It's been quite awhile. I'm sorry. Now, let's move on! Life happens, right?
We have been in Guam just under 6 months now. Nicholas is walking and talking, and has stolen my heart over and over again. We are STILL unpacking. I am convinced that it's just part of the military life to not get fully unpacked until you are about to move again.
We have made some wonderful friends. They have made life on this itty bitty island so much easier. It's great to know people that have kids around our little man's age. He loves having little playmates that he can cut loose with :)
The island is in love with him! People stop us constantly to say how cute he is, and sometimes even take pictures. (We actually had a line of Japanese tourists waiting to take a picture with our little blue-eyed, blond haired baby.) I know every parent thinks they have the cutest baby, and we are no different, but it is so funny to see the locals go nuts over him. It never occurred to me that his features would be so unusual to them.
I have recently started baking custom cakes for some new friends on the island. It started with me bragging about my success with Nicholas' birthday cake, and now I have one cake order under my belt, and another one that is sure to be a blast. It turns out that I had the perfect first client. I have people giving me heads up for orders that will be coming my way over the next couple of months, and I could not be more excited. Baking has always been fun for me. A soothing, stress reliever. So, if I can make some extra cash by playing with icing....WOO HOO!
I also have FINALLY registered for classes! I am officially a college student! School starts in a week, and I could not be more excited. I literally almost started crying when they handed me my schedule. I have waited so long to go back to school. I feel so proud of myself for not giving up. If you have been playing with the idea of going back to school...or hell, STARTING school...go for it! You won't regret it.
Well, Mommy Duties are calling to me.
TTFN.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Coincidence?
A few days ago Wade's Introduction to the Island class (that's not really the name...but that's what it is) went on a field trip. They took a tour of the island, learning about all kinds of useful safety information, and local history. Hence the story about the Japanese zombies from the previous post.
One of the stories that he passed along to me was an interesting bit of history. If you don't know, Guam was originally conquered by the Spanish in 1565. They colonized the island, killing most of the original Chamorro people. In 1898, during the Spanish American War the American Navy sailed over to Guam, and landed safely on the shores to an open-armed Spanish Army. See, the Spanish had not caught word of the war that had been going on for many months, and were welcoming their would-be allies. The Americans smartly lead them to believe that nothing had changed, and landed...planted a flag, and said, "Get out." So, Guam was taken over the Americans with nearly no bloodshed. This fateful day happened to be July 21st, which if you remember from a post from a few weeks ago...is Liberation Day. A holiday celebrated by the locals in honor of the day that the Americans regained control from the Japanese in WWII. Coincidence??? You decide.
One of the stories that he passed along to me was an interesting bit of history. If you don't know, Guam was originally conquered by the Spanish in 1565. They colonized the island, killing most of the original Chamorro people. In 1898, during the Spanish American War the American Navy sailed over to Guam, and landed safely on the shores to an open-armed Spanish Army. See, the Spanish had not caught word of the war that had been going on for many months, and were welcoming their would-be allies. The Americans smartly lead them to believe that nothing had changed, and landed...planted a flag, and said, "Get out." So, Guam was taken over the Americans with nearly no bloodshed. This fateful day happened to be July 21st, which if you remember from a post from a few weeks ago...is Liberation Day. A holiday celebrated by the locals in honor of the day that the Americans regained control from the Japanese in WWII. Coincidence??? You decide.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Poltergeist
My husband and I took a drive today...trying to kill some time before our orientation meeting at the Children's Development Center (they have drop-off rates of $3 hour!!)...and we passed a neighborhood in base housing that has an interesting background...
When the American forces took back Guam from Japanese control in WWII the Americans bombed the island in the process. After we took control there were thousands of dead Japanese soldiers scattered from the explosions. Clean up duty consisted of making use of all of the bomb induced craters and burying the soldiers in them. Years later, the Japanese asked for the bodies of these soldiers in order to lay them to rest properly back in Japan. Well, when the mass graves were dug up...only about 1/4 of the bodies were ever found. It is thought, that there is a great possibility that this particular neighborhood is built over some of the mass graves yet to be found. So, if I see any zombie Japanese soldiers that look a little lost this Halloween...I'll know where to send them.
Today was a wonderful day for the Gerloff family, as we are finally complete again!! We picked up our dog and cat, Sammy and Frank from the quarantine facilities today. They flew in last night, were checked out by the vet this afternoon, and were safely being snuggled in our arms and/or being chased around the room by Nicholas by this evening. It's wonderful to have them here with us, finally! It was the last big piece of the moving across the world puzzle.
Now, it's time for me to curl up with my book and my pup, and go to dream land....not a bad ending to a Friday 13th....unless some of those zombies show up in the middle of the night...
When the American forces took back Guam from Japanese control in WWII the Americans bombed the island in the process. After we took control there were thousands of dead Japanese soldiers scattered from the explosions. Clean up duty consisted of making use of all of the bomb induced craters and burying the soldiers in them. Years later, the Japanese asked for the bodies of these soldiers in order to lay them to rest properly back in Japan. Well, when the mass graves were dug up...only about 1/4 of the bodies were ever found. It is thought, that there is a great possibility that this particular neighborhood is built over some of the mass graves yet to be found. So, if I see any zombie Japanese soldiers that look a little lost this Halloween...I'll know where to send them.
Today was a wonderful day for the Gerloff family, as we are finally complete again!! We picked up our dog and cat, Sammy and Frank from the quarantine facilities today. They flew in last night, were checked out by the vet this afternoon, and were safely being snuggled in our arms and/or being chased around the room by Nicholas by this evening. It's wonderful to have them here with us, finally! It was the last big piece of the moving across the world puzzle.
Now, it's time for me to curl up with my book and my pup, and go to dream land....not a bad ending to a Friday 13th....unless some of those zombies show up in the middle of the night...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Interesting...
Some interesting things I have learned about this island...
The most frequent road kill I have seen here is hermit crabs and giant frogs. Quite a change from squirrels (which do not live on this island) and armadillos (nor do they).
Also, we have discovered that they do not sell fresh chicken here. I know....it's all frozen. Which is odd to me because I have never seen so many wild chickens roaming around in my life.
Our power went out mysteriously for about 7 hours the other night...which was fine because our house held the cool air in quite a bit longer than I expected. There are also some back up lights installed in the hallways for that very purpose.
In short, everyday is a new surprise. Good or bad, it's all part of the adventure :)
The most frequent road kill I have seen here is hermit crabs and giant frogs. Quite a change from squirrels (which do not live on this island) and armadillos (nor do they).
Also, we have discovered that they do not sell fresh chicken here. I know....it's all frozen. Which is odd to me because I have never seen so many wild chickens roaming around in my life.
Our power went out mysteriously for about 7 hours the other night...which was fine because our house held the cool air in quite a bit longer than I expected. There are also some back up lights installed in the hallways for that very purpose.
In short, everyday is a new surprise. Good or bad, it's all part of the adventure :)
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Settled
I'm ALIVE!! We have been off the grid for two weeks now, waiting for the internet to get hooked up (and then actually work). It is INCREDIBLE to be home! I melted into our bed the first night, and slept better than I had in many, many months. Now, we are getting comfortable in our new place. Home sweet not hotel room!!!
We are loving every minute being on this beautiful island. Wade and I were talking today about how, despite the inevitable Americanized feeling, it is really very subtle. The culture of the locals has saturated this place, and it's wonderful. As I've said before, they are very friendly and inviting.
Last Wednesday was Liberation Day, which is a very important holiday here on Guam. It is the day that Guam was liberated from Japan after WWII. They have a huge parade, a giant carnival, fireworks, and lots and lots of 'chow'. We made our way down to Chamorro Village (a local market square) to partake in the festivities, and see what Liberation Day was all about. It was so touching to see how thankful these people are to be an American territory. I mean, let's face it, most of the world is really not in love with America. Not these people. This holiday is not just a day for food and fun, but a day for true remembrance and thanks for our involvement in their lives. My husband was checking out at a small bakery that was in the hotel we were staying in when we first arrived, and the woman behind the counter took him by the hand and said, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, we couldn't sleep at night." It was the first time my husband was really moved, almost to tears by someone's appreciation for his service.
We are home. And, it really does feel like our home already. It's hard not to feel at home with these people. Every day is a new adventure...even if that adventure is trying to get at least one box unpacked.
Good Night Everyone!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Spare Time
Life is good. Wonderful in fact. We are living in a paradise. The sun is shining, the water is warm, and all things 'moving' are going pleasantly well.
We spent our first day being very productive. We got a rental car to help us get around until we picked up my car (which we shipped here a couple of months ago). There is this wonderful company that makes reservations for military families moving onto the island at hotels, and part of their service is to also provide you with a car and cell phone free of charge!! They dropped the car off at our hotel the morning we got in, and we ran off into the unknown to get Wade checked in with his command and to see what we could see.
We picked up some maps and made our way to the Naval base to check out the NEX (Naval Exchange: basically a nice Target) and pick up a few essentials. We stopped by our friends' place who made the jump a couple of weeks ago. The husband, Tom, went through the same specialty school with Wade. I hung out with them while Wade checked in, and then we jetted over to the Housing Office to try and get the process started.
After paperwork and setting an appointment to look at some houses the next morning, we decided to call it a night. Nicholas was way too tired to go to a sit-down restaurant, but we managed to find a Wendy's....
Now, my husband and I are sitting patiently in the line waiting for the car in front of us to pull forward to the next window so we can order, and I glance up at the menu board because Wade is telling me how they have brought back a sandwich that he really liked...'New blah blah blah'.... Well, right next to this sign is another with bright red letters proudly advertising 'NEW BACON'. Yes, it's much better than that old crap bacon. I point this out to Wade, who chuckles, and it snowballs from there, as you can imagine. Well, we place our order, and as we are pulling around to the window I notice an outlet mall across the street. I start reading the names of the shops aloud, and then I stop...because their are two shops at the end that make me smile... 'Burger King' and 'Subway'. I start giggling telling Wade that I've never heard of a Burger King Outlet before....without missing a beat, he mumbles, "That must be where they ship the old bacon." I laughed SO hard, and even if you don't get our childish humor...I don't care. Life's little things like that are normally what makes me laugh the hardest.
Yesterday, we went snorkeling!! And it was amazing. The water wasn't very deep where we were so you could get really close to all the fishies. I flashed to Finding Nemo and got excited when I saw Gil's and Dori's ( no, I don't know the real names of the fish) and bright blue starfish. It was amazing. We plan on going as much as we can while we are here.
We have our house picked out, and my car picked up, and now we are relaxing at the hotel. Tomorrow we have to go and pick up our new tags for the car and my new Driver's license. Errands are so much better with a view :)
Until next time...
We spent our first day being very productive. We got a rental car to help us get around until we picked up my car (which we shipped here a couple of months ago). There is this wonderful company that makes reservations for military families moving onto the island at hotels, and part of their service is to also provide you with a car and cell phone free of charge!! They dropped the car off at our hotel the morning we got in, and we ran off into the unknown to get Wade checked in with his command and to see what we could see.
We picked up some maps and made our way to the Naval base to check out the NEX (Naval Exchange: basically a nice Target) and pick up a few essentials. We stopped by our friends' place who made the jump a couple of weeks ago. The husband, Tom, went through the same specialty school with Wade. I hung out with them while Wade checked in, and then we jetted over to the Housing Office to try and get the process started.
After paperwork and setting an appointment to look at some houses the next morning, we decided to call it a night. Nicholas was way too tired to go to a sit-down restaurant, but we managed to find a Wendy's....
Now, my husband and I are sitting patiently in the line waiting for the car in front of us to pull forward to the next window so we can order, and I glance up at the menu board because Wade is telling me how they have brought back a sandwich that he really liked...'New blah blah blah'.... Well, right next to this sign is another with bright red letters proudly advertising 'NEW BACON'. Yes, it's much better than that old crap bacon. I point this out to Wade, who chuckles, and it snowballs from there, as you can imagine. Well, we place our order, and as we are pulling around to the window I notice an outlet mall across the street. I start reading the names of the shops aloud, and then I stop...because their are two shops at the end that make me smile... 'Burger King' and 'Subway'. I start giggling telling Wade that I've never heard of a Burger King Outlet before....without missing a beat, he mumbles, "That must be where they ship the old bacon." I laughed SO hard, and even if you don't get our childish humor...I don't care. Life's little things like that are normally what makes me laugh the hardest.
Yesterday, we went snorkeling!! And it was amazing. The water wasn't very deep where we were so you could get really close to all the fishies. I flashed to Finding Nemo and got excited when I saw Gil's and Dori's ( no, I don't know the real names of the fish) and bright blue starfish. It was amazing. We plan on going as much as we can while we are here.
We have our house picked out, and my car picked up, and now we are relaxing at the hotel. Tomorrow we have to go and pick up our new tags for the car and my new Driver's license. Errands are so much better with a view :)
Until next time...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Home Sweet Hotel Room
Well, we made it. We are safely in Guam. Trying to adjust to the 15 hour time difference. But, the view is beautiful, the air smells like tropical flowers, and my hair is, surprisingly, not as poofy as I would expect in the humidity.
We left Houston at 9:35am, local time, and had a really great 8+ hour flight to Honolulu. The squirt did AMAZINGLY well. He slept well, he ate well, and he made friends with all of the surrounding passengers. Having personal televisions on the flight was a great perk. I watched a couple of movies and 3 House episodes while trying to nap...not a good combination.
We landed in Honolulu at 12:30pm, local time, and stretched our legs for all of 30 minutes before trudging back onto the plane for the 7+ hour flight to Guam. ( I was very upset that I couldn't connect to the internet and update.) This flight was not quite as easy. Nicholas was squirmier, Wade and I were more tired. I started getting fidgety at one point, really very ready to get off the plane...and we still had 5 more hours.
We finally made it to our little island paradise, and as we circled the island waiting for our clearance to land...I laughed when I realized I really could see from one side of the island to the other. It was incredible. There was literally a rainbow over the bay when we flew along the coast.
We landed 6:02pm, local time....3:02am Houston time. We got our bags, went through customs, and met up with Wade's sponsor from the ship...just in time for a downpour. 'Welcome to Guam', a cheerful greeting from the sponsor, and a rush out to the car.
We checked in at the Hilton, and tried to stay up until it was a reasonable bedtime (we wanted to pass out at 7:30). I think we crashed at about 8:45. Nicholas was really congested and was up and down all night, but actually didn't fight sleep. I slept fairly well, minus the times when I woke up with the urge to get up and be awake even thought my body was screaming for the rest. And, poor Wade, it was his turn with the booger, and he didn't get the good night's sleep he'd been hoping for.
We woke up at about 5:30am, and couldn't sleep anymore. We've been lazily getting ready for the busy day ahead of us. I'm hoping that I won't mysteriously want to go back to bed in a couple of hours when Texas is headed to bed....I will have to find a coffee shop, as the espresso bar downstairs has the worst 'espresso' I've ever had. No amount of cream or sugar could fix it. A wasted $4.
Well, we are off to start the process of new residents. Trying to get my car and check in with the housing office...maybe get our new cellphones.
Missing everybody back home. We love you.
Hafa Adai!! Welcome to Guam!!
We left Houston at 9:35am, local time, and had a really great 8+ hour flight to Honolulu. The squirt did AMAZINGLY well. He slept well, he ate well, and he made friends with all of the surrounding passengers. Having personal televisions on the flight was a great perk. I watched a couple of movies and 3 House episodes while trying to nap...not a good combination.
We landed in Honolulu at 12:30pm, local time, and stretched our legs for all of 30 minutes before trudging back onto the plane for the 7+ hour flight to Guam. ( I was very upset that I couldn't connect to the internet and update.) This flight was not quite as easy. Nicholas was squirmier, Wade and I were more tired. I started getting fidgety at one point, really very ready to get off the plane...and we still had 5 more hours.
We finally made it to our little island paradise, and as we circled the island waiting for our clearance to land...I laughed when I realized I really could see from one side of the island to the other. It was incredible. There was literally a rainbow over the bay when we flew along the coast.
We landed 6:02pm, local time....3:02am Houston time. We got our bags, went through customs, and met up with Wade's sponsor from the ship...just in time for a downpour. 'Welcome to Guam', a cheerful greeting from the sponsor, and a rush out to the car.
We checked in at the Hilton, and tried to stay up until it was a reasonable bedtime (we wanted to pass out at 7:30). I think we crashed at about 8:45. Nicholas was really congested and was up and down all night, but actually didn't fight sleep. I slept fairly well, minus the times when I woke up with the urge to get up and be awake even thought my body was screaming for the rest. And, poor Wade, it was his turn with the booger, and he didn't get the good night's sleep he'd been hoping for.
We woke up at about 5:30am, and couldn't sleep anymore. We've been lazily getting ready for the busy day ahead of us. I'm hoping that I won't mysteriously want to go back to bed in a couple of hours when Texas is headed to bed....I will have to find a coffee shop, as the espresso bar downstairs has the worst 'espresso' I've ever had. No amount of cream or sugar could fix it. A wasted $4.
Well, we are off to start the process of new residents. Trying to get my car and check in with the housing office...maybe get our new cellphones.
Missing everybody back home. We love you.
Hafa Adai!! Welcome to Guam!!
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