Taal Volcano

On January 23 the Missionaries planned a trip to the Taal volcano. I had gone there before with Daniel to eat lunch and to be entertained with the folklore dancers. That is the best part of this trip. Going on the boat ride to hike the volcano was not my favorite part. It was hot, dusty, but mostly felt sorry about those poor horses. They look so tired carrying people up the hill. One time doing this is enough for me.

Daniel's birthday

For Daniel's birthday we went to Pico del Loro's Resort. It was a very short stay of one night but well worth it. We got up the next morning and walked to the beach. I gave him a note with several coupons for facials, massages, pedicures and manicures. I also made him a scrapbook of 61 things and sayings from him. This is exactly what I posted on Facebook. 

Happy birthday mi amore!

You are now officially a 60 something! !

Spending time with you I realize that you are a model of honesty, generosity, funny, playful, kind, sweet, considerate, and absolutely positively, incredibly, amazing! You are perfect for me.

These are 61 things I learned from you over the time I have been so honored to be your wife:

[if !supportLists]1.    [endif]Express gratitude in prayer as you start your day.

 2.    Stand up for what you believe is true.

     3.    Admit to your mistakes.

     4.    Be an example for your children to follow.

     5.    Remember that everyone has problems.

 6.    Practice generosity.

     7.    Go to bed early and early to rise.

     8.    Never go to bed angry, kiss and make up.

     9.  Vowed to be faithful.

    10.Set priorities of good, better and best.

11. Celebrate Holidays with family.

    12. Value education.

    13. Eat together as a family.

    14. Vacations don't have to be extravagant to have fun.

    15. Compete but always play fair.

    16. Learn from others mistakes.

    17. Do the math; count your blessings.

    18. Spend time with you kids.

    19. Be a doer. Deeds are better than words.

    20. It’s never too late to start a new tradition.

    21. Overcome difficulties.

    22. Choose to do those hard things first.

    23. Go the extra mile.

    24. Value hard work.

    25. Be always honest.

    26. Have integrity.

    27. Be prepared to do hard things.

    28. Treat people below you with dignity and respect.

    29. Share what you know to your children.

    30. White lies are still lies.

    31. Treat others, as you want to be treated.

    32. Never pretend to be something you are not.

    33. Keep your word no matter what.

    34. Develop your talents as an offering to the Lord.

    35. Make your family a priority.

    36. Know Jesus and His Father, our Father in Heaven.

   37. Invite the Spirit into our home.

   38. Be aware of Satan, he is real.

   39. Hold on to the Iron Rod.

   40. Be seekers of truth. Earn your own testimony.

   41. Read the scriptures daily.

   42. Live the Gospel.

   43. Do something you love doing every day.

   44. Call your mother often.

   45. Take pictures to preserve memories.

   46. To find a good friend, be a good friend.

  47. Parenting is the most important thing you’ll ever do.

  48. Be neat, clean and orderly.

  49. Be humble.

  50. Pray, fast and follow the Spirit.

  51. Be optimistic.

  52. Serve others.

  53. Always remember Him at all times and in all places.

  54. Never stop learning new things.

  55. The most important things in our home are the people.

  56. Be obedient.

  57. Whatever you choose to be...Be a good one!

  58. Be punctual.

  59. Forgive quickly.

  60. Faith is the ability to not panic.

  61. Don’t worry, it will all work out.

My gift to you is me, your Verito. I am so happy we get to spend this day together. “ The best gift you can give someone is your time.” I love you forever!!

Oliver Krone came next!

Meet the new member of the Almeida clan and  grandchild #15 Oliver John Krone. Child #2 for Analia and Spencer. Born on January 12, 2016 one day after Norah Merkley.

 He received a basket full of gifts because he was  the first baby boy of the year in Beatrice Nebraska. He weighs 7 lbs. 8 oz. and is 20 in. long.

Norah Nicole Merkley arrived!

Bianca wrote: "Meet our sweet Norah Nicole Merkley. Born on January 11th 2016 at 4:33 p.m. weighing 6 Lbs. 10 oz. Our hearts are so full with love and gratitude. Thank you Nicole Ballou for this gift you've given our little family."

She was another wonderful miracle and if there is anybody who can handle two babies at one time is Bianca and Joseph. They have been waiting for this day to come for years.

Thanks to Nicole Ballou who is an angel and carried Norah all the way to our arms. There are no words to describe the gratitude we all feel for her unbelievable act of kindness and thanks to her husband and family for their support.

Corregidor

Has anyone ever heard of Pearl Harbor? Well from a history point of view, Corregidor is even better! yesterday we went to the Corregidor Island and learned so much of WW II that I had not even imagined ever happened because you do forget what you learn in school. Mr. Cool, our world History teacher in eleventh grade taught us about the battles that took place in the Philippines during WWII against Japan but I was too busy daydreaming about what dress to wear for the Junior prom. 

Basically what this place is today is a type of memorial to remember so many who lost their lives during the war. We got up early in the morning to drive to the place where we take a fairy. That lasts about an hour and then we get into busses with a tour guide who explains all the sites in the island. The tour lasted all day with a lunch provided around noon and by 4:00 p.m. we were back at the dock to be driven back home. This time the traffic was horrendous. It took our poor driver 3.5 hours to get back to the  house when early in the morning this same route only took 40 minutes. 

For those inquiry minds and interested about what happened here in the Philippines between 1941 and 1945 here is a detailed account according to Wikipedia. Corregidor Island is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition to defend the entrance of Manila Bay and the city of Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of a war.  Located 48 km or (30) miles Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries, for the colonial rule of Spain, Japan and the United States to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946. 

During World War II Corregidor played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serve as a military memorial to American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island. Corregidor is one of the important historic and tourist sites in the country. 

Birthday 56 and counting

This is an old photo but it is to remind me that today is my birthday. Daniel game me a pair of pearl earrings as a present he had been keeping for a while and made breakfast and lunch for me. He tried to make it a special day even when I was feeling so sick, I had no energy to get out of bed.

My birthday was on a sunday so no going out either but what matters is that the kids did think of me and they all wished me a happy birthday. I even got to facetime Mandy who is in Hawaii along with Cristi and Bianca to open my present. A beautiful necklace with three hearts in it.