It’s been an interesting ride so far - with many twists, turns and unexpected loops along the way.  In totality, though, we can say we’re still in this for the long haul and we remain open to the surprises of His spirit as He continues to work in our lives –  fulfilling the promises He made in His own perfect time.

And like the Blessed Virgin who remained hopeful and open to God’s wondrous ways and mysterious workings in her life, we pray that we be blessed with the grace to wait with an expectant faith – knowing that all things come together for good for all those who trust in Him.

May the spirit of this joyous season be with you and your dear ones not only this Christmas but for all the days of your life!

Warmest wishes (no white Christmas for us here definitely – it’s the peak of summer!) from our home to yours. XOXOX

Luke 2:9-12
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And Christma-fy we certainly did! Despite a jam-packed weekend schedule, we were happy to be able to squeeze this traditional family bonding activity in.

What made the decorating more special was the “re-emergence” of some of our holiday decor that have been stowed away in boxes for the longest time – think 5 Christmases ago! The hand-carved olive wood belen (nativity scene) which dear mom-in-law bought as a souvenir from her Holy Land trip strikes a particularly sentimental and nostalgic chord.

What’s more, we are certainly looking forward to this holiday season for we are expecting my side of the family – yes, they’re all planing into Brissy and foregoing their Paskong Pinoy – yipee! (Of course, we assume all will go well with their visa applications!)

We are hoping that hubby’s side of the fam makes it too the next time.

With the holiday decor up – we declare the merry-making season officially open! Let the Colorado Christmas begin!

Nevertheless, we must say though that our “Jackie” was a hit for majority of the kids who knocked on our door on Halloween – much to the delight of hubby, our “resident carver”

Yet, for me, the “highlight” of this halloween was actually a “low light” one… in the sense that I again attempted to take photos using limited light.  These particularly turned out well (and with little post-processing too!)…

Second son entranced by the flickering candlelight

While dear daughter plays up to the light

So how did Halloween go for you? Any highlights or lowlights too?

Happy WW everyone!

Enjoy – and may you have more treats than tricks when the halloween rounds are done

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K87tPOZTfLA

For a minimal amount, the students could get a bandanna of their choice to wear whichever way they please for two days during the school week.  Proceeds from the sale of the bandannas go to CanTeen, an organization for young people living with cancer.

And since halloween is also just around the corner, wearing the bandannas afforded the kids the chance to have the closest thing to a halloween costume/fashion statement they could possibly have while within school premises. How’s that for being fashionable and fun for a good cause, right?

For days weeks now, I’ve been feeling really blue.  And the funny thing is, it actually is a good thing… especially when the “blue-ness” comes from this…

…the utterly enjoyable  “Smurf Village” game the kids introduced to me via hubby’s iPad!

And to get it out of the way once and for all (for sure hubby will wear that smug look of satisfaction on his face) – I admit my latest “addiction”… oh yes – I am a smurfaholic. Isn’t it just smurftastic?

And all shall fade
the flowers of spring
the world and all the sorrows
at the heart of everything

But still it stays… the butterfly sings
and opens purple summer
with a flutter of its wings

And all shall know the wonder
of purple summer…

And yet, I wait…
the swallow brings
a song too hard to follow
that no one else can sing

 The fences sway
the porches swing
the clouds begin to thunder
crickets wander, murmuring

All shall know the wonder of purple summer…

“The Song of Purple Summer” from Spring Awakening

One such ”peak point” was managing to get that elusive couple date on hubby’s first year anniversary (as permanent resident) Down Under  – again, many thanks to the Vergaras for “gremlin-watching” for us!

Started our date with a Japanese lunch at the South Bank – let’s just say the food was okay but the company was heaps better – hahaha!

Of course, since it was hubby’s anniversary we were celebrating that day, he had to call the shots as to how our day would progress… and for those of you who know him well – this was just the “perfect” way to cap the day…

Happy 1st Oz-nniversary, Hon! Praying that it will only get better from here Love you!

Good thing the advances in science pest control have afforded us a way to get rid of these black ants safely and with as little of a hassle as possible.  Took a photo of them while they were feeding on a drop of the honey and borax solution sold in the stores - and am amazed to note that only a few turned up the next day (*clap, clap, clap!*)!

How many do you see partaking of their “last supper”?

Happy Wordless Wednesday, everyone!

Having said this, I admit that there has been quite a paradigm shift for me ever since we moved Down Under.  In the almost one year that we’ve been here, suffice it to say that things (and circumstances) have not been moving as fast as we envisioned despite our best efforts.  There have certainly been days and weeks when we have seriously doubted whether we made the right choice in relocating here.

And yet, funny thing is, we soldier on somehow. Like the proverbial tortoise, something in us seems to know that “slow and steady wins the race” – though the finish line feels like millions of kilometers away and what we can just view from where we are now are the seemingly endless hills, valleys and the occasional patches of rugged terrain.

Funny thing is, at this point, I have come to realize I often get too focused on the prize (i.e., the goals I have set for myself and our family) that I fail to see that, many times, the journey IS the goal itself and that the rest are mere bonuses along the way.  

For in trudging along, I am hopeful that the baby steps we are taking now will eventually lead us to the fulfilment of our dreams and more importantly, towards strengthening our belief even more in each other and in the presence of a loving and faithful God.

And yes, George Michael put it so well: “‘Coz you gotta have faith, faith, faith…You gotta have FAITH!”