January 1. Lunch with the boys at Manila Golf.

January 2. Accompanying David while he gets a much needed haircut at a Korean salon.

January 3. Snacks at UCC. Dangerous to have so many coffee shops only two blocks from the house.

January 4. Spending Pop’s birthday at the office.

January 5. Watched Avatar for the second time in IMAX 3D at Mall of Asia. So cool.

January 6. In line at the Department of Foreign Affairs to get our passports. Philippine bureaucracy defies explanation.

January 7. An hour and a half of craziness between the entrance to the boarding gate at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

January 8. Monster cream puffs. Whole Foods, I missed you.

January 9. Lemon sugar cookies baked on a Silpat mat (Christmas gift from brother). Yummy!

January 10. Few things can top the sweet mental satisfaction of picking up a puzzle piece and knowing in an instant exactly where it goes. Strawberry yogurt smoothies for an equally happy tummy.

January 11. Yeah, I went nuts on eBay.

January 12. Despite the perpetually frozen fingers, toes and nose, I love winter.

The sign simply said, “Blue thistle.” It was a name that didn’t quite match its exotic looks — the prickly steel blue flowers, razor leaves and otherworldly blue stems. So I did some research on this strange dangerous blossom.

Presenting the Sapphire Blue Eryngium!

Otherwise known as the gorgeous stuff of human-eating plant nightmares.

Asclepias Pods and Craspedia Buttons

Barbecuing burgers at Gallup Park

Followed by a brisk canoe ride on the river Huron

Taste of Ann Arbor food festival on Main Street

K and I perfected our lasagna recipe! I can bring delicious leftovers for lunch the rest of the week.