Happy 40th Day, Lola! I still miss you and Lolo everyday.
Forty days ago, my grandmother joined my grandfather in Heaven. I still remember the moment I found out. It was around six in the evening on April 6th, and I was in my little corner at work... when I randomly decided to open the Facebook app on my iPhone. The moment it was up and running, I received a message from my cousin, Katrina. She asked, "Have you heard?" I had no idea. Then she said it. And all I could do was cry, helplessly of course. Ryan, Sergio, and Teresa were working that evening too. I felt bad that they thought they had to do something, when in reality, their hugs were more than enough at that moment.
There was no doubt in my mind that I was going home to the Philippines. I had to see her before her body left us for good.
The process of looking for flights was a hustle, and the fact that I had to negotiate with work was a different story. Nonetheless, we got the flights, and work approved for me to continue my bereavement leave using vacation hours. We used the next three days to prepare. The following Wednesday, I was off to the Philippines with my mom and brother, Reg.
The first three days were a mixture of excitement and pain. Excitement because after several years, I finally saw my relatives again. Pain because I regretted not going back to see my Lola sooner. I planned on taking a trip with my parents next year, so that we can spend time with my Lola and our family. Apparently, it was too late to see my Lola. But it's ok, because I know she's watching over us; she always has. On the morning of the funeral, there was a brown butterfly waiting just outside the front door of my Lola's house. We all knew who it was -- my Lolo. Since he passed away almost twelve years ago, he has always made his presence known in the form of a brown butterfly. It never failed. And on that day my Lola was to be brought to her resting place, the brown butterfly did not leave until my Lola's casket was out the door. Oh Lolo, still the darling that he was. :)
After the funeral, we tried to enjoy the rest of our time in the Philippines. We spent most of our time around our area (Laguna, Alabang, Tagaytay) because honestly, it's pretty damn awesome there. On some days, we went to the Manila area; we even went to Subic for a weekend where we partied during the night, rode the banana boat, and went jet skiing! We also supported our cousin's new tea house business, and I was really excited to have been there to see Katrina's new baby boy! Two weeks were not exactly enough to spend time with everyone, but we tried to make the most out of it. During one of our last few days, my aunt had an early birthday party for my mom at her house... the whole family was there! Like most Filipino parties, there were an abundance of food, karaoke competition, a and a whole lot of laughing. The day before we left, my cousins and I went to Resorts World Manila to watch
The Avengers and have dinner. Yes, I saw the movie before any of my friends, but I didn't have any idea at the time. And on our last day, we went around buying last minute food pasalubongs, so that they're at their freshest when we arrive in the U.S.
Then... our flight was cancelled and rescheduled for 13 hours later. Of course, the passengers weren't told until four hours after our flight was supposed to originally leave. The airline made arrangements at nearby hotels, shuttled us there for the night, then shuttled us back to the airport the following morning. No, it was not fun at all. Way to go, Philippine Airlines! -___-
But here I am. Back in the U.S. Back to my daily, not-as-relaxing life. Still missing my Lola. & Lolo.
One More Disney Day at Disneyland was a whole lot awesome! Of course, I didn't expect it to be anything less. While we did not do the 24 hours in its entirety, we were there MOST of the day. At around 8:45pm, we got in line for the Midnight Snacks meet-up. Only 200 guests were allowed in for the event. We were roughly around numbers 175 & 176. Why yes, we lucked out especially since the "official line" wasn't supposed to be formed until 10pm. We made a few friends while waiting, and were amused by passersby who were not in the know. Most of the conversations went something like: