09/05/2019
🥥Toto + Tess // A Creative Studio
Meet Rufino “Toto” Magpayo & Tessie “Tess” Panugao • College Sweethearts at the Adventist University of the Philippines • Married August 30th, 1981 in San Diego, CA.
My parents have been supportive of my creative journey since day one. Framing the stick-figured artwork I drew that won the cover of my Kinder Grad Program to supporting me in attending FIDM for Fashion Design instead of going down their ideal path in the medical field.
They watched as I ignored their advice on life, work, relationships—and probably cringed whenever it turned out exactly as they said it would.
Still, NEVER have they EVER said “I told you so”—although it’s highly likely there was an “Ay-yay-yay” verbalized in place of that.
Whenever life threw lemons at me, they’d have me gather the lemons, analyze them to figure out what lesson these lemons were trying to teach me—then helped me decide if my time were best spent making that lemonade or chucking the lemons back at life 🤙🏼✊🏼🍋
Arriving in the US with just a suitcase each, I remember growing up with them both having full-time jobs, then taking my bro and I along as they sold Christian story books door-to-door after hours to support our family before they built their own business.
They founded a nonprofit ministry in the Philippines, fully sustainable with farms, housing, churches— providing a safe haven for at-risk children with food, clothing, medical/dental/vision missions, and after-school programs.
They always look to the future, focus on the good in every situation and see the best in people. They’ve taken (or sent) me on adventures to almost every US state and to Philippines, Canada, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, China, and Thailand—always driving the lesson that I never take anything for granted and to open my eyes beyond this small California bubble. The epitome of “Work Hard, Stay Humble, Be Kind.”
My parents have been exemplary examples of unconditional—albeit, tough—love 🧡✨.
So in line with celebrating their 38 years of marriage, let me introduce you to my passion project—Toto + Tess (): A Creative Studio. @ San Diego, California
