Life of Positivity

To be honest, it's a total let down everytime I go online and the only thing I see are bad stuff that people say about other people. I try not to dwell so much on issues that I know has a solution, but no one would give a damn. So I thought maybe creating a more positive mood here on my blog might inspire a reader.

The environment is on fire with so much negativity, the next thing we might want to do is to avoid adding fuel to it. Pull the good from that same negative state instead. Let's set our pride and ego aside, remain grounded, be mindful of your surroundings and be a little sensitive towards others. Contribute something constructive. Be open to criticism and learn from those, be inspirational. Listen and don't over think. Help wholeheartedly, don't expect anything in return. Life is taken one day at a time so relax.

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With all the negativity circling the world let us counter that with a good deed each day or at least do things with a sincere, kind heart.

3 Seasons of Happiness

In my life, it was during our vacation that I was able to experience and enjoy the change of seasons.

 When we arrived in America, we were able to love the coolness of the last weeks of Spring. Most of our journey went around Summer and now it's Fall. The seasons played a big part on this travel of ours. As we all know, in the Philippines, we're stuck with 2 types of weather system---wet and dry or rainy season and summer, plus a certain level of humidity on top of both. Which is why I promised myself that if I get to travel abroad, I'll make it memorable by experiencing at least parts of the so- called 4 Seasons.

Early in June 2016 was the date of our trip. For some practical reason that was when my husband got his approval to get some time off from work, we had to take it. But given the choice, we prefer November in time for Fall and to experience the transition to Winter, you know, that whole concept of a White Christmas.

Anyway, the June date turned out great! We were expecting it to be hot knowing that Summer in America comes around at this time. To our surprise, it was still Spring and it was pretty cool when we arrived. One of the things I learned from this trip is that seasons change with a snap of a finger.

 Magic Kingdom, Disney World Orlando, Florida

The day after we arrived in Orlando, Florida it was announced in the news that it was officially Summer. So I thought maybe it's still a bit cool only lesser. But when we went out for our tour at Disney World, yup! it's Summer. All of a sudden it was hot, like "flat iron hot", it's dry, but definitely not as humid or sticky to what we have in the Philippines.

Come to think of it, we kinda extended summer from the Philippines (April- May) to America (July- mid September). This one is for the books--- 2 summers in 2016! Summer in America is different. I like it because it's dry. Using the Philippine summer as comparison, I'd rather have it hot and dry than hot, sticky and stinky hehehe! Anyway,  any place we go nowadays to is air- conditioned. 

The kids were treated for some swimming lessons at a nearby water park. Quite an experience, my kids learned more from this class. They performed well. Not only they became more knowledgeable, but they also showed interest on making swimming as a sport, especially my eldest son.

 Swimming Lessons with Ms. India and Ms. Chanel

Aside from swimming lessons, the kids enjoyed frequent visits to the water park for fun. We also go to a trail park within the vicinity.

We take long afternoon walks, "we try" to stay healthy considering that food in America is magic and  to warm up because we're on the go all the time and with kids in tow. We walk "at least" 3-4 km or 3-5 miles or at least meet 10,000 or more steps everyday. 

Our Summer tour went around with visits to Florida, North and South Carolina, New Jersey and New York! I must say, there's a good feel to go on tour at this time, because you don't get to wear and carry layers of clothing as you walk around, which is not bad, it's an experience as well.  Its just that summer has its own perks and benefits. 

 Main Deck Empire State Building

Summer in America is as fun as our summer in the Philippines. The thing we loved about summer in July was a cleaner setting, it is not polluted and humid. You know it's hot but at least what you breath in is clean, fresh air. 

Late in August, we decided to go to Washington D.C. and spend at least a week to discover the nation's Capital and a quick stop to Maryland.

NYC and D.C. are a must when in America. 

Plan it, get a map, set funds, bring an adventurous travel companion and head to these places. 

 16th st. NW, Washington D.C. going to the White House

Since we're on a budget, instead of flying or renting a car, we rode the Amtrak. Our home- base near D.C. was Annandale, Virginia.

When we got there it was still summer. It was blazing hot, but as we move along the week, it became cooler. Virginia is up North of GA, before we left we were advised that it might get cooler at this time in August. In the middle of supposedly a "hot summer", we enjoyed a cool one while in Virginia.

It was just right to ease out the skin from the heat of the summer sun, but also enough to enjoy and wrap yourself with a cardigan or lightweight jacket.  Last stop of our northeastern trip was Bethesda, Maryland.

Bethesda, Maryland

When we left D.C. it was already September. Anytime, I was expecting for a change in temperature. My mom-in-law mentioned that Fall was near. I got excited, like everyday I check the weather. It was still hot until they announced that it was officially Fall in mid- September, and just like that, the temperature dropped. 

I've always wanted to see the beautiful colors of Fall.


It's everyone's wish to experience Fall. I never thought of it as a dream but I've always wanted it. This I have to say marks one of the most memorable on this travel of ours. Not only we get to feel Fall, but we are witnessing its transition day by day.

They say, it's best to climb the mountains and appreciate it even more thru its foliage and people do that in GA. Maybe one day, we can too.

  Fall also marks the beginning of the Pumpkin Season and preparation for Halloween events and Thanksgiving. We were able to bring the kids to a traditional pumpkin patch with hay under our feet, country music playin' and pumpkins of different sizes everywhere. (in a different post)



I call it 3 Seasons of Happiness: Spring, Summer and Fall. 

It pulled out our young hearts and got us to our jolly feet throughout this journey. This is the most important for me as a person and as a parent, the effect, the result that was gained from the hard work we pour everyday, was surely worth the wait and of course, worth every penny.

One lesson I also learned from this travel was not to rush into things. It took us years to make this travel happen, but boy, it was big and definitely an extraordinary one!

I am very thankful to have experienced parts of the 4 seasons, grateful to have created this memory with my children and my forever partner in everything--- my dear husband.

 It was truly incredible and unforgettable!



 Winter is just around the corner, in GA, I heard it gets icy cold and this will have its own story soon.😉

A Good 10 Months

Travel has always been included in our timeline, but it was never a priority for we have more important things "we thought" we must take into consideration. A good 4 months was all we needed to get off the rat race smoothly. My husband and I came to a point when we realized that we needed to do something new and different, a refresher to keep us on the roll despite the chaotic environment we live in. 

Our 12th wedding anniversary gift to ourselves was this travel abroad. Since it was our first time to travel as a family, we looked for a destination where we can enjoy and learn a lot from.

Why America?

1. The original plan was to go to Japan. Who doesn't want to visit Japan, it's the perfect destination for everybody, but...

2. Family is in America.

3. America is a melting pot, it's a vast piece of land that house people of different cultures from around the world. 

4. We get to experience everything from one destination. The change of seasons, food, culture, environment, architecture, life and what makes each State stand out from the rest. In our case, we were able to explore the East Coast.

I really love the fact that "travel" was made as a point of learning and as an eye- opener to things out of my comfort zone. It was a humbling experience for me. I saw the real version of what life is in America. It's not all good, like every place in the world, but it has its own charm as well like every place in the world. It's different if you stay for a month and just tour. It's way, way different to be on tourist mode at the same time, there's a need to adapt in order to make the most of our stay.

We took courage and made plans to go for a long vacation and just said, let's go!. Courage and a positive outlook? because it greatly involves time, money and the possible impact on us (which may be good or bad) of this move we made. 10 months was all we needed. 6 months to prepare and another 4 months for the whole thing to happen. With God's Grace, always in His perfect timing, it was easy. Everything was laid out for us perfectly.

Onboard Statue Cruises to Ellis Island and Liberty Island 

I always believe that if it's meant for you, it will always be made easy. Yes, there's going to be a second trip and even a third and a fourth. For as long as family is there, we will keep on coming back.