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.

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!!