Our Valentine adventure continues at the Garvan Woodland Gardens, a 210-acre wooded peninsula transformed by professional designers and craftsmen into a world-class botanical garden. Hubby and I love to go to gardens and anything that makes us closer to nature. But the funny thing is, we seem to always visit at the wrong time of the year when flowers don't bloom and animals do hibernate. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the view the garden has to offer. We had fun taking photos and exploring the entire garden. It was a fantastic way to date on a Valentine's Day. We did more than just a stroll in the park, we literally marvel at the natural beauty unfolding in front of us.

Our first stop on Valentine's Day was Mid-America Science Museum. I've been to several museums but I must say, this one is the most interesting and exciting experience for me. Unlike most museums where you would just feast your eyes on the exhibits, Mid-America would actually make you touch, see, feel, hear, smell and do things. It is very hands on and they have something for young and old alike. The Tesla Coil presentation was worth mentioning. This "caged lightning", as what they call it, produces 1,500,000 volts of electricity. The Tesla Coil is enclosed in a massive 2-1/2 ton steel Faraday cage which protects the visitor from the "lightning" (corona discharges). I marveled at it but had to cover my ears to muffle the loud noise created by the voltage. We also had fun inside the Underground Arkansas Cave. A few kids and a couple of adults trekked with us through the gigantic indoor cave filled with awesome twists, turns, tunnels, and slides. We maneuvered swinging bridges and climbed rope ladders and I have to admit, we wished we were 20 years younger so we'd have the agility, energy and flexibility of kids, lol! One day, when we have kids of our own, we would definitely take them back to Mid-America Science Museum. It was indeed an exciting experience!

The entrance

An electrical thing that goes ZAPPP!!!

Jeff in action

Making a whirlpool

Caged lightning presentation

Static electricity ball

I got a kick out of this cute girl's hair

Fossilized Mastodon Skeleton

Hot air balloon

All legs, no bodies

I wonder what this is....probably these kids are thinking the same?

We had a special Valentine's trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas last weekend. It was fun, romantic, picturesque and memorable. Me and hubby both love nature trips and I was glad that he took me to Hot Springs because the city is filled with natural beauty and wonder. We stayed there for 2 days and we didn't think it's enough so we plan on making another trip this summer. We visited the Science museum, wax museum, botanical gardens, national park and mountain tower. For our Valentine's dinner, we ate at an Italian restaurant and enjoyed a Japanese dinner the next day. The whole trip was kinda like a date for us, so we took it slow and we enjoyed every minute of it. I love taking out of town trips with hubby and this is another memorable time with him.

For days, I had this song stuck in my head. It’s one of my favorite worship songs back in the Philippines. It was a blessing when somebody from the church has sung it on last Sunday’s service. The lyrics just pierces through my heart. The melody takes me back to the realization that our God is nothing ordinary. Indeed, truly beautiful beyond description. And I stand in awe of HIS majesty. I so love the chorus, I remember I’d get teary-eyed sometimes when we sing this song on Sundays back home. Here I am, reminiscing again! Enjoy the video...

...what to cook for dinner! Du'h! So we're heading out to town to grab a couple of sandwich maybe. I feel bloated right now but I gotta grab something because later tonight, I know I'll be hungry. Pizza sounds good but I guess I'm not that famished so I'd probably just settle for something light. Haay..American life...Kapoy!!! I'm craving for a Crispy Pata, lol! The first thing that I'm gonna do when I go back home this November is to go to Cafe Laguna and binge on Pinoy foods. I don't care if my wedding gown fits me or not, I'm just missing tasty Filipino dishes.

I don't suppose we could get as much traveling this year than the last. It's just so hard to take vacations when both of us are working. Nonetheless, Valentine's Day has been marked in our calendar even a few months ago. It's very special for us as a couple and we want to have a worth-remembering date on this weekend. The photos below are taken from our Valentine Getaway in St. Louis, Missouri last year. It was so cold up there on a February but that didn't stop us from exploring the gardens, restaurants, museums and even the marvelous Gateway Arch. It was an experience of a lifetime. I truly cherish our vacation time together. I wonder what's it gonna be like this year! We'll be heading to Hot Springs, Arkansas this weekend, and I'm actually excited of the things that we can do there. Let's see, I know there's the Mid-America Science Museum, Bathhouse Row, Garvan Gardens, The Mountain Tower, Maxwell Blade Theater of Magic and of course my favorite part, a visit to the Hot Springs Mall, lol! And yeah, how could I forget, I'm gonna treat hubby to a Valentine's dinner at Kobe's Japanese restaurant. My camera is ready...Can't wait for Saturday to come...How about you? What's your plan on Valentine's Day?

Moi at the Botanical Gardens

A shot of the city of St. Louis from the top of The Gateway Arch

Windy day at the foot of The Gateway Arch

Mabuhay, lol! toink!

Gateway Arch up close

What I Love About Him.....Here it goes....

• He supports me in everything that I do...(*shopping included* lol!)
• He respects me so much. He never raise his voice at me no matter how unhappy he is.
• He treats me as an equal even if obviously he makes a lot more money than me.
• He never complains even if I failed with my household duties as a wife. He never boss around. If there is something that needs to be done but I didn't do, he'd do it himself.
• He loves me dearly and he makes sure to tell me that everyday.
• He never sleeps without me, hehehe. Corny, eh! but true...it goes the same way for me. Our bedtime is usually 9:30 during weekdays and I'm proud to say that we go to bed together every night.
• He is so expressive of his feelings for me. Both words and actions.
• He is so simple and never materialistic. He can easily appreciate simple but meaningful things.
• He is smart and a bookworm which I appreciate a lot because I love to read books too.
• He takes very good care of me in all aspects.
• He's playful and a child at heart. We would sometimes play around the house by sneaking up on each other and yell "Bulagah" when neither of us expects it. I always get a kick out of his reactions when I scare the hell out of him, lol!

The list could go on and on...I'll have to stop before I'll bore you all with this mushy declaration of love. To sum it all up...Jeff is my everything and I love everything about him even his weaknesses...