Some highlights.

Bright and early tomorrow morning Deliah and I are leaving to spend the next six months in California. I just wanted to take a moment and express how grateful I am for the joyous last month that we have had here in Guam. We are so blessed to have such remarkable family outings and I love spending time with my adorable little family. Six weeks is a long time to be apart from your husband and Deliah will miss her Daddy so much. I know Glenn fears that Deliah will change and grow like a weed while we’re separated by an ocean. We wanted to squeeze in as much family time as possible. Whenever you leave somewhere you go through a phase of wanting to cross items of your to do, to see, and to eat list that has been in the back of your mind forever. We did just that, checking items off our list and creating a lot more positive memories of our time in Guam in the meantime. There were a lot so I’m just going to hit some highlights.  

-          Deliah rode on a water buffalo named Bessy! We were exploring the tiny village of Umatac and went to check out a war history site from the Spanish-American war. There was a nice local man, “Big John,” who offered to take our picture in front of Bessy and then surprised us and said Glenn and Deliah could hop on. It was so unexpected and I can’t wait for the day Deliah comes across that picture and we talk about how she got to ride a water buffalo in Guam. Seriously, who has baby stories like that? Umatac is famous for being the place Portuguese Explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on Guam while traveling the globe.  

-          An ordinary trip to the bank turned into a cultural explosion filled with dancing and authentic homemade empanadas and other yummy treats.  

-          I went snorkeling for the very first time! We bought snorkels for Christmas and I finally used mine. Normally I’m hanging out with Deliah while Glenn is the one swimming with the fishes. For some reason it has never worked out that we have time for both of us to snorkel in the same day. I can now say that it’s amazing! I was completely oblivious to how many fish were swimming around us every time we go in the ocean. There are so many and the colors are beautiful. While Glenn was snorkeling, Deliah and I walked along the beach collecting puka shells. It was the best day and Ritidian Beach quickly became my favorite beach on the island.   

-          Deliah discovered her favorite beach spot on the island. There is a spot not far from our house that has a sand bank that is covered by 2-5 inches of water. You can run out hundreds of feet without the water ever going past your ankles. It’s perfectly baby friendly and Deliah loves that she can crawl around and splash easily all by herself. We set her down and then watch as she crawls towards us with an ear to ear smile. Deliah is such a little bubble guppy that belongs in the water. Seriously she can’t get enough! Although she does have strict specifications that the water is warm. I’m hoping she can adjust to that CA water.  

-          We finally ate at the little Thai food shack right near our home. It was recommended to us once but let’s face it that the outward appearance can be deceiving and we frequently forgot about it until we drove past. We were given tons of food at a reasonable price, and I even got a mango watermelon ube smoothie. It was a successful lunch adventure and I would go back. 

-          Deliah went down her very first water slide! To do so I did perhaps the naughtiest thing I have ever done in my entire life! We snuck into the swimming pool area at one of the fancy island resorts. All the resorts here have public beach access and we were originally planning on hitting up the beach after some shopping. We honestly didn’t think it would be a big deal to use the pool. Who would even notice that we weren’t hotel guests? Turns out the lifeguard flagged Glenn down in seconds for not wearing one of the necessary green wrist bands. You needed a towel card that they give you when you check in. Glenn thought we could swindle one. When we walked up to the cabana and were asked for a room number Glenn promptly replied #902. I have no idea how he knew that would even be correct, but we were given wrist bands and never even asked to see a towel card. It was such a rush of excitement for me. The pool had a water slide and a lovely ocean backdrop. We took turns going down the water slide with Deliah and even let her sit on the slide herself in between our legs. It was a blast and made for the best day. Shopping, swimming, water slides, a little bit of rebellion, and closing out our day with the most amazing salted butter caramel gelato. I was euphorically happy all day and couldn’t have asked for a better last weekend here.

I have really been striving to live in the moment recently, and have been happier because of it. It’s difficult for me to look past things that are difficult sometimes and can put myself into a slump. I truly am grateful I have a husband with a job that can provide for his family. Guam was a shock to me. Guam was difficult those first few months, like moving anywhere new would be. I missed my Chihuahua. I missed avocados. I missed Holidays spent with family. I missed home. I know this experience has brought me closer to my husband and strengthened our family. We have a lot of wonderful memories and a lot of once in a lifetime experiences as a result of this unexpected stop in our life’s journey. This is a side of the world I never thought I would visit. It’s been good to broaden my horizons. It’s been hard, but it’s been good too.