We had a week of catch up last week. I know this seems to be a pattern. Go on the road for a week or so, then stay home and sit at our desks a lot to get things done. I could have taken a picture of Elder Huff sitting at his desk in our cubicle, slaving away on his expense reports. He said it’s like doing taxes every month, only much worse! It takes him forever!!!! But we had many other things to follow up on, purchasing to work with, etc. So, on Saturday, I felt the urge to get out and see something new. Well, not entirely new. We left our apartment around 8:30 and headed off for an adventure. We walked out into our Eastwood complex and caught a mini-bus which then took us to the train station. Our destination was Rizal Park in Manila. We wanted to check out a museum and just walk around the park. Rain was in the forecast, so we made sure we had our umbrellas. It was a bit confusing to figure out which train platforms to use, but we always had very nice ladies who were even willing to walk us to the right place. To go out of their way to help strangers is one of the trademarks of the Filipino people. It never ceases to amaze me! We made it there in about an hour and decided to visit the Museum of Natural History. The building was quite beautiful, really, and I LOVED the tree of life installation right in the middle of the museum. I have always loved tree of life symbols. I think I am a bit obsessed with them, really. I love the universality of them and how they make me think of eternity. This one is my new favorite! We enjoyed our time there and learned some new things. Then we walked through Rizal park, which I also love because it is open, feels so fresh and uncluttered, and there are some very nice things there, as we discovered this time. We strolled through the Japanese and Chinese gardens and were quite moved by the Rizal monument. We had a late lunch at the Manila Hotel (ambience was great, but food was so-so). Then we headed back to the train/bus/home. It made for a wonderful day, with just the two of us! We have been asked to take the senior couples on this same adventure next month, so we shall see! Hurrah for P-days and wonderful diversions. It fuels us to carry on!