My Sweet Haven

The Many Faces of Regine

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Obviously, she is my most photographed Diva. I didn't want to miss anything while she's on stage, whether she's singing or just talking to the crowd at the concert. Every time I hit zoom on my camera, it's because I wanted to focus on her. Gosh, do I sound like an obsessed fan now, lol! Nope, not quite! I'm just fascinated with the way she dresses, her complexion, her tiny face (yep, I think she has a very cute and small face in person) and of course her undeniable singing prowess. For me, she's incomparable and she deserves to be called the Asia's Songbird.

Life after school

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:53:00 +0000

What could be the best career field to get into? I’ve asked myself that question. With the economy in its lowest, is there still a good career opportunity waiting out there? It seems that the medical field is still holding on, if not growing despite the economic crunch. However, not all of us are inclined to become health care professionals. I was a graduate of Management Accounting back in my country. I took the course hoping to find good finance jobs when I graduate. But perhaps, it’s not meant to be since I’ve never had one in my entire working experience. I may be working in a financial institution right now, but ironically, I am in the Information Systems which I am proud to be part of. Nothing is really certain, you know. Be it in medical, business, industrial, or any other profession for that matter, the most important thing is you're happy with what you're doing and it pays the bills so to speak.

Addicted!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:54:00 +0000

It started when I downloaded a demo Game Apps for my IPod Touch that had me literally going gaga over with. If you’ve heard about Sally’s Spa and actually played it, you would know what I mean. It’s one of those Time Management games that you could find all over the internet. Unfortunately, I only got the limited free version on my ITouch, but I was seriously considering buying the full version of the game. However, when I tried to download a free trial and played it on my laptop, I realized that I’d like to play it better on the computer because it has a wider screen and better resolution. It’s quite addicting I tell you. I couldn’t get myself to stop playing and before I know it, I find myself searching for all kinds of Time Management games online. Oh, boy, I got hooked! I’ve played Cooking Dash, Wedding Dash 2, Jo Jo’s Fashion Dash, Miriel the Magical Merchant to name a few of my favorites, and of course Sally’s Spa. The 1-hour trial version is definitely not enough so I’m going to buy the unlimited full version of Sally’s Spa and Cooking Dash tonight.

TGIF!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Are you excited with the 4th of July fireworks display in your cities or towns? Well, I am. It’ll be my second time this year to witness the said activity. We live in a small town and 4th of July is probably the only time of the year that you can see heavy traffic here in our place, that’s when everyone wants to go home after the fireworks show. That’s one of the reasons I’m excited, lol! On a different note, I’m inspired to use the treadmill lately. Guess why? Ok, never mind, I’ll tell you why. I lost another 1.5 pounds this week, so that makes it 3 pounds for the last 2 weeks. Not bad! I didn’t starve myself, neither did I meticulously choose what food to eat. I just got serious with my walking routine on the treadmill. I tried not to cheat for 2 weeks now. With the rate things are going, I may not need to take even the best diet pills at all.

Sonata serenades us on The Big Day

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 23:32:00 +0000

I am a self-confessed hopeless romantic. It has always been a dream of mine to get a balladeer to sing for me and my guests on my dream wedding. Someone who can sing the songs of Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera from the heart. I was lucky that my good friend Joanne actually know of somebody who can do it for me. The group had sung for her wedding and she highly recommended them. I’ve checked their website and listened to a sample of his songs and right then and there, I knew I'd have to have them on my wedding. I didn’t wait long enough to contact the group and finally last weekend, we’ve made it official! I booked Sonata Singers for my upcoming wedding in the Philippines. Woohooo!

Someplace like home

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Ozark has been my home for almost 2 years now. This is where I’ve learned to drive and found my first ever job in the U.S. It’ll always have a soft spot in my heart. However, it has been a plan of ours to look for another place to settle in. It may be in the next few months or couple of years, we don’t know yet. It all depends on when will hubby be able to find another U.S. Corps job in another powerhouse. Even so, we already made plans for a future move. Of course, you have the moving expenses to think about so we’ve already anticipated that. I’m sure it’s not going to be easy to uproot yourselves and your belongings from one place to another but we take comfort with the fact that we can always use the skills of expert cross country movers. Unlike in the Philippines where you can just ask your family and friends to help you move, here in the U.S. it's either you do it yourselves or you pay someone to do it for you. I think the latter sounds good!

Blessing in disguise

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:20:00 +0000

There is a new romantic comedy show in GMA Pinoy TV that started airing 2 weeks ago. It’s a Jolina-Marvin starrer with Dennis Trillo and Jennica Garcia. I’ve always been a fan of Jolina-Marvin so I make it a point to watch the show marathon every Saturday morning. Unfortunately, they moved it to an earlier timeslot so I missed it on Saturday. Thanks to the power of Internet, I was able to watch one week's worth of episodes today. The downside is that the website of the videos has lots of advertisement pop-ups to the point that it kind of get annoying. But of course, it’s what keeps the website going, the commercials. Actually, not all ads are worthless. My attention was caught by a small ad about Dansko. It’s quite perfect since I’m looking to buy for a new pair of good quality footwear.

Computer Knowledge is Power

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:09:00 +0000

In this time and age when almost everything has been run by computers, you'd feel such a loss if you are not computer literate. I must say that my computer knowledge has been enhanced because of my job as a PC Support Specialist in a bank, but I still don't consider myself an expert in this field. Just today I was researching about how to add some third-party apps on my IPod Touch, particularly the Game Boy Advance Emulator, but the tedious task of going through each and every step in the installation and downloading process kinda turn me off. I'm sure it's very frustrating to encounter terms and processes that you really have no idea what's it all about. The same is true in the IT field. Every computer issue is a challenge. Never in my wildest dream did I think that I can work in the IT department. I haven't even tried doing any IT job search in the past, but as what they always say, opportunity knocks only once, so I grabbed it and it has been beneficial to me so far.

Slowly but surely

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:55:00 +0000

I see a little progress with my effort to lose weight. I weighed myself at work and it tells me I lost 1.5 pounds. Darn! Not much I know, but enough to keep me motivated each day to walk on the treadmill. Earlier today, I walked for about 2 miles for 45 minutes and it felt good. I had to be very careful with my diet though because there's no point in exercising if I wouldn't be cutting back my calorie-intake. I'm really taking this seriously because I still don't like the idea of resorting to diet pills. It may sound like the easy way to do it since you can just buy diet pills online, but I still believe in the healthy and natural way of losing weight. So goodluck to me!

Vacation in Branson: Part III

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Our Branson adventure continues...

at least here in my blog through our photos. One of the many attractions in the city of Branson are the different kinds of shows that you can watch all around the city. Since I really don't know any of the performers there, we chose to be entertained by the Chinese Acrobats. It turned out that we made the right choice. The fee is a little pricey but it was a money well-spent so to speak. I've seen a show like this back when I was 10 years old in the Philippines, and the little memories that I had from it got my hubby convinced that it'll be a good show. It rained for the most part of our stay and we haven't anticipated the number of tourists that would watch on the day that we chose to go. We arrived just in time but the queue area for the tickets was ridiculously long and I didn't want to be seated on the last row so we took a rain check. It was really a plus that I bought my laptop with us for we were able to check online the show schedule for the next day. I wish I have photos of the show to share with you but of course, photography is not allowed during the show. Besides who would want to take photos and get distracted from the awesome and breath-taking display of gymnastic moves onstage of the teenage Chinese acrobats. They are just simply amazing. I even wonder if these people have bones, see how silly my thoughts were, hehe. I mean they can really stretch themselves to whatever position or style they want. I know it took them long years to practice those skills but still not everyone has the talent and ability to do that. I would never hesitate to watch them perform again next year.

The bad weather on our last day in Branson had prevented us from visiting Silver Dollar City or White Waters theme park, so we went to the Table Rock Lake instead as soon as the heavy rain stopped. I get to see how boats and jet skis were lower down to the river. On our way home, we dropped by at The Battle of Pea Ridge. Hubby has always wanted to go and we took the chance to do it during our Branson vacation. Anyways, here's our last set of Branson pictures!

Moi at Table Rock Lake and Dam

I wanted to sit in one of those benches right there for a photo opp but it was raining and neither of us wants to get wet so I just took a photo of the view minus the model, hehe!

My History buff lovey at The Battle of Pea Ridge

Exploring the battle field in bicycle, how romantic!

When Filipinas Get Together...

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:15:00 +0000

...it always means great food..lovely pictures..and pure fun!!!

We were invited to a birthday party of a Filipina friend in Sallisaw, Oklahoma last Sunday. I've met her through Friendster, and I'm just so glad that I was part of her birthday party. It was an hour drive to their place but it was all worth it because I get to eat my favorite Filipino foods and bond with Pinays in Arkansas. These photos are taken at the party and you might wonder if it's an all-Filipino party because you couldn't see husbands in the pictures. Actually, it's not. The husbands went with the wifeys but they hang out in the back patio while we were in the kitchen and eventually had invaded the host's bedroom doing what we love the most, posing for the camera, lol! It was only my first time to meet these girls but I really enjoyed their company and bonded with them so well. Sa uulitin!!!

*Jowen Whatley, the birthday girl is the one in a brown top.

A Picnic in the Park

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:14:00 +0000

One Saturday afternoon, we took advantage of the beautiful weather. I was bored and burnt out from work, so hubby took me to a lazy picnic date in the park. We've been wanting to do this ever since I got here over a year ago, but just didn't get the perfect chance. I was happy that finally we were able to try this activity. The closest park from us is like three-fourths of a mile, but it was jampacked with picnickers that day, so we head out to Reed Mt. instead which is about 6 miles from the house. It looks like we have the whole place to ourselves, doesn't it?

I enjoyed the green surrounding, the smell of the air, the cool breeze, and even watching the few kids play. If we would buy our own house, we'd like to have a patio, or a porch or sundeck where we can just relax while admiring nature. Of course, a beautiful set of patio furniture is a must to make the whole experience fantastic. I never would have thought that I'll enjoy the outdoors. I've never been the outdoorsy type back home. I'm surprised that I actually liked nature when I got here. It's a striking balance to my love for shopping, isn't it? At least, if we no longer have money to shop, cheap activities like this can be a fallback, lol!

Mr. Lonely?!?

some kids playing

Jen Paraphernalia

Grilled steaks, ears of corn and potatoes

The love of my life

U.S. Corps of Engineers Powerhouse Plant where hubby work (taken at the park which was quite a ways from Ozark Powerhouse...Thanks to the amazing zooming capability of our camera!)

Can you spot the difference?

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:32:00 +0000

...aside from the face and the figure, of course!

Well, I'm talking about the blue top. Actually, there's no difference! Di ba?!? This pretty girl and Me have the same exact blouse. I bought mine at Dillards. I'm not sure where did she buy hers but she mentioned she's based in Texas, USA and just went over to the Philippines for a vacation. I was Entrecard dropping one night while watching Wowowee on TFC when this pretty face in a pretty blue blouse caught my attention. I readily grabbed the camera and took some proof shots, showed it to hubby and my family back home, hehehe. Wala lang! I'm just amuse that somebody pretty has the same clothing taste as mine.

Should I go for it?

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:46:00 +0000

It’s a little frustrating that I have not been losing weight for the past months. I am trying to shed off some pounds for our Philippine wedding in January. But I guess I haven’t tried enough. I treadmill sometimes, but I was not taking it seriously. I also don’t watch out the food that I eat. There you go, it’s really just me whom to blame. I don’t know what should motivate me more to exercise. Should I give top diet pill a shot? I know not all of them works. Some of them even have bad side effects, so I guess I need to hear from people who have tried effective diet pills themselves.

Vacation in Branson: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:27:00 +0000

I've noticed so many bloggers talk about vacationing in Branson, Missouri. I couldn't blame them, Branson has so much to offer for kids and adults alike. I've experienced it myself when we had our vacation there 2 weeks ago. As what the title suggests, this post is a continuation of our Branson escapade. The place has lots of museums of different kinds. We visited three of them. I'm gonna talk about each of them. Let me start with...

The Titanic Museum

Remember the infamous luxury liner that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912? Remember the love story of Jack and Rose? Well, there may not have been real Jack and Rose in that voyage, but the world will continue to get fascinated with the facts relating to the world's historic maritime tragedy. The Titanic Museum was filled with photos, memorabilia, facts, trivia and all kinds of exhibits both from the real Titanic wreckage and the very famous movie Titanic over a decade ago. But they don't allow photography inside so we only have this one photo of the outside of the museum building. It sure looks like a ship, doesn't it?

Our next stop...

Hollywood Wax Museum

I'm not sure who they are supposed to look like!

The entrance to the museum

Of course, I had to have a photo opp right here in front of the building

Flirting with Captain Jack Sparrow of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean'

Would you smile like that if somebody pointed a gun at your head?
These are Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson of 'Shanghai Noon'

Hmmm...What am I doing here?

Hello, Forrest Gump!

Are you kidding me? You're not trying to stop 'SpiderMan', are you?

Gone with the wind

Welcome to the 'Planet of the Apes'

The Terminator 'Arnold Schwarzenegger'

Nicholas Cage

Mr. James Bond 'Pierce Brosnan'

Nacho Libre...I saw this movie, hubby talked me into watching it.
He find it very funny, but I hated it! We have different levels of humor, I suppose.

Our last stop...Veterans Memorial Museum. Hubby is fascinated with History. He loves to read books about history and culture of different countries. This is the only reason why I included this in our itinerary. I may find it boring but I know he will find pleasure in viewing exhibits from historical museums.

"I Shall Return." - American General Douglas MacArthur on the shores of Leyte, Philippines

The world's largest war memorial bronze sculpture (over 70 feet long, weighing 15-tons). The life-size figures were modeled after a combat soldier from each of the 50 states.

I hope I didn't bore you with my photos. I just love to photograph all of our travels. I enjoy it when we visit places and no matter how busy we are with work, we try to find time to take vacations. I'd like us to explore the western region of the U.S., so I am considering Vegas vacations in the near future. My newly-wed cousin had been there for their honeymoon and I'd love to see Las Vegas, as well. We could swing by the city when we visit them in Colorado soon. Awesome!

Keep the love alive

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:51:00 +0000

It is every woman’s dream to be loved and constantly pursued by their husbands. The dating stage should not end even after you get married. Showing your partner that you care and love them by giving them small surprises like flowers and chocolates or taking them out for a movie date keep the flame of the relationship burning. I am no expert when it comes to love and relationship, but I would say my hubby has always made me feel special and loved in his own special ways. We find time to go out and date, and I’d get flowers from him even without any special occasion. It’s always a great feeling to know that your hubby still cherish you just like when you first dated.

There’s so many ways to express how you feel towards your loved ones. Lori’s Hearts & Flowers can help you in showing your love any time of the year. On special days like birthdays, you can pick the perfect birthday flowers for the people you care about. You don’t actually have to worry where and how to get them because you can rely on Oshawa Flower Delivery online. They charge no service fees with exquisite floral designs. The internet is not just about technology, it’s also a way of letting them know you’re there and you care.

Save your precious time...trust the experts!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:01:00 +0000

My sister in Illinois has considered getting a camcorder for future trips and her son’s school activities. But she has no clue as to what brand or model to buy. I’ve tried to help her by doing some research online but I haven’t had so much time lately to really do a thorough research. As a consumer, it is important to be very sure of the product that you’re buying, so I’d really recommend to visit the internet and check out consumer reviews to aid with our decisions. I remember when I bought the Canon digital camera for my mom last year, I did my research and was able to find good deals without sacrificing the quality of the product. But I understand that not all of us have the patience, desire and time to do this, so I believe a website that offers concise recommendations from experts comes in handy.

BestInClass.com helps you quickly find the best digital camera that suits your budget and preference. The experts do the research for you. You can easily find them in just a click of your mouse. If you’re the type who googles basically anything, then you’ll find this website as the #1 result when you search for “best digital camera” or “digital camera recommendations”. They also have reviews and facts about almost all types of Sony camera. I’ll definitely use them when I decide to update our Canon Powershot S2.

Divas 4 Divas Concert

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:46:00 +0000

Here we go...the photos during the concert. There were so much drama en route the concert venue. We expected that traffic would be heavy so we left the hotel two hours before the show starts. It was a very wise decision because we had a hard time looking for the venue. I have directions but apparently, it's not a very good one. After we were able to look for a good place to park, our next struggle is to find the Black Academy Arts building where the concert will take place. People of different races all dressed very nicely were coming in and out of the vicinity, so one would think that they are also going to the concert, but apparently, there was a graduation going on and most, if not all of the people that we've seen were attending the said event. After having to ask from a few security people, we finally managed to find the theatre. Now, our next problem is to look for one of the producers of the show, whom we've bought our tickets from. For some reason, our tickets got lost in the mail and a week before the concert, I've called the producer and she assured me that we could still get our seats even without the tickets. Thankfully, a Filipina from the production side helped us find the producer. Our tickets were replaced, everything was settled and we were part of the crowd that were first ushered in to the theatre. When we finally went in and got seated, all the worries and stress went away. I was just so extremely happy for the once in a lifetime chance to see my favorite singer Regine Velasquez in a concert with the other divas. I was glad that hubby didn't get bored at all. He was definitely amazed with how talented they are. He was also amused with the crowd. You know how it is with Filipino audience, all the screaming, shouting, applauding, clicking of cameras and videos, we enjoyed it all. We have front row tickets and at the latter part of the show, I was one of the fans who was able to shook hands with Regine! Nawala akong poise oi! Gibiya-an ang bana sa lingkuranan, hehe! Gosh! I can't thank my hubby enough for making this possible for me. It was fun and I enjoyed the chance to be with Filipinos and hearing them speak Tagalog and Bisaya again! Enjoy the photos, friends...

Why? Unsay drama? Naay ti-ki?!?

A pose before the concert

We have front row tickets

PRIMO band

The 4 Divas (opening number)

Their outfits underneath the cloaks

Divas in their red shimmering outfits

The elegant Divas

In their colorful gowns

The audience

Crowd jammin' with the Divas

The Divine Diva - Zsa Zsa Padilla

The Concert Queen - Pops Fernandez

The Pop Diva - Kuh Ledesma

The Asia's Songbird - Regine Velasquez

Regine internalizing her song

The show is over

Hubby after the show

A prelude to the concert

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:18:00 +0000

To say that I was super excited was an understatement. I've been dreaming about this day eversince we bought the tickets. I'm talking about the Divas4Divas concert in Dallas, Texas last night. It was my first time in Texas and going straight to a big city like Dallas was overwhelming. Two important things that I noticed while I was there, it was hot and traffic was heavy. The heat didn’t bother me as much as the bumper to bumper traffic at 70 mph. If you don’t drive aggressively, you’re pretty much stuck with whatever lane you’re in. Luckily, I was not the one on the driver’s seat. Otherwise, we couldn’t have made it to the hotel in one piece. It was 3:00 P.M. when we got to Hyatt Place, the hotel where we stayed at. We relaxed a little bit and freshen up before we head out for the concert which started at 8:00 P.M. The room was very nice with huge flat panel TV, plush king-sized bed, cozy corner sofa-sleeper, granite kitchen sinks, wet bar and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. The sole purpose of the trip was to watch the concert, so we didn't really intend to stay long and didn't get to do other stuff. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the experience minus the traffic, of course, hehe! Here are some photos of the hotel and our room. The official photos of the concert itself will be posted on my next post, I promise!

University of Phoenix (located right next to Hyatt)

Hubby is watching TV

Aww, cartoons, eh!

EC dropping even while on vacation!

A quick trip to Dallas, Texas

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:37:00 +0000

The highlight of our one week vacation is going to Dallas, Texas to watch the Divas4Divas concert. I am definitely a fan of Regine Velasquez and watching her perform along with the country's top performers is a once in a lifetime experience. There's not much Filipino shows in the southern part of U.S., so I was really happy when I found out that the Divas will be having a concert in Texas. I'm super-duper excited, lol! Thanks so much to my Langga for putting up with me, hehehe! Actually, hubby watches with me sometimes when I'm glued to T.V. watching my Filipino shows so he recognizes Regine and Zsa Zsa. But his favorite is Wowowee, Game Ka Na Ba, and most of Sarah G.'s commercials. See! I've been an influence to hubby's TV viewing, hehehe. Anyway, the concert is gonna be tomorrow at 8:00 P.M. in Dallas. I can't wait!

A possible solution to sleep deprivation

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:04:00 +0000

As I have shared in my previous posts, I’ve had nights when I just couldn’t get good sleep. It doesn’t happen very often, but it can be such a pain when it does, so I tried to search for ways on how to help myself. I found out that a sleep number bed can surely make a difference. I’ve never heard about this before so I’m pretty excited about this whole thing. Unlike traditional mattresses that are made from metal coils and springs, a sleep number bed uses uniquely designed air chambers to provide a gentle cushion of support. You can adjust the sleep number setting to your liking whether you like it to be extra firm or feathery soft. Pretty neat, huh! I think this will work great on people that has back and spinal problems as well. Worth checking out!

Vacation in Branson Part I: Savannah House

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:04:00 +0000

We just came back from a 4-day vacation to one of the much talked about city of Missouri. It was our second vacation for this year and probably the last before our big one to the Philippines in December. We stayed at Savannah House. It's a charming and elegant hotel in a peaceful country setting with a breath-taking view of the Ozark Mountains, yet just minutes away from all of Branson's excitement and activity. The rooms are spotlessly clean, free deluxe breakfast every morning, free hot cobbler, cookies and ice-cream each evening, wireless secure High Speed internet access and my favorite part, in-room Jacuzzi tub and an outdoor pool. On Memorial Day itself, it rained pretty good so I didn't mind staying most of the day in our room and taking a relaxing hot bath with a nice nap afterwards. Anyway, here are the photos. More blogs about Branson on my next posts.

The hotel

It offers a pretty view of the mountains

Hotel's facade

The inviting pool

Hotel's cozy living room

Such an actor!

Relaxing on the recliner

One pose before heading out

In-room jet tub

Ready for a hot jet bath

It's time to leave

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:32:00 +0000

Today is our 4^th and last day here in Branson, Missouri. We’re checking out in an hour and I’ll bring back to Ozark, AR the memories, few photos and unforgettable experiences that I have here in this amazing tourist city of Missouri. It rained all day yesterday. We didn’t get to go to White Water theme park or Silver Dollar City. I was disappointed of course but I was not gonna let it ruin my vacation spirit. We still went out and cruise along the highways of Branson, checked out Table Rock Lake and Dewey Visitor Center. In the evening, we finally were able to watch the Acrobats of China. The show was jaw-dropping. It was worth the dollars spent. I’m gonna talk about it some more in my other post. Anyway, I’d better start getting ready to check-out and make sure all important stuff especially my bcbsnc health card are back in my purse. I emptied my bag last night and the last thing I would want is to forget something important in the hotel room.

First Day Experience in Branson

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:21:00 +0000

We're now here in Branson, Missouri!!! Traffic here sucks...but it's alright...we're on a vacation...so no rush. The drive to Branson which I thought was only 2 hours actually took longer than that. But I enjoyed the scenic drive up north, so I wasn't going to complain. It rained a little bit when we got here but that didn't stop us from doing the stuff that we came here for. We went to Titanic Museum and Hollywood Wax Museum today. The visit to Titanic was neat. The building looks like a real ship. They have all sorts of neat information, artifacts, galleries about the huge sunken ship, crew, passengers and even about the famous Titanic movie. They even give you a boarding pass bearing the name of a real Titanic passenger when you get in to the museum, then before you exit out of the museum, you'll be able to know if that passenger survives or not. I've seen the Titanic movie but the visit to Titanic museum today made me learn a lot of facts about the ship that sank on April 15, 1912.

Something uncool happened though. It was raining, traffic was heavy on our way to the museum, then when we got there, I found out that the batteries of our camera need to be changed. Great! The charger and the other set of batteries were left at the hotel and it's unthinkable to go back in that crazy traffic jam, so Jeff and I were debating whether to go in without a camera or drive back out of the parking lot and find a convenience store and pick out new batteries. I told him I'm not going in and pay the exorbitant fee of $25.00/each without a camera. I need to take photos, you know! So hubby was forced to drive us out of the parking lot and look for a convenience store. It probably took us another 20 minutes to get back to the museum with a new set of batteries for our camera. So I'm back to my jovial and excited face again when we stepped out of the truck, ready to start the Titanic tour with our camera on hand. But guess what!!! There was a sign in front of the ticket line that says "No cameras or videotaping allowed!" Arrrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! All I managed to say to hubby was, "I'm sorry, Babe!" Imagine the trouble we had to go through just to get new batteries but we couldn't use the camera after all, lol! Thankfully, he wasn't mad at me or anything, he just said "Well, then let's get back to the truck and leave the camera there, then." We both enjoyed the experience inside the museum but we don't have photos to go along with it. However, I was able take photos inside the Hollywood Wax Museum but I'm just gonna post it next time.

Tomorrow, we're gonna be hitting Tanger Outlet Mall for Memorial Weekend Sale shopping. Hubby is fascinated with all sorts of History so we're visiting the Veteran's Museum sometime tomorrow. Then at 8:00 P.M, we're going to watch "Acrobats of China". I'm excited! For now, I'm signing off. Oh wait! The hotel serves free cobbler, ice-cream and cookies so we're taking advantage of that before going to bed. Well, it doesn't sound healthy but who cares! We're on vacation anyway, hehehehe!!!

Off to Branson for an early summer getaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn_US) — Fri, 22 May 2009 01:02:00 +0000

One more day to go...We're heading to Branson, Missouri for a much needed vacation. Too bad it's not to the beach like what's in the photo. Anyway, we both took one week off from work and we're pretty much excited about it because it is another quality time bonding moments together. I've been hearing so many good things about Branson from my co-workers and even on the internet. I can't wait to experience them ourselves. Our itinerary includes visits to museums (Titanic, Hollywood Wax, Veteran's Memorial), shows (Acrobats of China), chill-out romantic dates (dinners, Moonshine Beach), outlet mall shopping (Tanger), swimming (if weather permits), movie date (Angels & Demons) and a whole-day fun at Silver Dollar City. I am the designated planner of this trip and hubby thinks I'm doing a great job. (*wink) He really knows how to make me feel flattered, lol! Anyway, I hope the weather won't ruin this trip for us. Branson is like 2-hour drive up north from our place, so I'm guessing it's gonna be a little cooler there. I would really love the chance to go to White Water theme park but looking at the weather forecast for this weekend, I don't think it's a good idea. I might as well just be content in taking a dip in the hotel pool. But with or without thunderstorm, this trip promises to be fun and memorable.