Our Daddy is Blogging

Hubby has been starting a blog for like two years ago but did not really pursue it. Lately, he asked me to help out on setting it up again coz he wanted to do a journal of his different life experiences. Actually he's just being active in this month of August and he is hoping he will be able to keep it up even if he is in deployment. Earlier he made an entry about our daughter's favorite commercial and she has her own version of it too which hubby took a short video of it. She like the commercial so much that she ask us to repeat playing it on youtube over and over. Hubby posted it on his blog MY EXPERIENCE and this is the link of the short video of Bulilit Commercial: Our Daughter's Version.

My Retail Experience

I miss working. I know, as a full time Mom and wife is a lot of work but what I mean about miss working is going out and have a job outside home. It has been one year and a half that I had my last job. I wish we don't have to move or I have a portable career so I can just bring it along with me wherever our next duty station will be. But anyways, my first job here in the US was with retail. I don't have any experience at all but I easily got used to it. My manager was all praises for me because according to her I am one of her best associates so far and she did not regret hiring and promoting me. One unforgettable experience that I had as a newbie retail associate was my fear of dealing with customers. The first few days was like a torture to me because I was afraid I can't understand my customers. When my manager handed to me barcode scanners to scan merchandise on display I would give her a big thank you. At least I won't be talking much to customers unless somebody needed help. It didn't take long for me though to get used to it. I am thankful for my manager and co-workers who were very patient and understanding. I am hoping and praying if I get another job here that my co-workers are also nice and kind.

Auto Checked

We are now in the process of finishing what are the things needed to be done before hubby leaves. There are still paper works that we have to finish this coming week. But most of all, I am making sure that hubby will check both vehicles for any possible fixing to be done. This morning since he was off he had both vehicles washed and vacuumed. He told me that he'll just leave all truck accessories in his truck but will take out some that I will not be using. I am certain that I will only use his truck if I need to. I am comfortable driving my small car anyway. From time to time I will just crank and let the engine run for a few minutes once every week. Last week a friend of mine whose husband is now on deployment asked our help to jump start their truck since the battery was drained. So hubby did it and thankfully everything is fine now. When he is away I am praying that my car will run smooth and I will not have any problems with it. He told me when the oil will be changed and where. I also have the numbers needed to call in case there is an emergency. But as I have said, I'm praying that everything will be alright and I will not have any problems with our vehicles in the future.

Hubby's Firsts in my Hometown

This picture was taken when we went to our downtown for the first time when we got to the Philippines. My brother-in-law drove us there and hubby was able to see for the first time how the shopping area of my town looks like. He was also shocked to see my family's last name as a store signboard. I have relatives in my father's side that owns stores and pharmacies in my hometown. In the Philippines, especially in towns and barangays, if you own a business usually the name will be taken from the owner's first or last name.

Another firsts that he saw was a jeepney full of passengers inside and even at the roof of the PUJ. He just chuckled when he saw kids hanging on it while it was in motion. When we got home from downtown, we learned that a False Gay competition is about to start in our barangay social hall. It was a competition wherein straight guys acted as gays during the pageant. I asked hubby if he want to come with us to watch it and he wasn't sure. But he went with us after my nephew bugged him to. He told me he don't have a clue what he is about to see. When we were there he was shocked and said over and over that he don't know what to say :-) He even said it was too much for him. It was really funny. The contestants are either married or single straight guys just joining for fun. I even have a cousin and a nephew that joined the pageant. Filipino humor with that pageant is so over the top :-)

Master Degree Online

For me education is very important. My parents taught us to love going to school when we were little because according to them, it's the only treasure they can leave us. We are not rich and they want us to have a good life in the future that is why they inculcated to us the importance of education. Nowadays there is no reason for anyone not to go to school. Even pursuing higher education is easy as long as you are determined. There are online schools already that can give the education you want if you are a busy working person. One of this schools is the Gonzaga University that is ranked as one of the top universities in the West and also the best value among private universities. Online master degree is also being offered by this great university. If you are thinking of going back to school or pursuing a masters degree, check out Gonzaga University. They may have the program that you are looking for. There are some professionals that are reluctant to attend an online masters program because they are afraid of the quality of the education they might get. But this university is committed to give the best quality education that professionals need in the pursuit of higher learning.

Brigade Casing Ceremony

Tomorrow morning will be the casing ceremony of my husband's brigade. It is the formal ceremony that signals their incoming deployment. During the ceremony, the colors and company guidons will be cased in preparation for the brigade deployment. It will be my first time to witness such ceremony because his last two deployments I wasn't there to watch it. Hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow since the ceremony will be done in a big open field.

Then in the afternoon we will be attending another town hall meeting. This is very important because it is the last meeting that will talk about their deployment and also give information about the different contact resources for the family that is left behind. The rear detachment has also important information to announce during the meeting. I will surely not miss this meeting. Oh well, I think these are the two important events that I am going to attend tomorrow and pray that I can be there with God's grace.

Fun in the Sun in Florida

One of the best places to visit during summer is in Florida. The beaches are so fabulous and relaxing plus there are too many things to do while in there as well. I have friends that live there and they said it's like having a vacation all the time. I envy them especially so that here in the north west I don't see beaches that equally nice as those in Florida. So for those who are planning to have a last minute summer vacation, check out different places in Florida. Like if you wanted to visit Daytona, there's daytona florida hotel that you can always check and compare rates with. Some of these hotels are located by the beach so you don't have to go far to relax and bask under the sun. Don't delay now and have fun in the sun in Florida.

Acne Treatment for my Nephew

My nephew RR is a teenager now. When he entered adulthood he also has breakouts on her face. When we visited my home country recently I was very surprised how he had grown but so sorry for the zits on his face. He asked me if I bring anything that can at least help prevent further breakouts. I brought some facial wash for men only. I promised him to send him something that can help him. So now I am looking for the best acne treatment to send to him. I already have an idea what to buy but still I am researching for the best but safe one to use. When I was growing up I also have problem with occasional breakouts but not as severe as him. I am hoping that the one I will be deciding to buy is effective an can help his acne to disappear completely.

Army Ball

Next week my husband's unit will have an Army Ball. I know that every year they will have some kind of a ball and this time they'll have it before they will be deployed. So I am thinking it could be a send off party for them before they leave to Iraq. But anyway, since I became a military wife there were instances that his unit will have a ball but we don't attend. There was a function once that I was already ready to attend, got my dress and accessories, but was later announced the wives or no dates anymore that can attend. This was when he was not in a regular unit. I attended an informal military gathering with his previous unit but have no clue what to expect attending a formal military ball.

During a formal military ball the soldier will wear their Class A's or dress blues while the wives/partners will wear formal dresses, a gown or cocktail dress. My husband thought of not attending because he said he is not really fond of it but because I haven't experience attending to one, he wanted for me to experience it. So now I am trying to look for something to wear. Honestly I don't know what to wear :-) I may have to check out stores this weekend and this is what I hated most, looking for a formal dress :-) I hope I will be lucky to find what I wanted.

Carpet Cleaning and Rug Changing

Hubby was thinking of cleaning the carpet early before we head out to Seattle to pick up daughter number two. But because we woke up late, we ended picking her up first to stay with us for the weekend and on our way home we passed by to rent rug doctor at one of the supermarket here. Right now while I'm doing this entry hubby is also cleaning the carpet. Our kitchen don't have carpet. Its floor is a laminate so he just use the swiffer to clean it. I was thinking of getting new kitchen rugs since the ones we have right now are all worn out. I have been looking for an oval one but most of the rugs I saw in the stores are rectangular. There are oval ones but they are either too big or too small for the size of our kitchen. Now that our vacation is over, I can attend to buying stuff for the house and I will start with looking for rugs to be ready in time for the fall and winter. I surely can find wide range of choices online just like the ones I find at rugshowplace.com.

Hubby's First Philippines' Experience

On our way to Davao; In our terrace: us with some members of my family.

At long last my husband was able to experience what Philippines is like. Before we arrived at my home country he was asking me a lot of things as well as checking out at different websites that features my country. He was anxious as well as excited not only to see the place but also meeting my family for the first time. I was also apprehensive how he would adjust to the totally different environment. One thing that my husband told me what he is not fond of are insects. Knowing Philippines as a tropical country, you can see lots of insects that crawls in your house walls, ceilings or you can find in your yard. We live in the province and my parents have flower and vegetable garden. They also have nine dogs and my Mom raises chickens in our backyard. So I was thinking with all those creatures running around and flowers, bees, ants and other insects are present.

In our place my husband saw different things that for sure he just saw for the first time in his life :-) He was amazed at our public transportation wherein you can see five to six people riding at the back of a motorcycle. He chuckled every time it passes by our house. Also people hanging at the back of a jeepney or sitting on the roof top while speeding along the highway. Every time he sees one he will take a picture of it :-)

Another thing that took him some time to adjust was taking a bath. We have a shower installed in our bathroom but because the water supply is very limited it is not used often. Also, the water supply has a certain time to come on so what they're doing back there is storing water in big buckets. There are five huge buckets outside and also inside the bathrooms were medium and small ones full of water. If you want a hot bath we have to boil water and mix it in the bucket. When he's taking a bath he uses the water in the bucket and it is cold :-) He's a soldier, he can handle it :-)

We did not go to any other place other than in Samal Island and went to Paradise Beach because we don't have much time. We were not able to explore Davao City as what we had planned since I got sick there. It was only a short vacation and our main purpose is for my parents to see him and our DD. Next vacation we will plan for some outing and maybe go to other islands as well. He said, now that he'd been there already, he will know what to do on our next vacation there :-)

Thinking of Christmas Gifts

It is still August but I am now thinking of what to give to the kids this coming Christmas. I will be the only one to decide on what best to give them since hubby will not be here that time. He told me that he will let me know about his ideas even though he is far away but still I am the one to get it and give it to the kiddos. Last Christmas, we gave the kids mostly electronics stuffs and gadgets like XBox, digital camera, Wii, Ipod and the likes. I wanted to give them something else this time but you know kids will hand you their wishes list and teens right now are into these electronic gadget thingy. One of them is giving us a hint already that she wanted a laptop computer. It sure is a big gift but we will see first if she is already responsible and can be able to take care of it once she have one. It is big for us that they know the value of such gift, not the monetary side but the responsibility that comes along with it, before they can own one.

Extended Leave of Absence

When we were in the Philippines hubby was thinking of not going back to work when we arrived here in Wa. What he did was emailed first his 1SG and when we arrived in Hawaii for a lay over he called him personally to talk about his leave extension. It's a good thing that this week was still the block leave for the entire battalion. He will report back to work this coming Monday. He wanted to extend our stay in the Philippines but it will cost us more money to change our return ticket date. So we stuck to the original sked and return here in the US on the 10th of August. Hopefully when we will have our next vacation we can have a month at least so hubby can see some great spots in the Philippines. The picture on the left was taken during our fiesta celebration which we had the feast at my sister's house.

Weight Loss Pills for My Sisters

I wasn't able to see my family back in the Philippines for almost five years. For that span of time, a lot of things changed. Not only the place changes but also the people. My nephews and nieces that were still small when I left, now they are bigger than me. My sisters also told me that they need weight loss pill since, according to them, their weight grow with their age. We just laughed about it. In our family, weight gain I believe is in our genes. This is why I am very wary that later on if I am not cautious with what I eat, I have the tendency to gain more weight and will double my risk to heart disease and stroke. Now that I know my blood chemistry numbers, I need to make sure that I eat healthy and also help my sisters to have healthy life as well.

Got Home Safe

Wow it seemed like forever that I've been away from the blogsphere. As much as I want to be online I just couldn't since the I can't always get into the computer. My brother in law has a laptop with a Smart Bro internet connection but my problem is the blinking monitor. The connection is okay but it will take long for me to type since I always get typo errors due to the monitor problem. Now that we are back, I hope I will be able to update my blogs diligently. I have so much to share during our vacation although it was a sweet short two weeks to see my family after almost five years of not seeing them. The feeling is great after seeing them and I am so happy that my hubby and our little girl was able to meet the rest of the family for the first time..