All Good Things Must Come to an End...

Wow...it feels like we've just arrived and yet, bright and early tomorrow morning (at the obscene hour of 3 a.m.) we begin our voyage home.  To think that I was terrified to drive on the LA highways just 2 weeks ago and now it feels almost normal to have 8 lanes of traffic which may change to 3 or 10 at any given moment and good luck figuring out which lane you should be driving in.  Today even, Robert and I grew frustrated with the amount of traffic on the freeway and the pace at which it was going, recognized the name of one of the exits so took it, hoping we would find our way back with the help of our GPS constantly recalculating and we did!

We have done so many things in just a short time but there were so many more things I wanted to do on my list!  I think I forget that there are only 24 hours in a day and that you still need time to eat, sleep, and shower.  One of the things we ran out of time to do was eat at In 'N Out and I didn't eat as much Mexican food as I was hoping to either.   We did have a great opportunity to catch up with Robert's aunts and uncles from the Philippines though and to finally meet his cousins and their families, and for them to meet our kids too.

Saturday and Sunday took us to Universal Studios.  We had early admission both days, thank goodness, which allowed us to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for an hour each day before the gates opened.  Then as the crowds flooded to Hogsmeade, we ventured out to some of the other attractions.  On Saturday, I had just mentioned to Robert that I was suprised it wasn't busier seeing as it was a weekend but we bemused that the heat (32-34 degrees Celsius) was keeping the crowds away.  Next thing we knew, we could barely move the crowds were so thick.   The 10-15 minute wait times were suddenly 40 minutes or more.   We've decided Duncan is not a very good Filipino and was not built for heat; the poor kid was dripping with sweat and complaining frequently about how hot it was.  We tried to reschedule our hotel shuttle to pick us up a couple of hours earlier than planned but it wasn't available so we stuck to our original 13 hour day as planned.  Needless to say, the kids were desperately begging for a swim when we got back to the hotel.  The next day, we only spent a little more than half the day there which was nearly perfect as the heat and crowds swelled again.

 Danica's been practicing her red carpet poses.

 Duncan loved the cool zones!

Mmmm....butterbeer.....

Last night, being the last night in the U.S. for the Filipino contingent, Robert's Tita Gina planned a big spread for dinner:  crab legs, rice, pickled green papaya, sinigang, stuffed eggplant and stuffed peppers.  We picked up an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins for a belated birthday celebration for Duncan for dessert.  Instead of banana leaves, Robert covered the table with tin foil and we ate in a traditional Filipino manner, without utensils or plates, much to Duncan's dismay.  He and Danica elected to eat with their fingers but out of a bowl "like civilized people" as he was concerned about germs.  That in itself was hilarious as the kid is certainly not a germaphobe.
I even ate the crab; it was quite tasty with the pickled green papaya.

Strawberry Margaritas for the ladies...

Today, we spent a couple of hours organizing and packing our suitcases.  Then Robert and I headed out to the Long Beach Towne Centre where I finally had success in shopping for myself and Robert set out in search of a massage.  Unfortunately, they did not have any available slots so he ended up at a Nail Spa having a MANicure and pedicure instead; he opted for a longer leg and arm massage instead of having colour applied to his nails.  I found him finishing up and enjoying his massage chair and he then convinced me that I needed a relaxation treat too.  Who was I to argue?  The walking and sandal wearing has wreaked havoc on the pedicure I had with Sharon prior to our departure.

Afterwards, Robert and I picked up some Chick-Fil-A to bring back for a quick dinner before the Filipino aunts and uncles headed to the airport.  Somehow their luggage quadrupled in size so the Expedition Tita Gina and Tito Danny rented for their time here was able to hold the luggage but not the people.  Robert and I were asked if we could accompany them to the airport in order to transport the people.  We obliged and can I say that I was impressed with how we navigated the airport?  I always find the terminals, on and off ramps, parking exits and the like confusing as a passenger yet we were able to figure it all out rather easily and even beat Tito Danny there and he tends to drive like a maniac.

And now I should be getting ready for bed as I am sure that 245 a.m. will come super duper early.....See everyone soon!