Happy Fiesta Ibaan!

What a great weekend!

I got to have fun with both my family and my friends. It was pretty jam-packed with activities. Starting Friday, at home, we got ready to head out to go to the Ibaan Fiesta Dinner Reception in Chicago. My sister was still here at our apartment during the day, and so my family and I got to hang out and have fun lunch before she headed to the airport. We had a good time together. They all enjoyed dinner and the lunch buffet at World Gourmet. My sister wanted to get a quick massage at a nearby spa and she treated me to one too! (Woo hoo!)

After all of that, my brother, dad, and I headed out to the Chicago area. I packed up all of my stuff for the weekend, Ibaan dinner stuff and stuff I needed for the weekend with my girlfriends. The dinner reception was really nice. There were a lot of people that attended, lots of music and dancing and food. They brought out some filipino desserts at the end, which was a nice touch. (I'm a fan of Kutsinta hehe) There are a lot of people in the Chicago/Midwest/Canada area that are from our hometown of Ibaan. It's nice to see so many people from our small hometown be strong and proud and representing in many parts of the world. There were Ibaan Fiestas celebrated in California, Korea, and Chicago. The fiesta is a celebration of our Patron Saint, St. James the Greater. I got Tim a barong a few years ago when I last went to the Philippines. This was the first time Tim wore it and it looked really good on him. It is the formal wear of the Filipino men - usually worn in weddings and other formal occasions. This was the perfect event for Tim to try it out. He looked great in it.

On Saturday, I didn't join in in the rest of the celebrations. My brother Herman and 2 cousins drove down from Michigan and got to go to the picnic with my oldest brother, dad, and Tim. I got to enjoy the day with my friends for our friend Ria's Bridal Shower celebrations (which I will write about in a different post).

Kuya Warly, Tatay, Me, and Tim - (Grace & her handsome men, hehe)

On Saturday night, after I hung out with my girlfriends, I went back to the hotel and met up my family again. We checked in at a nice hotel, the W Hotel. That was a fun time. We decided to just relax and hang out at their lounge - had a few drinks with the family. That was fun. Good conversations, good drinks, and good pictures. My 2 younger cousins are just hilarious to hang out with. On Sunday, we got to enjoy the W Hotel pool and we also walked around downtown Chicago. The weather was absolutely perfect for walking on Sunday. We walked to breakfast/lunch at the Original Pancake House and then just walked around to various stores. It was a great time with my family. We got to go back to the hotel and even take a quick nap before checking out.

After all of that, we drove down to Tim's brother's house and got to enjoy dinner there and spend some time with Tim's family. My dad is a big fan of Tim's nephew Gabe. He was such a cutie and showed us all of his tae kwon do skills and his love for his new Mario Brothers game on the wii. hehehe So adorable. And I fell in love with little Grace (again) because she called me Aunt Gracie. hahaha I love it. 

W Hotel

Group Shot in the Lounge

Walking in Downtown Chicago

Our Big Borrowed Baby! (Yikes! haha)