Sunday School Teacher's Outing

on Monday, June 14, our Sunday School teachers and some of their families gathered together for an outing at Subic. :) our call time was 6am, but our bus arrived at 6:30. anyway, we boarded the bus immediately and off we go. we got there around 9:30am already. it was a long drive. we stayed at the Camayan Beach Resort. :)

Beach Entrance

Admission Rates and Rentals

Atsi Eunice and Bro. Jesen

Clear Water

on the floor...

Judith, Ruth, Rachel, and me :)

Omega brought her two sweet kids along. here's Belle :)

after lunch, some of us went to Zoobic Safari. :) while some stayed at the beach. there was an animal parade where we saw some donkey, buffalo, camel, porcupine, python, horse, pony, eagles, and many more.. :)

Judith and me. :)

Animal Parade

Coke - the little monkey's prize

Argentine Black and White Tegu

Green Iguana

Ostrich

Dromedary Camel

origin : Middle East, Africa, Australia

Ruth feeding the camel with dried leaves :)

in the Rodent World

Trivias...

look up :)

Mr. Owl

it was so hot and exhausting. here we are, waiting for the bus to take us to the next stop and enjoying our ice cream sticks. :)

Tiger Safari

Safari Jeep

in the Tiger Safari, our group was divided into two. we rode a safari jeep where we entered an enclosed area with live tigers roaming around. :) we also bought one chicken and the guide in our jeep fed the tiger. :)

after the safari, we went to two more spots, then left and went to the beach again to meet the others. :)

"The greatness of a nation is measured by the way it treats its animals." - Mahatma Gandhi

Ruth and me :)

His Creation :)

it was almost sunset when we left. :) i heard it rained in Manila but it didn't rained there. until we were in the highway. and stopped over at a gasoline station to buy our dinner at KFC - Omega's treat! thanks friend. :) i was so tired when i came home, knowing i still have to work the next day.. i think everybody was; but all in all, it was a great trip! :) it wasn't just the place nor the experience, but it has more to do with the people who made it even more special. :)

school opening

a lot of schools open today...

including my brothers and cousins here at home.

as i walk to my work today,

i can't help but think of the old times.

makes me miss my school.

heavy traffic.

long breaks.

laboratory.

seminars.

corridor.

car park.

cooking.

selling.

food trips.

thesis.

library works.

just the place i want to go back to.

where life is simpler.

happier.

I Will Carry You

i just finished reading I Will Carry You : The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy. i found Angie's blog from someone i don't know, and since then, i've been following her blog and have written her twice too. i knew some about Audrey and their family, and i love her open honesty and how she shared her family with all of us.

Angie is someone so committed to the Lord, so dedicated to His purposes. her faith is incredibly strong, and i am encouraged in my faith by her example.

when i knew that she was going to write a book, i can't help but find a way to get a copy. and when i got it on Friday night, i started reading over the weekend whenever i get the chance. it is a beautifully written, honest, touching, and strong story. it is intimate that you really feel like you are there in the waiting room with her, standing at Audrey's funeral with her, talking with her sweet girls with her, crying in the middle of the night with her, and crying in the bathroom floor until she gets weak with her. i don't think i have cried so much reading a book before. the book is breathtaking. you will weep. you will be challenged. you will question. but in the end, this truth remains - despite our feelings, our God remains unchanged. another thing i love about this book is the part where Angie's husband, Todd, wrote a chapter from a man's perspective. i highly recommend this book not just to people who have experienced the loss of a child, but to everyone. because all of us will one day find ourselves the grandmother, mother, sister, aunt, and friend of someone grieving.

In Him and only Him, i stand firm.

Toes in the water, staring out into the great landscape He has painted for me, i bravely step out farther every day. i know that as soon as i reach the place where my feet no longer touch the ocean floor, He will carry me into the distance, all the while reminding me He has never left me.

I hope that you believe these words, and that your soul is resting in the joy He brings in the midst of the storm.

Now walk, love.

He is waiting.

-Angie Smith, I Will Carry You

Summer. 2010.

My Sunshine. :)

Today...

A Love For Books

i didn't have had a great day today. many things / people / events made me sad and disappointed. but there are still some things that made my day -

1) finally having a copy of Angie's book I Will Carry You

2) my brother Hans surprising me with Nicholas Sparks' A Walk To Remember

3) seeing my brother Mark again after three long weeks

4) thank God it's Friday :)

i love my little brothers. :) no matter what happens, at the end of the day, i know i always have my family. and that's more than enough. :) Mark and my stepmom went for a three week vacation to US. and as a present, i asked them to buy me Angie's book because it's not available here. im glad they found it. :)

i've read all of Sparks' novels, but i don't have my own copy of The Notebook and A Walk To Remember. and tonight after visitation, i got one. last one left. i'll buy the other one soon so i can complete my collection already. :)

im excited to start reading my new books. :) maybe tomorrow. i hope it'll rain. then i'll stay at home, read my books, with a cup of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows. wow. i love that. :) tomorrow! i'll sleep now, because my head hurts. goodnight everyone! :)

may we all have a happy weekend and a happy June ahead! :)

Gathering.

Sisterly Love

yesterday, Sis. Mau's big group, which included our group, had a love feast/gathering at Koo's house. :) we were 25 sisters in all. we sang hymns, then Mau shared a few words. we prayed, played Pinoy Henyo and charades, and swam. :) i've always loved swimming. ♥ then it RAINED. so i danced in the rain! i LOVE it. :) dinner time. we had 2 big pizzas, pasta (red and white sauce), hotdogs with mallows, roasted chicken, fruit salad, ice creams, and small cakes. :) got home a little late. tired. especially because we have to work the following day.. but a great time was had by all. :) thank you Lord. :)

Rebecca

Happy Birthday Auntie Rebecca!! :)

see you sooooooon. :)

The Last Song

it's better late than never! :) i haven't got the chance to see this movie as it opened last week; i checked if it's still showing in the malls near my place, but it's out. Shrek is in. haha. luckily, Gateway has it. :) the movie is beautiful. i like it better than Dear John. :) it not only centers on love.. but also on family, on second chances, and moments in life. i could watch it over and over again. :) and this is also a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks' novel, im glad i didn't missed it. :)

"Sometimes you have to be apart from the people you love,

but that doesn't make you love them any less.

Sometimes it makes you love them even more."

"We're not perfect. Any of us.

We make mistakes, we screw up but then we forgive and move forward."

@Wild Ginger, Powerplant

weekend with Grace and Joy. :)

chanced upon Baker's Dozen there and bought Sweet Surrender (frozen brazo) from The Sweet Life by Ange to cheer myself. :)

***

im so tired. there's always a lot of things to do i don't know what to do first. a lot of things are also happening. one after the other. this song has been playing on my heart today and i want to share it with you. :)

All That I Can Say - David Crowder Band

Lord I'm tired

So tired from walking

And Lord I'm so alone

And Lord the dark

Is creeping in

Is creeping up

To swallow me

I think I'll stop

Rest here a while

Chorus:

And this is all that I can say right now

And this is all that I can give

And this is all that I can say right now

And this is all that I can give

That's my everything

And didn't You see me cry'n

And didn't You hear me call Your name?

Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?

I wish You'd remember

Where You sat it down

Bridge:

I didn't notice You were standing here

I didn't know that

That was You holding me

I didn't notice You were cry'n too

I didn't know that

that was You washing my feet

i love how honest the writer wrote this. he didn't used flowery words to make it beautiful, but instead he told the Lord how he really felt. these days, it's hard to find someone who's true. you know what i mean? someone who'll show you who he really is. without trying to pretend to be someone they're not. as i grow up, i came to realize more and more that life is not a fairytale, nor a bed of roses, or a happy-ever-after. there are trials, painful and cruel realities that you have to face. loss is also one thing that's inevitable. i've come face to face with loss a lot of times and it left my heart crushed. but amidst these things, there's also someone who's always there. it's the Lord. it's during these times that we'll learn to grow as a person, experience Him more, know Him deeper, and it is my hope that i'll be able to be a woman that He desires me to be.

i'll be sharing tomorrow night in our Bible Study meeting. no matter how many times i stand up in front of a bunch of people, i still get nervous. so i would love to ask for your prayer about this. thanks in advance. :)

before i end, here's an encouragement for all of us:

"In light of tragedy, only two things really matter: heaven is real and relationships are the only things that matter this side of eternity."

so there. goodnight all. :)

Omega

Happy Birthday to a sweet friend, sister, and co-teacher. :)

i love you always. :)

Sky.

look at the moon tonight! :) it's like this. i saw it from the car window while we were on our way to Powerplant, and when i checked the net, i saw this picture and i thought of sharing it with you all in case you did not see it. ;)

Filipinos catch a glimpse of Venus sitting on top of a crescent moon. Photo by Voltaire Domingo, NPPA - Yahoo Philippines Newsroom

Moments.