Fresh from their arrival into their old home in Los Angeles, California, Jimmy Alapag and LJ Moreno shared a vlog via their YouTube channel about what had happened since they moved out of their home in the Philippines. One can feel LJ being very emotional about the move, with both of them “numbed,” in Jimmy’s words, about their first night in their new home.
“It’s been a strange six months to say the least, with so many of us affected by this pandemic. I know it’s forced our family to kind of change course a little bit,” started Jimmy who added that his father just turned 82 years old in June, which is why it was important for them to be together with the family. “We came back to the decision to move back to the States in the meantime,” adds Jimmy.
LJ jumps right in, saying how she was vocal against the move, thinking that Jimmy might be bored when he told her about this idea four to five months ago. “I wasn’t really for this. I really didn’t want to move, at least not yet. We both love the Philippines. We started our family there. We met our elders there,” she explains while crying. But she prayed about it and she realized that “during this pandemic, you can’t plan anymore,” and this is when she surrendered everything to God. “There really was a shift in my heart. Ok, I’m ready and if this is what God wants,” she says.
The couple showed snippets of them saying goodbye to their house in the Philippines for eight years, to all their household help, to LJ’s Lollicake staff. Even Scarlet Belo was there to bid goodbye to their daughter Keona. One can see in the video that Keona is excited to see Scarlet again, saying that the top of her new bunk bed is where Scarlet will sleep when she gets to visit them.
Settling in their new home around 7 p.m., the couple found time to share with their followers their thoughts on the move. Jimmy reiterated that going back to the Philippines 19 years ago was the best decision he had ever made, which gave him a better understanding of who he was as a Filipino. And that this decision to move back to California was one that they didn’t make in haste. “This is something that we talked about. We wanted to be closer to family. At the same time, I hope to continue to learn and grow as a coach here,” shares the former basketball player who wishes to continue his growth process as a coach. “I want to pay it forward when I go back.”
LJ also announced the temporary closure of her baking business The Lollicake Factory. The couple agreed that LJ is very hands on. “Knowing me, if there was any problem, I would fly back to the Philippines, which I can’t do right now,” she says. She’s also optimistic about selling lollicake goods in Los Angeles once they’ve settled in.
The couple ends the vlog by thanking everyone for the support on their new adventure as a family, albeit bittersweet. Jimmy reminds the viewers, “We want to make it clear that this is not for good. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just ‘see you again soon.’”