Merry Christmas!

Santa gave the kids almost everything they wanted. Here they are opening gifts and playing with cousin Chase and Aunt Barbara and Uncle Norm. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season! We miss you all especially everyone in Alaska...

Christmas Eve

We spent the day before Christmas at the Van Andel Museum Center where the boys rode a carousel, learned about Grand Rapids, and got arrested at the Whodunit? exhibit...

The Windy City

We have been in Grand Rapids, Michigan for a while and will spend the rest of the holidays here. However, we left for three days and visited Chicago. We stayed right next to my old stomping grounds (the now defunct, Northwestern University Dental School), on Lake Shore Drive at the W Hotel. The W Hotel is quite sexy and modern especially for a family that lives in a van, but they welcomed Bo...



We got to see the Ryans and were surprised by Wayne's old volleyball buddies, Pat and Susan. It was great to be back in Chi-town and the boys loved the Field Museum (we saw Sue, a T-Rex) and the Shedd Aquarium (amazing every time). On our last day, we went up to Andersonville for breakfast to get Swedish pancakes and cinnamon rolls at Ann Sathers (yummy). And we went to the Swedish Bakery to visit my favorite cake, although we only left with a box of cookies...


I miss Chicago (snowstorms and all), but I think Wayne was only a little sentimental (he did meet his wife there after all).

Christmas Tree Farm

Here we are with Grandma freezing at a Christmas Tree Farm in Rockford, Michigan. Boy, was it ever cold that day (it felt like a day of tom-codding in Nome). We finally picked a white pine, but after 10 minutes outside, they all started to look like the perfect tree.

Kentucky Horse Park

We drove through the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and through Tennessee and then into Kentucky last night. Luckily we found an RV park right in Lexington, at the Kentucky Horse Park. The place is a huge mecca for horse lovers and has many stables for training and riding. It is also a nursing home and a final resting place for famous race horses ( I only recognized the name of Man o' War). We tried to feed some horses apples, but they weren't interested.

Leaving the South is sad :(

Well, I've relaxed and caught up with my family and friends (although unfortunately, not everyone). This trip has been great, but my underlying thoughts (which I must try to stop having), is that we just don't have enough time. I was so glad Tyler and Joe were able to spend some quality time with my sisters, Joy and Tina; and of course with their grandparents, whom they call Nanay and Lolo Tatay. Tay made his usual pancakes for the boys almost every morning, Tita Joy took them to EdVenture, and Tita Tin "tricked" them into wanting snakes for pets! And we visited with my friends from high school.

And of course, I've gained my normal 5-10 pounds from just crossing into the S. Carolina border. Not just because it was Thanksgiving, but also I had to eat all my favorite Southern and Filipino food at a frenzied pace: blue crabs, Chik-Fil-A, a Lil' Joe's barbecue sandwich basket at Piggie Park, etc., etc.....

It's always difficult to leave home.

South Carolina!

I've been extremely delinquent in my blogging duties, because now that I'm home (i.e. where I grew up), I have reverted to lounging around and doing absolutely nothing. I haven't even taken many pictures this week. But we did leave Columbia (my hometown) for a few days and went to the coast to St. Helena Island where my family has a vacation place. And of course this means...more fishing and creature-finding for the boys. There is a pond on the property complete with large mouth bass and lurking alligators close by. We were right on the Beaufort River where it is so relaxing and sunny. The boys and Wayne even saw two dolphin swim close by them off the pier. We're all doing great.