How it Started

It all started with our first son Dawson, We wanted a way to keep track of events in his and our lives, and to be able to share those events with others. So that is how All Richards was started, we hope you enjoy our website and come often to keep updated on the Richards family!

Zoo-rooo-rooo-roo!

Have you ever been to a zoo outside of North America?  This was our first one! It was the biggest zoo in the Philippines and I tell you, it will be the most memorable visit to the zoo we've ever had! Holding a massive snake, feeding chicken heads to humungous fish, riding on a very tiny horse but most of all, coming face to face with an orangutang and even holding her. Here are some pictures...

What brave souls!

Ewwww! They fed the huge fish chicken heads.  I wonder how many chickens the zoo goes through in a day!

These fish we gigantic and when those chicken heads hit the water there was a feeding frenzy!

This is Camille a 3 year old female orangutang.

Robert (Philippino Robert), a church member and Pastor Undan from Brooke, Ellen and Katie Lynn's site.

Camille really liked the hair tie in Brooke's hair!

Camille taking a walk with Robessa

Seth's girl

Boracay the Beautiful

Imagine with me right now standing on the soft sand beach of Boracay with the warm island breeze caressing your face.  You take off your flip flops to feel the softness of the sand and the blue salt water rushing over your feet.

          The sun is setting over the ocean and the silhouette of sailboats dot the horizon and the waves shimmer in the colorful display of the suns last rays.  

        As you turn to walk down the way you look inland to see towering palm trees lazily swaying in the soft breeze and the lights along the beach light up the night's darkness.  

       Couples walk by hand in hand and while vendors try to strike up a deal and give you "a good price" on a pair of sunglasses that you really don't want right now.  

       Ah! Bliss! The kind that only happens on a visit to Boracay.  The people friendly and not afraid to get brown.  The international foods and tons of activities to... and so little time.

Here are some pictures from our short 2nd Honeymoon.  Thought you would enjoy it as much as we did.  Although we regret that you can't imagine quite fully what it was like.  The scenery was breathtaking and the various activities we did together enduring memories.

Our excitement heightened when we started to see the edge of the island. Caticlan would only be maybe 5 minutes away.  The lush green jungle like forests and sandy coast lines looked mysterious in the fog.  The water was so blue and the tree were so green.  

When we got to Caticlan, our guide from the Boracay Beach Club met us at the airport and took us on  a boat over to Boracay and then over to the Resort. The people were sooo friendly. Here is what our first night looked like.  Isn't it beautiful!

This was our first day on the beach. The sky and water was the bluest we had ever seen.  Talk about a sunny hot day... This was a sunny hot day! We burned! Even Nessie did!  But we had so much fun swimming in the ocean and sitting on the beach just far enough in the water so the waves would wash sparkling white sand onto our legs.  Ahhh! It was so refreshing.   Wish you all could have been there!

Here is Robert and I on ATV's going up to get the mountain top experience of the island.  It was really adventurous and the scenery was amazing.

This is the halfway point up the mountain.

This here is Ian.  He was our guide from the resort we stayed at.  He took us around everywhere!

At the top of the mountain, it is privately owned by a family who owns lots of different animals from off the island.  Here is their pet monkey that was there to greet us.  Mirror mirror... Tell me who is the fairest one of all.  Isn't he cute.  He was the size of a kitten.

Ian took a picture of us at the look out point. You could see all around the island. All 7 kms of it! Like we said, "the water was very blue!" Yeah! We really wished you all could have been there with us!

After our adventure up the mountain  we took a casual stroll back to the resort along the beach. This is what it looked like.  And there weren't lots of people on the beach!

Low tide... Sunset... How beautiful!

Talk about a romantic walk along the beach! This was very romantic! The sunset... you know... "It's soooo romantic"

I can't figure out how to rotate the pictures! If anyone knows how let me know :)

Here are the rest of the pictures from our trip.

After horse back riding, we went island hopping!

On our way to Crystal Cove Island

This was the boat we travelled from island to island on.  We also went snorkling at crocodile island but we didn't get any pictures really from it.  We went again at Matabunkay with the Senior Class at the end of the trip.  That was much funner.

Flaming Mango at Cyma's Greek restaurant! 

We thought it was very impressed... It tasted really good too.

Here is the resort we stayed at. We recommend Boracay Beach Club to anyone.  It was clean, nicely decorated, had friendly staff and good food.

And so concludes this update which is long past when it should have been done.  But better late than never!

Natividad

Hey Everyone,

Here is some pictures from when we went to visit my dad's family in the little village of Natividad, Pampanga.  It was totally nostalgic for dad and absolutely cool for Robert and I to see where he was born and grew up.  Our first stop on the way there was San Fernando where we visited my dad's cousin.

Robert, Vanessa with baby Isay, Ate Liza, Dad and Kuya Bong. (Isay was really facinated with Robert!)

We went out and ate lunch at Gerry's Grill with them as well as Tito Miling and Ate Winnie.

While there we went to Bocolor, a small town not far from San Fernando and going in the same direction as Natividad.  Bacolor is the famous place where the Volcano Mt. Pinatubo erupted and like a flood volcanic mud came through and covered this entire town 6 meters or 18 feet high burying alive all the people asleep in their homes.

A few days later we took the senior class to visit the country. My Aunt Tita Rita and Cousin Cynthia cooked really good food for us all. Natividad was the happening place. The seniors were the attraction of the village.

The only way we could get in was on tricycle.  The drivers went through town with huge grins on their faces.

Jackfruit

The Seniors on a very rickety bamboo bridge. Eeek!  The river isn't the nicest to fall into!

Bomi and Vanessa

Seth and Robert eating green mangos... Look at those sour faces!

We walked all over the place!

Everyone wanted to take pictures of rice!  Bunch of Tourists! Hahaha

Cousin Cynthia and Dad!

The whole Roque family!