Where do I start? Have you ever felt so happy and blessed that you turn into a blubbering mess of joy? That is exactly how I feel these past few months of my life. It was far from perfect— it has never been like that. But it’s full of things I am very grateful for, things I only received because of Him who loves me more than anyone else.

This year started with plans of limiting travel as my sister (and travel buddy) wanted to focus on paying loans and saving money. God has other plans though. This year has been full of unexpected travel opportunities that are both welcome and overwhelming.

Bicol Tour (April 29-May 4, 2015)

Because of the generosity of the Fornias Family, we were able to enjoy the beauty of Sorsogon, with a side trip to Albay. We were able to visit the Cagsawa Ruins, view the Mayon Volcano while riding an ATV, chill at Amor Beach Farm, swim with the Whale Sharks of Donsol, sightsee at Bulusan, play with the pinkish sand of Subic Beach and ride topload going to Matnog.

Baguio City (November 15-18, 2015)

Because of my involvement with the 2015 Sapateros Festival in Marikina, I was not able to join my family when they left for our yearly Baguio vacation last November 14. But tired or not, nothing was able to stop me from following right after our event finished. Together with our ampon Angelica, we took the bus and headed straight to our cottage in BCC.  However, this vacation was very different than what we had the past years. This time we didn’t invite anyone. We also didn’t visit too many tourist attractions. This time, we just enjoyed quality family time and rested away from the hustle and bustle of work and life.

Subic (January 7-8, 2016)

Visiting Subic has never been a top priority. But I was really glad to join the freshmen tour at Subic. The stay at the Subic International Hotel was anti-climactic but we did enjoy the shows at the Ocean Adventure.

Ilocos Tour (January 14-17, 2016)

This was my third year visiting the region and it still looked beautiful in my eyes. Although the heat was no joke, the 4 x 4 drive at the sand dunes was phenomenal.

Banaue-Sagada (February 7-10,  2016)

This has been the one of my favorite tours in 2015-2016 (apart from the Bicol Tour and the Northern Mindanao Tour). I still can’t get over the experience of constant fog and rain shower coupled with the extremely cold weather and topload jeep ... Read more »