Life On The Road

2018

My 60th birthday at the Steak House in
Fairfield, CA

This year has passed by so quickly. It was hectic. Major. I am trying to recollect how it was for me. Let's go by the month of the year:

January, I turned sixty. OMG!

February, busy time. Our business was about to close and get sold.

March, business sold! Husband flew to Yuma, Arizona and met up with his brother and sister who has a vacation house there. He decided, my love, to opt for an early retirement and this was his way with celebrating his choices. So, off he went and used our mileage for the trip.

April, husband and I went on a Pacific coast cruise via Princess Cruise. 

May, we cruised to the Alcatraz Island. We won these two tickets for this event which was costly by the way during the "North Beach Meet and Greet with the San Francisco Police and Fire Department"  raffle. Then, we flew in to Jamaica with my in-laws for an all-inclusive vacation. 

 

June, husband and I hosted Olivier, my French friend. Then we all flew in to Vegas. That was tiring, fun, hectic and memorable!

July, we flew to Amsterdam. Stayed for four days there ahead of our cruise then joined the batch via our first Viking River Cruise. It was a long time at the sea, like 19 days. Then, left Romania for the UK. Stayed on for couple of days then flew back to SFO.

August, we were in Lincoln city at the beach by the Oregon coast.

October, we drove for a few days in Fairfield, CA and relaxed, read, ate and had some spa time on our own.

Arrival photo with my siblings. We have not been homefor 7 years. So it was a bitter sweet reunion with them.

November 28^th, we flew in to the Philippines after seven years of absence. Met with my Javier family and extended ones, the Ocampos. We spent Christmas and New Year there as well. Major work repair was done in my inherited house from my mom. It is in the suburbs. About this time, too, I also applied for a senior citizen discount card which was great! Now I have a 29% discount on food and 5% on basic food supplies like milk, rice and cooking oil. The only hassle is I had to carry this set of large booklets associated with the senior discount card and the card is so huge that it won't fit inside my wallet! But other than that, I enjoyed the perks it provided by.

Regarding our Manila vacation:

I did not contact any of my girlfriends to let them know we were coming home because husband and I were clueless on what to expect once we touch down in the Philippines. It has been a long seven years since our last visit there. Relationships changed and as a family each of us have our differences.  So, counting all these, we were not sure of what to expect. Good or bad, we were there for the family because we are family. All we wanted to do was rest. But it didn't go that way.

There were huge problems concerning the house that needed our immediate attention, like the infestation of termites that gave way to us loosing some furnitures, bedroom doors, etc. So barely a week after our arrival, we were thrown into the lion's den and started to work with our contractor, electrician, plumber, mason, carpenters, vertical blinds installer, and piano tuner. It was a major disaster and the house had to be repaired immediately. We slept in the bedroom but once the construction started, we moved to the living room in favor of a bigger bed that we bought at the mall. It was challenging being there.  The construction and repair finished around the second week of January 2019. On the third week, we flew to Thailand and spent nine days there. Another week came by and we rested back into our abode. Then, it was time to fly back to San Francisco. That fast! And we thought November to February was a long holiday. It ended up to be a working holiday filled with stress and difficulties.

Emilie, my youngest sister, playing the piano after a heart dinner 

December: we spent Christmas with Ballon's family. Present were me and husband, Emilie's family and that's it. The boys had other plans and were not present.

2019

My Javier Family enjoying some time after our hosting of their first American bbq.

January 13th, I turned 61. Another OMG! Husband and I hosted an American barbecue at our house in Manuela 1, Las Pinas. We bought a Charbroil barbecue from the US and had my family to enjoy the real "American bbq" party. We bought all the chips, bread and beef at SM Southmall. It was an afternoon of fun!

Chiara's photograph of the hamburger her Uncle Jeff was bbq'ing.

Good bye photograph taken three days before our flight to the US

Chiara and Muriel on a duet on the baby grand piano.

 

Ruamrudee International School, Bangkok, faculty reunion

Emily, left and Weena,center with Claire

Claire, center, with husband and I

January 19^th to 26, we were in Bangkok and visited Oliver and my old RIS chums. I did meet my comadre Emily whom I have not seen for many years. And my close friend's daughters, Was and Ween.

Boni, on my left, taken at SM Bacoor

February 6th, met up with Boni, close friend and college chum whom I have not seen for many years. A professional violist at the symphony orchestra in the Philippines, she retired a few days prior to our hook up. It was a sweet reunion for us both!

February 9th, we had our Javier family potluck, three days prior to our flight back to San Francisco.

February 12^th, we returned here in the USA. And up until now, I am still jet lagged!

My siblings and I with dear husband

Then, in two weeks, we fly to Spain for an ocean cruise via Viking Ocean Cruise which starts four days later. We will be gone for 19 days and we will be back in the USA via Venice, Italy. After which, I have no clue on where to go next except that we have one trip that always bring us to Oregon, our summer get away place. 

Now during the waiting process of our next destination, I shall toil the soil of my pots and plant something new and care for the old ones. This is me at 61!