catch-up

ugh!  the blog!  ok, to sum it up.....

there have been several goodbyes lately....  not too fond of those.  but i am thankful for blogs & facebook, where at least you can keep up with the people you make such strong connections with (especially when you're on a teeny island like guam)  friends, you are missed.

we're still trying to live the rest of our time here on guam as if it was a vacation...  beach, pool, water park, play dates.....  life is pretty good!

we went to australia!  it was AWESOME!  wish we could have stayed longer, seen more.  but time & money are to blame....  one day we'll go back.  (& there will be another post for that vacay)

& my birthday.  i am the oldest person i know here.  really. REALLY.  yes, older than my husband's boss, older than everyone in his office even!  older than all my friends, except maybe one... or two, maybe....   feeling SO old.  feeling happy & even a bit wiser ...  which i don't mind ;) ...  but do we really have to keep going forward with these years?  it seems like they're going even faster.  can't we just press pause for a bit?

water park fun

"coloring"

super baby!

not again....

within the next week & a half i will know whether or not i will need surgery on my knee, my OTHER knee. yes, i've had knee surgery before..... twice.... on my poor left knee, twice. and now, AND NOW, i might be in need of another surgery on my poor right knee. you know, i won't get all into the details & i won't go all pity-party (trust me i have dipped into the pity pool a few times since last week when i injured it, but not now, not here).... i saw the doc today & felt discouraged leaving the hospital, but after i got home all i could think about was the fact that my daughter is healthy & my husband is alive. & that made me smile. i was talking with a friend on the phone & heard about some of the struggles she has had conceiving. & i think about the wounded soldiers who come home with out the use of their limbs or the ones who don't make it home. perspective. yes i'm upset, but i also feel grateful. & humbled. & i try to keep the big picture of this all.... this life, this world, in perspective.

can you say "remembrance, hope & gratitude"?

ok, so my last post was me complaining about the rainy season here. & yesterday it had been 5 years since hurricane katrina had hit. i remember that day & the days that followed...... living right on the gulf during this time of year is always unsettling (ivan hit us hard & destroyed a lot in 2004), but watching what new orleans suffered through was so disheartening. we were fine when katrina hit, just loss of power for a while, but it was horrible to see the destruction & devastation that occurred. but there is hope now with ongoing rebuilding efforts & as we continue to hear stories of survival & perseverance.

and the victims of the floods in pakistan. so sad to see all the destruction & suffering occurring in their country.

so i hope & pray for the victims of these natural disasters. & i feel gratitude that here in guam we were safe the day i blogged about the rain.