Hi Edna,

Thank you for the pictures ...u still look great and lovely @ our age ! i mean hindi pa kupas sa kagandahan ...i just past my 60th years old last Nov.6/2007 so i don't know if we are the same age level ....i am still working another 4 years then i retire, might spend all my aging years in PInas in Tanaun Batangas ...back and forth if not able to travel anymore i will just stay here for my children ...so far so good pa healthwise !

Ating faye and myself are planning to visit out there maybe after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games which will be done here in Vancouver , British Columbia ! i like to see you again after the 1989 visit with you with my mom and uncle remember ?

I appreciates you keeping in touch with me here ....so good that we have the Munting Nayon News ...news about Pinays we used to work with in Holland ... Say hello to Boone and hug and kisses to you !

love,
mellie de Vera
Vancouver-Canada
April 21, 2008

Hi, all -

Thank you so much for sharing, Lily and Edna, and MN (Edna, I wonder why your email bounces, ha? It can't be at my end, coz I receive Lily's and Eddie's, as well as other forwards).

Ang cute naman ninyo, puro smiles! Hay, I miss you all over again!

So I don't have to ask, "How are you all?" -- because I can see how you are always so busy having fun. You could call your group, "The Merry Retirees of Company B".

As for me, things are same-same, kinda boring. Mainit (78F -83F/27-29C) and mostly sunny days. I still don't have my own car (oh, I'm having the road test for a driver's license tomorrow-- please pray for me and wish me good luck!!). I just hitch a ride when there's one available. Where to go? Buy fresh catch of fish/shrimps from the Vietnamese boats behind the casinos, or occasionally dine out -- sa casino pa rin....buti na lang, hindi ako sugarol!

I imagine it's getting warmer in Holland too, as I remember how it was last year. I just look at our pictures -- Keukenhof, Weesp, Nieuw Vennep, etc. I showed them to my acquaintances here and they marvelled at the beauty of Holland; at how I've kept up with my friends from 35-plus years ago. Lahat daw tayo maganda at mukhang bata pa, but special mention -- cute ka raw, Curie....

Kumusta ang garden mo, Lily? There's not many home gardens here, it's too hot to work outdoors, plus there's the biting gnats -- "no-see-ums", in the local redneck parlance. My very few flowering plants are in pots, easier to care for. What is common here (and not so common up North) are the camellias, gardenias, besides of course the magnolias.

When I visited Manang Iyan in Florida, I broached to her the possibility that some of you/us might be interested in getting together in Florida for a mini-reunion sometime in the future. She enthusiastically agreed, so let's just let her know. Some can stay at her beautiful home, while some can stay with me at my brother's place, and if there's more of us, we have very good accommodations close by -- all in the same town of North Port, within 10-15 minutes driving distance from one another. How about that, girls (and spouses)?? Think about it, then let's plan on it -- say in Spring, or late Autumn 2009? Manang Iyan and Charles are in Florida from October to early May, then they return to Canada. Baka naman mas gusto ninyong mag-bisita sa Canada in Summer, puede na rin.

Well, my lovelies, I shall say goodbye for now. Please continue to keep in touch. Enjoy your lovely surroundings and do write me again soon!

Love,

Marita Mier
April 22, 2008 - Florida-USA

Hi Edna,

Thank you for the pictures ...u still look great and lovely @ our age ! i mean hindi pa kupas sa kagandahan ...i just past my 60th years old last Nov.6/2007 so i don't know if we are the same age level ....i am still working another 4 years then i retire, might spend all my aging years in PInas in Tanaun Batangas ...back and forth if not able to travel anymore i will just stay here for my children ...so far so good pa healthwise !

Ating faye and myself are planning to visit out there maybe after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games which will be done here in Vancouver , British Columbia ! i like to see you again after the 1989 visit with you with my mom and uncle remember ?

I appreciates you keeping in touch with me here ....so good that we have the Munting Nayon News ...news about Pinays we used to work with in Holland ... Say hello to Boone and hug and kisses to you !

love,
mellie de Vera
Vancouver-Canada
April 21, 2008

Our pictures shown at MN website were perfect. Thanks to Edna, Kuya Eddie and Ate Orquid. Also thanks to Glo and Tonny for hosting the get-together/reunion. The food were delicious and an enjoyable evening. Happy to meet the family of Norma. Hope to see you again.

Mellie Lacson
The Netherlands
April 20, 2008