Christmas Parties And Celebrations

Just a few days ago, we joined the Christmas party of Filipino nurses in my wife's hospital.  It's a little bit awkward at first since these people already knew each other for years and we were the new ones in the group.  My wife wasn't alone though, there were 3 other new nurses along with us.  But as we got to know them, it wasn't that bad.  And besides, wouldn't it be much easier to get along with your fellow countrymen, right?

The event was held in an Brazilian restaurant located at Westheimer Rd. here in Houston.  It had a valet parking so I'm expecting that the food inside would really cost us... but then, it's not as if we're gonna eat there often.  Again, it'll be our first time to try their food.  They were more on grilled steaks and seafood, so it's pretty much safe... for me. 

The cool thing about Chama Gaúcha (the restaurant), was they have this card where you flip on the green side, and their waiters will come to you and offer various grilled meats.  And you can take anything you want.  Then, if you want them to stop offering you, just flip the card on the red side.  The only thing was, a lot of the steaks were medium rare and there's still blood when you cut the meat.  I'm more of a "well done" person when it comes to grilled meat... LOL.  So, more seafood here please.

Here's the card...

Here's a slice...

And this is what  I was talking about.  LOL!!!

Yesterday, we were also invited by a family my wife knew, to celebrate Christmas with them.  They were friends of her parents.  It's a bit far from us but I'm getting used to driving in the freeway already.  It's really a blessing that we're having this moment with them since we still hadn't celebrated the occasion together as a family.  More, they prepared a lot of Filipino foods that made us feel near to home.  But what's truly priceless was seeing our kids enjoying themselves, playing with the other kids of other invited families.  Great to feel not only the cold breeze of air but also the spirit of the season.  Merry Christmas.  Yahweh bless. :)

Thanks For The Help

The Lord is truly wonderful... He provides even before we think of it.  And He definitely knows what we need.  He let us meet new friends that helped us during our transfer to Houston... and even filled our home with things we didn't have, all for free.  Our family felt so blessed with everything we received.

As soon as we arrived here in Houston, people we barely knew offered their things to us (luckily, those were the things we were planning to buy).  They would always tell us that it's a "pay it forward" thing.  When they were also starting, there were also those who helped them.  More, there were times that we would find cool stuffs (mostly furniture) we can use within the vicinity of our apartment.  If the garbage collector in our place (the bote/bakal) can go here... I think, they would be the happiest people in the world.  For people are throwing away good stuff here (clothing, electronics, furniture, etc.), some are even good as new.  They just leave it in the side, and then it's free to take.  In the end, we have enough to buy the other things we still need.

We are really thankful to the Lord that He surrounded us with good people.  People (friends) who helped us during our transfer (it would  have been really costly and difficult had it not for them).  People who shared their things to us (which is a big help especially for someone starting in a foreign land away from our families).  And for all the people who helped us get  familiarized with the way of life here.  Yahweh is good... all the time.

Moving Again

We left the place we called home for 6 months to transfer to a nearer location where my wife works.  Leaving wasn't easy for us, especially that we already were at ease and familiar with the place... it's already been our comfort zone.  The kids, most specially, had their friends in school and within the community... But we explained to them, that it would be a lot easier for all of us if we move to downtown Houston to cut the travel time.  The cold months are coming, and we don't want the kids to suffer the long travels.

We will surely miss our place in Pasadena.  It was our very first home here in the US.  The stores (just across the street) and recreation areas near our place.  The pool, said the kids (well, we still have pools to where we are transferring).  And most of all, our nearby Filipino neighbor friends, who had always been kind and helpful to us.  They were the ones responsible for making the transfer easy for us.  And for that, we can't thank them enough.

The kids way of saying farewell to the pool in Pasadena.

There's almost a week difference between the day we move out from our old apartment to the new one... but the Lord was so great that even before that we were offered by another Filipino friend (my wife's co-worker) to stay in their house for the time being since they will be on vacation during those days.  We were so blessed to have stayed in their beautiful house in Humble for 6 days... and we  enjoyed the place.

Making noise in the quiet neighborhood of Humble.

For all the Lord had done and given to us, the friends He provided, as if everything is in the right time.  In everything we do, He is always way ahead of us... so we always put our trust in Him.  Yahweh bless. 

Our Longest Travel So Far

It was a long way to our destination... and we're traveling along with 2 kids and a baby, 3 huge traveling bags (22 kilos average), and of course our hand-carries.  I know it'll  be tough, but we had to go through it.  After having our farewells with our families, our journey begun...

We stayed overnight in Manila for the "finishing touches" transactions and  prepare/rest for the early flight the following day.  It was 4 hours before our scheduled flight when we arrived at NAIA, Terminal 1 (not to take any chances).  Events were such a series of long lines, carrying heavy loads, paper works, and thorough inspections... man, was I glad I had my wife with me.  Everything went well, then we boarded our plane heading to Nagoya, Japan, for a technical stop.

The travel lasted for 3 and a half hours, more or less.  We arrived in a cold and foggy Japan (the kids were a little disappointed not to see snow).  We already prepared winter clothing, but as first-timers, the weather was freezing cold as we got off the plane.  Though it didn't last long, it became warmer as we walked inside the terminal.  While we were there, got this funny experience; wanting to finish fast with the inspection I immediately hopped in to the metal detector.  As a consequence, the inspector found metals, had a more thorough inspection and had to go through the detector a couple of times.  In short, it took longer (LOL).  Tip: take every metallic object off, even coins...  After hours of waiting, off we went to our longest flight... Detroit, Michigan.

During the almost 14 hours of flight, there was nothing much to do.  Just slept (since the baby was sleeping most of the time), watched movie on the monitor (there's a lot to choose from) and walk/stand once in a while (or else you'll have a sore bottom).  We had no problem with food and beverages, the attendants kept on serving them.  One thing I couldn't ignore was how courteous Americans are, especially the flight crew.  Overall, the trip was very nice.

We arrived at Detroit seeing the ground covered with snow, which made my kids excited (us, we had our reservations).  We landed good, though we felt the plane slipped a little bit (understandable).  Then, after we were held in the immigration office to clarify some matters (long story), my wife and I finally took a well deserved nap (alternately, the kids were still there... hahaha).  And since we can't let the kids go outside the terminal, we accompanied them to roam around inside the terminal... it's still pretty amazing after all.

Then finally our flight to Houston, Texas came.  It's a shorter flight but still around 2.5 hours.  We were fetched at the airport, took out Whattaburger (first meal, huge servings), went to our apartment, bought some stuffs @ Walmart, and then sleep?  No, we all had a jet lag...  and were all wide awake...

We thank the Lord for our safe journey and for all the guidance and blessings He showered upon us...