Qoutes from my 3 yr old Zach

I know, part 1 pa lang ito...while he's learning to communicate his thoughts madami pang additional lines ang maririnig at gugustuhin kong irecord kahet man lang sa blog hehe. These are some of the few lines I can remember from the past months na nakita ko how he progressed...from phrases to sentences...aba ngayon, marunong na ng some Spanish words kakanood kay Dora! hahaha and learning to speak English.

Some of his funny lines below --

Scene 1:

Ang kalat ng bahay, puro toys sa sahig. His Daddy says: "Zach, iligpit mo na yang mga toys mo na yan. Kung hindi, di mo na yan makikita bukas, itatapon ko na lahat ng nakakalat dyan"

Ang sagot ni Zach: "Ows?"

Walang nagawa ang Daddy at Mommy, natawa lang hahahaha

Actually minsan sa similar situations, ang isasagot pa nyan: "Di nga?"

Kanino ba kasi natutunan yang mga yan eh! hahahaha

Scene 2:

Sabi ng Mommy sa phone: "Wait mo ko ha, uuwi na si Mommy"

Zach said: "Opo"

Kaso may kinailangan pa gawin bago umuwi ng bahay so nadelay ako ng 1 more hour. Ang sabi daw ni Zach sa Daddy nya while waiting in the house:

"Antagal tagal naman ng asawa mo!" hahahaha

Scene 3:

Kausap ni Zach ang Lolo at Mamala sa phone a few days before Christmas. Sabi ng Mamala: "Merry Christmas apo!"

Nagcoach ang Daddy sa isasagot nya: "Sabihin mo Merry Christmas too!"

Ang sinagot ni Zach sa Mamala: "Christmas Tree!" hahahaha

Scene 4:

Time for art...finger painting that time ang theme namin. Pagkatapos ng isang subject (ibon ata yung kinulayan namin gamit ang kamay nya), sabi niya: "Mommy, wash nako hands".

Sabi ng Mommy: "Kuha ka na lang muna ng tissue, punasan mo kasi magkukulay pa tayo ng iba naman"

Nagtatatakbo sa CR to get tissue...habang pinupunasan, narinig ko sabi nya: "Oh my gosh! Ang lagkit!"

Tawa ako ng tawa...kuhang kuha ang tono ng Tita Bea sa Oh my Gosh na yan!

First Christmas away from HOME

Years ago, dream kong makaexperience ng White Christmas...this year, natupad ang wish. Kaya lang, hindi pala masaya kapag malayo sa lahat ng kapamilya. I'm glad Zach and Jerry are here with me pero iniisip pa lang namin pano icecelebrate ang pasko, kakalungkot na :(

Heniwei...sabi nga nila..make the most out of it...so bahala na! ahihihihi

I miss blogging!!!

Last post was Aug 1...Sept 12 na ngayon! grabe...madaming kwento na hindi ko na nasulat.

45hr work week sucks!!!! lahat ng tao sa opisina umuuwi na ng 4pm...ako kelangan pa magstay dahel required magwork ng 9hrs a day! *(&@*(#^&@#@*!!!!

Buti na lang masaya paguwi ng bahay dahel kasama ang family...

"Sarap luto mo, Mommy!"

Exact words from Zach when he finally gained back his appetite Thursday night. Since they arrived (Wed night), he was not into eating...so weak...can't sleep well. Probably because of the falling-down-the-stairs incident and having fever one day before their flight then feeling dizzy and not-into-eating for the whole duration of their trip (which is nearly 24 hours!). I'm so thankful for seeing him with the "Zach energy" again!

Really time flies so fast. The last time we were together (February), he can only say phrases. Now, he is giving you the full sentence. Para kang kumakausap sa matanda! hahahaha And from hearing that comment while he was eating ("sarap luto mo Mommy!"), I can't explain the ecstatic feeling. My baby is soooo sweet

...maybe you guys are wondering...e ano ba kasi ang niluto ko...Sinigang na hipon with spinach hahahaha (with the help of my sinagang mix hehehe)

Can't sleep!!!

grabe super excited nako...dalawang tulog na lang andito na sila!!! wooohoooo!!!

So much blessings from God, I couldn't thank enough...

I still remember this kasabihan back from high school days -

"Ang buhay parang gulong, minsan nasa taas, minsan nasa baba."

Then tie it up with the very first bible verse I have memorized:

Mark 11:24 - "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Many times in my life na totoo talaga yang dalawang yan...and what's happening in my life this year is a big addition to that...ang saya saya!

BTW...got extended until November!!! We'll celebrate Jerry and Zach's birthday here...hmmmm saan kaya maganda gawin ang celebration??? Wooohooooo!

cont'd - a Trip Report: Northeast Minnesota - Day 2

We had a nice dinner the night before at a decent resto (Bluefin Grille) - pero ang mura ha! Steak meal only costs around $15 may dessert pa yan! Since wala naman ibang matinong resto near the hotel, we opted to go back at the same resto for breakfast. We checked out at 730am - ready for another day of driving, hiking and picture-taking.

First park for the day was at Temperance River State Park...just a short hike. Kakaiba yung falls dito kasi nakatago sa malalaking bato. Sabi sa mga signs dun, malaking falls pala sya dati pero hindi na ngayon. We just stayed for a few minutes...picture-taking lang talaga.

Next destination was the town of Lutsen - specifically to the Lutsen Mountains. This is famous skiing spot during winter pero pag summer and fall, breathtaking scenic views naman ang offer nila. This is my first cable car experience. We also tried their Alpine slide. I want to go back during fall with Jerry and Zach. Matutuwa sila dito! Cable car would bring you up the mountain tapos pwede ka bumaba to go to the observation deck or to their cafe.

After Lutsen, we drove towards the Cascade River State Park. Small falls lang pero maganda ang view ng lake. Most of the parks are just less than 30 mins from each other and it's so convenient coz we just followed Highway 61 North and all of them are along the way.

Lunch time na! Luckily, there was another good resto along the way. There was a big sign that they have a fresh fish special for that day - trout! Pero hindi sya kasing sarap ng tilapia or bangus so we had to ask for soy sauce hahaha Miss ko na ang toyomansi na may sili!!!

Along the way, we saw a wayside parking (parking sa side ng way hahaha). It has a good view of Lake Superior (na naman!) so we stopped and stayed for a few minutes. Sa kasamaang palad, dito nagasgasan ang cam ni Hazel...sa lakas ng hangin tinumba ang tripod while we're doing some jump shots. Thank God hindi nabasag ang lens. Ang sarap ng hangin dito...sarap may kayakap! Haaay lalo ko namiss family ko :(

Then we drove for a couple more minutes for the last destination - Grand Marais. It was soooo cold and windy. Yung kapag ngingiti ka for picture, nangingilo ngipin mo kasi anlamig nung hangin na pumapasok hahahaha So instead of walking along their paved trails to the small lighthouse, konting picture taking lang then we decided to drive back home na.

Actually, the scenic byway is up to the border of Canada (Grand Portage) but since we only have 2 days for this trip, hindi na kaya ng powers namen.

It was almost 5pm when we left Grand Marais and I drove for about 5 hours going back to Plymouth. It was tiring but the hike, walk, long drive was all worth it! We are all looking forward to go back when the trees start changing to red, yellow and orange colors. Exciting!

Aja! Aja!

More pics here

a Trip Report: Northeast Minnesota - Day 1

(July 11-12, 2009)

My summer is starting to be busy. This marks the start of jam packed weekends.

The last destination was along the North Shore Scenic Byway. Itinerary was not the usual "Bliss' itinerary" coz I did not have much time to plan everything. Not enough research to know the duration for each destination but just created estimates to define the schedule, didn't know where in particular we are going, no GPS nor clear driving directions...BUT still, we managed to have fun, see spectacular views and go to where we should go (according to the persons we talked to in Visitor Centers hehehe). The best thing about this experience is that I have good scenic spots to use in putting into action my new photography theories using my newly purchased cam! Thanks to my G10 buddy Hazel and giggly Julz for sharing the same excitement as I have despite Marj backing out hehehe.

THE ITINERARY --

Day 1 - July 11, 2009

Leave the house at 430am, drive for around 3 and a half hours going to Duluth, MN. We should just stay there for 1.5hrs but since it is our first glance of Lake Superior, the largest lake on earth daw, we did not notice that more than 2hrs has past. We enjoyed taking a lot of pictures, throwing stones into the lake, breathing fresh air and scaring birds away hahahaha

After kaming ligawin ni Googlemaps, we were still able to find our way back to the scenic byway...Dalawa kasi pala ang Highway 61 - one is along the shore and another is a more direct route. Thanks to the garage sale lady, nakabalik kami sa tamang way at nakabili pa si Hazel ng murang angel collectibles hehehe Ang kanta naming tatlo - "mga ligaw na ladies, mga ligaw na ladies" to the tune of Single Ladies.

Next destination was at Two Harbors. Another view of the lake and their lighthouse. It was sooooo windy so we were not able to use the tripod to take pictures of us three together. We did not stay that long since we were still trying to catch up on the schedule and there's not much to see in this town.

Next stop was at the Gooseberry State Park - our first North Minnesota falls experience. According to the internet, this is a busy park since it's well known and yeba...andami ngang tao!

It was past 12noon but we were still in this park...sarap kasi magpicture! hahahaha Finally, when we finished all the trails, ayan na ang gutom. However, there were no restos along the way so we decided to just visit the next destination - Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Our song became "mga gutom na ladies, mga gutom na ladies" hehehe

Malayo pa lang, we all read the sign for a snack bar. Woohooo! Makakain na. I ordered a bagel and salad (na lasang damo, I couldn't take the taste). Kaya ayun, na-BI ni Julz mag ice cream. Sinful!!! hahaha No pictures were taken with the lighthouse coz we need to pay $8 for entrance fee. Not worth it...so actually, kumain lang kami sa park na ito hahaha

Next stops were overlooking spots for the beautiful Lake Superior - Silver Bay town and Palisade Head spot.

Last stop for the day was at Tettegouche State Park. According to the magazines, this is where the second highest falls in Minnesota is located so I really alloted time for this park. Based from what I read, it is a 1.5mi hike...anak ng tokwa, one way lang pala yun! And this is not a paved trail and we did not see much people here as with the Gooseberry park. Siguro kasi alam nilang matagal ang lakad...but when we get to the falls area, it was 'serenity'. My favorite spot in this park is the lake before the super layong hike...it opens up to the vast lake --

And here are the falls (yes, there are two - the first is about 0.9 mi hike and the high falls is around 1.5mi hike...take note, one way lang yan)

Looking at the brighter side of things, oks naman na naglakad kami malayo. I've known Julz and Hazel at a deeper level. Si Julz, ewan ko kung dala ba yun ng less than one year pa sila kasal ng asawa nya (bwahahaha), sa 24hrs minus sleep time na trip namen, puro Zach (her hubby) ang narinig kong kwento nya...ito namang si Hazel, super game sa lahat ng bagay, positive palagi - kahet natumba ang cam sa tripod sa bato bato dahel sa lakas ng hangin at hindi ko narinig magreklamo kahet minsan. Speaking of reklamo, I'm so proud of Julz...iniwan nya ang reklamador side sa bahay nila! Kung hindi baka mabatukan ko e bwahahahaha

Anyway, that was the end of Day 1. When we arrived at the hotel (Superior Ridge), we were so tired pero syempre ligo muna. There are 2 queen beds and one matress...bunutan sino sa baba para fair hahaha

...pictures to be posted later

...story to be continued

Business Case has been approved!

...visa processing to start soon!

...the count down begins!

...22 days to go...woohoo!!!

...starting the padala list -- caldereta mix, patis (meron dito pero mahal kasi hahaha), cream silk conditioner (nauubos buhok ko sa pantene dito - antapang e!), likas papaya soap (haha)...Lily's peanut butter (di kasi masarap peanut butter dito)...what else what else what else....hmmmmmmmm

Yehey!!! I got them back!

Sa dami ng pumasok sa Liz Claiborne store from noon to closing time, walang kumuha. Pati saleslady, tinabi lang nila for me Thank God, andito na ulit yung mga shirts for pasalubong hehehe

Haaaayyyy...Sana ganito din mga tao sa Pinas.

My 3 S's for the July 4th holiday

Yes, finally...another US holiday! And that spells --

Sale - Shopping - Stupidity

"Sale and shopping", given na yan hahaha pero why "stupidity"? Kasi ba naman, when I arrived home late at night, I noticed that there are two bags missing. I went to the garage to check if it's somewhere in the car - WALA. Checked the house - WALA talaga. Checked with my friends who were with me baka napasama sa kanila - WALA....Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!! I left them somewhere in the outlet stores. Sa dami ng binili ko, I can't remember where I have possibly left it and why on earth I did not notice that I have them with me. Ang nakakainis pa nun, one bag contains a lot of t-shirts I bought on sale for pasalubong...yung tipong last piece na at ako na yung nakakuha for a cheap price. At syempre, sayang ang dolyares huhuhuhuhuhuhu

I'm going back this morning to try to retrieve it...hoping and praying that people here do have integrity....ang layo pa naman ng outlet huhuhuhuhu

Three words for me today...

GARAGE SALE HUNTING!

It just started with being curious how much those stuff they sell were and checking out what they have to sell...and then I ended up driving around hunting for signs for garage sale within the community! hahahaha I did not have a map with me (not prepared haha) but used my parallel-perpendicular rule to still track my way home....now, I'm thinking, since our house (sa Pinas) is so small to contain all the things we have, mag-garage sale din kaya ako dun?? hmmmm, baka hindi click coz ukay-ukay stalls are all over the place...haaay sayang!

Anyway, I've got lots of books and magazines to read...sakto kasi I don't have plans yet for the coming long weekend (July 4th holiday). I also got good books and toys for Zach. The good thing about that is, since I bought it for cheap price, I won't feel obligated to ship all those to the Philippines. Mahal kaya ng isang box.

I've got a lot of cleaning to do.....ciao!

Labs, this is for you...

I wish I can have Zach put on this shirt early morning on Father's Day and together we'll do a little surprise for his Daddy and give him a big hug and kiss...sigh...just thinking how blessed I am to have Jerry as the father of my son makes me want to celebrate this with them today more and seeing how he cares for our baby makes me love him more and more each day!

Nasa tiyan ko pa lang si Zach (and Kyle), super hands on na from making sure he comes with me during check-ups; walang reklamong nagigising sa madaling araw dahel sa pulikat ko or if I want a glass of water in the middle of the night, constantly texting/calling to remind me about the food I'm eating and to take care while walking or when I'm commuting...then, all the things we had to go through together sa panganganak at post partum (eeew! wag na idetail out hahaha), bringing beautiful flowers that waited for me outside the delivery/recovery room...then washing the baby's poops, waking up early in the morning to catch the sunshine good for the baby, making it a point to go home early to be with us and play with Zach, waking up when the baby's crying in the middle of the night and needed a hele while I catch up on sleep...and as Zach grows, he's taking the disciplinarian role in the right way that after a few minutes of pagdidisiplina, click na sila ulit. Seeing him playing with our baby amazes me...kahet walang toy, sila lang magiimbento ng laro, or kikilitiin lang, ang saya saya na nila tignan. More importantly, I'm grateful that he's setting an example to Zach with his commitment on church activities and living a Christian life.

Labs, thanks for being the best and the coolest Dad for our Zach. I appreciate all the things you do...even the smallest ones. I'm sure pag malaki na siya, he will say the same thing in his own way...pero since baby pa, ako na lang muna! hahaha

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! I love you very much...

Now, probably you're wondering...pwede naman iemail ko na lang sayo, pinost pa sa world wide web hehe...part yan ng surprise. Muntik na kita padalhan ng bulaklak (totoo!! hahaha) kaso sabi nila, hindi daw panlalaki. Hope I made you smile...aaaaaw!

antagaaaaaaaaaaaal

They say time flies so fast pero baket parang hindi nga gumagalaw....ang tagal tagal...super miss ko na sila :(

a Trip Report: North/South Dakota Roadtrip (3 days)

Finally, there's a US holiday (May 25)!!! Bat ba naman kasi hindi mala-Gloria si Obama in terms of holidays ahihihi...what to do...what to do...sayang ang 3 days-long weekend...hmmm kelangan madagdagan ang collection ng magnets for US States...thanks to Marj for the suggestion...magroad trip!!!

It's my passion to plan things out - mapakasal, birthday, family parties, office teambuildings, gala/trips...kung sana malaki ang pera sa ganyan edi kinarir ko na! hahaha - so I was very excited to plan this. Initial goal is to go to Wyoming, North and South Dakota in 3 days but we ended up doing only the 2 states - North and South Dakota para sulit!

THE PLANNING SESSIONS --

Late nights of having 3 big maps of those states laid on my apartment floor...pinagdugtong namin ang mga interstate highways sa maps and checked out where the places of interest are located. To whoever thought of having mapquest or googlemaps, isa kang henyo! We had an idea how long the travel times are from each point to another one...and whoala, we came up with a schedule and itinerary...kaso may kulang, walang outlet!!! waaaaaahhhhh hindi pa daw uso sa bulubunduking lugar eh huhuhu sale pa naman sana yun.

THE ITINERARY --

May 23, 2009 (Sat)
Leave Minnesota by 2am and travel all the way to North Dakota's Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway. It was roughly a 5 hour drive at 80-85mph (pero 75 lang speed limit hahaha). The byway trip plus picture-taking lasted for about 4 hours and we ended up looking for a place where we can grab lunch at Lisbon (the last town from the byway)...Pizza Ranch (buffet). The scenic byway offers mostly view of "talampasan", bulubunduking lugar", "kapatagan", "ilog", "batis" et al...nagpapatanggal kami ng antok kaya pagalingan magtranslate sa tagalog (winner ka Hazel!!!)

Around 3pm, we travelled going to Theodore Roosevelt Park, roughly a 2.5hrs drive. The bison experience was really unforgettable...kakatakot! Pakalat kalat lang sila! I got to see the Badlands which looks like the Grand Canyon...pinaliit lang. At 9pm, checkin sa hotel. Guess what the check out time is....2am!

May 24, 2009 (Sun)

There's nothing much to see in North Dakota so we planned to tour South Dakota in 2 days and this is Day 1 in SD. Travel from Dickinson, ND to Deadwoods, SD took about 4hrs drive. It's a little town that looks like a theme park and has lots of casinos. Picture-taking then ate breakfast (buffet).

Around 730am, we're done with that first destination so we went ahead and drove to the Badlands National Park (another 2.5hrs drive). This place was spectacular! It's a drive thru park offering different views of the badlands - malagrand canyon na bundok/bato bato. Nagbabadya ang masamang panahon...kelangan mag "Sun Dance"!

Hapon na...we're all excited to see the 2 most important destinations - Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial. Kaso, we did not check the weather beforehand...may thunderstorms pala in the afternoon...it was a scary experience...driving and not seeing anything beyond 100 feet...syempre, tumuloy pa din kami...pero nakatago sila sa fog

Hindi pwedeng masira ang plans!!! We need to go to all the destinations in the itinerary...we had to switch those 2 with Bear Country...and there we went. Ang cute ng mga bears at ng ibang hayop. It's a drive through wildlife park...as in, bawal bumaba or magopen ng windows...takot lang namen sakmalin ng bear or ng wolf noh!

After that, wala na pwedeng ibang gawin. It was raining so hard! We ended up checking in to the hotel early...sabi ni Lord kasi, magpahinga na daw kami...it was really a tiring day...pero bago matulog, kelangan mag "Sun Dance"!

May 25, 2009 (Mon)

Pagkagising..."Sun Dance" ulet! Kelangan umaraw para lumabas ang mga "heads" (ika nga ni Janice ahihihi) (aka Mt Rushmore) at ang kabayo (aka Crazy Horse). Iba na damit...

Thank God...it was a perfect cloudy day! At 5am, we're off to see the Norbeck Scenic Byway. Beautiful rock formations, my first deer-crossing-in-the-street experience, trees, mountains, tunnel...ang ganda!!!

Along that byway si Crazy Horse and Mt Rushmore so we did not miss anything in the itinerary. Wooohoooo!!!

It was very fulfilling - planning and making those plans a reality. Kahet na wala masyado tulog or masakit ang katawan sa matagal na pagdadrive or pag-upo sa koche...super sulit!

To my road trip buddies, Janice, Hazel and Marj....SA UULITIN!!!! hehehe

Soooooo HAPPY!!!

...very very happy! They are coming...soon...in Minnesota!!!

For everything…God has a Reason

It was very painful but I have moved on. I still cry sometimes but those tears are no longer because of bitterness or for blaming myself or my work or whoever for what had happened but because I just miss him. I miss my second baby, Kyle Arwin. I still don't know why it happened that way and why on the 35th week of my pregnancy but I'm certain that God has reasons for it and He did that because He knows what's best for me and my baby. Slowly, God has showed me (and continuously showing) His reasons …I needed to go hands-on with the new house we've finished building…Tons of boxes and bags to unpack in the new house...Zach still needing my breast milk even after his second birthday…No additional yaya can fit in the house...I want to go back to the US...all of them, I could not have done if I had another baby to care for.

And now, I'm here at Minnesota; miles and miles away from my Zach Owen and my labs, Jerry. But who knows, they might come over to be with me so we can go to Disneyland (Florida or California) together :) Well, only God knows! And for whatever He does in my life, I'll just trust Him because I know, He has a reason…for Everything.