Things that are more fun in Philippines

http://www.buzzfeed.com/pauljamez/25-things-that-are-more-fun-in-the-philippines-2kjh

The part where you get off the plane

You get off the plane, and you wind through 3 hallways. You look around and notice that the floor is a bit dirty. You notice that it smells just a little bit. But maybe that's because you're in a "developing country" for the first time. You wonder if it's OK to judge the smell, since it's not really the airport's fault if the country smells bad.

Step. Step. Step.  There's the custom's agent. The passport inspection. Even though you know it's your passport and you're legit, you still wonder if you somehow imagined to be on the interpol list or no-fly list. Maybe the bad guys are going to take you off into the corner, without a phone, who will you call?

Oh. Wait. You've been waived through. There's the luggage, and you look around for other people, to be sure that this is YOUR luggage carrier. Because they might put it in another terminal. You are in another country, after all, things might not be the same here. A woman from 2 rows ahead of you stands at the same place, so you, too, must be in the right place.

Then there's the long, long luggage ramp. It's outside and a little bit dingy. You don't know what comes next. Ahh, there. The signs with the letter of your last name. You wait under them.

These are the things that I imagine Dan will experience, as I did. And then I'll find him there, under the H line.  ahhh, that moment is only 6 hours away.

It's sleeping time

To prepare for this, I ran 6.5 miles
Ok, really, I walked. I walked 4 and ran 2.5. Or maybe I ran 1.5 and walked 5. I can't remember.   The running plan is really to just run and walk while I watch a movei on the treadmill screen.  Of course, working out is much lamer now that we don't have our gym friends to keep us going, but that's a post for another time.

I got done with running and had a sweet conversation with my husband. 1 week until we're together here.

I took a nice and relaxing shower.
I snuggled in my plush bathrobe, which was a little too warm

I closed all the curtains
I put on pajamas, only because Keith and Ashley might be coming later.

I fluffed the pillows. I snuggled in bed. I turned all the lights off.
And waited. And waited.
And I watched Game of Thrones.

So I decided maybe eating warm food would put me to sleep, and thus will wait for room service to arrive with a bowl of hot soup and a glass of wine. I enarly ordered from the children's menu again!

Oh, hey, that one quote thingy.

Apologizing doesn't mean that you were wrong, or the other person was right.
It means you value the relationship more than your ego.

5 miles

I went to the gym for my longest run yet on this trip.

5 miles.
3.6 miles of walking, 1.4 of running.  I am starving myself right now for the hope of being skinny when Dan arrives. Smart, right?

Email versions, for the record

I just wanted to post these emails and see who *you* (gentle reader) believe sent them. I've read them twice, and I think it's Bonnie. Each one will be it's own entry.

Email 1: I send my dad 6 photos of the Philippines. Here's what he writes back:

Rikki,

 

Do not contact me. Until you apologize to my wife for your public abuse of her, and the subsequent physical threats she received, you are dead to me.

I believe I made that clear once before.

-Dad

Boracay

I'm in Boracay right now. Fall in love with it with me. Heaven is here on earth, even though your husband can't be here to enjoy it with you...