Daniz Conquering the Waves of San Juan, La Union

Sand, Sea and Sky of San Juan, La Union

San Juan, La Union is known as the surf capital of the north and is the nearest surf spot from Manila. With the fourth longest coastline on the planet, San Juan has dozens of surfing areas waiting to be explored, one of which is Brgy. Urbiztondo.

Jonjie  and  I  consider ourselves as mountain  people…we love  to  climb and  hike  and explore.  But  our  Daniz is  a water person…she has an affair with water, be it in a swimming pool or in an ocean. She's our little mermaid who took to water even before she can walk.

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La Union Adventure: San Juan Surf Resort

From our visit to Our Lady of Namacpacan Church, we headed directly to San Juan Surf Resort located at Brgy. Urbiztondo.

Brgy Urbiztondo is said to be the entry point to the surf spots of the Ilocos region and there are plenty of accommodations to choose from, and many of them are beachfront,  from pricey villas or budget-friendly homestays.

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La Union Adventure: Villa Marand Resort and Spa

After checking three places near the area, we chose this place mainly because everything is new and we were able to avail their promo rate. We stayed in a Deluxe Queen Room, good for 4 persons with free breakfast and free entrance to the resort.

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La Union Botanical and Zoological Garden

Located in Sitio Japan, Brgy. Cadaclan, City of San Fernando that showcase different themed garden: Japanese Garden, Shade Garden, Sunken Garden, Evergreen Garden, Arid Paradise, Fragrance Garden, Fernery and Palmery.

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Historical Church: Our Lady of Namacpacan Church of Luna, La Union

Dada is walking towards the side of the church to look for the entrance.

Our Lady Apo Baket of Namacpacan was the title given to our Blessed Virgin Mary by the natives of La Union because she appeared to the indigenous people of the Cordilleras as an old woman and offered them food and invited them to be baptized. Apo Baket is how the people call the elderly woman as a sign of respect. The image got the name from the town itself. Namacpacan is an Ilocano word which means "one who had given food".

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Historical Church: Cathedral of St. William the Hermit of San Fernando, La Union

Taken by Daday with our ever reliable green car we named Froggy (the silent member of JADSpirits)

Cathedral of St. William the Hermit, also known as the San Fernando Cathedral, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese in the City of San Fernando, La Union. St. William the Hermit Church was originally situated at Pindangan, now known as Barrio San Vicente. In 1759, Augustinian friar, Padre Jose Torres, convinced the two settlements to fuse into Pindangan (dry fish). He and the natives built a church under the patronage of Saint William the Hermit.

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Happy Father's Day, Daday!

You have been a father for just 8 years

But it's like you've been doing it forever

Yes, Daniz is so blessed to have you as her father

No one could do it better than you are doing it now

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La Union Adventure...Huling Hirit sa Tag-Araw

The Road Trip to La Union

Our initial plan is to go to Baler, Aurora but because of the distance and most of the hotels and resorts were fully booked, Baler could wait...

Then Dada mentioned that La Union is also a good place to visit and just a 3-hour drive from Mabalacat, Pampanga. It was already Friday night, and when I tried to call some of the hotel and resort in the area, all standard accommodations are taken for the weekend.

But since we are set on a weekend getaway...so off we go without a room to stay and without planned itinerary. 

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About Me and JADSpirits

One of the things that I really struggled about is telling something about myself...more often than not, my mind goes blank for a few seconds. It is no different for this “About” page…

Starting with my name always snap me out of the blankness…so here goes. I am Annie Sabeniano-Espiritu. I am forever a wife to Jonjie and a mother to Daniz. I am a full-time employee, a part-time runner and biker, a trying hard photographer, a food lover who cannot cook (or does not want to cook).

I am not a born writer. I usually say, I am a Mechanical Engineer by education, not by profession because I was not able to practice and apply the teachings of those 5-years in college. And it’s been said that engineers are not good communicator because our discipline is to find solutions to the problems using an applied formula.

Then why blog? I don’t know. All I know is that, for the longest time, I have this burning thing inside me to put my thoughts into words. And my mantra, courtesy of Aristotle, is

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an art but a habit."

I am the A in JADSpirits…

The JADSpirits...

• Jonjie - christened Emmanuel Holgado Espiritu. Wondering why Jonjie??? Don't worry, I did, too, the first time (July 31, 1999) and when I asked, his candid answer without blinking his eyes was "yan ang gusto ng tatay ko, pakialam mo".

• Annie - Aniceta Salen Sabeniano...no special meaning or origin for my name.

• Daniz - we named her Shemaella Daniz. In time, we will share the story behind the name.

• Spirits - English translation of our family name

Jonjie and I got married in 1999...in a civil wedding on September 8...followed by a church wedding on December 27. I was 33 and Jonjie was 31. Ours was "a one-week love affair" (isang linggong pag-ibig). But on my part...it was a result of every Wednesday novena in Baclaran after work, rain or shine...plus a sign from Mama Mary. Please wait for a separate post on this...

After 7 years of praying and medical interventions, God blessed us with our beautiful daughter, Daniz.

We are a middle class family. Jonjie always say "hindi kami mayaman, may kaya lang...may kayabangan".

PLEASE ALSO READ:

• 81 Things About Me...
• Our Love Story: Isang Linggong Pag-Ibig Version 1999
• Our Love Story: Meeting The Parents, The Sabenianos
• Our Love Story: The Civil Wedding
• Our Love Story: 15 Years and Counting
• Our Love Story: Ang Aming Muling Pagtanggap ng Basbas ng Kasal

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