The Need For Speed

Our plans for transportation, while in Japan, were going to be minimal. Our main destinations were Disneyland and Disney Sea. In order to get to those places, we just had to catch a Disney Crusier from our hotel to the monorail.

Aside from those two parks, we planned a day of sight seeing. We planned to rent a car for a day and just drive and get lost in Tokyo. We pretty much stuck to the Disney Cruiser and monorail plan but we never rented a car. Agustine's co-worker was also in Japan during the weekend and she suggested that we use public transportation. I immediately thought about what a hassle it would be to drag three kids around on the bus. However, she meant the train and not the bus. We decided to try out the trains one evening, after coming back from the park. Agustine was a little hesitant because he thought for sure we would get lost and not be able to find our way back. Usually Im the one who doesn't like to get lost but I was actually excited about riding the trains. Maysa was nervous about riding the train but Eva was excited like me.

We boarded the train at the JR Maihama station and rode over to Shin-Urayasu, which is the very next stop. The trip takes about 10 minutes. While we were on the train, another train passed going the opposite direction. When Eva saw the train zip by, she said "Wow, look at how fast that train is going. Is that how fast we are going?" I casually said "yeah." The look in her eyes was sheer amazement. She said excitedly "I like fast and I like this train." I should have known she would like speed. We got off the train and walked around the plaza and even found a McDonalds. We didn't eat there once, while we were in Japan. The kids didn't even ask to go inside. The best thing about this stop was that there is a 100 yen store inside the shopping plaza. We let the girls shop at the 100 yen store, which Maysa loved because she had been wanting to shop since we arrived in Japan. She had a great time pushing her cart up and down the narrow aisles and filling it with makeup, nail polish and hair accessories. It was also fun to watch bicycles being picked up and "towed" away. That first train ride hooked us and we never thought about renting a car during our stay. We rode the train to Tokyo and several times to our favorite stop Shin-Urayasu. Each time Eva was excited about how fast were traveling and watching trains zip by each other.

Summer Vacation

We planned to go home to Cali this summer but too many things were going on with Agustine's job that we decided to make a smaller trip. Going to Cali is actually a big trip for us. It would be a month or two stay and we just couldn't do that this time around. Agustine's work load just doubled and there was just no way we could make the trip worth it for him.

So we decided to take the kids to Japan to Disneyland and Disney Sea. The trip is about 3 1/2 hours direct flight from Guam. It would be like driving from Fontana to Las Vegas. A trip that we made frequently, when we lived in Cali. The kids were usually good on those drives so a plane trip in the same amount of time should be no problem for them.

The trip turned out better than we expected. Disneyland and Disney Sea were great. Our day trip to Tokyo Ueno district was just as good. We visited the zoo there and got to see some great temples/shrines. Agustine and I really wanted to make a trip to the Tokyo LDS temple but it was closed for maintenance. We had planned to take the train down with the kids but it didn't work out because we just had too much to do. That will be at the very top of our agenda on the next trip to Japan.

The girls had so much fun but they kept saying "this trip would be more fun if all our family could come." My girls don't know where the line is between immediate and extended family. Thats exactly how I want it. That is a part of their Tongan culture that I want them to accept and embrace. I will blog more on our trip later but I just wanted to catch everyone up on what we have been up to lately.

Thank You Mrs. Sayama

School officially broke for summer on May 28. This also ended Maysa's kindergarten year. Maysa started out the year a little shaky. She had good skills but they weren't where I would have liked them to be. However, she started of well considering she didn't have any preschooling. Maysa made significant progress as the school year went on. I worked with her at home and Mrs. Sayama did the rest at school. The school year was a success for her. She took first place at her school's science fair and won numerous awards for reading. Her work was entered in Island Wide events. Her shyness was replaced with confidence in herself and her school work. It was a blessing to have Mrs. Sayama as Maysa's kinder teacher. Maysa loves her and she is going to miss her in the first grade.

Food Trucks

Food trucks are rapidly becoming a trendy choice for diners all over the states. Food trucks are high tech food carts that rove all over busy metropolis'. In the West, especially in LA its always been popular. I've always associated food trucks with Mexican food. Just recently I was tellling my husband about an article that I had read about food trucks using twitter to alert their customers of their whereabouts. He says "You know we invented that food truck business and now everyone else is trying to bite it off us." Im just thinking...ok, whatever. Then he says "Somebody better give us our props"! So Im going to give him/them whoever he was refering to their props. I mean I feel bad that Mexican's have been getting bad publicity over the whole Swine Flu thing so I thought I'd give my husband one. Mexican's may not have thought up the idea of a food truck but they certainly had a hand in making it popular. Or at least the owners of the food trucks who were selling Mexican food. Bottom line...shout to the Mexicans y Viva La Raza!!

Its the 6 yr. olds turn

Q: Whats your name?
A: Maysa
Q: How old are you?
A: 6
Q: Whats your favorite color?
A: Pink
Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: A Teacher
Q: Why do you want to be a teacher?
A: I want to be a teacher because you get to be smart.
Q: Who is your dad?
A: Agustine
Q: Do you like him?
A: Yes
Q: What do you like the most about him?
A: When he gets me what I want
Q: Who is your mom?
A: Line
Q: Is she nice?
A: Yes
Q: What do you like most about her?
A: She spends time with me
Q: What do you like about Eva?
A: What do I like about Eva, well, she is kind to me
Q: Is she always nice to you?
A: Yes
Q: What do you like about Kaylena
A: I like playing with her and she likes to play with me
Q: What is your favorite thing to do?
A: Play with my sisters
Q: If you had a million dollars how would spend it?
A: I would buy a hot pool (jacuzzi)
Q: Who is your best friend?
A: Makaila Madsen
Q: What do you want to do right now?
A: Get wet
Q: How do you know your parents love you?
A: Because they say that they love me

Interview with the 4 yr. old

Q: Whats your name?
A: Eva
Q: How old are you?
A: Um, 3
Q: Are you sure, your 3?
A: Yeah
Q: But you just had a birthday.
A: Mommy, 3 starts with birthday, so um, um, 7. Mom does 7 start with birthday? Ok, Im not gonna answer
Q: Whats your mom's name?
A: Um, Line
Q: Whats your dad's name?
A: Um, Naks
Q: What is Naks?
A: My dad, duh
Q: Do you have brothers and sisters?
A: Um, I don't a brother only 1 sister
Q: What's her name?
A: Ysa
Q: What about Kaylena?
A: Oh and Kayrena
Q: Does your mom love you?
A: Yes.
Q: Who do you miss?
A: Grandma and Papa.
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
A: Charlie and Lola
Q: What is your favorite thing to do?
A: Um, watch TV
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: Egg on the top (eggs over easy).
Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Purple
Q: Who is your favorite person?
A: Um, daddy
Q: Why?
A: Because I love him
Q: What is something do you not like to do?
A: Um, say that louder, mama, I don't like going to the bathroom

ONE

We moved to Guam when Kaylena was four months old. She in now is 1 years old! Kaylena is definately the baby of the bunch. She screams and I give her what she wants. She crys and her sisters do whatever it takes to make her happy. She claps her hands and smiles when daddy comes home and he wants to give her the world! Kaylena is named after my first cousin Kaufoou and Agustine's sister Elena. I think that she is more Kaufoou than Elena. Kaufoou is hard on the outside but super mushy on the inside. She has a big heart. My Kaylena is the same. A couple nights ago, Eva fell and hurt her head. As Agustine was holding Eva and comforting her, Kaylena crawled over and hugged Agustine. He looked over at me and said "Kay is crying". There were no sounds just big tears rolling down her face and quivering lips. She picked her head up and laid it next to Eva. Eva of course is screaming and crying like she just got run over by a car but poor Kaylena just hugs her and silently crys for her. Kaylena is a joy and we are grateful that she is ours!

FIESTA

One of my favorite things about living on Guam is the many fiestas that happen island wide all year long. Everyone knows what a fiesta is but just in case a fiesta is a party. Polynesians know how to throw a party and they are serious when it comes to food but the Chamorro people are the best hosts! We've been to a couple of fiestas since moving here but the last one we attended last weekend was something else. My Samoan friend, Rachel is married to a Chamorro. His family hosted the fiesta down in Merizo. There was plenty of food and even with the number of people in attendance there was still food left over. This is also after everyone packed food to take home! Merizo is located in the Southern side of the island. It's quiet and exactly how I imagined Guam. I love all the Southern villages! We got to the fiesta late but nothing to worry about because there was lots of food. Mostly local food. Local food is breadfruit, taro, fish, roasted pig, chicken kalaguen and all the other yummy stuff. I was in food heaven!

This fiesta was different from the others we have attended because there was plenty to do besides eat, talk story and listen to music. After lunch, the local men got the roosters out and had a cock fight. No lie! No worries, no need to call PETA because cock fighting is legal in Guam. Im not down for that kind of stuff but my girls were front row for the event. I made them sit with me when the fight started! Then there was the carabao or water buffalo. The girls, especially Eva, had a blast riding it! Thank you Champaco family and Rachel and Albert for your hospitality.

Spring Break Madness

Spring Break is over and Maysa is back in school. First day back at school was so tough for her. Mostly because we had so much fun during spring break that she didn't want to go back to school. I was really dreading spring break and having all the kids home plus one more (we are watching Rachel) for an entire week but it turned out to be a fun time. Im still recovering from our non stop week but it was so worth it!

We started the break with Eva's birthday on the 3rd. We celebrated with a Mexican style BBQ and cupcakes. Chris Montanano and his family came to celebrate Eva's day. Eva sang happy birthday to herself all day long. She was totally festive and so happy to have her friends and family celebrating HER! Rachel asked her "Are you happy that your friends are here for your birthday" Eva said "Yeah, but just my Grandma and Papa are not here because they are far away." Maybe on her next birthday her Grandma and Papa will be here.

Saturday the girls had soccer but we missed the game because they changed the time. No problem! We just drove over to Mt. Lam Lam and had some shave iced and frosty freezes. Next we went home and got ready to attended a birthday party in the afternoon, followed by a fiesta and baptism in the evening!! We started the next week with swimming at the Hilton Pool on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we rode the Easter train at Micronesia Mall, then had dinner at Chamorro Village. Thursday we celebrated Maysa's birthday. She wanted to go out to dinner. We headed to CPK in Tumon and partied with our friends the Montananos. Maysa loves to dress up and go out.

Friday we took all the girls including Rachel and Paige to watch Hannah Montana the Movie. Then that evening we went out to dinner to celebrate another birthday. It was Aaron's 23 rd birthday and we celebrated at Tony Romas in Tumon.
Saturday was soccer but we still squeeze in a visit with our friends Chris and Joleen and managed to finish up Maysa's Science Fair project before having dinner at the Hopoates. Elder Hopoate prepared an umu for his daughter, Keauhea, who is visiting from Utah with her 5 children. We had so much fun at the Hopoate's home. The food was so yummy. All traditional Tongan food. I L.O.V.E. 'd it!!



Easter Sunday was spent watching Conference. Conference messages are always so timely! Easter lunch was in Latte Heights with our friends. The girls even got into a tug of war match against the boys and they won!! The boys better watch out. My girls got muscles...LOL And because we had promised to have dinner with Rachel's family, we headed to Barrigada for Easter dinner with the Warner kids. We seriously had been eating the whole week and just could not eat another morsel. It was fun to hang out with Rachel's siblings and the McKenzie family from our branch.

As if the past week wasn't enough, on Monday when school resumed, we headed to Rittidan Point after Maysa got out of school and played at the beach. The kids were reminded of Alexander and Eva, since we always use to only go with them to Rittidan. I love how close the beaches are and being able to run out for a couple of hours to play on the sand, swim, snorkle or just sit.

In all this madness, the best part was getting birthday presents in the mail from Grandma and Papa. The girls loved their presents and missed their grandparents all the more.

How We Livin'

I've been blogging without pictures for a while so I thought I should post some. Here are just some random pictures of things we've done and events we've attended the past couple of months.
Maysa got an award for reading. She got two awards. One for first book read and another one because she read more than 10 books. She even got to meet Clifford The Big Red Dog!
We signed the girls up for soccer. Maysa didn't want to play but Eva was all for it. We are two months into it and Maysa is really loving it but Eva has her moments. Agustine and I are having a great time watching them play.
Our branch had a Valentine's dance for just the adults. They did an awesome job with the decorations and the DJ was pretty good too. Thanks to a couple of young women in our branch for babysitting so that Agustine and I could attend.
We don't have any dance pictures because Agustine doesn't like to dance! He was good to go and support the activity committee!!
Weather or not, we still play! It poured buckets of rain the entire game. The kids played through it all and had a blast. Guam is just die hard like that!
Kaylena trying to stay dry. She was the only baby out in the field that rainy day. Tongans always go hard or not at all!!
Guam's Rugby 10s! The venue is not as high tech and cool as the USA Rugby 7s but it does the job. We went to cheer on the team from Marshall Island. The team was mostly Fijians and Tongans. It should have been Team Polynesia. They placed 3rd this year after taking 1st place last year. Guam took 1st this year.

ENOUGH

When you are in love, how much will you put up with? How often will you allow yourself to be hurt? Are you worth what you believe you are or do you believe what he tells you? Do you need to be controlled because you lack the ablitiy to practice self control? Is being physically abused ok because you were in the wrong? How many times are you going to allow him to hit you before you get enough courage to run for your life?

Recently, a young and scared woman came to my door running for her life. I've never seen a woman so afraid that she would run from her home barefoot carrying only what she could carry in a tote bag. My heart felt for her but my mind did not want to jeporadize my family's safety by helping her. In the end, I helped her to get away from the abusive situation she was trapped in. I couldn't help but think about my own little girls. There was no other choice than to help this young woman. If it were my little girl, running for her life, I would hope that another woman would feel enough for her to take her to safety.

Before leaving this young woman safely with family memebers I asked her to run and never look back. She was concerned for my safety but I told her that should her boyfriend be crazy enough to ask me about her he would be making a big mistake! People often mistake me for someone who likes confrontation. I actually hate confrontation and violence makes me sick to my stomach. However, in the most basic of instincts to flee or fight, I tend to swing all the way to fight mode...LOL Especially when it comes to my family. If you come looking for a fight with my family, you had better be prepared to make some moves! Im a woman who knows who she is and my worth is beyond your comprehension. You could never control me because I will not surrender my being to you. So, young man, step carefully and watch how you approach a woman because you just maybe in the presence of the Tongan version of Madea!!

Another One Gone

The last of my Tongan neighbors has left Guam. Mou and Eileen left this morning at 2am. They are heading to Saipan to visit with Eileen's family before they move to Maui permanently. First, Miriam left and now Mou is gone. It seems there is an exodus of Tongans from Guam. This might be sign that I should get out of here too before its too late...LOL Best of luck to Mou and his family. Im sure that our paths will cross again because he and Agustine have a lot of mutual friends.

No Harm, No Foul

Yesterday, Agustine was involved in a fender bender. His first incident in Guam. After what happend, I hope it he nor I are ever involved in something like that for as long as we are here. Knock on Wood!!

Agustine and Maysa had just left, when I got the call that they had a minor accident. He said it was a fender bender and Im thinking...ok, no big deal, why do you need me to pick up Maysa? I get to the scene of the accident, actually it takes forever to get there because traffic is backed up. When I finally get there, Im wondering where is the other car because all the cars that are blocking traffic loook perfectly fine to me. I check on Maysa and she says she is fine. Agustine starts taking pictures of his car and the car involved in the incident. Then he tells me that the woman refused to move her car to the shoulder because her sister in law drove up right after the incident and told her not to move her car and to remain inside. Then the sister in law calls the police. Thats when Agustine called me to pick up Maysa because he knew that Guam PD would probably take forever to arrive. I got to the scene before GPD.

As we are waiting for GPD, Agustine is taking pictures of the scene and the vehicles. The driver of the other car finally gets out and decides to check out her car for the first time since the incident occurred. Remember her sister in law told her to remain in the car and not to move her vehicle. The woman is somber looking and doesn't even say a word to Agustine. Sister in law probably told her to remain silent. Im sitting in the van with my kids trying to call Calvo insurance to report the incident. All I get is a recording stating their hours of operation and they don't even allow you to leave a message. If you have Calvo Insurance and you get into a car accident prior to 8:30am, don't bother calling them because they don't care!! When GPD arrives, they check to see if everyone is ok and then the sister in law jumps out of her car and starts telling the police that she called and blah, blah, blah. She gets back into her car and leaves. The officers take their reports and then it seems everyone is ok but then here comes the ambulance.

The officer tells Agustine that the kids riding in the other vehicle requested to be treated for neck pain. The paramedics get there and then the kids are all of a sudden feeling ok. So first they tell the officer they are ok then they say their necks hurt then when the ambulance gets there they are ok. Well what the crazy cow is it? Are you ok or not? Agustine said the kids were middle school aged. Probably don't know if their necks are hurting from being ordered to remain still in the car.The officer that was taking Agustine's report came over and said that the report was going to be reclassified to show that all partys involved were ok. 10-4, Dano.

I leave with Maysa and Im thinking...in California this would be a no harm, no foul situation. Both parties would be on their way after agreeing that everything and everyone was ok. No need for a police report or a call to the insurance companies. Not the case in Guam. Here everyone is looking to make the most of every situation. The other car had a small scratch which we don't know if it was the result of the fender bender or if it had already been there. As for Calvo Insurance, Agustine calls them after they opened and the agent tells him that they won't take a report from him unless the other party's insurance calls to file a claim. I love Guam but situations with people like the woman and sister in law involved in this situation make me want to pimp slap somebody!!

First Word

When Agustine left to Guam, I was 7 months pregnant with Kaylena. He was able to return for her birth in April but had to leave a week later. When Kaylena was 3 months old, we finally joined him on Guam. She really didn't like her dad too much and it was hard sometimes to leave her with him because she would just cry. Secretly I liked that she didn't like him too much. Maysa is his baby. Evangelene, as everyone knows, belongs to my parents. So Kaylena is my baby. About two weeks ago Kaylena said her first word. DADA!! Whoa, now...it was supposed to be MAMA not DADA. Every morning when she wakes up I hear her scream out...DADA. All I can think is...why doesn't she just stab a knife through my heart!! Its ok, I'll get over it...eventually!!

Any Way You Cut It

My husband had the hardest time finding a barber on Guam. A barber is a barber, right? I mean he is a guy and don't guys just get their hair buzzed and its good? Ok, maybe its not that simple because he prefers a shave fade and not all barbers can fade well much less shave fade as tight as he likes it. Whatever. So he finally found someone in Yigo who does an alright shave fade. Yesterday, he came home quiet cheery, after his haircut. I didn't understand the cheeriness because his hair wasn't shave faded. Uusally, if his hair isn't cut exactly like he likes it, he has a problem with it. So Im curious as to why he is so cheery. His "guy" wasn't there but he needed a hair cut so badly that he just had one of the other guys cut his hair. While he was getting his hair cut, the assistant (the gofer and hair sweeper uper) was busy singing kareoke tunes. Yup, its one of those things that can only happen on Guam. Where else can you get your hair cut and be serenaded to Kenny Rogers...Once, twice, three times the lady...LOL When the gofer/kareoke singer finished with Kenny he started taking requests!! It doesn't matter how you cut your hair, if you are ever on Guam you need to stop by this little place in Yigo and be serenaded!!

At Last

Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy
Barack Obama

I have to admit that I had my reservations regarding Barack Obama and his ability to lead our country. Since the primaries, I've read, researched, fussed and fumed about my thoughts on the next leader of the US. Im not going to write about what I discovered in my readings or what new light came into my mind because thats all irrelevant now. What is relevant is what I feel and know now having just watched the inauguration of President Obama. Never in my life have I ever felt that I or someone like me could ever be President of the United States. Thats all changed now. It still remains to be seen what type of leadership President Obama will provide for a nation that is clearly in turmoil. What is clear to me now more than ever is that I can finally say and see that someone like me or more importantly someone like my children can be President someday. I hope to build for my children a legacy of empowerment and responsibilty for the next generation. I hope that they will dare to dream the impossible because its their destiny and nothing can hold them back!!

Feliz Cumpleanos

We had a blast this weekend!! Agustine's birthday was Sunday the 18th. The girls and I decided it was time to do something special for the King of our Hearts. Agustine never does anything for his own selfish wants. It goes against his nature. Every year Agustine always makes sure that the girls and I have a special experience on our birthdays. This year it was our turn to make his day special.

Maysa is all smiles as we check in to the Pacific Island Club, for Agustine's birthday weekend get away.
Time to swim!!

Birthday dinners are the best. For a minute there, I thought it was one of the girls birthday because Evangelene ordered shrimp and Maysa ordered New York Steak. But their dad didn't mind and let them have what they wanted because thats just the kind of dad he is. We love our papi chulo and hope that he enjoyed his birthday this year as much as we did!!

No Holiday Pictures

Im looking for a super computer geek to fix my holiday blues. Yeah, I know the holidays are over but Im still blue. Some how our holiday pictures got corrupted and now they won't even open. So all 100 + pictures we took of the girls are DONE!! Not a one could be saved. Im super bummed because it was our first Christmas on Guam and Kaylena's very first Christmas. I still have hope that some really smart person out there will know what to do and save my pictures. In the mean time, you will all just have to settle for a run down of our holiday.

Agustine had to work on Christmas Eve so the girls and I went to Ypao beach. We played in the sand, ate some snacks and swam till Agustine got off work around 6pm. We were ready to go home, since we'd been there for hours!! I think we got there at like 2pm. Christmas morning was quiet. Just us and the kids. Then we headed over to our good friend's house in Macheche for Christmas lunch and dinner. Chris and Joleen Montanano invited us over to celebrate with their family and extended family. We had so much fun. The kids played, Agustine played cards with the die hard card playing crew, while Kaylena and I ate and ate and ate. It was so much fun. We loved every minute of it. We are so thankful to our friends for having us over and sharing their family with us. The next day we headed over to the Outrigger Hotel with the Montananos to swim at the hotel pool. The kids had so much fun and Kaylena swam for the longest time.

Agustine had to work again on New Years Eve. The girls and I baked goodies and watched movies. Eva fell asleep before her dad got home. Maysa managed to stay awake till around 9:30 pm but then fell asleep. We tried to keep her awake so we can go over to Tumon to watch the fireworks but that didn't happen. At midnight the streets came alive, as people ran out with their pots and pans. Music was turned up high and people got their party on! There were lots of illegal fireworks so we didn't feel left out of the firework show. On Friday Agustine had the day off so we took the girls to stay at the Onward Beach Resort. We played at the pool and the waterpark all day Friday and Saturday. Here are a few pictures that we were able to salvage from our corrupted memory card.