The weekend that left me sleepy

BIRD ISLANDWe've been to Bird Island lookout a time or two before (pictured above), but we decided to hike our way down today...

Eric and his co-worker, Robert, actually swam across to explore the island. I wanted to join them, but I was fully clothed and decided to stay that way. Eric even climbed his way up to the top - barefoot. He returned slightly bloody and bruised, but he assures me it was all worth it.

Robert has perfect timing. He took this picture of me right as I was falling. You can see Eric below preparing to catch me.

This was yet another Saipan adventure that involved ropes/repelling. We never know exactly what we're going to get when we go on these hikes. A few more, though, and we'll be ready for Survivor. In fact, Palau is right next to us (Season 10); Maybe they'll do a Survivor Saipan next.

We found several of these hermit crabs along the way. Here's Eric having a heart-to-heart with one. Click on the photo to enlarge if you want a better look at his beady little eyes.

Sometimes it's nice to stop and take a look around...or up...

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THE YOUTH DANCE

Here we are doing our duty as chaperones at the Youth Dance on Saturday.

Manny, Melissa, Kyle

Bernard & Jen Jen

Rima, Elisa, Madison, Leona

I could almost smell the rice terraces

We were SO close. I had the travel agent right there in front of me with Continental on her ear and Visa in hand, and then it happened - a day later, and the return flight is completely booked! That hurt. Apparently, we're staying put for Christmas. Maybe it's for the better. This way we don't have to rush our travel plans, and we'll save money by not travelling during peak season. It's a bummer because I was looking for a happy distraction over the holiday to not miss the family and traditions as much, but I still have something to look forward to. We're now thinking Jan 6 - Jan 13.

I'm dreaming of a Bali Christmas

Ok, so I probably shouldn't blog this because it's not a sure thing yet, but while all of the kids in the world are dreaming about candy canes and tonka trucks for Christmas, this is what I've been dreaming about - a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Ever since talking to my neighbor, who told me that airfare is cheap right now, I haven't been able to think of much else. The past couple of days have been filled with travel guide DVDs, lonely planet guidebooks, web browsing, and travel agents.

For some reason I've always wanted to go to Bali. I keenly remember a day, back in my teens, when I was sitting in Rapunzel's hair salon and rudely eavesdropping on one of the nearby conversations. The hairstylist had just returned from Bali, and she went on and on about how incredible it was. I know it's strange the things that stick with you, but that's where the fascination began.

If not Christmas, than hopefully sometime soon!

Happy Hour

Director of the clouds. (Disregard my wet and sandy bum)

Eric and I don't drink, but we've discovered a great place to take advantage of discounted strawberry smoothies at sunset. We spent a gorgeous Saturday evening here at the Pacific Islands Club Resort, and I'm looking forward to going back.

Our new "friends"

Unfortunately, we aren't the only ones who enjoy living on a tropical island. The lizards can be useful, but I've had a few scares with them falling in my lap. I certainly don't have an affinity for the spiders and shrews - both of which we've found in our "bungalow in the jungalow". The wolf spiders are the closest thing I've seen to a trantula. We don't have any pictures of them because I refuse to be in the same room with the furry creatures. Luckily, Eric is usually around to act as my exterminator. Even Eric, however, is no match for the squirrel-sized rats we sometimes see in the streets.

I'm it.

Ok, I've been tagged twice now so it's my turn to list 7 random things about me. Here goes...

1. I work with my brother Jason (http://www.yoursolution.net/). I get to build/design websites for a living. I love it because I get to sit in my living room that overlooks the jungle and the ocean, make my own hours, and, most importantly, I enjoy the work.

2. I love shoes. It's a good thing I'm cheap, otherwise I'd probably have an obnoxious collection.

3. I'm a minimalist. I love interior design. I'm also slightly obsessed with real estate. I spend entirely too much time browsing listings in no specific location or price bracket.

4. Most of you already know this, but I'm a loyal Boise State football fan. I think it started after I married Eric (4 yrs ago), and I realized that I had a Cornhuskers obsession to compete with.

5. My high school, "Dolly Parton High" - designed to conserve energy.

6. I love everything cheese - cheese and crackers, Doritos, nachos, dips, string cheese, squeaky cheese, fondue, broccoli cheese soup, etc., etc. It's a guilty pleasure, but one I'm not about to give up.

7. The best dog in the entire world! Growing up I had a samoyed like this one named Dewey Docker, aka "Zachariah Magic Fire". I wouldn't mind getting another....I'll have to work on Eric though. Maybe we'll start smaller and lower maintenance...

All right, enough about me. It's my turn to tag YOU:

Cyrena Gina Loretta James & Jeni Sarah Carly Sandi

Rota - "Home of the handwaves"

Ok, I’m finally ready to offer more of an explanation for all of these pictures.

Eric and I decided, if we couldn’t be with family for Thanksgiving, we’d go on mini vacation instead. I was actually pushing for Guam, but Eric’s co-clerks, Robert & John, invited us to Rota so we decided it would be more fun to go with a larger group. Guam could wait.

Rota is a very quiet island. It’s not the place to go if you’re looking for amusement parks and fancy restaurants; it is, however, the place to go if you’re looking for a beautiful, relaxing getaway. When we first arrived, we probably drove for 15 minutes without seeing any sign of civilization. When we finally made it to the “big city”, Songsong village, there were probably a total of 4 restaurants (all ma and pop’s), and I think we ate at all of them during our weekend stay. The people on Rota are about as nice as they come. It’s called the “Home of the handwaves” for a reason. I would say 4 of every 5 cars that passed gave us a friendly smile and a wave. At one of the restaurants, Robert mentioned that he liked their hot sauce so the owner just said, “Here, take a bottle.”

The thing I’ll remember most about Rota though is it’s raw beauty. Even our $50/night hotel had a gorgeous view of the ocean only a few steps away. We left the door open for most of the weekend so we could listen to the waves. I guess we have the ocean here in Saipan, but the waves are pretty puny here. Plus, there are a lot of dark colored rock formations all along the beach in Rota. I guess I prefer the soft white sand for beach strolling, but the beaches there were quite impressive to look at.

We also had a couple of humor highlights in Rota. Believe it or not, all of the rental cars were out so we had the pleasure of packing 7 people into a borrowed Toyota Camry. That meant 2 of us had to be the designated lap-sitters. During my lap time, I made the mistake of sticking my head out the window to conserve on space, and of course we got pulled over - not for the over-loaded car or for the lack of seatbelts, just, "keep all body parts in the car." From then on, we kept ourselves hidden behind tinted windows in our cozy sardine can.

Later in the trip, Eric, ever the comedian, decided to spice things up. Let me explain. During one of our adventures, this time to a waterfall, the group was split up so Eric decided to prepare for a dramatic reunion. Next thing I knew, he was taking off his shirt and I was helping him secure his palm leaf loincloth with vines (fortunately, he had shorts hidden under there). Next thing I knew, he was completely in character. No longer Eric, the law clerk, suddenly he was “Eric, the savage Rota warrior”. When the rest of the group arrived, he jumped, while crouching and grunting of course, from behind a tree with his wooden club and Reeboks. I can confidently say he struck fear in their eyes. We all thought it was hilarious, and, fortunately, we all have plenty of photo evidence.

All in all, it was a great trip! I could probably go on and on about all of the gorgeous things we saw, but it’s late, and I don’t want to bore you with descriptions. That’s what the pictures are for, right? Enjoy!

Pona Point - stunning (probably my favorite spot on Rota)

Songsong Village lookout (aka makeout point)

Bird Sanctuary

Taga Latte Stone Quarry (I'm a happy meditator)

"Ohm"

Sitting on my harley in front of the ancient Chamorro Cave Museum

BELLY FLOP!


Swimming hole (another favorite spot on Rota)

Thanksgiving Firsts

Jonathan woke up at 4:30 in the morning to prepare this lovely bird.

French Silk Pie

This Thanksgiving was a Thanksgiving of firsts for me.

• First time away from family.
• First time being interviewed on the news.
• First Thanksgiving in 85 degree weather.
• First time having a smoked turkey (it was delicious!)
• First time baking a french silk pie.

I hope you're all enjoying a fantastic holiday! Thanksgiving is already a thing of the past for us here on this side of the international date line, but a fond memory indeed. I spent the morning baking, the afternoon socializing, the evening eating, and the night - more eating. After a nice dinner at Jonathan's we ate entirely too much pie at "Pie Night". There were about 50 people there, and each family brought a pie. You can imagine the spread. It was fun for me to bake my first french silk pie entirely from scratch. As you can see from the photo (as it's melting in the sun), it could use some improvement, but there's always next year. And, it did get devoured rather quickly so let's hope that's a good sign.

And the fun is just beginning! Tomorrow we fly to Rota. That's the southernmost island of the Marianas, and it's supposed to be the least developed and the most gorgeous. Pop: 3000.

Stay tuned...

Twilight Fan?

Kristen Stewart was just cast as Bella for Twilight the movie. I don't know anything about her as an actress, but looks-wise, she's pretty close to the Bella that exists in my imagination. We all know the movie won't compare to the book, but I'm going to watch it anyway. Good luck finding Edward!

Laulau

Eric had the car today. Whenever that happens, I tend to get restless - whether I have work or not. I've just never been good at sitting for long periods of time (I guess I'm in the wrong profession). So, I decided to go on a walk. And what better place to go than the beach? Laulau beach that is. It's one of my favorites, and it's only 2 or 3 miles away from our house. Last time I did this walk I made the mistake of not bringing a camera so I made up for it this time by taking about 100 pictures. I had the beach all to myself today!