Happy New Years and back to school . . .

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

Each year for New Years Eve we go to a different ethnic restaurant.  Since we are in Guam we decided to go to . . . a Jamaican Grill?? :0} Very tasty.  Two thumbs up from everyone!!

Three days before school started, all of us went to the theater and watched, "Les Miserables."  Wow!!  I hope it wins some awards.  We thought it was VERY well done.  In fact Rachel went again the next weekend with friends, and the kids are still singing songs from the soundtrack around the house.

Back to School
We had so much fun over the break that it was REALLY hard for everyone to go back to school on Monday, January 7th.  Although this is typically shown as the difference between a Friday and a Monday, this hilarious video clip is actually VERY descriptive of our household when comparing the day of break, to the last day of break . . . and back to school . . .

Christmas Break part 2

We also went snorkeling several times - mostly to San Luis and Gab Gab beaches (both located on the Navy base).  It was fun, but due to storms out at sea, the water was a little choppy and visibility wasn't as clear as it normally is.

                                          Snorkeling at San Luis

So many fun shapes and colors!

I love the varieties of coral we see

                             Enjoying the sun and scenery at Gab Gab

Love those colors!!

Watching the Nautilus submerge

Chamorro Village is a market in Agana (Hagatna) that sells local produce and touristy nicknacks.  On Wednesday nights they have a huge night market which includes hundreds of vendors and food booths.  Chad says it's kind of a mix between Pike Place Market and the Puyallup Fair (without the rides - unless you count the caribao).  Because the girls have seminary on Wed. nights they have never been able to go to it.  So, since they didn't have seminary over the holidays we took advantage and went to it the Wed. before school started.  We had a lot of fun and made some great memories! The boys held a monitor lizard and a coconut crab, we shared some amazing fruit juices, and we all had fun ballroom dancing. :o)

Christmas Break part 1

Since we had a week and a half left before Chad and the kids had to head back to school we spent our time having fun and enjoying each other!  Here are some pictures of our many activities . . .

Just before Christmas the kids enjoyed a day together.

They went to lunch . . .

and stopped for a photo shoot at a favorite park

 . . . shopped

Check out those blues and greens . . . unbelievable!!

Hiking, aka Boonie Stomping, is very popular.  There are several books filled with different hikes that can be taken.  Some end up at stunning beaches, others end up at waterfalls or spectacular views.  One morning Rachel, Tanner and Sloan got up at 4:30am so we could go with a group of friends on a sunrise hike up Mt. Lam Lam.  It's the highest peak on Guam.  We hiked up - mostly by flashlight - and then back down and drove home; all by 9:30am.

Another day our whole family went hiking to Talofofo Caves.  It is a series of four caves - each one of them unique in some way.  One was really long and dark, one was very deep and dark (we didn't go very far down that one), and for two of them we had to crawl through really tight places, squeeze through caverns, climb up and down caves walls, and eventually come on the other side of the mountain which was overlooking Talofofo.  It was beautiful!!  You can see clear to Yona (pronounced Joan-ya).  We went with several other families and had a great time hiking, talking, taking pictures, avoiding huge spiders, drinking water and tasting wild berries.

Entrance to the cave that was deep

The first cave we went into - long and dark

A view of Talofofo from the side of the mountain.  We went in one side of the cave and crawled around until we popped out here.

As part of our ward missionary efforts, the missionaries typically organize some sort of sports activity once a month.  We usually play volleyball - either at Ipan Beach on the east side, or at our church building on the west side.  For this month's activity Bro. Albert reserved a local baseball field so we had a ward baseball game and potluck.  It poured most the night, but it was still warm, and the rain didn't seem to deter too many people.  Several non-members came and a great time was had by all!

Several of our days were spent at the Charles King Fitness Center's pool.  Our Christmas break was mostly blue skies and sunny during the day.  Pretty hard to complain!!  One day we did have about 10-15 minutes of hard rain.  Chad and the girls had been out of the pool reading, so they just sat under a covered area until the rain stopped.  Sloan and the boys continued to play in the pool.  Much of the time was spend playing with our new underwater camera.  We got it mostly for snorkeling, but figured the pool was a great place to practice.  :o)

Christmas in Guam

About a week before Christmas we had our monthly devotional down in Merizo.  As part of the devotional, some the primary children and youth acted out the nativity.

I always love going down to Merizo; especially for the devotionals.  Chad spoke for a bit and shared an observation that has stuck with me.  He commented that many people (mostly people from the states) kept commenting on how it was hard to realize it's Christmas because it is so warm and tropical here.  However, the surroundings & climate where Christ was born may have been similar to what we are experiencing.  It may have been more arid, yet still warm; and some of the vegetation is the same.  Regardless, it's not the temperature or the weather that makes it Christmas, but the love in our hearts, a remembrance of our Savior (His birth and His life), as well as a desire for goodness, forgiveness, giving and service.


Christmas day for our family was very enjoyable and relaxing.  Here is a before shot . . .

 . . . and after:

Later in the afternoon we all walked down to watch the sunset at Old Wives beach.

If you remember our blog from Okinawa, you may remember my tradition of making Christmas "sandmen" instead of "snowmen" at the beach on Christmas day.

Our Ninja Master

Jessica and Sloan

Sunset on Guam, with my boyfriend  . . . and we live here!

Christmas Sunday in Guam

I loved, loved, loved our church meetings today.  During sacrament mtg. we had a narrator tell the christmas story, with 11 musical numbers scattered throughout.  The program was probably very similar to what many of you have, or will, experience on Sunday - primary, youth, congregational and other special numbers.  It is probably one of my favorite programs of the year!  

However, what I loved best about this year's Christmas program was the multicultural presentation of Silent Night.  We had a member of our ward, Bro. Bamba, sing it in Chamorro.  Next the missionaries sang it in Chuukese (one of the elders is from the island of Chuuk), and then it was sung one more time in Pohnpeian by the Albert family along with several others.  The spirit was so strong.

After a great Sunday School lesson by Elder Norton (one of our missionary couples), we had a fabulous Young Women lesson.  Our YW president led a discussion concerning everyone's favorite things about Christmas - presents, lights, decorations, baking, etc., etc.   Then she mentioned that she wanted each of the YW to write a letter to Santa, but said she must have left the paper in her car, so she was going to be right back.  Right after she left, one of our YW advisors, who had been sitting quietly in the back (unnoticed and dressed as Mary), walked to the front of the room.  She began, "I am Mary, the mother of Jesus...."  and continued to share a powerful testimony of the divinity and life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The spirit just poured into the room.  It was wonderful, and the YW just glowed with the light of Christ.

Here is a picture of the Albert family.  They looked so festive in their red,white and black.

    Here are the YW who were at church today.  They are all so lovely.

Reed is home, and Christmas in Guam

Chad wrote a great update for the family last night, so I thought I'd add a few pictures and use that for our blog post this week.  I may add a few more pictures from past events, but this is where we are right now in our wonderful lives.

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since we have written an update from Guam.  As I write this it is about 9:00pm Sunday night and Reed is mid flight from Tokyo to Guam.  He will arrive in just over 2 hours so to keep myself busy while we wait to go to the airport I thought I would write an update.  The anticipation and excitement are driving all of us crazy!

The Christmas season here in Guam has many similarities to the Christmas we are all used to and many differences.  Many homes decorate with lights, inflatable Santas on the front lawn and a variety of Nativities.  Being mostly Catholic they recognize the spiritual side of the season as well as the Santa side.  The radio stations often play Christmas songs although it's hard to believe "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" when it's 87 degrees and you need the AC on!  I asked one of my classes how many had never seen snow and 2 or 3 students raised their hands.  They said they had seen pictures of snow but had never made or thrown a snowball.  They said they went to the beach once and made 'sandmen' instead of snowmen.  You can often see the traditional Santa Claus but I've also seen Santa dressed in an Aloha shirt and sunglasses many times.

Jessica, Rachel and Tanner are all doing well.  Jessica is very involved in StuCo (Student Council) and helps with the morning announcements.  Guam High School was selected with a handful of other school to have every student receive a laptop computer.  She and I are on the committee to plan and coordinate how to distribute them to all of the students at the end of January.  She and another girl were asked to make a presentation to the Commander of the Navy Base and other top brass last week.  Rachel is also involved in student government and has a job tutoring a student after school for a couple days each week.  She has made some really good friends in the time we have been here.  Tanner is running cross country and really enjoys it.  His first race he came in 55th place. The next race he was about 46th.  Then he came in 35th, and this last race he was in 29th, so each race his time keeps improving.  He is looking forward to seeing "The Hobbit". Sloan has the house totally decorated for Christmas.  It looks wonderful!  She and I went and saw "Life of Pi" the other day.  I read the book and would recommend the movie.

On Saturday we went up to Anderson Air Base on the north end of the island.  There is a neighborhood called Rota which houses most of the senior officers in the Air Force. The houses wind up a hill with the General and his family living in the house at the top.  Saturday was the 'Rota Walk' that we have heard so many people talk about.  It starts at the entrance to the neighborhood right at sunset and you walk through the neighborhood looking at all of the lights and decorated houses.  Many homes offered cookies and snacks as you walked by.  Being on an Air Force Base, a couple of homes built a model of a big B-52 bomber and wired it across the street.  Throughout the evening the model plane would 'fly over' and open its bomb doors to drop handfuls of candy like a pinata to all of the kids.  I'd estimate there were over 2000 people that made the walk during the evening.  It was really amazing and a fun tradition.

McDonalds here is offering Taro Pies for a limited time.  Like their apple pies it is filled with a sweet purple taro mixture.  It was...unique and definitely and acquired taste.  I can now check that off my bucket list.  We are all looking forward to some time off from school and spending time together as a family.  Having Reed here with us is the perfect Christmas gift!  We miss all of you and you are always in our thoughts.  We'll write more later.

Merry Christmas!!

 

                                                          Reed's arrival in Guam

The Rota Walk on AAFB 2012

Even though Chad didn't mention it, the kids had some friends over last weekend to decorate Gingerbread Houses. 
Tons of candy and lots of laughter!

Tanner has improved so much.  He's shaved off over two minutes in the last three weeks, and will find out the results of Friday's race today.  He is doing awesome, and will race in the all-island meet on Tuesday.

The views are incredible!

Unless one is driving on Cross Island Road, or up north near Andersen AFB, it is nearly impossible to escape the spectacular views of the ocean and Guam.  As I look at the pictures taken, I realize it's hard to replicate, through media, what is seen by the actual eye.  However, I will post some pictures and see if you can get some idea of the beautiful world we have been blessed to live in - and how often we see it.

This is a view from the house where Rachel takes piano lessons. Her piano teacher's name is Mr. Camacho, and this is Camacho Beach.  It's been in the family for years.  The house is located right on the beach.  Wouldn't it be fabulous to walk out your front door and see this every day??  The buildings in the back are from the Tumon area, where most of the hotels are located.

This is a view from the government housing area down in Merizo - a village on the southern end of the island.  I love the Merizo area.  I drive down there ever week to pick up several of the YW for mutual.  I don't know what it is about that area but I feel very drawn to it, and always feel a sense of peace whenever I go there.  The drive down offers some of the most amazing views on the island. 

Here are a series of pictures  of Cocos Island (in the distance), the ferry to Cocos, a tour boat and the ocean.

                                              The ferry terminal and ferry to Cocos Island

                                                                       Cocos Island
To get to Cocos Island you can either take a ferry, swim (you can actually walk a lot of the way - especially during low tide), take your own boat  or kayak.  The only downside is - unless you take the ferry across you don't have access to any of the amenities on the island.  It's a small island - about 1 mile in length.  The price of a ferry ride is about $20 (I think $15 with a military discount), but includes lunch at the restaurant, as well as access to the pool, beach, bathrooms, and other services.  Kind of a rip-off, but so far we haven't heard of any other options.  There is a lagoon around it which creates, again, a stunning view of beautiful blues and greens.

         These are just two of the tour boats on the island.  There really isn't anything special about them - I just liked the view.  Incidentally, I spoke with the captain of the white tour boat on the right and he told me that we could take a private 3-hour dolphin tour for $300.  The boat can hold 30 people and we can bring food and drinks.  So . . . do the math.  For $10 we can enjoy a private 3 hour sunset cruise, with friends.  Not a bad deal.  Please come visit - we'd love to bring you with us!






























There is nothing very significant about this picture - other than that it is an amazing sample of the various shades of blues we see on any given day.


On the other end of the spectrum, here is a view of the sunsets we enjoy on a regular basis.  The yellows, reds, pinks, and oranges are stunning.

       This picture was taken at Old Wives Beach, which is a two minute walk from our house.

 This was taken on the other side of the island near Talafofo.  We spent last Sunday evening here with some friends and the missionary couple serving in our ward; and enjoyed a mini-fireside after a light dinner and good conversation.

A few weeks ago we hiked almost to the end of a long spit in Piti, near Family Beach.  We didn't give ourselves enough time, so we weren't able to make it to the end before sunset.  Near-the-end had to do.



                   This is the view we see multiple times each day as we travel on and off base.

Carabao are a common site here on Guam.  We often see them grazing by the side of the road.  It's a little disconcerting to drive around a corner only to look up and see a carabao staring you in the face.  However, they are always fun to see.