Christmas in Guam

 

Christmas Lights

It's no James Island Holiday Festival of Lights but it'll do for our tiny island and simple life here on Guam. 

Coffee with a View

 

After I drop the kids at school in the morning, I like stopping at this spot to finish my iced coffee. 

Rya's 2nd Grade School Photo

Currier's 5th Grade School Photo

Letters to Santa

  

From Our Driveway

 

Lola, she was a showgirl! 

Paradise

 

Sometimes all the litter, the overwhelming stray animal problem and the lack of convenience on this tiny island gets me down but this view though! ❤️

Man O' War

 

Rya got stung by a man o' war (floating terror) at the beach today and none of us could produce pee to help kill the venomous sting. Poor kid had to suck it up until we got home and remedied with a baking soda paste. 

Giant Gingerbread

Kicked off our Christmas advent activities with a visit to a life-sized gingerbread house made of 400 sheets of gingerbread and 800 pounds of icing in the Hyatt lobby.  The kids were completely unimpressed since they weren't allowed to touch or taste. 

Private Island

 

Today we swam out to this mini island off the coast. On the other side of this rock were some good waves that nearly killed us all. Every one of us got coral burn. This photo made it worth it. Sort of.

Thanksgiving Guam Style

 

The kids had a Thanksgiving picnic lunch for at school today complete with snow cones and reggae music. I ❤️ Guam. 

#onlyonguam 

Nadia's Visit

 My Sicilian friend (She also lived in Charleston when we did and now she lives in Japan so our friendship has spanned 3 different continents!) is visiting Guam this week (Hooray for our first house guest!) to take the test to become a U.S. Citizen despite my constant questioning, "Even with the 2016 shit show of an election, are you absolutely sure you want to become an American?"  

Early Scuba Lessons

Trent started teaching Rya how to Scuba dive. She still has a few years until she's old enough to get certified but it's never too early to start learning. 

Student of the Month

Rya was awarded Student of the Month at her new school in Guam. I'm so proud of how quickly she's adjusted to this new culture. Yay Rya! 

Currier Quotes

"Mom, I'm kind of glad you had a crappy childhood because it made you really funny." -Currier 

Tuba

After our day at Ritidian Beach we took the long was home driving along the coast. We stopped at a roadside stand in Merizo to try Tuba as advised from my friend Kari who once lived on Guam. Tuba is an alcoholic drink made from the sap of palm trees. It was ice cold and tasted like kombucha. We all liked it!

Tuba

After our day at Ritidian Beach we took the long was home driving along the coast. We stopped at a roadside stand in Merizo to try Tuba as advised from my friend Kari who once lived on Guam. Tuba is an alcoholic drink made from the sap of palm trees. It was ice cold and tasted like kombucha. We all liked it!

Night Dive

Currier is working on his advanced diver certification which means he needs to log some night dives. Soon he'll be exploring shipwrecks and caves with Trent.

Night Dive

Currier is working on his advanced diver certification which means he needs to log some night dives. Soon he'll be exploring shipwrecks and caves with Trent.

Boonie Stomping

We went on our first Boonie Stomp (professionally led hike through the jungle) over the weekend. The hike was advertised as Medium/Difficult/3 hours for 2 miles to Alutom Falls.

Its been rainy for the past couple of weeks so the trail was muddy and slippery and the waterfall emptied into muddy, cold water but it was still a reward to see after all the work it took to get there.

Both kids cried. Rya cried at the top of the waterfall because she was too scared to jump but it was too dangerous to try to climb back down so after about 30 minutes of drama Trent eventually had to throw her off. This caused even more drama and probably trust issues and some emotional trauma. Currier cried on the way back because most of the hike was uphill in mud and he was "sooooo tired"! Even so, both kids proclaimed that they couldn't wait to do another Boonie Stomp. 

Note to self: Next time bring tissues, more water and a change of socks. 

Boonie Stomping

We went on our first Boonie Stomp (professionally led hike through the jungle) over the weekend. The hike was advertised as Medium/Difficult/3 hours for 2 miles to Alutom Falls.

Its been rainy for the past couple of weeks so the trail was muddy and slippery and the waterfall emptied into muddy, cold water but it was still a reward to see after all the work it took to get there.

Both kids cried. Rya cried at the top of the waterfall because she was too scared to jump but it was too dangerous to try to climb back down so after about 30 minutes of drama Trent eventually had to throw her off. This caused even more drama and probably trust issues and some emotional trauma. Currier cried on the way back because most of the hike was uphill in mud and he was "sooooo tired"! Even so, both kids proclaimed that they couldn't wait to do another Boonie Stomp. 

Note to self: Next time bring tissues, more water and a change of socks. 

First Day

First Day of 5th and 2nd grade.

First Day

First Day of 5th and 2nd grade.

Only On Guam

Sure this McDonald's seems legit. What do you guys want?

My Babies

I love this love.

Only On Guam

Sure this McDonald's seems legit. What do you guys want?

Paolo

This dog.

Worthwhile Trade

The sunsets out of my living room windows make it worth the fact that our kitchen hasn't been remodeled since the 70s and our shower water doesn't get hot. #Guam

This. This Moment Right Here.

Charleston Blizzard of 2016

Dog Diabetes

Paolo had a procedure done yesterday called grid keratotomy in attempt to save his eye. He's wearing a contact lens now (Seriously, I can't make this shit up!) and resting peacefully on pain killers while his body heals.