First Glimpse of Calgary

I've been after my hubby to go with me to Calgary and see the Canadian Rockies that Banff is so famous for.

It was just hard to do a vacation that long with small kids and when my cousins and brother finally planned to come here all together. I decided to take that leap and go with them for a 3 days 2 night trip to Banff. (I agree, It is SHORT but I will take whatever I can just to get a bit of time to myself).

...and since we were restricted with time, we opted for going there by plane rather than driving all the way from Vancouver to Calgary and to Banff. It will just be too tiring and we wanted to maximize whatever time we can spare to enjoying the place.

I was really excited how we are going to be as a group as this was our first time to travel with each other... It was an hour and a half of flight and with an early flight, we had the whole day to enjoy Banff and explore the area...

* Our first view

* Almost there

* Goofing Around

* We almost lost one of us....Nah!

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CALGARY AIRPORT

Calgary, AB

Cars Land 2013

Last time we came here in Disneyland, the Cars Land was still under construction and Kenzo was left home because he got sick a day before the flight. This time was perfect for Kenzo as he is a bit bigger and his favourite, Disney Cars, is now open.

* Banners that made Kenzo stop and stare ;)

We decided to do Disney only for this vacation and secure ourselves with a 4 Day One Park Per Day Ticket which turned out cheaper than the 3 Day Park Hopper. We got them through West Jet wherein we got a package together with the flight and hotel. We divided our 5 days stay to 1 day solely for spending time with our friends, 2 days for Disneyland and 2 days for California Adventure.

Travelling with kids means there will always be things that will happen that is out of the plan. Such as the case on this trip. Kenzo was not himself when we went to Cars Land and we knew that something was amiss. We decided to get a hotel doctor to see him which cost more than his whole trip's total :(. It was effective though and he was okay by next day and the culprit was his ear got congested during the plane's take off and his cold aggravated the situation which resulted to a fever as well. We are still keeping our fingers crossed that one of our travel insurance will cover a part or if we are lucky, the whole cost of it.

Kenzo was not himself the first day of our California Adventure but he still managed to go closer for a peek at some his favourite cars...

* Little Fan getting starstruck

* This is a replica of a scene background in Cars Movie :)

* Must take a picture here... Poor Kenzo looks ready to sleep

... the medicine finally got to him and he slept while we explored more of the Cars Land and more with Kimi...

* Getting Goofy with the Cones...

As for the last day, Kenzo was himself again and we were back to running after him as we went back to California Adventure for our second to the last day in L.A.

Since our little guy is in tiptop shape (almost), we decided to go for the rides and took our time to fall in line and get our pictures taken with the Cars...

We did the magic morning this time and go for the Tow Mater Ride... Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. It spins like the tea cup ride but way cooler with your own Tow Mater. Kenzo was so happy and screaming gleefully throughout the ride, so did Kimi. It was well worth the wait...

* Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

* Kimi and me as partners for the Tow Ride

We used up the time taking pictures all the way to the front of the line...

* Kimi and Kenzo

* Kenzo with Kimi

After the ride, it was Tow Mater doing pictorial near the Cozy Cone Motel...

* More pictures while in line

* Tow Mater :)

* Kimi was Here...

* ... so was Kenzo :-)

... there was a commotion and sirens which meant that RED was nearby!

* Here we go again...

* A picture near RED which I saw from Cars Movie

* and more pictures

One of the popular ride was the Luigi's Flying Tire which was really looooooong... We got there early so we started lining up

* A picture outside

* Cars Memorabilia inside the Luigi's Flying Tire 

which also serves as a line up guide

There was a mock up Flying Tire for pictorial purposes near the line going into the real ride...

* Family Cheese!

* Kimi and Hubby :)

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CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Anaheim, California

June 2013

The Grotto

We decided to spend our Easter on a long journey to visit The Grotto in Portland, Oregon.

We attended the Good Friday liturgy. It was an experience and you would have thought that you were in the Philippines with all the Filipinos from British Columbia that attended that particular mass. It was a standing room for us even if we were a good 20 minutes early entering the church.

I especially loved the lifelike sculpture near the church's gift shop. It was eerie how real it looks despite the glass enclosure.

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HAPPY EASTER

and cheers to new beginnings

I'm Thankful...

I've been quite busy these past few weeks...

First and Foremost, I am...

Thankful for the busyness because my family from the Philippines (and Netherlands), went out of their way to find a niche in their busy schedules to come here to be with me...

I would like to post something about thankfulness...

Stress is always a part of life. How we handle them is what matters...
It's easy to compare and complain...

to see what we lack, instead of what is already there in our life.

This time around, I decided to be intentional in certain things in my life.

Instead of wishing for more, (and being thanksgiving) I decided to focus on things to be thankful for...

For my hubby...
Thank you for filling my life with love and inspiration
especially giving me kids who gave more meaning to our lives

For my in laws...
for helping us with things here in the house.
taking care of the kids and loving them in their own ways

For my Ong Family...
Thank you for the love and support throughout the years,
I am what I am right now because of you guys...

For my Friends...
Thanks for the shoulder to lean on, an ear who's there to listen
...a helping hand when I need someone. For just being there to extend any help without me needing to say it. (you know who your are guys!)

For our home...
It brings us a place where we can be together and add memories as a family. A place of security.

For work...
I am thankful for the flexibility and giving me a bit of respite from home so that I come back a better mom.

For problems...
for it made me a better and stronger person. It made me realize that life is never fair but there is always a reason why it happens. It actually bought me to sit up and take notice of what really is important. 

For each day...
It meant that I am here for a purpose and a chance to right what I have done wrong from my past.

...these are the ones that are on top of my head right now,

ANYWAY...
Belated
HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Back to the Yesteryears...

My mom (and brothers) came here for a short 3 weeks visit and because we teased our mom that this vacation was for her. We actually decided on a couple of shows that my mom would surely enjoy and remember from before.

This was highly recommended by my brother, Eric. Jersey Boys and Frank Valli do rang a bell and I decided to go for it when I found a ticket on sale for a weekday spot. I told my mom that we are watching Jersey Boys and she said she doesn't know what Jersey Boys was... Ooops! To make the long story short, we did enjoy the show (a lot) with the rest of the senior citizens in the audience. I guess a lot of the younger set of audience decided to watch a different play that they are more familiar with. My youngest brother was blown away with this play and the songs that goes with it. Rated AAA :)

* Jersey Boys- September 19, 2012

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JERSEY BOYS

September 19, 2012

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Vancouver, B.C.

We also decided to do another oldies but goodies show for our Vegas trip. Australian Bee Gees looked like a promising show with a good rating online so we went for this. 

My youngest brother looked wide eyed and out of place as they sang their songs but he ended up enjoying when he heard some songs that he finally knew which was a total of 2-3 songsl. Me and my younger brother, Eric knew a bit more but my mom enjoyed it and danced to the last few songs by the end of the show. 

* The poster

We also got the chance to take a picture with the Australian Bee Gees... Mom was like a Starstruck fan excited to get a picture taken with the group lol

* Not a wax figure...motion at the end :(

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THE AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES SHOW

September 30, 2012

Excalibur Hotel and Casino

Las Vegas, USA

Portland Adventure

We've never been to Portland so it was a bonus that our friends, Stone and Twinny, was able to accompany us for a 3 days and 3 nights of shopping and great eats.

* Kimi all dressed up for Portland

We hit on the outlet store first thing in the morning which was a great idea because the people from Canada are still on the road, and we didn't find the need to spend much time lining up to pay plus we got the top pick of the stocks :)

I found some nice items and great bargains and managed to get shoes for both kids...

* Kimi loved this and wanted to wear it instead of her sandals

We don't have See's Candies in Canada and I was more than happy to get some free chocolates for tasting. Of course, I got some to take home and indulge as well.

* See's Candies

Afterwards, we went to the nearby mall "Washington Square" which had a great selections of stores as well and decided to do a mother-daughter pedicure since we are in a no-tax city. I figured it would save us a couple of pennies.

* Little Pampering 

We had dinner at the Portland Seafood Company and had a grand feast of assorted seafood for dinner. Hubby enjoyed immensely, satisfying his craving of crabs he's had for months.

* Seafood Feast

We went Downtown for our next day. I ended up buying some teas which I sampled from Teavana. It was a combination of Blueberry and Pineapple which Kimi and I really love and we tasted quite a few cups as we purchased some to make at home...

* Refreshing

...hubby also did some purchasing on the side,

We also made a stop at the Lloyd's Center Mall which had a couple of shops that was not in the previous 2 malls we went. Old Navy and Barnes & Nobles to name a few. I bought a couple of flash cards to review with Kimi for Summer vacation and it was quite handy on our long road trip home. 

* Free Balloons from Lloyd's Center

Our trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to The Cheesecake Factory right near our hotel. 

It was perfect right beside the mall and we got to do some last minute shopping while we waited.

* Everything ordered was great

Unfortunately, we ate a little too much on the main course, we couldn't bring ourselves to eat desserts. Maybe next time :)

We spent the last night getting ready for our early take off, and we had the flashcards and iphone to keep Kimi occupied.

* Iphone app that manipulates the face... 

* * * * *

TIGARD, OREGON

 PORTLAND 

The Westin Resorts and Spa at Whistler

I used to take a picture from outside this hotel when we go to Whistler. I just like the way it looks...

* Hotel Facade

I finally got the chance to stay at their junior suite with friends who stayed a room apart from us. It was like a giant slumber party. Even Kimi had playmates in the form of Heidi's daughters, Aimee and Sherilyn, she was excited to go and knock in their room and share snack as well as have them stay in our room to play.

Aside from the room, we got a picturesque view as soon as we woke up.

* Mountain view from our room

We had our certificate for dinner at the reception. 

* Certificate to a full dinner

...and a sweet  welcome

* Chocolate covered strawberries....

...which we devoured right away

* Oooh la la...

The Junior Suite (#763) was a good size for us with a King size bed and a sofa bed for additional sleeping areas. 

* King Size bed for 4

* Entertainment Area

* Kitchenette with an oven inside

The kitchen was fully-equipped with plates and utensils conveniently placed when needed. 

We loved the hotel room and especially the view. The location of the hotel is a given with everything a stone throw away. I would definitely come back if there is another good deal for this place.

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THE WESTIN RESORTS & SPA

Whistler, B.C.

A Trek up Shannon Falls

The first leg of our trip was a short trek up the Shannon Falls.

4 kids, 4 adults. 1:1 Ratio; not bad :)

* Water and Rocks

Short Legs + Endless Chatter = Long time to get to the top :)

* Kimi and Aimee, chummy chummy

It was hard to get the kids to look at the camera and it was the best I could do that time...

* Little friends

* Papa and Kenzo Boy

It's not what you look at that matters,

it's what you see.

- Henry Thoreau

* * * * *

SHANNON FALLS

Squamish, B.C.