yesterday, 12/10, one of my mom's sisters, marina wee, & her husband joe, arrived from baguio. they had heard about my mom's condition from one of my mom's former students @ FEBIAS, eden layda, who had told jacquelyn, my cousin, who then told her mom. my auntie maring told us that she hadn't been able to sleep since hearing about my mom being hospitalized and she felt that she could not rest easy until she sees my mom with her own eyes. so, they took a 6 hour bus ride at midnight wednesday from baguio to manila and then flew on cebu pacific from manila to cebu. mind you, uncle joe is now 80 and auntie maring is at least 77. but, she really needed to see my mom and my mom needed to see her.
auntie maring is a twin and she and auntie flor (who is now with the Lord) were born after my mom who is the eldest of 13. it has been 25 years since i've seen my aunt & uncle and maybe 27 since my parents had seen them. the last time was at my wedding in 1981...!
auntie maring was the one who paid for our wedding reception. she had promised me that, if i were to marry in the philippines, she would butcher 2 pigs for my reception! i took her up on her offer -- we were married in baguio 27 years ago (on friday!) and she gave us a scrumptious reception in her home that was really more like a grand family reunion... it was wonderful!!
there really is NOTHING like family to lift your spirits and make your heart sing!! despite being only 4'9," my auntie is a dynamo!! we were laughing SO much yesterday from all of her stories!! she is one crazy lady...! and i love her!!
she and uncle joe have 4 great-grandkids from 4 children. that really tickled my auntie to know that she had "surpassed" my mom in something...! i hope to be able to reconnect with my cousins. i didn't even know that my eldest cousin, kuya boy, has been living in hawaii for many years now...!! the others are here in the philippines, so i hope i can see them in the next few years. i would also like to visit auntie's home on the island of anda, the largest of pangasinan's thousand islands. maybe when all my kids come to visit, we can travel together and visit clark airbase, subic naval base, on our way to anda... i would love for my kids to meet their relatives on their grandma's side...
so, even though i've had to put my plans for Christmas shopping and buying pasalubong for our trip back to LA next tuesday on the backburner while auntie maring and uncle joe are here, i gladly do so, because it's SO good and SO important to reconnect with family!
auntie maring is a twin and she and auntie flor (who is now with the Lord) were born after my mom who is the eldest of 13. it has been 25 years since i've seen my aunt & uncle and maybe 27 since my parents had seen them. the last time was at my wedding in 1981...!
auntie maring was the one who paid for our wedding reception. she had promised me that, if i were to marry in the philippines, she would butcher 2 pigs for my reception! i took her up on her offer -- we were married in baguio 27 years ago (on friday!) and she gave us a scrumptious reception in her home that was really more like a grand family reunion... it was wonderful!!
there really is NOTHING like family to lift your spirits and make your heart sing!! despite being only 4'9," my auntie is a dynamo!! we were laughing SO much yesterday from all of her stories!! she is one crazy lady...! and i love her!!
she and uncle joe have 4 great-grandkids from 4 children. that really tickled my auntie to know that she had "surpassed" my mom in something...! i hope to be able to reconnect with my cousins. i didn't even know that my eldest cousin, kuya boy, has been living in hawaii for many years now...!! the others are here in the philippines, so i hope i can see them in the next few years. i would also like to visit auntie's home on the island of anda, the largest of pangasinan's thousand islands. maybe when all my kids come to visit, we can travel together and visit clark airbase, subic naval base, on our way to anda... i would love for my kids to meet their relatives on their grandma's side...
so, even though i've had to put my plans for Christmas shopping and buying pasalubong for our trip back to LA next tuesday on the backburner while auntie maring and uncle joe are here, i gladly do so, because it's SO good and SO important to reconnect with family!
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