or waterfall with a lighted grotto. In that grotto is a statue of Mama Mary. On the other hand, I want two very wide pools. One is for adult swimmers and the other for children. There are slides and diving boards. It would be awesome if we also live by the beach. We don’t only have swimming pools but also a nearby beach. There should also be a park for different purposes. We can have it as a venue for birthday parties, picnics and other occasions. It’ll also serve as a playground for my children where we can find slides, swings, see-saws, sand boxes and many others. I wish to construct a mini-gymnasium too where we can play different kinds of sports under the covered court. I believe it can be a place where my family and I can bond and work out for the duration of weekends. During occasions, we will definitely expect a lot of guests so we should really have a spacious parking lot. In front of the actual building of the house, I imagine a huge fountain wherein cars can move around it. Most of all, I want everything in the exterior of our house to be attention-grabbing and pleasurable.

            For the interior, I am demanding for a lot of things. I don’t really like so many floors because it’ll just be so exhausting and annoying going up and down the house unless we have our very own elevator or escalator. I’d like to have a basement too and in that basement, you can find an indoor swimming pool. Beside it is the game room where you can play billiards, bowling, foosball and other indoor games. In the ground floor, we can find an enormous living room with an eye-catching chandelier. The pieces of furniture are both traditional and modern. The sofas should be comfortable and clean. There should also be a big carpet under. Although it’s not actually snowing here in the Philippines, we still need a fireplace for rainy and cold seasons. To avoid smoke and fire, I’d prefer an electric fireplace. On the other hand, there is a big cabinet wherein the appliances are hidden and are only going to be seen if they are used. Our kitchen should be really divided from the dining room. The designs of the dining table and dining chairs must blend together. The table must be rectangular-shaped instead of round and square. I prefer cushioned chairs so that it will be comfortable for the people to eat. The plates and utensils should be properly arranged on the table together with the placemats and table napkins. As usual, the pieces of furniture are both traditional and modern. Next is the kitchen. I’d like white to be the dominant color seen in my kitchen. It just looks so clean so in case of stains while cooking, you will directly notice it. The groceries, food and spices should be properly organized in the cabinets and the refrigerator. I want all the appliances and cooking tools to be modern, neat and effortless when used. The maids’ room should be found in the ground floor too so that it’ll be easier for us to call them when needed. Beside their room, we can find the laundry room where we can basically find our newly-washed and soiled clothes. I’d add another room called the Prayer room where we can find peace and unity with God. I’d like to pray the rosary in this room every night with my family valuing our faith and relationship with Him.

      

Let us move on with the second floor. Now, this is my favorite floor. First is because it is where we can find our bedrooms. The masters’ bedroom should be the biggest bedroom in the house for my husband and I. I’m not yet sure how many rooms there will be since I don’t know how many kids we will have. However, I will reserve two bedrooms since I’m thinking of just having two children. Then there’ll be three guest rooms with complete facilities. I want my guests to feel very comfortable staying in our home. The theater room and the library will also be found in the second floor. I want the theater room to be high technology. The screen should be very wide and large. The seats should be comfortable. The amenities and appliances should also be satisfying and enjoyable. I believe this can be our recreation room when my family and I need to bond and have fun. Of course, if I want my kids to do well with their studies, we should have our very own library. It’s more like our study room or office room. Another computer will be provided for this room aside from the computers in each of our bedrooms. When we need to do some research or just bond together through reading then this is the best place to do such. Lastly, the most refreshing part of the house is our balcony. Why refreshing? Refreshing because it is where you can entirely see the very nice view of the beach, the garden and everything else. It is the best place to relax as the sunset meets the horizon.

I believe I haven’t mentioned all the things I can describe about my ideal house because there are just a lot that I can say. I really want a big house with awesome facilities, furniture, appliances and landscapes. How I wish it’ll all come true! However, there is one thing that matters more before I achieve my goal of having a house like I imagine. I hope that by having this house, my relationship with my husband will be stronger since I am pretty sure that we will be very much besieged with how far we have reached. As for my children, I hope they can be proud of our very own home. Then as we grow old, my children will be starting their own family and move to their very own homes too like what my husband and I did. When we leave this world, we have actually left something here that can be reminded of us--- our home.

Nearest and Dearest

MY SOURCE OF EVERYTHING

My family is similar to an energy drink which I imbibe everyday to have a purpose in living and continuing my life. My family is my source of strength. I owe my whole life to them. If it wasn’t because of my beloved parents, I wouldn’t have existed in this beautiful world. I wouldn’t have studied in a prestigious school. I wouldn’t have met my educated teachers and awesome classmates and friends. Above all, I wouldn’t have become the kind of person I am right now.

  

My family may not be the best and ideal family a child can ever ask for but I believe I am very contented of having them. I feel so fortunate because I have both my father and my mother with me unlike other kids who are raised by single parents only. There are others who are even physically and verbally abused by their parents. I thank God for giving me parents like what I have. It has come up to my mind already what might be the possibilities if I will be going to college already and get separated from my family. I always think it’s going to be fun since I am very excited to stay in Manila and live in a condominium with my very close friend. However, I still have the feeling of fear and panic whether I’m going to survive independence or not. I cannot imagine myself without my family. I even get very anxious and uneasy when I travel or go from one place to another like crossing the street without them. I guess I am just feeling this way because I really haven’t achieved my pure independence yet. I just need more experience and proper training. I consider a family to be your crying shoulder in times of grief and sorrow. They are around to comfort you and give you advice for your right decisions. I don’t really share all my problems to my family because I don’t want the issue to be a very big deal but I still try opening up to them. When I’m with my family, I feel secured and safe. I feel a lot more confident with everything I do when my family is there than with friends. My family has always encouraged me to do well in everything I do just like my studies. They don’t pressure me a lot when it comes to my studies. With their simple smiles and joy, I get very pleased and motivated to study more. They have always been my purpose of all the achievements I made in my life.

To be honest, my family has a lot of issues but I’m surprised we still stay together as one. We’ve been through a lot challenges and obstacles in life but here we are still continuing with our lives together and loving each other. I, myself have faced a lot of problems on my own but I don’t get easily affected because I know that even when the world will crumble down to pieces, I still have my family right next to me. They are my source of everything.

Brought by the Heavens

YEARS OF WAITING HAS ENDED

Back in Year 2007
She was around a year old

It took more than 11 years for one of my long time prayers to be answered, which is to have my own little brother or sister. The gender didn’t really matter as long as I had a sibling of my own. I knew my father is the only child and it seemed very lonesome being alone. It just felt boring whenever I played by myself in the house without any playmate same as my age or younger than me. I’ve always remembered having our maids as my playmates, or even my dad. This is why I am very close to my dad especially when it comes to foolishness. I’d even get jealous of him whenever he gets my mom’s attention. He is like a brother to me.

Now, I have my little sister whom I can play with and have fun with.

Her name is very similar to mine,

Khristine Cee L. Montenegro

She was born on June 1, 2006. I was going to be Grade 5 at that time. She was supposed to be born around May 26-31 but then she was post-mature just like me when I was born. I wanted her to be born on May but I guess God preferred us not to have the same birth month. My mom gave birth in Eliza R. Ochoa Maternity Medical General Hospital, San Jose Street, Butuan City at exactly 11 o’clock in the morning. KC’s weight at birth was 7 lbs and 26 oz. I was totally excited to meet her. When we got to the hospital, I unhesitatingly gave notice to all about my mom’s delivery by texting everyone in my mother’s phonebook. I felt so happy and proud at that very moment, not even a glimpse of shame and embarrassment with what I did. We just stayed for a night in the hospital but I didn’t actually sleep the whole time we were there. I believe I was just not comfortable staying in the hospital and because of my new born little sister. Unfortunately, since my sister was post-mature, she had to stay in the hospital for a week. She was placed in the incubator and all I could do was peep in the Nursery Room. However, I still had the chance to touch her when we visit her in the hospital everyday for breastfeeding. I took so many pictures with her using my mom’s cellphone but I guess I have no remembrance left right now because the phone got reformatted.

The day she was finally brought home, I was very much pleased and eager. I wasn’t allowed to carry her because I was still very young at that time and my sister was still fragile. As she grew up and I grew up, I became more responsible in taking care of her and she became a lot more annoying. I can probably agree to others who are saying my sister is KD the Second. This is because in almost everything I do, she follows me. This could be a good thing or an annoying thing. Then when it comes to talent, especially in dancing, she can definitely groove into the beat. Our faces when we were still infants are quite similar too but I always say I’m way cuter than her. Furthermore, we can never be the same. My mom would always say that when I was the same as my sister’s age right now, I was kind, disciplined and very obedient. Very opposite to my sister who is naughty, annoying and demanding. I believe it just might be because of the environment where we grew up.

On her Pre-school Graduation
March 25, 2012

Despite all the negative characteristics of my sister, she still has the heart of an angel. Whenever she sees anyone of us feeling sick or weak, she would immediately get a damp cloth and wipe our foreheads. This is just one of many ways my little sister expresses her concern and love to us, besides by kissing and saying “I love you!” I truly love my sister no matter what because she is a blessing from God. I thought it was going to be impossible due to my mom’s age but then indeed, God is very kind. 

A Neophyte's First Words

INTRODUCING ME

My mom was fond of reading foreign showbiz magazines, and back then she found the name Kirsten. I bet it was a celebrity’s name but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Kirsten Stewart.

My parents are great believers of God so they decided to name me after His begotten Son, Jesus Christ. However instead of starting with a ‘C’, they spelled my name beginning with the letter ‘K’ since all my first-degree cousins’ names in my mother’s side also starts with a ‘K’.

This led to my complete name, Khristine Dee L. Montenegro. Quite long but can easily be read and pronounced. In my kindergarten years, people called me Khristine but as years passed, I am often called KD already. I kind of liked being called Khristine but I guess KD is such a unique nickname so I should bear with it.

My parents got married on my mother’s 30^th birthday. They moved together in a pretty little house located at Virginia Village, Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City. After more than a year of a happy marriage, I was born. My mother gave birth in Madonna & Child Hospital, Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City. It was on the 18^th day of May, 1995 at around 10:55 o’clock in the morning. My weight at birth was 2,948 grams or 6.5 pounds. I barely know what exactly happened at that moment but I figured out from my mom that my eldest cousin Kevin was very excited to meet me. I was the youngest member of the family for more than 11 years not until my little sister was born on June 1, 2006. She has a very similar name with mine, Khristine Cee. I’ve always wanted of having my own brother and sister since it was very much annoying being the youngest in both my dad’s and mom’s sides of the family.

I was baptized as a Roman Catholic on July 1, 1995. The baptismal was held together with my parents’ follow-up church wedding in Iponan Catholic Church, Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City. This caused a huge celebration as the families of Montenegro and Labis combined.

Our lives continued as we moved to the City of Butuan when I was 3. We are residing in __________________. On the other hand, I studied in Enfant Cheri Study Centre, Inc. located in Purok 1-A, Upper Doongan, Butuan City. I have been a student there for almost 13 years since pre-school up to high school. No doubt, I am very loyal to this school.

Although I am not a natural born Butuanon, we have been living here for at least 14 years and counting so we can virtually say Butuan is our home. Many memories had happened in this place which I will truthfully treasure my whole life. My family, my friends, my home, my neighbors, my school, my teachers and classmates, and all my acquaintances will positively find a space in my heart.