You are a Filipino if...

Today was a Holiday so we went to look at some Chapels around the island and to a favorite tourist attraction. This is a volcano inside a lake. The place we visited had a nice restaurant with entertainment and from the place you are seated you can see the volcano. It is beautiful!

Our driver came to pick us up so Daniel didn’t have to drive. This meant that we had time to chat with our driver and facetime some of you. Remember, we are 14 hours ahead not 24 hours.  So our mornings are your evenings and vise-versa.

During our time in the car I also was reading a book called “You know you are Filipino if…” and I couldn’t help to laugh at the fact that I blend right in.  The Latin culture is so much like the Filipino culture and here is why.

You are Filipino if:

*You give your children four or five names.

*You always kiss on the cheek whenever you enter or leave a room.

* You would never be caught dead leaving a party or event without saying good bye to the hostess.

*You abide by your parents house rules even if you are over 18.

*You live with your parents until and even after you are married.

*You think nothing about hosting a houseful of relatives for weeks on end and still smile about it.

*The prospect of sending your elderly parents to a nursing home is inconceivable.

*Your house has a distinct aroma.

*You decorate your living room wall with a giant wooden spoon and fork and a picture of the “last supper.”

*You decorate your hallways with your family’s frame diplomas, certificates and plaques.

*Your parent’s furniture is still wrapped in plastic.

*Most of your home décor is made of wicker.

*You keep a fly swatter in your kitchen.

*Your kitchen table has a vinyl tablecloth.

*You recycle plastic shopping bags as garbage bags.

*You use the finest things you own only when there is company.

*You have a piano no one plays.

*You use a machete to cut the grass in the yard.

*You use a “piedra pomez” stone to scrub yourself in the shower.

*You prefer hand -wash to machine-wash laundry.

*You hang your clothes out to dry.

*You insist on having an extra bed in your hospital room.

*You use Vicks vapor Rub as insect repellent.

*You have ageless skin thanks to the high humidity of the tropics.

*Your skin is a perpetual tan that makes it resistant to skin cancer.

*You eat some foods with your hands.

*You think a meal is not a meal without rice.

*You think sandwiches are snacks, not meals.

*You feed all your visitors.

*You always cook too much.

*You always leave room at your table for unexpected or uninvited guests.

*You recycle bottles into water containers and store them for later use.

*You wash and reuse disposable Styrofoam cups, plastic spoons and forks, and aluminum wrappers. You also love recycling paper plates by covering them with wax paper.

*You prefer “bistek” to beef steak.

*When dining out you fight over who will pay for dinner.

*You hang your left arm out the car window and wave your hand to signal a left turn.

*You hang a rosary on your car’s rear view mirror to show you are religious.

*You tail an ambulance just to beat the traffic.

*You can squeeze 15 passengers into your five -seated car.

*You think traffic regulations are recommendations, not rules.

*Signs like “no left turn” or “no U turn” applies to everyone else not you.

*You think the yellow light means “step on the gas, you’ll make it!” and the guy behind you is counting on you to do just that.

*You drive where there is space even if it means converting a two-lane street into a four-lane road.

*You know that last minute maneuvers on the road are considered clever and if your car is bigger, you have the right away.

*You have the ability to create your own parking spot in a jam-packed parking lot.

*You can crack jokes, play cards and eat and drink at funeral wakes or “velaciones” and not feel irreverent.

*You feel compelled to keep a 24 hour vigils at funeral wakes.

*You think the Christmas season begins in September and ends in January.

*There are at least 50 people other than your family on your Christmas list.

*You unwrap Christmas presents ever so carefully, so you can reuse the wrappers and bows for next year.

*You can’t throw anything away.

*If you are Catholic, you make the sign of the cross every time you pass a Church.

*Your second piece of luggage is a huge box.

*You don’t know the meaning of traveling light.

*You’ve master the art of packing a suitcase to double capacity.

*Packing entails jumping up and down on your suitcase to get it closed.

*Your carry -own luggage requires a small forklift.

*You insist that customs officers who open your luggage repack everything “just the way it was.”

*You unpack and repack luggage at public international airports.

*Your collect items from airlines, hotels, and restaurants as “souvenirs.”

*You feel compelled to give “souvenirs” to all your friends and relatives each time you return from a trip.

*You can’t resist buying items on sale even if you don’t need them.

*Everything in your house was bought on sale.

*It is a must to go duty-free shopping even when you come home with ten pieces of luggage.

*After buying a new pair of shoes, you keep the box for storing things.

*You use paper foot outlines when buying shoes for your kids.

*You check the labels of clothes to see where they are made.

*You are a fashion victim.

*You point with your lips, never with your index finger.

*You smile all the time for no reason.

*You respond to the sound of a “Pssst!” in a crowd.

*You ask for Kleenex instead of tissue paper, kotex for pads or Cutex for nail polish.

*You are perfectly understood by fellow Filipinos, although you seldom mean what you say and say what you mean.

*You are always late to any event even as important as that is.

*You say, “I’ll try” or “maybe” when actually you mean No!

*You give an answer to any question, no matter how ludicrous, because you don’t want to say: “I don’t know.”

*You beat around the bush and use third parties when conveying unpleasant news.

*You cope with a serious situation by turning it into a humorous one.

*You’ll go into debt for a celebration.

*You have a high threshold for pain and suffering.

*You take to the streets during a coup to satisfy your curiosity while ducking machine-gun fire,

*You like everything imported.

*You always rather sit in the shade than bask in the sun.

*Umbrellas are used for rain or shine.

*You still hold doors open for, give up your seat to, and carry the bags of women and the elderly and assist them when boarding or stepping down from vehicles.

*It makes you uncomfortable to be praised or flattered.

*You ask people you just met how many children they have and what their spouses do for a living.

*You love to laugh at yourself and at others and no one gets offended if they are called fat or ugly.

*You give funny nicknames to all people you know. 

*You love to dance and sing Kareoke.

Well, except for the Kereoke singing, the Latino culture is very much like that! but one thing I know for sure, no matter where you are from or how behind you are compare to other countries around the world, you think yours is the best!

Con amor,

Vero

Sunday Sermon: Be the light!

We were able to go to church at a Ward that meets inside a huge building. Here is where they have the mission office, Self Reliance office, The Institute and even a chapel. That's how big it is! It is four floors with an elevator and all. I noticed that in the congregation was a nun and that is the first time I ever see a nun attend our Church. The topic was on Missionary work and how every member is a missionary which can be taught theses days. 

All the talks today in church were done by the missionaries so it was interesting to hear them speak Tagalog mixed with some English which everybody understand too. They spoke of how we can all be a team and do a team effort by inviting people to our homes and activities in and out of the Church. sited Elder Nelson's talk and Elder Urdorf "Filling the World with light and truth." 

One elder spoke about the concept we know as "feed my sheep" Another missionary spoke of the being an example and the impact we have on others but he was clear when he said:" the most important work you will do is between the walls of your home." Another elder spoke about going on a mission and how to prepare for it and how to prepare people as referrals. All the talks were about how we all need to be good examples and how we are all on the Lord's team. 

D & C 18:15-16 We are called to serve. The last elder that spoke said: See people around you as sons and daughters of God helping each other. He told a story of someone who came to a ward for the first time and no one came to say hello. He said: How would that make you feel? He asked people to get to know your missionaries and pray for them by name and also get to know their investigators and pray for them also. He ended his talk with the following: 

"I think it’s important to stop every now and then and ask yourself if you are paying enough attention to the impact you have on others. Are your actions making other people’s lives better? Or are your actions making other people’s lives worse? The answer is either one or the other, so it’s critical that you be aware of what that answer is…. 

I think if all of us made the effort to pay attention to the impact we had on others that we could be a constant force for good. We could constantly make sure that we are lifting people up and making situations better and improving things around us. All it takes is just paying a little more attention to your own behavior so you don’t let yourself slip into doing things that are negative. Focus on being a positive force!" 

con amor,

Vero

Hurricane Erika

Watching the path of destruction of hurricane Erika to the little forgotten Caribbean Island Dominica, certainly makes one stop and put their life into perspective.  It’s amazing how in an instant homes can be completely destroyed, a family’s belongings can be washed away, and people can experience the loss of literally all their material possessions.  Things that they may have worked years and year to accumulate can be gone in literally a second.  And one has to ponder how much that person had to sacrifice of their life in order to accumulate those things.  I can’t help but wonder if they look back and wish they could have done things differently now that they have seen how quickly the things they accumulated could be swept away.  Would that five minutes of playtime with their child now mean more than the late night list of to-do’s?   It certainly makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?

And for those who lose their lives in natural disasters…what do they look back and wish they had done differently in their lives?  What would they wish they had done more of and what do they wish they would have done less of?  I certainly think I would wish I had worried less in my life, especially because worrying doesn’t ever change the outcome of things.  I certainly think I would wish I had spent more time laughing with my girls and less time worrying about calling people who owed us money at the shop.  And I am sure I would wish I had appreciated every single moment of life that I had been blessed with.  Every smile.   Every friend.  Every tear.  Every laugh.  Every challenge.  Every lesson.  Every moment.

I think it is healthy for us to sit back sometimes and consider how we would feel if we knew our life would end today?  And how would we feel if we lost everything we had?  What would we wish we had done different and what would we value more?  And once we have thought through those questions we should use our answers to change our lives today.  Right Now.  While we still have the chance to do things differently.   We should never live our lives in a way we will regret.  We should live our lives with joy and passion and through the eyes of perspective. Because life is too short and too precious not to! 

I thought about all the stuff we accumulate since today everything we brought over from the DR finally came. There are about 60 boxes to go through. They are possessions we felt we needed to bring but now I am convinced that perhaps we brought way too much stuff. We need to move again in a few weeks and that is why having the shipment arrived so soon was an inconvenience but at list I keep telling myself: " We are doing what we love because we are on the Lord's errand."  and any inconvenience is worth it! 

Con amor,

Vero

  

Summer Jars

I want to share:WRITTEN BY: Cristi Dame POSTED: August 05, 2015

I have been feeling pretty unsettled lately… lots of changes going on over here…not only am I expecting my THIRD baby next month… but in less than a week I will have a child going to kindergarten! KINDERGARTEN!!!

Did anyone else feel so MANY emotions when this milestone occurred!? It makes my stomach turn and my eyes water every time I think about dropping off this little one (who is not so little anymore) to a giant elementary school. Eeeek. Maybe I am a tad dramatic but it just is such a crazy feeling to be starting this new adventure.

I feel like we are just settling into summer and so many things I feel like we still need to do!

So what better way to finish off the summer with our summer jars to make sure we live it up! The original post is one I wrote for on How Does She right {here} if you want to see more about the process of making the jars.

Basically we have two jars that we decorated and labeled one with “Do” and one with “Did.”

Then we typed out our summer bucket list, printed it, and glued them onto our popsicle sticks…

And bam thank you ma’am! You have your summer bucket list ready to complete. Simply pull out one or two each day and transfer them to the “Did” jar once you have done them.

Hurry go out and enjoy the rest of the summer!!

By the way Big Donut (that’s my five year old’s nickname) pulled out “slip n slide” and asked what that was….

WHAT! YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS!!!

We fixed that problem!

This is post #2 from Cristi's blog. I will number them to keep track of what I repost from her blog to mine. This is my way of preserving history and sharing awesome ideas like summer jars.

Con amor,
Vero

Weeds to Wishes

This is a little late but the idea can be done any time as long as it has a start date. I am starting my daily days of living to love the first of September to October 31 I will do 60 days to honor my sisters birthday months of September and October.

Introducing Cristi's and Bianca's blog.

30 Days of Living to Love

Start date: 03 August, 2015

Duration: 4 weeks

Total Points: 425

Troop: Weeds to Wishes

In honor of Bianca turning the big 3-0 this month, we are doing a challenge called, "30 days of Living to Love.” Every day you find at least one small thing to do for someone one else. It could be as simple as writing a letter to a friend.

WHY I STARTED THIS CHALLENGE

Having to actually seek out someone to share love with can at times be challenging but can have such an impact on our day and our focus. We believe that one gains so much through giving and it can create a happier and more peaceful life.

ONE TIME

Read more about ideas on weedstowishes.com and print out the free printable if you choose to use them. They are great for leaving something behind for a stranger.  (25 points)

DAILY

Do one kind deed in the name of love daily for someone else for the month of August. It can ANYTHING...from writing a letter to a friend, smiling at a stranger, or leaving a treat to a neighbor.  (50 points)

WEEKLY

Share on instagram and tag @weedstowishes and use #livetolove in your post  (25 points)

In shock

Today Wednesday 26th 2015 I received word that a friend and Daniel's co-worker from the DR Joset Morla passed away without warning. He was leaving home for work when he collapse, never to wake up again. I looks like it was a heart attack but why? He was only 42 years young,  healthy and strong. From one day to the next he took his last breath and he is gone, just like that!

I don't even know how to put into words the way I am feeling for his young family.  His wife and three children must be in shock, experiencing unbelievable sadness, and a deep sense of loss. The loss of a good husband and father. He was indeed a friend I wish everyone in the world was lucky enough to have known him.

Joset was the kind of person you could count on. He would go the extra mile in everything he did and took his work seriously. He would come to the airport whenever it was too ate at night for extra security. He was always smiling, no matter what. He lived his life with absolute and total integrity in every way he could. He was a fine Stake President and very good at work too. He loved his family, he loved his friends. Anyone who knew Joset Morla loved him. I never heard anyone speak an unkind word about brother Morla. He was a truly one in a million type of man.

What is sad to me is that he was so young and so healthy. He worked for my husband in many projects and was probably the very finest guy you could ever trusted with something.  He was exceptional. I still remember  when he took us to the airport for the last time. He was trained to watch over us for extra security. when an Apostle came he look so impecable wearing his black suit as if he was from the secret service.

Joset was someone you could trust to do anything. If he said he would do it, he did it no matter what so I guess the Lord needed him on the other side. Now he gets to be his family's guardian angel. Always watching over them. Life is full of uncertainly and we should never let a day pass without having those in our lives know how much we love them.

Con amor,
Vero

Small talk

" A lot of problems in the world would disappear if we talk to each other instead or about each other."

I have been thinking about this quote lately since my husband heard me venting about a situation I felt it was unfair so he pointed out to me that it is not healthy to say negative things about anyone even when they are true. Talking negatively about others is an easy trap to fall into. It typically starts innocent enough with a simple content about something as trivial as the color of hair someone has but then over time making negative comments about others becomes a habit and before you know it you find yourself constantly talking negatively about others without even realizing  it.

The sad part about that is the fact that talking negatively about others really reflects more about your character than it does the person you are saying negative things about. And while you might think you are getting a laugh at other people's expense, deep down those listening are making mental note bout the mean-spieirted person you are and making sure they remember not to trust you in the future, because someone who talks bad about others will eventually talk bad about you too. they just can't help themselves because talking negative has be come a par of who they are... unless and util they choose to break the habit and stop the negativity.

All of us need to do better to always look for the good in others and try only saying nice things about people rather than talking about their negative qualities. Eery one of us has a positive qualities and every one of us has a few negative qualities we need to improve... that's just a given, but we can certainly make an effort tot focus our words on speaking more o the positive things we see in people. Just think how much nicer the world would be if we all made more of an effort to do that.

Con amor,
Vero

Monday message

(This is the email sent for 8/24/15)

Hi girls:

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back" Harvey Mackay

If I am not mistaken it is Monday August 24th around 2:00 p.m. in Manila as I am posting my remarks it might say another time on my computer or even another day… I am not sure where my computer is getting the location but it is not in Manila.

In the Dominican Republic is 2:00 a.m. But the computer wrote 11:00 p.m. of the day before, that is Pacific time. Mountain time is around midnight. As I look at my time tracking device I see that if I want to call my sister Liz in Tanzania I could call now, she just woke up, she is five hours behind but we don’t dare call Daniel’s mom since it’s 3:a.m. for her.  If Daniel wants to call Gabriel in Ireland this is a good time. It is 7:p.m. for him. Time change is something I have to get use to.

I never had to worry too much about being two or three hours ahead in the DR but now we are 12 to 15 hours ahead which means I might either be too late or too early congratulating people on their birthdays. It happened to me last Thursday. 

We knew it was Bianca’s 30^th birthday and we are usually pretty good at making the calls but this time we remember it too soon when it was still too early to call. Instead we posted something on facebook so Daniel said: “we will be the first ones before anyone else” but to my surprise someone else had done it before us and it  was disappointing…  We made the mistake to wait to call for the perfect moment but didn’t happen. Very sorry Bianca and happy belated birthday!! Moral of the story: while I am here in Manila It will never be too early to call!

 I also hope I don't waste time while I am here realizing one day, where did the time go? Here we are toward the end of August and I am suddenly aware of the fact that for most people the Summer vacation is over as children are back in school again.  Back to homework and sports teams and dance and piano lessons and everything else that feels up your calendars during the school year when you are a young parent...I remember those days that quickly vanished and at times I wished I could rewind the time. 

Our children grow up so fast! Trust me, I have experienced just how fast they grow as our kids have all become adults in the last few years, moving away to attend college and getting married and becoming parents themselves. Nothing is more fun than being with our grandchildren!! So please, Skype, face time, Magic Jack or call our Vonage anytime you get a chance. We get a big kick out of watching the grandkids! They are all so adorable!!

I still remember how I used to feel when my girls were title, thinking I had all the time in the world to spend with them...but then in the blink of an eye they were grown, living an adult life of their own. It happens more quickly than you could ever imagine... and sadly we rarely realize it until they are actually leaving home and by then it's too late to go back and relive those moments...and how you wish you would have moved heaven and earth to spend every moment possible with them, absorbing every second...but now is too late. You hear people say to you: "They grow up so fast" but you don't believe them until they are gone. 

Today, when I am as far as I could possibly be physically, I realize I can't go back in time, but I can certainly enjoy the time I will get to spend when I go back to Utah and Idaho next month. I am also going to include going to Orlando to visit my mother on that trip. I promised her I would do that anytime I come to the States. There are direct flights from Salt Lake City to Orlando. Sweet!!

Like they say: “Time is of the essence.” We will never regret the moments we took time to spend with our family creating memories...but we will for sure regret the times we could have and didn't take the time. 

Enjoy the rest of the month of August, it's still sunny!

Besitos,

Vero

Sunday talks for 8/23/15

“Don’t confuse your path with your destination.  Just because it’s stormy now doesn’t mean that you aren’t headed for sunshine.”

Every Sunday when I attend church I keep a journal of all the talks given. The family that spoke today did a great job. The topic was to have Christ- centered family and the proclamation to the family. The little kids each got up and spoke followed by their mother. She spoke of a story she remembered as a child flying a kite and how she was able to return her kite back to her each time she was done playing with it but one day there was a storm and somehow she let go of those strings and her kite ended crashing in some tree. The analogy was of how we need to be careful of the storms in our lives that may get us away from where we need to be.

As I seat in my home writing and watching an amazing rainstorm through my window.  Lightning is shooting through the sky every few seconds followed by the constant cracking of thunder.  I have to say that there is something really magical about watching a storm like this.  Perhaps it’s the beauty of the lightning as it shoots out across a blackened sky, or perhaps it’s the contrast of the gently falling raindrops against the loud roaring of the thunder.  Either way, it is definitely magical.

 Our lives are full of good days and bad ones, happy days and sad ones, easy days and hard ones.  As we go along our journey I think one of the most important things to remember is that no bad day lasts forever, and every sad day eventually comes to an end.  We will have sunny days without a cloud in our sky and we will have days where the thunder rolls around us with a deafening noise.  But no matter how harsh the rain storms that come are, there will come a point like is happening right now out my window – a point where the lightning stops and the thunder quiets and all of the raindrops are slowly coming to a halt.  And when it is done it will always be followed by the welcome light of the sunshine as it rises in the sky and brightens everything in this world.

So many people in the world get caught in the trap of forgetting that the storms they are facing right now are merely a section of the road they are traveling through and they lose sight of the fact that in no way is their current circumstance their final destination.  If they just keep moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other, they will eventually come to the next section of road that is surrounded by gorgeous flowers that were only able to grow because of a previous storm that had passed by them.  The sun will return and things will get brighter again….Not forever, but at least for a while before its time for the storm clouds to once again roll in and the lightning to spark across the sky, but that’s okay…because that is all part of the journey we go through in life…Perhaps going forward you might try skipping merrily through the stormy sections as it will help you pass through them more quickly, and when you hit the sunny spots try taking time to stop and look around to appreciate the beautiful flowers you are surrounded by and appreciating how wonderful the sunshine truly feels….recognize that without that last storm the flowers wouldn’t have bloomed and the rainbow wouldn’t display its incredibly colors in that amazing arch across the sky…then continue walking forward, better prepared and less afraid to dance through the next rainstorm ahead right into another bought of sunshine…

Not to mention that in our most difficult moments, like when Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail, is when we will obtain comfort and be able to endure.  There are some attributes of Christ that will help us carry on such as: Love, Patience and Selflessness. This couple mentioned that when they got married, they made bow that they would always take care of each other. She will take care of his needs and he would take care of her needs. They described how different they are but how each one is willing to sacrifice for the other. He explained that he didn’t have a good example at home but the Lord does and He is whom he follows.

Con amor,

Vero

Clean up day.

"Positive thinking won't let you do anything, but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." Zig Siglar

Today around noon time I remembered I had signed up to clean the chapel without asking Daniel. I just couldn't. I was in Relief Society and a roll was passed around and felt the need to help out. I often feel the desire to help others whenever I see a need so I signed up to do some service but for Daniel this was not something he wanted to be spending his Saturday doing. 

But there was no way out. we were committed to go. We both got ready and made a driver come to pick us up and that is probably the part Daniel hated to do. It wasn't that he didn't want to clean, it was having to ask someone to take us there that bothered him. We still don't know how to get around in this city and the Church is far away.

But we did it in record time, We cleaned up a storm and we were glad we went. It wasn't too bad after all. The fellow who came to pick us up came with his wife and daughter and they even got to help. I loved how someone took the time to write down every chore that needed to get done and when it got finished we placed the card on the side that says done. Someone had taken the time to do a chore chart with a cleaning list. Nice!

Chore charts was something I didn't do that well or at all. I had maids growing up but a family I used to baby sit for were amazing at it. They had signs that read:" Do it right the first time or do it over" or " Do not ask anything until the list is complete. There was a cleaning list and even the little five year old had jobs to do. The cleaning list was very detailed. For cleaning a bedroom it went like this: 1. Put all toys in their place. 2. Put all clothes in their place 3. Put all books, homework, papers etc in their place 4. Put all make up, jewelry and shoes in their place 5. empty the trash 6. get stuff from under the bed and put it in their place 8. dust or wipe counters desks and dressers 9. clean mirrors and clean window seal 10 Vacuum. When all this list is done, come get a treat! There is nothing that brings a good feeling than accomplishing a task like cleaning. 

Daniel now can say to the people here, I went to clean the chapel the other day... and continue with his presentation because that is exactly what he is doing here with the leaders.  Teaching them about taking good care of our physical facilities and what better teaching moment than to have done it himself with a chore chart and all.  So my post today is to make work and chores fun and think positive...enjoy even the chores around your house and be happy.

Con amor,

Vero