blueberries

well today i had an ob orientation at the health & wellness center on base. you know, talks on nutrition for the baby, dental health, when appointments will be & what they'll do at each appointment. i got very scared during the dental briefing because she showed us pictures of a pregnancy tumor that can happen on your gums during pregnancy. ok, i'm not the best at flossing & lately every time i brush my teeth i'm gagging, so i'm freaking out that i'm gonna get some big-ol-gum-growth out of my mouth during these next 7 months. anyway, there were about 7 preggos (including my seat mate vanessa, she works in jeff's office & she's at 9 weeks) in the briefing & they had us fill out our charts. which the charts are full of stuff - stuff you'd expect like past family history forms, genetic screening tests forms, etc..... then other forms like the one that asks you about your birthing plan. they get right down to it asking such questions as "do you want to change positions when you're pushing?" "would you like the use of a mirror to see your baby being born?" "would you like the lights dim?" "would you like to see the placenta?" i mean stuff i wasn't even prepared to think about. woah. & it's weird they ask us now, before we even get to talk with a doctor or hear the baby's heart beat.

they scheduled everyone's appointments for their 12 week (1st) appointment. but my doc is off island so i can't see him until 13 weeks.... that's a long time to wait to see the doc for the 1st time. in fact, my sister (who has the same exact preggo dates as me - we're both 7 weeks) saw her doc today & got a sonogram & everything! they even scheduled her c-section delivery. (she had a previous delivery via c-section) she'll have her baby nov 24! how exciting! it's crazy the way things work out..... mom will be there for ash's delivery & then hop on over here for grandbaby #2 (well, 3rd one technically, but the 2nd one to be delivered this year)

ugh, i just want to see the doc soon! it's hard to wait & wonder how my little seed is doing. i'm still feeling queasy, i have the nose of a bloodhound, i eat & pee all the time & have a little tummy pooch already. so exciting! the baby is the size of a blueberry now & has little hands & feet that are like paddles! (according to babycenter.com) more to come later!

a fantastic giveaway!

ok, you all must rush over to my best guam friend's blog to enter her giveaway! the prize is a fantastic, unique, beautiful (i could go on & on) pair of earrings made by moi! the deadline is in a few days (i'm a bit behind because of these preggo pains) so you need to hurry if you want to win a free pair of earrings!!

an easter egg

ok, i've been just dying to blog about this & have waited over a week (which when you have a secret this exciting the week feels like FOREVER)..... so the wonderful news is...... we're pregnant! yay! we're gonna have a little baby! i just can't believe it! we found out march 27 after 2 positive home pregnancy tests, which i took after an intuitive feeling & a lot of pregnant talk 2 days before. a friend i do yoga class with told me she was pregnant on a wed, then on thurs i found out my sister is pregnant, so i just kinda had this feeling i should take a test & see if maybe i am too. well, it turns out that yes i'm on that pregnant train too. but my sister & i have the exact same dates! we're going through this together & i couldn't ask for a more extraordinary experience! it's wonderful!! our mom is over the moon thrilled that she'll have 2 more grandbabies on the way around the same time! but of course i'm on the other side of the globe so that puts a little extra fun/ stress into the situation. it'd be so funny if i was at home for the birth & my sis & i did this movie style with the doc running between our rooms catching those birthing babies!

so i'm (we're) 5 weeks preggo & it looks like the due date is set for dec 2 as of now. which is the day after jeff's birthday, 6 days before his sister's birthday, 10 days before my nephew's birthday & 11 days before my sister's birthday. i guess our families have something for december, or would it be march? heehee.

so i had been feeling great, not tired or sick, really not many symptoms at all & i'm thinking "oh, this pregnant thing is a breeze. i get to eat all the time, i don't have to suck in my tummy & people get to be excited for me & i get to gush about the wonderful news!" well, still gushing, but in between sickness now. i feel nauseous a lot, have really bad headaches, my back hurts & i feel hot all the time. which i'm always the person that has the thermostat set at 79 degrees & still need to curl up under the blanket on the couch because i'm cold.

but being pregnant is cool. just knowing that there is this little baby growing inside me, who at this point in time is the size of a sesame seed, it's just so incredible. my body feels different, my boobs got bigger (that was the only thing i noticed before we took the tests that gave me any kinda hint that things were different), my hips have gotten bigger (which my dance teacher did not hesitate to mention saturday when i took ballet class & told her the news, gee thanks) & my clothes are all fitting a bit tighter. time to get some bigger stuff. oh boy, not looking forward to moving up the size charts.

so i foresee a bunch of posts about this baby, my growing belly & our birthing adventures here on guam. i hope to continue to dance while i'm pregnant, i've been told your pirouettes improve when you're preggo, so we'll see. so that's our news! we're having a boonie baby!

winding wire update

so i have some new items up at etsy for sale. here is a peek at what i've been working on..... got more coming soon!

giveaway

so one of my awesome guam friends is doing a giveaway..... some pretty fantastic items from this side of the globe...... table runner & place settings from hong kong, homemade journal from thailand (really beautiful) & of course an i heart guam t-shirt! so go over there & leave her a comment, follow her blog (it's a pretty great one) & maybe you'll win!! click here & good luck!

so guam-y

ok, imagine laying in bed, deep in sleep & then feeling your husband wake up, so you wake up & you both stare dumbfounded down the hallway at 2am...... the lights are on & they weren't on when we went to sleep. so your husband gets that anxious feeling, while you're still half in sleep, babbling for him to go turn them off. then you realize "oh, yeah, this isn't supposed to happen" & then get anxious feelings for your husband as he stealthy-ly sneaks down the hallway on guard for an intruder. and you start to think, "do i sleep walk?", "does my husband sleepwalk?"...... then you get the "all's clear" from the hubs & get out of bed to help turn out the 2 lights that are on in the hallway & the dinning room entrance. well, as you're living in guam in base housing, turning off these lights is a bit more difficult than one would think. because the power has gone out. in the entire house. you don't see the glaring numbers from the alarm clock & you feel the hot air & think "oh yeah, this happens in guam.... a lot"...... "but why are those two lights on & why don't any of these switches turn them off?" so you stumble back to the bedroom, lights still on (really no switches would turn them off) & decide to open a window, shut the bedroom door & try to go back to sleep, sans hot covers..... then you wake in the morning to a house powered back on & two random lights back off & wonder if this was a dream or just a typical guam evening when the power goes out.

more downward dogs, less developés

it's so funny the way things develop. about a year ago i was ballet-ing at least 6 days a week & not able to really cross-train (most days too exhausted to even cook dinner). & was in pain more often than i'd like..... i was in great ballet-fighting shape, but i really craved balance for my body (& for my spirit). doing the same very precise, somewhat unnatural movements everyday really wears on the body. tight hip flexors, tight IT band, sore everywhere, continuous knee clicking & jamming....... everyday.

not even a block from the dance studio is a yoga studio & i would look out the window while we were at barre wishing i could skip class & go take yoga (& i'll admit just as many days i also wanted to escape to go enjoy sweet potato fries & a cold glass of chardonnay at the fabulous big city restaurant right across the street) but anyway, i really craved balance. and now the table has flipped..... i now take yoga class about 2 times a week, (with a body conditioning, abs & buns & zumba class thrown in as well) & find myself at the barre a mere once a week. (plus i eat all the sweet potato fries i want...... & chocolate mousse napoleons, carbonaras, pringles, chicken pot pies...... a random assortment of edibles, but it is what i've been eating the past few days) my body feels great, i'm still a bit heavier (could it be those napoleons?) than i was when i was dancing, but i feel more in balance, a less abusive owner of my body.

when i'm in ballet class (saturdays for 2.5 hours- long class & a bit of rehearsing phrases at the end of class) i still feel good, like a dancer, but i am not as "on" as i used to be. the developés are a bit low, no more triple pirouettes & my balances are ok on the left, non existent on the right..... but i feel ok with that. i don't have any reason to push my body, i don't have anywhere i have to "be" dance wise, it's more just about me, in class, doing what i can & i kinda like that. i do miss the theater (my company back in florida is performing coppelia this week), the rehearsals, the accomplishments, the pain & sacrifice..... but i've been through that. i did promise the studio here that i would perform a solo for a demo they're doing at the mall in april. so i have that goal & the rehearsals (more like run through it once & it's ok, so i'm done), to work on. but the performance is gonna be on concrete (will need 2 weeks of yoga to counter the pain from dancing on that) & i'm just doing some waltz turns, chaines & boureés & i don't think anyone expects a lot more than that.

it's a weird thing here, i keep waiting for something to develop...... i know about the demo at the mall & the guam ballet is doing a production of sirena (guam story of a mermaid) in august which they've talked about me being a part of. they say i might be able to teach a class, but nothing is set yet. i guess coming from a place where my roles as teacher & performer were so developed & i had a contract (that makes it all so much more clear) & a pay check (also makes things so much better) & then to here where it took forever just to find a class to take. i suppose it's normal to be trying to get my foot in the door & figuring out where i fit in. i need more patience. i hear my mom singing her patience song in my head ("p, a, t.... i, e, n..... c, e spells patience") which i can laugh about now, but when you're 5 & throwing a tantrum, or maybe even having a 16 year old tantrum, it's not nearly as funny. love ya mom!

& now after spending way too long on this post, i leave you with a photo of those infamous naploeons (which i made myself & felt such pride when a friend told me she thought they were from a restaurant) & some downward dog..... to maintain balance.

(photo from able bodied yoga)

rain on my parade

not that i'm having a parade.

anyway, today in guam it's a monsoon of rain & wind & not sure why (but always seems to be) when you least want or need it to rain it will. so here comes my vent..... we have a leaky valve stem on our tire & for the record, no big deal, but this is our 3rd tire issue in like 3 weeks. last week it was a nail in the tire & before that a leaky stem on another one of the tires. we managed to temporarily fix it with duck tape. thank goodness for duck tape (but could do without the 4 inches of rain in the road) & the car place can get me in at 1:30 today, so that's a relief.

next on the list.....

i hate admitting this but maybe instead of thinking i'm stupid some of you might actually pity me (probably for being stupid). but i lost my wedding ring this weekend. yep, horrible. i set it in my lap in the car to put lotion on (i do this all the time- everyday for the past 4 years) & when i forgot to put it back on my finger & got out of the car it went to the place where all lost things go. i didn't realize it was missing for a bit & i was hoping it was at home, but just in case searched all around the parked car. & nope it wasn't at home, wasn't in the parking lot (which is grass & gravel- you wouldn't expect it to be easy right) & wasn't in the car. i cried for at least 2 hours that night. & went back to the grass & gravel parking lot a day later & searched for 45 minutes.

and finally, we have our tax appointment today. most people are excited to turn in their taxes & await a nice refund check.... not us. because of my job i work with 1099s, independent employee contracts & taxes are not taken out of my checks. so i pay quarterly & usually end up owing extra (somewhere around $2,500) come april 15. so we'll soon find out how much more i have to pay the irs.

ok, but can't leave on a sour note. even though all these crappy things are happening, i have a few things to be thankful for..... duck tape, still having my engagement ring, & not working a full year last year (less money owed). & the rain. makes for a good cuddle under the blanket on the couch & watch movies afternoon. which is exactly what i'll do after all the appointments are over.

ritidian beach

last week i went to this beach with terrell & it was so beautiful. the atmosphere is so nice, it's like being on a secluded island. being surrounded by beautiful trees & butterflies (there were so many butterflies) & then walking down a little path to the vast open ocean was such a magical experience. we went on a thursday & we were almost the only people on the beach. i wanted to take jeff this past weekend & it was nice when we went (sunday) but it was so crowded...... not quite as magical. but still beautiful & we had a nice time.

terrell writes about the experience in a much more interesting way & includes some other photos here in her blog.

good to know....

path looking out at the ocean

one of many....

on a deserted island

coral collage

road at ritidian

kids singing

love this video.... PS22 sings lisztomania by phoenix. so sad that the arts are being cut out of schools.

oh guam

so beautiful......

a shout out

so a trio of us guam bloggers got together for coffee! been reading each others blogs for a bit & finally we all got together today. terrell & i have actually met before & already have a couple of nice beach days under our belts! but yay for new friends, guam friends, blog friends..... terrell & tessa, awesome ladies (click on their names to see their very cool blogs). it will be fun getting to know them more & share guamish experiences together!

an ocean & a sea, & perhaps a coconut tree

perhaps, i love that coy little anticipatory word. but yes perhaps a coconut tree will grow in my yard. today terrell & i went to the beach & i took home 2 coconuts. now, i'll backtrack a bit because if you're my friend on facebook, you've probably seen many a status update related to growing a coconut tree & that i've been wanting to grow a coconut tree for a while now but don't really know anything about growing coconut trees. i look at neighbor's yards & see random coconuts laying about, in the grass or on the patio. & i'll see over time that they start to sprout & then comes a smallish coconut tree. so it seems to be that if you have a coconut it will at some point naturally become a tree. so i'm gonna find out.

while we're at it..... what's the difference between an ocean & a sea? just a random thought i had while laying in bed tonight. yes, i got out of bed to blog about a coconut tree & my lack of 5th grade geography knowledge. sometimes my mind is so loud that it requires some sort of action to shut it up. thanks blog. & now goodnight!

fairyland

"There is such a place as fairyland - but only children can find the way to it. And they do not know that it is fairyland until they have grown so old that they forget the way. One bitter day, when they seek it and cannot find it, they realize what they have lost; and that is the tragedy of life. On that day the gates of Eden are shut behind them and the age of gold is over. Henceforth they must dwell in the common light of common day. Only a few, who remain children at heart, can ever find that fair, lost path again; and blessed are they above mortals. They, and only they, can bring us tidings from that dear country where we once sojourned and from which we must evermore be exiles. The world calls them its singers and poets and artists and story-tellers; but they are just people who have never forgotten the way to fairyland."

L.M. Montgomery (The Story Girl)

dance dance dance

so check out this blog post by modish....... it's d for dancing like nobody's watching...... nice video by bon iver & lykke li & then some photos of dance.....

being a permanent tourist

fun weekend & i'm kicking myself for not taking pictures continuously like the rest of the smart tourists do while they're on this beautiful island. anywaay, just imagine in your mind a beautiful tropical island where the weather is perfect, not too hot, not too cold, not too sunny, but not too cloudy & just the right amount of breeze. so nice. i really love guam. jeff & i are planning an ode to guam photo shoot one of these weekends....... we'll be sure to share.

well, the weekend was nice...... jeff's soccer game sat night, his shop had a bbq at the beach on base sun night & today jeff got a comp day off for so many off duty hours he's put in lately & so we went down to a beach in tumon. so nice. it was crazy today though, driving down in tumon is like being in japanese tourist district, but today we saw droves of aussies or kiwis, must be on holiday. anyway, a bit off topic, but somehow still related......

i'm a crazy driver & i get somewhat impatient behind the wheel (that's putting it mildly). but i'm reminded of all the touristy places i've been able to call home & how frustrating it is to be a local constantly battling the roving, unaware tourist. orlando- driving is just plain horrible. charleston- the battle of the horse carriage (always getting stuck behind one on a one way street when you're late to work). fort walton beach- spring breakers or worse- the snow birds. guam- the japanese tourist bus & trolleys...... one consolation is that i'm living a permanent vacation.

another 3 star & a studio tendu

so i just got back from my first ballet class on the island & it was good. interesting, but good. the studio is nice & the woman who taught is great..... an older woman, janet, who trained in the philippines with a man who danced for nycb & balanchine. i can tell with the use of her arms & through her corrections that she knows ballet. the students in the class are young & behind a bit, but all very positive & put forward lots of effort. janet has 2 granddaughters who demonstrate for her, asia & jamaica, both girls are nice & more advanced than the other students. it felt good to be dancing again, the only issue is tuition.

i haven't paid for a dance class since high school. seriously. & the studio is asking $75 for the month, & they offer 3 classes (ballet, jazz & rehearsal - ?) a week. i tried to get some kind of other offer seeing as i'm only interested in the ONE ballet class they offer. but the front desk lady said that was all they could do. i might be able to work something out at the end of my free coupon week..... we'll see. janet & i were talking & she said that she might have me teach some & they pay $30 a class, so if i teach 2 classes a month we're almost even..... the cool thing is that with that $75, you get open use of the studio as long as no class is going on. so that's one unusual perk.

it's weird, but cool, the way things are here..... janet teaches at this studio & another one, as well as directs the guam ballet company. various dancers from different studios all make up the guam ballet company & they all perform together at the U of guam. so different than the states where you have studios competing with each other rather than sharing & supporting. janet says she's gonna take me down to the other studio for other classes because they're more advanced & i think she wants to make me her 3rd granddaughter. albeit, much older granddaughter. she's super sweet & everyone was super impressed (not to sound conceited) & i even got a "you're pure perfection" from a 12 year old. how funny! but it felt so good to be reconnected to dancers & a studio. i just have to figure out how to get around this $75 a month thing.

now, on to the 3 star.....

it's been cope north training stuff the past 2 weeks on base..... japanese pilots & visitors are here for training exercises. & jeff gets to go around on the DV (distinguished visitor) visits taking photos & doing his thing. well on fri jeff got coined by a 3 star japanese general, which is kinda unusual & quite an honor. way cool! & jeff said that the general kept telling jeff to make him look like tom cruise in his photos! how funny!

off to jeff's soccer game tonight..... i'm already ridiculously sore..... can't wait for the 3 day. it's always the 3 day that is the worst. i've never not danced for this long & i'm gonna pay for these 5 months off. but it's worth it!

and the clouds part

well, now i have 2 dance options for tonight! i could go to the swan ballet to take an advanced class with 9 year olds from 6-7....... or i could go meet janet bourgeois with guam ballet company to get a coupon for free ballet classes next week. i'd meet her at 6pm & i could watch a rehearsal for an upcoming show. which should i do? i think i'm leaning more toward meeting janet (she also said they had the best ballet out of anyone on the island & she's the teacher, she would know right? not biased or anything...)

so i'll post an update about how it goes.......

my heart

happy valentine's day.....

jeff & i went to eat at cali pizza kitchen, delicious! & before that we ventured back to where it all started for us in guam..... the westin. we went to the bar for cocktails.... beautiful view of the ocean & nice martinis..... good conversation, perfect for date night. we had deep conversation about family, career, guam, our futures...... i think we both are in adaptation modes with our lives. trying to figure it all out.

& my heart. i really really love my family..... & i've been away from them forever, living apart since my sophomore year of high school..... so it's nothing new that i'm not living in my hometown with my family close by. i think more than distance it's an age thing. i'm at the point now where i feel close to my family, more than ever before. mine & jeff's. i'm super duper close with jeff's parents & so my relationship with them also factors into this emotional babble too. & i've never thought this way before, but i'm actually thinking that if we don't have our own children, we'll miss out on a huge part of life..... no graduations, no weddings, no grand children. we have nephews & a new one is due any day now. (his sister was having contractions yesterday- so i mean literally... ANY DAY) but, i want to add to this beautiful family we're a part of. the branches of this huge family tree beckon to me & whisper words of beautiful responsibility...... does that make sense? i don't want to fall short. i'm physically so far removed & have always played the role of the outsider, & now my age is clearing my mind & pointing the path towards reconnecting to my roots.

so corny. gosh. but it's valentine's day & this is my heart speaking & i'm not gonna censor for the fact that this glass of vino has persuaded me not to. & it's freaking valentine's day. so there.

ps. jeff's surprise was a key necklace from tiffany's. we have yet to purchase it, but he got it for me...... he has the key to my heart & i have his. ugh, too sacchrine sweet.

and now it hits me

like a ton of bricks.... i want to dance again. i want to be in a real studio with real dance clothes on dancing to real class music. it's weird to think back on how often i hated putting on tights, or putting my hair back, or hearing the same cd over & over again in class...... but now i have a deep ache..... it only took 5 months away from it to really sink in. the last class i took was around oct 9th. & up until now i wasn't feeling the urge too much.

jeff & i drove around for 2 hours yesterday trying to find a dance studio someone told me about. ok, let me take you back a little bit. we got to guam & not that i had a big desire to plop back into a studio, but i just wanted to know what options i had (that & i had used half of my suitcase to fit leotards, tights, shoes, thera-bands & even a pair of pointe shoes into & felt obligated to at least scope out the dance scene- still haven't gotten around to using any of those items)..... anyway, so i looked in the phone book under dance studios & there were about 5 or 6 (one title was completely written in chamorro, so i had no idea what type of dance studio it was). ok, now the guam phone book is not like in the states.... no address included, only a name & a number. so i called all the studios & only got machines & a surprising number of "this number is no longer in service"....... dead end.

so one day when i was driving to the dmv i spotted a dance store- a real dance store with bloch & capezio & sansha written all over the windows. didn't have time to stop in, but figured i'd come back one day & ask them about the dance scene in guam. well, go figure the day i go the store had closed, & not just closed to reopen the next day, but shut down. no more. only a "for rent" sign in the place where "sansha" had once been. dead end.

SO, on another day i went to a yoga class at the gym on base & saw a girl dressed in dance clothes- street clothes over her tights, hair in a bun, no mistaking- this girl dances. so i went up to her & asked politely if she was a dancer & of course, yes. so i chatted her up about where she danced, what kind of classes, etc. she told me about an adult ballet class on wed nights at body arts near the agana shopping center. awesome! so a few weeks pass, because i'm still not desperately wanting to hit the studio- still into the yoga/ pilates shift, the jewelry making, the looking into my "what other interests do i have in my life" phase...... but now i'm chomping at the bit to cram my feet into pointe shoes & all thoughts aside about how weak i am at this point, i just want to be in a studio!!!!! ...... so jeff & i set off yesterday to find this place. 2 hours of driving & we found the shopping center & no side street untraversed, we could not find it! & this studio is one of those where the number in the phone book doesn't work. another DEAD END.

so now, not sure what the next step is...... i'll just tombè my little (bigger) butt right back into the living room carpet dance scene, for now...... until the dance gods smile down on me & present some other options......

hmm... update.....

well, things are good..... jeff joined a soccer team, the toyota 4runners, & played a game last friday 4-0! yay! he has another game this saturday, go jeffy!

i am going to fill out an application & try to get a job teaching ballet to wee ones at the CDC (child development center), might even put in to sub at the elementary & middle school too while i'm at it. i talked to a woman at the CDC & she said they need a ballet teacher & that they'd have me in for an interview within a week or two ("with your credentials")..... so we'll see where that goes.....

making more jewelry, well working on one piece that is taking a while, every part of the necklace is a hand shaped wire chain thingy (working on my professional terminology) & it's taking forever to finish. but it'll be beautiful when it's done. i'll post pics later.....

so that i think covers it..... went to gab gab beach on sat, a baby shower on sun & jeff has some upcoming plan for valentine's day...... which, if you knew us (well, most of you do) you'd know that we don't really celebrate v day..... last year he sent me flowers, mostly because he had left for basic training the week before. we usually celebrate (everything - holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, "it's tuesday", "it's the weekend", "i haven't gone to the commissary") with our usual..... eating out! our weakness. so we'll see what he has up his sleeve for this weekend!

"way to go keeper"

on the sidelines

grilling out

lunch at the marina at navy (the water is gorgeous!)

winding wire jewelry

so i think i decided on a name for my jewelry...... winding wire. & i set up a facebook page! now here's hoping people will want to wear some of my pieces! i'm making a lot of new stuff & will have more photos soon! & eventually will have more necklaces.....

ps. i make custom pieces too! just got in a shipment of new gemstones - rose quartz, moss agate, yellow jasper & snowflake obsidian........

on fire

so i use that title loosely, there was an actual fire, but no one was hurt & i think it was contained fairly quickly...... but jeff's photo was used on the website for guam pacific daily news website (local paper), as well as defense imagery website......

it was a crazy day yesterday, aside from accompanying him on said fire photoshoot (it was lunch time & he got the call as i was picking him up- side note, i got us to the fire before the ambulance, not bad huh?) anyway, this week the base is in exercise mode & jeff has the alert photo phone, so busy, busy, busy.....

so the day was mild considering it was the fire & i think 2 other shoots during the day, but at night the phone kept ringing. situation #1 was around 8pm, then #2 around 10:30pm right after we had fallen asleep..... no biggie though, it only took him around a half hour. so he gets back in bed & we're asleep again & then another call about situation #3 at 11:40ish. so jeff gets dressed again & drives out to the location only to find out situation #3 was the same incident he had just taken photos of, aka situation #2. (someone somewhere needs to get it together).... so yes, after already leaving to shoot 2 times already, jeff had to get out of bed again & go shoot the same situation #2 now known as situation #3, again..... ok, so he gets back & tries to fall back asleep, then..... yes there is more....... a call at around 1am for situation #4..... so my poor husband gets out of bed for the 3rd time & starts getting dressed. well his captain calls & says the event already took place & there is no need for jeff to drive out there. whew! some relief!

can we say "high demand?" it's funny because from what i've heard you gotta expect to get some calls in the middle of the night when you're on alert photo, but not too often does it happen 4 times in one night- twice being for the same thing!

here's a link to one of his fire shots.... the photo above is jeff's too.......

my 4 of the moment

so i've had excited, hopeful feelings floating around these 4 interests recently.....

1. getting certified to teach pilates or yoga
looking into different certification programs..... there is a certification program in hawaii that i'm looking into which leads me to think about......

2. travel, preferably space a
wanting to know more about space a & start taking advantage of living way over on this side of the world
i even have a friend who is traveling throughout asia from now until the summer & we've been talking about the possibility of meeting in bali (still totally unsure how i'm gonna make a trip to bali affordable), but my mind is bubbling with travel possibilities.....
which doesn't quite lead into my next topic, but maybe because of location i'm feeling an urge to learn more about......

3. feng shui
reading up on feng shui & energy, & i might be crazy but i already feel a better "flow" just by trying a couple new things.....
and so researching these topics have lead to more interest in......

4. jewelry and gemstones
i found out we were moving to guam & when people asked me what i was gonna do over there i'd answer jokingly that i was gonna "start making jewelry". not sure why i'd say that, never really interested in making jewelry, never even really wore jewelry much (except rubies, heeheee).......... but during my trip to virginia before we left, my mom & i went to a jewelry making store & i got stuff to begin this new hobby. well, i love it & have been feeling really creative & excited about developing this hobby
my dad has always had an interest in geology & as a kid he would take me on trips to teach me about rocks, give me rocks & gems as presents, etc. & i am coming back to the thought about how certain rocks and gemstones carry meaning & can impact our being

so some of this sounds kinda hookie & i grew up with 2 hippie parents & have always leaned that'a way, but through the years i've grown more responsible (who says hippies aren't?), but also slightly more conservative (not politically really) but just never thought i'd be married to the military...... funny.

so, still dancing in my living room (if you count 4 arabesques, 8 relevés & a couple tendus from 1st position as dancing), but feeling excited about broadening my life. i knew i wanted to take advantage of this move in this way, not by quitting dance, but by being open to other new things......

must be all the feng shui allowing this positive chi to flow.....

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