Pearls anyone?

There is a place here in the Philippines called Greenhills mall where people buy just about anything from toys to clothes to souvenirs. I went pear shopping today and bought enough pearls to give everyone on my Christmas list, the problem is I already have given out so many peals that I forgot who I have been given them to and who I haven't! I guess I'll figure it out.

I also found some other cute souvenirs for people to take to Utah and even El Salvador when I go in October. I can't wait!! What it's so amazing is that you can find things like Praga bags or Rolex watches for $20.00 and  here is the thing, how do you ever know if something is fake or not? I guess the price should be the clue! Daniel came home today Hong Kong and brought  me a nice emerald bracelet that looks like plastic from the distance but it's real stone because he paid a fortune for it. Real stone sometimes it's so good that looks fake and plastic it's can have the same effect when it's a good imitation. You never know!

Next time I go, I will take an expert who knows all the people at that mall and find out really if what I bough today was worth it. You always worry that you pay too much for things as a foreiner than a Filipino would for the same thing. I did have a budget of $200 or 10,000 pesos. That is my limit each time I go shopping because if I don't do that, I will probably be braking the bank. I just love to start thinking about Christmas shopping!

Con amor,

Vero

Learning is my pastime

Today I had the privilege of attending a devotional by John Tanner and his wife Susan who are Presiding over BYU Hawaii President Tanner received his doctorate from University of California Berkley. He is very smart, grew up next to a library and has always read multiples books and even writes poetry. He memorized poems too. When I heard him speak today, I found out  how much I enjoy learning! 

I love being in a room of incredible smart people. People who have had fabulous experiences and are willing to share them with others. Sister Tanner said: make your home gospel learning centers. Learn from good books, both ecclesiastical and not. She read the part of the book where President Hinkley talks about being smart. President Tanner says he has a love for music and loves to write poems and read a poem that he wrote. He wants people who attends the University in Hawaii to return to the Philippines to be leader here. They are expanding their capacity at BYU H and would love to have more Filipinos join the alumni. He showed with a circle in Asia and said that there are more people living in there than in any part of the world. 

What I was reminded most today was the fact that I love to Learn. I really do. I absolutely love it when I can learn new things, or explore new topics, or broaden my horizons, or see things in a new light because I have more information about a topic. There is something so energizing about gaining intelligence. I was reminded of that today. He went on to talk about return with honor. As a missionary goes out and returns from his mission and as a student goes to BYU from another country is expected to returned to that country to become the future leaders. H told us that in Mongolia the stake Presidents and Bishops are all graduates from BYU 

Con amor,
Veronica

How do I love Thee

Daniel is out of town today. He is in Hong Kond so like usual, I miss him so much that I am going to memorize this poem by Elizabeth Barrett

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
in my old griefs and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God chose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Con amor,
Vero

Character building

Today I got to spend most of my day with a very remarkable couple. The Tanners!

 Let me introduce them: Susan Tanner was the Young Women General President from 2002-2008 her husband John S Tanner went on a mission as a young man to Brazil and later became Mission President of the Sao Pablo South Mission. He is considered a poet. Dr. Tanner wrote the words to "Bless Our Fast We Pray" Which is hymn #138 He earned his doctorate in English from University of California, Berkeley.  

Fast forward as of July 2015 he became the 10th  President of BYU Hawaii. Throughout his career, President Tanner has been noted for his great efforts to improve students quality of learning. As an associate Academic Vice-President and then Academic Vice Presiden at BYU, he develop the Freshman Academy program to guide incoming students, and wrote the AIMS (Spiritually, Strengthening, Intellectually Enlarging, Character Building Lifelong Learning and service) More recently, as a member of the Sunday School General presidency, he has traveled throughout the world to assist in the implementation for the new youth Sunday School curriculum, which focuses on a model of learning through questions and active partiiption. 

He gave two amazing devotionals and also spoke in Church today. At Church he spoke about the fact that we are in the last days and why the name of the Church has the part of Latter-day Saints. He explained about the passover and the story of Moses. His message was to teach the children. To always seek learning in good books. He went over D & C 88: 78,79 "Teach ye diligently...of things in heaven and in the earth, and under he earth; things which have been, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations and the judgments which are on the land. and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms."

In another devotional he talked about the word light and what we need to seek light. He started his message asking about what the word light meant to us. What things we think when we  hear the word light. Light is consider the true gospel of Jesus Christ. He is always learning something new, he has his children memorize poems for his birthday. And he recited a beautiful poem and told us to brush up on our Shakespeare. He talked about the Lord of the Rings and what it meant to have character. He said that Plato defined it as being invisible to people but behaving as if people could see us. He told a story of when he was a young boy and Randy, his friend wanted him to lie for him but he said he wouldn't do that. He said a sin is when you act on something you know you shouldn't or you don't act on something you should. Make sure you create a reputation of someone people can trust and one with integrity. 

it was wonderful how he told the story of when he was dating his wife and one time he came to see her when she wasn't wearing any make up and had not done her hair but had a nice poem to go with that situation. He recited How do I love Thee, let me count the way by Elizabeth Barrett.Over all his message was about always and forever keep on learning and character building. 

So as you could imagine spending a few hours with the Tanners was a real treat for me. Unfortunately Daniel was in Hong Kong during his visit but I've decided to start memorizing poems. I think it will be fun. 

Con amor,

Vero

Saturday is a special day...

Saturday is a special day, is the day we get ready for Sunday! That is a primary song I remember as a child and it is true today. On Saturday we go out to buy anything we need to get for dinner on Sunday but today I am not just worried about dinner but my Relief Society Lesson. 

Daniel smiles each time I teach because I give it my all. From the centerpieces, to the handouts. Speaking of handouts, my sweet husband made me a mock for some bookmarks. We went to the printers to get them laminated and they turned out beautiful. From the time I was little I was the type that if I was going to do something I was going to give it my all. I don't like to do things half way or be known as a slacker. So in that regard, Daniel and I are a good match! 

Most people can get by putting in the minimum amount of effort and still be o.k. but I like the feeling that I came well prepared. Andrew Carnegie once said: "The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity, and it stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%. And I hope I am in the last category. 

Con amor,

Vero

Detox drink

Tomorrow marks exactly one month before we go to Utah. My goal from the beginning of the year was to be two sizes smaller. I would love to get into some nice clothes that are fitting too tight. When I married Daniel almost seven years ago, my weight then was 128 lbs. now is more like 145 That is exactly 17 pounds over and it is all located around my stomach area. I got that tire ring around my waste. It's frustrating. So this is the plan. I am going to do a detox! 

For one month starting tomorrow, I will do the soup diet and drink a lot of water plus a kiwi drink in the morning. I have learned that Kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C and A (as beta-carotene) B6, E and K as well as folate magnesium., phosphorus, copper and dietary fiver. The edible seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids. Kiwifruit contains actinides, which is an enzyme that breaks down protein. 

Eating kiwifruit can boost your immune system and may help lower high blood pressure and cleaned or detoxify your body from harmful elements like toxins. Studies suggests that consuming 2-3 kiwifruit each day for 4 weeks helps thin and reduce fat in the blood which lowers the risk of clots and blockages. 

Since I am taking a daily approach to detox I don't need to beat myself up too much is I miss a day, or have a setback here and there. The goal is continuous improvement and I am not in a race. I jut want to keep making adjustments in my life so I can be the best version of myself I can be. The may take some unraveling of long-held and deeply infrared habits and beliefs but over timeI'll wear them out and make new neural pathways in my brain and daily detox will come naturally and easy.

Recipe:
3 Kiwi, peeled 
1 mango, pitted
3 cups of fresh baby spinach
5 to 6 mint leaves
1 small to medium stack of celery
8 Oz. of water

You may substitute mango for banana. Green leaf romaine lettuce or kale for spinach. 

Start with the liquid in the blender followed by the soft fruit and then the greens. Blend for 30 seconds or until smoothie is creamy. 

Slender and sexy starts today! 

Con amor,
Vero

University of Santo Tomas

Today I went with sister Bowen and the missionary couples to tour the university of Santo Tomas. What is special about this University is that it was founded 405 years ago in 1611. It is also known as the Catholic University of the Philippines and has been visited by various Popes including Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis in 2015. 

The University has a nice museum, known as the oldest museum in the Philippines which houses a Natural History collection, a beautiful visual arts collection, Ethnography collection, Coins, Metal and Memorabilia Collection, etc. We spent about two hours inside the museum and then went outside for a picture. The group continue their tour at that point but we came home because it was getting late

We were in the heart of downtown Manila, very far from our home. But on our way home Noel, our driver took us to see the campus of the University of the Philippines and he explained to us that this University has a beautiful campus and that it's very hard to get in. 

As we were talking and looking around I asked one of the guides where she lived in Manila, and she replied: ""I actually don't live in Manila. I live in the interior and have to wake up at 3:00 a.m. every day to be here by 8:00 a.m." It's so amazing what people have to do in order to get an education. This girl is used to hard work and doesn't take anything for granted. I would hire her in an instant. She is going to do just fine. 

Con amor,
Vero

The Hey Joe show!

Today was the much anticipated Hey Joe This is a group of five young men who served a mission in Cebu, Philippines. They got home after their mission and become homesick for their mission here so they put a video together in Tagalog and lo and behold, they get a million of viewers. They see this as an opportunity to actually do something even better so they started their group. Go on you tuve and type Hey Joe show and you'll see what I mean. They even interviewed Rodrigo Duterte,the President of the Phiilippines who has been on the news recently for his strict laws on drugs. 

The term He Joe comes from the way Philippines call Americans when they see them. The missionaries are used to being called Hey Joe and that's where the name came from. They were here, came to the office. We had lunch with them and I went to see the show. It was all clean, funny and over all amazing. What is unique about them is that they speak Tagalog and Cebuano. Two of the main languages in the Philippines and love to joke about experiences they had when they were learning the language. The guys went home for their last year at BYU and who knows what they'll do next but for now they are a big celebrity here and very much loved by the Filipino members around the world. 

Last week, Before the show started, we had two hours of a pre-show. From singers, dancers, and video clips that we showed. The venue was in an outdoor setting at a mall. What was so amazing is that the whole week before and after the show it rained hard but on the day of the show, it stopped raining. The whole day from start to finish was dry but guess what happened the next day? It started to rain again and it has continue raining every day. Looking back I think wow, what a miracle that was!

Con amor,

Vero

Visiting Teaching

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to other: What! You too? I thought I was the only one?" C. S. Lewis

Yesterday we went visiting teaching with Silvia Pena.  This was our first time visiting  Caroline Taylor and Leigh Ann Bowman in their homes. In the past we had gone somewhere to have lunch or something.  What I love about visiting teaching is that we get to talk about a subject and get to know the ladies we visit better to form friendships.

It felt so good to spend some time talking about our experiences between us. As we began taking we discovered that we have gone through similar experiences in our lives and that is when you can see the bods of friendship begin to form and deepened as we could easily relate to things we have gone through. There is something really comforting when you discover others who can relate to how you feel or how you have felt. I think that is often the ting that leads to lifelong friendships.

Caroline has eleven children. We have ten and one in heaven. Leigh Ann loves to scrapbook and so do I. Silvia is from Uruguay and so is my husband. It is often in life that we take time to truly plug and get away from everything and just put ourselves in a situation where we can really spend time talking with one another. I think that is one of the many reasons I love visiting teaching where you can just talk. We get so distracted these days by our addition to our computers and cell phones that we never take the time to talk to people about meaningful things.

Try doing this with a family member.  The only way it is ever going to happen is if we force ourselves to make the effort and make it a priority. But I can tell you is worth doing big time! It is what I intend to do tonight when Daniel gets home. I am grateful for the amazing husband and friends I am blessed to associate with in my life. And as busy as life is here in Manila for my husband, we will take the time to unplug! He will not remember in ten years the things he did at work today but he will remember if we spent time doing something fun together.

A challenge for this month is to make time to unplug and talk to people that matters to your life and make time to make a ew new friends as well. One day, when you look back at this week you will remember it if you do.

Con amor,

Vero

Praying for comfort and peace

Last week I got word that Jesse N. Menlove, my friend Chachis’ daughter, gave birth to a baby boy who died. I don’t know exactly the circumstances except what Brandon wrote on Facebook. “yesterday was the best day of our lives and yet the hardest. We were able to give birth to a beautiful boy who was actually too perfect to join us here on earth. God needs him more in heaven... we love our little boy Easton and know that we will be reunited with him again in heaven…He has perfect hands and cute little toes. Brown curly hair and a perfect button nose…we love you Easton! See you soon. " They showed a video of him with his eyes closed. When I spoke with Chachis, she said: “He was a perfect beautiful baby and was so perfect that he didn’t need to remain on this earth, all he needed was to obtain a body.”

Her oldest daughter Jenny wrote: “Nothing has been harder than surviving through probably the hardest week of my life…watching my baby sister live through my absolute worst nightmare... When I got the call from… my mom hysterical on the other line I knew immediately and have never felt more helpless or more heartache and pain…Jesse gave birth to the most perfect, handsome little boy. He and Jesse were both completely healthy the entire pregnancy so to get this news on the day she was due was especially hard and confusing. We still don’t know why or how, but one thing I am grateful for is the plan of salvation, and that I will get to meet and hold my little nephew Easton one day. Brandon and Jesse are two very especial people and are loved very much. I am blown away by the love, support, and kind words we have received and I want to thank everyone… Your texts and prayers and comments are so much appreciated.” Nevertheless, even with the knowledge that he is now with Jesus, it is a hard thing to deal as a parent and grandparent because you want to see those babies grow up. Her grandson was taken from this life and now her family is heartbroken.

Chachis and I met while attending The LDS Business College in 1980 and we have remained good friends ever since for over the past thirty-six years. It is very easy to have a friend like Cha because she is an amazing woman and incredible friend. She is kind, caring and she is always thinking of others and doing for others. We truly care for one another and feel for each other’s pains. It about kills me to think how much pain and sorrow she must be feeling. My heart aches when I think about what happened. I can only imagine the shock, sadness, devastation and a million of other emotions all at the same time she must have felt when she learned of the news.

I have been thinking of what I could do, how could I help and what could I say. But from a distance at night all we can do is pray for comfort and peace in their hearts. Jesse and Brandon Menlove would have been wonderful parents for this child so I hope that the day will come when they will get to raise children. Her sister and sister in law are also expecting. They were so exited to think of the cousins playing together.  

What is so remarkable about my dear friend Cha is that even as she is experiencing this hard trial she is thankful. This was her last post on Facebook:  “We're so thankful for your prayers, l know that some of you know that Jesse and Brandon Menlove lost their baby. Today was a special day to see their son Easton Brandon Menlove born on this earth, and then return back to his Heavenly Father. He had a perfect body and a great spirit. I love you Easton we will see you again. You will be our example and help us focus on how to live.”

For those of us like me who has an angel sister (Maria Cristina, born the same way) up there in heaven, I will try to be the best I can be so that someday I will be allowed to be with her too.  

Con amor,

Vero

Olympics are over

One of the things I wished we had been able to watch was the 2016 Olympic Games held in Brazil because here in the Philippines the only TV network who had the rights of transmitting the event hardly showed anything and it was all in Tagalog too. I am not sure if it was because this is not a country that wins a lot of metals or why the games were not transmitted or if it was live when they did it and we were asleep. 

Four years ago, we were in the Dominican Republic and were able to watch it better. The thing that I love about the olympics is that those people participating in the games are the absolute best of the best in the world and have dedicated themselves 100% to master and excel in their talent. That is so amazing to me to think that there are people who sacrifice so much and are willing to completely dedicate themselves mentally and physically to being the best they can be. 

Think of all the things those athletes had to give over the years. Everything from giving up more sleep and saying no to favorite desserts, to hours and hours of practice and falling and getting back up again trying all over again. Their dedication is absolutely tremendous and it makes me smile just to watch them perform. 

El Salvador has never won an olympic medal but the as at least the U.S. my other favorite team, has won the most metals and how I love to watch them win! I love to watch the U.S. flag during the awards ceremony where they play the national anthem. There is something special and gives you such good feeling about the Olympic Games. 

Although we and by that I mean, my family, will never participate in any Olympic Games, let alone win a medal, we can at least be the best we can be at our talents. God gave them to us for a reason and we should use them. Not only we should use them but we should do everything in our power to be the very best by making the necessary sacrifices, hours of practice, falling and getting back up again, and trying all over again. 

"Each one of us has a fire in our hearts for something it's our goal in life to find it and to keep it. " Mary Lou Retton

Con amor,
Vero

Bianca's birthday and other reminders

31 years ago On August 20th 2005 I went to the Hospital to get checked and sure enough, a baby was on her way into this world. This baby was fast. Less than two hours she was born. A beautiful girl so perfectly formed. We didn't know what name to give her and in fact we first named her Tess Jacquele but changed the name to Bianca Nicole. She was the perfect child. The girl all mothers wished their sons would marry.

One day on a beautiful August 19th 2005 Bianca married Joseph Merkley and for years they wanted a child of their own and  finally the day finally came ten years later. It is no fun to go through hard things. It's a bummer when things don't go the way we want them to. It's scary to go through difficult circumstances. Its painful to suffer loss. But all of those things are what helps grow and we become stronger. All of those things make us into someone who is a better person.

For years I was upset at God for not allowing a special daughter her wish. I didn't understand and  would ask why? why her? My dear husband said to me. "You need to have faith and trust. You need to trust whatever happens. He is the only one who knows the why, just have faith that things will work out in the end and trust Him." I had to. I had no other choice than to get on my knees and simply thank Him for whatever I had that was good without whining about what wasn't. I imagined He knew best since He knew the end from the beginning. I only knew the now.

This quote comes to mind when I think of Bianca: " What you and I might rate as an absolute disaster, God may rate as a pimple- level problem that will pass. He views your life the way you view a movie after you've read the book. When something bad happens, you feel the air sucked out of the theater. Everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? you've read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot. God views your life with the same confidence. He's not only read your story...He wrote it! Max Lucado

Have faith and don't ever give up hope. Great things are still to come.

Con amor,

Vero

Holiday weekend

Today Daniel stayed home from work, it's a holiday! Yay!! Holiday weekends are the best!! Seriously, it is amazing how having that one extra day on your weekend can make such a difference. Daniel needed this extra time to relax. He has been fighting an ear infection and has been taking very strong antibiotics. 

I am not sure how he got this ear infection because he hasn't been swimming or have gone to the beach at all. This usually happens when he gets inside the water. He was commenting the other day that maybe this might be a way his body is telling him to slow down. 

We are always busy, always rushing. always trying to accomplish our list of never ending to-do lists that grow longer with every item we check off as done because it never ends. So every now and then we have the luxury of staying home from work and take a much needed pause and step back and relax and do absolutely nothing and simply enjoy being together with nothing scheduled. And what better time to do that than a holiday weekend. 

Our time today will include: no cleaning, no stressing, no emails, No anything that would be considered work. That is what we intend to do. Except some people called us early in the morning because the neighbor below us had a leak on his bathroom. Other than that, it was a perfect day!

Con amor, 
Vero

Making the right choice

Every day we make choices.  Some are minute. Some are major.  Some choices we make without even consciously thinking about them.  We are constantly making choices every second of every day: 

We choose to get out of bed or not get out of bed. We chose to brush our teeth or not brush our teeth.  We choose smile or we choose to frown. We choose to get offended or we choose to let it roll off our backs.  We choose to hold a grudge or we choose to forgive.  We choose to take time to help someone in need or we choose to rush by telling ourselves we are simply too busy to help.   The list of choices we make each day goes on and on.

It is true that we may not choose or control is the things other people do or say to us, but we always choose the way we react to them.  We always choose our own actions and behavior and response.  We always have a choice.  Always.  True, we may not always choose every circumstance we find ourselves in, but we still always have a choice on how we will deal with things.

“We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. We always have the choice.”  –Dalai Lama

One of the easiest traps to fall into is the trap of believing that you don’t always have a choice.  Some people find themselves in circumstances so daunting that they begin to believe that they don’t have a choice and they allow themselves to feel   helpless.  The more helpless you allow yourself to believe you are, the more you become frozen from taking action to change your situation.  You may not even realize you are doing it, but by allowing yourself to think you don’t have a choice, you are actually making a choice.  Sure you may not be making it consciously, but the reality is that you are, in fact, making a choice. 

It takes courage to take action.  That is true.  Sometimes it is scary and uncertain, but nothing in your life will change unless you make the choice to be proactive and take ownership for changing your own future.   Don’t wait for someone else to make your life better, it is not their life, it is your life, and your future belongs to your choices and your choices only.

If we want a better tomorrow then make the best choices we can today.   Never lose sight of the fact that we always have a choice, and always try to make the right choice.  If you have two good choices where one isn’t necessarily right and one wrong, then make the best choice you can with the knowledge and experience you have to draw upon.  Then move forward with confidence and optimism.  Don’t become frozen with fear of the unknown.  For Heaven’s sake everything has elements of unknown, even those choices that seem to lead to a guaranteed outcome, because rarely is everything guaranteed to go as planned.  At this point I would guess that all of us have learned that lesson the hard way.  Life is never certain, so you have to learn to trust your instincts and have faith in your choices.   Then move forward with them.

“Our choices have the undeniable power of transforming our lives.”  -Jose A. Teixeira

Some choices are as simple as going to a cooking class rather than staying home. I love learning new things and because I went, I met new people and learned how to make ceviche. 

f you are thinking to yourself, “what if I make a choice and it turns out to be wrong and I fail?  Okay, so what?  Learn from it, grow from it, get smarter from it, and then move forward knowing that at least you tried.  At least you chose not to be a helpless victim.  At least you took control and tried to do the right thing.  At least you are trying to make your life better instead of choosing to do nothing.   You are choosing to take charge of your life and you are choosing to become a better person with each choice you make.  I would call that a success.

Con amor,

Vero

In and out

No, I am not referring to the hamburger joint but to the idea that endings are hard. Letting go of something you care about is hard. But endings are also necessary a they allow for new beginnings to take place. Having said that, We went out today to say goodbye to the Anderson's and welcomed a new darling missionary couple, the Crockets. The Anderson's had been serving for 18 months and today is the last day here in the Philippines. Elder Anderson used to be a mission President in the San Pablo mission and are so loved by the people here. They are so sweet!

The new couple, The Crockets just arrived last night and today is their first day on their mission. They got big shoes to fill. What I love about them is their willingness to do just about anything. They used to be entertainers and even sung in the Tabernacle choir. They are going to be an amazing asset to the missionary department. They are the once who take care of any issues of the mission. If there is a problem, they are the first to find out. They get calls at all hours of the night. 

The start of a new missions or assignment is always filled with mixed emotions.  It’s a little sad to say good bye to all the people you knew. At the same time, it is also nice to go home to be with family who have waited so long.  Life is like that.  It seems that in any situation involving changes in our lives there is the blend of both sad feelings and happy feelings. And if there is anything you can be certain of it is that life is full of changes.  Life is full of endings and new beginnings. 

I am glad I got to know the Andersons as well as I did and now so happy to find out more about the Crockets and to become good friends with them also. They are exceptional people to get acquainted with. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by the choicest of Heavenly Father's children.  Every day I learn something about them and their invaluable serving here. 

Con amor,

Vero

Taking care of business

Daniel went to see our MTC doctor because his ear was hurting to find out he does have an ear infection but the million dollar question is: Will he stay home on and called in sick like the way other people do? No, not Daniel. He has to go to work! He was raised to value hard work. Both his parents worked very hard. His mom was a teacher and also had to work outside of the home. I don't know if hard work comes naturally to him or if it was a learned behavior but one thing I know for sure. My husband is not a slacker. 

I supposed it has become a little bit of an obsession to always be working hard. Is like he can never be sick. He even admits how this illness must be a way for his body to remind him to slow down. Is like he can't go o bed at night until he has completed every single task and has answered every email. But overall working hard all his life has served him incredibly well. 

For Daniel being able to look back at your day to see what you have accomplished is very fulfilling. And it is definitely more rewarding to e a hard worker than being a slacker. Without a doubt, being a hard worker is far more rewarding than being a person who sits back and lets life passed by. It is wonderful to be able to say to yourself. I gave it amy all!!

"My grandfather once told me that there are
2 kinds of people those who do the work
and those who take the credit.
He told me to try to be in the first group. 
There is much less competitions." 
Indira Gandhi

In conclusion: Don't shy away from hard work. Roll up your sleeves and get busy. Do all you can do in a da and never regret putting 100% into all you do. It's exciting to accomplish things! It's amazing! And in the end all of your hard work will pay off. 

Con amor,

Vero

The Audition

The Audition

Last Saturday I was asked to be a judge for some kids who came to audition. They are auditioning to be part of a show next week. They are going to do the warm up for a group from BYU. This group have become a celebrity. They are former missionaries who went on a mission to Cebu, Philippines and have started a fun group they call themselves the Hey Joe Show! They learned the language so well and are so popular here in the Philippines and are coming to do a show!

I had 28 contestants and chose the top 10 with 5 runners up who were good too! We discovered two professional singers who also decided to audition and of course they both made it to the top. Mandy wrote a poem a few years ago that I kept in my files because I though it was so cleverly done. I could never be a contestant myself because I don’t have a voice but I do have good ears.

In honor of those poor souls who came to audition here is a poem for you!

THE AUDITION

by Mandy V. Morrison

Time is ticking

Your turn is up

You're shoved in quickly

The door gets shut

They sit in the back

Their eyes dark and cold

You straighten your back

And try to act bold

You open your mouth

And the terror is heard

You begin to doubt

You can't utter a word

The pianist starts playing

You stand still and frightened

You think who am I kidding?

Why did I think I could have tried it?

You start out weak

So panic takes over

And then you squeak

The room seems to closed

You feel small and exposed

Vulnerable and embarrassed

Like being decomposed

Or going to school undressed

I'm a mouse being cornered

A puppy being punished

A quivering foreigner

Too frail to accomplish

The pressure builds up

I then had enough

My voice sings too soft

Barley, a whisper a cough

It squeaks and it trembles

Proving my fears stumbles

The song ends abruptly

And I hold back my tears

I could have done it better

I could have been great

But I let fear consume me

And it left me to hate

I fear to try, to do that again

I never will try, not till the end

Now I fear to sing

To do what I love

I fear to sing

I fear to love

Why was I asked to be a judge?

You might ask

 I will never know

 But for a brief moment

 I felt like J. Lo.

Con amor,

Vero