The winds of change are blowing...

Right in my direction. A few weeks ago I decided, with the support of my family that I would quit my job and go to school full time. It was a scary decision, but one that I am proud of myself for. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a marine biologist or nurse. Since I live in the driest place in earth marine biology is out of the question so I guess I will just have to try my hand at nursing. I have so much to do before I can even start school, but I am hoping that my school on Guam doesn't put a wrench in my wheel and halt my plans.

I informally turned in my resignation Tuesday and although i could tell my boss wasn't happy, she knew it was the right thing for me. It will be hard saying goodbye to my coworkers that I love, and the 600+ kids that I have watched grow over these last 3 years. I need to fulfill my contract so that I can continue to get paid through July so, next Friday I will turn in my formal resignation. Just the thought of resigning is nauseating. I'm leaving a steady income and benefits and it is scary! I am just praying that everything works out.

Friday my girls school held their Principal's awards and both of my girls received awards. Maia earned Excellence in Reading and AB Honor Roll. She should have received A Honor Roll but she received an 89 last quarter in Science. She was bummed because this is the first time she did not receive an award for A honor roll all year. I assured her Daddy and I were proud of her either way and that helped a lot. Micaylah was awarded Citizenship for the year which was no surprise considering the girl never gets in trouble! Micaylah also found out that she passed all 3 of her TAKS tests. For those of you not in Texas, TAKS is a huge deal. It is the states standardized state assessment test and is a HUGE deal for the kids. Especially those in 5th, 8th and 12th grade. You don't pass, you don't move on to the next grade. Poor Kaylah has horrible test anxiety and since 3rd grade has never passed all of her TAKS administered until this year when it really counted. Now we can breathe a sigh of relief and watch our girl move on to the 6th grade.

We only have 3 official days of school left until summer is finally here. The kids are so ready it isn't funny. I'll be happy that I don't have to get them up at 6:45am Monday - Friday and hear them moan and groan about how tired they are. I'm sure they will be happy to not hear me yell that they will make me late to work. We don't have too many plans this summer. I need to get so much done for school and get my house in order. Eliminating clutter is my number one priority. I need to let go and just start getting rid of useless junk. My house is too small for my packrat genes. Seriously... the cycle has to end somewhere ;)

I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend. Remember to thank a Soldier today. They fight for our freedom everyday and I pray that God keeps them safe and brings them all home soon.

Happy Memorial Day y'all!

Where do I begin??

I swear I'm still alive and well! I promised myself that I would do good by this blog and I have failed miserably. To my few readers, I apologize profusely!

Where do I begin?? Life is hectic as usual, and with summer approaching quickly (One more week) I am bogged down. Not only am i neglecting my blog, but the to do list I have for my house is ridiculous. I have so many plans for the house this summer. Cleaning from top to bottom is number one on my list. Followed by getting rid of the clutter! I totally need to re-organize my kids room and rip their carpet out along with their ceiling fan. With bunk beds.. and ceiling fan is not the best fixture in a kids room. I have nightmares where I find Maia dangling from a moving ceiling fan because it looked fun. Yep, that sucker has got to go.

I'm making some big changes in my career. I DO NOT want to spend the rest of my life working for peanuts! So I have decided to go back to school to be a nurse. I have always had a passion for the medical field and although I know it will be hard, I also know I CAN DO IT!! I know in my heart that I will be an awesome nurse, and thankfully my family is really supportive of me going back to school. I'm hoping to start in August, so wish me luck!

Michael as usual is working his tail off. He works late, goes in early and hardly complains. He works so hard, still finds time to pick the kids up from school, spend time with us on the weekends, go to church 3 times a week and play video games. (haha) I fell very lucky to say that he is all mine. I could not have asked God for a better husband.

The girls are very ready for this school year to be over. Micaylah passed both the math and reading TAKS so she will definitely be promoted to 6th grade. I cringe at the thought of having a 6th grader! Maia qualified for the Gifted and Talented program and will begin attending a GT campus once a week for the entire school year in the fall. She is looking forward to the new adventure. She's a smart girl so I'm sure she will fit right in. The kids can't wait to go swimming, stay up late and sleep in!

My father in law has been in and out of the hospital since January when he was diagnosed with a rare cancer Angiosarcoma. The past few months have been a real trial for him and for our whole family. It has been one jacked up roller coaster ride. Right now he is at the MD Anderson cancer center in Houston and has been there since Easter. The Dr's have tried chemo and so far noting has worked on his grapefruit sized tumor. The tumor is growing in his right hip joint so he is in a tremendous amount of pain. The dr's actually have him on methadone for the pain, it's crazy! We are basically in limbo right now not knowing what the Dr's have planned from this point on. Dad goes to the Dr Monday and this appointment is crucial. This is the appointment where he finds out if the Dr's are going to continue chemo, or send him back home to Odessa. Please say a prayer for him. We need a miracle in the worst way right now.

Again, I apologize for the neglect. I will try my best to do better ;)

Say Cheese!

Last Sunday my coworker and dear friend Tracie got married. She had the cutest wedding with lots of fun stuff that I would have never thought to find at a wedding. There was an adorable candy bar loaded with different candy and equipped with individual bags for everyone to fill with their favorite candies.

There was also a super fun photo booth! They had tons of props to play with and each session took 4 photos that printed out in dual strips. One set for the happy couple for their album and another set for the models. As you can see my coworkers and I had way too much fun with this photo booth. I also took some pictures with my Godmother Bobbie who was visiting for spring break. THe pictures above are of me and Bobbie.
My coworker Michelle and her cutie pie Eli. He's the star of these pics for sure!
My crazy coworkers Annalisa and Debbie.
Me and Bobbie again getting our GaGa on.
Joe Dirt and Foxy Brown. I love my coworker Susan! She's so much fun!

The good die young.

I don't know who came up with that saying, but it sucks that it has proven true too many times in my life. At 4;30pm Guam time, the body of Steven Alcantra was recovered in Umatac Bay, he was 31 years old.

Sigh, I am so sad thinking about my friend Steve, and disappointed in myself for losing touch after I left Guam in 2000. Steve was a kind spirit and the type of person that always had a smile on their face. I attended Jr high and High school with him and for those 7 years, whenever he's see me in the halls, he would always stop and give me a hug. I remember the chili bowl haircut he had in 9th grade that ended up growing into a bob. On rival day he wore the uniform of a rival all girl catholic school. I teased at how "pretty" he looked in the uniform and he just smiled and flashed me some leg.

Steve was a Baseball star on Guam and my cousins and friends loved cheering him on at Paseo Stadium. In fact the last time I saw Steve we were celebrating a championship victory on the beach. I was very pregnant at the time and when we left the party he gave me a hug and wished me luck. I'll never forget you Steve. Rest in peace my brother, may the Angels guide you to your eternal home in heaven. Give my dad a hug for me.

Lord, thank you for bringing Steve home so that his family may lay him to rest and find some peace in this terrible tragedy.

Rude Awakening

This morning I checked my Facebook like I always do, and saw several posts from friends back home on Guam regarding a old friend Steve Alcantra. Most of the posts said, "Praying for Steve's safe return" or "Our prayers are with Steve and his family, God bring him home safely". I felt a huge pit form in my stomach, what could have happened to Steve? I immediately checked Guam's local news website and my heart sunk into my stomach as I read the breaking news.

Popular sports star Steve Alcantra missing at sea

Posted: Feb 26, 2011 4:58 AM CST

by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Family and friends have confirmed the man that rescue officials are searching for after he fell from a jetski in Umatac Bay is Steve Alcantra. Several people are waiting on the shoreline at the southern tip of the island, praying he'll be found. Guam Fire Department Spokesperson Captain Andy Arceo says because of poor visibility rescue divers will continue their search Sunday morning, however, GFD personnel are still conducting a sea and shoreline search.

Alcantra, who works at the Bank of Guam, is a popular baseball player, pitching for the Bank of Guam Athletics. Alcantra also plays for the Pepsi Warriors in the Miller Football League as a wide receiver.

I hope and pray that they find Steve and that he is ok. Growing up on an island, I know how dangerous this type of situation can be. 7 years ago one of my best friends and 4 of his coworkers tried to rescue another coworker swept out to sea during a tropical storm. The rescue teams searched for weeks with no luck. A few months later some of his remains were found. It was an incredibly hard event to get over. Mike was a brother to me and I love and miss him very much. Tonight I will hug my kids a little tighter and tell those I love just how much they mean to me. In an instant, everything can change.

Dear Lord, Please guide my friend Steve home safely. Amen

Pass the tissues please...

REALLY!?!?

I am seriously going on week 4 and my second round of antibiotics with a sinus infection and sore throat. I'm so tired of being sick it's exhausting. Thankfully I have a Dr that actually listens to me and she has decided that after having 6 sinus infections in the last 12 months and 4 bouts of strep throat, that it would be a good idea to have my tonsils and adenoids removed. Of course she will have to refer me to an ENT and then whatever they decide is what will probably happen. I told her I couldn't even fathom the thought of having surgery until this summer. If having my tonsils and adenoids taken out alleviates my problems, than I'm all for it.

Sadly I really don't have much else to report. Well maybe a few things..

Mike went to OKC last week for a business trip, we missed him, he's home.

The kids continue to drive me batty, calgon take me away.

My mom is doing 100% better. She's been such a help to me lately with the house work and kids. I am so grateful especially since I have been feeling like poo for the last month.

My father in law is doing ok. We are continuing prayers for his healing and for his giant tumor to shrink so the dr can remove it. We are planning a huge fundraiser for him on the 26th. Also praying that the fundraiser is a success, the funds will help so much with all of the traveling expenses.

So yeah, we're blessed and still boring :P

Why am I up on my day off??

Really??!! I should be in bed enjoying my holiday, but waking up to kiss my husband goodbye was well worth the early bird status!

This weekend was fantastic! Friday night some friends from church had a kids only fellowship at their house. We dropped the kids off at 7pm and headed to Red Lobster with mom in tow to have a nice dinner. We haven't had Red Lobster in ages so it was a treat. It was also good to get mom out of the house. She hadn't been anywhere since last year ;)

Saturday I woke up early and headed to Target to get a birthday present and a movie Mike has been wanting. It was nice to get out by myself even if it was only for an hour. Around 2 we headed to Midland to attend a 2 yr old birthday party. THe kids played, ate cake and watched Elizabeth open tons of presents. HEr parents are good friends of ours so it was nice visiting with them after not seeing them for 4 months. Afterwards we headed to Ghengis Grill for an early dinner. We absolutely LOVE Ghengis Grill. It is the best Mongolian BBQ I have had in years! Nothing beats Top o' the Mar on Guam, but this comes in Second. No contest.

Sundays are always amazing! We went to church at 10 because Mike and I love Sunday school. The kids do too and we feel it's important that they attend their Sunday school because they don't always understand the sermon during Sunday service. After church we had fellowship with our Pastor and his wife, chuck and Nicole and their 3 daughters, and our friends Ninfa and Ray at Tequila Tony's. The food was great, but the company was even better! Afterwords I took the girls to a birthday party at the bowling alley where they bowled, ate cake, played games and just had fun! Then it was back to church for evening service. After praise and worship Pastor showed us a video showing all of the awesome works God is doing all over the world. It is such a blessing to be a part of The Potter's House, knowing that souls are being saved all over the world. Since Michael and I have been saved, it has been the most wonderful experience living for Jesus. He has blessed my family abundantly and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

The busy weekend was great for the kids. Right now their grandpa is hospitalized in Dallas and is VERY missed by his grandkids. He has been diagnosed with a very rare cancer of the bone called Angiosarcoma. It's a nasty disease, but we have faith that with prayers and the help of the Doctors that he will be healed and have more time on this Earth with us. He's a wonderful man and an outstanding father and grandpa. Please say a prayer for his healing, it would mean a lot to my family.

I hope that all of you enjoy you MLK holiday. I am going to grab a cup of coffee and watch a movie while my kids are still asleep :)