jungle cruise

so on monday, it was a holiday, we went on a jungle cruise with another couple, debra & justin, & had a bunch of fun! the boat goes along the talafofo river & stops by an old chamorro village. at the end of the cruise, they provided coconut candy (yummy!) & juice (not as yummy, but still tasty) & bits of raw coconut (um, not for me - tasted a little bland & had a weird texture) & items made from coconut fronds. the people running the cruise were hilarious, very funny & entertaining. we went right after a rain storm so the water was a little murky, but the sky was clear & it wasn't too hot (for 1pm in a guam january)...... i think the price for the cruise is normally around $70, but we got the military discount & only paid $25...... so worth it. we had a late lunch at jeff's pirate's cove to wrap up the day.




carabao & rooster



debra & me with our coconut crowns

climbing to get a coconut


jeff with a coconut

jeff in a cave

feeling like an island princess

items made from coconut fronds

coconut candy

jeff doing a coconut candy shot


pretending to like raw coconut

playing rochambeau for coconut items

at jeff's pirate's cove

a 3 star & a living room ten-don't

so sometime last week, deep in conversation with myself i thought..... "hey, you remember when you used to do that dancing stuff? you could try & at least do a couple tendus, arabesques & cambrés, just for old times sake..... might even help with all this extra soft stuff that's laying around your body now." so i did. in the living room. wasn't very much, i did like 4 relevés & 2 arabesques (lifting your leg behind you until you feel an uncomfortable cramp in your back & butt).......... well, the very next day my back was in pain. how sad, i only had my leg at around 45 degrees (which when i was dancing could get my leg up to 90 & on the right side past 90, during dracula time) boohoo.....

well, i am beginning to realize how great ballet was for my body. now, in hindsight, of course. because while dancing i always found something physically wrong with my body to complain about & had serious knee issues for about 4 years. but now, after 3 FULL months off, i see such a change physically. i've gained about 15 pounds, yikes! and feel really soft. which part of me really likes, i feel feminine, but i also feel really weak, have less energy & don't feel as healthy..... not to mention i can no longer consider myself to be a dancer.

so again today i realized i'd try to do a little more living room dancing. and for the record, i have tried to call the dance studios here on guam & have gotten only machines & a couple "this number is no longer in service"...... so one day i might find myself back in a real studio, until then there is always the living room.

here is an unglamorous glimpse, and as ms. dorothy would say, "you call that a tendu (tahn-do), i call that a ten-don't!"

now to the 3 star part..... andersen has a DV on base today & tomorrow..... jeff is following around the distinguished visitor, a 3 star general, taking photographs & going to all the prestigious briefings/ events..... & i'm dancing around the living room. hmmm....

2009 wrap-up

we've been through so much this past year......

i started the EPI program to help with my teacher certification & am so happy to say that a year later i "graduated" & passed all the tests - general knowledge, subject area (Physical Education K-12, doesn't make much sense i know, seeing as i've never played a sport in my life, but that's just how we had to do it in FL. i'll also receive certification for Dance K-12 too) & prof. ed. i'll have the official certificate arrive any day now!

our sweet nephew cohen joined us in jan.... such a cutie!!

jeff left for BMT in feb......

at the recruiter's office, lots of tears.....

graduated in april & then was held over at lackland until the end of june. such a crazy story, he trained for CCT (combat controller) for over a year & had a contract for that when he went into BMT. one doctor at lackland decided that because he had a minimal concussion when he was 12 from playing soccer that he couldn't receive flight status. so they kept him at lackland doing testing & crap for months, until they decided he couldn't go for CCT, so then he chose to go into photography & finally got to leave to go to tech school........

his flight

we performed cinderella.....

me, katia & jen

ugly step-sisters (sans wigs & extensions)

performed with pensacola opera in aida......

me & my slave boys

performed with a beautiful elephant!!!!! she was the star of the show!!!!

we lost our sweet baby boy tag..... he was sick with a kidney disease since birth, but only really was affected at the end. i miss him everyday.......

showing off one of his tricks

sean & i created a new piece together called 'touch'...... love dancing with him, miss it....

we had an awesome summer season, so much fun!

boating....

grilling....

beaching....

kayaoke-ing.....

beach & bubbles photo shoots.....

goofing....

jeff graduated tech school in the fall......

in october, i quit my job after 5 years. i have been very lucky to have a job that i love since i've been out of high school..... dancing, teaching & setting choreography for various companies & schools. i'm hoping to continue teaching & doing choreography, & i would love to continue to train & perform as well, but i have yet to seek out what opportunities are available on guam.

jeff found out in november that he did receive flight status & could cross train into CCT in about 1 & 1/2 years if he wants..... but while he's doing photography, flight status will help allow him to do arial photography. so funny how things work out.

& now we're in guam! happy 2010 to all!

tada!

YAY!!! we received all of our stuff! yes, our computer is here! i don't even know where to start; in regards to a photo update...... i guess you should check my facebook first. a bit easier...... but i guess i'll post a few photos to give this blog a little umph.....

so where to begin........... i guess at the beginning.

so this is our resort stay.....

view from our hotel balcony, not too bad, huh?

exploring the island.....

golden carabao

tree snake catcher

at jeff's pirate's cove..... a cool touristy bar.......

our base house, soon to be "home".......

"um, i guess we'll take this one...."

our single red bow......

ooh, the rental car....

living room, pre-delivery & pre-paint.....

dining room.... for now.

the shell lights in the bathroom, think we'll keep em

how pretty.... um....

and jump ahead..... here we are at a new year's party...... thanks shane....

time for bed.....

SO glad to be back, i love the feeling of "home"...... it makes such a difference. jeff & i are watching one of our favorite artist dvd's, "the run up" & we have music streaming & a quick online hook-up, a belly full of yummy dinner, glass of wine..... how great! so there's our glimpse into guam. part 1.

home is a day away

so excited to share that our household goods are being delivered tomorrow!!! i am so surprised at how quickly it got here! even our car arrived on island earlier than expected. which is the biggest relief seeing as rental car rates can really add up. so the two shipments that i thought would take the longest were in fact so quick & our "quick" shipment is still MIA...... although my mother-in-law, through numerous phone calls, found out that it should be on the island today! i'm still working on getting info here on my end..... no one likes to answer the phone over at navy TMO. but i'm feeling very excited to make our house feel like our home again!!!
in other news, jeff is photography-ing away now! he's doing really well in the office, seeing as the only 2 photographers there are right out of tech school..... 2 others just deployed, leaving an already undermanned office even more so. but jeff's doing very well & even is considered the head of the photography department now.
so things are good. i can't believe how fast time goes, i've been seeing all my other blog family & friends reflective posts on their 2009 experiences & it leads me to think about how crazy our year has been. certainly hasn't been boring at all. but i'll leave the details for another post, one where i can share photos!!! and the fact that a decade has just ended, it blows my mind to think back to 2000 & all that has happened since then, personally & universally.
i have a feeling that 2010 is going to be another exciting year, already full of changes & potential.
ok, next blog post i bet will be from MY COMPUTER!!!! here's hoping!!!