At first, I thought about staying inside my rented red Toyota Matrix because it was cold, but I realized how much better it would be if  stayed outside, taking in the cool, fresh air that the rain had left behind. Yes, it rained that morning, but the day left us with a beautiful sunset and a picturesque San Francisco skyline that I will never forget.

The moment made me forget how tired or hungry I was. Instead, it seemed to have given me more strength and energy for the rest of the night. I felt so at peace. 

Here’s a quick picture that I wanted to share and I hope I’ll have another moment like this to enjoy with my husband, my family, and friends. From a distance, you can see the rain clouds behind the buildings, giving us a clear, perfect view of the city and the Bay Bridge (and the Golden Gate Bridge (not shown)) from Treasure Island.

Lastly, the winner for the Starbucks giftcard is Janine because a wife who sits out in a cold garage just to spend time with her husband definitely deserves a hot coffee/cocoa  from Starbucks.  However, I also appreciate those who left a comment to share their ways of relaxation, so I’ll be sending $5 starbucks cards to the following commenters for participating before I made this announcement: Erika, Dean, Jay R, Roeben, Alain, and Amy. Please send your mailing address to info@es-sense.com so I can send the GC to you. Thank you so much!

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! I definitely need a date night with my husband! This must be my lucky year for contests cause this is the second time I’ve won anything. First it was the travel kit from Justin and Mary and now this!! I’M REALLY EXCITED and SO THANKFUL!! It truly is another blessing!

Speaking of blessings.. Ryan and I were fortunate to have visited our friend Ka Bing, who toured us around “The Message” set! We visited our church’s US Main Office last Saturday before getting lunch with Ka Bing, Ka Remy and their daughter Janica. They treated me and Ryan to lunch at Max’s Restaurant located in South San Francisco. It was really nice to have spent a few hours with them.

FYI: The Message can be viewed on GEM TV – Mon-Fri 7:30 AM and Daily at 10PM [Sky & Home Cables, Ch 20 - Destiny Cable, Ch 18 - UHF, Ch 49 (Digital)]. It is also available internationally via DirecTV! :D

Thank you po Ka Bing for taking a souvenir photo of me and Ryan! This was Ryan’s first time visiting USMO! Imagine that! We were able to visit USMO, EuMO and Central Office all this year!  That is so awesome!!! :D

I can’t believe it’s already been a week since we’ve returned to the US. Everything that happened within the past 5 weeks just seems like a dream… A dream that I wish I didn’t have to wake up from… It has been one of the most inspirational things that I was able to experience in my lifetime and to God I’m forever grateful!

Happy Friday and I hope everyone has a great weekend! Here are some photos taken last Saturday at the Manila Bay in the Philippines.

My cousin Gerard. :D

I saw a rainbow!! :D

Manila Bay :D

Here is a poem I’ve been thinking about during our travels and meeting our fellow brethren. I love the brotherhood in the INC! With God’s help I’ve been able to complete it before we leave Dubai tomorrow heading to the Philippines for 5 days. :D. I hope you enjoy it po!

We Are Brothers and Sisters

Though we may be far apart from one another
Separated by miles and miles of land and distant waters
With God’s love we are united as one
Being members of the church of God’s beloved Son.

We are the chosen ones, my sisters and my brothers.
We are the witnesses of God’s glory and His power.
And so it is our faith we must always defend
For this is our true wealth from now, until the end.

Always remember we are never on our own.
We have a Savior who will take us to our heavenly home.
And if in this world, we no longer see one another,
We have faith that in heaven we will again, be together.

We are brothers and sisters
Under the grace of our Father’s hand
Though we may speak in different languages
Though we may live in different lands
The Church of Christ continues to spread
From kingdom to kingdom and from nation to nation.
Together we will attain God’s promise,
Of the everlasting life,
On the day of our salvation.

Dubai, UAE
8/16/10 8:36PM
by: jesolitario

Here’s a picture of me and Ryan. Behind us is the TALLEST BUILDING IN THE WORLD (TO DATE) known as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE! :D

Yup! That is pretty awesome!!

As I was going through all our mail, I found one envelope from Apple that contained a $50 gift card. I almost forgot about it, so it’s a good thing we are organizing right now because I want to get rid of things and that gift card is one of them.

So I’m gonna hold a really simple contest.

Here’s what you need to do:

Just leave a comment below and tell me what was the coolest or weirdest thing(s) you found while organizing your home or office? Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address and your full name so that I can contact you if your name is randomly picked.

We will announce the winner on Tuesday, July 20 at around 12PM, so as long as you submit your entry before then, you will be included in the contest. I’ll be sure to send it out the same day.  So please, help me get rid of it!! :D

Okie dokie… back to our summer cleaning..I hope everyone has a great weekend!

YES I WON A CONTEST on Justin & Mary’s Photography Blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See how excited I am!?!!? This is the first time I’ve ever won anything in my whole entire life!!! 

Thank you Justin, Mary, and Julia for the opportunity!! It really is something I’ll never, ever forget :D

If you’re wondering what the contest was about, here’s the link to read about it! Basically, we had to leave a comment about our Best Travel Upgrade OR Worst Travel Experience.  So I decided to give it a shot with this entry:

Joan Solitario My most memorable travel upgrade happened when my mom and I were coming back to the US from the Philippines. We didn’t anticipate having to pay customs and we gave all our cash away. So when we got to the airport, we realized we needed to get cash fast. I wasn’t married to my husband Ryan then, so it was kind of a blessing for me to see him one more time as he came to the airport to give us some cash. I couldn’t go outside to see him, because my mom wanted to thank him personally while I watched our luggages. So the only way to tell him thank you and I love you was through sign language. There were two glass walls that separated us. I was really sad that I didn’t get the chance to hug him one last time, but I was just happy to see him before we left. For some reason though, we still didn’t have enough cash… so a really nice guy in line behind us offered to pay the difference. (Thank you Mr. Nice Person!) As my mom and I finally got to the counter to get checked in, we realized that the attendant behind the counter started to upgrade us to business class (which isn’t first class, but is totally better than coach). The airline had overbooked the plane and we were the last ones to check in! It just proves that there’s a reason for everything! And that is my most memorable travel upgrade moment.  

So there you have it, my winning entry and now I’m going to get some survival travel goodies, like L’Occitane lotion and a “Mophie” for my iPhone!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!?!?

Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH JUSTIN, MARY, and JULIA!! All the best to you and your business!

Thank you God for giving me the experience to write about my most memorable travel upgrade!  :)

And since blogs are so much better when it contains a photo(s). Here’s a picture I took of my friends and cousin during our settin up for the Recoginition Night for High School Grads on Saturday, June 12 which was held at the Ontario Marriott Hotel.  I loved how excited my friends and cousin were that evening :) Congratulations to the youth members of our church who graduated High School this year!

P.S. My friend, Kevin, doesn’t really look like that.. he made that face on purpose.. :) 

Krystle: You did a great job with the photos and it is the cutest thing EVER! You really put some thought into it and I appreciate you taking the time to share your talent and creativity! Thank you and your family always for your support!!

I hope you enjoy the $100 Apple Gift Card because you definitely deserve it!

I’ll contact you soon so you can tell me where to send it :D

Without further delay, here is her contest entry:

I hope that we all have some sort of camera to capture our special moments with our loved ones… because we can never have enough captured memories….

“Thank you Papa for making us freshly squeezed orange juice from the oranges in our backyard!”

My Dearest Ryan,

This is for you. I love you so very much and I am really thankful to God for you! I hope you like this poem! If not, we can always get you a tall chair that you said you wanted for your desk for your birthday! :) Either way, I just want to wish you a very happy birthday!!!

I Am Thankful For You

I knew that you were special,
A blessing from the Lord,
An answer to my prayers,
In this dark and lonely world.
Though your music filled my life
With such love and inspiration,
What touched me most of all,
Was your faith and dedication.

You helped me realize just how beautiful this world could be.
You remind me to always trust in God, to love Him constantly.
Hardships and trials may come, but we’ll be brave.
Together we will see them through.
Oh my friend, my love, please always know,
I am ever thankful to God for you.

As years go on, I’m certain
Our love and faith will grow.
We have all we ever need
For our God is with us so.
With all my heart I promise,
I will love you now and ever.
For the vows we shared are truly blessed
By our God, Almighty Father.

God made us realize just how beautiful our love could be.
He gave us hope. He gave us light, that we can truly see,
We were meant for each other and no one else.
You were made for me, and I for you.
Oh my friend, my love, please always know.
I’m ever thankful to God for you.

Love,

Joan :)

Now, since pictures make blogs more interesting, here’s a recent picture of Ryan from our trip to Chicago! He’s crazy for standing on that glass balcony at the Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower), but I love him so very much!

On Friday, April 2nd, Fred, Natasha, Ryan and I drove to San Francisco for a scheduled engagement session with Sis. Anna and Bro. Rius from the locale of Mountain View, CA.  They are also members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo and I love meeting and getting to know brethren all over the world!!

Our trip was sorta like a last minute decision for Fred and Natasha. They weren’t sure whether they were going to go because they needed to get ready for their big move to Philadelphia, but everything worked out well and I’m glad they came along!

A very special thank you to my husband Ryan who drove us to and from San Francisco! Dear, you’re the best! Promise!!

Our first stop was at Banana Island Restaurant. When we arrived there, we were the first customers during lunch time!

Fred ordered this really interesting appetizer dish called Roti. It was really good! At least I know where to eat lunch and order when I visit the Bay Area again.

The lovely couple, Fred and Tasha.

Then the food came! I’ve been eating vegetarian until April 2nd when I decided to take a break from vegetarianism. hahah :)

After lunch, Tasha went shopping at TJ Maxx for a hoodie because it was raining up in Northern California!

Afterwards, we drove down to Ghiradelli Square to check out the place for the engagement session.  We got there pretty early, so we decided to get a cup of coffee/hot chocolate while we waited for Anna and Rius.  It was really fun just people watching! Here’s a picture of Fred :)

I’m so glad Anna and Rius didn’t reschedule despite the weather because we got a ton of awesome shots taken from Fred, Tasha, Ryan, and me! Here’s Fred and Ryan shooting Anna and Ruis. Natasha is standing on a window sill.

Here’s a clearer shot of Tasha. She’ll do anything to get the shot! :)

Here’s a picture of yours truly taken by Ryan using the fisheye lens. Thanks a lot dear for this really retarded looking picture of me :) :P

We really had a great day trip to San Francisco and it’ll be a memory that I will cherish for a lifetime.

Fred and Tasha: I’m really going to miss you two a lot! But I’m also very happy for the both of you! I know you’ll get to visit us and we’ll see each other again but I’m just hoping it’s sooner and not later! Until then, we’ll always have San Francisco!! :o)