Days 53 & 54: Eight Weeks Later

Someone once said a picture paints a thousand words. Here's what ours says. Plus some excerpts from our Twitter posts from that day. (Twitter rocks!)


She was nowhere to be found. I scanned the crowd at the Baggage Claim but there was no sign of her. I went to the NWA counter and was told she was waiting for me at her arrival gate and was not allowed to leave until I got her. I was then given a security pass and half ran through the security check - including having to remove my shoes and putting my phone through the X-ray machine - before jumping on the train.

on airport shuttle to get my daughter!!! 03:04 PM
November 13, 2007 (Eastern Standard Time)
Just landed in Orlando! In one piece! Hehe. Missing people but excited to see mom. 03:56 AM November 14, 2007 (Manila Time)

As an Unaccompanied Minor, they would not let her out of their sight until duly claimed by the person listed on the form. The ground attendants were all praises for the "nice young lady who was so well-behaved". I was deeply touched. "It's a testimony to you how well raised she is! You raise 'em right, they turn out right!" I smiled and thanked them.
She was standing next to a wall near the NWA counter charging her cell phone. I had to restrain myself from shrieking and crying.
"Mom, please, please, don't make a scene..." We hugged and went home.

i felt like i gave birth again. only this time she's 17 and i didn't have to wait 9 months! i looove her sooo much. about 21
hours ago

I'll share my gratitude list tomorrow. I couldn't have done any of this without certain people.

falling into a deep and blissful sleep for the first time in 8 weeks. about 18 hours ago

Thank you for praying with and for us.

Days 50-52 of 90: Two Sleeps til Kyera

I said good-bye to my child almost eight weeks ago. I left her in Manila as instructed by the US Embassy to re-establish myself as an adult in the US. The longest we've been apart was for ten days when she was 22 months-old when I worked as a Liaison Officer for the Boardsailing event of the 13th SEA Games which were held in Manila in 1991. Of course, I was still married at the time and we lived with my mother, so technically she wasn't alone.

Being a single parent since she was two, Kyera and I became, and have been, very close. More so since the time my mother passed away in 1997. Losing my mom meant I was truly left alone to fend for us.

The past ten years have been an incredible testimony of the countless volumes of Grace and Goodness that come from God alone.

Eight weeks and half a world away from her later, I miss her with all my heart and feel as if a part of me has been missing. There will be time enough for her to grow up and leave me. But for now, all I want is to see and hold her again.

She flies to me on Tuesday at 6AM, Manila Time. Or Monday at 5PM, Eastern Time. She'll land Tuesday afternoon.

Please pray for her trip to be safe and for her to find favor every step of the way from Manila to Detroit to Orlando. And for grace, peace and joy to fill her as she spends her last day and night in the Philippines.

I know it will not be easy to leave.

I felt the same way eight weeks ago.

Days 48 & 49 of 90: Orlando Bound

A little past my halfway mark of the First Ninety Days Back in the US series, I look back at the places I've been to since returning to America last September 19th.

First stop was Metro Morningstar DC where I visited for six days.

Then on to Tallahassee last September 25th to be reunited with the Turners. I've known them since 1995 when Michael and Janet moved to the Philippines and stayed for close to eight years. I got to see them last year when I attended the Every Nation International Leadership Conference. I've been staying with them all this time.



Tomorrow I head to Orlando to visit with a long, lost aunt who I haven't seen since my mom's funeral in 1997. I only recently found out she lives in Orlando! I'll get to see my Victory Christian Fellowship pastors and their families - the Duques, the Magpantays, and hopefully the Punzalans too!

I'll stay for ten days to explore the job market. The highlight of my visit is KYERA'S ARRIVAL on Tuesday the 13th!!

I miss hearing Christmas carols at the malls in Manila as early as September. Nothing like that here.

Day 47 of 90: Kyera Gets Her Visa

Tuesday afternoon, Manila time, from Kyera's Twitter post:

My visa has been released! It's for delivery today! Happiness!

Thank you, God!!! Words cannot describe the gratitude, relief and joy I feel!!!

To celebrate, we had strawberry shortcake with dark chocolate at the Turner household.



Can't wait to see my baby!!!!

Image taken from her Despedida (Farewell Party) / Advanced 18th Birthday Party at Casa Santos. My heartfelt thanks to Len, Phoebe, Faye, Nikki, Miguel, Red, Nanay and Tatay, and everyone else who was part of it. She was very happy. Thank you for making her feel loved.

Day 46: The Real Thing... Among Many

Janet and I went to Walmart and I just had to take a picture of what I am faced with every time I set foot in a grocery or pharmacy - CHOICES.

For instance, if you want to get a Coke, it's not as simple as you might think.

You have to choose from: Diet Cherry Coke, Diet Lime Coke, Diet Coke with Splenda, Diet Coke Plus Vitamins and Minerals, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Regular Diet Coke...


Diet Vanilla Coke, Regular Vanilla Coke, Berry Coke, Cherry Coke, Caffeine Free Coke, Coke Zero...
And good old-fashioned Regular Coke.


Don't even get me started on Pepsi. Or on the over the counter (OTC) medications. Or on the makeup. Or on the shampoos. It's daunting. Really. And good pictures for another blog.

Janet helped me with all the flavors. Give me a couple more months to memorize and taste all these.

Day 45: Every Nation Tallahassee

My Sunday in pictures. It felt like Victory Christian Fellowship! I caught the last of the Money Talks Series: Live to Give.

First time visitors get mugs. I chose a silver one.


The lobby where the book table is located has a table for visitors and a nice coffee nook similar to but fancier than the one we have at Victory Christian Fellowship-Alabang.

In true fellowship fashion, I spent the afternoon with new friends watching a movie at the dollar cinema (aka budget moviehouse). The matinee (afternoon) screening of No Reservations cost $ 1.25! That's even cheaper than Manila!


It was a guuuude Sunday. Very guuuuude.

Hoping that WEEK TWO OF KYERA'S VISA WAIT will be just as guuuuuude and rewarding.

I was very encouraged today to hear a fellow mom remind me that God is responsible for our children. "God does not have grandkids! We are all His children!" Oftentimes as parents, we wish we could control the things that life deals our kids. But the truth is, we can't. It's one of the hardest lessons I'm learning as a parent. My daughter getting a visa is out of my control. I've done my part.

I rest not only in the knowledge that God loves Kyera more than I ever could, but that He can and will take care of her more than I am capable of. Saying this half a world away from her has truly been a faith-stretching season! But I know that He has only her and my best in His plans.

And when I desperately want to hold her, He can do that for me too.

Like now.

Day 44: Happy Feet

It took me seven weeks to finally get a pedicure. My last one was in Manila the Monday before my Wednesday flight. Kyera and I treated ourselves to our beloved Tips and Toes. That was September 17.

Nail pampering is considered somewhat of a luxury here in the US, due largely to their price tag of anywhere between $ 18 to $ 23, depending on where the nail salon is located. Add $ 10 for a mani. Oh, and don't forget the tip of 10-15%.

I held out for as long as I could since I 'm being very careful with my money, but today, I needed a little treat. I have days that I get really homesick not just for Kyera but for life in the Philippines. It started with a week-long craving for siopao.

There's a small Chinese restaurant next to the library and I finally decided to go inside and check their prices. To my dismay, the Chinese owners didn't know what siopao was! I tried racking my brain to recall if "siopao" is a Tagalog word... My eyes scanned the menu and the pictures on the wall but could not find anything like the yummy white steamed flour ball filled with pork or dimsum.

I had to settle for a $ 1 egg roll. Not as good as the beloved lumpia back home but enough to satisfy a homesick Filipina-American who still feels culturally lost at times.

I didn't get to satisfy my craving but at least I got a little taste of my life back home when I went next door to a nail salon that cost me $ 18 for a pedi. It wasn't Tips and Toes but the Vietnamese teenage guy who worked on me did a good job of making my feet feel like they used to once upon a time. Plus, I got to keep these cool pedi slippers!


Aaah. The things we miss when we are half a world away from home.

Days 37-43: Halloween & Library Love in the Time of Stomach Flu

Greetings from a chilly Tallahassee!

The weather is starting to feel more like Baguio instead of Tagaytay and less like Manila. A light jacket is a must but I've been pretending to look like a local by not wearing any. Until Halloween. For some reason, I felt cold that day so after reassurance from the Turners that it was okay to wear a coat, I did.

It was nice to get out after a bout with stomach flu. I had intense pressure and bloating in my stomach similar to gas (insert giggles here) but nothing would make the pain go away! I had no appetite and was curled up in bed mostly for three days. I tried everything - over the counter (OTC) remedies, baking soda, a heating pad, warm water - but nothing worked. I guess all it took was for it to run its natural course.

Our neighborhood library lets you borrow up to 50 items at a time - books, audio books, music CDs, DVDs, VHS - so I was well stocked with books.


Not being able to eat well, I made up for it Halloween dinner when we went to a pizza place called Cici's Pizza. Buffet pizza spread!

We then head for the mall where stores gave away candies to kids in costume. They started at 5PM but by the time we got there at around 630-ish, many of the stores were starting to, or had already run out of goodies.


The kids did have a good time though and were tired when we called it a good haul by 830-ish.

A lot of the parents who took their kids were also in costumes. I saw Captain Jack Sparrow and medical themed families in scrubs. Most kids were in store bought costumes but I did see a handful in good old-fashioned creatively self-made outfits. (Sorry, no pictures. I'm careful about taking photos of strangers without their permission...)

Leading up to Halloween, a store called Party City put costumed reps out on their street corner to attract customers. We drove by one afternoon and I did manage to take this moving picture of Davey Jones!

I wanted to get a blonde wig but figured I wouldn't be able to use it after Halloween so I decided to go dressed as a thirty-something Asian chick with dyed brown hair instead.


Kyera and I are still waiting for her visa. Week One was only a two-day work week so no word yet. We're hoping this coming Week Two will by THE WEEK. Please pray with us.

And pray for a job opportunity I'm exploring in Orlando. Another move and another adventure just might be waiting for me there.