Ang Pasasalamat

It's Thanksgiving, time to say grace for all the blessings we received...

My son's first thanksgiving celebration at Kinder Care was really a big one for him. Showing me his simple artwork with lots of pride...and i'm so proud of him...I thank God for blessing me with two wonderful kids...



I also went to Zoe's "bring a friend day" at Austin Elementary School...check out some pictures at her own blog...click here

Obamarama... "The History of Change"

Today Barack Obama made a history... a "history of change" not only for United States of America but also for the whole world. He is the first African - American to dominate a country of white race.

Barack Obama was born and grew up in Hawaii. His mother was white American and his father is from Kenya. They met each other when they were in college at the University of Hawaii. However, when his father left for Harvard, he went straight back to Kenya abandoning Barack and his mother in Hawaii. His mother remarried to an Indonesian oil manager and lived in Jakarta wherein Barack was exposed to tropical poverty at a very young age. Then he went back to Hawaii and grew up with his Grandparents.

He attended Harvard Law School and in 1990 became the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review. In 2004, he was elected to the US Senate as a Democrat represending Illinois. And today, November 4, 2008 he won as the 44th President of the United States (444)... I just hope that he will really bring positive changes not only to the lives of American people but for the whole world. We really need peaceful solution to the world's economic crisis.

Stone Mountain 2008

Originally, we were supposed to attend EJ's birthday(2nd son of Helen Binosa, our friend from Duluth, Atlanta), unfortunately, the three brothers including the father (Andrew) were sick so the party was cancelled. But that didn't stop "US" girls to enjoy the lovely day, so we decided to bring the bayanihan food to a picnic at Stone Mountain...ang saya saya....After filling-up our hungry tummy...off we went to explore the largest exposure of granite in the world. While we were on top of the mountain, the daddies were left enjoying the poker and the food...hahaha coz we were left with 3 (tumataginting) bbq sticks...

Posing at the entrance to the cable car

More posing with my amigas!!!

(from left: Nanette w/ Trez, Meeya, Ellaine, Macky, Tina and me)

This are the kids but only 2 are mine heheheh. Happy together!!!

(from the left: Naj,behind her is Ayel, Bianca, Josh, Trez, Ellys, Emond, Ninna and Zoe)

My two Angels on top of the plateau

Feeling on top of the world

(is it obvious that they are scared to pose???)

Dad missed this spot...

Peace Zoe

Amazing view of Sunset


That is high... whew!!! That is about 850 feet high...

Good thing i did not have a heart attack.

Finally, lazer show after our exploration on top of the plateau.

That completes my list of "places to visit in Atlanta"but hopefully not the last outing with our Friends...

Picnic sa Park

The barkadas decided to go for a bbq picnic at the park since summer is almost over. The potluck gives us the chance to have a break from our own cookings. I prepared lettuce wrap, bbq pork from Pangilinan family, bbq chicken from Vicente family, inihaw na pusit from Paquito Ilagan family, palabok from Romel Ilagan family and baked salmon from Lombres family. It's all yummy. The scenery gave us the appetite to digged-in but most of all the laughters made it perfect. It is always a good idea to do these outing once in awhile to ease us from all the stress and exhaustion especially, to us mommies who are multi-tasking 24/7.

Look at the moon....

The dalagindings are happy together...


Ito pa... from left Ashly, Ellys, Naj, Bianca and my sweet Zoe.


Of course, the binatilyos will not miss a chance too...
from left : Emon, Josh, Trez, Eizen and Ayel



And of course, our the papables...

from left : Kitz, John, Tata, Dante, Romel and Allan

The finale, the ever beautiful mommies...
from left : Macky, Ellaine, Nanette, me, Meeya and Tina

Did you notice that me and Mia are the only one ready for a kodak smile?

North Carolina Zoo

The Carolina misis has organized another Lakwatsa to North Carolina Zoo. Families from Raleigh, Charlotte, Columbia (SC) joined us. However, since the Zoo was too big to explore just few of us crossed path...

My family at the African Dominion

Another family posing!!!

My little Zoe

Can you see the animal at my back ?

My Carolina misis friends.

(from left mama Theena, Tess, Cherry and me... the two chikitings are Ivy and Josh)

The boylets...

(From left : Myke, Eller, John and George)

Our Chikiting patrol...

(From left : Faye, Jamison, Josh, Jeffrey and Mico)

This means it's time to go home...

We didn't see much animal species in this Zoo, besides it's big area to explore...animals are either having their siesta or hiding from the very hot weather...But friends bonding made the exhaustion worth it.. Ang saya!!!

Our First Christmas & New Year in the US

Christmas is the time for giving and receiving...time to love and share...time to be happy and celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. But it's the other way around here in the US, besides the decorations in the malls and lights on the streets, I don't see anything that makes me feel the spirit of Christmas. In the Philippines, once the month of "ber" arrives. Peoples starts to decorate their houses and make their Christmas shopping list for those who are "nauthy and not" even with their "butas na bulsa". Malls and radios start to play Christmas songs. Streets are full of life with colorful Christmas lights. People seems to be living in a very fast phase...Even with the hardship of life in the Philippines you will feel the love and happiness in the air...


On the 24th of December 2005, my husband still needs to work so we travelled from Charlotte, NC to Atlanta at around 8pm, we almost spent our Christmas on the road. We drove to Walgreen since it's the only shop open to sell food. We didn't even have the chance to shop for Zoe's & Josh's gift because hubby was working 24/7. Luckily, our friends in NC gave them gifts before we headed to Atlanta and that's what they opened on Christmas eve. We never felt so lonely on a very happy occassion such as Christmas but when we hugged each other we felt the love in our family. I realized that no matter where we are or what we have on our Noche Buena, Christmas is with us for as long as we are together...

Ang munti naming salo-salo

Thanks to Walgreen for our Noche Buena

Thanks to Tito Anton for the Elmo.

Thanks to Tita Theena and Tito Micke for the gift.

New year's eve, new life...life that is basically us, "only Us". Me and my husband, Zoe and Josh. My new year's resolution is not to be over-standard or else i will have a hard time finishing everything on my own. I have no problem at the moment since we have been living in the hotel for like 2 months now in Charlotte, NC where cleaning is not my responsibility YET. But, when it comes to my kids' welfare, I still could not afford to down-grade my standards because they are my precious ones...

Our New Year's Eve celebration is as lonely as Christmas...we missed our love ones in the Philippines, we missed the "paputok" (fireworks) for like hours and the "usok" (smoke) that seems last forever. After we had our salo-salo, we just cuddled in the couch and watch the countdown in the TV, then went to bed with the hope of a better year in the morning.

That's baked ribs and Pasta... yummmm at least, homemade na yan di na binili...

This is US...noticed the teary eyes of everyone...

This is after we attended the new year's mass at Saint Jude.

Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all!!!

Carowinds Winter Fest

Last 18th of December 2005, we went to Carowinds here in Charlotte, NC for the winter fest. Eventhough my husband was not feeling well because of working 24/7 on call, he still managed to bring us there. Maybe he thought that we all need a break from being in the hotel for a month now, could hardly go out because of his work load and crazy schedule. As preparation, we even brought Josh to the emergency a day before we went to Carowinds because of some rashes to make sure that he is safe to go out. Zoe was so excited as it was her first time to go to a theme park here in the US.

Hey ate you are choking Josh!!!

A pose with ummm... forgot... i think it's the fairy Godmother...

Zoe love Dora and boots...

Sponge Bob square pants

A kodak moment with our new found friends in Charlotte, NC

from left (Anton, Noel, Nanette, Tata, Me, Zoe, Paulene, Miko, Mhel, Josh, John, Brendan, Odette, Naj, Ashley, Tina, Zorina, Rodgie)