Express Care

Friday we went to visit Clint at work. His clinic is on the 2nd floor of a "mall". I say "mall" cause it's not like any mall Ive been to. It's really nice and clean. But, its more like a business complex with a couple of ice cream shops, movie theater, and grocery store. Everything else is electric, cell phone, and other service hubs.

Well when Locke and I got to the mall there was a huge line, out the door, along the wall in front of a door. I later asked Clint what that store was and come to find out it, it was the electric company and people were waiting in line to pay their bill......I was like"I have to wait in line every month to pay our electric bill?" He said Dr. Lom said people like to wait in line and pay their bills in Guam. It's something for them to do and they like to do it. They can pay them on the phone, through the mail or online but choose to do it in person.....I don't get it. I hate lines.

Anyways, Clint's clinic is really big and nice. All the girls that work the front wear pink or purple scrubs and they are all really nice. Dr. Lom is pretty awesome too. One of the most giving employers I have ever seen. She knows how to take care of her employees and there families. I wish there were more people like her.

While we waited on Clint to get off work, Locke and I did some mall walking. Or i walked and pushed his cart that Kama got him. He loves it and so did everyone else. I had 50 people stop and ask where I got that thing. I should bring some over and sell them for a profit.....So many entrepreneur opportunities here. I am always thinking of something that would do awesome here. Remember Sonic?......well I also think Buffalo Wild Wings would be a good one to.....now i just need 1/2 million dollars to start up a franchise.....any investors??? Going to make some Chinese food for dinner and Locke is ready to eat!

Momma and baby

So Locke and I take two walks on the beach everyday around the same time everyday. We have met a lady who does the same. Her name is Yeskal. She is a this little petite lady probably 4"11 its hard to say her age since she is part Asian and Asians don't age. I would go ahead and say she is like 45. Anyways, she has two dogs that run around the beach while she walks. They are the best dogs. They don't mess with anyone and just chase the fish in the water. Locke loves them. The dogs names are momma and baby. She said she found them(they had been abandoned) and one was the momma and the small one was the baby so that's just what they call them. They are two medium sized, black dogs......I have no idea what they are and I don't think she does either....."oh well" she says "as long as they aren't pit". I agree. Now for the last two weeks I meet up with Yeskal, momma, and baby and chat while Locke tries to eat seaweed and rocks. She always thinks he is hungry because he is always trying to put something in his mouth.

Yesterday after we went to the beach we went to a fish market. Not the one we walked to last time. This new one is called the CO OP and its about 3 miles away on the beach. I would walk it but not with Locke. 6 miles is a little to much time for him to be outside. So we drove. It is really big and has allot more choices then the other fish market we went to. We bought Mahi Mahi and Salmon for 7.99/lb. It was just caught yesterday, so it's fresh! I made a garbanzo bean salad with fresh tomatoes and peppers, picked up a baguette and a cherry cheesecake(it looks festive for Memorial day weekend) and that's dinner. Time to pick up Clint from work and enjoy a weekend at the beach!

The Gym.....Suns out Guns out

I would go ahead and say Guam is not known for healthy or fit people. Lots of fried food and heart disease. I know that's about anywhere these days, but its the worse I have seen other than Oklahoma. It's bad enough in Guam though that the Government gives the residence $50 a month for a gym membership in hopes they will workout....But, obviously that is not the situation. All that does is make a gym membership cost $50 a month for people like me that want to work out at the gym. Anyways, I will not pay $50 a month for a gym membership for a gym that was built and hasn't been updated since 1985. So I just went and bugged the sales dude everyday till finally I got him down to 37/month which is what I paid in ATL. Yessss....

I know there are meat heads at all gyms but wow.....WOW.....! Never seen so many dudes walking around like there arms are stuck in weight lifting positions. I cant help but to laugh out loud sometimes when I see the t-shirts with awesome sayings on them like"stand back 200ft" and "Suns out, guns out(I actually think that ones pretty funny)". Of course there are no sleeves on these shirts....I mean obviously.

The good thing is the gym is 5 min from our place and it has all the equipment i need. I still miss my LA fitness. They have a kids area but, not til 18months so I will start taking Locke with me in 9months. Its a really nice kids place and the people working it seem to really enjoy kids. Makes me feel good and hopefully Locke will make some more friends.

Well time to start cleaning up while Locke is down for a nap and then the beach! Oh we watched the LOST last night. Cant believe its over. I liked how it ended. It was a great show. If you haven't watched it start renting the seasons. But becareful it might make you want to move to a beautiful beach.

The morning veiw

Awww I love the mornings....If you know me, then you know that's when I am most alive. I like to get up before everyone else and just sip on coffee and plan my day. Now, I have this amazing view to wake up to.

Yesterday, I braved Ross again....it's always a mistake but I keep going. I just cant stand to pay $12 for hangers when I can get them at Ross for $4 so I waited in line for and hour for some hangers.....crazy?....yes. But, I just cant let Kmart win.

Locke and I did some reading and worked on his walking skills. He is getting a little more brave everyday. Clint is loving his job. He sees lots of patients and is learning so much dermatology. He has the most amazing boss. I am so glad he found such a great job that he is excited to go to everyday.

We pick up Clint everyday around 530 come home, watch the sun go down and make dinner. Locke goes to bed around 730 so then Clint and I watch alittle tv and then to bed around 9-10. We are 15 hours ahead here but we get tv shows a day later. So, we watched Modern Family last night(Thursday night).

We made friends with our neighbors Jimmy and Kat. They are super nice. They had us over for steak and strawberry shortcake Sunday night. We always seem to get blessed with super neighbors. We still miss all the ATL crew!

Well its 945am time to clean up while Locke is napping and then to the beach for us today......Yeah its Friday.

Chamorro Village

Well went to the Chamorro village last night and it was CROWDED and HOT! When we got there we walked around to see what it was all about.....There were people selling fresh fruit and veggies, handmade crafts, clothes, jewelry, and drinks. It was kinda touristy but kinda of cool because everything was really cheap.

First things first, we ate dinner. There were several little carts all with about the same stuff: chicken or beef kabobs, pancet, rice, octopus, fried chicken, and ribs. It all smelled really good. We went with chicken kabobs and rice. It was tasty and we both ate for only $8 total. Oh and Clint got some friend donut thing.....It looked nasty. And we had coconut juice to drink. It was tasty and Locke loved it.

There was lots of entertainment and music. It was getting really crowded by the time we were done eating so we decided to buy some produce and hit the road.....Oh and because LOST came on at 8. Overall it was a nice time and we got a great deal on avocados. Usually they are 1.39 for 1 and we got 4 for 2bucks! nice! Oh and we got a Japanese Palm tree. It was only $10 and it makes our place a little more homey.

Back to LOST.....so sad that Sunday is the season finale. What are we supposed to watch when its over? There is nothing even close to take its place =( R.I.P. LOST after next week.

The weather is always perfect here. It could be a little cooler but for the most part its fantastic. 80-90s but always a nice breeze. Locke and I go on a walk at least once a day on the beach in front of our condo. We always see something interesting. Like today we saw a couple of dudes wading out in the water with a spear so I pushed Locke out in the water(its not that deep)(oh and I have the most amazing stroller in the world, the baby jogger....thank you women of Cushing). and we went to see what they were catching. By the time we got over there one of the dudes pulled up a HUGE octopus and just swung it around his neck and was headed out of the water. I asked what they were catching and they were like "whatever we can". Today must have been a good day with that octopus cause they were excited!

Locke loves sitting in the water on the beach. He is not scared of anything! Which I guess is good.....but between he and Clint I am always keeping one eye open.

We are going to the Chamorro Village tonight. I guess there is a big festival and market there every wed night. Music, food, and fun.....Oh by the way the local people of Guam are called Chamorro. So the festival is a way to try local foods and check out local entertainment. I am excited....I like checking out different cultures and different foods so i will let you know how it goes.

Oh Locke took four steps today! Yeah he is a walking boy. He is getting so big. Everyone always said" it goes by fast"....When I wasn't sleeping and doing the teething thing i was always like "when, cause it sure doesn't seem to be going by that fast". Now, I cant believe he will be one in a couple of months. He is fantastic and he sleeping so good now. And by the way Clint is the best dad in the whole world. Really, he is awesome Locke is a blessed baby boy!

Sonic Drive in for a change

So, we are finally getting a schedule or routine which is nice. We wake up Clint goes off and paddle boards, then i work out, then we take Clint to work....yeah we actually got made fun of for taking Clint to work. Everyone here seems to have there own car and they are nice cars....People will drive brand new cars but live in a shack with dirt floors...Its crazy...they drive everywhere even if its a block away. When Locke and I went to the fish market last week they were like"wow you walked 15 min on the beach to get here"?! I was like yeah.....I like to walk and that's like a warm up.
Anyways, back to cars....So Clint's idea is to bring a sonic here. Its kinda genius.....since everyone just wants to drive around all day and show off there nice cars it would be perfect. And AND the tourist would love that it is "Americas Drive In"(I could take Locke there once a day and charge $5 for a photo with him....they love some blond headed, blue eyed babies) .......AND.......the people working there would be wearing roller skates! This is a guarantee to billions if you ask me so don't steal the idea....I am working on getting some cherry limeades and tator tots here stat!

Ross dress for less

So, we learned that the place to shop in Guam is Ross Dress for Less. Just for odds and ends like bathroom stuff, bedding, and whatever other household items you need. It's supposed to be the cheapest place.....Kmart was what we initially thought was the place to go but it is SO overpriced for all the tourist so we don't go there anymore.....anyways back to Ross.....It is a living nightmare....I mean so many people crammed into one store to buy knick knacks....I made the mistake the first time I went and took Locke, filled my cart to the top, and waited in line for like 30min to find out you can't take the cart outside of the store! So, they put my cart behind the cash wrap and I had to make 5 tips back and forth with Locke in one arm and a sack in the other! It was one of the worst days of my life. But, it is really cheap. But, with really cheap come lots of work and LOTS of patience. I will never let Clint go in there. Who knows what he would do. They get new shipments on Tuesdays and everyone is lined up at the door at 10am ready to devour that place. It's unbelievable. Sometimes they are out of carts. That's when I just walk back out and say "ill try again later".

the most beautiful beach I have ever seen

So, we went to a beach about 25min away today. By the way, people are HORRIBLE at giving directions because all the street signs have been blown away so the streets have no names. Anyways, we got a little lost but once we found it we were in heaven. You have to drive down this really steep mountain to get to this beach and once you are at the bottom and look up its like....wow...How can we ever leave this place....! If you watch lost....its kinda like that beach or the one on Jurassic Park.

We are going back tomorrow so I will remember to take my camera and take pics.

Locke loved it! Its perfect for him because he can just sit in the water and play. It's shallow for quite awhile before it gets deep. I guess this is the military beach...there were alot of military families there. I don't know how the whole island wasn't there! We didn't want to leave. Wow God really is showing us some of his beautiful creation. What a blessing it is to get to experience. Wish our friends and family were here. Hopefully, they can visit soon!

fish market

Ok so I am not good at expressing myself through words but....time to try. Thought I would do the blog thing so I could let everyone know how life was in Guam.....

Well today Locke and I took a walk on the beach to the fish market. It was this really small place with a freezer full of whatever fresh fish they had cought the day before or that day. It's really cool and not even that expensive....like 4.25lb. We got red snapper and pariot fish. A guy in there was buying pariot fish so he could deep fry it. Yuck....but I asked him if it would be anygood grilled and he said sure so we will give it a try tonight. I sure miss the Dekalb Farmers market for fish but this seems like it might workout ok.

Locke made friends with a little asian girl named Eliza. She is really cute. She is a year old. Hoping to meet other potential playmates.

Well going to clean up and then pick up Clint from work. It's the weekend....yay Clints off the next 2 days and we are going to do some exploring.