Ryan and I had a great weekend. After work on Friday, we decided to stay at the hotel in Universal City because that way we wouldn’t have to travel to the hotel where the bride was staying to get ready.  The first thing we did when we checked in was get into our swimming attires and we headed down to the swimming pool.  I was a bit scared because I wasn’t sure if I remembered how to float or swim… but safe to say, I can still do both.. I’m still not great with swimming and I still panic when I realize I have to get up from floating because I still don’t know how.. but that just gives me reason to keep practicing until I get it.

Swimming totally tired me out and we slept early to get enough rest for the wedding the following day.  We woke up at 5:30 AM and ate a big breakfast around 7AM then we were non-stop till we got home at 9:30 PM.  I was really exhausted, but even more happier after coming from the chapel for our socializing activity with our guests.

Here’s a teaser photo from the wedding yesterday.

Yesterday I got a text from Amy.  She told me that her father-in-law (Brother Primicito Beltran) had passed away and how thankful she was that we were able to take their family photos early this month.

I remember when she had contacted me to schedule the session late last year, but looking at my calendar, I had a crazy busy schedule that I didn’t know where to fit her family photo session in.  But no matter how busy Ryan and I were, I knew I needed to make time for them because she told me that he was turning 75 years old soon and early January was the time her sister-in-law from Canada would be able to make it for a Beltran Family photo shoot.

It’s times like these when I am really, really thankful for what I do. I am thankful for the people who welcome us into their lives and who let us capture their memories.  Memories that we know will last for a lifetime…

To the Beltran Family: Please accept our deepest condolences. You are in our prayers.

Wedding photography has given me and Ryan the opportunity to visit places that we never had on our “Places to Visit” list.  Actually, if we had to choose between going to the Philippines and a trip to Europe, we would choose to go to the Philippines (even though I’ve been there so many times) because I LOVE GOING TO THE PHILIPPINES and want to spend more of my vacation time there. So wedding photography has definitely given us the chance to visit other places other than Philippines :). This year, Ryan and I are going to Chicago for an Engagement Session and Connecticut for a Wedding! 

With traveling comes the task of booking a room in a hotel. When I book a hotel room, the first thing I want to know is if that hotel is CLEAN.  Who wants to stay in a hotel that is rated really bad!?!? Not me!! Sorry if I sound like a spoiled picky person… I just don’t want to wake up in the morning with a rash or sick, so hotel ratings are very important to me. 

Today, I got an e-mail from TripAdvisor (Yes, I subscribe to their e-mails) and I thought I should share it on my blog.  The e-mail was about The World’s Dirtiest Hotels based on TripAdvisor traveler reviews. Hopefully this will help someone out there who plans on traveling to these cities.

I just realized something… I don’t understand (after all the reviews on the hotels listed above) why people still decide to stay there… ?!???