Guamiversary!

This past weekend was the one-year anniversary of our big move from San Diego to Guam. Part of me can hardly believe a year has already gone by, but the other part of me is overwhelmed when I think of all the new things we have done, places we have gone, and people we have met in 12 short months. It's been quite a year, to say the least! Rather than recap everything that's happened (which I've already done throughout previous posts!), I thought I would use this anniversary space to fill you in on the many ways our daily lives have changed since leaving life on a bustling continent in exchange for island-pace life in the middle of nowhere.

Wouldn't be caught dead in this anywhere else!

Wardrobe Change. Much like San Diego, the weather here is pretty consistent. Same forecast every day: highs in the lower 90s, lows in the upper 70s, 30% chance of rain, and Florida-like humidity. Completely unlike San Diego, though, every day we wake up knowing it will probably be either be scaldingly hot or it will be tolerable heat but pouring down rain, or some combination of both. Add that to my flexible work schedule and daily workout routine, and there's hardly a reason to get up and shower and put on something nice. I just did a load of laundry and put away nothing but workout clothes, pajamas, bathing suits, and golf clothes. That's pretty much all I wear here except for once a week when I get to dress up (and put makeup on!) for church. And I have even started wearing my golf skirt to that to save the hassle of changing clothes between there and the tee box. The girls here talk about how much we miss putting on a nice pair of jeans and blow drying our hair (which I suppose still happens every now and then for a nice dinner out). But there's another side of me that loves having zero pressure to have my nails done or have makeup on. Instead I wake up every day and slather on sunscreen and bug spray (I am going to need a year of facials to recover from this tour). There's no reason to shower before sunset, and workout clothes are blissfully acceptable at staff meetings!

Lunch with Guam friend & neighbor Amy... in Houston!

Make new friends but keep the old. The friend situation here has been somewhat tricky to figure out. No question I have met a lot of fabulous people, many who have the same interests, hobbies and values that I do. Not having family nearby or even longtime friends, the friends you meet here are everything. When you're the newcomer, they're the ones who tell you where to find fresh fish, beautiful waterfalls, and a good cup of coffee. They're the ones who motivate you to stay on your workout routine with daily trips to the gym, the ones you can vent to about missing something important going on back home, and the ones who fill your evenings with bad TV and a glass of wine when your husband is on a work trip to some place you've never heard of... that our military somehow has an interest in. Friends here are great. The problem with friends here, though, is that, like us one day, they leave. So pretty much all the wonderful people you meet when you get here are destined to have a departure date sooner than yours. This last year I found myself finding great friends, getting used to having them as a part of my week, and then saying goodbye to them as their next set of orders took them away, back to the land of Trader Joe's, Starbucks, and shopping malls worth going to. And each time they leave, I feel like I have to reinvent this island all over again. Luckily, when dear friends rotate out, they often introduce you to other friends they're leaving behind. And it inevitably won't be too long until new neighbors move in or that new couple shows up at the command, creating whole new worlds of possibilities for frozen yogurt dates, boonie stomps, and golf outings. The transcience of this place has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. And at the same time, I get a sense that saying goodbye in a year from now won't be much easier than it was a year ago.

1 Yr dinner: Steak & Rosemary Parm Sweet Potato Chips

Party Animals. So Nick and I have never been big party animals, per se. But living in San Diego, weekends were still filled with dinner downtown with friends, staying out late, happy hours, dinner parties, beach bonfires, etc. There were very few Friday or Saturday nights spent at home just the two of us. Due to some practical logistics here (like a restaurant district 30 minutes away from base), some lifestyle changes (playing golf or in the water until sunset most Saturdays and Sundays), and our affinity for home cooking (more on that to come), we hardly ever go out to eat. And in fact, since the weather is so variable here and we want to get the most outside time out of our weekends, we hardly ever make plans with people until the day of. If at all. At the end of the day, we are usually exhausted from golf, diving, or hiking in the hot sun. In short, we have become quite the homebodies (at least in the evenings) compared to when I think of our San Diego days. We like eating dinner at home. We like going to be early. And we are really enjoying this time for the two of us to be together. So sure, we still cater the occasional dinner party, or head to game night in the neighborhood. But generally speaking, once the sun goes down, we turn into boring, old people. [yawn]

Our first picture together on Guam a year ago today!

There's no question our life here on Guam is extremely different from anywhere else we've ever lived. I feel like every day we look for ways to get the most out of our time here. And while often that's hiking to a waterfall, diving some crevice, or improving our golf game (I shot my best round ever on our Guamiversary - a 96!!), more often it's by putting on pajamas at 6p.m., making dinner, and watching Sportscenter. Together. Despite the fact that Nick has logged over 100,000 flight miles since January of this year, we have still eaten more meals together and slept in the same bed more nights in the last year than we probably did in the last three years combined. We finally get to be part of each others' daily experience. Which is why, on our Guamiversary, I am particularly aware of what this day means for us: the halfway mark. A year has passed of a two-year tour. And so every day that passes brings us one day closer to the end of our time here. Next summer we will return to San Diego and all the wonderful friends and experiences we miss there. But this time together, this time in paradise will have ended. And so, between now and that day, you can bet we will be making the most of every minute here. Every opportunity to travel. Every chance to ask our friends and family to come out and experience this amazing place with us (come visit!! you're running out of time!!).

One year down and one to go. Tick... Tock... Tick... Tock...