The first family of Maryland hosted a holiday state house reception today at Annapolis, MD. Me, together with the Gelido family attended the event.

The highlight of the event showcases the Patriotic Star- Spangled Tree. The ornaments were made by students from various Baltimore County Public. Schools. Also,  at the invitation of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, students from the following schools have created seasonal murals currently on display in storefronts on Pennsylvania and Chesapeake avenues.

I started my day early. I had to renew my CPR certification. We had this Chinese guy Ming as our CPR mentor and there were 5 of us in the class. It only took me 2 hours to complete certification. I was surprised that they don’t pay close attention to return demos. You just have to follow the video and complete a written assessment afterwards. Back in the Phil, CPR training takes 5 hours minimum because return demos are taken seriously. If you don’t have the correct technique, you will have to do it again or worse fail training.

At dinner time, the Gelido family and I together with friends attended Samantha’s awarding ceremony at Lock Raven High School in Towson, Maryland. She was awarded Honorable Mention in the recent Poster Making Contest hosted by the Baltimore County Fire Department.

Vacation is over. I’m back in Baltimore. I miss the Gelido kids and I was glad to know they missed me too. I found a welcome back poster at my doorstep when I got back. So sweet of them.

They immediately opened their presents. John likes his birthday gift. I gave him a 3 in 1 Lego set. Sam adores her bracelet charms. And cutie Naneng loves her outdoor doll set.

Menlo Park Mall, Edison, New Jersey

Macy’s New Port, New Jersey

Macy’s 34th Street, New York City

Time Warner, New York City

Macy’s, Paramus New Jersey

Jersey Gardens Outlet Mall, Elizabeth,  New Jersey

The first time I went to the Rockefeller Center, the tree wasn’t up yet. So my Tita Lulu and I went there tonight to see the fantastic Christmas Tree. A lot of people were there to see it too, mostly foreigners and tourists.

After staying at Rockefeller Center, we walked along 5th avenue where we got to see the Trump Tower, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Signature shops like Gucci, Coach, Versace and Colehaan.

I am so lucky to be reunited with my first cousin from my father’s side, Ate Vilma. She lives in Bergenfield, NJ not to far from Bayonne where I’m staying. I spent one night at her home and met her husband and kid.

She drove me to NYC to see the hospital where she currently works. She took me to the famous Columbia University, the Empire State Building, the biggest Macy’s store at 34th Street and Time Warner.

At dinner time we attended a debut party of one of our distant relatives from La Union. It feels good to meet and greet relatives and friends. I enjoyed their company. I will come back any time soon.

Now I can truly feel I am already in the US of A. I celebrated Thanksgiving Day for the first time. Together with Tito Pedo and his family, we went to Queens, New York to have Thanksgiving dinner with some people from Sta. Maria, Bulacan. I must say the food was good! Although I’m a little disappointed I was not able to have roasted turkey because the foods were all Filipino dishes. Maybe next year.

I’m back in New Jersey after staying for a week and a half in Baltimore. I am here for a mission…to meet Liberty.

Now my mission is complete. My cousin Bram showed me around New York City. Our first stop was the Statue of Liberty. She is so beautiful. I bet America will not be America without her.

The ferry boat went to Ellis Island after Liberty but we decided not to go down. We instead went back to the Battery and took the subway train to Central Park. The park is so huge, with so many kids playing. I miss my kids. I wish they’re with me as I stroll along Central Park.

Before sunset, we exited the park and went inside The American Museum of Natural History and looked around for a few minutes.

Time Square came in next. The display of billboard lights was magnificent! We walked a bit to check out the Christmas Tree at the Rockefeller Center, unfortunately it isn’t up yet. Maybe I’ll just go back after a couple of days.

From Baltimore, we made a side trip to Washington, D.C. The place was awesome. But since we have a few hours left before the sun goes down, we were only able to go to National Air and Space Museum. And then before heading back to Baltimore, we had dinner in a Thai restaurant at the heart of Washington, D.C. Food was unbelievably delicious, especially their Crispy Tofu Appetizer and Pad Thai noodles.

I will definitely go back to D.C. soon.