May nakapagsabi sa akin noon na kapag bibisita sa unang pagkakataon sa isang simbahan, humiling daw ng tatlong mithi. Hindi ko alam kung gaano kalaganap ang paniniwalang ito sa Pilipinas. Ngunit totoo man ito o hindi, nakagawian ko na rin na sa tuwing makakabisita sa isang simbahan sa unang pagkakataon, humihiling ako ng tatlong espesyal na mithi.

Kaya naman laking tuwa ko noong mabiyayaan kami ng Diyos ng pagkakataong makapaglibot muli sa Europa noong 2006. Nakasama namin ng aking ina, ang aking asawa’t anak sa unang pagkakataon. Nagawa naming bumisita sa simbahan sa bawa’t bansang napuntahan namin. Parang Bisita Iglesia pero cross country! Ito ang aming mga napuntahan:

St. Peter’s Cathedral - Trier, Germany

St. Etienne Cathedral - Metz, France

St. Etienne Cathedral - Metz, France (ulit!)

Notre Dame Cathedral a.k.a. Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg - Luxembourg, Luxembourg

St. Jan Church (church on the left with red tower) and Basilica of St. Servatius (center building)

St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral/The Emperor’s Cathedral (Der Kaiserdom) - Frankfurt, Germany

Ang aking asawa at ang 18 buwang gulang na si Abby, nagtitirik ng kandila.

Nakakatuwang isipin na bago pa man natin maiparating sa Diyos ang ating mga minimithi ay alam na niya kung ano ang mga ito.  At kahit maaari tayong magdasal kahit saan at kahit ano mang oras, iba pa rin ang pagdarasal sa loog ng simbahan.  Mas ramdam, hindi ba? :)  Dalangin kong ibigay na ng Diyos ang tinuturing kong mga pinakamahala kong mga mithiin.  Hangad kong pati ang iyong pinakamimithi ay ibigay Niya na rin.

May isa pa akong lahok sa LP DITO. Maligayang Huwebes!

It doesn’t seem too long ago when Hubby and I were checking out strollers at baby stores.  Yesterday, that baby we were shopping a stroller for turned 4. 

Abby belongs to a very small number of children here in the US who still sleep in the master bedroom. :D  After midnight of the 17th, I readied her room (Yes, she has one of her own!) for an early morning birthday celebration.  I laid out all our presents for her on the bed. 

In previous birthdays, Abby opened her presents after dinner.  She eagerly embraced this slight deviation from our usual birthday routine.  Hee hee.

Before she opened her presents, Hubby and I present her with a birthday cake, my other Weekend Snapshot entry.

Have a fab week ahead!  Cheers!

Our trip to California last month was both Abby’s and my first plane ride after moving to Texas. On our trip to Austin from the Philippines, Abby insisted on sitting on my lap during take off and landing, much to the dismay of Continental’s flight attendants. I’m just glad that was no longer the case. She sat by the window and asked, “Are we there yet?” every 5 minutes. Her portable  DVD player kept her entertained for the most part of the trip. Thank God for direct flights! Hee hee.

A few minutes before boarding

Prim and proper and excited

I may have spoken too soon!

It felt good to be up in the air again.  I hope the next time won’t take another year to come around!

Hungry?  Share a meal with me here, my other WS entry.

Have a wonderful week!

The front of our house

The back of our house

Home, for us, will always be the Philippines.  Where we are now is our home away from home.  :)  Before we came to Austin, we were almost sure that we will be living in an apartment.  Our only worry then was that we have a toddler and in apartment living, there are so many neighbors we’ll have to get along with depending on where our unit will be located…the nextdoor neighbors, the upstairs neighbors and the downstairs neighbors.  It was a blessing that hubby found the townhome we’re currently living in.  I just adore it to bits and pieces.  Here are 10 reasons why:

1)  The rent is comparable to that of apartments.

2)  We have a 2-car garage which doubles as extra storage space.

3)  We have a tiny lawn in front of and on both sides of the house.  The beauty of it is that we don’t have to worry about mowing because gardeners do it for us once a week through the home owner’s association.

4)  We have a community park which has 3 huge playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball courts, an area for beach volleyball and clubhouse with 3 pools.

5)  The townhouse has already been furnished with the necessary appliances: refrigerator, stove/oven, microwave, washer and dryer and dishwasher.

6)  We are close to everything…banks, restaurants, an urgent care clinic, a gym, and convenience/drug stores.  All of these are just a short walk away from where we live.

7)  We have enough room to accommodate family and friends. 

8)  Our subdivision has a “social committee” which organizes activities for residents, like a movie in the park, Easter egg hunt, etc.

9)  We have very friendly neighbors.

10)  We don’t have to worry about home insurance. ;)  But renter’s insurance is another thing.  Hee hee.

When hubby moved into the home we are renting right now.  It looked like this…

So clean!  He signed the lease about a week before Abby and I arrived.  By the time we got here, we already had a living and a dining room set and 2 airbeds (queen-sized! hee hee!) and a 32-inch tv that we inherited from one of hubby’s Japanese friends.  Our shipping boxes didn’t arrive until June.  Bare as it was, we were happy nevertheless because our family was together again after 3 months of being apart.  Our house is so much more homey now.  If only we can fill it with the all too familiar sound of laughter and “home” that we’ve always been accustomed to.  In God’s time, that will all come to be.  I just know it.   Deep in my heart, I just know it.

So what if I’m in my early 30s?!  I still want to play with real toys.  Hee hee.  Hubby got me a Wii Fit on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.  To be honest, I thought I didn’t want one at first.  But after I viewed the promotional dvd that hubby got from Circuit City a few weeks ago, I got very interested  and gladly gave in. ;)  No more playing hard to get!  Hee hee.  I can’t believe how this new game was easily sold out in most stores.  Good thing we were able to snag one at good ‘ol trusty Wal-Mart.

From the very first game, I was hooked.  There’s aerobics, strength training, balance games and yoga.  My instant favorites are Hula-Hoop, Step and Tae Bo.  If you’re into strength training and yoga, you can work with a virtual trainer, too!  I chose a male trainer and why not, hubby chose a female for himself?! :D  And believe me, they can tell if you’re working or not.  One time, I tried to do strength training and ambitiously chose to do push-ups.  I was never good at push-ups.  So with both my hands gripping each side of the balance board, I attempted to do push-ups…and failed miserably.  I had to let go of the balance board and sat down on the floor.  My virtual trainor actually said, “Hello?  Are you still there?”  I kid you not!  That really cracked me up!

I’m amazed at how a “toy” can measure one’s BMI (body mass index) and weight accurately.  It also determines one’s center of balance (COB).  I’m happy to announce that at my last body test on the Wii Fit, my Wii Fit age is 24.  How’s that, huh?  Hee hee.

This toy will work well with people who have a hard time getting their butts off the couch.  It’s a lot of fun and it will really get you moving.  If you want to get fit and needs something to start with at least, this will do you a lot of good.  It will keep you off the weight loss pills.  Promise.

“getting to know you” moment at the car dealership on pick-up day (10 April 2008)

happy father and daughter in their new toy….the happy mother, that would be me, took this pic.

Thank you, God for this wonderful gift. 

I have another WW entry HERE.  More Wordless Wednesday HERE.