Home Sweet Home

Vacation officially starts last Sunday. It feels wonderful to finally see my family again after 2 long years. The flight to the Philippines was long, boring and very exhausting. I had to take 4 different planes, Chicago to Hongkong the longest and most turbulent. I've admitted in my previous post that I was a scared flyer. But being on 4 different planes for more than 24 hours made me less fearful and I have come to not over-react to the weird sounds that planes make and the unexplainable feeling that flying gave me. The scariest part for me is Take-off and Landing but I must say these are the most enjoyable experience anybody could have when flying. I hate turbulence the most. For me, I think it's the most uncomfortable feeling especially when you're in their very "bulilit" lavatory, lol! My butt hurt from sitting for long hours. I wasn't thrilled walking through the airports for the check-in process and gate transfers, but I haven't really had a hard time with it so it ain't that bad. Chicago airport is huge and confusing but so long as you pay attention to the airport signage and wayfinding systems, you'll be fine. Generally, it was a good experience and it was all worth it.

My family didn't get much sleep as well because of excitement and anticipation. You see, we were all excited, lol! I've always wanted to eat in Jollibee again so that's the first thing I did when I arrived. I had my much needed Jollibee fix on my first day. Yipeey!!! Even if I was exhausted, I didn't sleep that day. I tried to get my body adjusted to the new time zone. It was hard for the first 2 days. I'm very much fine right now though. I've been busy with the wedding preparation. It's taking so much of my time but this needs to be done so I can relax when Jeff gets here next month. So far so good...I'm enjoying Philippines!

Have showered and freshen up after a long flight

Me with my mom and nephew Andrave

With mom, aunts and cousins

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go

This is it! I'm leaving for a vacation to my homeland Philippines. My flight leaves early tomorrow at 6:20 A.M. XNA airport is 3 hours away so hubby will drive us to the area tonight and just stay in a hotel so I won't be late for my flight tomorrow morning. I'm actually nervous. I'm scared of flying. I wish I have hubby with me. My family back home were all excited. My mom, dad, youngest sister, cousins, nephew and aunts are going to pick me up at the airport. Whoa! A big entourage huh! Nothing screams I'm welcome and they're excited to see me again, lol. I can't wait to be in the Philippines again. I'll try to update my blog as often as I can. I'll share photos of my vacation especially my upcoming wedding. I may not be able to drop EC everyday for at least the first week but I'll do the best I can. Please pray for a safe flight for me!

Torn

My flight to the Philippines is in 3 days. Am I excited? Yes... Am I lonely? Yes... How could I have felt these two things at the same time? Well, simple. It's been 2 years since I left my country and family back home. I've missed them. I want to see them again and spend Christmas and New Year with them. However, it tears my heart to leave hubby here alone. The fact that I'm leaving on Friday didn't sink in until last night. He just held me and I cried like a baby. We're going to miss each other so bad. Our only consolation is that the separation is temporary. He'll follow me in December. Just like the old days, we'll chat everyday and talk on the phone every Sunday until we can be together again. Haay! I know it's sad but he was only allowed to take a month off from work so I guess we'll just have to deal with it. I won't be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with him and Dad's kin. I've always spent it with them since I got here. Philippines does not celebrate this occasion so I'll just to have catch up with them next year.

Bren is Bumblebee!

He was a little Bat...turned into Darth Vader...sailed as a little Buccaneer...raced like Lightning Mcqueen...and this year, he transformed into...BUMBLEBEE.

This is my cute little nephew, Brennan Carlyle. He's 4 years old and like all kids on Halloween, he's all dressed in his bumblebee outfit and proceeded from house to house for the customary trick-or-treating. My sister said he had a blast. He's got a grocery bag full of candies and didn't want to let it get away from his sight. He asked for his bag of candies first thing in the morning and just practically ate nothing but candies. So typical for kids his age. It was a shame we didn't have any trick or treaters this year. As I've said this town is the home of retirees so I've yet to see a toddler so far. If we have kids, then we'll probably be the only one trick or treating here, lol! I've entertained myself by viewing cute photos of my friends' children on Facebook. They look so adorable so I thought of sharing my "tisoy pamangkin" photos on my blog. Happy Halloween!

One great love

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin~

In the midst of an overwhelmingly busy move, we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary in a low-key but cozy fashion. We've been caught up in so many things like the big move and our big vacation in the Philippines for our wedding. We did not make plans for anything fancy. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the moment together in a Mexican dinner date. It's been two years since we professed our love and commitment to each other in front of God. In those years, we've come to know, love, understand and respect each other more. With him, I always know I have someone who understands and knows me by heart. He always makes the good times better and the tough times so much easier to bear. He's my best friend and I can't imagine what life would be without him. Marrying him was the best thing I ever did and I'd gladly do it all over again in January.

A new place, a new beginning

Finally, we've moved to our new place in Lakeview, Arkansas. It is a very small town, mostly populated with retired Americans, 2 miles away from Bull Shoals Lake, which houses a huge Corps of Engineers powerhouse where hubby works. Back in Ozark, we live less than a mile away from the powerhouse. You see, he likes to live close to his work. I can't blame him. The closer to work, the easier and inexpensive the commute will be. So we did a little searching for a possible house to rent in this area. There are apartments to rent, manufactured homes for sale, a few nice houses for lease and a bunch of decent houses for sale. But we didn't want to buy a house right away without getting familiar of the place yet and making sure he likes his new job. The last thing we want is to be stuck in a town that we're not happy to be at or a job that he hates just because we couldn't sell the house easily. So we stick to the renting plan for at least 6 months or so and see if we like it here. And we are lucky to find a decent house to rent that's proximate to his work place in just a very short notice. I like the neighborhood. So far it's quiet and the wooded area seems to add beauty to the neighborhood. Anyway, let me give you a quick tour of our new humble abode. Boxes are still everywhere, I apologize for the unpleasant sight but we'll try to get everything unpacked before my big vacation next week.

Front

Garage

Living room

Living room

Kitchen


Utility room

Utility room

Cute little sunroom

View from the little sunroom

Covered porch

Small storage unit

View beside the house

Houses across from us

I need a break!

Moving is tiring. I learned that the hard way. All the general cleaning, unpacking, arranging of stuff and all that, boy, it’s such a pain! I feel like I need a very long and relaxing vacation some place warm and fun. Here in the U.S., I think orlando vacations is one of the best. It’s a place any family would love to go. Kids adore the Disney characters while adults love to splish splash in the warm waters of Florida beaches. However, for now, I can only wish for an Orlando vacation, which is fine with me. Anyway, in 2 weeks, I’d be in my beautiful homeland Philippines so it’s not a bad alternative for a vacation.