Today

“Write it on your heart

that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day

who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety.

Finish every day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in.

Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit

to be cumbered with your old nonsense.

This new day is too dear,

with its hopes and invitations,

to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson 

To market, to market

One of the things I will miss about living here in Tabuk is the lovely market. This one is called the Dagupan market. It has a great selection of fruits and veggies that change with the seasons. It also has imported fruits mostly from China, but I have even seen things from California!

Along with the produce, there is a meat for sale, but I don't like venturing into that part. There is used clothing, new clothing, tons of flip flops and umbrellas and many other household supplies. Enjoy the few pictures below :) 

Shopping 

Yummy fruit juice - my favorite is the white one, can you name that fruit? 

Lovely homemade brooms - they work really well

Pretty straw hats

Transport outside the market waiting to take you home

Entering the market area 

Fried banana anyone? Yes please :) 

Sweet bead lady - her headband is made out of snake bones, so cool

Assorted veggies 

Very hot peppers

Onions, garlic and fresh ginger

Garlic 

Pineapples are in season! 

Making sticky rice, covered with a banana leaf 

The inside portion of the market

Jackfruit - SO tasty! 

Assorted goodies 

Dried fish - there are many different kinds

Home made treats 

The nice woman who we buy fruit from & her granddaughter

The other lady we buy fruit from

Baby Rheaner Tianne - Second repeat patient

I love catching babies and I double love catching more than one baby for the same mother. Her first baby, Eliza Jane, was my third catch on December 9th 2011. Her second baby, Rheaner Tianne, is my sixty-first catch on July 5th 2013. 

I was able to do all the prenatal exams for this baby and loved seeing little Eliza at the visits (for some reason I never took a photo). The first baby took 38 minutes of pushing and for this baby only 12 minutes! It is true (most of the time), second babies are easier than first babies. 

This young man loves being a daddy. He eagerly held his baby girl shortly after her birth, speaking sweetly to her and gently touching her face. Later he helped me give her, her first bath and dressed her for the first time. They are young parents and some would see this as a bad thing, but when you see the love between them and the love they have for their little girls, I can see nothing but goodness. 

It was an honor to be apart of such a special time for this young family. I pray God's riches blessings on them and their growing family. 

Isn't she sweet? 

Magsaysay Sunsets

I love sunsets. I love the way they bring forth the glory of God in such a vivid way. Each one so different, hand created simply for the beauty of the viewer. To me a sunset shows how God loves us in seemingly unimportant ways. A sunset doesn't serve any seemingly useful purpose, yet, they cause us to pause, to stand in awe and to enjoy the world around us, if only for the time it takes for a sunset to come and go. 

The sunsets here in Kalinga have been some of the most beautiful I have ever seen.

I am sure going to miss them. 

Fiesta

This week there is a Fiesta happening here in Tabuk City. There was a parade where they did native dancing, it was really neat! I probably added to many pictures, but I just couldn't decide what ones I liked best :)

We also decided to face the heat and attended the first ever Tabuk City rodeo today. It was being held at 1pm and boy was it HOT!  We only stayed long enough to watch one small calf get roped and then had to retreat to find shade.

I enjoyed shopping through the many neat booths that were selling various crafts and treats. One booth was selling fresh sugar cane juice, yum! Thankfully the booths were under shade trees.

Enjoy the pictures!