PHILIPPINES

Bre and  I  had an awesome time in the Philippines!!!  It was so fun to be with mom and dad!!!  I haven't seen them for a long time.  And my mom and I kept saying that it was weird that we hadn't seen each other forever and yet it just seemed like it had been a couple of days and was totally normal.  :)
DAY 1, Day 2, and Day 3 (All the same day to me)
Wednesday....what a darn long day.  We spent forever on the airplane.  We flew to San Francisco which only took 1 1/2 hours..not bad, but then it was on to another airplane in which we flew forever across the international date line which made us skip Thursday, then we landed in Guam to refuel, then it was off to Manila.  So I slept for about 7 hours (thanks to an ambien from my doc) and felt pretty good until I realized we had about another 10 hours left....aaaaaaa.  But we did survive and Bre was such a trooper.  We had brought lots of stuff to keep us busy so it was ok. We landed in Manila Friday morning at 6 a.m.

 

 

Our first stop after greeting mom and dad and Krissy at the airport was to a pancake house with a family that my parents know super well.  My dad actually baptized Ruth (the mom) on his previous mission to the phils.

 

 

This was one of the funniest things I saw over there...the funniest part is that he put his name and phone number on the sign!!!   It is pretty close to the Temple and in one of the nicest parts of Manila.

This is  Temple grounds at the Manila Temple.

 

 

 

Day 4 (Saturday)

We went to a baptism in the South China Sea at a black sand beach.  It was a cute little 12 year old boy that was getting baptized.  The rest of his family except for his dad and his 7 year old brother had been baptized one month before.  It was so awesome to be able to witness this.  Wow.  This was really a spirit packed day!!!

 

This hut was in the yard of the church.  The reason they get baptized in the ocean right now is because it is still just a branch.  All of the stake centers have faunts.

 

This was the little boy getting baptized and it was probably his first ride in a car like this.  We all squished for a short drive from the church to the ocean.  (Bre was sitting on my lap :))   We took them because they were in their white clothes.  Everyone else piled in a tri-cycle (which is a motorcycle with a side car)...and let me tell they know how to squish!!!

 

 

This is the Garcia family.  What an awesome addition to the branch a whole big family. 

We went to this baptism later that day.  The dad had already been baptized and now the mom and three of the boys were getting baptized.  This was in a different location and at a stake center.  It was very similar to the baptisms here in utah.  It was so neat to see this one as well.

 

After this baptism we went to Mcdonalds witht he sister missionaries.  It was so fun to talk with them! They were awesome. Sister Garcia is from the Philippines and Sister Takitoya is from Tonga.  After this whole Philippine experience I am definitely going to encourage my 3 daughters to go on missions!!  I know Brandon will, but I want my girls to as well!!  I wish so bad I could go back and go on a mission!!  What an amazing learning experience.

 

 

This is mom and dads house.  They live in a very nice neighborhood.  One way I could tell is because there were some chubby kids that lived across the street.   They were the only chubby kids I saw the whole time.  My mom and dad are very fortunate to have a tiled floor.  Most of the houses in the philippines either have dirt or cement if they are lucky.  We are SO SPOILED here in USA and don't even realized it. 

 

Day 5 (sunday)

We went to church.  It was so fun to meet everyone that my mom and dad know so well and work with.  The primary kids sang a song in Sacrament meeting and invited Bre to go up and sing with them.  So cute.  The kids LOVED Bre.  They couldn't believe that they were seeing a little girl with blonde hair and white skin.  They love white skin over there and I kept telling them that I loved their skin.  Everywhere we went the kids boys and girls would just stop what they were doing and stare at Bre and my blonde hair.  One little girl thought that my mom was a barbie.  So funny.  My dad says that these people have probably never seen a little white skinned amercican girl before.  They see adults but not kids.  But none of that really matters it was just so neat to be together as members of the church!!!  It is amazing how you just automatically just have a bond with people when you hae never met them before.

 

 

 

Ok, I look like a dork in this pic, but these people we so cool I had to put them in my "blog".  This man is the Stake Pres. in this area.  He and his family were just so nice and amazing and had so much faith in Heavenly Father.  He lost his job a month ago and have no idea where their next meal is coming from and yet they still serve in their callings and were so amazing.  They know they will be blessed.

Day 6 (Monday)

Monday morning we woke up to rain, hard rain.  It was awesome.  My parents have a tin roof and so it was loud and cool sounding.  Then when the rain stopped we went to burn our trash....sorry to all of you green earth lovers...I love the earth to but this is the way they do it there!!  It was kind of fun to watch. :)  The next pics are some driving pictures.  There are really no rules when it comes to driving there....everyone is just out fot themselves and how can you get to your destination faster!!  CRAZY and very exhausting.  I don;t know how my dad did it so well because I was seriously tired from riding in the backseat for 10 minutes.  It was exciting though:)

 

 

People will just pile on whatever they can.  My mom and dad said the most they have seen on a motorcycle is 5 people and one dog. 

 

 This really is a street that we were driving on, look how skinny and actually traffic free.  We were in a place that didn't have many cars, but I can't believe I got a shot without people in it, because there were tons of people and kids always walking on the road!!

 

 

This monkey scared me to death, I didn't see it until it was right at my face level.  Then it stuck its tongue out...so cute!!

 

Beautiful scenery...rice patties and palm trees and the ocean in the background.

 

We went to eat lunch at this cool Chinese restaurant 100 yards out into the ocean.  So fun.  Bre and I were nervous to walk out on the bamboo sticks tied together for the walkway!!

 

 

 

After lunch we went to meet some special people to my mom and dad.  Their names are Mario and JoAnne and they just had a baby boy named Jaren.  I wish D could have met Mario, because he would have loved talking to him, he was so funny and so nice.  He cut open a coconut for Bre and me.  Fresh coconut milk not my fav but nice that they would share.   They also gave us a bunch of little bananas from their banana tree.  Those were yummy!!  Their house is in the background.  Before we got their dad said not to feel bad for them because they don't feel bad for themselves.  And he was right.  They were so happy and happy to have the gospel in their lives.  Mario is in the branch presidency in his branch.  I can't believe I didn't get a pic of baby Jaren he was adoreable!!!!!

 

We rode in  a tri-cycle for the last 5 minutes of the ride home...what an adventure.  Mom and dad said it was way to dangerous to ride them on the highway, but the back roads to their house were fine.  

 

Day 7 (Tuesday)

For our last full day there we went to Liluw (Lelu), aweome place.  It is the sandal and flip flop capital of the Philippines.  The good thing is that you could get cute flips and sandals for lik $1 or $2...the bad part was that I was like Amazon woman over there.  Ok, really I only wear an average size 7 1/2, but it was hard to find a shoe that would fit me...  :)  it was pretty funny.  Lucky lucky Bre Bre though, her foot was PERFECT size for any shoe there.  So she could pick anything.  I found a bunch of shoes for my kids and a few for me. 

We went to lunch at this Aweome Italian restaurant that I am not sur any Filapino could afford, but I am so glad it was there.  YUM!  It gets Bre and My vote for the best place to eat!!  They even gave us a complimentary dessert of yummy fudgy carmel cake with icecream.

That is another thing that made me feel bed though, because we saw and met so many people that were starving and then we go and stuff our belies like kings and queens.    I really don't get why some people get things and others don't????

 

 

  

Check out the low ceilings!!

 

After lunch we went to a house of one of the bishops that my mom and dad know!!  He was painting them a cool painting.  These two little kids are so adoreable.  I gave them some fruit leather and fruit snacks.  

 

I LOVE PINEAPPLE!!  They were only 50 cents for one....hello I was in heaven (:

Last Day (wendesday)

I went to my first ever district meeting with the missionaries.  The sisters LOVED Bre again.  Especially Sister Hagnes.  She LOVED LOVED Bre.  It was so interesting to have such a spiritual meeting with the missionaries and truly feel of the spirit and then walk out into the "world" of Loud honking cars and people walking and moving everywhere.  I have never noticed such a stark contrast before, probably because when I walk out of my church meeting it is still quiet and peaceful outside.   I guess that is one reason we live in the good old countrt!!

 

Here is me feeling SUPER TALL again, I wasn't even wearing heels, I just had on some flip flops.

LOVE IT!!

 

 

This Sister thought Bre was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

We then went to dinner at Chilis and it was off to the airport for another longest day of our lives!!!!

 

This is our plane.  I have never been on a double decker before....it seriously was huge!!!

 

Sunset...which means we are almost home...yay!!!  I had to take this picture because I knew we would be landing in California when the sun set....

The Philippines was such an awesome adventure.  I loved seeing mom and dad and meeting a lot of the people that they love.  The Filapinos are truly a wonderful people.  I loved going to church and meeting members.  I loved seeing where people lived, and learning a little bit about their lives.  I loved having Bre with me and I know she will never forget it either. 

Overall the Philippines is a very loud and busy place with no driving laws and corrupt policemen, but then you meet the members of the church and the sweet little kids and it seems like a different kind of Philippines!!!  I LOVED IT!!!