Happy Halloween!!!

Costume fun consumes Isaac and Zion.


Like all little boys, they have always loved to get into the full character when they pretend.


From animals when they were little,


to Super Heroes


and now, big action movie characters ......


This year was no different as they went back and forth at the store on which costume to get.


And then, reevaluated the WHOLE thing when the costume box came out.

For church on Wednesday night........we had Sniper Isaac and Jango (or is it Bobo) Fett Zion

For Trick or Treating on Saturday night, we went over to the Gillams house for Chili dinner and some hang out time.  As always, a good time was had by all............AND........

their neighborhood is much bigger than ours,
so......good Trick or Treating. 

Michael, the Jedi - hard to see in the background
Isaac the Clone Trooper
Zion - Bumblebee
Ellie - Hermione (not to be confused with Harry Potter)
and Maddy's character is based on Sally from "A Nightmare Before Christmas"

Sam and I, (well, our shadows) walking the kids around
I wanted to take a picture cause I look so tall!  :)

Zion asked me to take a photo of this pumpkin
He loved it

Because of Zion's allergy to peanuts, we have a big family candy TRADE at the end of each Halloween night.  It helps Zion feel like he has some control over his candy, instead of just taking things out of his bucket that he can't eat.   (and, his brother loves peanut butter anyway)  Zion usually trades for Skittles and really loves the SOUR ones.  Maddy and Ellie seemed pretty excited about this idea and so the candy trade began.  I think everyone has different likes, which made it all a perfect end to the evening.

Last but not least.......I finally learned how to LINK a blog.
So, for Sam's take on the evening (and a few more photos)  Click here

it has come to my attention.........

that Mike doesn't have any BLOG entries.


So.......here is Mike.

On the Bayview (our church) basketball team.

The photos are terrible........I don't know why.

Usually, my camera adjust to my lack of knowledge about photo taking.


Not here........





Never thought about it until this day........but Chamorro people are not very tall.


I realized this when my hubby started as CENTER on the team......

He's got game, but he is not tall, except here on Guam.  :)


Love you babe!!!

When friends become family............

20 years the military wife, 

friends become family

They are the people that you share with:

share an egg with

cup of sugar with

cup of coffee with

cup of cheer

cup of sorrow

share Christmas

share Easter

spend birthdays together

laughter

tears

They bring you Gatorade when your kids are sick

and feed your kids when you are sick

and load your dishwasher


This is my neighbor from San Diego

Danny and Angel - June 2010 - at his wedding

my sista from another mista

my BFF

We have shared all those things together.......

and because she is from California,

The Thorntons have shared these things with her extended family

I know her parents,
her aunts and uncles,
her siblings,
her cousins,
her nieces and nephews

they have very graciously accepted me
and my family into theirs

And so with a heavy, heavy heart.......

I dedicate this post to Danny

He died after being struck by a vehicle earlier this week


My love and prayers to Angel and her family

Happy Birthday Derrick!!

Super Happy Birthday

from Guam

to my "little" brother

Derrick. 

I love you!!!!!

Derrick at Petco Park - learning my love of the Padres

Me and D

The Mocha-Latte home skilletz



Uncle D and Isaac at camp



D and Zion at camp - Zion didn't make it home with his hat  :(

Seahawks Soccer Party

FUN TIMES at the bowling alley
for the McCool Seahawks Middle School Soccer Team.

Thanks for a great season
to our coaches,
players
and supporters!!!

Family Night

Long story short........with all the activities going on at our house,


Mike and I decided we needed a family night


A night when everyone knows we are spending time together


No sleep-overs

no girl's night out

No date night


We have done different things for Family Night

Movies at home

Games

a trip to the mall

I can't really tell you how this Family Night got started,
but we sure did laugh a lot!!!

ENJOY!!

What's been going on?

The boys are into the school routine full swing.  No more questions about school uniforms.  They just get up, and put them on..........seriously, I love it.   Makes that part of the morning so nice.


Soccer season is officially over, including the team party (photos coming soon)


Zion is still swimming on Tuesday / Thursday for 1 1/2 hours learning a good kick and how to side breathe.
If I had to swim for an hour and a half, I'd drown.  (Just sayin')


Isaac is trying to earn his way into the SEA CADETS.
(he has some memorizing military type things to do, and also, be a little more organized in his homework/
schoolwork routine)


They are all looking foward to Halloween, which will start this Wednesday at AWANA.  They are having a costume, Halloween alternative type thing, complete with, of course, tons of candy.


The Gillam girls had swim meets the last three weekends, so we haven't seen them much........until today.

They came over for about three hours and hung out with us.

Sam and I actually got out some scrapbooking stuff.........it's been SO long and it was great fun.

The kiddos enjoyed some crafting too. 

I have mentioned to a few people that there is not a Starbucks on Guam.

I realize this sounds insane, since they are every three blocks in San Diego,
but honestly, there is not one.  

So this is what we drink.......really, it's pretty tasty.

Sam brought it for me.......she's cool like that!

adjusting.......

Sometimes
the only thing you can change
about your situation.......
is your attitude.


I was under the impression that Guam didn't have "seasons" 

unless hot and sticky is a season

But it seems to me that the last  couple weeks has brought more of a breeze and less humidity

I'm not sure if this is actually true,

or if it just means that I am adjusting

Also know as the "Melda Process"

with me,  it's almost always a process

and even if it's not pretty

at least I know it about myself

If things aren't going my way

instead of feeling sad

I get mean

nasty,

ugly,

sarcastic....... (*okay, well, I'm always sarcastic)

They are easier emotions to deal with than tears

Tears bring people around you saying, "Oh my gosh, are you ok?"

Anger pushes people away and allows one to stew in bitterness

Letting it all go is a process

It's not a secret to most that San Diego feels like home

but I couldn't stay there

so it's past time to let it go

Maybe the idea of being in Guam is settling in on me

the attitude adjustment is coming in phases

and more days of joy are creeping up on me

Thank you to friends and family for your prayers

Don't stop praying

God is the same God in Guam that He is in San Diego

I have to make it my choice to find Him here

Blog Action Day 2010

Did you know that there was a BLOG ACTION DAY?? 

It's October 15th. 

Which is TODAY! 

What's the topic???

Water...........

CLEAN water

or really, how many don't have it.

Something that most Americans take for granted.

For a video about clean water.........click here

Why does it matter to me?

Michael almost died from dirty water.

In fact, John and Beth McHoul took him to the hospital and he was so dehydrated and sick .......

that Beth was told not to waste money on "this baby, he is going to die"

Someone

somewhere

that I will never know,  gave money to care for my son, before he was mine

And he lived

I am asking YOU to save a life of someone you will never know

But that person can change another life in an amazing way

I can't imagine MY life without my sweet boy Michael

I am thankful for someone with a vision beyond what I can ask or imagine

for HE works all things together for good

To doante to GIVE CLEAN WATER click on this link

Seahawks win! 3-0

Fun times at the soccer field today.

Michael had a FAN CLUB!

Two of Mike's Navy friends showed up to watch the second half of the game.

(*thanks Russ and Laurie)  :)

Seahawks won 3-0

Boonie Stompin' 2 (with photos)

So I didn't take a camera on the boonie stomp,
so part two of the story was waiting for photos....

here is the "rest of the story"

I get an email from another CEC wife sent to the wardroom spouses saying there was a "Rec and Crew" boonie stomp scheduled and wouldn't it be fun to all go together.

So with nothing on the calendar while the boys were at school, I said I would join in on the FUN!

I packed up water, sunscreen, bug spray, a hat, an apple and a granola bar. 

We meet at the "Rec and Crew" building to ride the MWR vans to the hike spot and it turned out we had a large group. Four CEC spouses, but a total of 16 ladies signed up for the "stomp" and the two guides.

So we sign the release form (*which in hindsight, maybe I should have read)

load up in the two vans like high school girls on a field trip, laughing and joking and getting to know each other.

As we are driving, the guide says we would be back around 1pm, because he had an appointment to get to at 2pm.  

Works for me.

Good exercise and home in time to shower before the boys get home from school.

Guide #1 is local and knows his stuff.

He parks the van on the side of the road in an area that looks like nothing.

But just a few feet into the underbrush and low and behold.........a road

A big road,

wet and muddy,

but an easy walk

Everyone is still laughing and chatting it up on the stroll ......we continue to laugh as a few ladies mis-jump over puddles and land in the water or get their shoes muddy.  In fact, the cameras come out to capture the poor soul with the most unfortunate luck. 



Then we come to an old WWII tank.  

Another photo op -



according to Isaac, this is an old Sherman tank



After we took photos at the tank, we started down into the jungle part of the boonie stomp.   Again, the trek was fairly easy.  There were a few slick areas, but there is plenty of weeds / plants to grab hold of.  (always take gloves!)



At the top of the first waterfall, we crab walked down a few rocks and then went up and over the side to hike around to the bottom of the waterfall. 

This is where we started the moderate difficulty part.  We had to climb up using a rope and then throw the rope back over the other side to repel down.  Again, if the ground was dry, this part wouldn't have been as tricky,  but it was slick and reminded me of  Indiana Jones where he is sliding through the jungle.   Many of the ladies did fall or slip, including myself.  And some opted for the jungle butt slide and took their chances with ripping their pants. 

Welcome to the JUNGLE!

Sinisa Falls

Some of the ladies got in at this point and went for a swim.  In hindsight, this is quite funny.   A lot more photos taken here.  This would have been the final destination as I understand it,  but it rained on us a little bit.  Making the slippery part of our previous climb too dangerous to go back the same way. 

So...... the "long way" home began.  The next way back up was down the river. 



I think we walked through the water appox 2 miles (*or more)









By the end of the "riverwalk"  everyone was tired, hungry, WET, (muddy) and some of us, bloody - from falling into the water on slippery rocks.   As soon as possible, those of us with a cell signal started calling husbands or neighbors to pick our kids up.  The 9am to 1pm hike was now at 2pm and going to last past the 2:45pm school bell.   We hit another waterfall (Lower Sigua Falls) before the climb back up.





Second waterfall - Lower Sigua Falls

Here is a photo of the climb back up.

the view from the top of the Sigua Falls

the "we survived" photo op at the end









 







Sunday Sailing

 Back in May, Mike sailed with a couple other guys from the Marianas Yacht Club to a small island near Guam called Rota.

One of the guys, Myles Moritz (and family) also attend Bayview Church.

They invited us over for lunch and some sailing after church on Sunday.

The Yacht Club has several small boats similar to the ones that Michael, Isaac and Zion used in San Diego when they went to Sailing Camp last summer.

I think Mike was excited for the boys to get in the water,

get on a boat,

and refresh their skills.

Michael was a little annoyed that he couldn't take a boat out on his own since he is obviously a professional sailor at the old age of 13.

But the Yacht Club does require kids to be signed off by their own instructor before they can go out alone.

So Mike and Michael went out for a test run.


Isaac and Zion was much more interested in playing.

But they had a blast doing so!

I put my head on a life jacket in the grass and took a nap.


A FABULOUS Sunday afternoon!





(*PS....Yacht Club in Guam doesn't mean "Donald Trump" yacht........what you see, is what you get)

Happy Birthday Navy!!!!!

United States Navy Birthday Ball

235 years young! 

 A special thanks to the Gillams who ditched their "required" seating arrangements to sit with us.

Lots of laughs and good times, and some Guam red rice.  (love that stuff!)