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.

Oh, Hello Again!

Do I look familiar or what?

Yes, I went on yet ANOTHER blog hiatus!  It was actually a little longer than I intended it to be because my stupid internet/phone/cable was acting up and I was only able to get a tech out here yesterday.  Stupid.

I tried writing posts but my internet kept glitching and losing connection that it was just so frustrating that I gave up.  And trying to write a post on a phone?  Fuhgeddaboudit!

But in all honesty, it was pretty nice having a break from technology.  Every once in a while it's good to step away from the posts, statuses, updates, emails, etc. and get out and experience life.  And that's what I did - in a pretty awesome way.

Chloe celebrated her 5th birthday last week on the 19th and she had a blast.  Since this is her first year in school she was able to celebrate with her class.  She was so excited because she was able to get dressed up in her birthday dress and glitter shoes.

As soon as she walked into her class everyone ooh'd and ahh'd and told her that she looked like a princess.  That really made her day.  We bought pizza and cheeseburgers for the kids to eat and passed out party bags and strawberry cupcakes to everyone.

After school we went down to Joey's mom's house where we celebrated Chloe's birthday yet again with even more food!  She was so excited and thankful for all the gifts and birthday wishes she got that day.  Later that evening she even told me "Mom, I wish my birthday could last forever!  I never want it to end!"  Ain't that the truth.

A few nights later, Joey's goddaughter, Kayla, caught a 7-foot brown tree snake under their car!  She's only 13 years old but she's one tough cookie!

The kids are amazed with snakes so of course Joey ended up taking it.  So I had to drive while Joey sat in the passenger seat right next to me, holding this 7-foot snake in his hands.  How funny would it have been if we had gotten pulled over!?

"Oh, sorry officer, is there a problem?  It's just that I'm trying to get home quickly so our little friend here can calm down and sink its teeth into something juicy."

We ended up bringing the snake to Joey's friend's house so they could get a look at it.  They measured it and confirmed that it was 7 feet long and female.  I was able to get a few quick pictures of it before we put it in a container to rest.  And yes, Joey had to hold the head of it because brown tree snakes BITE!

So that was just a little bit of what I've been up to since my last post.  I've also been doing a LOT of cleaning.  It's pretty amazing actually, considering I hate to clean.  We cleaned the girls' room and my room and it was pretty epic.  The girls are happy that they can finally see the floor and have space to play in their own room again.  I'm happy that we got rid of so much junk and clutter and I'm excited to be getting some new used furniture in the next few days.

It's been refreshing to take a step back from the computer and be productive.  I'll be doing much more cleaning, rearranging, DIYing, and moving in the next few weeks because of the furniture and because my cousin will be moving out so I can't wait to share my DIY projects and before and after photos as it goes along!

♥ Duckie.

What I Wore Wednesday: BBQ Style

Happy Hump Day!

I love Wednesdays because it just means it's almost the weekend!

Just because I don't have a "real" job doesn't mean I don't look forward to weekends - because since Joey's off on weekends, I get to relax a bit more!

Anyway, our weekends here on Guam consist of sunny days and crazy nights - okay, not so crazy nights since we had kids, but it's nice to reminisce once in a while.

But seriously though, there is ALWAYS a party or bbq for us to attend on the weekend.  Birthdays, anniversaries, baptisms, holidays, graduations, you name it - we'll bbq for it!

Being the big hungry girl that I am, you can bet that I LOVE any kind of function where there's free food and good vibes - so please don't judge me if you see me at the table more than four times.  I mean, when the table is filled with red rice, bbq'd ribs, fried chicken, pancit, baked mussels, and kelaguen galore - try and tell me that you can only have ONE plate!

Now, when attending a bbq on Guam it is important to dress appropriately.  For example, it's probably not a good idea to wear jeans if the bbq is at the beach during the day - that's just common sense, people!  But if you want to sweat your ass off all day, then by all means, go ahead.  Also, try and use bottoms with an elastic waist so you don't cut off circulation to your legs as your stomach increases.  And lastly, don't wear something too fitted - the amount of food you ate will show - try a flowy top or dress instead.

It's best to keep your hair and makeup minimal.  You don't want to look like a sad clown with your face melting off in the hot sun.  And a simple messy bun is the best hairstyle - it keeps your hair out of your face which gives you less of a distraction when you're stuffing it.

 Need a reference?  See perfect weekend bbq attire, below:

And don't forget the kids!  All they need is a bathing suit, and you probably won't see them for a good two hours.

 Trace jumping off the pier (he's 3 years old!).

Chloe the cannonball!

Aniyah's favorite jumping spot.

I just love this shot of her.  Umm, hello Roxy!  She is your next model!

Perfect form!

My mermaid.

♥ Duckie.