another family visit

What a crazy past few weeks! First the girls arrived and it took a week or so to adjust to the time change and also having our little family all together, and then George's mom (Nancy) and sister (Ardry) came to visit for 10 days. We've been on the go all summer! 

A few days after the girls got here, and a few days before Nancy & Ardry got here, the aircon unit in our spare bedroom stopped working. You need aircon out here! Not just for the heat, but also for the humidity. Plus, with 4 people sleeping in one tiny room, you need some cool air! Unfortunately, the replacement unit has to be ordered and shipped, which can take weeks! We freaked out a little, but thankfully we have an amazing landlord and she went out and bought a portable unit for the room. Thankfully it works great and everyone stayed cool during the night! 

Anyways, we kept busy and made sure to show Nancy & Ardry a good time while they were here. The girls were so excited to have their Maga (grandma) and Aunty Ardry here! We went to Ypao Beach, Gab Gab Beach, drove around the island, shopped at Chamorro village, swam at the Hyatt (twice!) and swam at Nikko. We also took them to eat at a few of our favorite places. We went to Ban Thai, Pika's, Asan Sunset Grill & Chamorro Island BBQ. It was busy and flew by, but it was so good to visit and we miss them already. Here's a few photos from their time here!

maga and meli

auntie ardry & kiera

the girls & maga learning about the world

ardry taking pics on our lanai

no pics please!

enjoying the beautiful sunset from our lanai

miss grumpy gills

maga is so pretty when she's laughing!

ardry taking more pics

maga & meli at sunset grill

ardry & george at nikko

lunch at pika's!

father's day part 2

one of the photos I took for George

George was lucky enough this year to have both of his girls on Father's Day. We were also lucky to have his mom and sister visiting as well. For Father's Day we got George the new golf bag he's been wanting and I also took some photos of the girls for him. 

We spent the day at the pool at the Hyatt swimming and relaxing. We had a lot of fun just playing in the water, going down the water slide and watching the fire dancers at the end of the night. As the pool was closing we went down to the beach and watched the sunset. Right after the sun went down, two guys rowed up on an outrigger. We were standing next to them and they pointed out a small nurse shark in the shallow waters. One of them caught it and the girls got to pet a real shark. They were soooo excited and are still talking about it. Here's a recap of the day in pictures!

photo shoot

little miss Kiera

little miss Meli

George's sister and I riding island style

Kiera at the Hyatt pool

George and Meli

perfect sunset to end a perfect day

father's day

This weekend is Father's Day and I wish I could be home to cook something for my dad and wish him a happy Father's Day. But, I'm all the way in Guam, so a phone call and card will have to do. I know my dad reads this blog... probably the only one who does... so Happy Father's Day from your #1 daughter!!! 

the whole fam, looking awesome

riding bikes

at my wedding

wedding wednesdays- the rehearsal dinner

For our rehearsal dinner we chose to keep it simple and have it at my parents' house. By having it at home and not a restaurant, we were able to invite the bridal party, their significant others, and our out of town guests. 

We had a local restaurant cater the food. They have a pick-up service where they put all the food into disposable trays so you just pick it up and serve it! They also provided the sternos to keep the food warm. It was a mexican restaurant and we had chicken, carne asada, tortillas, rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, taco toppings, guacamole and chips for everyone. It was WAY cheaper than had we gone to a sit-down restaurant. 

We stocked up on drinks from Sam's club and had everything in ice chests. Instead of renting table and chairs, we borrowed some from our friends. We also reused the decorations from the bridal shower for the rehearsal dinner. 

It wasn't as fancy as going to a restaurant with sit down service, but we were all together and we were able to eat, drink and walk around to chat with all our friends. We also we able to stay on budget and still show our bridal party thanks!

serving up dinner 

the girls are here!

finally in Guam after the LONG flights

The girls arrived on island Wednesday night! I had custom leis made for them at the floral shop in Oka Payless. The lady there was so sweet. I told her I needed them special made to be shorter than their normal leis because they were for little girls. She asked their ages and measured out the length so that they would be perfect for them. The girls loved them and felt so special to get real flower leis after getting off the plane. They were WIDE awake when they landed at 10pm and had a little trouble going to bed and sleeping that first night. Hopefully they'll adjust to the time change soon. 

island girls

swimming with dad

Yesterday was our first full day and George took the day off. We went shopping for some new summer clothes and then spent the rest of the day at the beach. We packed a lunch and had a picnic in the sand then went swimming. They loved the water and are so in awe at how close the ocean is, no matter where you're at. I've also been sharing some old Chamorro legends and they are really fascinated with the stories of Guam. They spent all day looking for the mermaid Sirena. George and I were also pretty exhausted after our first day. Once we get into a routine and the girls adjust to the time change, I'm sure it'll get easier. We also have George's mom and sister coming to visit next week so we are excited to spend time with the whole family!

wedding wednesdays-the bachelor/bachelorette parties

My husband and I held our bachelor & bachelorette parties on the same weekend. He went to Las Vegas and I went to South Lake Tahoe. Want more details? We had lots of fun, and I'll just leave it at that!

george & his boys

my girls & I

first solo weekend

the park, right before my photo shoot

It's Monday and that means I survived my first weekend alone out here. It's so weird being here without George. I did try and fill my time though. I had a photo shoot on Saturday, worked on some pictures, made lots of yummy food that George doesn't eat and hit up the gym. I had so much fun with my client on Saturday. Her kids were so well mannered and photogenic, it made my job easy! She even had a sweet little baby girl, barely a month old! I'm truly enjoying what I do! 

24K cupcake from Infusion

Of course, after working in the sun, I indulged in some coffee and a cupcake from Infusion. We don't have a Starbucks out here, but Infusion makes some pretty amazing drinks! Their cupcakes are delicious too! A cupcake Saturday meant the gym on Sunday. I love that on a clear day, you can see the ocean from the gym!

sunny day at the gym

view from the gym, see the ocean?!

The next couple of days I'll spend getting the house ready for the girls to come. I can't wait to see them and get to spend all summer with my little family!

alone time

Yesterday, George went off island for the first time since we've moved. It's a weird feeling being completely alone out here. It's one thing to have all your friends and family back on the mainland, but its another to have your partner be gone as well. It's only for a week for I already feel very bored! My conversations since he's been gone have consisted of the cashiers at Ross, Tommy Bahamas and the Payless. Luckily, tomorrow I have a client booked for a Father's Day photo session so that should keep me busy. Besides that, I'll spend my time at the gym and getting the house ready for the girls. I can't believe they'll be out here in just 5 days! 

one of the videos I caught of the storm

Last night (my first night alone, of course) we had a crazy thunder and lightning storm roll through. I've never heard thunder so loud! The lightning lit up the sky, it was so surreal. Thankfully we never lost power! Hopefully it clears up a little, so I can head on down to the beach to keep myself busy with George gone!