My Move to the Philippines

 If you’ve been following the progress of our move to the Philippines you will remember what the place looked like pretty much from the ground up. I just received this picture and others from the Philippines and I thought I’d share them with you. I especially like this one because it is of the front gate and was an original design thought up by my wife. Even though it is original I’ve heard that many people have been saying they liked it so it may not be the only one soon. This house is located in Binan Laguna close to the Pavillion Mall and we hope to have it completed soon. There are pictures of the inside where we have just tiled the downstairs and put wood laminate floors by Pergo Flooring. You can view those pictures if interested at Our House in Laguna.

As the island of Luzon disappeared from my sight on the aircraft carrier bridge that day in 1985, I remembered the words of Lt Gen Douglas MacArthur as he left the Philippines on March 11, 1942. As did the General, I promised “I shall return.” I would return to a place where I grew up, arriving as a fresh faced teenager in 1977 and now leaving as a man. A place where I met my wife and my first child was born and a place I would always hold dearly as my second home. I WOULD RETURN 

But after a failed marriage and a long stint as a single father of three it seemed that I would never make it back. Fortunately, I was blessed to meet and marry a wonderful filipina who was as excited to return to live in the Philippines as I was. The kids are now on their own, I’ve retired from the Navy, and I’ve built a nice pension with the company I worked for the last couple of years. Our planning towards the goal is finally becoming a reality and we have built a house in a beautiful subdivision in Binan Laguna. 

This blog will be somewhat of a diary of the final year and a half until we make that move. It will contain information on how we got to where we are as well as my plans to have an online business much like my internet friend, Mindanao Bob Martin from Davao. I will try to share information for others who are planning a move to the Philippines. Please feel free to comment and share any advice you can.