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.

Happy New Year from Hong Kong

It was not planned but it worked out fine since we ended up spending New Years in a Hong Know Hotel rather than by ourselves at home. We missed the connection coming back from Dallas to Hong Kong. The airport had a hotel where a party had been organized for the night so we went over to join in the fun.

Star Wars

To end our adventures in Utah this Christmas we went to see the Star Wars movie after coming back from Las Vegas. A seven hour trip. Poor Daniel did all the driving and must have been tired but was able to watch it but not me, I couldn't and fell sleep toward  the end.

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas was extra special because we had the visit of my mom, Mari and Manu. We had dinner at Andres and Jami. Later that evening, we went to wish Maria Noakes happy birthday and then to Margie's home and last but not least at tia Silvia's for the Traditional midnight dinner.

Winter in Manila

We got to be at a Mission Presidents seminar and the visit of Elder Nelson, Elder Renlund and Elder Maynes in November. It was like always a very special and amazing visit by those men of God. This picture was taken at the Hotel where we were staying. While they were here, we had our office devotional on November 16th. We also came back the following week for a directors meeting from the office and the highlight was looking a the fake snow that looked almost real.