When the home is happy, that happiness spills out everywhere you go.

Well, it's been a while since I blogged.  The start of the school year got us back to being busy, but not as busy as it would have been had my wife gone back to work.  Wow, what a difference her staying home makes.  She is less stressed, therefore I and the kids are less stressed.  This is the first time that my wife has not worked as a teacher since we were married.  I must say, life is great.  I don't know how we all held it together when she was working.  I don't even want to imagine her going back to work anymore.  She's enjoying her time at home, and I'm enjoying my time everywhere.  When we got married, we became one.  When she's worried, I'm worried for her.  When she's frustrated, I recieve some of that frustration.  We are emotionally connected.  I never realized how connected we are. Now, I don't feel those worries and frustrations.  I feel more at peace because my wife is more a peace.

We may not have the same disposable income that we used to have, but I don't really feel it.  Having money is not the same as having peace and harmony in the home.  It's true.  When the home is happy, that happiness spills out everywhere you go.

Family Fun

Yesterday we had a get together with Grace's family.  I'm not too fond of big parties, so yesterday's small gathering was a welcomed event.  I had a goal to finish the see-saw and the ping-pong table before then.  I was able to complete both, and we put them to good use last night.  I really enjoyed our get together.  We didn't have an agenda.  We just went with the flow. The kids played in the trampoline, or challenged each other in ping pong.  At times they played on the Wii. We even had a kickball game; girls vs. boys.  The boys won, of course, but just by one point.  I was afraid for some of our man'amko (elderly) aunts who went  all out.  Auntie Ping almost slipped, and I was afraid she might break her hip, but everyone survived without any injuries. 

When it began to rain, we all crowded inside our little place.  We had to move the furniture around a bit so that we could get some Zumba sessions going.  Grace's cousin, Bonnie, downloaded a video for us to try.  If Cherry (Grace's sis) were here, she would've just popped her I-phone on some speakers, and we would have had a class, but she's off in sunny HI doing her own Zumba and yoga classes.  As I watched the video, I and the other husbands just couldn't bring ourselves to shake our shoulders and hips in such a feminine fashion.  We resorted to just making fun of the ladies. 

All in all, I realize how important it is to enjoy  the company of family and friends.  The associations that we have with the people that we love can really increase the quality of life where ever we may be. 

Family Time

My family arrived from the Philippines yesterday.  I'm so grateful to have them back. They were there for a month longer than I was.  I spent some time yesterday cleaning the windows and the front side of the house.  It feels  good to have cleaned the house in and out.  But, as it always is when you have kids, it doesn't stay that way for long.  Most of the mess is Sammy's of course, but we need to keep reminding the others to put their things away.  I'm going to turn over a new leaf as a father.  I'm actually going to stay on top of them to stay organized and neat.  In the time that I was here by myself I had some time to think about the things I could do to improve as a father, husband, and member of my church.  I realized that in order to change, it's best to make small changes each time, until eventually, all the little changes add up to a big change.  I've gotten better at organizing my time, getting meals cooked up, and keeping the house clean.  These are skills that I've always felt I've needed, and little by little I'm getting to a point where I might just be a little more proficient.

I'm grateful to have this opportunity to be with my family as a father and a husband.  I know I still have a long way to go, but we have a short time on this earth.  We need to make the most out of it while we can.

Actual face time, and not Facebook time

It's 12:45 am on Friday.  I just got back from Dad's house.  As I was driving by I saw Dad and Aunty Letty sitting in the front porch, so I made a u-turn to visit with them.  I was surprised that they were still awake at 10:00 pm.  Earlier, I had been at the Young Women's Girls Camp closing ceremony at Sirena Beach.  It was a beautiful time, listening to President Clark's talk and then the girls' testimonies.  When they were all done, I stayed back with two of the young men from our ward to help clean up.  They helped me load tables and other camping equipment in the back of my truck to take back to Church.  They worked hard, so I treated them to a McDonald's dinner. 

As we talked, I made mention about how all of us now are so hyper-connected via the internet, especially Facebook.  Alot of people would rather chitchat on Facebook, rather than see people in person.  This brings me back to my present thought. As I sat with my Dad and Aunty, I was grateful that I had an opportunity to actually get some face time with them.  We didn't realize how time flew as we talked about Mom, the possible garage, how Dr. S. almost killed my Aunt by prescribing the wrong meds, creating low-cost studio apartments using shipping containers, and other topics.  Before we knew it, it was already past midnight.  And here I am,  writing about actual face time, and not facebook time.  Now don't get me wrong, Facebook is a great tool to stay in touch with people who are far away, but more often than not, we need to get more face time with the special people who are just around the corner.

Aching body

Wow, I never thought I'd be grateful for an aching neck and shoulders, but I am.  It lets me know that the workout was challenging.  My neck feels like I have whiplash.  We were doing neck exercises at muay thai class. 

On another note, I'd like to finish cleaning all the windows, washing the curtains, and cleaning the house.  Gotta go.  Grace and the the kids will be here on Saturday, and I want the house to be spic and span.

Muay Thai

It's 10:14 pm.  I got back from my 2nd day of muay thai kickboxing class a little earlier.  It was one awesome workout.  It was a sparring day, so we put on the gloves and shin pads and went at it.  Of course we didn't go with 100% contact, but boy it was something else.  I was hit in the head a few times, but they were just taps.  I can imagine really getting hit hard.  By the end of class, I was exhausted, but ecstatic.  I like how physically demanding it is because it's a good stress reliever.

Speaking of stress relievers, I was able to go fishing last night and this morning while I did my watch at Girls Camp at Sirena Beach on Base .  I hooked a good-sized snapper last night, but since I didn't feel like cleaning it up and I didn't have a place to keep it chilled, I showed it to the girls and then let it go.  It reminded me of those fishing channels that show the pro fishermen catching big fish and then letting them go.  I always thought, "Why are you letting it go?!"  This morning I caught a couple of nice ones, and I fried them up as soon as I got home.  Too many bones, though.

Well, I look forward to an aching body tomorrow, but it's a Wednesday, so it's also a workout day. I have to remind myself that I'm doing this for strong bones! Okay, that's enough motivation for one night.

Support

The missionaries and I put together a ward fireside for our church. A fireside is a special gathering of the  members, a little more casual than a regular sacrament program on Sundays.  It's usually held in the evening.  We were all excited about it.  They came to me before I went on vacation in May to put together a musical fireside, and I gave them the go-ahead to do it.  When I left, they were not able to get the program together, so they cancelled it.  When I got back they proposed it again, and my first thought was, "There isn't enough time to have everyone prepare for the songs."  My second thought was, "Forget about the first thought, we can get it done!"  So, as I said earlier, we became excited.

 We hashed out a simple program of songs with speakers in between.  We picked out simple songs that were found in the hymn books.  I e-mailed most everyone with an e-mail address to let them know about it.  The missionaries tasked some of the members to speak. We announced at Church several times.  It was going to be great.  We reminded each of the groups in church to practice their songs.  The missionaries were so excited that they invited another ward.  It was set for 6:30 pm. When I got there at 6:10, it seemed that the other ward members were the only ones in attendance.  What happened to my ward members?  6:25: still barely any of my ward members.  6:35: a few start to trickle in.  Two of my speakers are missing in action.  My ears started to get warm.  I felt like they were turning red from embarrassment.  6:40: my missing first speaker walks in.  6:45:  more of my ward members show up.  Wow, I thought, it's a good time for a talk on timeliness.  We found out early in the program that my closing speaker had car problems.  Someone went to pick her up.

Finally, more and more ward members show up, and we can begin.  The missionaries started out with a song.  They sang beautifully.  We heard the speakers.  They did well. We had more singing. It was great!  It was all worth it.  Although we didn't have the turn out that I expected, it was an event that was wonderful.  I expressed my gratitude for the members who did make it.  I really did feel grateful for their support.  It is always a humbling feeling to know that you have the support of good people.

Chef Update

Well, it has been three weeks since I met Chef.  I'm happy to report that he now has a job at a Japanese Restaurant.  I just hope he will be able to hold it.  I was driving and picking him up at work for the past week, but today, he bought Dad's old 1995 Acura Integra.  He will be paying monthly installments on it until the $1500.00 is paid off.  He drove himself to work today.  I'm glad I'm not picking him up at 10:15 pm anymore.  I just hope he will keep his promise to pay off his debt.  He seems sincere enough, but I will only be able to verify that after he has kept his end of the bargain.  We shall see. 

I can't wait to see my wife and children one week from today.  The month of being apart is going by quickly because I've been keeping busy.  I would like to get the garden plot going, as well as organize the things outside before they come back.  I just need to discipline myself to get the jobs done.

Mom

Mom fell from her wheelchair today.  She had opened the screen door and moved herself foward with her foot.  Since the outside floor was lower, she fell forward and tumbled onto the pavement.  She suffered a gash over her right eye.   She bled profusely, but we applied pressure on the wound and it abated.  We called 911 and the medics arrived right away to check her out.  They bandaged her up, and Dad and I took her to get stitched at the Guam Memorial Hospital. As we drove, Mom's eyelid began to swell. The line of customers wasn't so long, so we waited only a few hours.  They stitched her up and we took her home.

Seeing my mother in such a state is heartbreaking.  She wants so much to be mobile again.  She even has a difficult time communicating her thoughts.  I tend to take these gifts for granted.  How I wish she were whole again.  But such is the promise of the next life.  I know that Heavenly Father saved her from death in 2008 for a reason.  It could be that she is to teach us of compassion, patience, and understanding.  This experience has taught me these lessons.  I still have a long way to go.  My mother...I love her, and I know Heavenly Father loves her.  I know he has a plan for her, and that someday she will be made whole again.

Revelations of Two husbands

My friend, James and I were having dinner at my house last night, and our topic of conversation was on being married and the importance of communication between husbands and wives.  With both our wives being off-island, we spoke freely without any fear of "stink eye" from them. Anyway, we both agreed that we need to understand our wives better, especially when they are trying to say one thing, but their emotions may mean something else.  James said he is the type that, when offended, will need some time to think things through.  His wife is the opposite.  She can forgive a wrong done to her very quickly.  I tend to be like Elena, and Grace tends to be like James.  As we spoke, I realized how that knowledge of how my wife reacts can help us to have more effective communication.  I need to layoff of her when she is upset. I shouldn't expect her to be like me, forgiving quite easily.  I should give her time to be upset.  She always comes around in due time. Of course, I should try to avoid making her upset in the first place, but alas, sometimes even the perfect husbands are imperfect. 

We then spoke about how we need to cherish our spouses.  We need to show them that we love them everyday.  We need to be spontaneous, and exciting.  We need to be thoughtful husbands, so we agreed that when our wives come back home, we will show them how thoughtful we can be.  Will we keep to our agreement?  Can we truly not upset our wives?  Can we really be thoughtful, exciting, spontaneous? Sure!  I look forward to my wife's arrival.  I've missed her in our time apart. 

Long Day

It was a long day.  I've taken on the task of evicting the unwanted tenants of our kitchen cupboards.  The ants are the hardest to remove because they are really tiny.  I know you're probably saying, "Aren't all ants tiny?"  Well, you haven't seen these ones. No pun intended.  These are the miniature ants.  I tried putting out some sweet stuff for them, and they took the bait.  I followed the trail, but I couldn't find out where their nest is, so they keep coming back.  Besides that, I took Chef around to reconcile with his father, a job interview at Aji Ichi, then to Gabriel's pasta, then to his brother's house where we had to negotiate a place for him to stay.  I offered my kid's clubhouse as a last resort.  I told him that I had built the clubhouse for my kids, but as soon as I was done, they simply diddn't find it interesting enough.  I joked that he must have been the very reason for why I felt compelled to even finish that structure.  I would even give him the bottle of "Off" to keep the mosquitoes away.   But he said that the tree next to the clubhouse felt as if there was some kind of spirit, and that he was afraid to sleep there.  I thought to myself maybe that might motivate him to convince his family that he needed to stay with them.

Anyway, it's about 11 pm.  I spoke to my sweet wife when I came home about half an hour ago.  They are enjoying their last two weeks in the Philippines.  I miss them.  Well, I have an early day at drill tomorrow, so I'd better get my deployment bag packed up and then hit the sack.

Service

I've been learning a lot about service this past week.  Bro. Nuttall called me last Monday evening saying he had picked up someone who was beaten up and in need.  This person needed a place to stay for an indefinite period of time.  As I thought about who I might be able to call to possibly help this person, (I'll call him "Chef", and you'll find out why soon enough) I thought of the verses found in the Book of James.  He describes that we need to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.  He also explains that if a man was hungry and naked, and all we did was tell him be warmed and be filled, then basically, we did nothing for him.  As these verses came to mind, I also thought of the times I was in the Philippines and I did not reach out to those who were in need, especially those children who came begging at the car's windows. This weighed down my heart.  Was I truly a "doer of the Word?"  No, I thought.  I was being a hypocrite.  I repented quickly and told Bro. Nuttall to bring him over.  I had an opportunity to house him, as my family was in the Philippines on an extended vacation.

When Chef arrived I immediately smelled alcohol.  He looked forlorn and forsaken. I had not a clue as to how I might help him, but I relied on the Holy Spirit to guide me.  I invited him to sit down at the dinner table to eat.  His mind seemed full of uncertainty and sorrow.  He didn't seem to have the appetite to pick up the fork. It was clear that the alcohol in his system had been a key factor in determining his present miserable condition.  I wanted to find out his story, but I thought to myself, "Surely he is not in the right state of mind."  Surprisingly, though, he was able to tell his tale with a good degree of clarity.

As he talked I came to find out a few pieces to his puzzle.  He had just recently split up with a girl that he loved dearly.  A girl that consumed his thoughts, his time, his money, and his heart.  So involved were they in each other, that he forsook his  friends and his family, who warned him that he was going down the wrong path. He moved in with her, and they were happy for  a time. He was a chef at several restaurants, and he lost all those jobs.  The third restaurant he worked at convinced him to quit the the other two. When he did, that very same restaurant let him go a short time later.  He found another job on a nearby airbase, but he eventually lost that job, too.  As his relationship with the love of his life became rocky, his attendance at work became poor.  The landlord evicted him from his apartment with is girlfriend, and he ended up at his dad's house. He could not bear to be without his love.  It was there, on that fateful Monday evening that the stress of his situation broke him down and he turned to alcohol for comfort.  But alcohol can never bring the comfort and peace which the downtrodden seek.

As he was drinking, Chef's father began to berate him for the poor choices he made, especially blaming his girfriend for his problems.  The anger began to grow between the two, and it resulted in a physical altercation.  His much bigger brother got involved and gave Chef a beating.  They threw him out of the house, bruised and bleeding.  He walked the streets dazed and drunk, praying for all his problems to go away. It was then that Bro. Nuttall came driving by.  Prompted by the Spirit, he picked him up, took him back to his father's house, and helped him to collect his belongings.  His small suitcase, a pillow, and a comforter were in my living room as his story unfolded.

It has been one week, and as I said, I have been learning alot about service, as well as patience, kindess, and understanding.  Chef and I have been busy driving the island, looking for work. I've learned to be patient, especially while waiting for him to get his court and traffic clearances.  He told me how the people at the traffic court said that he was the king because he was the only one who had two pages-worth of traffic violations.  We had a good laugh about that.  Throughout the week I've come to learn how even the choices that we made many years ago, can either help or haunt us to this day.  Chef had many interesting stories to tell about manyof the choices he made in the past.  He has been fortunate enough to have a brother who is willing to let him sleep over each night.  I pick him up in the mornings, and we go out looking for work.  In the evenings I'll fix  a simple dinner, and we eat and talk.  His stories of his past experiences seems expansive.  I advise him as necessary, and as prompted to by the Spirit.  He even joined me at Church on Sunday.  I'm grateful for the experience to be able to help out a brother in need.  I'm also grateful for the blessings I have received, especially for the guidance found in the scriptures, particularly in the Book of James.

Well, this is all for now.  I'll keep you updated as time permits.

9 AM work start?

Well, it's 9:00 in the morning.  We're just about ready to begin our last day of computer class.  This class has been great at getting us introduced to the great educational resources that are available online.  Coming in at 9 am everyday is not such a bad thing.  I wouldn't mind if work started at 9 everyday.  I stayed up late watching "Battle L.A." and was able to get up with enough sleep, eat breakfast, take a friend to do his community service at the court, and then make it to class 15 minutes early. I'll write more on today's class at a later time.

Gator on Guam

A day or two ago I was driving on Gayinero Rd. in Yigo.  I noticed on the guard-rail on the side what looked like an unusual animal skull.  It had an elongated, oval-shaped snout, with sharp teeth jutting out.  It almost looked like a platypus.  Upon further inspection I found that it was an actual baby alligator skull.  It seemed somewhat mummified, with skin and flesh.  The lower jaw was still connected to the upper by the tendons.  I was curious as to how it ended up on Guam.  I put it in the back of my truck using a Docomo cellphone rate flyer.  As I wrapped the sheet around the skull the teeth punctured holes into it.  It brought to mind how menacing and powerful a live, full-sized alligator bite might be.  I later took pictures and posted them on Facebook, hoping that I might find an answer to the mystery of how it got on Guam.

Blogging

Wow, I actually have a blog spot.  It's like writing in my journal, except I haven't written in my journal for years.  Maybe doing this activity will motivate me to pick up my pen and start writing my thoughts again.  I think I'll write my thoughts here, then I'll print out each post and paste it in my journal.

Learning

This week's technology course is proving to be a great learning experience.  Just when I thought there was nothing else to learn about Word, Excel, or Google, guess what.  I am learning something new!  I've also come to the realization that today's generation is so tuned in to technology, and one of the best ways to reach them is through this medium.  My nephew, a two year-old, helped me to realize this when he helped me to navigate through the applications on his mom's I-phone.  GDOE must accommodate this new generation of learners with current technological equipment and programs.