Two Lovers Point - Guam



A popular tourist spot in Guam is "Two Lovers Point."

Three perhaps four dollars for a great view of a sunset on the Phillipine Sea!

Our nice camera was getting repaired, so we just had a point and shoot. No judging on the quality of the pics.

It was pretty...trust me!

Legend has it that two lovers, who were not able to be together because the girl was promised to a Spanish Captain, tied their hair together and plunged to their deaths.

Scary look down where, presumably, the double suicide happened.

We used this as an introduction to talk with the girls that NO ONE....NO BOY, NO GIRL, NO ONE IS WORTH KILLING YOURSELF OVER. NOTHING, in fact, is worth killing yourself. You will go through hard times in your life. Your heart will get broken, someone will be mean, you will fail at something quite miserably...but it will get better!

But we also enjoyed the view because we paid $15 or so. :)

Here's the morbid architecture and NO, girls, this is not a story of true love. This is a tragedy that should not be romanticized.

THIS is what true love looks like! :)

As well as this! There is definitely lots of true love going on here! :)

We love you girls!

C-130 Rolling Down the Strip

There's a cadence that starts with "C-130 Rolling Down the Strip" that is very well known (and please click on the link and listen to it because it is classic military cadence) and we were singing it on December 19th, but our words were

C-130 Rolling Down the Strip....

Taking the Wagoners on a Holiday Trip!

We were so fortunate to get on a C-130 flying a mission to Guam straight from our base in Iwakuni. I NEVER thought I would be on a military plane like that and it was absoutely surreal!!! I kept looking around me, envisioning Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen, on a plane just like this, going into battle.

God Bless Our Service Members!!!!!!!!!

It is not like a normal plane, that's for sure! I think the photos will help me tell the story. There were four families on the flight and we were the only ones from Iwakuni.  A family from Atsugi (mainland Japan) going on a holiday trip, a family from Hawaii, coming back from Singapore/Thailand, and a family from not sure where. And then the official people doing their job.

Audrey was the oldest "kid" and the Gunny asked if she wanted to sit in the "Jump Seat" for take-off!

What a COOL experience! And on another note, just because the picture is showing it...the curtain thing that is in front of Audrey is the curtain that goes around the potty, which is just a seat with a hole in it. Funny!

After we had been going for a while, I asked Gunny if the girls could go and look out the window. Such an amazing experience!

This was our view.

The seats are not regular "seats" but this cargo netting along the wall. If there were lots of troops needing to be moved, there are also seats that can be installed in the middle. Or you could transport equipment like a humvee. Our middle was open except for our suitcases, just tied down to the floor with cords.

It's cold so we brought a bunch of our favorite blankets from Bebe Bella Designs  (please click the link...you won't regret it) out of Minnesota. They are lightweight yet deliciously cozy and warm. That pink bag of ours in front of Audrey just had blankets in it. I think we took five.

Gigi had been diagnosed with an ear infection on the Friday before so her rockstar pediatrician gave me not only the antiobiotic that didn't need to be chilled, but something to help knock her out for the flight. It worked like a charm!

ALL of the girls were ABSOLUTE CHAMPS! We had plenty of electronic devices, but it was a LOUD and LONG trip! A++++  Way to go Girls! You are TOUGH Marine Corps Kids!!!!!!!!!   We were/are (always!) so proud of you!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxo

They issued us ear plugs, which were desperately needed, but Gigi wouldn't let us put them in her ears. When she went to sleep, we put Mick's Bose noise-reducing headphones on her.

We both had a chance to cuddle her as she slept a good four hours.

The flight was a little less than 6 hours, but we had to get to the terminal a few hours before the plane was assigned to leave...and then it left a few hours late. It was a LONG DAY.

This is when we arrive in Guam and are waiting for the Customs guys to allow us to leave the plane (blue uniform on the left). These are our ROCKSTAR pilots. Have I mentioned how cool it was to be on this plane? And how fast it is when it takes off? BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO.COOL!!!!!!!

And we're in "America!!!!!!" This is our Gunny, who was so awesome! And have I mentioned how cool it was to be on this plane? This is how you load and unload. You walk up the back of the plane! SO COOL!

It was an amazing experience! I am so grateful that we had the chance to do this. We weren't as lucky getting back the Space Available way and needed to buy tickets on a commerical flight (which we got lucky and only paid about $300 each!), but we never ever would have been able to take our family to Guam if we would have had to buy round trip tickets (Advance billing was about $6,000 total). So, we had this AMAZING experience, we got to Guam one way for free, so call it $1,700 round trip! :) 

Thank you Marine Corps!!!!!!
Jump Right Out and Shout Marine Corps!
(Did you click on the cadence link? If so, you will GET that reference!)  ☺

The Beach at Anderson AFB (Guam)

We stayed at a few different places when we were in Guam. First at the Navy Lodge at the south end of the island, then at the Westin at the middle/tourist part of the island and then ended at the Air Force base at the north end of the island.

We were sooooooooooooooooooo lucky, LUCKY, LUCKY, LUCKY to have had our friend Nate Berman helping us while we were in Guam. He is a Colonel in the Air Force and the Staff Judge Advocate at Anderson Air Force Base. He saved our behinds many times! (Car rental agencies and taxi cabs are neither plentiful nor easy to access at times.)

Nate "He's a Rockstar" Berman and me!

The beaches in Guam are ridicuously pretty with the water equally as gorgeous and the tourists are super adorable as well!

We happened upon this display of coconut shells

and had our Rockstar friend take a picture of us!

It was a great vacation! More pictures and stories to come as I steal a moment here and there!

Traditional Christmas Eve

Well, not really.

Living in small town Japan, our kids (okay, us too) crave American. Our first visit "back home" in 17 months was to Guam and we partook (is that a real word?) in as much Americana as we could.

Christmas Eve Day we went to Tarza Waterpark and had a super fun time! It was a bit worn and small if you compare it to a Disney waterpark, but it was just what we needed! No lines, lots of water slides, a lazy (really, rather motivated) river, sun (a bit of a rain around 2:00, but hey! We were in the water anyway, so who cares!) and only $19 for adults, $12 for kids which included lunch (Military people, be sure to buy your tickets at ITT!).

Not sure what these characters were, but a picture is a picture.

Gigi hadn't napped for a few days and took a traditional Christmas Eve nap on her Daddy.

Audrey did a traditional boogie board ride.

And Claire and Olivia were really happier than this photo exhibits! :) (As per tradition.)

We went back to the hotel and had a traditonal dip in the hot tub and then proceeded across the street to Outback for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

Where we finally got our traditional Santa and Mrs. Claus pictures!

The two pictures below are at the end of the dinner meal where Mick, Audrey and Claire were the only ones left as Olivia and I chose to spare the rest of the patrons from Gigi's meltdown as soon I ate some bloomin' onion and my kabobs.

Claire talked for days about how pretty Mrs Claus was and what a pretty dress she had.

Remember, I was back at the Westin, so I CANNOT be held accountable for this picture. That's all Mick and Audrey.

Just another traditional Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve girls

Finally downloaded pictures last night from our Guam trip and really need to keep busy with work today, but I wanted to post this one, okay two, of my pretty girls on Christmas Eve in the Westin lobby.

Claire's classic "Hook 'em Horns" on one hand with a "Peace" on the another pose. :)

I hope to blog more in 2012! Lots of beautiful pictures and fun stories to share!

Gigi looking all grown up

I bought a strand of turquoise chunks at a Flea Market in Japan last spring, because I had always highly coveted (against one of the commandments, I know, but if you saw the necklace, I'm sure you broke that one too) Nico's necklace she bought years ago. I gave the turquoise to a friend of mine who designs jewelry and told her to make it awesome and then deliver it to Mick and he would pay her and WALA! Christmas Present!

It is so beautiful and I wear it every chance I get. My sweet Gigi wanted to wear it the other day. When I looked at these pics I thought, "WHERE DID MY LITTLE GIRL GO?!?!?"

Her hair was kind of crazy, but out of her face so you can see her beautiful eyes! :) 

WOW was she proud to show me how big she was, wearing Mommy's jewelry!

Not sure what she's doing here, but since I haven't posted in a while...I'm going to post the picture! :)

 Every morning when we come downstairs Gigi and I take time for some SERIOUS cuddle time under the heated table. No television, sometimes I look at the computer (BUSTED by the picture!) and we just hug and love. The morning of this picture she was exhausted because she had a rotten night of sleep (as did I, but that's obvious!) and went back to sleep under our heated table and slept there for about an hour. The girls and Daddy got a big kick out of it!

 The heated table is our favorite thing of all time! It is like a coffee table, but the top comes off of it and you put a blanket between the base and the top. There is an electric heater connected to the top of the base. It is so.delectable. We are going to buy an even bigger one before we leave...although whenever we have Japanese people come over they're all "SUGOI!" (roughly, "Wow!") because ours is very big to them since Japanese houses are very small, but we want to have two in Omaha. One for the adults, one for the kids? One for the basement, one for the three season room? Or just two so that we can accommodate our guests when they come to visit because we certainly do not want to give up our place under the heated table!!!!!

Don't you just want to kiss her???

GIGI!

STOP GROWING!!!!

☺

Tutu Preview

My friend, the fabulous Danielle Caceres insisted that my girls come over to her house after an exhausting 6 hours of shooting one year olds in tutus. ("Susan, it will be sooooooooo easy!" she says in her awesome British accent. "I will have the studio up and look at the lollipops I bought for your girls!") We threw tutus (yes, even Audrey!) on the girls and sat them down and snapped away. She posted this picture of the four of them today.

She had all of the tutus and tops, except Audrey's top (come to think of it, the tutu of Claire's is from her Minnie Mouse costume, that I brought from home, and Gigi's is a Christmas tutu that I brought, but Danielle did have all those colors....I was just trying to save her some hand washing!) and so many hair pieces to choose from. After she was done shooting each girl individually, she sat them all together to get a group shot and then, after a few clicks, finished off their shot and her day with the lollipops!!!

Danielle has an agreement with a frame maker for these gorgeous and fun frames. I think they will go perfectly with these pictures and will be a welcome shot of color on the wall next to the black frames in the rest of the house! :)

And here's the collage of individual pictures.

So cute how she placed these with Olivia and Audrey's feet towards each other! Claire, of course, posed like the Princess that she is and I am pleasantly surprised that she got one of Gigi where she was smiling! :)

I'm not sure how or why I get blessed by being spoiled by such wonderful friends,

but if I am judged by the company I keep, I am lucky indeed!!!!!!!

Thank you Danielle!

Olivia's Trio at the Choir Concert

The high school's choir concert was last night and Olivia's 2nd grade class was asked to accompany a duet of girls singing the super sad song "New Shoes." I remember reading this story as an e-mail and then apparently it was made into a song. The "big" girls who were singing are really special people to Olivia. Emma Petersen was our babysitter when we first got here. The girls met her on their first week in Iwakuni and both of our "big" girls completely idolize her. The other "big" girl in the duet is Alysha Sellers and her Mom is Olivia's teacher (thus why her class was the one who accompanied them). 

Olivia and two other girls were chosen to do a trio at the end of the song. It was so precious and I actually cried! The trio part is about 15 seconds from 32 seconds to 47 of this video.

I was cracking up over Olivia pulling for the microphone at the end. :)

Here are some pictures too.

The kids had to be there at 5:00 and the doors opened at 6:00, when this photo was taken. Then they continued to sit there until 6:30. I must say that the kids at the school are so well behaved and I am always impressed by how they can sit and follow directions. It must be that good military parenting! :) (Oh, and I gave all of the girls a lesson on "sitting like a lady" after this picture. Olivia's friend Clara had it down!) :)

And here are the kids waiting in the aisle for their time to come up and join the duet.

Clara's Mom (Clara is a fellow trio friend, the one in the front row on the left) took this picture as the kids were waiting to join the duet. So sweet!

I was so impressed by Emma (in black on the left) and Alysha's (black and white on the right) stage presence. They didn't seem nervous at all! They walked around, they made eye contact, they smiled, they interacted....their parents' hearts probably were beating out of their chests with pride!!!!

That's Mrs. Sellers smiling at her class (her daughter is the one in the picture). I just missed a picture of Mrs. Sellers beaming up, so proud, at her daughter! It was so sweet!!!

Thanks again to Clara's Mom for this picture!!!! :) 

I was so very proud of Olivia! She has been talking about joining the church choir and I hope she does after the New Year! Tears kept coming down my face for quite a while after the end of the song. Happy, proud, love tears!!!!

Here a link to a YouTube video of the song with the lyrics. It's a heart tugger!!!! Apparently it was from a movie called "Christmas Shoes."

Way to go O!!!!!!!!

We love you so much!!!!!!!!

(You had some beautiful shoes on that night too!)