I can't believe it's already 2013! Where did December go? Our attempt at blogging once a week hasn't worked out very well, but maybe that can be a New Year's resolution! 2012 brought us so many wonderful memories.
For myself, my year started off with going through the temple for the first time. I had some really great friends drive up to Washington DC with me to keep me company and it was such a wonderful and spiritual experience for me. I can't believe this was less than a year ago! It seems like it's been forever!
Ben came home from Afghanistan just weeks later and we were sealed for time and all eternity. I think we can both agree that so far, it was the happiest day of our lives. I can't believe it's already been 10 months! Where does the time go? We spent some down time that weekend with our families and close friends and really enjoyed being around those that we love. Then, we flew away and honeymooned in Aruba for 10 short days! We got a little taste of what a tropical paradise was like there, which doesn't even come close to the tropical paradise we are living in on Guam.
Ben had to go back to Afghanistan after we came home from Aruba, which was really hard for us both. Being newly wed and then spending 5 months apart wasn't ideal, but in the long run we look back on it and count it as an experience that made us stronger. I am, however, so glad that chapter in our book is closed! Ben came home in August with an Army Commendation Medal, making me one very proud Navy wife. We both looked forward to that day for what seemed like centuries. What a great reunion it was!
In May, I graduated from Old Dominion University, which was a huge accomplishment for me. It took me about seven years to finish, so getting to the light at the end of the tunnel was wonderful! And then I started graduate school... overseas. Nonetheless, a big milestone for me and one that I am very proud of.
While Ben was gone, I was able to take a road trip with my dad, stepmom, and little brother to Chicago. It was great visiting with family before our big move and I especially enjoyed spending one on one with the baby of the family touring downtown Chicago together. I also got the chance to take a road trip with my mom to North Carolina and spend some time with her side of the family, collecting a little bit of family history along the way. All such great memories filled with many laughs.
When Ben came home, we had less than a month before we had to leave for Guam. We decided to spend our time traveling around the country visiting family and friends one last time before our three-year tour overseas. We started by going to Sacramento, CA where we had our wedding reception for our friends and family on the west coast. I was lucky enough to have both my mom and dad there as well. Unfortunately, it was a short stay for my dad but mom was able to stick around for a little while which was a real treat for me. My wonderful husband was gracious enough to play tour guide for us. We spent a day in San Francisco eating clam chowder bowls and checking out the sea lions, went to Old Sac and enjoyed the beauty of the city, and even made it to a RiverCats game!
From California, we flew into New Orleans and spent the night there. Ben showed me around the city and introduced me to Jazz at Preservation Hall, parades, oysters at Acme, and beignets at Cafe du Monde. I'm hooked! Can't wait to go back.
We then took a little road trip where we were able to visit with Ben's family in Mississippi. We both absolutely love it there and the company is just as wonderful. It was so nice to meet the extended Sandel family and listen to stories from past times. Of course, Mississippi also has a big spot in our hearts because it was where we got engaged in 2011.
Unfortunately, a hurricane hit New Orleans the day our flight was supposed to leave for Virginia so we had to leave Mississippi a day early and make a detour in our trip. Although sad and frustrating, it was fun to just go with the wind and stop at random places to eat and sleep. We ended up going to Memphis, Tennessee and Little Rock, Arkansas before we got on a plane back to Norfolk. During the few days we had left in Norfolk, my mom threw us a going away party where family from all over came to wish us farewell. We had adobo and beans, cornbread, and potato soup - our favorite! Thanks mom for the delicious dinner! It still has us drooling!
We then went to New York and spent time with the Gottlieb side of the family. It was the first time I had been able to meet anyone up there, so it was a real joy. On our way from New York to New Jersey to visit Aunt Bernice, we got lost in Manhattan and ended up on some super traditional Chinese food. Ben loved it. Me, not so much. The experience was fun, anyway. From New Jersey, we headed down to Washington DC to go to the temple one last time before heading to Guam and spend the night with my dad and Cindy. Being an amazing husband, Ben took me to a Cubs game at Nationals Park with my parents. If there was any way to spend a last day in the States, it would be at a Cubs game with my dad, Ben, and Cindy. He won lots of brownie points for that one. Minus the fact that he was rooting for the Nationals.
We went back to Norfolk and started on our 23 hour trip to Guam. We flew back to DC and from there sat on a plane to Japan for 14 hours. Thankfully, we love traveling together. We played many games of UNO, watched a few movies, and ate lots of Ramen on our 14 hour flight to Tokyo. A three hour flight to our new home followed. Getting off of the airplane and seeing this "Hafa Adai" sign as we went to get our luggage was so refreshing. We had moved to a tiny island on the other side of the world and we were really excited.
In early September, after being married for about 8 months, we finally had a place to call home and more time together. It took a couple of months to get settled in and in the swing of things but soon after Ben started getting comfortable at work, I got a job at the DoDEA school on base, became SCUBA certified, and we've made many wonderful friends. Ben started bow-hunting pigs and deer about a month ago and is loving every minute of it. We're still waiting for that one big pig to make it home to our freezer. We spend most of our weekends and holidays in the water or out on hikes looking for beautiful views.
This is how we rang in our New Year.
Happy New Year to our friends and family! May 2013 bring many blessings to you!
One of my favorites thus far is the soursop. The ones I've found so far were a little larger than a softball, like the one in this picture that I stole from the interwebs. My hunting partner, Mike Reyes, pointed it out to me during one of our forays into the jungle. He said to place it in a paper bag at home for a few days and let it ripen. I did this, and when I pulled it out of the bag, it was soft to the touch and the skin peeled off easily, revealing a white, slimy flesh. I think it tastes like juicy Sour Patch Kids, but Mandi's not too fond of it, mostly because of the texture. Not being sure what to do w/ it, I turned to YouTube, where this Jamaican lady taught me how to make it into a drink using some water, vanilla extract, lime juice, and sweetened condensed milk. It is AMAZING. At least I think so. Like a magical, sour, sweet, milkshake.
We've enjoyed the sweet, firm local bananas. One experiment which was particularly interesting was making a salad from a banana flower (the flower that blooms below a bunch of bananas, like the picture to the right). Again, we watched some videos online and learned how to prepare a coleslaw-type salad that Mandi completely loved, but which I thought was kinda just "eh". The pictures below show some of the process. I'll admit, though, it was a fun experiment.
