Right Into The Swing of Things

Well we've back in the Philippines for a week and a half now and things seem to be like we never left. The kids are back at school, Ryan is back full swing into work and we've been able to catch up with all our friends.
We all survived the 14 hour flight from Vancouver to Manila with minor complications. Air Canada lost our luggage in Vancouver but we were fortunate enough to get it delivered to our house only a couple days after we arrived. The kids were amazing travellers as usual and I learned something new... People import Cocks from Canada!! I don't know if they are for breeding or for fighting but when we started our decent down to Manila the Roosters were crowing like crazy! At first I thought I was imagining it thinking I must be going crazy hearing the Roosters already (this is how I have woken up every morning for almost the last 2 years!) but then Brayden noticed and started crowing with them. We see them all the time on domestic flights in their little cardboard boxes with holes all over the place but i've never seen them on an international flight before! So way to go Canada for breeding international Roosters.
I've mentioned this to our family but for other readers coming home brought one huge dissapointment! Apparently a week before we arrived back into the Philippines the country passed a law limiting the passengers allowed on a motorbike to two only!! AND they both must be wearing helmets. To make it worse if there is a child on the bike they have to be at least 7 years old!! This means that now when we take the kids to school we must be super sneaky and put Brayden in clothes that make him look 7. Unfortunately this rule really sucks for those who only can afford a motorbike and it's their only means of transporting their family members to school and to work. I'm sure that this will be hard on a lot of families now having to take other means.... gas prices are now at $1.50 US and jeepney prices on the rise and rice going up it will be more difficult for these family then it already is!
In other news it was my birthday and now i'm old! But other then that... things are all good, all the same and everyone is well!

Cardston, Alberta

We drove down to Cardston Friday night after Ryan was finished work to spend the night with Leslie and Dustin before we leave to the Philippines again and we went to the Cardston Rodeo. We didn’t end up staying for too long but for the little time that Brayden did spend there he’s been pretending to rope calf’s since.

The following day was the Cardston parade where Ryan’s family all collected on the side of the road to catch as much candy as we could. Unfortunately my kids weren’t quite as prepared as I had hoped and although we left with some good treats we just didn’t have the numbers that we could have ;) Brayden and Sydney seemed pleased with their collection of sugar!

Invermere, B.C.

For the August long weekend we went out to Invermere BC with my family. For those of you who don’t know where that is the best explanation I can give is that it’s inbetween Fairmont Hot Springs and Radium. From Lethbridge it’s normally a 5 hour drive but for us it took about 7 with stops to pick up Matthew; my sister’s boyfriend, letting the kids pee, blah blah blah it was a long drive. It was raining through parts of it but we were able to spot the brightest rainbow i've ever seen. Unfortunately this picture really doesn't do it justice! But thankfully the drive was rewarded with a tasty meal and great weather for the remainder of the weekend. It was really relaxing! We were able to go to the market where I picked up some delicious blackberries (yummy) which we ate on Vanila ice cream while everyone else was out, muahaha. The kids enjoyed the slip and slide and we set up the badminton net where Ryan and I kicked some serious butt. The boys also played a game of sepaktakraw which is a Malaysian form of soccer in the youtube clip below (I suggest taking the couple of minutes to watch it... they have some really amazing moves!). We also rented some canoes for a couple of hours and coasted out in the wetlands hoping to catch some otters and although we came out of the mission unsuccessful we were able to see a Blue Heron taking flight out of the reeds. Thankfully our ride home was much shorter with a dinner stop at the White Spot, mmm.

So for those of you people who have no idea what sepaktakraw is I thought I would add this youtube clib of a game. It's kind of older and long but it's got a pretty decent commentary so if you have a couple of minutes check it out!!

Waterton

Since the last time we came home to visit it was near deathly freezing temperatures we hadn’t been to Waterton National Park for a couple of years and so with Ryan’s family from Utah up and spending their visit at Waterton we were happy to take the excuse and spend the day. We went up with Jessica and her boys and spent the afternoon with a picnic, walking by the lake, playing at the park and hanging out waiting for the Porters to get back from their hike. It was a great day and the visit was good. Ryan was licked by a deer who must have thought he had food!?

Dad's Wedding

The main reason we went home to Canada when we did was because my dad was getting married! It was a quiet simple backyard ceremony followed by a catered dinner with only my dad and Peggy's kids invited. It was a really nice time and although I'm not too sure how to elaborate further other then it was a great evening and we have a couple of really nice pictures to share.

Writing On Stone

For our second weekend back in Canada we had the Beattie family reunion which included Ryan's mom and dad and all the brothers and sisters. Whoever had trailers brought those and the rest of us stayed in tents. The weather was great and it was a lot of fun to have everyone together. I'm sure that we annoyed a couple of the campers beside us as the 9 grandkids ran together in a wild pack of craziness but they had a blast. We were able to climb in the hoodoo's which are rocks eroded away over time into a climbing playground of dips, caves and peaks. We spent an afternoon on the beach although the current in the Milky River was strong the kids took a ride in the raft letting it carry them down the river. Ryan spent his time setting up a huge underground tunnel system in the sand which turned into a trap waiting for some little feet to trample over it unaware and fall in. We finished the day with a pirate treasure hunt for the kids where they collected treasure at every stop and gaining pirate patches, hats and swords.

Sunday morning we had our own Sunday school class before packing up and heading out. Yay for the Beattie family reunion!!

Calgary Z00

Today we flew into Calgary from Honolulu and Ryan's youngest sister Jessica picked us up with her two boys and we spent the afternoon at the Calgary Zoo where my sister and her boyfriend joined us. It was really great to let the kids run off some of that pent up energy from sitting in the planes for hours and hours plus they were really excited to have their cousins there with them. Brayden and Kaden were pretty cute if it's okay to call two boys that!? But Brayden was thrilled to with Kaden, repeating over and over again that Kaden was his friend and hugging him, holding his hand. We quickly tried to get around to most of the animals sadly skipping the Canadian wildlife section ;) My personal favorite is the hippos because they are so FAT and somehow they can still stand on their tiny little legs... one of those mysteries I suppose!!

Honolulu

After a very long, tiring journey we made it to Honolulu Sunday evening. Our hotel was great and we were only a couple blocks from Waikiki beach so we decided to check it out our first day so we could stay close to the hotel in case we needed some pick me up naps while adjusting to the 16 hour time difference from the Philippines. It was crazy the amount of people that were there but even through the crowds the beach was beautiful and the water looked great. We had a good time playing in the waves and the currents sucking us back into the water. We were able to find a quiet place under the palm tree so we had some shade, we ate breakfast and relaxed for a couple of hours!

After the beach we walked around Waikiki looking at the different shops and vendors. It was busy but the weather was perfect and all the different people kept the kids entertained and there were alot of different things for the kids to look at!

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well I haven't updated in quite a while so I thought I'd just get everyone up to speed on the last couple of weeks!
For those of you that heard about Typhoon Frank, in our area everything is back to normal and dry! We've had quite a bit of sunshine for rainy season but it was needed to help people air out all their wet belongings. I read somewhere that they've only found 34 survivors out of the 800+ that were on the ferry when the Typhoon capsized it but waters are still high and rough which was hurting rescue parties.
Ryan will officially start his Masters in September so we'll be living the students life once again but it'll be the next chapter so it should be good.
In 24 hours we will be sitting at the Guam airport eating breakfast waiting for our flight to Honolulu where we will spend 5 days before continuing onto Lethbridge. We're all really excited go to Hawaii and do the tourist thing for a bit. It'll be a great holiday before our month at home. I think we're mostly packed which is good because we leave in 10 hours! We'll spend our morning at church, come home... rest, pack and clean and then off to the airport. I can't wait!! Brayden is so excited to go on the airplane, go to the beach and see Kaden his cousin!! He will be there picking us up at the airport and so this week Brayden's favorite toys have been his two airplanes.
So off we go... wish us well and please please please send my children sleepy vibes!

Typhoon Frank

This weekend the Typhoon Frank blew through the western visayas leaving us in Bacolod without power. It was the biggest storm that we've encountered since moving to the Philippines and although it was only a signal one storm there seemed to be quite a bit of damage around town. There was a lot of flooding leaving some of our favorite families and their homes completely under water. The Regodos family had their father in Manila and with all flights and boats suspended there is no way for him to get home to his family to help with the flooding!Thankfully some families were able to find refuge at the church! Some houses were left without roofs after they blew off in the wind while the city totally shut down. There was no transportation and with so many people without vehicles of their own it left most of the city without any way of getting food and supplies which is a problem when the majority of people only buy food enough their next meal. Many people were left without power, water and food. Billboards, signs and uprooted trees had fallen on the roads, parking lots and yards. Thankfully here at our house we suffered minimally; the garden looks pretty beat up (the poor Orchids) and we had a window blow out due to the pressure build up. Other then that and a night of little sleep we are all fine and happy the storm is out of our area.
Unfortunately Typhoon Frank has gone straight through the Philippines towards Manila picking up force and strengthening to a signal three storm. Parts of the city are completely under water. The last I heard there were more then 100 dead and 700 missing after the Typhoon caused a ferry to capsize after going dead at sea from engine failure. As of 3pm this afternoon there were only 2 survivors found alive while they were searching the coast line. They are now attempting to enter the boat to see if anyone is trapped alive in an air pocket. It makes me feel sick to my stomach to read the articles about it. There are hundreds of relatives anxiosly awaiting news of their elderly, children and families but all they can give them are descriptions of the dead they find along the coast line, I'll spare the details. Elsewhere 74 deaths have been comfirmed of flooding while others are still missing.
A 45 minute ferry ride north of Bacolod leaves you in a city named Iloilo which is now under a state of destruction after a manmade damn burst leaving at least 30,000 stranded on their roofs while at least 200,000 families in Typhoon Franks path have had to flee their homes throughout these areas.
The Typhoon is scheduled to leave the Philippines sometime this evening...
If anyone is interested in reading more i've included a couple links to some of the newer reports:
700 missing after Philippines Typhoon
Philippine Ferry Sinks... "Worst Disaster"
Hundreds Trapped And Feared Dead In Capsized Ferry; Heavy Rains, Landslides Submerge Entire Communities
Here is a picture I swiped off CBS News:

The Jeepney Ladies

So around Bacolod there are many many different displays of jeepney artwork; different colours, designs and themes. We thought that it would be interesting to show you some or the different styles of jeepneys so you can all experience the greatness of them from wherever you are in the world. Since there are so many great jeeps we'd love to share I'll have to break it up into a couple of different posts according to theme. I thought I'd start by sharing some of my favorites... the ladies!! Although I have most of them my collection is missing a few... Catherine Zeta Jones, Angelina, Julia Roberts and Shakira. My goal is to acquire a picture of each of the ladies!
P.S. For those of you who don't know what a jeepney is the best explanation I can give is the Filipino equivalent to the bus system but much more chaotic! There are literally hundreds of these aggressive drivers with no designated stops so it congests traffic with a whip lash feel. I have to admit the kids just love riding in the jeepneys!!

Kait's Pic's

I've been meaning to do this ever since Kait left at the end of April but haven't ever gotten around to it and now since the kids are back at school I have a little extra time on my hands to play around so here they are...
My favorite pictures of Kaits!!

First Day of SY 2008-2009

Well June 10th marks the day of the new school year! The kids were all ready to head to school this morning in their uniforms and backpacks. Brayden is in the Panda Bear class which is equivalent to pre-kinder level (preschool) and Sydney is in Gummi Bears which is a pre-nursery level. Brayden was a little hesitant at first to go in but once his backpack was in his cubby hole he was fine! Sydney strolled right into the classroom and started playing with the toys.
Of course we had to take the "first day of school" pictures with the kids:

Here is the token picture ready for school at the front door shot with a super cute picture that Brayden our master photographer son took!

Philippine Movie Experience

Last night Ryan and I went to "Prince Caspian" the next Disney installment to the Chronicles of Narnia. It's been a long time since I've been to a movie in North America and i'm not too sure if you can bring in outside food but here in the Philippines you can bring in anything you like to eat... from anywhere. Well ... there are a few exceptions such as rice, fried chicken and ice cream. But other then that you can pack a huge bag of good food and they'll let you in.
After collecting your goodies for the movie you go and purchase your movie ticket and head into the theatre. There is a catch however: they just play the whole reel and then rewind and play again. They don't really have a set time to enter or leave the theatre and you could probably sit there all day watching the movie over and over and no one would mind. The first movie Ryan and I went to we were a little early and headed into the theatre only to realize it was the end of the movie so we quickly had to turn around and leave and wait around for the movie to finish so we wouldn't ruin the experience.
Once you know the previous show is over and people are exiting you enter and find your seat while they rewind the reel and start it up again. You're in your chair munching on all the food that you've brought into the theatre watching the previews for "coming soon" movies and everyone around you stands up with their hands over their hearts and you're left wondering "what in the world...!?" It looks like a music video on the big screen before the movie but then we slowly start to recognize the music as the Philippine National Anthem (Lupang Hinirang) and jump up.
They've made this great video with the staff and executives from one of the News stations here in the Philippines along with many TV/Movie personalities famous here in the Philippines. It's filmed on various historical sights in the Philippines although from what i've noticed I think it's mostly generalized around Manila and doesn't include sights from Central and Southern Philippines.
Here it is: