We top off the day with a taste of some really good flaavored popcorn courtesy of Apple's BF, Skish who runs this unique Kiosk called "Doc Popcorn"!! You should try the Jalapeno flavored one ...it's nice and spicy hot!!
We all pose for a souvineer shot at this famous boardwalk in Asbury park, NJ. it was a nice moonlit night to hangout on the boardwalk...
Appllejack,Joy, Mama Naty and Killian pose in front of the "Bilao" full of Pinoy delicacies!! "Kakaing ka ng Husay" ika nga ni Kakang Lube !!!
We welcome Killian to our home with a nice bar-b-que feast of Filipino treats ...
The twins run down the hill towards where the stage was...that brown patch on the right side of this picture..imagine these same field was full of people who watched and braved the rain and mud of this historical concert!!
Chona & I pose infront of the marker to commemorate the original site of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival here at upstate Bethel, NY in the Adirondacks.... PEACE & LOVE...
July 8th ...Dani & Gaby's Birthday... we start the day with the twins blowing their candles on the cup cakes that Dani baked the night before!
A quick Brunch at Lake George before heading back home to NJ.
We say our good-Byes to our hosts' and take a quick picture infront of their apartment bldg...
Family picture in this picturesque scene at the Oratoire St Joseph du Mont Royal....
With our hosts', Chris,Rexie & son Migi, we savored the festive scene in downtown Montreal as we watch and listen the the 32nd Montreal Jazz Festival!!
J U N E 2 0 1 1 - School's Out!! Welcome Summer 2011 !!
Alvin with brother Allan, me & Manny pose before the grilling really started...Check out those lamb chops!!
We hosted a small barb-b-que in honor of our guests' from LA, Alvin's Mom,Tita Lita, together with Allan & Gigi and Angela, Avie's daughter.
Joy demonstrates the size of the lobster she ate , which seems to be too small!!! Mama Nati,Manny and my whole family went over to the Belmar Seafood Festival despite the rainy weather at the Jersey shore!! It was well worth it and after buying the lobsters, we decided to head back to cousin Alvin & Marlen's home to feast on them sweet and delicious crustaceans. We also had some fried calamari, lobster bisque, and those sweet potato fries which we chased down with a nice bottle of Corona beer. Sarap Kain!!!
M A Y 2 0 1 1 - Happy Mother's Day !!!
Memorial Day Weekend ...
We sit and rest after walking around the tourist area of Philadelphia and also around it's small Chinatown area...I found and bought me the bamboo flute that looks similar to the one I used to play way back when ...
The Pilgrim poses with a gentleman from Philadelphia! We drove to the City of Brotherly Love to check out the Liberty Bell on this beautiful sunny Memorial Day weekend.
Lauren, classmate of Dani & Gaby sit by the railings on the boardwalk at Asbury Park,NJ on a cool and misty Saturday afternoon...
Sunday Brunch to celebrate a lovely Spring Day on this very special Mother's Day !!!
The two Grandma's pose with the twins to welcome "Mother's Day"...
Gaby plays the piano while Mama Nati, Dani and Chona watches and listens ...
A P R I L 2 0 1 1
Good Saturday....we had our Easter celebration earlier so that everyone could celebrate their own Easter the next morning ...
Hanging out by the boardwalk in Asbury park with Papa Dolph and Mike,the weekend before Mike was to go back to Arizona....
M A R C H 2 0 1 1 . . .
We had a Filipino Priest which our cousin Alvin M. brought to say the Mass held at our home for Tita Lou's "Pa Siyam". Mike prepared "Dinuguan" according to Tita's recipe and Chona prepared the "Callos" and Beef with Mushrooms. Relatives and friends brought over several dishes too like "Pansit' and all kinds of desert. Choy's wife made several pans of her famous "Leche Flan" to the delight of everyone! Tita's Nurses all came and so with Tita Rosie and Larry, the doctors from her old place of work and also Tita's "Mahjong " mates. Kuya Ray Umali and wife, ate Vangie were there also bringing some pansit also and bottle of wine. We all had a nice time eating our heart's out while remeniscing stories of Tita Lou and the fun times we all had while she was still alive. On behalf of our cousins in Manila and all the relatives and friends who helped us all go thoiugh this sad times, we Thank You all from the bottom of our hearts!!
It was a sad day last March 12th 2011, a Saturday night that we all would not forget. Our Dear Tita Lou passed away at around 9:30pm after undergoing several emergency operations which unfortunately her frail body couldn't handle. Her ever present loving daughter Joy, with the help of Tita's close friends, the Nurses from Brooklyn helped Joy and our family deal with the emergency as well as her loss. We pray for the eternal repose of her soul and may she Rest in Peace.
Gaby competing in the annual Asbury Park Press Spelldown. She finished 25th in a pool of 99 contestants. A big congratulations to our dear daughter.
F E B R U A R Y 2011 - "Happy Valentines"
Mike,Tintin, Joey, Kuya Eddie & Mae
Mike,Tintin posing with Joey's friends and neighbors in celebration of his Birthday on Feb 19th 2011.
Chona,Babeng, Dani,& Gaby line up for the single Tubing at Blue Mountain Ski Resort up in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvannnia...
Let's all give our Heart a step up by giving a lot of Chocolate Love...
Umali Clan Reunion last Feb 6th 2011 in San Jose, Batangas. See if you can still recognize any of our Uncles and Aunts and cousins....
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 - H a p p y N e w Y e a r !
Another snowstorm hits our area dumping at least 16 inches of pure packed snow making it so hard to shovel it! My snowblower broke a screw that holds the revolving blades making it useless in my task to clear the driveway. Ended up shoveling it with the help from Chona...I was still able to drive to work that early afternoon!!!
Jan 12th snowstorm,the sixth since the Christmas weekend! 14 1/2 inches of real white stuff!!!
Mama Nati poses with the grandchildren and more .... L-R Back...Aiza,Gaby,Dang,Angel & wife Aubrey,Dani,Applejack,Mae holding li'l Jack and her husband Jack at the back. Front ... Darick holding l'il Joseph and finally Brianna. Mama Nati's 85th Birthday celebration which we had dinner at this nice Golf country Club named Royce Brook in Hillsborough,NJ!
The DLS Bros. with our Dear Mother , Mama Nati .... L-R Mike,Rene,Joey, Manny,Jojo and Kuya Eddie.
Taken inside the lobby of the Borgata in Atlantic City....
We drove our guests' to NYC to see the Tree at Rockefeller and ate at the famous "Juniors" on 44th st.
The Kids greet the New Year with lots of noise and merriment!
Everyone await the coming New Year listening and watching the countdown on TV!!
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 - M e r r y C h r i s t m a s ! ! !
Dani & Gaby play host to Brianna, Aiza's daughter. We start the New Year with guest' from Phoenix,Az arriving for our family reunion in celebration of Mama Nati's comng Birthday on Jan 4th. Joey,Jenny and Kuya Eddie & Ces are scheduled to arrive in the comnig week. Mike arrived with Aiza and her two kids, Joseph & Brianna.
Jo' and I take 5 after clearing the snow that we got from the blizzard of 2010, day after Christmas!! All the snow we got, all 24 inches plus the drift was enough for the whole state of NJ to declare it an emergency....no work!
Christmas Eve at the famous Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York city. We braved the cold weather to see the famous Christmas tree and other decorations around this area. Had a quick dinner and just made it in time to greet our Dear Lord Jesus.
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 - H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G !!!
Mama Nati,Tita Lu,Gaby,Joy & Dani pose infront of the table for our Thanksgiving feast!
Everybody smiles for the camera just before we all dig in for our annual Thanksgiving dinner.
Me,Dang,Steven,David, Jojo and Jun at the "American Garage" ...
O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0 - T r i c k or T r e a t !!!
Brianna in her cute Halloween costume
That's Joseph in his version of a robot from the movie "Transformer" .... with Brianna in the background....
Andrea Mae with husband Jack and stepson wearing an "Iron Man" costume for the Halloween Trick or Treating ....
Gaby and Dani in their Halloween oufits ready for Trick or Treating ....we drove them to their classmates' neighborhood in our area for the night of treats ....
Manny,Dani,Gaby & Mama Nati pose in front of Karl's grave to celebrate his Birthday, 26th Oct and also to welcome the up-coming Halloween .....
Dani,Gaby and our neighbor Amanda having fun picking out pumpkins at this farm in our area for the up-coming Halloween.
Chona,Gaby,Amanda & Dani load up our bag with some nice Fuji apples at the Battleground apple orchards.
S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 0
Jojo flew all the way to Phoenix to be with the other half of the DLS Bros and celebrated his Birthday over there.
Of course the night is not complete without a nice jam and sing-a-long with the DLS Bros.
A U G U S T 2 0 1 0
Dani & Gaby pose with their Lolo & Lola before we drive to the airport for their trip back home to Manila and on to Olongapo.... Teary-eyed we all say our "Good-Byes" and a profound "Thank You" for Papa Dolph and Mama Evie for their help and patience in rearing up the twins and their over-all help in making our home a pleasant place to live.
Me, Chona, Mama Evie and Papa Dolph pose in front of the house as we get ready to drive to JFK airport....
J U L Y 2 0 1 0
We celebrate Mike's Birthday by saying farewell also as he prepares the long drive to Phoenix, Arizona with Angel as his companion!!
Our annual Family vacation ....Rockland , Maine
Dani & Gaby pose infront of the resort we stayed at in Rockland, Maine. A nice long drive to a very relaxing four-day weekend savoring the cool weather by the sea and of course the delicious lobsters we dined on almost every day of our stay over here!!
Our annual July 4th celebration at Jun & Emy's home with the Sison's including their newest edition . . . Lauren Emily held by Joy as seen from this picture. They are the only young kids around to celebrate with us as most of the older kids are gone or have their own party to go to!!
J U N E 2 0 1 0
Dinner at Marlen & Alvin's home in honor of their sonTimothy's passing the grade and starting his High School next school year. Alvin's Mom,Tita Lita and brother Allan and wife Gigi was there also as were Marlen's Mom and Dad who came over from Manila, and her sister Gay, husband Niel and their three sons and also Marlen's youngest sister and her boyfriend. We had a couple of beers while reminiscing with the Marlen's Dad about life back "Home"!
Chona and the twins pose with their piano teacher, Miss Barb after another successful Recital last June 19th 20110. Dani & Gaby playeda duet , "Venitian Gondolier"by Oscar Fried. Dani's solo was "Sonata in G" by Beethoven and Gaby's piece was "Romanze" also by Beethoven.
M A Y 2 0 1 0
We take a break by the trails that go around Mohonk Lake and savor the beauty and serenity of this natural habitat.. The grounds offer miles of marked trails and roads on 2200 acres and an additional 6400 acres of preserved woodlands for a total of 85 acres of hiking pleasure!!.
Dani,Gaby & Chona relaxes under a bed of wild roses at this peaceful garden at Mohonk Lake Mountain House in upstate New Patlz, New York.
Infront of the house in Bacoor with the Umali and Putong clan during the town fiesta celebrations... May 9th 2010 ...
We start this merry month by commemorating Papa Ja's Death Anniversary, May 9th with a nice jam session by us three, Jojo, Mke and me at the garage in my home. It took a while before we finally got the amps and the mixers tuned to the right voloume and sound. We drank to Papa Ja's memories and reminisced on all the good things we shared with him while he was here on earth.
We also called Manila to greet Mama Nati a nice Mother's Day over there while she was with friends and relatives celebrating also the very famous Bacoor Town Fiesta!! We look forward for more happenings for this month of May.
A P R I L 2 0 1 0
This month ends with remembering the death anniversary of our dear Karl, son of Joey & Jenny, brother to Killian and Aiza. I was surprised to see some flowers already by his tombstone so I added more. I met Mama Nati & Manny at the Phil-Am store in Colonia where we ate lunch before they also headed to visit Karl's grave. The family also celebrated Mama Evie's birthday last Sunday, a day earlier than her actual birthday on May 3rd. It was also an advance Mother's day celebration and DEspedida for Mama Nati & Manny who left for Manila last May 4th. All in all, April was a quiet spring month.
The Family went to this National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, PA for our Easter Sunday Mass. Mama Nati, Manny, Tita Lu ,Joy and Steven all went with us for this solemn mass to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We ate brunch at a nearby Perkins restaurant before heading back home to NJ. We all felt holy and blessed after the mass and the rest of that Easter Sunday!
Mike, Papa Dolphs, Mama Evie,Dani, Gaby, Rene, Mama Nati, Chona and Steven
Manny, Mike, Joy, Mama Nati, Tita Lu, Chona & Mama Evie
We welcome this Spring month by spending the afternoon in Central Park in NYC. Gaby invited her friend and classmate, Dariya to join us to savor the spring weather and just to absorb the sights and sounds of the season. We went into the Central Park Zoo and just mingled with all the other people eager to break free of the winter doldrums of the past month! We look forward to Easter with renewed strength and hope for our body and soul.
The girls posing by the seals' pond at the Central Park Zoo, NYC.
Gaby,Dani & Dariya
M A R C H 2 0 1 0
We skip this month since the only news was the flooding in some low area towns near rivers, streams or beach that pummelled the Tri-State area. We were fortunate enough to be spared the grief that some residents had to endure not to mention the downed trees and power lines that some towns were out of electricity for at least a week!
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0
With this month we also take note of another milestone event with the 50th Birthday celebration of our dear brother Joey. His wife, Jenny prepared a sumptous buffet of selected dishes that I'm sure Joey enjoyed as well as their guests' which included Mama Nati & Manny who flew to Phoenix just to help celebrate our brother's special day.
This is what we may call a real hole in one !! Cheers Bro !
Joey blows the candle as his "apo", Brianna looks on anticipating the cutting of the cake!
The winter has really taken hold on us with several snow storms and a real Blizzard which brought some real headaches to the eastern region from the DC area all the way down to Virginia. School was closed for a couple of days over here in the tri-state area to the kid's delight. We take a break over the weekend with a cold outing on the deck of the famous World War II aircraft carrier USS Intrepid with our cousin Alvin MK and family.
Gaby & Dani frolicking in the snow the day after the winter storm. Hooray!! No School!!
Dani,Gaby,Paulo & Tim marvel at the "Captain's Bridge" on the USS Intrepid !
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 0
New Year, New Month .... let's hope that this new beginning will be the difference in making this year better than the previous one! We greet all the birthday celebrants, Mama Nati, Trish, Boots, Boycie & Kuya Eddie. Nothing much to report except for a very special delivery last 18th January.... Trish, Ruby's only daughter has given birth to a healthy baby boy, Joshua. Mother and baby are doing fine and you can check out more pictures thru Ruby or Trish's "Facebook" page!! Congratulations Trish and Joshua, Welcome to the clan !!!
Hi everybody! My name is Joshua, son of Trish !!
Lola Beng with her "Apo", Joshua.
Gaby & Dani with their piano teacher, Miss Barb after completing another successful recital last Saturday, 16th January.
D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 9
The Holidays came by without much going on probably due to the recession the whole country is going through. But Christmas cannot be denied specially to young children who will stick to the story of Santa Claus will always be true to his word to show up on his designated time and place. So we close out 2009 and welcome a New Year, 2010 , and hope this will be a good year if not better!
We greet the new year with the three Kings ...I mean the three Chef's - Gaby,Derick & Dani ....
Our traditional Christmas dinner at Jun & Emy's home with fewer people since most have either gone to their own parties and also most of the kids are now grown-up !!
Christmas morning before heading to church ...at least the children got their Christmas presents...
Our "Noche Buena" at our home with Mama Nati, Mike,Jojo & Manny...
Our first snow storm of the season dumped at least 18inches to make it really feel the Christmas Spirit !!
N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 9
November ends with a short excursion to Princeton with Steven and my family. We visited the university's museum and admired the tour given by the staff. The pieces on display were really immpressive as compared to a larger museum.
Thanksgiving 2009 held at our house with friends and relatives.
Dani & Gaby poses with our parish priest, Fr. Roberts outside the church after their Installation as Altar Servers.
November started with Paulo's birthday celebration held at their home in Matawan,NJ. The proud parents,Marlen & Alvin show-off their team spirit for the World Series Champs...Go Yankees !!!
O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
We end October with a "Trick or Treat" Halloween with Paulo in their neighborhood in Matawan, NJ . . .
October has always been a busy month for the clan starting with the birthday of yours truly... not to mention the wedding of Angel to Aubrey which was held at this chapel in the middle of a park in central NJ.
We all came dressed nicely for the occassion and ready for a celebration. This was a time also for the DLS clan to be complete again with Kuya Eddie,Mama Ces & Mae flying in from Phoenix as well as Joey,Jenny & Killian. Ruby & family drove all the way from Florida.
It was also a time to see and party with some relatives and friends that we haven't seen for a while. Of course a gathering won't be complete without a bit of drama which I guess every family occassion witnesses' and experiences'!! But the main thing is we all gathered for a nice family happening and welcomed and added another branch in our expanding family circle.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9
The Brrr... month starts the fall season and so with the new school year for all grade school kids, high school and college. With parents getting frantic again about everything from the clothes they would wear to the the fancy book covers and sharpened pencils and erasable pens!! We greet the celebrants of this month starting with our brother Jojo and nephew, Angel. We add also the surprise "Baby Shower" held for Carla Sison by their friends from Flushing, Queens.... We look forward for the next month with birthdays and a wedding ....Check it out !!!
Jojo blows the candle while Joy,Mama Evie,Mike and the twins look on...
L-R Me,Manny Gaby,Dani,Mama Evie,Chona,Joy, Ian & Carla + baby girl or boy ???
A U G U S T 2 0 0 9
This summer month came and went by without much to report about except the emergency surgery that Jenny, Joey's wife, had to go through. Mama Nati went to Phoenix accompanied by Manny. I came also with the intention of escorting Mama Nati back to NY but since Jenny's surgery was moved to another date, I just decided to go anyway to help and be with our brothers Joey and Kuya Eddie. The surgery was successful and Jenny is on her way to recovery. The doctors will monitor her recovery to make sure everything goes well.
The Mayo Clinic hospital were Jenny had her surgery. Joey ,Tita Dolly, Mama Nati & Aiza watch over her.
L-R Rey,me,Joey, Mama Nati, Kuya Ed,Ces, Mae & her boyfriend ...
My family and I had a short weekend trip to Cape Cod and went on a side trip to Boston on the way back home. L-R Mama Evie, me, Gaby & Papa Dolphs.
Fanueil Hall , Boston, Ma. - Dani & Gaby
J U L Y 2 0 0 9
What a busy month with our usual July 4th at Jun & Emy's home then followed by the Twin's birthday on the 8th by taking them together with one friend each at the NJ Aquarium in Camden,NJ. We also mention Mama Ces' visit. We picked her up while helping to take care of our recuperating Tita Lu who had a major surgery, which I'd like to mention that she's doing just fine after this seriuos surgery! From there we went to the city to enjoy the sights and then had a nice Sunday Bar-B-que at home. We end the month with a quiet celebration of Mike's Birthday held at our backyard for a nice juicy "inihaw na baboy" by our Grill master, Manny. We all look froward for the coming month of August!
July Birthday Celebrants ...
Mama Ces !! Sunog na yung BBQ !
Visiting Tita Lu at St. Luke's hospital in NYC .
L-R Dariya, Anna, Gaby & Dani at the NJ Aquarium.
L-R Jojo, Jun, me, Mike ... July 4th at Jun & Emy's
J U N E 2 0 0 9
This month came by and went with out much going on except that our cousin Joanne and son Steven came over to check-out the university that he's going to attend until he graduates ! The kids are mostly on vacation now and starting to get bored! It's been a wet summer so far but good for the trees, plants and the grass...
M A Y 2 0 0 9
We top-off the month with a nice gathering with Aiza's family, husband Jason,son, Joseph and daughter Brianna. They came over to our house and we all drove to the city to view Joseph's favorite animals, the dinosaurs!! Funny how he reacted as soon as we got inside the museum . It took a bit of coaxing from his dad before he decided to finally enjoy the artifacts of every archealogical display in that part of the museum. Next day, they all came back to enjoy the barbeque we had prepared for our "Memorial Day" celebration. We also had a celebration to celbrate the bithday of aubrey's Mom and also Jason's. Both days had perfect weather for a nice family feast !
L-R Jojo,me, Mike,Papa Dolphs & Manny-our official "Grill Master" !
Aiza & Brianna with the two "Lola's" ....
Tita Gaby & Tita Dani with their neice,Brianna & nephew, Joseph !!
,
L-R- Chona,Dani,Aiza,Brianna,Gaby & Mama Evie.
Even after his dad was carrying him,Joseph still seems scared of the dinosaur ...T-Rex !!!
L-R Dani,Gaby,Brianna,Aiza & Joseph pose infront of this huge skeletal turtle ...
They all take a pose infront of the American Museum of Natural History on 81st St. and Central Park west, NYC
Taken in front of the "Outback" restaurant where we had dinner to commemorate Papa Ja's 27th Death Anniversary, last May 9th 2009.
We also celebrated "Mother's Day" that night as you can see the "Mom's" displaying their beautifull corsage on this important night of celebration!
A P R I L 2 0 0 9
April ends with a nice gathering at Alvin & Marlen's home in celebration of their son Paulo's "First Communion". Tita Lu,Joy, Mama Naty,Mike & Manny except for Jojo was there. So was the whole Sales family of Jun & Emy, sons David & Jeffrey and daughter Elaine. Two of Marlen's sisters and family where there also to help celebrate Paulo's indoctrination to our christian way of life.
This spring month was surely a busy one for the clan. We had our vistors from Manila via Albany,NY in the presence of Caloy Umali and family. His wife Dada, son, Miguel aka "Osh" and daughter Aui. They drove from Albany,NY were they attended several family events on Dada's side and were able to drop-by at Angels and Aubrey's house in Bridgewater,NJ. They stayed overnight at our place and we helped them do some serious shopping at this new outlet called "Jersey Shore Premium Outlet" in Tinton Falls,NJ. They hardly could fit in the car with all their suitcases and the stuff they bought at the outlet !! All-in-all, we all enjoyed seeing each other again after all these years.
Taken from the dining room with our "Bisita's" ...
L-R Standing ...Caloy,Angel,Alvin & Osh Sitting ...Aui and Dada
We take a pose the morning before we took them to the new outlet stores near our house...
M A R C H 2 0 0 9
L-R- Chona,Steven,Lauren, Joanne & Mike ... Relaxing with a nice bottle of Cab courtesy of Mike B.
L-R Mama Evie,Mama Nati,Tita Lu,Joanne,Manny,Joy & Mike B. Saturday afternoon as we start the celebration in welcoming the our cousins from the West coast ...
We take a pose while listening to Jojo serenading the guest's ...
F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 9
Alvin's Birthday as we celebrate it together on Valentine's Day ! It was held at their new place in Matawan.
Gaby & Dani playing outside in our backyard after a small snowstorm hit our area.
J a n u a r y 2 0 0 9
Mama Nati blows her candle celebrating her 83rd Birthday...
We greet the New Year with songs of Praise !!
D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 8
L-R Tita Lu,Joy,Jun.Emy,Mike,Jojo,me & Chona...
After welcoming the New Year we take a break by eating again !
Posing in front of the dinner table kina Jun & Emy ...
Our "Noche Buena" sa aming bahay...
November 2008
Thanksgiving Feast at the 4 Sison's home in Flushing ,Queens.
Everybody smiles and say good-bye to our hosts' after a very sumptous meal ...
October 2008
Chona, Mama Evie and Mama Naty infront of Dani's school to watch their "Halloween" parade while I drive to Gaby's school to watch hers...Happy Halloween !!
Our yearly devotion to Karls grave to wish him "Happy Birthday" and a Happy Halloween.
L-R Olga, Fe and daughter Stepahnie, Chona & Manny looking at some old picutres with Toto while he lived in Queens,NY.
With great sadness we say goodbye to a good friend and my "Kina-kapatid" Francisco "Toto" Sarabia Jr. He passed away last October 21st 2008 due to an unfortunate vehicular accident at EDSA in Manila. We would like to give our heartfelt condolences to his wife Sylvia and all the Sarabia clan. A memorial mass was held at Boying & Fe's house last October 26th 2008 with close family and friends. We pray for the eternal repose of his soul and may he rest in peace.
This month begins with our usual double Birthday celebration of Manny & yours truly at our home in NJ. It was a nice Saturday event with friends and relatives joining us for this happy occassion.
September 2008
This month went by so fast that we didn't even notice it except for the sad state of our financial downfall in Wall Street and the terrible outcome of our banks and other lending institutions! It sure paints a gloomy outlook for the coming fall and the months ahead leading to probably a cold and sad winter. But we are hopeful that things will turn around right after this Presidential elections.
A toast to Jojo's birthday bash with Papa Dolph and Mike.
This month starts with a picture of the twins on their bikes right after the first day of school.
Aug 2008
Tita Carmen & Tito Jess' 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration at their resthouse in El Dorado in Sacramento, Ca. Pictures sent courtesy of our cousin Jonathan. A Big Congratulations to our dear Tita & Tito... Way to go cousins !!
L-R Gaby,Dani,& Derick with their Tito Mike showing-off his model car & auto collection ....
The busy month of August continues as we welcome Madame Winnie andson PJ in our home in anticpation for her birthday celebration to be held at Mike & Lisa's home in Oldbridge.
The 2nd weekend of this month was busy with a very elegant 80th birthday party for Tita Inday Sarabia Brillantes, which we attended last Aug 9th.
This month started with a delayed celebration of the twin's birthday with their classmates held at our backyard with a Hawaiian theme ....it's a Luau party ....
L-R Kiera,Kristen,Gaby,Ariel,Sydney,Sarah,Michele & Dani...(Ania & Elizabeth D. came shortly after...)
July 2008
And lastly, we end the last weekend of the month with a Sunday brunch with Tita Doris and her cousin from Queens,NY at Mike & Lisa's home in NJ.
Dani & Gaby pose with Apple to join the celebration of their Tito Mike'sbirthday, 24th July by having a dip in the pool on this warm and sunny day.
We all take a break after a long drive coming from Las Vegas straight to the Grand Canyon and now we rest here in Sedona to cool off before heading back to Phoenix. It took us all of 800 miles round trip !!
With the Grand Canyon on the background we all take time to admire the beauty and splendor of this amazing sight that nature had sculpted thru millions of years!
The family lounges in this huge lobby of the MGM Grand hotel on the "strip" as we men take care of the formalities of "checking-in" for the the three rooms we booked earlier.
This super month comes with a lot of excitement. We start it off with our annual summer vacation ! We start the journey to Phoenix, Arizona to visit our dear brothers "Lolo Doc" Joey and family and Kuya Eddie's family. We arrived last July 1st after we missed our flight last June 30th !! I will update this entry as soon as we come back from our vacation......"abangan and susunod na kabanata !!"
In front of Kuya Eddie & Ces' house, as we load up our baggage in his pick-up truck for our road trip to Las Vegas & beyond ....
June 2008
We close the month with a very significant celebration of Jacqueline's "Apple" graduation from The University ofMaryland and Birthday party all rolled into one. Apple had several classmates come all the way from Maryland to party with her. We also had some friends from Tita Lu's old place of work from "MJGC". Dong & Sonia was there and so with Alvin's mom, Tita Lita and youngest daughter, Gemma come to celebrate with us. Kuya Rey and wife, Ate Vangie was there too and several friends of Lisa from her place of work. Food was catered by "Leo's cuisine". The party lasted way into the early morning with some of Apple's friends sleeping over for the night. Everyone had a good time which was quite obvious by the way Apple looking a bit tipsy due to her overflowing feeling of happiness and gratitude to her parent's sacrifice and care thru all the years of her college life. "Way to go Apple!!"
This month of June is for all the Fathers and "Erpat" in the family. We all had a nice gathering at Kuya Eddie's home which coincided with Mama Ces' return from Phoenix. They will be driving back to Arizona sometime before the end of this month. Food was provided by "Lutong Bahay" and cake and sweet offerings brought by Tita Lu and Joy and Mama Naty.
May 2008
The month of May comes to a close with a couple of happenings together with some gorgeous weather for this three day Memorial Day weekend.
We had a surprise visitor in the presence of Ate Cora Umali Juan, who is the eldest sister of Rey & Boy Umali ! She attended her daughter's Master's graduation at NYU.
Ian & Carla's house blessing and also Michael's, "Pudgo" birthday celebration.
The twins, Dani & Gaby posing with Matthew inside his room at their new house in Flushing ,NY. Nice room ...
We welcome this merry month of May with news that Mae-Mae's graduation ceremonies at the Arizona State University/ASUwent smoothly which Mama Naty, and her parents, Kuya Eddie and Mama Ces attended. Apple's graduation ceremonies at the University of Maryland will be held sometime at the end of May, or actually it's on Thursday, 22nd May 2008. So, Congratulations to both "The Graduates" and may you have more success in your future endeavors in life.
We also would like to mention that Jojo brought home a new member of our guitar collection and we tested it the night of Papa Ja's 25th death anniversary last May 9th.
MartinDCX1E acoustic/electric guitar. It sure sounded good and very easy on our fingers to play. We are just waiting for Mike's 12-string guitar next !!
L-R Ovation, Aria, Martin, 12string Ovation ...
April 2008
The twins had their 1st Communion last 26th April 2008 at our parish, Church of St Gabriel. We then had a nice get-together at our house with Mama Naty,Manny,Kuya Eddie,Jojo,Mike & Lisa and also Jun&Emy with David,Jeffrey & Elaine and lastly, Alvin & Marlen with their son Paulo. Food was provided from "Lutong Bahay" and a whole tray of different dimsum treats brought by Marlen & Alvin. Everyone had a wonderful time making "Kwento" and getting stuffed with all that good food!
April19th brought us a surprise visitor from Manila. Rey Umali was here in the east coast in Washington,DC for some training/meetings and was able to make a side trip to NYC/NJ to see us. He brought along a fellow Deputy Commissioner by the name of Rey (also) Nicolas. Mike & I met them at Penn station in Manhattan. After a quick lunch we drove them around the city for a bit and headed to Mike's house where we hanged-out till early morning. We did get up in time to attend the Sunday mass in honor of Tito Monding's 1st death anniverssary at St. Patrick's cathedral and was lucky enough to see Cardinal Egan celebrating the mass. We all headed to "The Modern" restaurant at the MOMA for a nice elegant lunch hosted by Tita Auring, and children, Arvi and Jose, to honor and remember our dear Tito Monding. The webmaster would like to apologize for not being able to take some pictures of this event. I forgot to bring the damn camera with me kaya walang picutres !! Anyways, I'm sure Tito was there with us in spirit and may he rest in peace.
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Please send us any pictures and events you would like for us to publish and e-mail it thru my e-mail address at rudls54@optonline.net . Salamat Po !!
We top off the day with a taste of some really good flaavored popcorn courtesy of Apple's BF, Skish who runs this unique Kiosk called "Doc Popcorn"!! You should try the Jalapeno flavored one ...it's nice and spicy hot!!
We all pose for a souvineer shot at this famous boardwalk in Asbury park, NJ. it was a nice moonlit night to hangout on the boardwalk...
Appllejack,Joy, Mama Naty and Killian pose in front of the "Bilao" full of Pinoy delicacies!! "Kakaing ka ng Husay" ika nga ni Kakang Lube !!!
We welcome Killian to our home with a nice bar-b-que feast of Filipino treats ...
The twins run down the hill towards where the stage was...that brown patch on the right side of this picture..imagine these same field was full of people who watched and braved the rain and mud of this historical concert!! 
Chona & I pose infront of the marker to commemorate the original site of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival here at upstate Bethel, NY in the Adirondacks.... PEACE & LOVE...
July 8th ...Dani & Gaby's Birthday... we start the day with the twins blowing their candles on the cup cakes that Dani baked the night before!
A quick Brunch at Lake George before heading back home to NJ.
We say our good-Byes to our hosts' and take a quick picture infront of their apartment bldg...
Family picture in this picturesque scene at the Oratoire St Joseph du Mont Royal....
With our hosts', Chris,Rexie & son Migi, we savored the festive scene in downtown Montreal as we watch and listen the the 32nd Montreal Jazz Festival!!
Alvin with brother Allan, me & Manny pose before the grilling really started...Check out those lamb chops!!
We hosted a small barb-b-que in honor of our guests' from LA, Alvin's Mom,Tita Lita, together with Allan & Gigi and Angela, Avie's daughter. 
Joy demonstrates the size of the lobster she ate , which seems to be too small!!! Mama Nati,Manny and my whole family went over to the Belmar Seafood Festival despite the rainy weather at the Jersey shore!! It was well worth it and after buying the lobsters, we decided to head back to cousin Alvin & Marlen's home to feast on them sweet and delicious crustaceans. We also had some fried calamari, lobster bisque, and those sweet potato fries which we chased down with a nice bottle of Corona beer. Sarap Kain!!!
We sit and rest after walking around the tourist area of Philadelphia and also around it's small Chinatown area...I found and bought me the bamboo flute that looks similar to the one I used to play way back when ...
The Pilgrim poses with a gentleman from Philadelphia! We drove to the City of Brotherly Love to check out the Liberty Bell on this beautiful sunny Memorial Day weekend.
Lauren, classmate of Dani & Gaby sit by the railings on the boardwalk at Asbury Park,NJ on a cool and misty Saturday afternoon...
Sunday Brunch to celebrate a lovely Spring Day on this very special Mother's Day !!!
Gaby plays the piano while Mama Nati, Dani and Chona watches and listens ...
Gaby competing in the annual Asbury Park Press Spelldown. She finished 25th in a pool of 99 contestants. A big congratulations to our dear daughter.
Mike,Tintin, Joey, Kuya Eddie & Mae
Chona,Babeng, Dani,& Gaby line up for the single Tubing at Blue Mountain Ski Resort up in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvannnia...
Let's all give our Heart a step up by giving a lot of Chocolate Love...
Umali Clan Reunion last Feb 6th 2011 in San Jose, Batangas. See if you can still recognize any of our Uncles and Aunts and cousins....
Jan 12th snowstorm,the sixth since the Christmas weekend! 14 1/2 inches of real white stuff!!!
The DLS Bros. with our Dear Mother , Mama Nati .... L-R Mike,Rene,Joey, Manny,Jojo and Kuya Eddie.
Taken inside the lobby of the Borgata in Atlantic City....
We drove our guests' to NYC to see the Tree at Rockefeller and ate at the famous "Juniors" on 44th st.
The Kids greet the New Year with lots of noise and merriment!
Everyone await the coming New Year listening and watching the countdown on TV!!
Dani & Gaby play host to Brianna, Aiza's daughter. We start the New Year with guest' from Phoenix,Az arriving for our family reunion in celebration of Mama Nati's comng Birthday on Jan 4th. Joey,Jenny and Kuya Eddie & Ces are scheduled to arrive in the comnig week. Mike arrived with Aiza and her two kids, Joseph & Brianna.
Jo' and I take 5 after clearing the snow that we got from the blizzard of 2010, day after Christmas!! All the snow we got, all 24 inches plus the drift was enough for the whole state of NJ to declare it an emergency....no work!
Christmas Eve at the famous Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York city. We braved the cold weather to see the famous Christmas tree and other decorations around this area. Had a quick dinner and just made it in time to greet our Dear Lord Jesus.
Mama Nati,Tita Lu,Gaby,Joy & Dani pose infront of the table for our Thanksgiving feast!
Everybody smiles for the camera just before we all dig in for our annual Thanksgiving dinner. 
Me,Dang,Steven,David, Jojo and Jun at the "American Garage" ...
Brianna in her cute Halloween costume
That's Joseph in his version of a robot from the movie "Transformer" .... with Brianna in the background....
Andrea Mae with husband Jack and stepson wearing an "Iron Man" costume for the Halloween Trick or Treating ....
Gaby and Dani in their Halloween oufits ready for Trick or Treating ....we drove them to their classmates' neighborhood in our area for the night of treats ....
Manny,Dani,Gaby & Mama Nati pose in front of Karl's grave to celebrate his Birthday, 26th Oct and also to welcome the up-coming Halloween .....
Dani,Gaby and our neighbor Amanda having fun picking out pumpkins at this farm in our area for the up-coming Halloween.
Chona,Gaby,Amanda & Dani load up our bag with some nice Fuji apples at the Battleground apple orchards.
Jojo flew all the way to Phoenix to be with the other half of the DLS Bros and celebrated his Birthday over there.
Of course the night is not complete without a nice jam and sing-a-long with the DLS Bros. 
Me, Chona, Mama Evie and Papa Dolph pose in front of the house as we get ready to drive to JFK airport....
Mike, Papa Dolphs, Mama Evie,Dani, Gaby, Rene, Mama Nati, Chona and Steven
Manny, Mike, Joy, Mama Nati, Tita Lu, Chona & Mama Evie
The girls posing by the seals' pond at the Central Park Zoo, NYC.
Gaby,Dani & Dariya
This is what we may call a real hole in one !! Cheers Bro !
Joey blows the candle as his "apo", Brianna looks on anticipating the cutting of the cake!
Gaby & Dani frolicking in the snow the day after the winter storm. Hooray!! No School!!
Dani,Gaby,Paulo & Tim marvel at the "Captain's Bridge" on the USS Intrepid !
Hi everybody! My name is Joshua, son of Trish !!
Lola Beng with her "Apo", Joshua.
Gaby & Dani with their piano teacher, Miss Barb after completing another successful recital last Saturday, 16th January.
Thanksgiving 2009 held at our house with friends and relatives.
Jojo blows the candle while Joy,Mama Evie,Mike and the twins look on...
The Mayo Clinic hospital were Jenny had her surgery. Joey ,Tita Dolly, Mama Nati & Aiza watch over her.
L-R Rey,me,Joey, Mama Nati, Kuya Ed,Ces, Mae & her boyfriend ...
My family and I had a short weekend trip to Cape Cod and went on a side trip to Boston on the way back home. L-R Mama Evie, me, Gaby & Papa Dolphs.
Fanueil Hall , Boston, Ma. - Dani & Gaby
July Birthday Celebrants ...
Mama Ces !! Sunog na yung BBQ !
Visiting Tita Lu at St. Luke's hospital in NYC .
L-R Dariya, Anna, Gaby & Dani at the NJ Aquarium.
L-R Jojo, Jun, me, Mike ... July 4th at Jun & Emy's
Taken in front of the "Outback" restaurant where we had dinner to commemorate Papa Ja's 27th Death Anniversary, last May 9th 2009.
We also celebrated "Mother's Day" that night as you can see the "Mom's" displaying their beautifull corsage on this important night of celebration!
Taken from the dining room with our "Bisita's" ...
Alvin's Birthday as we celebrate it together on Valentine's Day ! It was held at their new place in Matawan.
Gaby & Dani playing outside in our backyard after a small snowstorm hit our area.
Chona, Mama Evie and Mama Naty infront of Dani's school to watch their "Halloween" parade while I drive to Gaby's school to watch hers...Happy Halloween !!
Our yearly devotion to Karls grave to wish him "Happy Birthday" and a Happy Halloween.
With great sadness we say goodbye to a good friend and my "Kina-kapatid" Francisco "Toto" Sarabia Jr. He passed away last October 21st 2008 due to an unfortunate vehicular accident at EDSA in Manila. We would like to give our heartfelt condolences to his wife Sylvia and all the Sarabia clan. A memorial mass was held at Boying & Fe's house last October 26th 2008 with close family and friends. We pray for the eternal repose of his soul and may he rest in peace.
A toast to Jojo's birthday bash with Papa Dolph and Mike. 
We had a surprise visitor in the presence of Ate Cora Umali Juan, who is the eldest sister of Rey & Boy Umali ! She attended her daughter's Master's graduation at NYU. 
Ian & Carla's house blessing and also Michael's, "Pudgo" birthday celebration.
The twins, Dani & Gaby posing with Matthew inside his room at their new house in Flushing ,NY. Nice room ...
We also would like to mention that Jojo brought home a new member of our guitar collection and we tested it the night of Papa Ja's 25th death anniversary last May 9th. 
L-R Ovation, Aria, Martin, 12string Ovation ...
The twins had their 1st Communion last 26th April 2008 at our parish, Church of St Gabriel. We then had a nice get-together at our house with Mama Naty,Manny,Kuya Eddie,Jojo,Mike & Lisa and also Jun&Emy with David,Jeffrey & Elaine and lastly, Alvin & Marlen with their son Paulo. Food was provided from "Lutong Bahay" and a whole tray of different dimsum treats brought by Marlen & Alvin. Everyone had a wonderful time making "Kwento" and getting stuffed with all that good food! 