If you are Filipino, you know what this is. If you haven’t been home for a while now, chances are you are dying to have this.

Dried fish.  Salty yet irresistible.  This is bad for people with UTI, high blood and Kidney problems.  I admit, I didn’t enjoy this as much as I want to during my vacation because of my UTI.  But little by little I am drooling at this.  And yes, I got a few in my kitchen which hubby wishes not to have because of the smell.

For a Pinay like me, even the smell of this dried fish is heavenly!

Philippines was really hot to the point of being uncomfortable in the most comfortable place. Needless to say, I was adjusting too when I got back with below freezing temperature.

Andrea got sick too. I guess due to the sudden change of the weather. She is having cough, colds and fever.

I need to get back to my routine. I need to completely unpack my things. I have plenty of laundry to do. I need to do some cleaning. On top of all these, I have to take care of a sick child. Whew back to the reality of life being a stay at home Mom. I am not complaining though. The vacation is well worth it.

Today is nothing special for us. It was our decision not to spend money in celebrating valentines. Considering the fact that we just had our family vacation, we don’t need to spend more money just to celebrate valentines.

For this year, no fancy gifts, no flowers no dining out for hubby and I. Everyday is valentines for us. We celebrate our love everyday.

I hope you all have a great day!

We got back yesterday and the weather was cold. It was snowing in Detroit and we didn’t have a coat. We were the only person who were brave yet stupid not to wear a coat. It was bbrrrr

A delta employee was kind enough to give us a blanket because she saw we have a toddler. It was really cold and the airplane was cold too.

Mom Lori and Dan picked us up at the airport armed with our jackets. Whew! what a relief. We showered and drop all our luggage. Did some much-needed grocery shopping.

It is nice to be home and be welcomed with a fresh bouquet of flowers…

Tomorrow we will be flying back to our own home. I had a blast with our vacation.  I enjoyed seeing my daughter interacting with our big family.  She can now recognize who is who in the family.  With so many names to keep up with and so many kids, I am amazed at how she handled it.  I am so proud of you Anak.

Plenty of things had improved while we were on vacation.  Andrea became comfortable in using different bathrooms.  A month ago, she will cry when I let her use public restrooms.  She will cry even if I bring her to her Nana’s bathroom.  Today, she will tell you when she needs to go to the bathroom even in the mall or in our neighbor’s house or in our cousin’s house.  She learned to ride the motorcycle and she now enjoys walking in the road.  She adjusted so well.  She even talks to everyone now even strangers.  She has adopted the no seat belt cars here and I am proud that she still doesn’t cross the road without holding hands to somebody.

We will have an early flight tomorrow.  I am wishing for smooth trip.

See you guys when I am back in the USA.

This is where we relax. Swingging in the hammock with the cool breeze under the shade of many trees. Life is simple!  This is how vacations should be.  No worries, no stress… just pure relaxation!

I am very thankful that the priest did it in English as it made it easier for my family to understand the ceremony. The ceremony was short yet solemn. After the ceremony we had a little party at home. We served dinner and the dinner was really good. My brother-in-law roasted chicken which turned out to be really tasty. Then there were grilled fish, shrimp and more.

Below is Andrea’s cake… thanks to her Auntie….

We let the kids swim in the hotel pool but it was just too hot so we asked them not to stay long. We went to Mall of Asia for the kids to see the place and do a little shopping. We also dined out with friends at Seafood Marina Grill. The food there was awesome!!!

We didn’t have a lot of time in Manila to do all the things we wanted but we were able to do little things that we wanted to. We were able to dine at different places too.

Now, we are excited to have our family vacation in Bohol. Tomorrow we will be flying back there.

We will be in Manila to do some shopping for my Mom’s wedding anniversary, to meet some of my former colleague and most of all to pick up my hubby who will be joining us for a vacation.

I am excited to stay in Manila for 3 days.  I used to live in Manila so part of me remained there.  I will be meeting some of my friends whom I have not seen for the last 10 years.  I know it will have a great time.

I hope that my niece will enjoy this trip as this is a trip that I am quite sure she will always remember as this is her first.  It will also be great for Andrea to bond with her while they are in Manila.

Over the course of my blogging career, I have virtually meet many bloggers from all over Philippines who are now residing in different countries. One of my mommy blogger friends is Pinx Labado who happened to be living in Bohol. We decided to meet up during my Philippine Vacation.

It took me a while to meet her person because I was busy. We don’t have reliable communication lines and so many excuses.

We finally met and we share stories and laughter over sumptuous food at Gerry’s Grill. We planned on meeting again for my Mom and Dad’s golden wedding anniversary which will be on February 8.