Ellen’s Diary

It was Thanksgiving weekend last week which means a 4 day weekend for us worker bees.

I haven’t seen my sister’s new home since they bought the property last year so I thought that it’s the perfect time to visit them in Canada. Taking off a day earlier, Blair and I hit the road at 5:30 in the morning, after an evening of watching a funny play in the Warner Theater (will tell you all about that later) and made good time. We were a bit surprised that there were not a lot of cars in the road trying to beat the holiday jam. By 2:30 pm, we were right at the Canadian border handing the immigration officer our passports.

It was a pretty easy drive except for the rain that hit the last 4 hours. We reached my sister’s house just when she got back from picking up my nephew from the school bus stop. The early morning 9 hour drive was well worth it after we saw the kids. Bella’s becoming more and more of a lady and Troy is just full of energy. They love playing with Blair and are just as happy to see us there. By night time, it started to snow so that’s our “Welcome to Canada” greeting. I forgot to mention that we planned the trip with my other sister from Ashburn, VA. We were supposed to just take their van but it broke down the day before so we had to take 2 separate cars and left from our own homes. They got there probably a good 3 hours after we arrived.

We were planning an outing to Montreal but had to scrap that plan since the eye of the snow storm is right smack on Montreal. I’m tellin’ yah, winter in Canada is no fun. At least for an Asian girl like me. I get surprised whenever I hear my sister say it’s -10 outside. Oh yeah, they use Celsius out there.

  Anyway, not to let our spirits be broken down with the cold and snow we still managed to do some sight seeing in the area. My sister and her very hospitable husband took us around Toronto. There we visited the CN Tower which has this glass floor at about 1100 feet. It was pretty scary just stepping on it. Just imagine stepping on glass looking down a thousand feet below. Yikes!

We also checked out Eaton Center to see the festive holiday shopping going on. It’s amazing how it can be quite a challenge navigating your way around shoppers with a focused goal of getting that one last piece of holiday gift.

Then we also went to Chinatown. It’s the 2nd largest in North America and you just have to go there. Our Filipino instinct told us we might find some good ol’ lansones…but they’re out of season so my other sister had to settle for longans…hehehe. Oh! And the highlight was when my sister treated us to a dinner buffet in Mandarin. This is no buffet for sissies.

The rest of the trip was spent hangin’ out with the kiddos, watching movies and eating A LOT. Food taste really yummy when others prepare it…hehehe. We headed back to the US side Sunday and were lucky to not hit too much traffic. Also took a day off to decompress. Fun times … fun times.

I haven’t been to a college footbal game and Blair thought it would be nice for me to experience one. He scored a couple of tickets to the Penn State vs. Iowa game and I couldn’t be more excited.

We woke up saturday morning and drove to Penn State early enough to see the HUGE tailgate party going on in campus. I’m telling yah, it was party central over there. They had games going on, bbq and some even had catered food. Blair’s co-worker is an alumni of the school and had his own tailgate party going on. It was awesome to be there.

Then of course it just kept getting better. We went to the stadium and our seats, as far as it was, were right beside the senior students and the energy was just great! The whole time they were cheering and chanting, you’d really feel bad for Iowa.

Our friends Ted and Heiz and Ted’s parents joined us as well. Ted’s brother is part of the Penn State team and so we had more than enough reason to cheer them on. Granted the kid probably doesn’t know us. LOL! He played a good amount of time and played really well.

We didn’t wait until the end of the game but stayed enough time to know for sure that Penn State had it in the bag. There were about 108,000 people in the stadium so to get stuck getting out of the parking lot with about 4 hours of driving ahead of you is not a good idea.

It was an experience that was really cool. The tailgate party, the energy of the students…mannn…wish I was in college again. But then again, we don’t have this in the Philippines…

Here’s some fun links of the videos I uploaded from the game.

Video 1

Video 2

Finally, the trip to Mexico has been made.

We got back to good ol’ Washington, DC last Saturday after a well-deserved vacation in Soliman Bay, Mexico. Of course I’m not going to chat about the coming home part  but of the wonderful fun-filled days we’ve spent in Villa Tres Delfines.

Just a quick backgrounder for those not familiar, this is the second time we’ve visited Mexico. Mark (the other half of the Davilas) and I share the same birthday and had reached a milestone last year. So the group decided to celebrate by planning a trip to the Mayan Riviera. We loved it so much that we vowed to come back this year. And so we did.

We took a couple more friends with us this time around and were lucky enough to find a four bedroom villa still available in Soliman Bay. We rented the place for six days and five nights.

Soon as we arrived in Cancun, the gang immediately ventured out into the city to find Lab Na. We discovered Lab Na last year in our search for the authentic taste of the yucatan cuisine. Their chicken lime soup has been very well published as the most delish and authentic soup you can get in the Yucatan. Clearly, Lab Na did not disappoint. I think I had 2 bowls of that soup during the meal. Yummm!!!

After getting our eat on, we started driving south to our villa. Driving in Mexico is not too bad. The only thing that scared us were these humps they call locally as “tope”. We’re so used to the humps being a slight bump in the road but their local version were huge platforms (really, they’re platforms!!!). They were about 3 feet wide and angled on the corners so you really have to slow down. You can tell it’s scary by the signs they post on the road. 

Anyway, we got to the place, and it was gorgeous! The beach was great and the rooms were beautiful. The gang assigned us to the upstairs bedroom (being the organizers of the trip) which has its own balcony with hammocks and sitting area. We loved it! We also had a pool for those days when you didn’t want that sea water, or to wash off the sea water…hehehe.

Sparing you of the day to day details, the group had the chance to visit a whole lot of old and new spots this time around. We headed out to Tulum, Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Playa del Carmen and Xel-Ha.

Tulum is one of the many sites of the Mayan ruins. Located right by the beach, it’s amazing to see the old Mayan structures on top of rocks overlooking the sea. We visited this site last year, and this year it was the Facchinas and Reeves turn while we (Davilas and Harshes) snorkeled in Akumal.

Chichen Itza, named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World is one of the biggest city states of the Mayans in the Yucatan Peninsula. It took us about 2 hours to get there but it was well worth the trip. The pyramid called “El Castillo” is a site to behold. Felipe, our guide explained to us that the pyramid was built to represent many things about the Mayan culture. The number of steps and corners were designed to represent the Mayan calendar. The serpent carved on the side represents the sun god in its form as it travels on earth. One pretty cool thing he showed us was when we clap our hands in front of the pyramid, an echo can be heard throughout the area. He said that this was so that the high priest can be heard during ceremonies. The coolest thing though that we weren’t able to observe was when the solstice occurs. The light travels through the pyramid and forms a snake all across. We missed the solstice by a week.

Valladolid is a small town we passed on our way to Chichen Itza. With its plaza, municipal hall and church, we just had to stop and visit on our way back. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Hosteria de Marquez. An old 9 bedroom Mexican home turned to a 90 room hotel. It still had the old feel so it wasn’t as bad. Valladolid reminded me so much of the Philippines. Specially a town in Ilokos called Candon. 

Playa del Carmen is one of the more commercial parts of the Yucatan. With its shops, restaurant and bars right by the beach, you get the whole Miami vibe without the Miami price. Visiting the area during the low season also helped us avoid the huge tourist crowd.

Xel-Ha is a water theme park just 5 minutes from our villa. It was a natural theme park with its mangroves and fishes. The gang enjoyed a day of tubing, cliff jumping, rope swinging and snorkeling. I think the highlight was the dolphins though. It was amazing how the dolphins would go under your feet, one on each foot, and basically lift you up from the water. It was awesome!

In between the site visits we enjoyed some quiet time at home. Just kayaking at our beach, playing some charades, viking and drinking games or just lounging by the pool. We had a “muy excellente” housekeeper and chef. Olivia is amazing when left in the kitchen to do her magic. The tamales, ceviches and enchiladas she prepared were amazing.

So here I am now, in my room daydreaming of Mexico . Another wonderful trip has been completed. I’m now back to reality (kinda), to the 60s degree weather and cloudy skies. Well, at least for now, I can say “we will always have Mexico”.

Hopefully you’d get the chance to visit it too. More photos are posted on my shutterfly collection so feel free to take a look. Enjoy!

Click here for more photos.

Ciao!

Countdown to Mexico

It’s August 22^nd, and we’re about 19 days away from Mexico. Whoopeee!

So hurricane Dean just swept through the Yucatan Peninsula where our group will be staying but a friend of ours found out that our villa just needs some cleaning up, no damages of any sort. Whew!!!

We’ve been planning this trip for a while now and it would be a total bummer if we end up looking for another place to stay.

Anyway, everything’s great, so that’s awesome. There will be three other couples joining us on this trip. The Davila’s, Facchina’s and Reeve’s. All fun, fun, fun couples. Blair and I along with the Davila’s have visited the Mayan Riviera last year and really loved the place. Mark and I celebrated our birthdays, which we happen to share on the same day, in Akumal and both couples vowed to come back.

So for 2007, we’re bringing more friends with us on this trip. There’ll be lots of snorkeling, diving, touring of the ruins, sleeping and drinking of the yummy coconut juice under the hammocks. Aaaahhhh…can’t wait. Oh and yes, we have to bring the magic sing. Yep, you read that right….there’ll be karaoke baby! LOL! Our friends are as Asian as I am.

Anyway, to further underscore how excited we are for this trip, we’ve actually put together a web site which has all the details of the trip. Enjoy!

http://ellenandblair.googlepages.com/solimanbay,mexico

Ciao!

Every year, Washington, DC hosts an event called Screen on the Green. Every Mondays for four straight weeks, they put up a big projector right by the Capitol and show selected classic movies. It’s fun to be sitting out under the stars watching these old time classics with the Capitol and the National Monument as your backdrop.

And every year, Blair and I would try to make it to one of the films. This year, we decided to see the finale show, Casablanca. It was a perfect evening for the movie. We’ve been having a really hot and humid summer, but that night was perfect. There was a nice cool breeze that makes you want to cuddle J I would guess about 3,000 people were at the mall that night to watch Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart say their famous lines.

“Here’s looking at you kid”

“Play it again Sam”

“We will always have Paris”

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she had to walk into mine”

For more of the memorable quotes from this classic movie, see:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034583/quotes

This is a perfect cap to our summer of fun activities…well, not really, there is still that trip to Mexico…but I’ll save that for the next blog.

Ciao!

Last Wednesday, hubby and I got the chance to see John Mayer perform at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. Blackberry was the major sponsor for the event and sent out free VIP tickets to a few of their clients. Luckily, our VP hooked me up with a couple. With the passes we have, we were able to check out the Demar’s clubhouse at the center and get our eat on… J The bar was overflowing with Blackberrytini as well. I think it was strawberry liquor and vodka, but I digress. Yummy! Wednesday felt like Friday!

The show was uh-mazing! He started with “Waiting on the World to Change” and everyone got up on their feet. I have to say I was screaming like a star struck fan myself. Loved how his voice just took over the whole Verizon Center. His guitar playing was just as fabulous! He performed songs from his latest album and did some from the previous. These are the types of concerts that we love going to. Where you can actually hear the artists sing and enjoy the music. John Mayer did not disappoint. We went home close to midnight with “Waiting on the World to Change” playing in my mind… J

Uploaded some of the concert photos, so check it out when you get the chance.

Ciao!

      The past year has been a whirlwind for me. So many things have happened that I hope I am able to recount all of them with accurate detail. A lot of memories are truly wonderful, and some I wish had never happened.

      2006 started with our wedding preparations well under way. The previous year, Blair and I had made a trip to the Philippines and purchased items that we felt would add a Filipino element to the ceremony. It was fun putting those together. As the wedding date draws near, the family started coming from all over the world which made our day extra special. My sister from Paris, Ate Emily, my sister’s family from Toronto, Ate Aurea, my mother from the Philippines Nanay Felisa and my nephew from Hawaii, Emerson, all came to be part of our celebration. Blair and I couldn’t be happier as our family and friends gathered together to watch us become husband and wife.

      For our honeymoon, Blair took me to Italy. We went to Rome, Florence and the Amalfi coast towns of Sorrento, Amalfi and Positano. It was magical. You can’t believe that there are places that would force you to do nothing. Up to this day, I still go back to the evenings we had in Positano just listening to the waves and watching the lights of the homes descend in the side of the mountains to touch the water. Or those nights where we would venture out to find a cafe with musicians serenading with beautiful music.

      A week and a half after we’ve returned from our trip, Blair’s father R. Stanley Harsh passed away. He was a wonderful man. I would always remember his and Blair’s debates over the dinner table as he loved challenging the intellect. He was a fountain of knowledge and had helped me learn about history more than any of my teachers did. My mother in law later told us that he didn’t want us to know if something happened to him while we were away. He loved travelling and didn’t want any news to reach us that would cut our trip short. That was my father in law, Stan. A very selfless, loving and wonderful man.

      Throughout the year, we’ve made a lot of major decisions. Life changing decisions if you would ask me. Blair and I started a company in July. It is a technology and marketing firm. We had our first client without having a web site, business cards or even a letterhead…come to think of it…we still don’t have those…

      This was also a year of milestones in terms of birthdays. Without telling you what it was for, Blair and I along with Mark and Michelle headed to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico to celebrate. There we snorkeled, dined, toured the ruins, slept then dined then slept. It’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been. From that day on, we made a pact that this is the trip will be making each and every year.

      Towards the end of 2006, we felt that it was time to move from our townhouse in Norham Dr. to perhaps a single home closer to the city. With that in mind, we started getting our house ready and within 3 days of putting it on the market, found a buyer of our house. During the same period, we also found our dream home. So in November 29th, we closed on our home and bought our house in Holly manor.

      Those events highlighted 2006 for us. There have been many weddings as well and birthdays and all of them are great. A lot of changes but along with those, a lot of things remained the same, including our friends and family who has supported us all through this year. God’s blessings overflowed and we are very thankful. Blair and I are looking forward to 2007…to the many wonderful things that are still yet to come. Happy New Year Everyone!!!

June 3rd, 2005.

     It rained throughout our drive up to Bethany Beach, but nothing seemed to dampen our spirits.  Despite getting lost and running into heavy traffic, we remained excited about the weekend getaway.  It was the second year in a row we were to visit Bethany and unknownst to me at the time, it would turn out to be our most memorable weekend yet.

     Friday night was crab night, so we headed to a crabshack near our place for an evening of gluttony. While Blair enjoyed Alaskan King Crab legs, I sat down to enjoy my 15 Maryland crabs, which I learned was too much to eat…14, I discovered though, just hits the spot

June 4th, 2005

     It was a full day which began in nearby Rehoboth Beach, where we had our pictures taken at the $3 photo booth.  Then, we relaxed on the beach and watched dolphins playing in the surf before playing a little putt putt golf.  Blair even won us a free game that we gladly handed to the kids playing behind us.  We also spent some time shopping and reminiscing about the first time we traveled to Rehoboth.

     Later that day, we got ready for dinner. It was still early for our reservation so Blair suggested we take a walk on the beach.  Later on I realized that walk would forever change my life…that there is nothing more beautiful than the sunset, the whispers of the waves and the breeze that surrounded us that day.

     The boardwalk was relatively empty, as the temperature started to dip and a cool wind blew in off the Ocean. We decided to take a seat at the last bench we saw. Enjoying the sunset, Blair spoke. He asked how long we’ve been together to which I replied…"1 year, 2 months and 3 weeks." He went on to say that he could not imagine life without the two of us together. To these words, my heart pounded as my tears started to fall. I turned my face towards him and I could no longer stop the tears from streaming. 

     There he was, down on one knee, holding a small, precious box in one hand.  "Mahal kita. Magpakasal na tayo (I love you. Will you marry me?)," he said.  No words could describe the joy in my heart. The love I felt. Here is the man I’ve waited for all my life…the man I know God has given me. We hugged and I cried…to his question, I answered "Yes."

     I can feel my father’s joy in watching his little girl fall in love and grow to become a woman. To have found a man whose love will last longer than a lifetime…

….and whom I will love this lifetime and forever.