Our First US Trip (and hopefully, not the last!)

We had a fun summer vacation in the United States last August. We stayed there for more than three weeks and we had a BLAST! It was our first time setting foot in the US. I wasn't just excited for the kids but also for hubby and I. It was nice being with family, going to places I've only seen on TV, seeing the cousins bond with each other, shopping, etc.

Calgary airport

Calgary airport

boarding the plane

too scared of the view up in the sky

Lance's stuff

Leila pretending to read :P

almost there!

IKEA! :p

Okay, enough of the good stuff! Hubby and I didn't enjoy the traffic, long walks, long travel hours haha! We live in a small city here in Alberta where everything is within arm's reach. Just kidding! We are just lazy peeps that's why. We were in awe of the whole experience, bad or good. And we will be forever thankful for the generosity of my bro/sis in law.

wasted no time, went straight to Carlo's bakeshop

Cannolis from Carlo's

1st stop was red Ribbon Bakeshop

pretty girls!

precious moment :)

We had so much fun eating, hubby and I gained 10-15lbs during our vacation. We ate like there's no tomorrow, rice from breakfast to midnight snack not to mention the street food, fast food and buffet! Who cares! Life is about enjoying the things we love and eating is number 1 on my list :)

fish soup

Binagoongan

boiled peanuts

Sisig

other versions of Sisig

One of the most memorable places we went was the Statue of Liberty. The kids were very excited to see this landmark, ride the ferry and get those cool souvenir sunglasses. Our Washington trip abruptly ended because of heavy rains but we got to see beautiful landmarks as well.

We still have hundreds (maybe thousands?) of pictures to remind us of our wonderful summer vacation. I wish we can do this every year. Again, huge thanks to the people who made our stay memorable. We miss you guys! Til' we meet again :D

Happy First!

Oh how time flies. October 30 marks our first year here in Lethbridge. A year since our unforgettable flight from Manila to Tokyo, Tokyo to Vancouver, and finally Vancouver to Calgary. I promised myself not to go through that kind of experience again, never ever again! More than anything else on my mind that day, I just felt relieved that we got here safely and finally reunited with Mark. Lesson learned? Always TRAVEL LIGHT especially when you have 2 children.

 Ninoy Aquino Int'l Airport, Philippines

 Narita Int'l Airport

Vancouver

Getting settled in our rented main floor part of the house was quite a joyful experience, overwhelmed with the many stuff given to us by generous people, challenged as to how to put everything in place while making the kids feel at home and adapt to their new environment.

Yes, it has been a year, there are a lot of things that I haven't tried yet. I have not been on the bus or out all by myself. It's just the park, school, bakery and our house. I don't have a job, nor a social life. But what I do have is my FAMILY and they are more than enough to complete me.

Our first family picture in Canada