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Wow! I can't believe the school year is over already! The last day of school was on Wednesday. Yesterday we spent the day cleaning the coffee shop (I am managing HeBrews Worldwide cafe in addition to computer work.)

 

Dr. Ollila (Chancellor of Northland Baptist Bible College) is here to speak at our graduations. We had a Northland reunion with him and all our staff that went to school and/or worked at NBBC. A few of us brought a bunch of yearbooks and it was great fun reminiscing! Two of the staff kids have an NBBC grad for a teacher. He is completely bald (he shaves it). The kids found his picture in the yearbooks and ran around showing everyone exclaiming, "Look at Mr. Dyck with hair!"

 

Yesterday I arrived home before my roommate and was working on a project. When she came in, she asked, "How ya doin?" I squeaked, "Fine." I had been fine all day until she asked & we discovered I was losing my voice!

 

This morning I felt really gross, so I stayed home and worked on projects from here, Working on the couch was so much more appealing than working at my desk under the freezing air con! (I love my laptop!)

 

I wasn't really feeling up to going, but the HeBrews staff had plans to go to lunch today. I didn't want to miss it! We're losing several of our staff so we wanted to get together before everyone goes their separate ways. We went to Jamaican Grill. Mmm... I didn't realize what time it was when we left, but we were almost to the restaurant & we were 20 minutes early. We drove around for a little bit to kill some time. We were almost back to JG when I got a radio call - I had forgotten one of the staff who was going to ride with me! I felt horrible! I'm blaming it on being sick and my brain not totally functioning! The funny thing was..I had two of the staff with me & felt I was forgetting something. It wasn't a "something", it was a "someone"! After JG we went to Cold Stone for ice cream. I love Cold Stone. I got "Candyland". It's cake batter ice cream with Snickers, Kit Kat and M&Ms mixed in. My other favorite there is "Birthday Cake Remix".

 

After I got back, I was supposed to have a meeting, but it got cancelled. I came back home to rest and get a little more work done. But mostly I've been resting. I need it!

Saturday I went to a party for some friends who are moving back to the States. Guess who was there? None other than the governor of Guam! I didn't get a chance to talk to him, but my friend told him he saw him on TV with Elmo! Governor Camacho laughed! (He's on a PBS spot with Elmo.) He didn't even know it had aired yet!

Work has been stressful lately. Deadlines galore. Long hours. (I'm thankful for my laptop so I at least don't have to stay at work all the time!) Even though it's not true, it seems there is no end in sight.

 

So....when you live on a tropical island, what do you do for stress relief? Head to the nearest hotel on the beach...do not pass go...(you can collect the $200 though, if the opportunity presents itself!)...grab a sandwich...and park yourself in front of the nearest window and watch the sun set! (Now, I could have gone out on the beach, but I had a ton of work to get done, so I figured I'd rather sit here than at home or at work! At least the scenery was beautiful!)

 

I've lived here almost a year now. I don't make it to the beach very often. I've only seen a few ocean sunsets. They are beautiful and pictures don't do them justice! I don't think I've ever just sat and watched the sun drop over the horizon either. You can literally see it shrinking and then...it's entirely gone!

 

I think in a little bit I'll head downstairs and see if I can get a chair massage at the spa to loosen up the knots in my shoulders!

 

Check out the photos that show the progression of the sunset. The window was a little dirty, so there are smudges.

I can't believe how long it's been since I've updated my blog. Life has been hectic. I should be in bed right now...but I have to stay up and talk to some companies in the States. I hope I don't sound like a blubbering idiot. I'm getting really sleepy!  

 

Sunday afternoon I was walking along the sidewalk, minding my own business, lost in thought as I walked home to get something. I heard a loud crunch beneath my feet. I thought...some kid dropped food on the ground...I stepped on a cockroach...nope...when I turned around to see (against my better judgement!) I saw a squished skink (lizard) on the sidewalk. He had run under my feet as I was walking along. I hadn't even seen him! What was worse, he was still alive! He was looking at me, wagging his tail, but his midsection was smeared all over the sidewalk. Ugh! It was nasty. I probably should have put him out of his misery, but I couldn't bring myself to go back and do it! I almost got sick as it was! (I had been sick Saturday night, and my stomach still didn't feel the greatest.) I felt bad for the poor little guy. Usually the skinks stay out of your way. They run at the first sight of you.

A friend I used to work with was convinced I knew everyone and he used to tell me I could go to Africa and run into people I know! Well, I haven't been to Africa yet, but I live on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific. Believe it or not, I run into people I know!

 

Last week I ran into a guy that is stationed on one of the military bases here for a month. We were freshmen in college together. I really didn't know him, but recognized him when I saw him.

 

Today, at the grocery store, 10,000 miles from where we first met, I ran into someone I hadn't seen in about 9 years!

I filed my Guam taxes online tonight. It was easy & painless. Took about 15-20 minutes. Very user friendly. I give it a thumbs up! No direct deposit, but being able to fill it out online is a big step in the right direction! It beats going to stand in line at Rev & Tax. (See my blog entry about getting my driver's license.)

 

Now the wait begins to see if I get the money within the next year! I've heard horror stories about people waiting over a year for their refund. Rev & Tax is making strides and trying to get refunds back quicker than that. We shall see.