Home Sweet Home

I just recently returned to Guam from my visit to CA.  I had a lot of time on my 19 hour journey back to think.  And I was had two epiphanies.  One, I realized that even though Pasadena is my hometown and will always feel like coming home in a way, my home really now is with my darling husband.  That is exactly the way God created marriage to be!  It is also packed in a little lyric nugget in one of our favorite songs by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - "Home is wherever I'm with you."  Home now, especially since we'll be moving frequently, really is wherever I'm with Drew.  Whether that be Guam, Italy or California.  And as I flew back to Guam, it truly felt like I was coming home.

The other thing I realized is how absolutely blessed I am to have such an amazing family and friends.  I really feel that my dearest friends are actually part of my family.  They are the ones I want to spend time playing games with, chatting with & I know that they will be right beside me for the rest of my life.  As I'm getting older, I have realized that it doesn't matter that my friends & family aren't in the same city as me or even in the same state!  Because I know without a doubt that our relationships are about so much more than just being near each other (don't get me wrong, it would be wonderful to be around them all the time!).  I know that I can count on them no matter what, that they will be here for all of life's biggest moments and we really are one big perfect family.  I love you all!  Thank you for everything & especially for being you.

Okay, sorry for the overload of cheesiness but I just had to let my family & friends know how wonderful they are!  My extremely long journey back to this tiny island in the South Pacific really wasn't too bad.  I had a wonderful roomy window seat in Economy Plus on my flight to Narita (Tokyo), watched 3 movies, had 3 tasty meals, I got to go in the United Red Carpet Club in the Narita airport and I flew Business First back to Guam!  At the luxurious Red Carpet Club there were free snacks, including sushi & edamame, and drinks - even Asahi beer taps.  So of course I helped myself to a tasty little treat during my 4 hour layover.  I could have looked around that airport & shopped in all of the little stores for a whole day.  But I was good & allowed myself only one treat.  My choice?  Mochi in amazing Japanese wrapping paper!!

I'm going back, back to Cali, Cali

As many of you know I am in sunny (and hot!) California this week for my cousin's wedding and to visit my family & friends!  I flew in early Thursday morning and have been busy ever since.  I got to meet the newest member of my "family" - little Tucker Savant Nelson.  He is just too cute & Kristen is doing a fantastic super-mom job of juggling her 3 little boys.  It was so nice to see Charley, Miles, Kristen, JP & Jennie too - I miss my Seal Beachers.

 
On Friday I headed up to Santa Barbara to spend time with Sarah, Lindsay & their wonderful mothers.  It was such a great visit and I'm so glad that I got to see Linds.  The girls even persuaded me to do a little bit of shopping (and actually try clothes on)!  I really do miss that Santa Barbara & my girls, of course.

Saturday morning I headed up to San Luis Obispo for my cousin Marianne's wedding.  Unfortunately, Jake & Angela's flight from NC to CA got cancelled on Friday night so they came into LA on Saturday morning, had to rent a car & drive up to SLO.  They just barely missed the wedding ceremony, but made it in time for the family picture & reception.  It was so nice to be around all of my family - I love them all so much!  And the wedding was absolutely beautiful.  I am SO happy for Marianne & Josh - they are such a wonderful & Godly couple.  I'm so excited he is part of our family!

Do those flower girls look familiar??

Mr. & Mrs. Krumheuer

I have had such a great time so far visiting with family & friends, catching up, playing games & just being in CA.  I know the rest of the trip will be just as great.  But I do miss my hubby & wish he was here.  Love you, Drew!

Liberation Day

On July 21, Guam celebrated Liberation Day.  It is a HUGE day of remembrance and celebration for the people of Guam.  They go all out - everyone gets the day off, there is a big parade, they camp out overnight on the parade route (think Rose Parade) & everyone has a fiesta in the streets.

Since I'm a nerd, here is a bit of a history lesson:  The Chamorro people are the original inhabitants of Guam.  The Spanish were the first known foreigners to occupy Guam beginning in the mid-1500s.  At the end of the Spanish American War in 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the United States.  Guam was put under the administrative purview of the U.S. Navy and was used as a strategic refueling, supply & communication location in the Pacific.  During World War II, on December 8, 1941 (the same day as the bombing of Pearl Harbor - it was still December 7 in the States), the Japanese attacked Guam and overtook the island in just two days.  The Chamorros endured many hardships during the Japanese occupation.  They were forbidden to speak English, forced to learn the Japanese language & customs, and put in internment camps.  But on July 21, 1944 the Americans came back - the U.S. Marines, specifically, stormed the beaches of Guam.  On August 10, 1944 - after 20 days of arduous battle - the American forces defeated the last Japanese troops on Guam, ending the occupation and liberating the people of Guam.  Thus, liberation day.

One last interesting tidbit of WWII Guam history - since most of Guam's landscape is covered with jungles, a lot of the Japanese soldiers retreated into the forests and hid for many years to avoid surrendering to the U.S.  On January 24, 1972 - almost 28 years after the U.S. invasion - Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese solider, was found hiding in a cave on Guam!  He was considered a hero by the Japanese and absolutely astonished the people of Guam that he had been hiding out for all those years.  As Drew tells me, Yokoi was the second longest holdout from the WWII Japanese army.  Apparently another Japanese solider was discovered in the Philippines in the late 1970s.

In honor of Liberation Day, Drew & I decided to check out Guam's annual parade.  Each village creates its own float & the whole island basically participates in the celebration.  Drew & I had a fun time walking around & taking in the festivities.  I especially enjoyed the ginormous shaved ice that I got.  Delicious!

This last week also brought a wonderful addition to, what I consider, my extended family.  My very dear friends Kristen & John-Paul welcomed their third little boy into the world on July 18.  His name is Tucker Savant Nelson and he is just perfect.  I had the amazing privilege to iChat with him just the day after he was born.  And I look forward to meeting him very soon!  Congrats, Nelsons!!

Finally, I've been meaning to blog a bit more about So You Think You Can Dance (aka, Chugga Chugga) but I've been an utter failure up until now.  I'm really liking this season, even though I'm not necessarily liking the people that I thought I would.  Ryan was the biggest disappointment EVER.  I thought that I was going to like her based on last year & the auditions but she just did nothing for me & actually got on my nerves.  Right now my favorites are as follows:

1.  Melanie
2.  Marko (Go Guam!)
3.  Sasha (She got me with that hip hop routine last week with Twitch.  I had been a fan of hers before, but now she's one of my favs.)
4.  Tadd
5.  Jordan

Yes, I know my favorites are more than half of the remaining dancers but they're just so good.  I really can't stand Jess.  I guess he's an alright dancer, but I just don't see anything special about him & he seems SO cocky.  I root for him to go every week, but he's barely ever been in the bottom.  I guess people must really like him.  Caitlynn doesn't really seem too memorable to me.  And Ricky is sweet & does some pretty amazing dance-for-his-life routines, but I just can't call him a fav.  What do you all think of the top 8??  I'm interested to see how Lady Gaga is going to be as a guest judge next week.  Should be entertaining.  Is anyone learning the National Dance Day routines?  Please tell me yes.  I'm trying really hard to get Drew to learn one with me.

The Big 28

I recently celebrated my slow slip into my late 20s.  It's painful getting so old!  But thankfully I had my wonderful husband and amazing friend, Sarah, to spend the day with.  In typical Jessica fashion, I had a fun-filled day all planned out (even down to the times).  We started the day out with breakfast at Jan Z's - I just L-O-V-E their fried rice.  Yes, fried rice for breakfast - it's delicious!  Then we headed to Onward Water Park.  I had heard such amazing things about it and I'm a serious sucker for a lazy river.  It was so relaxing and so fun.  Sarah & I were even brave enough to try out the scary Manta water slide.  For dinner we went to CPK.  It's the first time I'd been to the one on the island, but I was really craving their BBQ chicken pizza.  Drew ordered absolutely delicious ice cream cupcakes from Coldstone for me & we had those for dessert later at home.  I also got to open so many wonderful & thoughtful gifts and cards.  I really felt so special this birthday and appreciate the birthday wishes & love from everyone.  Thank you for making my 28th birthday an absolutely wonderful day.  I have a feeling it's gonna be a great year!

Drew with his HUGE blueberry pancake

Birthday Fried Rice!

I think he got a pretty good catch ;)

The scary Manta water slide 

CPK is delicioso

Birthday toast at The Mermaid

Mint chocolate chip ice cream cupcakes - my favorite!  Drew did such a good job.