I'm Leaving the Country...

No literally... I'm leaving the country in like 6 days...

...but I'll be back after right after the new year.

My husband and I are going to Taipei (the heart of Taiwan) on the 14th of this month for 3 days and then heading to the Philippines (good ol' country of my birth) for the rest of our trip. Taiwan is new to me and Asia/the South Pacific is new to my husband in general.

This will be the first time I have spent Christmas in the Philippines since the Christmas of 1988. And I can't wait. I'm doing a little victory dance as we speak... it's sooo close.

**My parents have invited us to join them in this little adventure after originally invited me, then uninviting me, and then inviting me once again (we had an argument and then reconciled our differences). So in 4 days, I'll actually be returning to California -sigh- just so we all can hop on the plane together. I really do dislike LAX. Tis a shame that West Virginia doesn't really have international flights to the Philippines.

But the important thing about this trip is visiting my grandmother who I haven't seen in 3 years almost. This lovely lady will be 88 this upcoming May. And I want her to at least meet my new husband... cuz she promised she wouldn't be going anywhere until I at least have one kid. So I'm counting on her to do just THAT. She may not be as strong as she once was by she's strong still. This woman is one of my heroes.

So I'll be looking forward to a lot, and I do mean, a lot of filipino food. GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE -filipino food!!!!!!! You never realize how much you miss it until it goes away! Maybe I can hide a doggy bag full of filipino food in my carry-on and eat it on the plane ride back... savoring it.

Now, I have some packing to do, yes I know it's still like 4 days away, but this is exciting! I haven't been back home since 2002... just glad I now have a new camera to capture the moments. I just now have to make sure it doesn't get stolen. And by "it" I mean my brand new camera -sigh-.

This will be a nice little vacation from work as things have been hectic due to a nice little corporate visit. I know I was looking forward to a white Christmas... but I think I can hold off on that since this is a better opportunity. I mean... c'mon! Filipino food!