Lingayan-Malasiqui Top 10

Memorial Day Weekend!

Top 10 from the Memorial Day Weekend in which we stayed in Lingayan and went to church in Malasiqui, my first area I served in as a missionary 13 years ago.

10. Lucy gets in the water. After spending most of the weekend avoiding the water, Lucy finally gets in the water mid-Monday morning.


As usual, kids flocked to us

9. Roadside Stands. One of the funny things in the Philippines is the way they will set up many stores selling the exact same food (usually vegetables and fruit) sitting exactly next to each other. We liked to count the numbers on each side. The record was 23 (12 on one side, 9 on the other). We also observed the goat (kambing) meat on the side of the road:



which was usually accompanied by the nearby living goats awaiting execution:



8. Bucket Showers. Our hotel was a bargain $15/night per room. This even included bucket showers, which Lucy greatly enjoyed. I didn't even try the regular shower I was so happy to have a bucket shower.



7. The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Our featured audio selection on the trip was the classic "The Mouse and the Motorcycle". If I have ever read this book, I had totally forgotten it. Great kids book. Kept them entertained for hours in a long car ride.

6. Sand Castles. Who doesn't love building sand castles?



5. The Beach. The wind, the sand, the salt. And the characters.


Ice Cream Boy: The thing I liked about Ice Cream Boy was his tenacity. Young budding entrepreneur.


Willy: The thing I liked about Willy was that when a sign got old and faded, he didn't replace it, he just made a new one. These videoke huts were everywhere.

4. Lingayan War Memorial. We stumbled upon the Lingayan Gulf War Memorial. Apparently Lingayan Beach was once stormed by 200,000 of MacArthur's troops. The boys of course enjoyed the guns.



3. Church. It was a great feeling to come back to find my way back to the chapel and go to church. It was great to see people that remembered me and it brought back a lot of memories. I got a great picture of myself in an American missionary there from Missouri. He was one month into his mission and Malasiqui was also his first area. He spoke in church (mostly in Tagalog) and I realized that's what I must have sounded like when I first started. It was very humbling. I assured him it only gets a lot better.


With Sister Rhoda, a good friend, and her husband. Laird could not be contained for this photo.

2. The Green. Manila is not green. But most of the Philippines is very green.



1. Family time with my sweet wife and children.

A Letter to My Mother

Mom waiting with Dad after Mel's wedding

Dear Mom,

I wish to write you a little letter expressing my gratitude and love for you. I am very grateful to have such a dedicated mother. The older I get the more I realize that you are incredibly wise and a great example to me. Today in church the closing speaking called his mother his first teacher and I thought that was beautiful. I wish to note some of the things you have taught me:

To have faith. You encourage faith in your walk and talk. Daily you encourage faith and discuss faith promoting experiences. I can say that you have helped me gain my testimony more than any other person. Thank you.

To work hard. You have been such a good example to me of working hard. I know I didn't seem grateful at the time, but I am so grateful for those hours we weeded and worked and sweat in the yard! I love how you had us pick something to plant in the garden and tend it all year. I miss our family in the kitchen making jam or working/singing/dancing/doing dishes together after dinner. Thank you.

To cook. I have more memories of us cooking together than anything else. I still remember you teaching me to make a pie crust and key lime pie . . . or how to knead bread and rub it with butter after it bakes. I am so grateful for the knowledge and skills you passed along to me and am grateful every day to feel comfortable in the kitchen. My husband and children also appreciate these skills! Thank you.

To care for the one. Like President Monson, one of your greatest strengths is to care for the one. You have an amazing ability to see who needs your help and then to quietly find ways to help them. I am grateful for the times you took us along on your errands of service. You truly have blessed countless lives because of your willingness to serve with all of your heart, might, mind and strength. Thank you.

To use talents for service. You have taught all of your children to play the piano so they can play the hymns at any time. You shared your talents whenever they were needed - whether at the organ, on the piano, or leading primary music! Almost every week I find myself grateful for your foresight and wisdom in teaching us to play the piano. Thank you.

I hope I can share these valuable lessons with my children. I love you.

Love,
Sheralie

My Sports Theory

Warning: Sports-related blog entry.

I would like to put down on paper what I know to be true in my head. My theory is that sports teams that I follow do much better after I leave town. Let's review the evidence:

1988, 1989: When I was a kid, I was a huge Oakland A's fan. I remember watching Mark McGwire as a rookie, Dave Kingman, the strike out king, and the pig-headed Jose Canseco. I even obtained Dennis Eckersley's autograph in the parking lot after one of the games (my uncle knew Vance Law). We moved from the Bay Area in 1988 to outside of Sacramento - not too far. The A's then went (and subsequently lost) to their first World Series since the 1970s. Then in 1989 we moved across the country to Florida where everyone was a Braves fan for some reason. That very same year, not two months after the move, the A's won the World Series.


1995: FSU Football: Probably my weakest example, because FSU football was awesome from 1987 to 2000. I went to BYU in 1995, and while at BYU, I had to watch from afar FSU play in three straight national championship games (1999, 2000 and 2001), winning in 2000.



1996: Went to BYU for the 1995-1996 school year before my mission. It was one of BYU Football's worst years in quite some time (8-4) and the first year in 17 years they weren't invited to a bowl game. This actually came as a great relief since I was in the BYU Band and I didn't really want to interrupt my Christmas break to fly back to attend whatever lowly bowl game they got into. However, in 1996, months after I left the US (I actually could hear the first couple games of the 1996 season from the Provo MTC) they finished 14-1, ranked #5 in the country.


In my one year in the band, I did once mark the far NE tip of the "S" in Cougars when we spelled it.
2001: After enduring thoroughly mediocre BYU football years during my tenure at BYU, I moved to Chicago in 2001. And of course, the BYU football team is resurgent. They start their season 12-0, before losing their last couple games. It is the first time they end their season ranked since 1996.

2004: I move from Chicago to Houston after finishing law school. While in Chicago I adopted the Chicago White Sox. We could see the stadium from our apartment and I would often be alerted to the fact that a game was going on by the fireworks (which shot out for White Sox home runs). The very next year, Chicago faces Houston in the world series, with Chicago (White Sox) winning easily.



2008: I move from Houston, winding up in Manila, after a brief pit stop in DC (DC did not have any teams worth cheering for). While in Houston, I went to quite a few Rockets games. My law firm had a suite that we used quite a bit (for both business and personal) and it really was a great way to watch basketball. The Houston Rockets have always had a great team, but they could never make it past the first round of the playoffs. This year, they had two things going for them: first and foremost, I had moved away. I was there for the 2008 playoff debacle, not there this time. Second, Tracy McGrady was injured. Since Tracy McGrady has a me-first attitude in a team sport, he always felt it was up to him to get the Rockets past the first round. And since he is injured, they finally could. Who knows? They could unseat the highly favored Lakers and go all the way.



So there you have it. That's the evidence. And in each case, the sport in question was the sport I followed the most at that time. The only exception might be the Houston Rockets, since I paid equal attention to the Houston Astros, which had some flashes, but could never put it all together while I was there.

Running Man

Recently I finally made the plunge and made the following purchase:



It has been great. However, there are a couple of things I didn't consider which may be of help to people considering a treadmill in their future:

1. My study now sometimes smells like a gym. It turns out that you've got to diligently clean the treadmill in order to keep the gym-smell at bay. Now, I usually clean the treadmill after I use it at the gym, but if I did a superficial job, I never faced the consequences. In fact, I didn't even realize I was doing a crummy job until I had my own treadmill and realized all the places on a treadmill you had to clean to make sure your study does not smell like a gym.

2. The treadmill view the treadmill as more of a jungle gym. Jeffrey likes to propel it forward when it is off by walking. It is a great treat for them to walk at 2 mph on it when it is working.

3. At the gym, the temperature is quite cool. If I had central air conditioning, it would be quite a hassle to cool down the entire house for the benefit of one room. Fortunately, we have individual units attached to each major room. So I can pre-freeze my study so the run is more comfortable. I'm sure the same could be accomplished by a stand-alone fan.

So there it is. I am setting my sites on the Clark [former US Air Force Base] Marathon held in December for my first marathon. Last month (while in the process of getting the treadmill) all my runs for the month totaled 26.2 miles completed in 4 hours. Obviously I am going to have to step it up a little.

And just for kicks here is Jeffrey from our hoops shooting session today. Poor guy has to give it his all just to get it to the hoop, but he did put in about 8-9 times.