I am so happy because some of our relatives from the States are here! Uncle Lito was here just 3 months ago, but now he came back with Kuya Jun, Ate Maria (Kuya Jun’s wife), and Avery (their beyond-adorable 18 month-old baby!).

Their purpose is to attend Ate Maria’s brother’s wedding in Iloilo, but in their itinerary is Manila so they could come to visit us too. It was our first time to meet Ate Maria and Avery. We’ve had so much fun these past two days getting to know each other and exchanging stories over delectable food, either home-made or in good restaurants.

They’ve left for Iloilo already, after which they’ll go to Boracay. But they will be back in Manila on the 30th. We’ve planned on going out for dinner and having sushi-all-you-can. 

Kuya Jun has always been a sweet cousin. He was last here about 15 years ago and I remember he used to kiss our sweaty smelly little heads. We also used to teach him some Tagalog words which he never could pronounce well. When they left that time, he gave us each a letter. I’ll look for mine! I hope I find it!

He is also such a joker, making us crack up every time. I want to share the funny things he says but I’m afraid I won’t be able to deliver them well. So let’s leave it at that.

I really wish they could stay longer. I hope they visit more often. Or better yet, I hope we could visit them in California! That would be so grand! But for now, I’m just really thankful we’ve had this chance to bond again.

Meet Avery, A very adorable baby!

She’s the baby version of Snow White. She’s so fair and her lips are so red!

And then, there’s the rest of the crowd

“This packrat has learned that what the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved. In the end, it’s the family stories that are worth the storage.” -Ellen Goodman

“The great gift of life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you.”     -Kendall Hailey

“Like branches on a tree, our lives may grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.”  -Author Unknown