Dear Loved Ones,
We Praise and Thank God for all the wonderful blessings He generously showered upon us for the month of August, as we look forward to His continuous Love, Mercy and Kindness for the coming months!!
After the hectic activities of the house move, adjustments and my husband’s departure for Pinas, Sean and I slowly settled to our regular schedule of house chores, work and new realities in our home. It was a good thing that Sean was on school break so he could attend to house callers like deliveries and blinds installations. Yes, our blinds were finally installed last August 19, so we are now fully covered!
We had our visitors one after the other on that week. Our first visitor on record (after my husband left) were Emma Padaoil-Bull (UST ChE 1970) and her husband Bill. The happy couple came all the way from Virginia / Washington D.C. and were on vacation with their son to the California area. After leaving their son on ‘taekwondo camp’ in San Jose, they went on their own getting a rental car to go around the bay area, culminating in Sacramento. I am very glad that Bill and Emma made us part of their itinerary, in response to our open invitation in my journal to TNEM, that if you happen to be in the SAC area, come visit us! They arrived Friday evening, stayed overnight with us and left before noon the following day. We truly enjoyed their company as we exchanged stories and experiences of the good old days (while Emma was cooking breakfast for us) as they shared tips on survival / living in America! Thanks Bill and Emma for your company and for giving us our first housewarming gift! Thanks too for the photos you sent!
After the “Virginia Bulls” (that is how they referred themselves in the ‘Thank You card’ they sent) left, my brother’s (Kuya Rudy) son’s family arrived to spend three days with us. They (my nephew Rigel, wife Mabel, children 4-yr old Athena and 10-month old Andrew) came to evaluate the possibility to move here, from their base in Arizona to SAC. Both Rigel and Mabel are nurses so jobs are easy; they went for hospital interviews, viewing houses, etc. Rigel called last Sunday to say that they have decided to move to Sacramento by November. I am looking forward to more family members here in the area.
My kumare / former NPC boss/ friend Cora Ignacio, who is on vacation from Pinas and is scheduled to leave for home this week-end, came to stay overnight with us on August 25. We brought her to our newly-opened Anatolia Clubhouse, which is just next block to our home. We live in a master-planned community and we are very fortunate that our clubhouse is very accessible to us. The amenities, like gym equipment, 3 swimming pools, dance / aerobics and other sports / hobbies activities, video/audio, coffee shop, etc. are so varied and comprehensive that we can avail of anytime. How overwhelming! And we have met other ‘Flips’ (that is how Filipinos are referred, especially the young) in the area and have bonded with them. Sean goes their daily, while I go 3 times a week to work-out. How awesome is God’s Love!
Imagine, as card-bearing members (Sean and I are), we have all the Club (open 9am to 9pm) amenities at our convenience anytime we want, because of its proximity to our home; we intend to go there 7 to 9pm any day to maximize our benefits and we can entertain our visitors there! It’ practically like, we have expanded/ widened our home area with complete amenities! At home, what has been added to a former apartment lifestyle is our enjoyment of our 50” HDTV. Thus, there is no time to get bored in our American living.
Sean is back in school. Although he already got his Driver License, he does not have his own car yet because of high insurance; maybe by January, I will get myself an SUV Jeep and let Sean use my present car. So right now, we have to wake up early at 5:30 AM, prepare and leave home by 6:30 to bring Sean to El Camino to catch his bus for school at 7:10 am, while I proceed and reach my office before 7:30 PM. We then agree for me to pick him up at the bus station at 5:00PM to go home together. Now, he found a Flip classmate who also lives in Anatolia, who volunteered to take him home on T-Th at 3PM (another angel!). The road to Anatolia is undergoing expansion and there is no bus route, so we have to make adjustments to our schedules. Small inconveniences are nothing compared to the wonderful Blessings God is continuously pouring upon us!
Let us continue to pray for our country and people. God Bless us all!!!
Much love and Best Regards!!!
SUSAN BG
For my complete journals, please visit www.sbgerardo.blogspot.com Thank you!
