Best of Guam

We hit the two month mark, hard to believe.  On the way to church we were discussing our favorite things about Guam.  Answers were plentiful for some, harder to come by for others.  I, for one, am so glad we came.  Getting settled took a bit, but as we were reflecting on what we have enjoyed about Guam, it made me realize all we have packed into two months.  The most common and obvious responses for those living on a tropical island, the beaches and snorkeling.  We have been fortunate to make it to the beach about once a week since we arrived and most often we go snorkeling.  David said he loves "all the fishes in the huge lake." 

Curly loving her beach time

The fabulous weather ranks high on my list.  I have yet to tire of shorts and flip-flop weather every day.  I was discussing this with a friend as he was saying he was missing fall.  "Really, when you have this?"  He said well this weather is like having prime rib every day, even if it is your favorite, you could go for fried chicken once in a while.  I see his point, but I am still loving the prime rib for now. 

Being a lover of flowers, there is much to appreciate here.  The plumeria and hibiscus are plentiful.  There are also lots of other colorful varieties I have yet to learn the names of.  On a run this week, I ran under some pretty flowering trees (not sure what they were) but the smell was absolutely heavenly. 

The people we have met also top the list.  We have gotten to know a few military families, mostly in our ward and have really enjoyed our associations with them.  We live in the southern part of the island.  This area seems to have a lot of islanders living here.  Most of them are not from Guam.  They come from other near-by islands.  We have met several families from Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap.  It has been fun to learn more about their culture and way of life.  They are so warm and friendly.  It is humbling to see they are happy, yet have so little of what the world often thinks contributes to happiness. 

Sunsets also rank pretty high

 Abe pointed out he loves the stars and ocean views.  The colors of the ocean are amazing.  It ranges from bright turquoise to a deep navy.  Sadly, pictures do little to capture the vibrant hues of the water.  The best part is it changes from day to day.  I never know quite what the water will look like from one day to the next.  

Best attempt to capture the color of the water

We have also loved what it has done for our family.  We have had to work together to figure things out.  Being able to see and experience new things together has been so great.  One of the fortunate consequences of not knowing a lot of people is that we have spent more time together and done a lot of activities as a family. Without the kids all going in opposite directions, we spend more time with each other.  We are looking forward to the next few months to see what Guam has in store for us.

Veteran's Day

What a way to spend Veteran's Day!  We did a short hike to a beach with some friends.  It was spectacular!!  The views, the ocean, sun, snorkeling... 

Hike through the jungle

Quite a beach!

View from the water

Fresh coconuts!

Addie and the white crab

Most of the kids

Mermaids

All this in November, I think this is something I can get used to!

Good Times

Has another week gone by?  We had a couple fun and interesting experiences this week.  Halloween was fun, the kids got their fill of candy.  No trick-or-treaters came a-knockin' this year, we live a bit off the beaten path.  I missed seeing lots of little ones dressed up and making them happy with treats. 

Island themed trick-or-treaters

 On Friday the kids and I finished school and headed to the beach.  I wish we got there more, you would think living on a island it would be a daily ritual, we seem to make it there a couple times a week.  Each beach is a little different, what you see in the water and what you discover out of the water.  Snorkeling here is really spectacular, really wishing we had an underwater camera.  (The list of toys we want is getting longer and longer, paddle-boards, scuba gear, kayaks, underwater camera....)  Confidence is growing and now we can all head out snorkeling together.  It is so fun to watch someone else see the wonders of the ocean for the first time.  Bugs digs it.  We hold hands when we go and a tap is the signal you need to come up.  Bugs gave a tap (the third one is few minutes) I came up and asked "what this time?"  He said, "Oh, that was just an I love you underwater tap."  Gotta love that boy!

The kids love collecting shells, this one still had an occupant so we left it there.

Now that he is accustom to breathing through a snorkel, he forgets to take it off.

We stayed till the sun went down.

Saturday's snorkel spot

Addie got a nasty gash on her leg.  Brave girl, didn't even cry.

 Saturday we got to witness our first ocean baptism, it made Addie really excited for her baptism in the spring.  The setting was amazing and we really enjoy our associations with the islanders, the missionaries and our ward members.   Across the street from First Beach is a home that has been reduced to a few concrete walls and some members live next to it.  It has become the gathering place for ocean baptisms and a few other meetings as well. 

On our way to the baptism

The group gathered for the meeting

The "Ruins" is what we call it.

Addie and friends

Heading out to baptize

Addie is looking forward to her turn.