Tropical Depression

If I could control the weather, I would have conjured up a tropical storm to match my mood. Our neighbor and friends, the Reeves family, just left Guam. They are probably in Japan right now awaiting their flight to Chicago which will eventually take them to Utah. Miriam was the first friend I made here on Guam. It helped that our husbands were already friends prior to our( the girls and me) arrival in Guam. Most importantly, I was determined for me and Miriam to be friends because she is half Tongan and I needed another Tongan girl (besides my daughters) to kick it with. The kids get along and the girls love Alexander, especially my Eva, even though she is so bossy to him and so rough with their baby Eva.

Yesterday was their last day here. In the late afternoon, the news reported that a tropical depression was heading to Guam and could possibly turn into the season's first tropical storm. It seemed like a storm to me with the winds at 40mph and the rain falling so fast and hard. I guess a depression is small kine compared to typhoons and such. This area is called Typhoon Alley. So rain and wind matched my mood as if nature were some how expressing what I could not.

I said goodbye to the Reeves at 1am. I hugged Miriam tightly and shook Daniels hands because he's not a "hugger"...LOL...and then watched them drive off to the airport. The rain quietly and lightly falling. I closed the front door and then the tears fell quietly on my face. The weather and I so in synch...it must be a sign...I just might be a weather goddess...LOL

This morning the kids awoke and immediately went looking for Alexander. They've know for a couple of days now that Alexander would be moving but that didn't stop Eva from praying that they wouldn't have to move. As we said goodbye to Agustine and Maysa, Eva looked up at me and sadly said "Is Miriam, Daniel, Alexander and Eva going to come back?" She looks over to their house with the saddest expression. Agustine says "Maybe we'll go and visit them". Eva smiles and says "Oh, Oh, Yes, Yes, Goodie, Goodie." The wind is calm and the rain has stopped. Its quiet and once again I wonder...can I really control the weather? Not likely!! However, He who does control heaven and nature must have known that a tropical depression would be just the thing for our wary hearts because after the rain the sun always comes out!!

Ofa Lahi Atu to Meliame and her family!!

The Angel and A Fake Santa

Maysa has wanted to be the Angel of the Month for her class, since school started back in August. The criteria for being angel of the month are academic achievement, attendance and citizenship. This month she finally earned what she has been wanting and working so hard to achieve. Her dad told her that she could have one of the following rewards: a new outfit, a new book or dinner with the family. She choose to have a "nice dinner for the whole family." We are so proud of her achievement and wanting to share her reward with the entire family.

Later in the evening, we attended a lighting ceremony at the Hilton. Every year they sponsor an event for the Make A Wish Foundation. They officially brought in the Christmas season with a train set and holiday decors throughout the hotel property. There was even a Santa there. Maysa though had some concerns about Santa. She had a very candid conversation with her dad about Santa. "Daddy", she said very irritated, "thats not a real Santa."

"Yes, he is real, Maysa."

"Daddy, Santa is white and that Santa is brown. Look his hair is sticking out of his wig!"

I couldn't help but laugh as her dad explained to the PR Manager that Maysa was disappointed with their brown Santa. She said "white Santa is too expensive. Brown Santa only wants a couple of gift certificates."

Eva wasn't even interested in Santa. She was really afraid of him. She spent most of her time drinking punch, eating cookies and watching the train.

Its Official...

Im the newest fan of the Twilight series. So Miriam...Meliame in my other blog...I was typing so fast with the other blog that I called her by the Tongan version of her name...sorry Miriam, its all good though cause you are Tongan...anyways, we just got back from seeing Twilight the movie. I need to get a hold of those books NOW!! I don't know when Im going to read them but Im sure I can make the time for a minute or an hour or two with EDWARD and whats her face...Bella...LOL The movie was definately worth seeing at midnight. I almost fell sleep twice while waiting for 11pm so Miriam and I could go. I can't remember the last time I stayed up this late to go out without the husband and kids. Thanks Miriam!! And thank you Stephanie Meyer(did I spell her name right?) for sharing your gift of the written word.

Lucky Me!!

Tonight, the lucky 3's mama is the luck 1. At midnight, my friend Meliame and I are going to see the midnight showing of Twilight. Neither of us have read the books, but we are going to go ahead and jump on the band wagon now and see the movie before any of our friends back in the states. We both are going to be the envy of our friends and family whom are BIG fans of the series. Wish you guys were here. This is going to be the one time Guam is actually going to be ahead on anything. Call me at 2:oo a.m. Guam time if you want a spoiler on the movie.

Tumble Weeds

Tumbles just opened at the Outrigger in Tumon. Its an indoor playground gym for kids. They do all kinds of fun stuff like rock climb and circuit training. My friend Wendy invited us to go check it out. Open Gym hours were not available on the day we went so we ended up taking pictures next to this statue that we found out later on was a fertility statue. OK, girls...GET AWAY from that statue...LOL

Eh, Boy...Are U Dead?

I drove around him twice to make sure and NOPE he wasn't dead but totally PASSED OUT!! Check out the reason...ALCOHOL OVERDOSE...look at the case of beer in the grocery bag. Kids this is why you should not drink alcohol...you end up passing out on the streets of Guam.

UnderWater World

This month Maysa will have four days off school. When she started school, I couldn't wait for her to have a day off so we could just hang out. She has been in school, since August, and its just been Eva, Kaylena and I at home. Having two kids at home is such a HUGE difference compared to having three. Its MADNESS, when they are home all day with just lil ole me. Since Maysa was off from school on Veterans Day, and Agustine had to work, I decided to take them to UnderWater World in Tumon. They had lots of fun and I stayed sane most of the day. The next day it was back to school for Maysa and back to just Eva, Kaylena and me!!

L Photography

If you live in So. Cal, Inland Empire area and are interested in having your portrait taken, check out my sister in law's blog at thevaitaifamily.blogspot.com! Protraits are a great inexpensive gift that lasts for years to come. She has skills with a camera so check out her work. Here are a couple samples of her work thus far.

What The Heck?

Im sitting at the computer sporting my "a mohe" look and feeling all sad and angry at the same time. Since coming to Guam, we've made some friends and because of them being here is that much better. This past weekend, we found out that a family we are REALLY good friends with may be leaving Guam. Im mad because of the circumstance that brings them to the possiblity of leaving. Im especially mad at the guy behind all this and his unethical behavior. I don't know the guy personally but lets just say he is a freakin' idiot!! I know you shouldn't judge people, especially people you don't know but I know and trust enough people who know him and they basically feel the same way I do about this man...idiot...whatever he is.

Now to the sad part. Im sad because they are actually our first family friends here in Guam. We just all get along and so do our kids...their son has no choice but to play with my girls because Eva just muscles him into being their playmate regardless if he likes it or not. Im sad because in a sense their being down the street from me was like my "security blanket." Knowing they were there made me feel like I wasn't so far away from my family. Thats a big deal for me because anybody who knows me knows that my family is everything to me.

I've been here since August and we have done a few things with our friends down the street so we've got some good memories with them. However, had I known that we possibly wouldn't be here together, for very long I would have taken more pictures, had more outings together and just hung out more. Well, I guess the only thing left is to take pictures and hang out while there is still time. And as for the anger I feel about the guy in the first paragraph...all I can say is to quote Eva's favorite phrase "what the heck?"

Halloween In Guam

We just celebrated our first holiday in Guam. Well first major kid holiday. We didn't bother to carve pumpkins because number one they are expensive and number two they don't last long here. Well, they would but you have to refrigerate them every night. I would forget and the darn thing would rot and smell up the whole neighborhood so I just skipped on it. My neighbor though had a really good idea and spray painted coconuts orange with jack-o-lantern faces. Great option for next Halloween. We spent Halloween with friends in the village of Sinajana. Halloween here is really big with families getting together to BBQ while the kids trick or treat. Just about every house on the street we were on had BBQs and handed out candy to the kids. We had all kinds of trick or treaters. We even had a guy dressed as Jesus with a cross and all. I wish I could have taken a picture of him. He was joking with us because we only gave him one piece of candy. He said "thats all you have for Jesus, just one piece of candy?" I said "well, you should be able to multiply that one into 5000." He looked confused. I just thought...if you are going to dress the part you better know your role...sheez Anyways, Halloween was fun for us thanks to the Montanano Family!!!

Halloween Parties

The girls had a blast this year celebrating Halloween. They had trunk o treat at the church and they also partied at a friends house a couple of days before Halloween. I was kinda sad knowing that we wouldn't be able to go to Aunty Maopa's for Halloween so the kids can take my girls out trick or treating but everything turned out ok and Im happy there are good people here in Guam who are willing to share their time and homes with my family.

Cultrual Day Parade

Maysa's school had a cultrual day parade on Oct. 31 rather than a halloween costume parade. It was really nice and the kids enjoyed it. Maysa and Eva dressed in their Mexican dresses. Eva even got to march in the parade with Maysa's class. She loved being part of the big kids. She loved the parade so much she decided to stay with the class even when they went back to their classrooms. Mrs. Sayama, Maysa's teacher, was nice to let Eva hang out for like 30 minutes with her class as they went trick or treating to other classrooms. The girls were really proud to represent their Mexican heritage. Viva La Raza!!

Vote For Naufahu Tahi - ProBowl Candidate

My first cousin Naufahu Tahi plays fullback for the Minnesota Vikings. This year he has the opportunity to play in the ProBowl but he has to be voted to play. So Im putting it out there to my two readers to please vote for him and then spread the word to your blog readers. Its really easy to do. Just visit NFL.Com, scroll down to the bottom of the page to the column they have on ProBowl voting. Click on the icon to go to the ballot page. Once on that page, click on Fullbacks. On the right hand side, there will appear a list of names for the fullbacks for the NFC. You should see Naufahu Tahi. Click on his name and then click on the submit ballot link. You can then return to vote again. You can vote as many times as you like. Please vote for Naufahu Tahi and if he makes it to the ProBowl this year, I will send you a postcard from Hawaii. Thanks for taking the time to vote!! Our family appreciates it!!!

Should I Or Should I Not?

I started blogging because everyone I know is doing it. Good reason, hu? Since I started blogging, I haven't even invited any of the people who got me into blogging to my site. I don't even know if they would even want to read my blogs. Then I started thinking, why do I even want to do this? Its just one more thing to keep up with. I know, its not like I have a whole lot to do here in Guam but still something keeps me from really getting into this blogging thing. Then the other day, it hit me. I don't know if Im going to get a return out of this.

Here is what I mean. Every time you blog, you put a little bit of yourself out there. Well, at least thats how I look at it. Im the kind of person who doesn't really like to put myself out there unless I know that its going to benfit myself or my family. Its almost like why should I take the time to put down my thoughts, however crazy they may be, for people who may or may not care what Im thinking on any particular subject. Whats the purpose of putting into cyberspace what I think and care about if the only return I get is an occassional passerby who reads and moves on?

Perhaps I should change my outlook on blogging or just stop doing it, while Im ahead. I guess for now, I will keep blogging here and there...a little bit now and then. When I finally figure out what it is I really want to do with blogging, I 'll let you all know.

Mama Said There Would Be Days Like This

My day starts at 6am, when Maysa gets up to go to school. After she leaves for school, its just me, Eva and Kaylena at home. Most days we are home all day until about 1:30pm, when its time to pick Maysa up from school. Today I had a couple of errands to take care of before picking up Maysa. We leave the house around 12:45 and head out to the Revenue and Taxation building in the village of Barrigada. Its my job as PTA treasurer to register our 2008-2009 officers with the Tax Board. I started this process about a week ago and Im still in the thick of it and it appears that its going to take about 6-8 weeks and $300 that our PTA just doesn't have. The man who helped me at the Business License office was really helpful. Even though its going to be alot of work to comply with tax laws, Im still feeling ok about doing the leg work for the PTA. We leave Barrigada to pick up Maysa. At the school, I unload Eva and Kaylena so I can talk to the teacher that is the chairperson for Focus C. So far its still going ok even though its like 90 degrees outside because there is a nice breeze coming in from the ocean.

After talking with the teacher at LBJ, we head to the car and things start to get a little crazy. Maysa and Eva take off across the parking lot without me. I run after them with Kaylena in my arms and all the paperwork for the PTA in the other hand. Im yelling at them to stop and wait for me but they just keep walking. Thats number 1. Against my better judgement, I decide to stop by the taxation board again to update them on the latest information I got from the school. While Im talking with the clerk, Maysa decides to climb the counter. I must have asked her 10 times to get off the counter. All the while Im talking to the clerk, taking Maysa off the counter, Eva is pushing Kaylena around in the stroller. Three times I had to stop talking to the clerk while I ran over to rescue Kaylena from one of Eva's stunts. All done and now we head out and once again Maysa and Eva decide to run to the car without my supervision. Im yelling at them to stop and wait for me but they keep going. Thats numbers 2 and 2 1/2.

Next stop, is the Subway in Mangiloa because even though the girls are working my last nerve, I still have to feed them, right? We order our food and sit down to eat. During the meal, Eva decides that she doesn't want milk anymore, she wants soda. I offer her mines, but she doesn't want "that kind" of soda and starts to throw a fit. She walks over to the refrigerator where the bottled drinks are stored and grabs a soda. Im begging her all the while to please put back the soda because I already know that she isn't going to drink it. Nope, she just keeps yelling that she wants a soda. Thats number 3. That should have been it because three strikes your out, right? No, I still don't feel like Im being punished enough.

So we head out to the University of Guam. We get out and Ysa and Eva start fighting over who is going to push Kaylena. Eva wins because Eva always wins, when it comes to getting physical. In the Admissions office, again as Im speaking with a clerk, Maysa decides to climb a ladder that is leaning against a wall in the office. A nice lady asks her to get down and then helps her down the ladder. Thats number 4. I thank the woman and ask Maysa to please sit down on the bench. This time she sits because she is embarrased that all the people in the office are looking at her. Now its Eva's turn. Again she has Kaylena in the stroller and again she is trying out Evel Knevil stunts on the stroller with Kaylena in it. I run over to rescue Kaylena just as Eva is about to flip the stroller to do wheelies. Thats number 5. Finally, we are done at the University and heading out to the car. Half way there Maysa says "ok, now you gotta take us to get a treat." Im looking at her like...are you serious? By this time, I've about taken all I can take and top it off Im sweating like crazy because we just walked across the University parking lot in 90 degree weather. I said "and what makes you think you deserve a treat today after the way you've behaved?" I must have had a crazy look and an even crazier tone to my voice because as soon as I said that Maysa sat down and buckeld her belt and did not say a word again.

Now we are home and its Kaylena's turn to be fussy. Im about ready to pull out my hair, when Agustine calls from work. He has to attend a competition for all the Sous Chefs on the Island and he was calling to check on us. I give him a run down of our day and all I can think of is...I hate being here all alone with out my family. If I were home in California, I could have dropped off two of the girls with a realtive and there by saving my sanity today. But Im here in Guam and thats not an option for me anymore. So Im making the most of this crazy day and its not even over yet but I feel like if I ever have another one like today...Im seriously going to have a meltdown!!!

The Jimenez Family

Hafa Adai! It seems that everyone I know has a blog so I decided to "jump on" and get with it as well. This blog is mainly for my family and friends back in the states since I don't know any one in Guam who blogs. I'm sure people blog here but they probably wouldn't be too interested in what I have to say. Oh well...whatever. Just a heads up to my family and friends, I write like I talk so please don't start pulling out the grammar handbooks to correct my grammar or sentence structures. It is what it is.

My name is Sioseline Vaitai and I am married to Agustine Jimenez. We have three daughters. Maysa is 5 years old, Evangelene is 3 years old and the baby is four month old Kaylena. I was born in Tonga raised in Hawaii and California. Agustine is Mexican and he grew up in Los Angeles. My parents are Mosese Taukeiaho Fakatou Vaitai and Samavae Taimani Vaitai. Agustine's parents are Agustine Senior and Maria De Rosario Velasco Jimenez. We live in Guam. Prior to moving to Guam we lived in Fontana California.

I go everywhere with the tres mujeres (three ladies), which is what their father calls them. Since moving to Guam, everyone seems fascinated with my girls. They see us and just come over and start talking to me and the girls. People constantly make comments about how beautiful they are and want to know what they are mixed with...Philipino and what is what they always ask because they all think Im Philipino. Ok, thats a new one. Back in the states people always wanted to know if I was half black half white. Here no one believes that Im not Philipino and they almost seem offended. The older people just smile and look at me like poor thing is embarrased to be Philipino. As if Im trying to deny my ancestrey or something. Its funny. Once they get pass the whole race thing they jump right back to how beautiful the girls are and I just smile and thank them. Then always they tell me that Im a fortunate woman because three girls are lucky. I hope so. So thats why I decided to call our blog...The Lucky 3.