Today Lily and the girls flew to Manila to start their journey home. While in the Manila airport, Lily told me that this trip was the best trip she had in her life. Here are some of the reasons why it was so special for her:
- She was over the moon about being with her family in the Philippines
- She loved the beauty and history of the Philippines
- She loved high tea in Hong Kong
- She’s in love with Asia overall and feels she could spend a year there
- She was so thrilled she and the girls connected to their Filipino roots
- She loved the orderliness of Hong Kong and Japan
- And the list goes on
Before leaving to Manila, they had one last day in Bohol in the Philippines. Lily has loved Bohol and told me about the 5 or more incredible pools (some with long lengths for swimming) at the Bohol resort. She had so much fun swimming there. They also had some great outings. First they went to a zoo.
Lily got a kick out of the decorative toilet 
They held a giant snake!!
After their fun at the zoo, they headed back to the resort:
This is one of the amazing pools Lily was raving about:
Cousins!
Then they all enjoyed some beach time. What a great day in Bohol!
Back at the homefront, I had a monster day and I was so touched by how my family and Todd supported me today. First of all David and Olivia picked up Ammon and Clarissa and took them to see Wish in the morning. Clarissa and Ammon both have wanted to see the movie, and Clarissa especially has been begging, so it was such a nice thing for David and Olivia to do. Plus it was just so neat that they got to spend time together. It looks like they had such a fun time. Here is a really cute picture and video:
After they picked up Ammon and Clarissa, I went to Georgia’s and helped her pack and did two loads of her things in the Subaru. It was amazing to see how Georgia was up and doing to help with the move. It’s a big effort for her both mentally and physically and she was up for it. I was reflecting on how she’s actually in better condition now than she was a few years ago when she first entered the care facility, and I’m hopeful that she wont need memory care in her new facility, and she might thrive more without it. Also, over and over, I’m getting staff telling me that they miss will miss her, and they are so sad to see her go and they love her etc. One staff member told me she cried when she learned that Georgia was leaving. Also, a couple of the guys in the choir that sings there periodically read Georgia’s autobiographical book she made, and gushed to me about what an incredible person she is. It’s amazing that all Georgia is going through, she is still brightening the lives of those around her so much so that they are genuinely sad to see her go. I am sad for her to leave this community, but I know she will make friends in this way no matter where she goes. She told me that God told her at this facility her mission was to love the people, and she certainly did that well.
After some hours working on Georgia’s things, I met my dad back at the house. He picked up the kids from the theater and brought them home with him. Then my dad and I cranked on the house for almost 7 hours. My dad is 66, and I marveled at how healthy he is. He is very focussed on his diet, and sleep and he takes a lot of supplements and he said right now he feels he’s at one of the healthiest periods of his life and he feels great. It was amazing how much he knocked out with me over such a long period of the time. He helped me move furniture and boxes (some very heavy). He took down our Christmas tree decorations and the tree. He helped pack boxes, and helped me pack the container. I was energized by having his support, so I was moving very fast, and 1+1 truly equalled 3. We want from having the second container about 15% full, to having it 85% full. It was a massive achievement and it made me feel like the hardest parts of the move are behind us. It was a huge relief. Also, it was just so fun to chat and pal around with my dad in the process. I also played some Bob Marley while we worked. Bob Marley is an artist we’ve shared our love for for many years after I introduced him to my dad as a teenager, and then my dad went deep and got many many albums and played them a lot while I grew up.
Halfway through working with my dad, my friend Todd came over. He borrowed his dad’s pickup truck so that he could help us go pick up Georgia’s red reclining chair. It was also so fun to see him, he is such a good guy.
So much got done today, and so many fun things happened, and it was all thanks to my incredible friends and family. My dad, David and Olivia and Todd all really showed up big for me and I was very touched by it. It turned out to be an amazing day, and at the end I collapsed at a massage that I booked for myself to finish off the day. It was an incredible massage.
When I got home, I tucked in Ammon and Clarissa and they asked for Smash hugs. A smash hug is something I started a year or so ago and the kids love it. A smash hug is when a kid is in bed and I try to smash him/her as much as possible in the process of giving him/her a hug. Sometimes I even grab the mattress to pull myself in for an even greater smash. The kids love it. One time, after giving Clarissa a smash hug, she lifted up the covers and evaluated herself. She told me, “I’m seeing if I am flat.” She is so adorable!
What a great day!