Last post on my US trip!

Day 15. Wednesday, April 16.
The next day day we all went our separate ways. My dad and Tito Koko played Golf, Tita Sophie brought me around and we went shopping, James went to school. But first, breakfast!


YUM.


First, Tita Sophie and I headed to the Filipino store to pick up some things. Look what I saw planted outside the store:


A Magnolia Tree!


After that, we journeyed to Family Christian Bookstore. Spent ages looking at books. Muhaha. There were so many nice ones! But in the end I chose A Home in the Valley. And it was on sale too! I got my mom a book for Mother's Day too. :P Look what I saw outside!



1) Daffodil!
2) Purple and yellow


And when we left to go to Costco, I spotted this:


A Pear Blossom Tree! Lots of them too. Sadly they dont bear fruit. :P


And then we were at Costco. It's a giant warehouse place where you can buy just about anything at a price cheaper than the usual. 'Course you more often than not have to buy in bulk. We bought a few groceries. And tried lots of free samples. (: We sampled the Spicy Mango Jalapeno Sausages and they were so good we bought them!

I rounded a corner and spotted something big, green and fluffy. Aaaaaah! It was ssooooooo soft!!!


BUTTERSOFT PILLOW!!!


After that, we traversed to Hen House, where they sell lots of baked goods and dessert. *slurp*



1) Muffins. I almost see the halos atop their glazed surfaces. :P
2) Ice Cream!!! Lots and lots!


We went back home and I played on the keyboard. I like playing it 'coz you can attach headphones so only you can hear your mistakes. :P And there were many nice songbooks with many nice songs!




When everyone was home again, we went out for dinner at Carrabas, an Italian restaurant. Check out the food:



1) Squid appetiser
2) My pasta! Everything was so cheesy.


After dinner, we went to Kansas City, Missouri to see the city lights. We had to drive over the stateline, 'coz Kansas is a rural place; no city lights.



1) Neon beer signs
2) The rainbow lights of the Marriot hotel. We were joking about how it's pronounced in the US-- mare-yacht. Lol.


Day 16. Thursday, April 17
Look what we had for breakfast:


SPICY MANGO JALAPENO SAUSAGES! :D


After breakfast, me and my dad left to go to the park. We hoped the weather was the same as yesterday's fine day (surprisingly warmer the usual Kansas weather). In the park, took more pics of the plants:



1) Pear Blossom Trees!
2) Yellow bush! I forgot the name. ):


..And then it happened.

We saw DEER! Yayayayay!




There were three of them. After taking lots of pics, we drove on.

..And so MORE deer! We saw a total of sixteen!



1) Solitary deer
2) Camouflaged deer


And we saw wild turkey too. But they were preeetty far away.


Betcha can't see them. They're at the centre of the pic. The black dots far far away.


Then we stopped by the lakeside. I saw more flowers:



1) Yellow dandelions
2) Dogwood flowers. Such a cute tree! No leaves, just flowers. :P


And we took photos by the lake:





Then I saw some critters!



1) Canada geese!
2) Duckies swimming


Then we went back home. Then left again. To go to Costco again. :P


Giant M&M's! :D


I saw lots of flowers again, this time inside, being sold:








We were ready to leave, but it was raining. So much for perfet weather. :P Check out my floor art:


Cool eh?


Anyway, we drove to the mall next. And ate at Panda Express again! This time I shared with Tita Sophie in case I couldn't finish. :D

Some random photos around the mall:



1) Giant food decor at Mrs. Field's
2) Merry-go-round! Yes, in the mall.


Then I separated from my dad and wandered into JCPenney to check out the clothes.



1) I didn't buy this shirt
2) Hello Kitty! I wanted to buy it, but my dad SMSed me and told me to come back. ):


So we returned home. Check out these random pics of food:



1) 100-calorie Coke. It's so tiny and cute.
2) Cinnamon Buns-flavoured Ben & Jerry's ice cream!


Us at the dinner table:


Tito Koko, Tita Sophie, me, my dad, James


After dinner, we explored the basement. They're installing a Japanese-style guest room:


Nice.


..Until you see the basement, outside the room:


The grey dots are dust particles. It's a far cry from the basement I used to know five years ago. :P


Went back upstairs and had ice cream!



1) Blue Bell ice cream, Tita Agnes' favourite. Sadly it's only available in the Midwest.
2) Neapolitan!


Then when the others had retired for the night, Tita Sophie and I watched Maging Sino Ka Man 1 on DVDs again. Tita Agnes' made us fly all 14 discs to Kansas. Crazy. :P We watched the entire first disc 'till late at night. And I hadn't packed up yet. :P

Day 17. Friday, April 18.
Woke up early to go to the airport. Some photos around the house:




1) The kitchen
2) The nicer living room
3) Paul's room, where I stayed while he was away in college


So we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport. Then back on the flight to Denver, Colorado. me at Denver airport:




On the flight to LAX:




Then back on the Flyaway but to Van Nuys. Tita Pilar picked us up and brought us back to their house. Ate, and had dessert!


Chocolate cake courtesy of Nanny


After resting a bit, my dad and I went out for some errands. First we looked for another travelling bag, since we'd obvously be carrying more back home then we brought to the US. :P But we couldn't find any that suited my dad's liking. So continued on to Rite-Aid to get some medical stuff.


Colourful TYLENOL! :P


Then we went to Target (according to Tito Bobby, Tar-jshey "jsh" 'coz I dunno how to spell its sound). :P Bought Tita Agnes her birthday gift! And card, and wrap and GIANT BOW! :D

Then we were back at Tito Bobby's house. Check out the flowers at their fron driveway place:






Then we took a photo outside the house too:


Ria, Carlo, Tita Pil, me, my dad


We ate at Red Lobster! :D:D:D

While waiting for the food, we talked a lot and took pics:



1) Me, Tita Pil, Tito Bobby, my dad
2) Tito Bobby, Ria, Carlo


Then our seafood came! It was so good!





1) My dad's and Carlo's dish. Steak and Lobster tail.
2) Mine! Prawns!
3) Tita Pil's. Fishy.
4) Tito Bobby's. HUGE Lobster tail! It puffed out when it was cooked. :P


Day 18. Saturday, April 19.
Went to Lancaster once again. The rocks on beside the freeway:




Back at Tita Agnes' house! There was a bird in the backyard that didn't wanna fly away. Even if we went near it:


We thought it was pregnant. But after going really near, it flew away. :P


And we gave Tita Agnes her present!


I love the giant bow! The gift's wrapped in 16 layers. I used Japanese paper to wrap, so it was really thin. So I used 16 layers. :P


Then we were all off to the POPPY FIELDS! Our main reason for going there. If you don't know, poppies are bright orange flowers. And they're used to make.. opium. :P I tried to persuade Carlo and Ria to come the day before. Carlo seemed intersted in the opium part, lol. He's crazy. Anyway, they were in full bloom! The fields in lancaster were full of them! It was super windy! Check out our hair in the pics:






1) Claire and I
2) Me surrounded by Poppies
3) Me and the Poppies
4) Claire, me, Tita Agnes
5) My dad with the Poppy fields in front and bare green behind


Here are the Poppies only:




1) Closed Poppies. Most were closed because of the strong wind.
2) Here're some brave Poppies that stayed open despite the winds
3) Another flower I spotted among the Poppies:D


More pics:



1) Tito Eric and Bubba
2) Me and Bubba! :D


Yes, Bubba tagged along! He's so cute among the Poppies! :P


Here's the craziest pic of my dad:


LOL!


Then we returned to Tita Agnes' house for a while.



1) Bubba sitting at the back of the van, sticking his tongue out
2) Me and Bubba at home (:


Then we headed to the mall. Claire and I stopped ather store, Claire's. Kidding, it's not her store. It's just called Claire's. Bought lots of earring for me and Natalie.:D Then we went to the mall a while at JCPenny department store, where Jessica works. Chose shirts + ties for the dads. And got them at discounted prices, since Jessica works there. Then we headed to Red Robbin for lunch! Jessica and Claire went to buy something for Tita Agnes first for her birthday. The menu looked so colourful!




1) Me, Jessica, Claire
2) The colourful cocktail menu
3) Strawberry Frazzle (or some other snazzy name like that, I forgot :P). It's basically strawberry lemonade. With REAL strawberries. It was so good! Sigh. :D




1) Tortilla chips and garlic bread with spinach and artichoke dip. The dip was so tasty. :P
2) Jessica's burger, close up


Once me and my dad got our orders we packed them up since we had to go. ): We said bye but not the final one, since we were all gonna see each other again before we left for Singapore again.


Random shot of Tito Bobby's house:




Then we quickly got ready for another church service at Church #4, Filipino International Christian Church. A Saturday evening service. Saw Camille there again. :P The Praise and Worship team were so cute. They were kiddies (plus some youth). One kid was playing the violin, one a sax, etc. It was a bit out of tune, but they were so cute. Haha. My dad preached the same sermon again. :P After the service, there was.. yes, food. Yet again! I gave all my chocolates to the kiddies. They were so happy. :P



1) My dad preaching
2) Me and my dad with Tito Johnny and Tita Violeta, relatives of my Lola


Day 19. Sunday, April 20.
The next day we travelled early to go to another church, Shadow Mountain Community Church (Filipino Congregation), in El Cajon. Church #5. :P I like the name El Cajon. The Box. :D Reminds me of The Block in the Philippines. :P My dad said it's near the Mexican border. I wanted to go cross over, but I didn't bring my passport and there was no timee. ): Anyway, at the church my dad gave the same sermon again. Which rounds off to a grand total of 6 times I've heard it. :P

On the way to the church, we passed by the ocean:




My dad, with the family picture behind:




We had no time to eat, so they packed us some food:


Cherry cake on Starbucks serviette :P


On the way:



1) Pink wildflowers!
2) The Angels' stadium. Baseball. There was a game going on.


We arrived at yet another church, the Maddelas' church, Light of the World Evangelical Christian Fellowship, in Pomona. No, my dad didn't give the sermon this time. He just gave his short presentation on FEBC. We came at the moment Tito Vincent was introducing my dad. :P Then we stayed on for the sermon by Tito Vincent. It was good to hear a different sermon. :P Via sang during offertory. :D After the service, you guessed it, FOOD. I ate a lot! Sigh, so much food.



1) My dad giving his presentation
2) My dad and the Maddelas in front of their church


We bid farewell to all of them and then we left to visit Tito Jonathan and family.



1) The Range Rover, which we use to go everywhere. It's TALL. So it's really hard to get on. :P
2) The Mortiz house. Sadly they were affected by the US economy housing thingy.


Before we saw them, I was telling my dad I wanted to give the "kiddies" chocolates. 'Coz last time I saw them was five years ago. But when I saw them I was like, "Woah!" 'Coz they were so big already. Hahaha. Needless to say, I kept the chocolates to myself. :P After visiting at their home, we all headed for dinner at a Vietnamese restuarant, Pho 54. Along the way, I saw other "Pho" restarants, but with different numbers after. Dunno why. :P

On the way:


Sunset on the road


At the restaurant, we ordered our meals. And we all got Thai tea. They said it was good, so I did. When our food came, I realised it was just veggies plus some meat drowning in soup. There was lots of soup. Don't get me wrong, it does taste good. But I wanted more flavour. So I added this oyster sauce-like sauce which was sweet and chilli. LOTS. My clear yellow soup turned an opaque dark orange. It was really spicy. Turns out I put too much chilli. But I ate it anyway. :P My tummy died, since we had just eaten at the previous church. I didn't drink my tea, since it had milk. Since my tummy and milk have a bad history together, and adding in the chilli.. dangerous mix. So I gave it to Kezia.




1) Thai tea! The girls' friend behind.
2) Keren, Zach, friend (forgot her name, sorry), Tita Lelot, Tito Jonathan, my dad, me, Kezia
3) The youngies :D


Day 20. Monday, April 21.
Had lunch with my dad, Tito Bobby and Tita Pilar at IHOP (International House of Pancakes). And we ordered breakfast for lunch (again).





1) Me and my dad's drinks. My dad's had mango and Sprite. Mine had orange, strawberry and Sprite.
2) Tita Pil's omelette. It was huge!
3) My french toast! It was filled with sweet cream and had apple toppings. *drool*
4) My dad's pancakes


After that decadent meal, on the way to the car, I saw this:


Isn't it cool?


Then me and my dad headed to Tito Bobby's clinic. I had to have a filling changed. I think it was my most recent one, the one that had to be anesthesised in Singapore. :P



1) Dental tools! Afraid? :P
2) Tito Bobby working on my teeth :D:D:D


While waiting for my dad to finish his turn, I punched holes in some insurance papers. Last time I did work. :P Oh, and I took LOTS of free toothbrushes and toothpaste. Muhaha. Then me and my dad quickly popped in the music store next door and got a Disney songbook! Yay. The rest of the people met us and we all left for Bowling.



1) My dad, the blur :P
2) Tito Bobby


We played two games, all the kids and the parents. First time, Carlo and his wild moves won him the game. Second time around, Carlo's erratic ways cost him the game. I won with a score of 105. I got strikes and spares. :D My dad and Tito Bobby won the their games.

Then it was off to Claim Jumper to celebrate Tita Agnes' birthday. The restaurant with the BIG servings. Too big.



1) All of us! My dad, Tito Eric, John and Jessica, Claire, Tita Agnes, Tita Pilar, Tito Bobby, Ria, me, Carlo
2) Buffalo head!


While waiting for the food:





1) Me and Ria's strawberry lemonade. Tito Eric and my dad in the background.
2) Claire, me, Ria, Carlo
3) Tito Bobby, Tita Pilar, Tito Eric, my dad
4) John and Jessica


I sat between Claire and Ria, and they kept on talking about the Jonas Brothers. Apparently they're both crazy about them. Haha. Claire kept on saying I was so "deprived". o_O Anyway, the food finally came!





1) Tita Agnes' food. The onion ring can be made into a bracelet!
2) Tito Eric's food. The ribs are huge!
3) John's potato. Yes, it's a potato.


Then it was time for dessert. Although we were stuffed through, we wanted to taste the dessert too.





1) Claire's ice cream sandwich. It turned out much bigger than we thought.
2) Six-layer cake. Yes, SIX.
3) Me and Ria's cupcake. Don't worry, it's small.
4) John's brownie


So the dessert turned out to be LARGE. As usual. And so good! *drool* I just wish I could've finished it all. Sigh. We bid farewell to Tita Agnes and family. Hopefully Tita Agnes and Claire's plan to come to the Philippines in June pushes through so we can see them again. :D

After dinner, my dad, me and Ria went to the mall to find luggage. Ria and I loved the Spinner ones. They could turn on their wheels 360 degrees, in any direction. So cool! But so expensive! :P So we settled on a non-Spinner blue hardshell one.

After getting back home and preparing for bed, we decided to go on the roof again. last time we came to America, me, Ria and Natalie went on the roof through Ria's room.


Timmy, Ria, me, Paolo. Javier was too small and Carlo was too scared (though he wouldn't admit it). Muhaha.


I took this candid photo of the kids playing Playstation in Carlo's room:

Yeah, his room has it all. D:


Day 21. Tuesday, April 22.
Our last day. *sob*

I forgot my bag of free toothbrushes and toothpaste in Tita Agnes' car. So Tita Pilar and I went to pick them up from her at the clinic. We also borrowed the DVD One More Chance from her. Which was mailed from Tita Mitos in San Fransisco. Which she rented from somewhere. Crazy people. Haha. For breakfast Tita Pilar and I ate at Abbey Lane. My half-eaten food:




Arriving back home, I packed up as quickly as I could so I could watch the remaining episodes of Palos and Lobo and, if possible, One More Chance. While packing, Teddy came in:


Teddy sniffing our stuff :D


After packing our SIX luggage bags, I had just enough time to watch my teleseryes. But not the movie. So sad. We came with three luggage, and left with six. Muhaha. Said our goodbyes, and Tita Pil drove us to Van Nuys where we took the Flyaway bus yet again to LAX.


My dad and the sunset at LAX


Then we flew away back to Singapore. And so ended my US trip. I had fun. :D