Guam's 69th Liberation Day

Here on Guam, one of the biggest local holidays is Liberation Day, which we celebrate every year on July 21st.  It was on this date in 1944 that the U.S. armed forces arrived on Guam to liberate the local people from the control of the Japanese during World War II.

We celebrate and remember this day in our history with a parade, carnival, and fiestas (or parties) with family.  The Liberation Day Parade is the main highlight of the day.  Villages throughout the island create and showcase floats to represent their village and to pay tribute to the people who lived through and lost their lives during the war.

It is our family tradition to reserve a spot along the parade route and watch the parade live.  We set up a canopy, bring food and a barbecue grill, rent a portable toilet, and spend our whole day down on Marine Corps Drive.  The parade really is a wonderful cultural experience for tourists and locals alike.

 The Guam Liberation Day Parade is something that I think everyone should experience at least once in their lives.  Despite the heat and humidity, it is truly an event worth seeing.  The sense of community and family is strongest on this day and should you be in town around July 21st, I invite you to join my family and I as we celebrate this proud day in Guam's history.

Chambray Top:  Ross Stores  //  Stars & Stripes contrasted shorts: DIY by me  //  Shoes:  Airwalk from Payless Shoes  //  Accessories:  H&M

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for a DIY tutorial on how I made those shorts!

We are all mermaids...[Giveaway]

I'm sure that we have all dreamed of being a mermaid at least once in our lives.  Disney's The Little Mermaid showed us that life was so much better under the sea.

I mean, look at her.  Her hair and skin are flawless which just goes to show that sea salt really is a miracle worker.  And who wouldn't want to party all night with these talented fish!?

But before Ariel came along in 1989, I was already making my own aquatic debut and had been given the nickname "Sirena" because I learned to swim before I could walk and loved the water more than anything else.

Sirena, the legendary mermaid of Guam, was once a girl living near the Minondo River in Agana during the old Spanish times.  As the legend goes, Sirena was told by her mother to collect coconut shells near the river.  Because Sirena could not resist the temptation of the water and the urge to swim, she spent the whole day swimming instead.

When her mother found her ignoring her duties, she was furious.  She cursed Sirena by saying, "If you love swimming so much, you should just be a fish!"  Sirena's godmother overheard the curse and was able to soften it by wishing that the upper half of her body be saved.

Still swimming, Sirena began to feel herself changing and when she looked down at herself, the lower half of her body had been turned into a fish.  Her mother regretted the curse she put on her daughter but it was too late.  Sirena swam out to sea, never to return to her family again.

After hearing where my childhood nickname came from, I had hoped more than anything that the same thing would happen to me each time I put my foot in the water.  I had even gone so far as to ask my mother to curse me and have someone else soften the curse so I wasn't a full-blown fish.  Needless to say, that statement definitely scored me some strange looks from other parents.

I still - to this day - secretly hope to become a mermaid.  I can't be so open about it now because it's not so cute when a 26 (almost 27) year old lady stands in the water and screams "I can feel my legs changing!"  That will not only score me strange looks, but a psychiatric exam as well.

So for now, until I start blogging from my secret little underwater cove, I will just live like every other normal, sane, above-water dwelling mermaid does and surround myself with the treasures of the sea as much as possible.

And if you're an above-water dwelling mermaid too, or you just appreciate the beauty and strength of the ocean, please give me the honor of introducing you to Cheyenne Bianchini - a beautiful above-water dwelling mermaid who shares her love of the ocean and nature with others by creating unique handmade accessories.

Creations by Cheyenne Bianchini features items that are handmade on the Big Island of Hawaii. Materials are acquired from daily adventures and are inspired by the beauty of life in Hawaii nei. Each and every item is created with love and authentic quality.

I came across Cheyenne's Instagram (@CreationsbyCheyenneBianchini) a while ago and was in awe of her gorgeous accessories.  After seeing those starfish headbands pictured above, I knew I just HAD to get my hands on some of her items!

Cheyenne is such a sweetheart and it was such a pleasure getting to know her.  She really treats customers like friends and shares her aloha spirit with everyone.  When I told her about my blog, she was kind enough to donate a pair of shell stud earrings for me to share with one of you!  And on top of that, I'm gonna throw in $10 worth of credit (+ shipping) to Creations by Cheyenne Bianchini so you can get yourself a starfish headband too or pick out something different - because you really can't go wrong with her stuff!

You know what to do!  Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Got Crabs?

A few weeks ago, Joey and I took the kids to the Crab Festival held at the Merizo Pier.  The festival was a three day event (the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th) that  took place in March to promote the local Chamorro culture and celebrate Chamorro month.

We went on the last day of the festival, when all the special events were happening.  It was an extremely hot day and the whole area was packed full of people!  I was really surprised at the turnout of people since we go to several local events like this and have not seen that many people show up to an event in a long time.

My favorite thing about these local fairs, festivals, and events is the local vendors!  I am always amazed by the craftsmanship of their items.  I wasn't able to pick anything up because we were just so hot and the kids wanted to keep moving but I'm definitely gonna grab a few local items at the next event (maybe even a giveaway?) for sure!

There were lots of games and activities for the kids as well as those booths with the little toys and trinkets that make you go broke.  Trace ended up getting that silly string spray and accidentally sprayed some lady's hair.  I was about to tell her what happened but she ended up walking away before I got a chance to.  Plus I was kinda busy laughing because it was pretty funny.

There were also different contests for the adults to participate in like the tuba drinking contest, talaya (fishing net) throwing contest, as well as other traditional Chamorro contests.

 The main event of the festival was the crab catching contest.  There were over 1,000 crabs that were caught for this event.  Basically, they let the crabs go and everyone can go and catch as many as they can with a cash prize going to the person who catches the most crabs in their age division.

We didn't stay for the contest because it was too hot, so I wasn't able to get any pictures of it.  But can you imagine all those crabs running loose??  Craaaaazyyyyy!

My kids' favorite part was probably the local animals that were there.  They love being able to see different animals up close so it was like a little mini zoo for them.

 And of course, MY favorite part of every local event:  the food.

♥ Duckie.