Family outing 2013

As some of you know, I come from a very big family (4 brothers, 1 sister, 3 sisters-in-law, 3 nieces, 1 nephew plus all the other in-laws) so when we get together, it's a totally huge production number. That is why most of the time, we just stay at home and cook food rather than go out. Anyway, while we were planning for a celebration for Sining's birthday, my brother suggested that we just go out of town and consider it as a family outing for us. There were lots of choices but we ended up staying at Cala Perdida at Calatagan, Batangas.

It was a private rest house that you can rent for the whole family. It can accommodate 15-20 people :) There's a main house, guest house and the very beautiful Ifugao house. More pictures here :) Although the trip was kinda long and it was hard to find, it was all worth it :)

Saturday morning, we arrived there and the place was really beautiful. It was a very nice property to own, a quiet place just to get out of the busy life in Manila and relax. That was our main purpose, really, to relax and chill. 

(Siblings + Sisters-in-law + nieces and nephew)

Although the sun was high up, we did not waste any time so we headed for the pool. The water was warm, just right for us and it was not too deep (petite friendly). The pool is an infinity pool but the filter was broken that time :( It was okay, though because we enjoyed the pool just as much :)

 (The Cruz' girls plus Ate Donna)

It was the kids who mainly enjoyed the pool because all the adults were at the patio, eating. And yes, there were lots of food. It was also the perfect time to catch up with them and just bond as a family :) Saturday was pure bonding for us and we couldn't ask for anything more :)

We also celebrated Sining's 6th birthday there and here's a picture of my very beautiful niece with her very beautiful cake

We had Shabu shabu lunch + steak and it was the best meal we had that weekend. Everyone was bloated and I'm pretty sure I gained some pounds during that meal.

(Enjoying the sun. PS: Thanks to Black Box Shoppe for my cute high waist bottom)

 We had a last quick swim before heading home and the water was still warm. We assumed that the water's warm because of the granite that absorbs the heat of the sun (BOO YEAH, SCIENCE) :) After that, we had to say goodbye to an awesome family weekend but before that, some photo ops

(Cruz family)

Before heading to Manila, we had dinner at Tagaytay because we encountered some heavy traffic entering Tagaytay and we were all hungry. Also, we had a quick stop at Starbucks (Yes, I'm still loyal to my former employer) and I was just craving for a delicious White Macadamia Nut Cookie :) 

 To summarize, that weekend was the best we had as a family this year. We all had the time to relax and just bond as a family. Too bad, my sister, Gladys wasn't there because she had a competition that she can't say no to. :(