Philippines - Day 1

On June 9th we kissed our kids goodbye and left them in the good hands of their loving grandparents. Our first flight took us from Salt Lake to Los Angeles. It was supposed to be short and easy, but Russ had a serious migraine. Thankfully the migraine subsided and after a short layover we flew to Seoul on Korean Air.

We sat next to a lovely Korean girl that giggled about everything and taught us how to mix up our lunch, bibimbap. We watched Invictis, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Extreme Measures. Sure, we had our own personal screens, but we crossed over the international dateline and it was suddenly our anniversary so it was only fitting that we synchronize our screens and watch movies together, read at the same time and try to nap at the same time.

The Seoul airport (which is actually in Incheon) is immaculate, much better than the old one I flew into in 1998. We landed and tried to find some kimchee to celebrate our 10th anniversary. We had a hard time communicating with the hostess and waiter at the airport restaurant, but the menu abbreviated English translations sufficed. They brought out a pot of pork stew with kimchee. It boiled and boiled in the little cast iron pot. I wondered if it would ever cool enough for me to eat it. It did cool. However, the fiery spices did not. Russ finished it and I ate the other items that came with. One was a boiled potato and the other side dishes, while unrecognizable, were still both chewable and swallowable. Our bill came to 11,000 wan. I know airport food is expensive, but three zeros on any receipt is frightening. Oh well, it was our anniversary and we weren't going to eat Subway while in Korea. (Turns out that was less than $10, phew!)

Our flight left that evening around 6:00 pm and we flew directly to Cebu City in the Philippines. The contrast between the Cebu airport and Incheon airport is like comparing Nordstroms with your local 7-11. As it turns out we like the 7-11 better and we were so excited to be back! In a way it was like coming home after a very long absence. We funneled through the terminal with a throng of Koreans. I believe Koreans migrate to the Philippines with the same frequency that New Yorkers migrate to Florida.

We went through customs in the foreigner line. Russ was unsure which of the forms he should keep and which one would stay with the customs official. He asked the official, "Akoa ba 'ni?" (Is this one for me?) The official slowly turned his head over his left and right shoulder, trying to figure out who had spoken to him. When the official saw no one he looked a bit bewildered, even a bit spooked. Russ repeated the question, and the man looked at him, dumbfounded, while his female co-worker burst into a hearty laugh. That was the beginning of many such experiences. It's not just surprising to Filipinos when Caucasians can speak Cebuano - it's really funny!

While waiting for our luggage we noticed two American men dressed in suits. We suspected they were in Cebu for the same reason we were, (for the temple dedication) and struck up a conversation. One was Elder William Walker of the Quorum of the Seventy and the other was Tom Coburn, who manages the temple department for the Church. They introduced us to the Elder Walker's wife, Vicki, and we also met Ralph and Lee Cottrell (they served as mission presidents in Cebu from '90 -'93.)

The clock approached midnight and we were anxious to get settled. We checked into the Golden Prince Hotel and after a couple mango shakes we slept soundly.

Thanksgiving 2008

We celebrated Turkey Day in Arizona with Russ' brother, his family, Randy and Daryl. All the kids were thrilled to spend time together and it was a pleasant getaway at just the right time of year.

We went to Chuck E. Cheese,



witnessed the baby blessing of our newest darling niece,



ate lots of good food,


made some good memories with Grandpa,



and Grandma,


and went to the Phoenix zoo.



I’m thankful for so many good things. This year I’m going to name 2,008 things that make life wonderful.

2,008. Cars - We can go anywhere we want, anytime we want!

2,007. Antibiotics: Have you had strep lately? These things are AMAZING!

2,006. Music: This universal language touches our souls. It can soothe us, inspire us and bring back sweet memories.

2,005. Red bell peppers - sweet, crunchy and delicious!

2,004. Dreyer’s Thin Mint Cookie ice cream. Move over cookies-n-cream, I have a new favorite.

2,003. Bubble Baths - What a luxury! Hot water on demand in a porcelain tub, we have it so good!

2,002. Technology: laptops, cellphones, digital cameras, internet, ipods and so many ways to store information.

2,001. Toothbrushes.

2,000. Spring - The annual reawakening we can count on.

1999. Children’s laughter.

1998. Children sleeping.

1997. Mountains with trails, or even without.

1996. Grandma’s caramel brownies.

1995. Washing Machines: After living in a country where most people wash their clothes by hand I vowed never to complain about laundry. If I have, I officially take it back.

1994. Public Libraries

1993. Good lotion

1992. The sun. We are so dependent on this fiery ball that gives life to everything. It is perfect!

1991. Games! Board games, card games, lawn games, mind games - the fun never ends!

1990. Cilantro - Yum, this could be the world's greatest plant.

1989. Kind people, especially kind and thoughtful strangers.

1988. Fingernail clippers, so simple and yet so nice.

1987. Good humor and belly laughing

1986. Modern conveniences that are not ubiquitous worldwide; ovens, refrigerators, microwaves and dishwashers. We have so much more time and freedom without making daily visits to the market and going to cut firewood. Instead we can buy in bulk, zap our food, store it, freeze it and then stack the dishes in a nice machine for later automatic cleaning.

Just kidding. I won’t actually name 2,008. (You're welcome.)

On our way home we went to the Grand Canyon. We had a grand time trying to get our kids to be quiet and settled in at the lodge and then Mason woke up at 1:00 am and started crying at maximum volume. We tried all our tricks, but he wasn't going to be quiet. Surely he woke the poor souls that were unfortunate enough to get the room next to ours. Russ took Mason out to the van and spent two hours with the engine running off and on to keep them warm. I laid in bed with my regular clothes on, coat on and shoes on my feet ready to take my shift and worried about how Russ and Mason were doing. It was a long night. Parenthood non-stop fun!

We went to breakfast the next morning with tourists from all over the world. Russians, Japanese, Indians, Europeans, and guess who everyone stared at? I mean really stared at. Us! I've lived in the little Utah County bubble for so long that I forget we are an oddity. Four children, under the age of seven, most of the other visitors didn't even have children, let alone three or more. Or maybe my zipper was down. You never know.

We then walked out to the rim of the canyon. The walk became a hike because we were walking parallel to the rim and didn't know it. (Ha ha! Those shuttle buses are for people without four kids.) We finally arrived and found a good location to take a family picture. I asked a woman if she could take our picture, she suggested that her husband do it since he is a good photographer. So a nice tall man took our picture. He carefully lined us up to make sure that no one was standing in another's shadow, and then insisted that he get one of Russ and I together because he knows that sometimes it gets to be all about the kids. He was so kind and asked us about where we were from and if we are done having kids, and he seemed so familiar.

Here we are...

I told him that and he said, "Well, I am an actor. I'm Michael Gross you might know me from Family Ties." Then it clicked and suddenly he didn't seem like an actor at all, I felt like I was meeting Steven Keating. I don't know if he was acting all those years, I think he was just being himself.


So we took a picture of him...

That evening we drove home and saw a beautiful sunset...

and we gave thanks.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

This June we celebrated our 8th Anniversary! Every year has been better than the last and we are learning that we have much to look forward to.

Every year we try to get away for a few days to celebrate all by ourselves. We love this tradition and believe that it's a must for those married with children. This year Daryl (Russ' mom) watched our kids for a couple days while we went to Lagoon and spent some time in Salt Lake. There are a couple great restaurants downtown worth recommending, a New York style pizzeria called Rusted Sun Pizzeria and the breakfast buffet at the Garden Cafe was fabulous.

After 8 years of marriage here are 8 reasons that I love being married to Russ:

1. He is a wonderful friend. Russ was my friend long before anything else, he listened to me with sincere concern, understanding and without judgement. Over time he has only gotten better.

2. He has incredible work ethic. He gets things done, at home, work, school, Scouts or whatever is asked of him. I tried (and failed) to make him this great "Super Man" apron for Father's Day, I thought it would be a fitting gift for someone with supernatural-well-rounded-work ability. (Hopefully someday I'll be "Super" enough to be able to iron on a simple decal to a premade apron!)

3. He makes me laugh, and for some reason I think he's even funnier when jokes around in Visayan. (Sayang na dili na siya bisdok) ;)

4. Spirituality. He quietly maintains the inner peace that spirituality brings, and it inspires me.

5. I love the little things. He savors fine dark chocolate, gets transported into the emotion of novels and movies, gives me regular updates on "Tech News", he's a master of being both generous to others and living frugally, and he is genuinely happy to help family, friends and neighbors.

6. I appreciate his passion for learning and growth. He has a variety of interests that keep him reading and soaking in all he can.

7. Russ is a great dad. He loves to play with our kids, teach them, and counsel with them. They have a number of original games that I don't know how to play, including "Numbers", "The Rabbit Game", and "Mountain". He adores each of them and they reciprocate his affection.

8. I love the way he loves me. Cliche, maybe, but that is how I feel. It is so wonderful to have someone care so deeply and who manifests it daily in word and in deed.