Before I leave the Philippines...

There are so many things I want to see & do before moving back to Texas in June. Two years is just not enough time to take it all in. I have thought of a few tonight worth mentioning:

* Visit the Banaue rice terraces - said by some to be the 8th Wonder of the World
* Massages, massages, massages! I need to take full advantage of these while here. They are so great & so incredibly inexpensive!
* Eat more mangoes. I never appreciated mangoes until moving to the Philippines. When they are in season, they are delicious!! And, extremely affordable. Mango shakes, mango daiquiris, mango salsa, mango jam... yummmm!
* Visit Sagada - Excellent caves, waterfalls & hanging coffins. How cool is that?
* Dive at Anilao
* Take a boat ride through the Pagsanjan Falls
* Stock up on lots more unique pasalubong for family & friends back home

There is much, much more to add to this list, but I get overwhelmed thinking of all I'd like to do before leaving. I certainly don't want to leave the Philippines with any regrets, but at the same time, I know it's impossible to see & do it all. Maybe someday...

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I can't end this post without a couple of pictures...

At our hotel in Singapore, they had this enormous candle display in the center of the lobby. The first night we arrived to check in, I immediately thought, "Oh, please do NOT let my kids knock one of those over & start a fire!" Because anyone that knows Nicholas knows that he is the klutziest child alive! He is just an accident waiting to happen. (I wish I was exaggerating, but I am not.) Luckily, we made it 4 nights walking by that candle masterpiece several times & never knocked over a single flame! We blew a few out, but the hotel just had that coming...

Is this not the cutest picture ever?! I'm sure this could win some sort of award:


How Sammy got all 3 kids to pose & stay that way long enough for a picture, I'll never know. That man's got talent!