A-L-O-H-A

Everyone needs a little bit of the aloha spirit in their life.  While the word "aloha" is known mostly as a greeting ("hello" and "goodbye"), it also means affection and compassion.  When locals say to "spread aloha", they mean to spread love.  And the aloha spirit is the spirit of love, compassion, peace, and mercy - four things that we often forget in our day-to-day lives.

But in order to spread love and joy to others, you have to feel it in yourself.  Most days we go about our daily routines (work, school, kids, chores, etc.) trying to make everyone else happy and not taking time to make ourselves happy first.  That time you have for yourself is important.  You can't "live aloha" if you don't feel it.

I know it can seem like it's such a big burden to set aside time to make yourself happy when you're always busy and on-the-go, but just doing a tiny thing for yourself everyday will do wonders for your life.  Treat yourself to a cupcake, paint your nails, meditate, dance around your house in the morning, sing a ballad at the top of your lungs in traffic...all these little things can make your day seem a whole lot brighter because you're making yourself (and nobody else) happy.  And if all else fails, put on something bright and fun so you can't help but smile while you're wearing it.

Top:  Papaya [$21]  //  Shorts:  Handmade by me  //  Necklace:  Charlotte Russe [$5]  //  Sandals:  Payless Shoes [$15]  //  Bathing Suit Top:  Target [$17.99]

I handmade these shorts after being inspired by the wonderfully talented Sharon Lei of Elisharon.  Her style is AMAZING and her sketches are crazy awesome!  And if you need a second opinion, H&M chose her to be the Hawaii ambassador for their 50 States of Fashion campaign!  Anyone still questioning her awesomeness?  No?  I thought so.

Now go and get your happy on, feel the aloha, and then hop on over to Elisharon and spread some aloha by congratulating her on such an amazing accomplishment!

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.

In the Spirit of St. Patrick's Day... *an alcohol-related post*

I got drunk.

Okay, not really.  But I did drink all weekend.  And that's festive, right?

We spent the weekend on a little vacay from our normal routine because Joey surprised us with a weekend stay at the Marriott hotel.  It was a nice change of pace and allowed me to relax and unwind a little.

My grandmother's birthday was on Friday so we all got together and celebrated it on Saturday at Ladera Towers, where she lives.

 

Celebrating with the family.

Just some of the women in our family.  Trust me, there's LOTS more.  And can you spot the cups?

I had to squat on the ground since his leg is still fragile.  For some reason, he looks ultra skinny and I look like I have a huge head in this picture.  Annnnnd another cup.

There was tons of food on the table and lots of drinks to go around.  I had a couple glasses paper cups of Pink Moscato and Red Velvet Wine, both of which were delicious!  Our kids are great swimmers so they were in the pool all day, only breaking to eat and sing "Happy Birthday".

Saturday night we went back to the hotel and ordered in from Outback Steakhouse.  It had been a long time since we'd eaten there so I was finally able to get my Bloomin' Onion fix.  We stuffed our faces full and then called it a night.

On Sunday, we checked out early and drove down to Joey's mom's house and spent the day in Merizo.  The kids were still itching to swim so Joey's dad took them to the Merizo Pier and we followed.

 Joey and I watched the kids swim and hung out with his cousins under the shade.  We ate a little and drank a little.  I had a couple beers - and I usually don't drink beer because it usually gives me gas - but it was St. Patrick's Day so... #YOLO!

Joey had a baseball game Sunday night so we spent the evening at the field.  Since I had had my fill of beer earlier in the day and that's the only alcoholic beverage they serve at baseball games, I decided to sneak in some of my own drink.  I felt like I was back in high school pouring mixed drinks into an empty plastic bottle to sneak into a game...

Don't judge me!  I never said I was a good role model.  Don't follow my lead, kids.  Bad things may happen.

The girls and I left the game early because it was a school night (see, still got my priorities in order!) so we didn't get to see the end of the game.  Thankfully, they ended up winning - their first win so far - and the whole team was stoked so they ended up celebrating in the parking lot last night.  So while the kids were sleeping, I celebrated with more margaritas!

I'm not fully hungover today (thank goodness) but I'm still really tired and lazy so I'm ending this post right now.

♥ 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.