Before Nine: Isabelo's

time check: 7:45 am

before nine birthday celebration

"My outfit's a little formal", said the voice in the other line.

"Why?", I asked, panic erased all the trace of sleepiness in me. Formal is for the evening. Mornings are for carefree and simple and comfortable style. And besides, I haven't shopped clothes in years.

"Because it's your birthday", he replied.

And so I put on my light green floral dress - one of the three dresses I own only to realize it's the same dress I wore last year. On my birthday. Oh well, I have no time to even care. I am officially declaring my light green floral dress my official birthday dress to be worn every fourth day of August every year. No matter what age. No matter what waist line.

We arrived in Marikina City a little bit early so we dropped by the Our Lady of the Abandoned to say my birthday prayer. The church was walking distance from my birthday breakfast treat.

Rustic Mornings. This is what Isabelo's promises. And I was all happy, hoppy, skippy that I hopped and skipped and turned and pirouetted and swooned over the place. It is a paradise within the city. Snow White lived here. So did Princess Aurora. Their online site says there is no need for reservations but the place was packed when we got there. It was not even 8:00 am! (Again, their website says they open at 8 am but I think they opened earlier that Sunday birthday morning.) We were assigned a table far from the main house reminiscent of a fairy tale cottage but the garden, where we had our breakfast, was just as beautiful. I think I blended well. I was after all wearing my pretty floral summer dress. I mean my pretty official birthday dress.