Memorial Day Weekend

It has been quite the busy weekend, as you can tell from the 3 new posts trying to update you on everything. Yesterday, we enjoyed a picnic in the park, sponsored by the Services Squadron. There was Hawaiian dancing, a bouncy castle, cotton candy, live music, BBQ, a water slide, tug-of-war, door prizes, and lots of fun! Unfortunately, we did not win the free trip from Northwest Airlines, but that is OK.

As for today, we woke up early and headed South to CoCo's Island. Olivia has been begging for a boat ride, so we ferried to the island in a boat. Then, we ate some lunch, saw some exotic birds, played in the ocean, played in a pool, and swung on a tire swing. Unfortunately, Olivia is a bit sick, which meant she was really not quite herself and lacking some energy. She crashed as soon as we got back to the truck and got her in her car seat. All in all, it was a fun day. Enjoy the pics.

5 Year Anniversary

May 25th marked our 5 year anniversary! The years have gone by quickly! Of course, we celebrated in true Guam style -- we had a babysitter come watch Olivia so we could go out for dinner and a movie (Taco Bell, Cold Stone Creamery, and Pirates of the Caribbean). We were back home about 11:45, which is the latest we have been out in about 5 years! It is amazing to think of all the things we have done in those 5 years, and here's to the next 5 (and the next, and the next, and the next . . .)

Now Here's Something We Hope You'll Really Like

On May 24th, we had an appointment at Navy to have an ultrasound of the baby. Sure enough, there is one in there, and by the doctor's predictions, the due date will be Dec 20th. We were able to see the heart beat, and we were able to snag one picture of the little one. Enjoy!

I'm Back

Well, it has been about 2 weeks since the blog has been updated . . . and about two weeks since I've been off of the island. I just returned from a week in Vegas for training, and then I did a quick trip to MO. Vegas was nice, and I managed to lose only $40 (I only bet $40). All of the hotels were cool to see, but I did not take in any shows.

After the conference, I flew to MO to spend a couple of days. It was fun to see everyone and hang out and rest and relax. It went by really quickly though. When I returned to Guam, it was like Christmas for Olivia and Courtney. They had gifts from me, as well as from both Grandmas -- T-Shirts, dresses, shoes, outfits, toys, candy, etc.

I'm still a bit jet-lagged. In fact, I woke up last night about 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Hopefully, that will improve quickly!

We plan to spend Mother's Day at the beach tomorrow. Should be fun, and I hope to get some new pictures to post. Until then, here are a couple to hold you over.

A fun Weekend

Well, we spent the weekend mostly downtown. We had an appreciation dinner we attended on Friday night (mmmm, good food). We brought a babysitter who watched Olivia in the hotel until the event was over, then some friends took the babysitter home. We stayed the night in the hotel, and the next morning we played in the water park. We got a couple hours of fun in before it was nap time. So, we came home, let Olivia sleep, and then came back in the afternoon. Olivia was quite the little water bug. She went down the water slide (with her daddy) a couple times; she was sliding down a toy head first; she jumped off the side 50 times; and she swam in the hot tub. The rest of the weekend was filled with church and mowing the lawn.

Now, just need to get through this week before Mark heads to Vegas for a week! Yeah baby!

Pic of the Day

Look carefully!

Family Easter Picture

This was taken by a friend of ours on Easter Sunday. I had more pictures from this event, but the memory card fell out of the camcorder and was lost. Ugh! Enjoy this one though.

Easter Weekend

Easter weekend has been an eventful one. Although away from family, we managed to be quite involved this weekend. On Thursday, we participated in the Passover Sedar Meal in order to gain a greater understanding of the Last Supper. It is quite an intricate meal with lots of symbolism. You can find some information about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover_Seder.

On Saturday, we went to a base Easter egg hunt. Olivia did pretty well holding her own. After a good nap, we headed to the beach to hang out with good friends.

Then, on Sunday, we woke up at 5:00 a.m. to attend a sunrise service. We returned to the house to find where the Easter Basket was hidden. Olivia spent the next 3 hours eating candy. Then, we returned to the church for a children's church Easter message, followed by another Easter egg hunt.

We were pretty tired by then, so we came home and Olivia took a nap. When she woke up, we went to eat lunch downtown. After a good lunch, we went to Underwater World. I'm pretty sure the 20 lbs of candy Olivia had eaten provided enough energy for her to run through the exhibit and run laps around the aquariums over and over and over again!

When we returned home, we took the eggs we had colored and hid them outside. Olivia found 9 of 11 before saying she was done. She wanted to crack and eat them. Mainly, she wanted to crack them.

And now, at 6:00, she is ready for bed. Her parents aren't too far behind her. Here are a couple of pictures from the weekend. If you want more, you can always visit the the Yahoo pictures page by clicking the link on the right. Or, you can click here:
http://photos.yahoo.com/marktaylor14

Birthday Diving Pictures

As promised, here are the pics we took on our birthday dive.

Do I look 30?

Cute couple

Courtney Floating

Dolphins

Diversity!

Just hanging out

The sight of the day: White Tipped Reef Sharks x 2!

Hot Air

Well, it turns out the typhoon wasn't interested in hitting us. It turned north before reaching Guam. We spent most of the weekend preparing for it though. So, we'll be prepared for the next one. And, that means it is safe to go diving again!

Our little diver

TCOR 3

As of 11:00 a.m., we moved into TCOR 3 (Typhoon Condition of Readiness). This means we are expecting winds greater than 58 mph in the next 48 hours. That means we spent the day moving everything off of our front porch to inside, as well as securing down everything else. We also picked up all the loose coconuts. It will be interesting to see what the storm does in the next day. We'll keep you posted. Or, check this link: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/GUZ001.php.

A Night on the Town . . . on Base.

Mark & Courtney enjoyed a night out attending a graduation event for one of Mark's troops. It was a fun evening, and the troop even took home the most prestigious award of the evening! Courtney just loved dressing up. Mark liked the cake (like he hasn't had enough of that in the last 2 weeks).

Good looking couple!

The Visitor

This little creature showed up in our backyard the other day. I noticed him crawling across the lawn. At first I thought it was a snake. When I went out to take pictures, it scurried up the palm tree, got attacked by birds, came back down, and then jetted back into the jungle. You never know what you'll see!

A Monitor Lizard?

Birthday Bash

Well, the last couple of weeks have been all about birthdays. I believe Olivia thinks cake is a permanent fixture in our house now! On Sunday (25 Mar), we went to church before heading out on a boat dive. We went to Haps Reef first, and then we went to Barracuda Rock. Both dives were great, and we were able to see 2 sharks under a rock, a lion fish, and lots of other types of fish. I had an underwater camera, so hopefully we'll get some good pictures out of it. I was within 10 feet of the sharks. We also saw a bunch of dolphins as we went from one dive shop to the other!

When we returned, I had arranged a surprise birthday party for Courtney. Thankfully, a friend bought pizza and drinks and a cake while we were diving. Then, everyone met at our place. When we arrived, they all jumped out and screamed, "Surprise!" We quickly at some pizza, at some cake, and then opened some presents. It was a lot of fun. Hopefully the surprise party made up for where we ate on Courtney's real birthday (which was the 28th) -- a doughnut shop!

Well, as always, enjoy the pics, and more are on the way.

The Cake

The Cake + 35 candles

The Cake + 30 candles

Dirty 30s

Well, Mark's birthday has come and gone, and 35 really isn't too bad. It actually has its benefits in the Air Force. I don't have to do as many sit ups, push ups, or run as fast for the fitness test! Yeah! Courtney made a wonderful German Chocolate cake, which I ate 1/4 of in one sitting!



Now, we will celebrate Courtney's birthday next week as she turns 30. I don't think she is too upset over this, especially since she still looks 25!



We will celebrate this weekend with a boat dive. We'll try to take some good pics for you. Until then, enjoy these:

Time for some more pics

More pics

Remember Fish Eye? It's the place where you can go down into a building below the water and watch the fish and divers. It is also the place where Courtney, Wade, and Mark did a night dive. It is also the place where Courtney and Wade got to show off their diving skills to Olivia and Gerri, which were caught on camera.

Let the Pictures Begin

Ok, I thought I'd start putting up some of the pictures from Vacation Days. Enjoy!

Vacation Day #12 -- Last Day

Vacation Day #12: Thursday

I'm sure you noticed the theme here -- Mark worked.

The others? They were able to get down to Tarague beach one more time and play in the waves. Thursday night was a going away party of sorts -- burger burn! We fired up the the grill and made hamburgers and hot dogs. Many friends came by and brought other goodies. Gerri and Courtney got a lesson in how to make lumpia by Maria Cruz.

Unfortunately, the plane departed at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, which means arriving at the airport at 2:30. The great debate was whether to sleep a bit before leaving. We did, and Courtney drove her parents to the airport early, early, early for their 28 hour ride back.

The 28 hours did include a 12 hour layover in Japan though, and they bravely went into Tokyo to see the sights before hopping back on the plane. They safely arrived back in Springfield at 9:00 p.m on Friday (you lose a day flying back).

And that concludes the Vacation. Now, as soon as the pics start rolling in, we'll start posting them.