So we found out on EASTER, of all days, that our next post is MANILA, PHILIPPINES!!!!!! We arrive sometime summer 2015. We're pretty excited. 

I confess, when I see pictures of THIS-

And THIS-

I start to freak out a little bit. It's going to be some pretty intense culture shock, no matter how I prepare myself. But we'll get shocked, we'll get used to it- and then it will be fine.

But then I see pictures like THIS . . . 

 And THIS . . . 

 And what the heck is THIS???? AWESOME!!!!!

Then I think, "Ok, I can handle THIS!"

They have crazy 2-4 hour rain pours daily and flooding is a regular occurrence, so imagine Greg occasionally scampering to and from work like these guys . . .

But there are MORMONS there!!!! So many that there's a TEMPLE!!!!! How amazing is THAT?!!!! Going from church in your own living room to a TEMPLE right in your CITY. Awesome.

So apparently Manila is the MOST DENSELY POPULATED CITY in the world. Not ONE OF the most populated. THE most populated. I thought India had claim on that figure, but I guess I'm wrong. That DOES freak me out. Serious crowds. Hot, sweaty, dirty crowds. I'm thinkin' I won't get used to that one.

I am seriously afraid of the heat. I mean of everything that could go wrong in a place- that's a daily thing. SWEATING YOUR BRAINS OUT. The average daily temp ranges from 86-93 degrees, with some serious HUMIDITY. That's pretty consistent. I'm pretty afraid, I'm gonna be honest. I've never done well in the heat. I sort of hate the summers because it's so dang hot and I get REALLY GRUMPY. I just tell myself I'll adjust. I'll have to, right?

Even though I'm sure we'll be constantly disgusting and sweaty- I'm sort of looking forward to just wearing light clothing ALL THE TIME. It takes time to get socks, tie up your shoes, find your gloves and button up your coat. Well, to do it for 3 (soon to be 4) people every time we go outside, it's time consuming. In Manila it will just be stepping into flip flops. EASY BREAZY!!!! Summer clothes take up less space and are COMFORTABLE. Well, they can be. I'm excited for that. It will be strange to not wear a coat for 2 years- ever. Like never. I mean, after a year- will we want a light jacket when it hits 80 degrees?

I'm excited to be tan for 2 years straight without even trying! Considering winter will be 83 degrees- yeah, I think our tans will be year round and darker than ever!

I'm excited to eat mangoes and avocados the size of my head! I'm excited to walk on beaches I've only seen on The Bachelor :)

When we first bid on the Philippines I was really freaked out to get it because apparently it's a pretty natural disaster kind of place. We sit right on (shoot, I suddenly forget what they're called) those lines that cause all the earthquakes! Yeah, those cross all over the Philippines. And the weather is very Monsoon-y. Count on Typhoons being apart of you life! So, yeah- that used to REALLY freak me out. But the DEVASTATION that happens when all these terrible things happen- effect Manila the least. It is built to withstand these things and survives pretty well. It's all the tiny islands nearby that are just small villages that unfortunately get wiped out by all of this. So that made me less afraid and feel a lot safer. But it's still crazy, right? We will definitely get used to crazy rain and STORMS.

One thing I'm excited about is just going to someplace completely different than HERE! And it definitely will be!

English is the second language there! Most everyone speaks it! YES!!! 

It's pretty cheap there! We'll be able to save money!

There's a zoo!

The flight is less than 20 HOURS instead of over 30!!! So much better!

Apparently the health care is actually really good and lots of people have babies THERE instead of flying to the USA!!! Don't know if we'll do that, but it would be awesome if we could!

Well, after staying up late researching and looking AGAIN this morning, I need a Philippines break! We still have OVER A YEAR before we actually even go. Strange to know so far in advance, so I have plenty of time to prepare and get ourselves ready. I will worry about it next winter/spring. Until then . . . I'm taking a break :)