Filipino Forever

When I left My Philippines in 2007, my connection with my Filipino friends and family have been limited in more ways than one.

Living in Maine for over 7 years now, I somehow learned how to downsize and that includes my circle of friends. I'm not saying this in a bad way. In fact, I love it. Having just a couple of Filipino friends who I can call and visit anytime I'm having serious Filipino food cravings makes my life simple and uncomplicated.

Last Hurrah for Summer 2014

We just got back from another weekend camping. This I presumed is our last for the season. I will be back to work starting this Tuesday. This means fun is over for me. But then maybe not. I will surely find time to have fun even if summer is over, I promise!

 Our luxury accommodation for the weekend. LOL

Yellow

Yellow is one of my favorite colors. I love taking photos of everything yellow.

 I love taking photos of yellow flowers.

Camping with Fam Bam

The weather last weekend was really gorgeous so we took advantage of it. We spent it at Byron again. This time B joined us. Though it took a little convincing because B also knows that camping with Daddy means gold panning which means he will be bored all day waiting for him to be done with his thingy in the river. LOL

Our accommodation for the night.

Comfort Food - Recycled!

I'm cheap and lazy! Yeah, I am that horrible!

I'm cheap because I don't want to waste food. I don't want to throw out left-over food specially if they are still good and got lots of potential. "Potential" in food for me means recyclable. Well, it doesn't sound yummy, does it? Just read the whole post HERE. Now, I'm hungry again! LOL

Water

"In the world there is nothing more submissive and weak than water.Yet for attacking that which is hard and strong nothing can surpass it."

-  Lao Tzu

-----------------------------Thursday Challenge-----------------------------

For more Thursday Challenge... visit HERE.

Cool Coos Canyon

Coos Canyon in Byron, Maine has been our favorite place for camping since my Sweetest introduced me to camping. Though I didn't really do a "camping" camping during my first year here in Maine, (because for some reason we always ended up in a hotel. I call it - glamping) my first "real" camping experience was fun and memorable.

30 and Fabulous

Procrastination is my middle name. This is another post which is long over-due. My step-daughter's 30th Birthday was last January and it's only now that I got the time to blog about it.

I'm having fun Summer-ing!

This is a late post. I have lots of stories to tell about my summer but I was busy summer-ing, so bear with me. I will post all of them before summer is over. Promise!

I have 2 more weeks left of my summer vacation. In a couple of weeks I will be back to work and fun is over. Well, not really. I will surely have fun working with kids again. But working for 12 hours straight is really tough, so to speak. But it is what it is. I just want to spend the last few weeks of summer with my Sweetest doing some fun things.

The familiar School House in Byron, Maine near the Coos Canyon picnic park.

Seven, Seven, Seven, Seven

I don't do Math. I hate that subject when I was a student. But number "7" is very significant to me. My Sweetest and I got married on the 7th of July, 2007. Yesterday was our 7th year anniversary.

@Portland Head Light  - 07-07-07

Germaphobic Meets Hydroponic

I have issues with dirt. I bet I was the only kid (aside from my brothers) who never grew up playing in the mud. Well, my Mom was a "germaphobic" so we were not really allowed to get dirty.

Anyway, my Sweetest loves gardening. He loves growing vegetables even if he doesn't eat them. Yes, you got that right. He is a grower not an eater.

When I came here he wanted me to get involved in gardening. But being raised by a germaphobic, I can't get down on my knees and touch soil. He begs me every year to do gardening with him. But I just can't. The only help I can give him is to eat the produce which is very easy and yummy. LOL

This year, I finally decided to conquer my fear of dirt. I have bravely told him at the start of Spring that I will get involved in gardening and give up 100% of my germaphobic psyche to help him.

Rockin' and Rollin' in Maine

My  brother's short visit in Maine is by far the most memorable moment in my life here in Maine. It was memorable in many ways because I was able to do a lot of things for the first time.

Living in Maine for over 7 years now doesn't mean that I know everything about Maine and that I do a lot of things and activities that Mainers do.

Spring is in the air

Winter this year was long and cold. I thought it will never end. But everything as an end as the saying goes. Right now we are having a fair share of rain and sun which are the mainstays of spring in Maine. And yes, we are budding.

This year I have finally come to terms with my dirt-o-phobia. Yeah, there is no such word. I know there is a specific term for what I meant but I'm too lazy to google it. Anyway, as some people know, I have issues with dirt. That is one of the reasons why I can't do any mud challenge.

Remote Party Planning

I'm back!!! Yes, I have been A.W.O.L for a long time, so what else is new? "I'm too busy" - is not just an understatement of my real predicament, it's the ultimate lie! Anyway, I just don't feel like blogging. I did make several attempts but inspiration was nowhere to be found. But now that I am back it only means one thing. I'm inspired!

Yes, I'd been busy event planning for my dearest cousin Joey's birthday celebration in Los Angeles, California. No, I didn't go to California. Oh, how I wish. I just organized her party remotely. And yes, there is such a thing. I organized her party with the aid of SKYPE.

49 is the NEW 29

Time flies so quickly. I was a little preoccupied for the past couple of days with work and I totally forgot that my special day was coming. Yeah, I was having a little Alzheimer mode lately. 

So, I turned 29th a couple of days ago. There was no big celebration. It just so happened that there was no school that Friday so it felt really special that my birthday seemed like a holiday. But my Sweetest has to work.

Bringing Sunshine on Friday

Friday is my favorite day of the week because every Friday morning at work we have free breakfast.

It's one of the Sunshine Committee's projects to recognize and show appreciation for the staff's hard work.

GS Cookies Month?

I'm not really sure if there is such a thing as Girl Scout cookies month but I'm pretty sure that every year around this time, I get my order of boxes of Girl Scout cookies. I love them and my loved ones love them too.

So this year I got my fair share of that most-awaited cookies.

Japol's Maine Adventure - Day One

After all the trouble that my baby brother caused me, I was still so excited to see him and show him around my "other" home - Maine.

@ Parsonsfield Seminary

He arrived about half an hour before midnight. Since the following day was a Monday and my itinerary for him was already messed up we just went home from the airport instead of driving straight to LL Bean which was the original plan if his flight wasn't cancelled the day before.

My kind of Frozen

My supposedly second race for January 11th was cancelled due to an ice storm. And since the road condition was not safe they postponed it to February 15th. But here's the thing, I realized that I already signed up for a race in February and it was scheduled on the 16th. So I have 2 races for 2 days in a row that I need to deal with. Great!

There I was at the back with a green circle.

Well, that February 16th race didn't happen. My brother who was flying in from Los Angeles didn't make it on the 15th due to flight cancellation. I supposed to run with him on the 16th so since he didn't make it, I didn't make it to the race. Fair enough? No, it's an alibi. LOL

The Eagle has landed

After 24 hours of waiting and worrying about my brother in cold Chicago, he finally arrived in Maine. The aircraft touched-down a couple of minutes earlier so it only took me about 5 minutes of waiting in the airport

We left the house a little late actually but got in the airport just in time when a plane flew above us as we traversed the airport road.

5 reasons to choose an above ground pool for your family

There are many pools that you can choose from, but the best one for your family would have to be the above ground pool. Not only are these pools safer and easier to maintain, but they are also cheaper and easier to install. They typically aren’t as big as in-ground pools, but that is often an advantage for many families. Above ground pools offer you the perfect balance when it comes to fun and practicality.



Lower Costs

A good above ground pool is going to cost you several thousand dollars. That’s much more than an inflatable pool, but it’s less than half the price of an in-ground pool. The majority of in-ground pools cost tens of thousands of dollars, which is often too much for the average family.

Maine Winter Survival Kit

My baby brother is coming to Maine. Yup, this is Japol's first trip to the U.S. and of all seasons he chose to come in the middle of this brutally long and cold winter in New England.

So, as a good sistah, I made preparations. I need to get all the stuff he needs to survive winter in Maine. Oh boy, if only I can write about my whole feeling... it would be too graphic. Well, yes I am exaggerating. Anyway, I gathered all the necessary stuff that he needs and here they are...

I got him a face mask (the Ninja style) to cover his face from the harsh wind. A hat to cover his newly shaved head. (I told him to not shave his head so that he could have some hair to protect him from cold... but did he listen? Of course not!) A pair of gloves for his hands. A fleece scarf. An ear muff. And 3 pairs of wool socks. These are all necessary to keep him warm.

Five things you should know about wedding photography

When you start planning your wedding a wedding photographer is going to be one of the top things to consider. With so many about, it can seem daunting when looking for the perfect wedding photographer. This article is here to help you understand what is out and offer some tips in the quest of finding the perfect photographer for you.
Finding and booking early
Once you start looking around, it is often best to start right at the beginning of the wedding planning. If you start looking early and find a couple of wedding photographers you like, then you need to be sure that the date you set is fine with the photographer as sometimes they may have a busy schedule.
If you are to start looking as the wedding date gets closer and closer then chances are the chosen photographer is booked and you will have to start again, with less time and with stress levels rising. The first thing you should know is the best photographers are often your first choice, so finding them early is going to increase the chances of them being available on your date.

Only When

When it is like this...

Yah it is snowing again like crazy as of this writing.

Ice, Ice, Baby!

I supposed to run today. I signed up for another 5K which is scheduled for today. But alas, it was raining ice pellets here in my neck of the woods. So the organizers postponed it for next month. Grrrr!

I can't blame them, the road is icy. Everything is icy.  And just to let you see what we are dealing with, here are some photos I took this week.

Definitely Trying to Start the Year Right!

Happy New Year, Everyone! As usual, I'm late in greeting you all. I have a reason for that. "I want to be the last one to greet you all for greater impact". Wink***

Yup, that was me in gray hat and scarf and aviator sunglasses.

So how was your New Year? Mine was awesome! It was freezingly awesome! It was brutally cold but awesome! And I was totally cool and awesome!