Mama and Papa's trip to the U.S. of A.

So I know Carl and I have been sort of outside the radar. We have not become boring people with no updates, that I can assure you... Still, no excuses... and I will really try to keep this blog updated as often as possible...

After picking them up from SLC Airport, we had dinner at
The Garden at the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg
in Temple Square

First of all, my parents visited us from the Philippines and we had a blast. It was a good month and a half, and it was truly something Carl and I will cherish forever. It was a great blessing for our family, especially for my parents to be granted tourist visas by the US government. I, personally, am grateful for a wonderful husband who helped our family make it possible to come to America. My parents have never been out of the country, well my dad travels a lot throughout the Philippines as a part of his job but mom pretty much hasn't gone out of town a lot. Their trip was indeed a very much deserved one for both of them, as they have worked pretty much with very limited breaks and time-off for the last 30 years. It was a very tiresome almost 24 hour plane ride, which according to my dad has been the hardest thing he has ever done in his life (that is to sit in a seemingly motionless plane for almost 14 hours from Hong Kong to San Francisco). Nevertheless, both of them beamed with gladness when we picked them up at the Salt Lake City Airport. Though we all knew they were tired from their very long flight, their excitement was stronger than anything else.

Mama and Papa after attending
the Salt Lake Temple

As we did most of the Salt Lake City to-do activities one at a time, I came to better appreciate and understand how much this trip really meant to my parents... and I am glad that Carl was able to know them better as well. Three things my parents wanted to see (and do): visit the Salt Lake Temple, see my school (BYU) and Carl's workplace (Church Headquarters/Riverton Office), and have fun with Carl and I and make sure we were ok (well, ok, yeah my dad wanted to see snow and visit Las Vegas since its only a 6 hour drive - pretty much like travelling from La Union to Manila). Of course, we did other things too - but at the end of their trip, my mom said her favorite activity with Carl and I was visiting temples and doing sessions. My dad, he really liked that part too - but Mr. Explorer that he is - he didn't pinpoint anything in particular and said he loved everything (but I know he was ecstatic about experiencing SNOW up in Alta). We visited temples (number one on my parent's checklist), watched the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, toured BYU (and met with mi propesor who told my mom great things about me I felt embarrassed because really I'm not great - just good haha!), hiked the Y mountain (this proved to be another testament of mi madre's strength!!!), played frisbee and some billiards, did a Kinect sportsfest, danced with Wii Just Dance, took countless pictures in Las Vegas, dined at Jollibee, ate dried fish over and over, and ate and ate some more (you can never beat mi madre's home cooking).

Photo-op with Brigham Young :) in front
of BYU's Smoot (Administration) Bldg

at the Church Headquarters in Temple Square where Carl used to report
for meetings every Thursday (He now works full week at the
Riverton Office Building as part of the mormon.org team)

Finally reaching the "Y" up at the mountain!!!
(FYI - madre has not hiked for the last 35 years)

We played :) (This actually went in and they won!)

We ate lots of these - squid, fish, and TUYO - over and over again!

Up at Alta - Papa was so stoked about "real" snow

Waiting for the dancing water show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas

Jollibee!!! Las Vegas, Nevada

MoTab Sunday for Music and the Spoken Word

Visiting the St. George Utah Temple
(we also visited Draper, Oquirrh Mountain, and of course Provo)

The night before their flight back to the Philippines, we had FHE and I couldn't say a word (actually, I didn't want to say a word 'coz I was feeling really sad and I might just end up balling). I didn't want them to leave, or maybe I was hoping if only we could fly back home with them, or maybe I was hoping if only it was easier for all of us to live closer with each other. I practically left their nest when I was 17, and I have always been comfortable being away... but this time was just different, maybe because I am just in a very critical period in my life where I want them to be very close and accessible for many wonderful reasons (like I could just visit my mom and talk to her the whole day about my worries about having children and such, or visiting for the weekend and be carefree 'coz mama and papa will make the meals and we'll just play frisbee outside and soak every bit of sunshine). I guess we never really appreciate our parents until we're grown-up and we realize how awesome it is to have someone else take care of life's complications for us. But I guess its our turn to take care of those "shoot me now" situations, because they're supposed to have raised us to be able to handle those ourselves. That was pretty much what FHE was about on the eve of their trip back home... and when we finally bid them goodbye at the SLC airport, I was balling in the car (like crazy - you can ask Carl!). Carl and I miss mama and papa a lot. See, my mom made us curtains for our living room and for our master bedroom. Mom's yellow curtains remind me to be happy everyday - and people running in the morning reminds of my dad every single time (too bad he missed the Utah Valley marathon, I bet he would have had a blast). But for now, we got to live in the right here and right now.

Our next goal is to have Mommy and Daddy (Carl's parents) to come and visit. That would be another great opportunity for all of us - with my sisters-in-law Jasmine and ate Ley having not seen them for the last 5 years (and them having not seen/met Keana and Scott, and Ricky, yet). That should be one great family reunion to look forward to!