The first two weeks.

First off, I need to say what a labor of love this post is. Last night I was making zucchini pancakes for dinner. I just finished commenting how much I love our new cheese grader because it’s so sharp and makes the process so easy. Not even 60 seconds later I grade off my fingers instead of the zucchini. My husband ran to the store, bought me princess band-aids, and forced me to eat a Twix because he was worried I was going to pass out. It was a lot of blood. Thanks to my kind husband and the healing powers of princess band-aids I’m going to live, but am now afraid of our VERY sharp cheese grader. Anyway, when you’re missing the top of your fingers it hinders your typing capabilities.  

Now for our first two weeks in Guam. Guam is absolutely breathtaking and much prettier than I imagined it would be. We have been able to do some sightseeing and the more we see the more we like. When I first arrived on the island we had a date night at Hard Rock Café Guam. I’m really interested in knowing peoples stories of what brought them to the island, especially the white people who aren’t military, people like us. Our server Patrick began saving money at 16 to come here and surf with his best friend, who happened to be Chamorro but never been to Guam. As an 18 year old surf rat he came and never left, traveled, married, had kids, started a business, was happy. It’s always comforting to hear people’s positive opinions of the island. I talk to people and they either love it or hate it on Guam, no in between. I’m hoping we love it. Hard Rock is part of the main tourist strip and has lots of shopping. There were so many cute clothing stores, erasing any fear that the only place to shop here was the World’s largest Kmart. It’s funny how some of the stores are organized. They will have one rack of clothes that’s Abercrombie, one rack that’s American Eagle, Hollister, Victoria’s Secret, etc… all in the same store. There were lots of cute local shops too and I’m excited to wear skirts and maxi dresses to my heart’s content, since it’s humid all the time.

A recommendation of somewhere we had to visit was Two Lovers Point. It’s the best place on the entire island to watch the sunset. There is a story about two star crossed lovers, whose families didn’t approve of the relationship so they tie their hair together and jump off a cliff to their death. It’s basically Guam’s Romeo and Juliet. You have the most incredible view of the entire island and the colors of the sunset were beautiful. I envision lots of future sunset watching here.

Talofofo Falls was another recommendation, so last weekend we packed up our baby in the Bjorn and some sunscreen to spend the day swimming at a waterfall and swan diving off the top and stuff like that. We were lucky to get here because of downed power lines blocking the road, and when we did it was pouring down rain. One thing I have learned is that it rains, every single day, off and on, all day long. It’s not like the rain is cold so there is no reason to avoid it or change your plans because of it. I love the rain, and here you’re hot and sweaty all the time anyway so why not throw in a little rain. The sunscreen was unnecessary, but mosquito repellent absolutely was, so of course we had none with us. Little did we realize that what we were actually doing was taking a gondola ride into the jungle, with Glenn whistling the music to Jurassic Park on our way down. Luckily, the one other person there was an always prepared Japanese tourist who sprayed us down with something from a tiny brown bottle. Which I hoped was bug repellent, but I literally had 50 bites at the end of the day so who knows. The waterfalls were picturesque and beautiful, of course, who doesn’t love a waterfall? Seriously though we were in paradise! We had the best day walking along paths surrounded by cascading waterfalls, lush jungle, across suspension bridges, up and down steps that become really treacherous when muddy and wet and you are wearing sandals. We saw Yokoi’s cave, a Japanese soldier who sought refuge and built a simple three foot cave in which to hide. His resourcefulness was so great that he was able to stay alive in the jungle and the conclusion of WW2 went unnoticed for 28 years! Glenn with reckless abandon ignored all the signs about no swimming and jumped in the water. We concluded our day with a walk through Loveland, an exotic statue park with men and women in scandalous positions and statues of dogs in overalls. Ummm...yeah. Kind of interesting to have at a waterfall park and made me blush deeply walking through something like this. Overall we were sticky, dirty, mosquito bitten messes by the end, but had a fun and enjoyable day taking lots of pretty pictures and family videos.

I know it appears to be all life is perfect but my emotions have been on an up and down roller coaster. I love visiting all the pretty places, but I feel at times like I’m on vacation not actually living here. I snapped the other day when I was making dinner and we had no can opener, and no way to reach my husband, and no car, and I had to stop cooking in the middle. It’s frustrating when you’re accustomed to having a kitchen full of everything you need to having only a couple miscellaneous items.  I’m frustrated because we still don’t have a majority of our stuff. We don’t want to go out and purchase items that we know are on a boat somewhere and will reach us eventually, hopefully, who really knows? The shipping situation here is a nightmare! I shipped a box filled with all of Deliah’s baby stuff, swing, bath, bumbo, etc… and was told it would take two weeks. When I get here I learned that our home address isn’t actually the shipping address. There is no mail delivery system here, so you can’t get mail direct to your home. Most people have P.O. Boxes, but we’re allowed to use the University address and ship to Glenn’s office and that’s what I needed to use. We Wanted to stop the post office before they ship the box back to the states so Glenn goes into the post office with the tracking number. I was told wrong information when I shipped the box and turns out when you ship a box standard mail it goes on a boat and takes 6-8 weeks!! That’s a big freaking difference. In addition to all Deliah’s stuff two other boxes were shipped standard mail with basically everything we decided we were taking with us to Guam, which wasn’t much to begin with. What did reach us were the three very small boxes that shipped priority. Thank goodness we have some pans, cookie sheets, a kitchen mat, and Settlers of Catan. Really though, 6-8 weeks of no Catan really would have been tragic. 

I get frustrated by my lack of cell phone, and wish there was a simple affordable option here that I can call and text to the states. So far Skype, Facebook messages and e-mails have been a huge blessing! But when you’re used to having a cell phone and suddenly don’t you feel like you’re living in the Stone Ages. I especially hate not being able to reach Glenn during the day, especially if there were some kind of emergency where I might need him. We do however have a landline, which I jump up and get really excited every time that rings. I freaked out when I saw a cockroach scurry across our bedroom floor and now open the door with caution every time. I actually like all the geckos we have though, and appreciate that they eat any bugs. I think they are so cute and I’m fascinated by how fast they scurry around on the walls. I am saddened by how difficult us moving to Guam still is for my Mom, and hope that time will heal.

I really am trying my absolute best to keep everyone updated on our lives. I feel so loved with the vast support we have received from so many. Each time I open Facebook I have kind messages from friends just wanting to check in and see how we are adjusting to life in Guam. Thanks for not forgetting us a million miles away over here! Like I have said before, I was extremely apprehensive about this move, I have doubted that this was the right decision, but I am hopeful! I am hopeful that we love it, and believe that life is full of hard choices and this is where we need to be right now. For whatever reasons we may not understand yet, I believe there is purpose behind this journey.

 

Two Lovers Point

 

 

 

Fire in the sky.

 

Wild boar hanging out in the parking lot. Not strange at all here.

The Fox's at Talofofo Falls.

Coconut on a ledge.

I LOVE this picture.

We're in Jurrasic Park for sure. We found prints as proof!



I think the above ground root systems on these trees are neat.



The Guam Chapters.

A while back I wrote that Glenn had a job interview with the University of Guam. I wrote about the fear and anxiety that just the interview brought me, and the heartache that was sure to come with living so far away from our families. Well, Glenn was offered the job. We woke up on day two of our journey back West this summer to an offer and a five day timeline to decide. Good thing we were in the middle of a five day car trip to agonize over this decision. For the first time in our two years of marriage we were split on our choice. Not just an I don’t really care, I could go either way, you choose, kind of split either. Like, I was an adamant this move terrifies me. Glenn really wanted the job, the only thing holding him back was me. Ultimately Glenn accepted the job, and we are now in Guam. It broke my heart not to be unified on this decision and have to admit created a rift between us. I know in my heart why Glenn accepted this position. I understand that it was more than chasing his career dreams, but wanting to be a good provider for his wife and baby. I trust that Guam could be a really good thing for us, I just so wished another closer job surfaced instead.

All summer I never really relaxed about the move. I was confident that the Universe was fighting against us and all the preparations we needed to make. There are so many complications that come with moving to another country! And we still have loose ends in California. For starters we needed to figure out what to do with all our stuff. What to bring, what to sell, what to store? We tried having two garage sales. My parents live directly across the street from a very popular soccer park, and the two Saturdays we sit outside, empty! Sign? We also had two cars that we were trying to sell and some larger furniture items on Craigslist. I swear every time we were in talks with someone and they were for sure coming with money to pick it up disaster strikes. These are some of my favorite excuses for why people never showed. I lost my phone. My car was stolen that morning. My daughter was in a car accident and lost her spleen. What the heck?!

The most difficult preparation came with trying to get our dogs to Guam. There is a vast checklist of shots, blood work, and paperwork that needs to be done, and a lot of money. We made the difficult decision to leave Lexi with my Grandma, who we knew would do nothing but sit there and give her attention 24/7. We did all the necessary vet work with Rocky and thought we were good to go. I stayed in California an additional two weeks after Glenn already left for Guam so that we could wait out the processing times on Rocky’s blood work and avoid a long quarantine when we arrived in Guam. The next hurdle came with the airlines. We were told by the airlines that Rocky wasn’t allowed to fly in cabin and would need to fly with their Petsafe program. This made me very nervous! I hated the idea of my dog flying in cargo and worried about the trauma that might cause him. When it came time to make his reservation I found out that Rocky wouldn’t be on any of the same flights as me. First off I was on an express flight, and dogs flying internationally with Petsafe aren’t allowed on express flights. Second, Rocky would need a quarantine in Hawaii. Meaning, Rocky would miss my flight to Guam and need to fly out on a different flight. Also, lots more money! I hate United Airlines! I hate that they made it virtually impossible to bring my dog with me. It broke my heart to leave Rocky with my parents. It broke my heart when my Dad told me that Rocky sat outside the door to the room we stayed in all summer just waiting for us. It makes my eyes watery just thinking about it. I’m grateful my parents love him too, and know they will take care of him. I just miss him a lot!

The most difficult aspect of moving to Guam was Deliah. Not just the fact that United Airlines once again made me their enemy. I had to pay an ‘infant tax’ just to bring my baby with me. The woman on the phone seriously posed it to me like this, ‘well if you want to bring your baby you need to pay’. Like it was actually a choice. United Airlines is a bunch of heartless people! What tore me up inside were the feelings that I was taking this beautiful baby away from so many that love her. I love my family and want them to have a relationship with Deliah. She is growing so fast and will be so different when they get to see her again. All summer I felt like I was on borrowed time. I view the two months we spent in CA as a gift. A way that everyone we love could meet our baby and bond with her. But, it was always in the back of my mind that this was all temporary. I know I will never be able to send enough pictures and Skype long enough to satisfy my families desire to see her.

Finally, I make it to the airport, accompanied by my entire family. After a really sad goodbye Deliah and I arrive at our gate. Flight delayed an unknown amount of time. Really, why did everything about this move have to be so gosh dang stressful?! I only had a 1 ½ hour layover so the woman at the counter set about booking me backup flights. She wanted to put me on a one way to Honolulu, skipping San Francisco all together. I was rejected by Hawaiian Airlines for this flight because I didn’t have a passport. A passport to fly to Hawaii? Why even consider it one of the 50 states? Anyway, my flight to SF departs exactly 1 ½ late. I make it to my gate for my next flight literally as the doors are closing. When I arrived in SF and asked what gate I needed to be at, a nice man escorted me all the way there when he learned it was already boarding. He began swiftly walking and then quickly turned into a brisk jog. Him pushing my stroller and me jogging besides carrying my baby in the Bjorn. I made my flight, and honestly from here on out traveling was easy. Deliah was a travel delight. In three flights she never cried, not even a whimper. I was worried the air pressure would bother her and she would be fussy. I was worried she would have a massive poop blowout, because such is my luck. Nope. She was a gem! I think I deserved this because the idea of traveling alone for almost a full day, with a newborn, all alone, made me a little nervous. I had to laugh because after three flights with a happy baby, she screamed the second we got in the car leaving the Guam airport.

Now the real adventures begin. All summer I felt like we were sacrificing so much, and waiting impatiently for things to get easier. All summer I hated anytime someone said the word adventure to me. All summer I was so unenthusiastic about this move. Don’t get me wrong, I am not planning on being miserable while I’m here. I am hopeful that this will be a positive experience for us. I am excited about traveling somewhere new. I am hopeful that when we look back on these Guam chapters one day they will be filled with wonderful new friends and fun stories. Stay tuned.

 

Deliah's first time on an airplane!

Perfect travel baby!

Deliah watching Free Willy on the Kindle during one of our flights.

A Daddy happy to see his baby again after two long weeks.



Fox's together again!