Buttons and Bows

Hola Mi Amigos!!

Had some recent inspiration to write a blog for you guys and let you know what we have been up too.

We have finally set a DATE! 4.26.2014 (our birthday)!!

When we first started dating we went to the circus at the Bi-Lo center and when we were in line for beer the lady said you guys have the same birthday!  What are the odds?  Well, since then Merrick asked me when the next Saturday is our birthday.  Looked it up, and it was 4-26-2014!  He looked at me and said, "we are getting married on that day".  Well, here we are, so it only seems perfect we stick to it. Originally, we wanted to do something crazy and runaway somewhere like Montana and get hitched, but now that we are in Australia it is difficult to plan a wedding getaway when we are the ones away.

So, we have decided to have a wonderful wedding in Greenville at Viewpoint at Buckhorn Creek.  No matter where we were in our lives we always had a home in Greenville.  We met in Greenville and we met our best friends there.  So, it only made sense to have it there.  We kept going back and forth on where we wanted have the wedding and when we saw the Viewpoint at Buckhorn Creek we were all in.  Merrick and I aren't fancy people and just enjoy being ourselves with the ones we love in a casual setting. Our moms went there for the final approval a couple of weeks ago and they both really loved it.  My thing was making sure I could get some awesome pictures there and they said it was perfect for that.  So, I am happy!!!

Now, its planning time.  Not really sure what I want since I never thought I would be planning a proper wedding.  I got the man and the dress (most important to me).  Not sure what else I need to do.  I know which photographer I want, not sure about the color scheme, not sure about a band, and the catering and alcohol is underway.  I will be home in Oct/Nov to make those final decisions.

But, other than wedding stuff we just got back from the Philippines.  We found some really cheap flights about 8 months ago and we couldn't use them till 2013, so we decided to have a tropical 4 year anniversary.  I was a little nervous about going there since the last time my mom and I went it was a little dangerous.  So, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Merrick and I usually just get to the destination we are going and plan what we are going to do when we land.  Makes thing more flexible for us than being stuck with a standard tour.  Anyhow, we just decided to get a hotel in Manila and pick an Island to explore than do the planning when we got there.

When we landing in Manila I was telling Merrick how people are crazy and how they might start trying to grab bags and getting him to go with them.  But It was the complete opposite.  Everything had been regulated and there weren't anyone coming after our bags and the taxi service had been regulated with set prices to where you needed to go.  Everyone spoke very good english and it was easy.  Positive.

We get in the taxi and start heading to Makati (which is the financial district of Manila) and when we go to our hotel it was super nice and kinda hidden in a little alley way.  We dropped out bags and decided to just start exploring.  It started to rain really hard so we were limited on really walking around  so we decided to grab some lunch and people watch (our favorite thing to do).  When we found a place to eat that had outdoor seating the first thing we see is this lovely filipino lady in the street with her things out and her thang out.  WELCOME TO MANILA Merrick screams!  The picture explains it all.  Our hotel is behind her.

Merrick and I got what we asked for, good people watching.  She had an audience and she did not let the rain stop her from working that is for sure.  We sat there for about 2 hours drinking beer and talking with creepy old white men from the States that were there "on business".

We enjoyed that afternoon.  Some filipino lady finally got sick of her in the street messing with herself she paid her and paid a taxi to take her home.  Merrick was upset.

That night we went to the Hobbit House (a pub with all filipino midgets), Merrick's choice.  He saw it on the travel channel and said that if we ever went to the Philippines we had to go.  So, we headed there and we thought it was just going to be a big crazy mess of midgets and it was like any other pub.  They came and talked with us, took shots, and loved getting their pictures taken.  So, we basically got hustled by little people taking hobbit shots.  Worth the photo though.

After the Hobbit House, we took it back to the city and decided to bar hop and have a night.  We stopped at several pubs without a hitch, till I had to go to the bathroom.  The only time Merrick and I were separated (5 mins) I got grabbed by an older white man asking how much I was an hour and that he was interested.  I, of course in good Pam fashion got angry and started telling the old man off.  As soon as he heard my messed up accent he was so embarrassed and ran off.  Came back to tell Merrick and of course he didn't believe me.  After leaving there, I got approached by another white man asking what my price was (Merrick was behind me) and gave me some nasty looks.  Merrick told the guy off and he apologized as if he had already landed me for the night.  So, being mistaken as a filipino prostitute was not my shining moment. Negative.

My best friends know that when I look in the mirror I don't think I am brown.  I sometimes think I am a white girl and don't know how I could be mistaken as a foreigner.  But, after traveling all over South East Asia, I have come to the realization that yes, I am brown and asian.

After all the mistakes in identity, Merrick and I got convinced to go into a club called Tickles.  We were just dancing away...until the girls came out and started inviting people to come on stage.  Merrick looked at me with those puppy dog eyes asking if he could go on stage.  Mama said sure.  He was just dancing and having such a good time till the girls started ignoring him for not putting out the cash.  Merrick loves to party, just not pay for it.

After having a big night out in Manila we decided to just spend our last day at the pool and shop around the markets a little.  We had a 6pm flight to Palawan so we didn't get to crazy.

After getting settled in El Nido we booked in our first island hopping tour.  We had to be at the boat early and since they only run electricity on the island from 5pm-6am we were up as soon as the ac shut off. I am all about the eco-friendly stuff, but man was it hot.

Well, as you can see from the picture that is the bad boy that stung me.  We were on the boat and had to put our life jackets on after our first stop because the waves were really choppy.  As soon as I put my life jacket on I felt a nasty sting on my back.  I thought it might have been a crab since a man on the boat was playing with one earlier. I took the life jacket off and saw this on the inside of it. I immediately went into panic mode and told Merrick, he didn't believe it was a scorpion until he saw it. Everyone on the boat was freaking out cause they all thought I was going to go die of a heart attack.  A guy on the boat told Merrick to suck the venom out of my back and he started pouring bourbon on my back. Bless Merrick, he was so scared and I could see in his cute little face that he was scared for my life.  He went in cardiologist mode and asked me how I was feeling and if I felt like I was going into shock.  It hurt really bad, and felt like a really bad bee sting.  Thank goodness the larger the scorpion the less venomous. I was fine after about 30 minutes.  We think the guy who was sitting next to me brought it on the boat.  He is the one who is holding the scorpion.

Other than that little scare, El Nido was absolutely beautiful! It was like what you see in the movies.  The water was so clear and the sand was so white.  We loved it!!  They had some awesome snorkeling!

We are back to work now.  We have planned our next trip to Seminyak, Indonesia with a couple friend of ours for July when it's cold and rainy here.

I am going to do the next blog on pics of the house.  I have been promising this for a while and have been slack.

Hey guys!!  So, i'm basically a hero.  i saved pam's life and now she is in love with me even more.  we had a great time in the mother land and look forward to going back one day with minda and lou.  i am bummed that the filipino girls didnt want to dance with me, but apparently they thought i had purchased my own filipina, pam.  Just want to say hello to everyone and i cant wait to see ya'll at the wedding next year.  smooches! - merrick