MAYBE THE EARTH IS FLAT

Many who know us back home may have begun to question if the world really is in fact...flat... If so it must drop into space just beyond the pacific. We would not be surprised or offended if that is what you think, and we know that true friends will still love and accept us despite our terrible absence... from our blog, email, phone, even birthday calls, and other wonderful things, etc. (That was not totally meant to manipulate you but remind you that you still love us even when we are completely distant ;) And we are thankful for that)

CONGRATS!

Before I give the boring update or excuses why... I must share the most exciting news in our lives... We are finally going to be an auntie and uncle!!!!! That's right if you haven't checked out Russ and Amy's blog they are going to expand the Miller family even more!!!! We are soooo excited! On top of keeping in touch over here, this is going to by far be the hardest part of being so far away!!!! Who knows when I will be able to hold and smell and kiss this little ones cheeks! I don't even want to think about that right now (I already miss my friends little ones like crazy... I can't imagine how much I will miss this one!) Happy thoughts... I need to think happy thoughts!... I am back... phew... OK, so, I will be able to see Amy pregnant in a couple months which I am stoked about... I love seeing my girls about to pop.

VISITORS

So that brings me into my next highlight in our lives... visitors! Here is the line-up... I have a friend who was here last weekend, Heaths brother and his wife will be here the end of may and my family (right now 6 1/2... I am hoping all 8 1/2) come in June, and my little bro will stay all summer! It will be so nice to have people around that know and love us!

FAMILY HERE

I know I have mentioned our Chamorro family here on our blog and have shared more specifically with those of you we have talked to. I would like to share a little more here how wonderful it is to be adopted by a local family. They keep us very busy! And extremely well fed! We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary as part of the family last Month. Can you believe it? We have been on Guam 1 year and almost 3 months already. It has gone so fast.

Anyway, every weekend we have family dinner, and from November on we were so busy with holidays and then in January, our "brother" Joel got married so that kept us very busy for a while. It was great to be a part of a Chamorro wedding! The family did everything including all the food and there were thousands of people, the reception was held in a gym which was packed and people were even crowded around the outside of the building! Two bands played taking turns all evening and then after everyone left it was clean up time, which again the whole family was there helping. It was a beautiful day!

(February disappeared)
MARCH AND APRIL

For Heath's birthday we had our first big big gathering here at our place... I was so nervous to host that many people, (and we pulled if off very last minute) but the beautiful thing about family gatherings is everyone brings a dish (or a few) and the aunties took over helping and putting it together. Which they said they loved watching me in the middle of it all in my indoor kitchen, with out the "necessary" utensils for this size gathering. I think I know what I am getting next year for Christmas :) It turned out wonderful and we had tons of food left over, even after everyone "balutoned" (that we learned is required when you eat at any gathering... you must pack plates of food to go- baluton)

HEATH

Heath has had his evaluation and for a while was studying constantly for his advancement test. He also took placement tests and is getting set up to take classes online to finish his degree.
His newest project is to build a surf board out of a light local wood. So, he harvested a bunch of wood during the last new moon and it has been drying out. Just today he has begun to strip its bark and prep it. We will have to document along the way. Right now I need to go snap some pics. He is so excited about this!

RHIANON

I have been swamped with school and am way more stressed than I imagined this job to be! Our school just had an accreditation team from the states come out, and we are now prepping the school for the attorney general to check us for health and safety issues. They come unannounced and have already shut down many schools on island. I desperately want to finish out the year and get out on time so I can have my summer. So we are busing our tails in hopes we pass. Because of this, maintenance is jumping on my requests to take care of the rat problem and the 1st day we caught 3 rats in my room/storage. Next, we have to figure out what to do with old chemicals and very old specimens from the 70's... like, starfish, squid, some kind of hearts and other buckets-o-fun for dissecting. I already cleaned the science storage room, organizing and trashing things from way back when it was a high school... Big job!

My air con went out February 1st so I have been teaching in the 80 degree heat with loud fans to yell over and distractions galore with the windows wide open... We have been miserable, but there is no money to repair them... I am looking into what it would take to pay it myself, just for my own comfort. There have been many other struggles to overcome... lately, I have been begging God for grace and have learned a lot about what I can and can not handle.

On a much more positive note... the island has major trash issues and have begun to implement recycling aluminum at the schools... as a science teacher this has been a great avenue to educate and share my passion about caring for the environment. So, as a science project, I required students to work together with their family's and recycle 500 cans per quarter. In about 6 months worth of time we have filled the bin 11 times! The island just filled the limit for sending it to the recycling plant in CA and will be bringing in something like $18,000 for the schools... so we should be getting our $1600 soon. I am so proud of my students! We have filled the bin more than any of the middle schools! Go IMS! Now if we could just make it easier and possible as well as teach the value of recycling more items. I have seen people fighting the concept and on the flip, have been so proud of those who are embracing this and are open to changing. I will continue to cheer even if only one hears... "Go Green Guam!"

We are busy, life has been heavy and I often find myself living for the next thing... the days end... air condition... the weekend... the summer... the next adventure... But my dad reminded me today that Grandpa Miller always used to say, "Don't wish your life away." Thanks for that wisdom.

Please excuse my grammar and wordy-ness. This is a rough sketch of our life, I just wanted to get this out and haven't the time or mind power to review it. Thanks!

We love and miss you all terribly!

Our First Christmas... Just the 2 of Us

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we celebrated Christmas with the family that adopted Heath and I. We were even in on the gift exchange and there were lots of jokes about us hyphenating our last name. They really have welcomed us in as their own. Though we miss our family and friends back home dearly, we are blessed to have people here to spend the holidays with. We felt so loved by the gifts they gave us!

After tons of great food, cousin BJ's amazing dance group performed for the family... Auntie Bic Bic is part one of the dancers so they encouraged her get up an join them... she is in the purple. We just think this little guy in the front is so cute! And the little girls with garland, plumerias and coconuts... truly a tropical Christmas.

I just love watching the cute mother dancers perform... they have such grace and elegance and their smiles just beam... it is beautiful!

I think the teens had fun with this one!


And the grand finale dance these ladies choose men from the family to join them... one of the cousins choose Heath... it was a hoot! They were hilarious, all of the guys were funny especially the Uncles... they really got into it.


Heath was my favorite though... he was great at cheezing it up too!

Christmas Eve's Eve

As Santa's helpers this year, we dressed up and passed out treats to the children for the mayor of our village (our adopted Chamorro family)

My Birthday Dive

Picture 4 is a Starfish (pillow-like)
Picture 5 is a Lion fish (poisonous)
Picture 6 I am feeding lots of hungry little fish.

The dive was on 12/19... the camera time must have been set to the states timezone.

Heath's Kitchen

Hey everyone check out my new blog that I am starting.
I am just highlighting food that I am cooking each week.

Enjoy!

Heath

Rain, Storm, FIRE, WIND, Kum-ba-ya

As rainy season is in full force here on Guam, our home in California is experiencing quite the opposite, as it faces the threat of the fire-storm.

Our place is safe and our tenants and friends doing well, struggling with the air quality, but safe and even back to work. It has been hard to keep up with what is going on back there but we do know that things are dying down, the winds have changed direction and Oceanside has remained untouched. It is as if God's hand has been on our surrounding area.

Surrounded by fires to the East (the school I worked at) to the South (just beyond the coffee shop I worked at) and North (Camp Pendleton where Heath worked) we have just been on the edge of our seats. We have been concerned as we have heard people are being evacuated all around our place, some of the major freeways are shut down, and reports stating the only thing stopping the fire is the ocean. Ahhhh, at this point things look much better and we don't expect to say, "buh bye cute lil o-side condo"

Check out Ben and Chara's blog, they live only 3 miles from our place and have been documenting all along, people are even finding refuge in their home. Thank you all for your prayers and concerns. We will keep you posted as we learn more.

Check out the google map of the fire

Does anyone else know the upbeat kumbaya, you know with motions and everything... "rain, storm, fire, wind, kumbaya?"

Renters!!!!

We have renters again!!!!
Wow, we are so thankful to have that stress behind us!

This couple sounds amazing... like we would hang out if we still lived in the good ol O-side.

Thank you to all of you who helped us out... especially to Ben and Chara for handling all the crazy details and being available to show it and the Fullers for taking time out to do some repairs and paint touch ups and Ronnie for checking on police reports and Kevin for contacting our neighbors for us, Tam and Nyoka for posting an ad at the hospital and many of you who put the word out for us! We are sooo grateful!

We love and miss you all!

Summer Highlights

FAMILY

Day at the park

Trip to Virginia

Rachel's New Jeep

The Longcores Big Day

Congrats Keith and Holly... your day was beautiful!

My Girls

Goodbye Family Photos
(the handsome guy in blue is Rachel's sweet boyfriend)

This Weeks Top 40

While I was off island, my substitute had one of my classes write to me about what they wanted get out of my science class.

(1-10 is from one student… so random.)

1. I would like to know how they made animals
2. Who made up the name fire?
3. How did they make water?
4. Who invented the light bulb'?
5. Who discovered volcanos and lava?
6. Who invented desks?
7. Who invented shoes?
8. How did they make paper?
9. Who invented backpacks?
10. Who came up with the word pencial?
11. How does the sun stay up?
12. What is the most poisiend plant that will hurt you in 60 seconds?
13. How does the center of the earth look like?
14. I want to know how a shock wave from a bomb can kill one person
15. Why do we have ants and snacks on earth?
16. Why do they call it a Coco Bird?
17. I want to learn everything that happens in space.
18. I want to learn about how do mold get on food
19. I want to learn, why do ships disapaire when their in Burmuta triangle
20. How fire was made with out gas or a lighter
21. I would like to learn why there are different nationalities
22. Mrs. Wilhoit can come any day.
23. How do we grow hair?
24. How does earth rotate?
25. Why does fish breath in water?
26. How does earth float?
27. Why do they got 4 different kinds of ocean?
28. Why does a dog have 4 legs?
29. How dow rokist get blast off in the blue sky?
30. Why dose elefint get so big?
31. How do people become hard workers?
32. How was salt water created?
33. Who invented cloths?
34. I want to know who was the first human to live
35. How do animals live without food?
36. How a star makes itself?
37. Why mushrooms only grow when it’s raining season?
38. What are all the names of are body parts?
39. How come magnits push the other when its same side as the other, but when it is opusite they stick together?
40. I would like to learn how to make potions

We Are All Home!

All my traveling friends are home now!
Now I can really relax and look forward to growing our friendships!

Sean, JoRae, Luke, Jeannie,
me, Tyla, Kendrik

I'm Home!

Finally!

I have arrived at home sweet home!

I got in late Saturday night, I just barely made the flight. There were 2 seats available and 4 families of 3 ahead of me, which all had to decline. It was a very bitter-sweet moment. 2 of the families were ones that I hooked up with and we were taking care of each other. So, it was hard to say goodbye after bonding in the airport terminal for a week. One of the families had small kids who just wanted to go home and see daddy, and the other family had been waiting a week longer than I had. So, it didn't seem fair, but I was so blessed by them all and am so glad to have made new friends for here on Guam!

So I have been nonstop since I have been home. Sunday was full of unpacking, doing laundry, cleaning out the fridge, grocery shopping and having family dinner with our Chamorro family.

And today I had my first day teaching and loved it! It is kind of a blur, but it was so great to see my students shining faces! They were so cute and from what I gathered they liked me and many thought I was funny... that is always a bonus! The staff was kind, helpful and welcoming. Many of them complemented me on the video and my packet of work I created for the first week of school (which I missed because of my travel delays) One of the science teachers said he was intimidated at my professionalism and another wanted a copy of my packet, the counselor who subbed for my class kept telling me all day she was so glad I was here! So, my hard work paid off. (Thanks Russ for helping me put together the video for my class and making me look way professional... the students loved it and came up to me all excited all day and introduced themselves.... it was cute)

So, now I am just soooo exhausted.

I wanna go home!

Hey everyone... I can't wait to have time to update you on my trip to MI, TN, VA and CA.

For now I need to let you all know I am in CA at an Air Force Base attempting to get home. There are so many people here attempting to get to Guam. I am toward the bottom of the list. One family here has been waiting 5 weeks! So, them, another family and I all got one way commercial flights to Hawaii for less than $200 and will attempt to get to Guam via military space A (mac) flights.

So, pray I can get out and get back home to my husband, home and students! Also, pray the hurricane headed for Hawaii fizzles out! I'll keep you posted.

Tropical Storm Man-Yi

Heath is on big time damage control. He woke up Monday morning and stepped out of bed into a puddle of water that he discovered extended into our closet. He then proceeded to enter the rest of the house and found our large air con unit was clogged because of all the leaves that were blown into it and it was leaking water into the dinning room. All of our front patio furniture and the grill had blown across the front of our house, around the corner and was lined up along the side railing of our wrap around patio.

The eye of the storm traveled just south of Guam, so the counterclockwise wind bands are hitting the east side of the island straight on. They are blowing 50 mile/hour winds directly into our house. All the leaves are off the trees and the waves crashing on the reef are about 20 ft. Heath says he can't imagine 100m/h winds that come with some Typhoons.

The power was out for only a couple hours when he got home from work so he fired up the generator. He has to ring out the towels catching the water every 3 hours or so.

He is going to have to call for help to put up the shutters at least for our bedroom window. There is no way he can carry them with his injured shoulder, let alone in 50m/h winds, climb the ladder and boost himself up to the window. It sounds like things are crazy there!

To view the satellite color loop check out the link below.

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/guam/guamloops/guamircolor.html

(Guam is located at 13*N. Latitude and 144*E. Longitude)

Not All Fun and Games

The past month has been a busy and STRESSFUL and draining time! (beware this may be long!)

We had to "ask" our tenants to move out of our condo in Oceanside. And are now hunting for new ones. We had an entire week without any leads and today I received 4 calls and 3 are viewing it today.... We really hope that one of those 3 are the perfect tenants for us... and want to move in asap!

It has been rough having 2-$2000 house/rent payments to make with out me working since January. (I subbed for about a month and didn't make half of one of those payments.) So, it has been difficult. I tried finding a job teaching summer school, but there were no openings and my Guam Teaching Certificate will not be valid until August.

I have submitted all my information for teaching to DODEA (military schools) as well as the Guam Public School System. I have been in contact with a school with 2 science positions and an art position open. GPS has 400 openings for teachers for the fall, and I am highly qualified to teach the lovely middle schoolers, so now I just wait.

My mom is having more health problems and is going to be having a rough summer in preparation for surgery scheduled for October. I wish I could be in Michigan for her surgery to help out, but I am only available for the summer and hope to be a help and encouragement.

My friend Holly is getting married to a fabulous man, Kieth, and asked me to stand in there wedding. I told her I could if if was before the 12th of August. So, I am in her wedding the 11th! :)

So, CA tenant issues, mom's health, holly's big day, no summer job, no money for Heath and I to travel (we hope to save and spend the next couple summers on Guam exploring the surrounding islands) are all reasons I should come home for a chunk of the summer.

My plan was to leave the last week of June, however I came down with the shingles and was bedridden for the week. Friday a MAC (military standby) flight was headed for WA so I attempted to get on the flight along with about 100 other people, many who were waiting for a flight out for 6 days!

So, I am here... they made room for about 80 people and I just so happened to make the list. After flying on 2 military hoppers, one to Honolulu, the other to Seattle, with a 24 hour layover in Hawaii and 36 hours to visit Michael and Rachel in Washington, I booked a commercial flight into Michigan and landed in Grand Rapids after 5 days of traveling.

This past week I have really laid low... My shingles are almost gone, I am now just dealing with bruise sensations, sensitive skin and some twinging pain in my spine area; much better than the initial feeling of being beaten with a base ball bat and breaking out with blisters. Shingles is the worst! You know it's bad when the Doctor looks at your back and says, "Oh! You have Zoster. It really sucks! Hurts like hell doesn't it?" I finally finished taking 28 pills a day and now am fighting something like bronchitis. I am also dealing with crazy jet lag! But it is good to be home!

So, that is what has been going on. My hope now is to get things set up for new tenants, and help out my mama and holly and then get on the first flight out back to Guam to begin teaching. Lots of hoping and waiting.

Heath had to stay home and work, but felt that this is the perfect opportunity for me to come home for the summer. He has lots of projects around the house he wants to work on, as well as hunting, fishing and fiestas to attend. He played soccer one of the first nights I was gone and messed up his shoulder really really bad... it is too painful at this time to tell what the damage is, we are hoping it is just a nasty sprain.

Ending on a positive note: Heath was just chosen to be the LPO (Leading Petty Officer) of the Physical Therapy Department. He is the only E5 in the hospital to hold that title, the others are E6 and above, so it looks great on his record! He also has experience being LPO back at Camp Pendleton. In both situations he was chosen as the youngest, least amount of time in the Navy, the least experience in PT and the least amount of time at that station. I am so proud of him... there is this natural force of leadership and excellence propelling him forward.

Good Bye for Now

We hooked up with a small group shortly after we arrived on Guam. They are fabulous and welcomed us in like we had been with them for years. This past Tuesday we had almost the whole gang out to our place for dinner. Four of the six other couples are PCSing... (being restationed) Three of the four leave this week/end... We will miss them greatly. We had a great evening and loved being a part of your community.

This photo was shot from our balcony... on timer... 10 second timer. The first try I did not even make it close to running around the porch, down the hill, around the flower bed, between the cars and across the yard. The second time, I sprinted faster than I think I ever have and just made it. If the picture would have taken once I landed, I would have blocked half of the Malloy family... thankfully it caught me in the air, not blocking any ones beautiful little face!

From a small island to a small world...
we will meet again...

California Clear Credential!

After living in CA for just over 3 years, teaching a crazy schedule there for 2 1/2, taking 6 classes, and studying for 6 monster tests (equivalent to majoring in the test subject matter) and completing them all by January (we left in February) I submitted my application for a clear credential just in time to leave CA. I knew it was necessary to be "No Child Left Behind" compliant, and it would look good to have a CA and MI credential, but really I thought, all that hell for that? I must be crazy.... I wasn't... this week I was surprised.

My credential now reads:

"This document authorizes the holder to teach the subject area(s) listed above in grades twelve and below, including preschool, and in classes organized primarily for adults."

Doesn't that mean I can teach Art or Geosciences to any age... well, except pre-preschool?

Now, I can actually dream again about teaching art... I am not limited to 7-12th grade (even thought they are my favorite). But now I am going to go check out all of my many options.

p.s. I had an interview...sort of... for a Guam Public School down south. They have two middle school science positions and an art position available, the art would only be a possibility if the sciences were filled first... it is about a 25-30 minute drive... I have mixed feelings about it. This is the hard part, I will make the most of where ever I am, but I no longer feel like I am so limited. So, now I look and wait, look and wait.

Workin and a Hopin

I am subbing! Finally!

I filled out all 49 pages of all the information you could imagine about my life the past 10 years. So, if you get a phone call, I may have squeezed your info in as a reference. I ended up having to put down 33 references, 12 places I have lived, 11 jobs I have had and 6 colleges I have attended. Yikes, I was all over the place. So, just last week I got called to come in and so far I have only had one day off. This is good! But will only last for a month.

I am working for DODEA (Department of Defense) Schools, one is a middle/elementary school and the other a high school. So far I have had a 3rd grade class, Jr high Math, Language Arts, Drama and Spanish, HS music, and I have hopped around in 1st grade, kindergarten and the front office. It is great to be back in the classroom. There are things I really enjoy about subbing and things I am looking forward to once I have my own classroom again. (God willing)

Right now there is nothing posted I am qualified for, but I am hoping something will come up. My application is in and waiting for a position to pop up. This is the hard part... the unknown, just waiting, and wondering. I keep wondering if there is something else I can be doing, or something else i should be working on to be better qualified. I am thankful to be subbing, and I am hopefully making connections so I am not just another number.

I know I should probably be looking for other possibilities.... I just want dodea so bad! Art positions are very hard to come by, so I don't really have a an ounce of hope for that, but science, I am just hoping something will come up and am actually really excited about the possibility. My dream would be... if a position opened up at the high school! They are building a brand new one right next to the Naval hospital... Heath and I could car pool, maybe even have lunch once in a while, possibly work out together. Those are just some of the many pluses. Ok, I know I should simmer down on the dreaming... but wouldn't that just be so great?

Our Bebes

Heath has 12 hour hospital duty tonight... can you tell I am bored? I can't catch up on Grey's Anatomy without Heath (although he told me I could) we are all caught up on Lost and I just can't seem to get off the computer. So here I sit and blog. I know I am a big fat nerd (just check the 3 latest posts) but I like it. And it is the small things that paint the picture of life for me.

I also don't have kids to post pictures of, like many of my fellow bloggers and I have been waiting to get on the substitute teacher list, so I have had a lot of time on my hands to take pictures of the little things of Guam.

It is the first time since high school that I have had almost 4 months off... wait then that would have been before kindergarten... no wonder I was beginning to get antsy. I have been able to keep full time busy somehow, but I have also been breathing and have had time to notice it... ahh... nice!

Anyway, one more silly set of pics... like I said earlier we do not have little ones. So, a few weeks ago Heath and I made a trip to the nursery and picked out a few little ones we could call our own. We have been giving them the nurturing and tlc that they so desperately need... and low and behold they are growing like weeds.

We loved them so much we have adopted a few more that are not pictured, however this does not mean that we love them any less. In fact Ginger and Stinky Clove are our own and are just starting to sprout. Sweet B and Thai B have multiplied their size by at lest 5. The Chives family have had to grow up 3 times. Our little Hotties continue to amaze us! The little Toms are sick... we are looking into how to help them, they have produced 4 beautiful little ones though.


And man they all love to salsa!... seriously... it is the best salsa I have ever experienced!

See I am a nerd... that is what you get at 1am... some say anytime of day really.
Alright... goodnight all. Loves :)