It’s that time of the year again. Instead of feeling sad, we chose to feel happy. It may not be easy, but it can be done. Thanks to our family for serving as our strong support system. Remembering the third birth/death anniv of our angel son turned out to be memorable, and even fun.
Since it was a long weekend, the hubby and I made the most of our time, invidually and together. On Friday, I had a long lunch with my blogger friends at New Orleans BGC. We tried the resto’s new menu which left us so stuffed. Among the many dishes we had the opportunity to enjoy, my fave would be the Creole Shrimps, the Southern Fried Chicken Skin, and the Buffalo Chicken Wings.
our group
deadly but super crispy and yummy chicken skin!
It was my first time also to try “beignets” or the forerunners of doughnut. The beignets served to us had blueberry filling inside. Yum!
After my lunch date, I met the hubby at the nearby Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf where he was working on his thesis. We stayed there until dawn. We also opted to have dinner at Midnight Mercato at its new location on the corner of 7th Avenue and 25th Street. The place was jampacked with people that we left immediately after eating.
Of course, we had to get a cup each of our fave Merry Moo ice cream for dessert.
Butter Pecan for him, Earl Grey Tea for her
Driving to Bacoor last Saturday afternoon was a breeze. We took a nap as soon as we hit our bedroom.
On Sunday, we woke up early to catch the 8:30AM mass at the National Shrine of St. Padre Pio in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The massive, tropical-themed church stands on a huge property with lush greenery. It was teeming with devotees during our visit. (I guess it’s a common scene every Sunday.) Oh, and if you happen to love rambutans, lanzones, and mangosteens, there are vendors outside the church selling those fruits and more.
Travel Tip: The church complex has limited parking space. If bringing a car, park it in one of the residential properties along the road going to the shrine. The homeowners there have found a source of extra income by renting out their front yard as parking spaces. Parking fee was Php50 during our visit.
Sunday OOTD (My Php200 shoes from H&M were so comfy to wear talaga!)
Our Sunday night was productive. While the hubby busied himself reading a car magazine and checking updates from his social media accounts, I watched a total of three movies through our cable TV: Into the Woods, I, Origins, and Gone Girl. Among the three, the one that I found most interesting and thought-provoking was I, Origins. (That horrifying elevator scene stuck in my head until the next day). I also finished watching Season 3 of my fave series Orphan Black, kaya ang saya ko!
We got back to Manila on Monday afternoon. We visited Pippo’s grave and prayed and lighted a candle for him.
Then we ended our observance of #PippoDay 2015 through a dinner with the entire family at Max’s.
Humirit pa ang mga kapatid ko ng ice cream sa Mini Stop.
All in all, it was quite a meaningful and fun event. Next year ulit! 🙂
May you choose happiness always,
Productive ng weekend mo sis. I’ve seen Into the Woods and Gone Girl pero hindi pa yung I Origin. Chicken skin looks so tempting. We usually buy a kilo of it sa supermarket then niluluto namen sa bahay paunti-unti. Nakakatakot lang pang nasobrahan pero ang sarap naman talaga 🙂
Daming ganap, diba? Hehe. Sinulit talaga namin ang long weekend, sis. True, super sarap ng chicken skin, ingat nga lang talaga baka mapadami, kawawa ang heart natin. 🙂
Aww… so touching. Naluluha ako. I’m sure Pippo was so happy to be a little angel too. Putok batok talaga yung chicken skin, sarap!!
Bawal ang sad, Jen. Gusto ni Pippo, happy lang. Hehe. Putok batok, I like the word! 🙂
I can not imagine losing a child/children. Mababaliw siguro ako sis. On the lighter side, I should visit that St Pio in Batangas too, isasama ko si Mama.
Go, sis! 🙂
That chicken skin looks divine! With the beignet as your finisher, I’m assuming you had a pretty awesome lunch.
That church looks massive! I like how they designed it. Good thing you chose the positive over the negative. People sometimes forget to do that. Have another awesome weekend!
Thank you, Ochi! Yes, panalo yang chicken skin and beignet. Last weekend was fun. I hope you had a great weekend, too. 🙂
Hi Edel, I admire you for being a strong woman. I can’t imgine how painful it was when you lost Pippo, but I’m sure he is happy to see that you and your husband are doing fine with your loved ones. Cyber hug sis!
Thank you very much, sis! Darating din ang para sa atin in God’s time (you know what I mean). 🙂
Hugs Edel.
Anyway, I am not a Padre Pio devotee but Jerellt is. We should visit that church. Parang ang ganda and ang solemn. 🙂
Thank you, sis. Yes, solemn nga at malaki yung church complex. Sa isang side, may mga bukid-bukid pa. Saka bungad lang sya ng Batangas, kaya hindi ganun kalayo ang lalakbayin nyo. 🙂
I will not say that I understand because I will never know what you went through when you lost your baby. But I salute you (and your hubby) for being strong and steadfast in your faith. Hugs mama!
PS. Can’t wait for H&M to open here in Cebu!
Awww, thank you, Jhanis! 🙂 Magkaka H&M na rin sa Cebu? Cool! 🙂