Simply Belle

I am extremely busy these days because my SIL and BIL are here for a week and when I get some time off work, I make every opportunity to come with them for an adventure in places I have never been before in AZ. Too bad, we are short-handed at work this week so I just don’t have the luxury of the time to go with them as much as I want to.

For now, let me show you some beautiful sceneries that I took of Rock Canyon River.

11 Comments »

Thirteen students and the music instructor from the P School Modern Choir were invited to perform “Schubert”s Mass in G Major” in Carnegie Hall last June 11, 2007. At first, I was against letting Lexie go because of financial constraints. She had graduated last May and the trip would not be until June, so it made more sense to focus on her college education. At least, that’s how I saw it. Imagine– each student had to come up with $2,000, and not only that, they also had to raise money for the 7 chaperones.

But Lexi was so adamant about going to Carnegie Hall even with my objection. She said that she would work hard to raise the money. In between choir classes, the students organized fundraising projects now and then. Lexie did all kinds of stuff, ranging from baking, selling, and singing, to earn a few bucks here and there. To make a long story short, she raised about $800; unfortunately, this was still not enough to cover all of the expenses. That meant, we parents had to pay the difference. Good thing we have a program called “Credit for Kids” at school where we can donate a maximum of $400 for a year and use that as a tax write off. The money went specifically to her trip to New York. We donated late last year and early this year, which amounted to $800.

She was getting close to hitting her goal, but was still a little shy. For some reason, with sheer determination and hard work, she and the other students pulled through.

Finally, they were granted the opportunity to sing at Carnegie Hall. They fulfilled their lifelong dream to sing on a stage that many musicians spend a lifetime trying to reach. Just walking on the stage for the dress rehearsals was overwhelming. Imagine, they got to sing where great musicians have performed. Pretty lucky bunch of kids, huh?

Dr. Thye, the condutor, taught them a lot. The singers were told to open their mouths more when they sang and to sing to the heart of every pitch. “There is no room for arrogance in excellence, and why would you ever want to sing any less than professionally?” Dr. Thye said.

The choir, along with singers from other schools that were invited, received a standing ovation during its 20-minute performance. The conductor brought the best out of each one of them, and they became better singers. For them, it was a performance of a lifetime.

Too bad, cameras were not allowed at Carnegie Hall to document the event. The photos above were the ones she took with her friends while checking out a bit of the city.

14 Comments »

I thought I would showcase Ces Valeza Aguilar’s photos of Catanduanes. Ces is my first and only wedding Goddaughter. She has a knack at taking pictures, which deserves recognition. The picture above is of Alcantara Resort located in Marilima, Virac, Catanduanes. I stayed in this resort the first time I took my whole family in Catanduanes. It was a beautiful and quiet place. On a clear day, we were able to see the magnificent “Mayon Volcano.”


This is the famous Puraran Beach, internationally known for surfing. Awesome place!

The Marilima Beach, Marilima, Virac taken at sunset.

These last photos were taken by Dave T. The photo above is of Viga bay located in the northern part of Catanduanes. As small as Catanduanes is, it is ironic that I haven’t circled the whole island and I may do just that on our forthcoming trip, hopefully. And it is coming soon…yeheey!

Beatiful Tokyo Falls located in Pandan, Catanduanes. This is another awesome place I have yet to see. So many beautiful places to visit, so little time.

22 Comments »

My family used to enjoy spring vacation aboard a cruise ship. At first, I was apprehensive about the idea because I felt that it was not family friendly. I was wrong, of course. It was actually one of the best places to take the family. My husband would take advantage of cruise special discounts and would bring the kids along free so we ended up paying for two people only: my husband and I. What a deal!

No doubt, kids loved it! I loved it! Dad loved it! We got to enjoy feeling like a queen, king, and princess for a week. No dishes to do, no bed to make, no cleaning to do. Food was awesome! Lobsters, sword fish, tenderloin, filet mignon, sushi, pizza 24 hours, fresh tropical fruits, cakes, chocolates, etc. And the fun part was I got to dress up two nights a week. It felt good to be glamorous occasionally, and to be serenaded by good-looking crew.

After I indulged myself, I usually looked forward to the state-of-the-art fitness center. I stayed there for about 2 hours to burn the calories and to get ready for another big meal in the evening. I pushed aside dieting for a week. We followed the cruise ship motto, “Eat, live, and love!” Cruise activities were endless: aerobics, yoga, lounges, enjoy a day excursion in a private island, snorkeling, scuba diving, or shopping the entire day.

The kids enjoyed the cruise ship activities designed mainly for the children while dad and I got to savor private moments. Kids liked the generous pampering and the attention that they received from the waiters who were mostly Filipinos. Whatever the kids asked, the waiter granted. One time, the waiter asked one of my daughters what she wanted for dessert. My daughter said, “Nothing.” “Okay, I will be right back” the waiter replied. A few minutes later, he came back with a plate that had the word “nothing” written on it using chocolate syrup. Corny eh?

13 Comments »

Crab fat, anyone? Caught it myself.
Breathtaking Mt. Rainier, WA., taken with a Sony Cybershot 3.2 mega pixels
Close up of Mt Rainier

Last summer, we went to Seattle for my husband’s side family reunion. The reunion was held in Packwood, WA, which is in close proximity to the beautiful Mt. Rainier. We were excited visiting WA. again since we once lived there before coming to AZ. Before we headed to the reunion, we spent a whole week of fun and adventure in Seattle. We went crabbing and fishing in an island in WA., the highlight of our trip. We brought ring traps and baits for the crabs. Once we secured the bait in the trap, we submerged it in the water. That easy! The trap was fastened to a rope, which we then tied around a sturdy post. We made sure that we checked the trap every half an hour. The most exciting part of crabbing is the pulling of the trap especially if it is loaded. The trick is to reel it in as fast as possilbe so the crabs have a slim chance of escaping. Hurry! Hurry! my friend would scream. We probably caught 10 crabs (combination of dungeness and rock crabs). As soon as we got home, we wasted no time boiling all 10 for 15 to 20 minutes. Then came the next fun part…feasting. I chose the biggest one and cracked the shell open. Juices squirted out! I was so excited to see the white-yellow fat inside the back of the shell. See picture above. It tasted so heavenly. What a delicacy!

Then we headed to Packwood for the family reunion. On our way over, we noticed that the cherries and blueberries were in abundance. We pulled in to the blueberry farm. I wasted no time helping myself to fresh, sweet, mouth-watering, little round fruits off the display. I probably had my fill from nibbling here and there. The owner didn’t seem to mind..hehe. Nothing can really beat fresh fruits…they were delightful. We bought one flat and gorged on it everyday.

When the reunion was over, we drove to Mt. Rainier. We took a hike and went as near as possible to the top. It was breathtaking! There were many interesting things to see along the way. Took those 2 pictures above.

6 Comments »