California Living...

Coming back to America...

After four months of living in the Philippines, here we are back again!

Bandera Restaurant in Corona Del Mar, California

(our old neighborhood)

Fashion Island, Newport Beach, California

(old family weekend hang-out)

*****

visiting Family & Friends in Southern California...

on our way to the Philippines

@ Tom & Sharon's Home (Bill's friend since high school)

Alayna with her cousins (@ Bill's sister in Huntington Beach, CA)

going away party... thank you guys!

celebrating Father's Day

(Irvine Spectrum)

Gen Kai Japanese Restaurant... one of our favorite resto in CDM

Big Corona Beach, Corona del Mar, California

(one of our old family hang-out :)

Balboa Island

Newport Beach

on a ferry boat ride to Balboa Island

(L-R:) Santa Monica Pier, Pink's in Los Angeles

*****

1997-2003

California living truly was splendid! Bill and I have such wonderful memories that will stay with us through the years. Bill had lived in the Golden State since birth. Upon landing his first job with Ford Aeronotronics in the 60’s, he bought his first home in Corona del Mar. It was just a sleepy beach town back then. Now, it’s a crowded (though not as crazy as Los Angeles), but gorgeous city on the beautiful Pacific Coast. On October of 1997, I joined him in living there. Our daughter was born in Newport Beach. On 2003, we sold our home and moved to Florida to start another chapter of our life…

Corona del Mar or CdM (Spanish for "Crown of the Sea") is a neighborhood in the affluent city of Newport Beach, California. It is known for its fine beaches, tide pools, Cliffside views and quaint village shops. Beaches in the area include Corona del Mar State Beach as well as Crystal Cove State Park south of Corona del Mar, accessible by paths winding down a steep hillside.

Settled early in the 20th century, the older area of Corona del Mar consists mostly of closely-spaced, free-standing, detached single family houses of varying architecture, concentrated along Pacific Coast Highway (also known as "PCH" ). Newer developments in Harbor View Hills consist of California ranch style houses, many with expansive ocean views.

@Home

going away party with family & friends

Look-out Point... Corona del Mar

Pirates Cove... CDM

our little angel

our old home

(Bill's home for 40 years)

Newport Beach, California

Baby Shower... thank you very much guys

and thank you to Carole & Vera (organized the baby shower)

4th year wedding anniversary @Sutton Place Hotel

visiting Corsina... love her yard and all the fruit trees

posing with my baby... love this car, the sweetest ride!

@ the Ritz-Carlton... New Year's Eve Party with friend Vera

Tram Ride @ Palm Springs

Big Corona Beach, Corona del Mar

Marriott Hotel Marina, San Diego, California

our 3rd wedding anniversary

Florida Living

Welcome to Cocoa Beach... Florida

After leaving the Golden State, California... my family moved to the Sunshine State, Florida to start a new life! Though California living was fantastic, my hubby who has lived there since birth wanted change. We also needed a much bigger home for our growing family. Our daughter was only three months old when we move to Cocoa Beach. We thought it was a great move. Slow down a bit and spend more time together. Enjoy the laid back life... the place of fun and sun. Boating in the Banana River and cruising around Snug Harbor, visiting neighbors from the dock in their backyards. The town is surrounded by water; we had a navigable canal in our backyard. The street across from us is open-water where the Banana River is. Two blocks away is the Atlantic Ocean. If you are familiar with the TV show from the 60's called "I dream of Genie", this was the place that the show was suppose to have happened.

One good feature we liked about Cocoa Beach was that Cape Canaveral is only fifteen-minute drive from our house. The Cape Canaveral has a huge busy pier for cruise ships like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney and many other ships that sails to the Caribbean. Our first family cruise was out from there aboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, which includes ports of call such as Nassau, Bahamas, US Virgin Island, St. Thomas and Netherland Antilles, St. Maarten. Another huge ports that are only three-hour drive from Cocoa Beach are Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We have also taken cruises from these ports (see my other blogs for photos).

Five years of living in the Sunshine state was wonderful. I miss our old neighborhood. People are so friendly and nice. Every year, there was a block party during Christmas season and picnics in springtime! My daughter's favorite is Halloween when we get to knock on our neighbor's doors and actually invites us to get in for a friendly chat. Our local Catholic church held a Fall Festival every year as well. Children and parents get to spend wonderful time together and run into almost everybody we knew, it's like a neighborhood party.

west point drive, cocoa beach

daybreak...

i took this photo on my way home from a night-shift job

our back yard... boat house

'twas totally awesome pool... lots of good memories

my kitchen

***friends

visiting us from California

Cheers to 2008!!!

2007

Halloween... trick or treating @ work

World Famous Ron Jon Surf Shop

Trick or treat at work

Father's Day with my family and my friend Family

2006

Magic Kingdom, Disney Orlando

Fall Festival @Church

 

Halloween with our neighbors

2005

One of our Wedding Anniversaries

@Ming Court Chinese Restaurant in International Drive, Orlando (very good food)

My baby riding a pony during a friend's birthday @ a Horse Ranch

Shops in Orlando

Boating around our neighborhood

Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral is where NASA launches space shuttles since the 60's. Every time KSC launches a shuttle, we could easily watch it from our backyard... not the whole thing, just when the shuttle is up and on its way to the atmosphere. It was a big deal; people flock to the beach and nearby areas to watch the launch. Sadly, the program ends by Fall of this year (2010).