The grass is greener where you water it.

 

The grass is greener where you water it. I read this simple quote the other day and the words struck me instantly as I realized how fitting this was for my life right now. About mid February we purchased plane tickets home to California. Initially we were just planning on spending the summer and after a few different variables were thrown in, the tickets stretched into what will be a six month trip for me and Deliah. I am over the moon to be reunited with my Chihuahua. I am thrilled to be home in time for one of my best friends weddings. I’m looking forward to holding new babies that will be born. I am grateful to have time with my in-laws before they leave on a mission. More than anything I want to show off my perfect beautiful baby to all my family and friends. Deliah is not the same 2 month old infant who flew out to Guam with me anymore. She is a fearless 9 month old little girl who is so eager to try new things. I am already nervous about how I am going to handle a squirmy 9 ½ month old who is already attempting to walk during 18 hours of flight time, but that will be another story. The reason this quote had such a profound impact on me is because my feelings towards Guam have really changed recently. It’s almost like the second plane tickets were purchased off this island that is 6,000 miles away from everything I care about, I realized there is so much I care about here as well. There are still a million reasons this island makes me crazy, but that has not been my focus. Knowing I will be leaving and suddenly have limited time has allowed me to enjoy myself more, appreciate more, explore more, smile more, and hopefully be a better  wife and mother because of my shift in mood and perspective. I have allowed myself to feel happy when before I felt like that wasn’t allowed because this wasn’t my plan. Silly, yes, but understanding this about myself has helped me grow in a way I needed to grow. Lesson – life doesn’t always go your way, but water where you are and you can find beauty anywhere! For me it has been very literal beauty in the form of sunsets that light the sky on fire, amazing hikes, waterfalls, and the ocean! 

Guam was never on my radar, not for a place to live, and not even a place I considered for travel. I honestly knew absolutely nothing about it. I couldn’t even locate it on a globe, but then again I can’t locate most places on a globe. We have been here seven months now. Like anywhere you need to learn the ropes a little to feel comfortable. The learning curve in Guam is just steeper than when we moved West Coast to East Coast. On Sunday we met a new young couple with a 6 month old baby from Utah who just moved to Guam three days prior. Hello, sound familiar! I can relate to what this new Mom must be feeling so uniquely and I know too well the feelings of stress and loneliness that will creep up on you in a new place, although maybe she didn’t move here as reluctantly as I did? I thought about how I wish we had someone to help with the transition and tell us all the best places to shop, eat, hike, and explore on the island. We were told the same two spots to visit and once we went to those right away all we did was go to the beach a lot. Now we are discovering there is so much more to see and I love how blessed we are to be surrounded by so many fun excursions we can do in just a day. In the spirit of being appreciative and watering where I am planted here are 10 good things about Guam.

1.   The beach.

2.   The sunsets.

3.   Taking a hike, literally.

4.   Playing tourist for the day and exploring the island.

5.   The amazing scenic backdrops and vast amount of photo opportunities.

6.   Renting three movies for $5 at the video store across the street, we don’t have Redbox.

7.   The year round swimming in warm water. I miss seasons, however my baby is half guppy and loves to swim so this has been nice.

8.   A baby wearing an Aloha print dress.

9.   Laughter. There are plenty of strange things about Guam and we have really learned to have a sense of humor about it all, or try to anyway.

10.      My husband has a job here that can support his family, and every weekend is a 3 day weekend.