It was one afternoon before the school year ended that I was intrigued by the buzz and laughter outside my classroom! It was a joyful noise, and so I wonder what made my Grade 12 extremely happy on this hot afternoon. My guess was they got a perfect on their exam in the other subjects, or perhaps they had passed the scholarship they applied for. Curious as a cat, I went outside to find out what the happy buzz was all about, and I was surprised to see what they were busy with! They were harvesting our sweet potato crops!

I always make it a point to go outside every weekend morning to have my walk. As much as I want to do it on weekdays too, I just can't, because I need to be early for work. Since walking and hiking in the morning has become part of my routine, I have almost explored the places near my residence. Most of the paths have become my permanent go-to, while some have turned out to be delightful discoveries to me, just like this side of our countryside that I'm sharing in this blog!

It's summertime now in the Philippines, and so the heat index has skyrocketed again. Though in the countryside it is not as scorching hot compared to the cities, thanks to our surrounding mountains here, yet we still can't escape the sudden thirst and the feeling of a dry throat. No one is exempted, considering our country's tropical weather which will make someone feel like they're baking under the sun! 🌞

Thinking of where we can make the most of the breezy weather? Mhmmm. To the beaaaccchhhh!!!Riding our trusty purple family jeep, we found ourselves heading to the silent and secluded corner of Bogo, the laidback beach of Odlot. Yes, I must admit, we've been here so many times that I've lost count.. But this beach just offers a different flavor every time we set off on another beach getaway.

Finding out that I'm pregnant with our Baby Number 2 brought a mix of joy, wonder, and quite a reflection to me. Though I've always been open to my husband about my dream of having five children 😊, the news of having our Baby #2 honestly left me speechless. Let me be clear, it was never sad news (in fact, this is a part of my dream come true), of course, welcoming another member to our family is a great blessing from above. But as the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours," raising 2 little ones while I'm juggling my full-time job, with my husband working miles away overseas, brought concern and deep thoughts to me.

It's not too long since my students and I have been working on cultivating our garden. It was never hard because of the teamwork and enthusiasm of my students in preparing and growing our garden. Instead, it blossomed into a fun and fulfilling experience as I watched almost every day the seeds grow.