Hello world! My name is Leya (Atangan) Macchi. This year I decided to start writing again with the idea that someone in the forest does hear the tree fall. I once was afraid of letting anyone read or even know my thoughts but it also prevented me from writing at all. There was a part of me that hid under the covers from the world. This year I proclaim new things and new adventures that need to be recorded. I hope you’ll join me in this journey.

I was a Navy brat before my elementary years. My parents are originally from the Philippines who worked very hard to come to the United States. My father served his country through the Navy as a chef and a postal carrier till he retired. My mother took care of four children and even worked part-time until we were older. I happen to be the third child in the bunch. We traveled a bit before my father retired in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which happens to be a large military area.  I’m quite close to my family and loved growing up with my siblings. I miss them more now since we live far apart from one another.  My family traveled quite a bit in the United States but never traveled together outside the states due expenses with a large family.  We drove cross country in my college years and I’ve seen the beauty in all these states. I rarely traveled outside of Virginia until I married my husband, Adam. I was very much a homebody.

Adam has traveled all over the world. I realized I missed out a lot by not experiencing new places. I now have a new outlook on life especially since we have two daughters. I look forward to seeing new places with them and let them know how wonderful it is to see other countries especially the Philippines. I hope all of us will go there one day together. I hope one day to take my parents there too.