Philipines Month Six

Well, it's October 1st, which means many things to many people.  To the Morris family, it means six months that my dad, Papa Joe, has been a resident of the Philippines.  We continue to miss him very much, but we have managed to stay in touch.  We talk, email, and even have video chatted.  Today he sent out an update to some of his loved ones, and I don't think he would mind if I shared with all of you.  He sent some photos in another email, but I scattered them throughout his letter.  Here he is in his own words:

Hello all

 

Today is Oct. 1st and marks 6 months since I have been in the Philippines. It has passed

pretty quickly for me much to my surprise. I have changed some as we all do from time to time. When I left Pell City I tipped the scales at 227 lbs. Now fully dressed I was at 202 lbs.  I am not on a diet and still very healthy just a change in climate and lot more exercise. I have spent the first 6 months in Davao City but later this week I'm moving to Cebu. It is a larger city with an international airport where I landed when I first came here in April. There are a lot more things to do there and it is one island farther north from the Muslim concentration in the area where I live now.

I know football season is in high gear in the US and I keep up with the scores on my laptop. There is a site that does play by play on a football field background but it is slow and gets boring watching the little lines. Sometimes after a long delay there will be 3 or 4 plays posted back to back. So I switch from game to game to keep up with what's happening. 

my all time favorite coffee mug made in China bought in USA

Thanks again to my sister Joyce I can make phone calls using a Magic Jack but it is not 100% reliable.  However when it is working correctly it is like calling on a local line. Maybe I haven't called everyone like I plan to yet. If you have not gotten a call maybe I don't have your number, so email me the correct number if you would like to hear from me.  



old man only 70, little English, rides-lives-sleeps-collects anything on his 3 wheel trike

Some things I have written about before so if I repeat myself it might be because I turned 67 back in June. It was a non event here and like any other day. The custom here is for the person having the birthday to give the party and provide the meal and goodies. I did not go along with that custom and celebrated with a trip to Manila.


going up to slide down water slide at pool

For all of you that think Christmas comes early in the US. well in Sept. around the 20th all the stores here had their trees up and some stores were even playing Christmas carols. It's gonna be a long season as much as I like Christmas.

bus rest area on top of mountain to water the engine and brakes to cool off -- I was riding for 8 hours -- no air conditioner but very pretty ride along the coast for most of the way

[Editor's note: does it strike anyone else funny that this bus is called "Bachelor Express"?]

Closing now before you all get too bored. I hope all the sickness and ailments are less and less painful and stressful. God is good and He is coming soon.

 

"hey Joe", your daddy, granddaddy, brother, uncle, great uncle, great-great uncle, friend, and brother in Christ

 

---------------- 

 

Another quick story:  He signed off on his email by using all of the monikers to which he answers.  He is a father, grandfather, etc.  But he told me a funny little tidbit about Philippine customs:  The locals will call any expat, Yankee, traveler "Hey Joe" just as a courtesy I-don't-know-your-name-and-may-not-care-to.  So when people started calling him "Hey Joe" he thought he had suddenly become very infamous until he figured out what was going on.  Hahaha.







Happy Birthday Papa Joe!

So, today is my dad's birthday and in celebration of this, I decided to take you on a visual tour of his life, his legacy, and things I have learned from him. (Warning: "visual tour" is code for picture overload.)

My dad is a special guy.  He's my dad and I'm his daughter.  There is no one with whom I have to share him; all of his "fatherly" love comes right to me!  I'm a lucky girl:

I get my, ahem, great looks from this guy, too!  He was born a cutie and stayed that way his whole life.  Need proof?

 

No one with looks like that can avoid being somewhat of a ladies' man:

April 1970 Margie Stephens and Joe Ehl...Dad, those shoes?

Is it me or does she look a little like Kelly Clarkson, too?

I'm just the lucky lady who has stolen his heart for an entire lifetime...

Speaking of looks, let's address one thing immediately.  My dad rocks his 'stache!  He has had a handlebar mustache for at least the past 35 years.  I think the story goes that he was a groomsman in a friend's early 70's wedding when the crazy mother-of-the-bride insisted the groomsmen be clean shaven.  (Dad, if you are reading this, please let me know if some of my details are hazy.)  My dad, being himself, decided to pull an "oh yeah?" and grow a mustache.  He's kept it ever since.

December 1977

ca. 1982

Being the dad that he is, he has taught me a few lessons.  First and foremost he has taught me by example to embrace my own inner charm and just be myself.   That's what he has always done:


May 1976

Okay, seriously he has taught me family values.  Dad is close to his family -- my family.  He is one of seven children.  Unfortunately he lost a brother to a trucking accident in 1971 or 1972 (I need to double check this exact date).  So the picture below is a treasured possession.  It's one of the last photos of all the siblings and both parents. 

August 1971
(L-R) Jessie, Jack "Doc", Bobbie Jean, Jerry, James, Joe, and Joyce -- All J names
seated are my grandmother Laura and grandfather Jack

Furthermore, one of my cousins is "in" the picture...my Aunt Joyce is 8 months pregnant with her daughter, my cousin Timberly.

Family is something that means a lot to my dad.  He is very close to his nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters, and his own cousins.  He also likes to take family pictures. 

 

1996 -- Bobbie, James, Joe, Joyce

1998 -- Joyce, Joe, James, Doc

2000 -- Top from left: Joyce, Joe, James; bottom from left: Bobbie, Doc, Jessie

My dad has also taught me loyalty.  He has friendships that span several decades.  Dad is a social creature.  In fact, he was in a small, local fraternity while in college and he still tells stories of their antics.  I'm sure they were the original "good ol' boys"!

In his own handwriting, dad captioned this photo on the back:
Me, Moose, Sonny Chapman
Easter Weekend 1971, Fort Lauderdale



Another thing Dad has taught me is that love defies geography. Other than friends and family, my dad loves the road.  He's a true ramblin' man. He tried unsuccessfully to find a way to stay in one place, but the road has always called his name.  Yet, he's still my dad.  Wherever in the world he may be, I know that I can pick up the phone, drop an email, and connect with him.  More on geography in a minute...

 

 

 

My dad has taught me a love of Christmas like no other holiday.  I wish I had a picture of his Christmas display.  If I find one, I'll update here.  He used to have a spare bedroom with three of the four walls completely lined with a Christmas village, all intricately wired and staged and animated.  It was so detailed and decisively arranged, that he left it out all year and would cover it with sheets/tarps to prevent dust during the "off" season.  Christmas is an exciting time of the year for villages, presents, trees, etc.  But my dad is a Christian, and by example he has taught me to keep the reason for the season as a forefront of all celebrations.

ca. 1984

ca. 1986

Last but, not least, my dad has taught me to have a love of animals.  He loves all God's creations, but one of his "pets" will remain in my memories forever:  meet AJ the cappucian monkey dad bought at a truck stop!  

Speaking of animals, check out this "party animal" below:

He just thought he was over the hill.  I won't tell you how many years ago this picture was snapped, but let's just say the top of that hill is up there!  Love you!

So, back to geography.  Dad now lives quite far away, in case you didn't know.  In fact, he is 13 clock hours away in Davou City, Philippines.  I don't actually have his mailing address right now to send him a card.  Therefore, I decided to recycle one.  Below is something I apparently created a long time ago.  His handwriting dated it 1987 on the back.  Happy birthday, happy birthday.  I love you!

~Esmerelda

 originally created in 1987

PS: It occurred to me that I have not posted any pics of Dad and his precious grandchildren.  That is not to say that he is not happy/crazy to be their Papa Joe.  I just don't have any pics on the computer from which this post was drafted.  Papa Joe...Rob, Caroline, and Will all send you big hugs, kisses, and mustache tugs.  Love!!!

 



A Weekend Recap...

Happy Fall, Y'all!  I am so in love with the weather right now!  The only problem I have is the need to go through my closet.  I need to do the yearly what-did-I-wear-last-cold-season checklist and discard the things that hung lonely last winter.  Combine that with the fact that I am still only (almost) 7 weeks postnatal, and I really have no idea what to wear right now!  Oh well...

On Friday evening I took Rob to the Fall Festival at the local Intermediate School.  He had a blast; that boy sure loves fairs and festivals.  As I clenched my jaws shut on the scrambler, fighting nausea, I realized two things.  1.) I may very well be too old for amusement rides.  My equilibrium isn't what it used to be.  2.) My life is one big scrambler right now...spinning rapidly into various angles but never quite crashing.  While it should be scary, I still find myself squealing with glee.

Saturday was a beautiful day, despite the lack of Alabama football (off weekend).  We played, Bobby watched football, and I got ready for a very exciting girls' night out with my dear SIL, Laura.  Miranda Lambert was in town for a concert and Laura scored 6th row seats!  What does it look like to sit on the 6th row?

I already knew that I loved Miranda's music, but now I love HER, too!  Girlfriend is one bad mama-jama!  Ten seconds after she took the stage, her belt broke -- not only making her mini-skirt majorly unstable, but also giving her hidden mic pack no where to hide.  So right in the middle of "Fastest Girl In Town" she has one of her band members duct tape the pack to her waist.  She never missed a beat.

She rocked that stage and belted out all her great songs.  She has a very strong, beautiful sound!  The Pistol Annies made a quick cameo for a few songs, too.

I also love that she's a curvy girl, and she's comfortable in her own skin.  You can tell she's healthy, but she loves red meat and margaritas.  Um, hello!  We would so be best friends...except when she goes hunting. During those times I'd just say "See ya later."

Sunday my dad, Uncle Doc and Aunt Barbara came by for a visit.  This was the first time Aunt Barbara met sweet baby William.  I think the two of them hit it off very easily, what do you think?

Caroline had a blast playing doctor and dress up while they were at our house.  Rob was running around acting like a crazy person!  What is it about my children when they have an audience?  I don't know where they get it from (insert heavy sarcasm here).

 

 

Finally, we ended the weekend with a quick few rounds of family game night.  We used to do this a lot more than we do now.  Tonight Rob chose the classic "Guess Who".  I love this game!

Caroline's Big Girl Room, Part One

So it's no secret that life as we know it is in complete disarray right now.  But the stress of it all is lowering by the day as my projects and nesting stage are coming to an end.  Today I want to show you all about Caroline's big girl room in progress.

Our house started out with an unattached dining room in which we never dined.  Over the years we turned the room into a playroom.  That was nice having a place to "send" the kids, but let's face it -- I was never disciplined enough to enforce the kids' keeping it straight, and you could see into the room as soon as you entered my front door.  So every time someone came over, I imagined the following dialog in my guests' heads:

"Oh, hi Emily.  I'm glad to be here.  Wow, your kids have some major crap on display here in this room."

Then came our little bundle of surprise and we needed another bedroom in this quaint little house of ours.  Hmm...how about reassigning this random front room once again?

Before:

The room has probably a 10' ceiling with a gorgeous light fixture.  By the way, I took my "before" pictures after all of the toys were cleared out.  I wanted to spare you the shock and awe of the experience.

From the entryway of the room, on the left-hand wall was a little lighted alcove which had (not pictured) glass display shelves.  On the other side of that wall below is a linen closet in my hallway.  These spaces will eventually be combined for a closet. 

Below: another view of the room from the little alcove.

Below: a view of the large window in the room.  This shot was taken after the wall was knocked down.

The room never had doors; rather it had a double wide, cased opening.  The first order of business when constructing a bedroom is to have a real door.  So here are some shots from the outside looking in and the inside looking out:

Next up, sweet C needs a closet.  Lucky girl may have ended up with quite a large closet, too, because we discovered we could go underneath that staircase pictured above.  See for yourself:

During the process, we also laid new carpet throughout the house.  Can you see now why I describe the past week or two as complete disarray?  But I am so glad we did this!  We chose a dark tan frieze (shag) that I absolutely love!

You can also see that the chair rail was removed and the walls were painted Benjamin Moore Wheeling Neutral -- my neutral color throughout my house.  It is a warm, light tan and it goes with almost any color scheme for your decor.

Now, about that dining room light...it was replaced by a ceiling fan which my brother-in-law Jason helped Bobby hang.

Finally the construction phase of the room was finished off by setting up her closet system, which we did on Sunday night. 

My dad had this gorgeous brass / iron bed in storage and a great, barely used mattress set, so he generously gave them to Caroline.  As of writing this post, she has already slept her first night in her new room and did great!  A special thanks to Papa Joe!

Now comes the fun part--decorating.  I'll give you a very small sneak peek of the bedding we chose, but I am far from ready to do a room reveal yet.

I found this sweet, Shabby Chic quilt at Target and I am pulling several different pieces together to mix and match the look.  Hopefully we will feel "finished" with her room soon and I'll do a total reveal.  But for now the room is livable which means the nursery is free to be readied for its third resident!  I just can't believe how much our family has evolved over the years.  But I am blessed beyond words and I wouldn't change a thing.