casa de engleheart

Before I get to the point of this post, I just want to let everyone know that I finally got my Guam driver's license! Upon moving to Guam, you're required to turn in your driver's license from your old state and exchange it for a Guam license. I had been putting it off because I wasn't sure how long the wait would be at the Department of Revenue and Taxation. I finally went, and at the advice of my friend Erica, I went in the afternoon and it was so quick! In less than 45 minutes I stood in line, turned in my application at one window, stood in line at another window to pay the fee, then went to yet another window to have my picture taken. I was told to wait after that and in less than 2 minutes, he calls me back up and hands me a legit license. No here's your paper copy, now wait 3-4 weeks for the real license to come in the mail deal like back in California. I was happy and walked out of there looking like a legit Guam resident! 

officially on island time

Anyways... now for the main reason for my post. I will more than likely not be updating my blog next week. Why? Because my parents are coming to visit tomorrow! But don't worry, when I return to the blog world, I'll have lots of updates with stories from their visit. Hopefully my dad didn't jump on the internet before catching their flight and reads this... I want them to be surprised. So dad, if you're reading this: stop. I've only been gone for 4 months, but I am very excited to see them! They'll also be our first guests from the mainland so I'm looking forward to showing them the beauty of Guam. Since it costs insane amounts of money to fly out here, they are staying with us instead of getting a hotel. Luckily, we held on to our old mattress so they have somewhere to sleep besides the air mattress. Unluckily, the only place for it is in the girls' bedroom and it barely fits between the bunk beds and the wall. 

the cozy accommodations

Since moving out here, making a home has become my job and I've gotten pretty damn good at it. So now I'm using all my mad skillz to make our apartment feel like a fancy hotel for my parents. I made a little welcome basket and set it on their luxurious bed nestled between the bunk beds and the girly dresser. Just like a real hotel room, right? I went to one of the ABC stores and found all sorts of very cliché touristy items to fill their basket. I have coconut wine, coconut water in a fake coconut, mango cake, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, local cookies, a hibiscus pot holder, post-its with birds of paradise and a souvenir type magnet. Hopefully they'll feel the love of the island in their goody basket!

hafa adai! welcome to Guam!

As guests at Casa de Engleheart, they'll enjoy several planned activities around the island as well as open days for them to choose what they want to do. They'll also have exquisite dining options cooked by yours truly nearly every night. Also, every evening, they'll be able to enjoy complimentary mimosas on our lanai over looking the ocean as they take in views of the unique sunsets Guam has to offer. Interesting in booking your next vacation with us? Please leave in a comment with your contact info. We'll contact you shortly. 

casa de engleheart, a wonderful place to stay

finish this v7

This is part 7 of a weekly series I got from Ruthie Hart titled, finish this.

1. I plan on buying... a MacBook in the future. I'll need a lap top on the long flights I have coming up. Also, it'll give me the ability to work on my photography when I'm not at home. It'll be a while though, gotta save up for one!

2. I give AMERICAN EAGLE 5 stars because... they ship to Guam, hassle free! It's so hard to find companies that ship out here, let alone not charge an arm and leg and take 6-8 weeks to get here. I've ordered from them a couple of times now and both times they had free shipping offers and the package got here in less than 5 business days. That is unheard of out here! 

3. I felt courageous when... we took the offer to move to Guam. It wasn't so much as a choice, really, we were going to have to move no matter what. But to take advantage of the offer to move somewhere so awesome rather than to somewhere not so nice, but only 2,500 miles away made us both feel very courageous. 

us on our honeymoon, right after we got notified by his boss of our move to Guam

4. I feel about swimsuit shopping like I do... anything that I dread. I hate swimsuit shopping because it seems like nothing ever fits right. And here on Guam, swimsuits are hard to find. Weird, I know, but there is usually a few suits at the stores, but you can never find matching pieces. I'll find a top I really like, but the matching bottoms are no where to be found! They do have a little boutique style swim suit shop geared towards tourists, but their suits are cheap feeling and super pricey. No thank you! One of my favorite suits that I still wear at least once a week is one I bought in 2003. 

wedding wednesdays-the groomsmen gifts

When we first started planning our wedding, I saw this cute idea for the groomsmen gifts. It was a little felt lined wooden box with a rocks glass, whiskey, coke and a cigar. I showed it to George and we both agreed that they would be perfect gifts for his four groomsmen. I looked for almost a year for these wooden boxes and didn't find any that were the size we liked, the right design or not crazy expensive. After searching for so long and coming up empty handed, I decided to make them myself.

I found unfinished wooden boxes in the perfect size at Michael's. I then bought some sheets of black felt and wood stain and went to work! I stained the boxes a dark mahogany and then cut the felt to size and glued it in place as to line the interior of the box. To fill the boxes, I wanted a personalized rocks glass, a small bottle of Captain Morgan, a small can of coke and a cigar. I got both the rocks glass and the rum at Bevmo. I even had a friend who etched the glasses for free. 

one of the glasses after being etched

George found cigars at a local smoke shop and I just picked up the mini cans of coke from Walmart. The result was a unique, reusable, personalized and handcrafted gift for each of the groomsmen. I didn't get any pictures of the finished gifts before we gave them to the guys but I do have a picture of them in progress though.

how they looked, except I hadn't lined the lid yet and we used coke, not sprite

What I liked about these gifts is that they were able to enjoy them on the day of the wedding. As they were getting in their tuxes, they all had a cocktail to help calm their nerves. And then afterwards, at the reception, the men were able to go out together and have a celebratory cigar. For less than $20 each, we made these fun groomsmen gifts.

making a cocktail with their gift

rip opie

I'm not talking about the Opie character in Sons of Anarchy. And please do not tell me anything about him actually dying in the show. We just started season four and I don't want to know any spoilers! I'm talking about our fish.

This morning we found our fish, Opie, had moved on to swim in the big ocean in the sky. He was the first guy George added to his tank less than a month ago. He was doing great until we added another fish, Prospect, who turned out to be a little aggressive towards Opie. Last week we decided to remove Prospect and return him to the fish store in hopes that Opie would start eating again and get better. Unfortunately, he didn't make it. So goodbye Opie, may you rest in peace!

Opie  

fresh spring rolls

So last week I decided to try my hand at making fresh spring rolls. Years ago my dad brought me to a little Thai restaurant in the back of a grocery store near our home town. It was literally a window with a table or two at the back of the canned foods aisle with an older lady making authentic Thai food. It was delicious.

the spring rolls we ordered

We ordered these fresh spring rolls (yes I still have the picture from my phone from 4 years ago). They were really tasty and I've been meaning to try and make them at home since. Yes, it took me four years to attempt these at home. My dad even bought me rice paper years ago and I never tried.

my ingredients prepped and ready to go

I finally got the courage up last week and with my new life as a house wife, I have the time to spend making difficult recipes. Rice paper is a finicky little beast and I wasn't sure how these rolls would turn out. I didn't really have a recipe, I just rolled up the ingredients I wanted into rice paper. I used red bell pepper, carrots, shrimp, romaine lettuce, cilantro and rice noodles. I made sure and had all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before starting.

you can barely see the rice paper, but it's there!

To soften the rice paper you have to dip it in warm water for about 20 seconds, just until it starts to become pliable but not too long or it will tear. I laid out my ingredients in the middle and rolled it up like I would a burrito. I served it up with some sweet Thai chili sauce, and they turned out great!

the finished product

i heart guam

They say island fever sets in around the four month mark. I'm coming up on it and the only thing that I don't like is the idea that I'll have to leave this island one day. There are all sorts of cheesy souvenirs that say "I heart Guam" but I really do. I love this island and I love the island life. 

blue skies out in front of our condo this morning

I've always been the type of person that has a million things on my to-do list and who always feels life pulling me to get something done. But here, it's slower, and it forces me to slow down and just be. And that suits me. I'm on island time and I love it! 

view from the parking lot, look at the color of the water!

The weather here is amazing as well. It's always warm and there's never that chill in the air at night that forces me to reach for a sweater or jacket. As silly as it sounds, I hate wearing clothes (not go naked, but I like wearing just a dress and flip flops, nothing bulky) and this weather allows me to be comfy all the time. It reminds me of those rare summer nights back home when you can go outside in the middle of the night and the warmth of the summer night air surrounds you. Except, it's like that every night here. I don't have to wait for the summer. 

Today we went to the beach because it was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining and there was only a slight breeze. We decided to go down to the touristy area of Tumon, Ypao Beach. It was noon on a Friday and we practically had the beach to ourselves. Maybe 10 people in the water, and only a handful on the stretched out white sandy beach. No matter how many times we come here, the color and hue of the water will always amaze me. It's so clear and pristine and tropical looking that it's hard to believe it's real. What's even harder to believe is that we live here. This is home for us. 

can you see the long paddle boats?

When we got home I went out to the lanai to catch the sunset and saw 2 large boats paddling out in the waters in front of our condo. How awesome is that? I know our time here is limited and I am really trying to take in every minute and realize how lucky we are to be here. One day, we'll have to leave and I will miss this place like crazy!

finish this v6

This is part of a weekly series I got from Ruthie Hart, titled finish this.

1. I celebrate Valentine's day by... just spending time with my husband like usual! I don't really care to make a big deal out of it or stand around for hours at a packed restaurant for dinner. We usually make a nice dinner at home and maybe I'll make some treats.

2. My heart goes pitter-patter for... little baby kittens. Anytime I see a picture of one or a video, I instantly want another kitty. Who doesn't melt for a baby kitty cat?!

3. When looking for romance, my best advice is... don't ignore the red flags! I'll leave it at that.

4. My favorite love story (real or fiction) is... mine is my favorite real love story, but as far as fiction... I know it's cheesy, but Noah and Allie from The Notebook. I just love how they always were drawn to each other and how he stays with her til the very end. 

5. The best relationship/love/dating advice I ever received... not really advice, but my bff, Casey, once told me to flip a coin. The rest is history!

that coin Casey had me flip, taped to my wedding shoes 

wedding wednesdays-DIY flower girl accessories

I've gone over all my major vendors for my wedding, but there's more to wedding planning than the vendors. There's all the small details that you would never think about but end up taking over your brain in the months before your wedding. Since we were on a tight budget, I did a lot of things myself to not only save money, but to put my own touch and style into the wedding. And sometimes it was out of necessity because I couldn't find anything I liked, so I made something myself! In the next few weeks, I'm going to go over my DIY wedding projects. 

My first DIY project that I'm going to talk about is the accessories for the flower girls. Their headband and the basket for the flower petals. I decided to make the headbands myself to save money. I wore a very nice headband and wanted the girls to have something similar but didn't want to spend too much money. A lot of the girls headbands I found were too expensive or too ornate. 

the headband before I customized it

After looking at almost every store I went into for months, I found these plain ivory headbands in the girls section at a Target store in Roseville. They were the right color, they had similar fabric and texture as my headband and they were cheap! Only $5! I was lucky in that I got the last 2 on the rack. 

buffalo chicken enchiladas

they aren't pretty, but they're tasty

Ooey. Gooey. Cheesy. Spicy. Buffalo-wingy. Those are the best words I can use to describe these buffalo chicken enchiladas. I would love to take credit and say I created this fabulous and easy recipe, but I did not. I found it on a blog called The Novice Chef. I love finding recipes that George loves and willfully eats leftovers of. I take those recipes and I make them a part of our regular recipe rotation. This is one of those recipes. 

Of course, I deviate from the recipe a little and make it my own. Mostly out of laziness in measuring out ingredients, but also because IdowhatIwant. 

everything all prepped

First thing I do is cook this chicken in my crock pot. It's easier that way. I cook it with a little buffalo wing sauce and a little water for 8 hours on low. Then I shred it and get started on the enchiladas.

hy's steakhouse

George had to work again this past weekend so we didn't get to do any island exploring. My weekend consisted of the gym, a nice dinner and laying by our pool. Rough, I know. 

a little sunshine by the pool

On Saturday night we were invited to a birthday dinner for one of George's coworker's wife. Since George had to work, I went alone. I didn't know most of the people there, but luckily my friend Erica picked me up so I had a partner in crime good friend to hang out with all night. We went to a high end steakhouse in downtown Tumon called Hy's Steakhouse.

Erica and I at our fancy dinner

hobbies

It really is true what they say about island life. Everything moves at a slower pace. To add to that, I am not working for the first time since I was in high school. That leaves for a lot of time to fill for not only myself, but for George as well. So we both decided to pick up some hobbies to help fill the time over here. 

I chose to pick up an old hobby from years ago, photography. It's my first time working with digital photography so I've been able to keep myself busy learning and practicing this art. Luckily, I have friends back home who answer my questions and can help give me advice. I'm really enjoying it and can't wait until I get a chance to visit home and practice on all my friends. Maybe one day I'll even be confident enough to take on clients! For now I'm just trying to hone my skills and capture all the beauty that is Guam.

George's hobby is a little more tangible. He's started a salt water fish tank at our condo! It's a small one and it's still in the beginning stages, but it already is looking real pretty.

fish tank after George got his first fish, Opie

It's quite a process to start a tank, but its been several weeks now and George just started introducing fish. He also has about 15 hermit crabs, no joke. We wanted a theme in naming the fish and decided to go with characters from Sons of Anarachy.

finish this v5

This is part five in a weekly series I got from Ruthie Hart titled finish this.

1. I will never outgrow... getting excited to go to the candy store. When I was younger and got an allowance, I used to spend it all at the candy store at the mall. I had a one of those plastic Caboodles that were oh so popular in the 80s filled with candy. Every Saturday night I would bust it out and eat candy while enjoying Snick. Am I showing my age here?! I still get excited when we pass the candy aisle at the grocery store and I still make a plate of candies to munch on whenever we watch a movie or a favorite TV show!

2. I splurge on... I honestly can't think of anything I splurge on. I'm more than happy buying store brand. I rarely buy new clothes or shoes and when I do, it's never name brand. The only thing I've bought that was more of a splurge than other options was my computer. I chose to pay a little more and get an iMac instead of a PC. But that was a one time purchase, so I don't really consider it something I splurge on regularly.

3. My worst habit is... going to the grocery store hungry. I always make a list with meals in mind, but once I get into the store, I see so many other things I want! 

4. My passport represents... unfortunately, not a lot. I first got my passport for Panama a few years back but had to get a new one after I got married. So far I have no stamps in my passport. I've been lucky enough to do most of my traveling with the military and haven't required a passport. 

5. My most ridiculous fear is... swimming in deep water. It's not even the drowning fear, it's just not knowing what is under me. It creeps me out! Or if we go snorkeling and there are rocks or coral or even sea grass under me, I get scared!

6. My favorite thing to give is... food! I love making treats for George to take to work or treat him to new yummy dinners.

wedding wednesdays-the florist

When it comes to wedding flowers, you can spend a lot of money or you can spend a little money. A lot of budget brides these days are going the fake flower route and assembling bouquets and centerpieces themselves. I looked into it and I was shocked at how much fake flowers can be! I assumed that fake would be cheaper, but they really weren't. So I had to find a florist who would work with my budget.

the bridesmaids bouquets

I didn't know a lot about flowers so I asked the owner of the bridal shop who she would recommend for both quality and price. She recommended The Country Florist, which happened to be within 2 miles of my venue. I met with the owner, Kevin, and was impressed with him right away. He was more than happy to work with my budget and give me the look I wanted. I told him the look I was going for and he was able to use certain flowers that would be in my price range but still look amazing. 

my bouquet

The pictures I showed him of what I wanted for my bouquet could have easily cost 2-3 times more than I paid for mine. What Kevin did was use slightly different flowers, but the same textures and colors, and recreated a gorgeous bouquet that fit in my budget and looked exactly like I wanted.

the petals for the flower girls

I saved money in a few other ways. I used very simple concepts for the boutonnieres and the centerpieces. I also did not have any flower covered arch or floral decorations at the ceremony. I chose to use the natural beauty of our outdoor location to be the only decoration I need. 

the boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen

My centerpieces were a simple large off-white hydrangea instead of an arrangement created by the florist. This saved money because all the florist had to do was deliver the hydrangeas as is, and I didn't have to pay for the labor to create a centerpiece. My bridesmaids and I simply cut the stems and put them into the vases I had sitting out on my tables and voila! 

my simple hydrangea centerpieces

In addition to my budget friendly centerpieces, I used our bouquets as the flowers for our head table. I saved money by not having to pay for additional floral arrangements to decorate the head table. I just had vases with water set out and the girls set their bouquets in them when they came in from the ceremony!

the bouquets as arrangements on the head table

I was very pleased not only with my wedding flowers, but with the customer service and ease of working with Kevin and his crew at The Country Florist. I had a budget to stick to and they were able to create the look I wanted, within the budget I could afford. Some brides may have a more grandiose vision in mind and if so, my florist can create beautiful flowers for a wedding whether your budget is $500 or $5,000. However, in choosing simple pieces, I not only saved money but I stuck to the general theme for my whole wedding: simple, classic and elegant. 

simple asian meatballs

fluffy jasmine rice and turkey meatballs

George is not a picky eater. He'll eat pretty much anything I make for dinner. However, I love to find recipes that George really enjoys and asks me to make again. I only have a few that fit that criteria so I'm constantly searching for new recipes to try out. One website that I've found, Skinnytaste, has a lot of good tasting recipes that both of us would like, and they're all healthy! 

all the meatball ingredients, ready to mix up!

mmm... fresh grated ginger

One recipe that I've found, that's turned into a favorite at our house, is Asian Turkey Meatballs. They're served with a lime sesame dipping sauce that goes great over rice. What I love about this recipe is that it uses a lot of fresh flavors, ginger, cilantro and green onions. I love using fresh ginger in recipes. I also like that they're easy to make and George really enjoys them!

If these look yummy to you, click on the link above for the recipe and try them out!

the dipping sauce makes this dish!

wild weekend

This weekend we actually got out and partied a little. It was a nice change since we always just stay in and relax at home. On one of our nights out, a friend asked me why I never blog about drunken weekend nights. So here you go!

Friday night we went to our friends' house for a going away party for another friend. There was good food, good friends, good booze and of course slightly inappropriate discussion all night. We always end up playing beer pong with this group and it always ends bad for me the next day. I am proud to say that this time around, I got out of playing beer pong! I'm sure my liver appreciates that. The end of the night ended with George and I eating all the left over garlic bread and my friend Erica french braiding my hair. Good times.

Saturday night we decided to just stay home and BBQ. George loves to BBQ and he's really good at it. It's one of my favorite ways to cook because it takes a team effort go team Engleheart! I get all the food prepped for the grill and George does the grilling. I also make any side dishes that aren't being cooked on the grill. Saturday I marinaded some chicken and cut up a fresh pineapple and George grilled them both up. He was so proud of his BBQing skills, he made me take a picture.

man make meat with fire

So around 11pm Saturday night, we were just home enjoying a quiet night, watching Sons of Anarchy and George gets a text from a friend asking us to go out to downtown Tumon. Spur of the moment night out! We have only been out in Tumon once since we've moved here (for my dirty thirty) so it was fun to go out again! It was a fun night out that of course ended up with ramen at 2am. I love ramen. Mmmmm...

spicy delicious noodles

The rest of our weekend was spent hanging around the house and enjoying the amazing sunsets from our lanai. You know, normal day to day life.

island life... just another day

sushi rock

It's no secret that George and I love to eat. We love trying new restaurants and finding the one restaurant that we make our "go to" place. Back home we loved eating sushi, and we had one place in Roseville that we would always eat at. Since we've been on island we haven't found a place that serves the same type of sushi rolls as back home. Until last weekend.

With the crappy weather coming down on us, we had to find other things to keep us busy on the weekend. We decided to try out a restaurant, Sushi Rock, after shopping at the mall. They had a menu quite similar to our favorite spot back home so we were excited to try it out! 

They had a large list of appetizers and decided on a jalapeño lovers one and it was really good! It was fresh jalapeños stuffed with spicy tuna and cream cheese then lightly battered in tempura and fried. It was topped with a couple sauces too. We will be getting it when we go back!

yummy jalapeño appetizer

We also got 2 different rolls to split, the Firecracker and the Rosecran. I don't remember everything in the Firecracker, but it wasn't our favorite. It was tasty, but not as spicy as we thought it would be and the flavors lacked something extra. The Rosecran was a lightly fried roll and it was amazing! It had spicy tuna, crab and avocado. It was also topped with yummy sauces. What I really liked about the menu is that all their rolls had a picture and description. Sometimes, when picking out a roll it really helps to see a picture of it. 

firecracker roll

the rosecran... so yummy!!

We definitely found our new sushi restaurant on the island. We look forward to going back and trying more rolls! 

And speaking of food... I believe we are adapting to island cooking. When I first got here 3 months ago, I bought a 5 lb bag of rice (it's the smallest bag they sell). I was thinking it would last us a long time, but last night I cooked the very last of the bag! 

who ate all this rice?!