Deployment

Aaron left early August for his 6 month deployment. We have been able to skype often (thank heaven for skype!).  He is doing well and going to be training alot of other military on medical things.  He's keeping busy that's for sure. Aaron is most definitely missed by all his friends and family here on Guam!  Distance makes the heart grow fonder and I'm really getting to learn what being a military spouse means. But hey, it's gonna make me stronger and make us both stronger in our marriage. It's not the easiest thing, but there are worse things to endure.  He's keeping busy and I've got plenty to keep my busy too. We have some wonderful friends and neighbors who I know I can count on. Even better, we are lucky enough to have Aaron's family stationed on Guam too. I know I can turn to them on a moment's notice if I needed it.  We have plenty of loved ones to keep me company and await Aaron's arrival home.  That's all that's new for the Christensen household. We can't wait for Aaron to get home! And we can't wait to get our little family started!

Fiji Recap

Shame on me!  I know what I wrote, and I completely slacked! I quickly posted pictures on facebook and thought it was a little redundant to blog about it. I don't really know how many stumble across my blog anymore, so I let it take the back burner.  Plus, the last few months have been so busy.  Aaron left in August for his 6 month deployment. I had alot going on with work, church, and our command's family group. Not complaining, because it helps the time pass.

So here it is. I created a slide show with a few pictures of our romantic trip to Fiji!  It was so nice to be away just the 2 of us and on a vacation for just the 2 of us.  I don't think we've done that since our honeymoon. The weather, the beaches, the couples massage, the atmosphere...it was all perfect! I'm so thankful we had that time together before he left. It meant alot to us both.

I hope you enjoy!

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Vacation for 2

In just a matter of a few days, we'll be on our way to our

Fiji Vacation for 2

I can hardly stand the wait!  I'll be sure to have lots of pictures and new posts!

We're off to more sun and beautiful beaches!

See ya when we get back!

Navy Achievement Medal

Aaron was recently awarded another Navy Achievement Medal. I was so excited to be there and be apart of this moment.  In January, he was called up by his command around 9:30 p.m. to go to the hyperbaric chamber (click here to learn more about chambers) because a local diver was experiencing serious (if not fatal) decompression sickness, "the bends."  I remember that night because he didn't come home until 6:30 a.m. The diver fully recovered from his injury.  When someone is sick like that, Aaron's job is to be in the chamber with the person during the entire treatment, essentially acting as the "doctor's hands." The reason why a doctor cannot go into the chamber is because it could impair their judgement.  Needless to say, I am very proud of my husband and of what he does.  He has worked very hard to get where he is in the military and I admire that about him. It was very special for me to be there and watch Aaron receive an award.

Plus, I will say there's something about watching my man in uniform pretty much do anything. Receive an award. Working. Training. Cleaning house-o.k., maybe that doesn't happen, but nothing wrong with a fantasy, ha!

Yup, sexy right here!

I LOVE YOU BABE!

Gignormosaurus

We went out for breakfast one Saturday morning to a local restaurant, Jan-Z's.  My husband likes to eat, a lot.  I don't know how or why he can eat so much, but he does and is proud of it.  This morning he wanted blueberry pancakes.  We heard the pancakes were huge, and the boy thought he could take on a stack of 3.  I remember the waitress coming around the corner with our order, it was literally a balancing act.  Good thing he didn't order eggs or hashbrowns.  The giant blueberry pancakes kicked his "arse" big time.  Never again will he order those, 1 should be fine our next visit. Good try honey.

Ritidian Point

We went exploring towards the north end of the island around Ritidian Point.  We had to drive down a steep mountain to get here; it was beautiful once we arrived at our destination. It feels like a secluded beach tucked away from tourism and other chaos. 

I most definitely see myself going back with cooler in tow, beach hat, beach chair, sunscreen, and a good novel.

Soak it up my friends!

The water seemed very low to me this time.  Guam's beaches are unique because the coral reef is several yards out from the shore.

 

I thought these cliff's were interesting.  There's a cave behind them, seems to make for a good "deserted island" mystery book, huh?

Or they could start a new series, "Lost: Where They Really Ended Up"

I was hoping to find a colorful starfish, but this is the closest "colorful" thing I stumbled upon.

Don't ask me what it is, I don't know.

Really?

It's been a month since I've posted, I hadn't even realized.  I do have some updates, but I don't know where the camera is (I think 'the boy' took it on his trip).  He gets home soon and then hopefully I'll be able to add a post or two. 

We're alive and well in Guam!

(I occasionally refer to my hubs as 'the boy', fyi)

Max

If I told you we staged this picture, then I'd be lying.  This is really what my dog believes. Hope this makes a good laugh for you. I sure think it's cute (and wrong that Max knows how spoiled he is.)

OH NO! The BIG 3-0

Last Friday, we celebrated Aaron's 30th Birthday at a little Italian restaurant (yes, on Guam) with several friends and family.   He really enjoyed spending the night with all the people he loves to be around.  I made his favorite dessert, Cheesecake!  For his gift I bought him a PJ38 Lightning, Model Airplane.  I wanted to give something extra special since you only turn 30 once.  Several months ago, we're watching the military history channel on a show about historic WWII planes.  He mentions this particular plane is his "ALL-TIME favorite" I made a mental note & tucked it away.  Then I remembered Aaron telling me as a kid his mother would buy model planes to keep him busy during the summer months, while she had to work.  Fortunately, I was able to find exactly what I was looking for & I could hardly wait to give it to him.   I hope he enjoys the plane!  He loves building things and I can't wait to post pictures of his beautiful finished product!! It might be a while since he's in and out so much.  I'm incredibly grateful that I am the one who spends birthdays with him.  He's a wonderful husband and treats me like a Queen! Aaron's an excellent provider for our family and will be a great dad.  I love his adventurous spirit and his deep sense of loyalty. I love his playful nature and generosity towards others.  There are dozens of qualities I admire about Aaron.  He puts up with me, so I gotta give him credit for that too : ) My goal was for him to feel as special as I think he is on this birthday!

I love you babe!

Happy 30th!

The Jeep.

It was a bittersweet weekend for us (mostly me). We sold Aaron's Jeep.  We wanted to get rid of it while in Guam, but I didn't see it coming this quickly. This Jeep has sentimental value to me since this was his car when we first met. We had a long distance relationship, so on weekends when he'd visit me I'd see him pull around the corner in that white jeep making my heart flutter. Or when I'd visit him in Panama City, FL, while he was in Dive School, we'd ride around that beach town with the top down drinking Sonic Limeades. I can't believe that summer was almost 4 years ago!  We had so much fun dating and falling in love.  It was def sad to see the jeep go, even though alot of  positive things will come from us selling it.  I'm a cheese ball and I know I'm being cheesy, it was sad to see a little part of our history go though.  On to new chapters, I guess.

 (unfortunately this is the only pic I had with the Jeep in it on our computer)

It's the oddest thing...

To not talk with your spouse, know where they are, how they are doing, when exactly they will be home.  Don't get me wrong it's not the first time we've been through this, it's just been a while since we've had to.  I wasn't exactly prepared this time around. I got so spoiled having Aaron home the last 8 months. He should be coming home soon (I think?). I really miss that boy.  I hope he misses me. 

Rota: Our island Getaway

This past week I was able to tag along with Aaron (& 2 other guys) on his "work trip" to Rota.  It's a tiny island (about half the size of Guam) approximately 50 miles north.   It was the perfect getaway!  Very much secluded and untouched by tourists, unlike Guam.   I cannot describe enough how beautiful this island is.   We loved our time in Rota and were even lucky enough to enjoy some of the locals as well.  We were also invited to attend a birthday party with some traditional Chamorro food. They were all very incredibly friendly & welcoming. 

I created a slide show with some of our pictures.

Make a Smilebox photo slideshow

 

 

WARNING:

PICTURES BELOW MAY CAUSE YOU TO BE INTENSELY JEALOUS.

AND I DON'T FEEL TOO TERRIBLY GUILTY ABOUT IT EITHER

 

 

 

Aaron & one of the other guys....hard at work

(I promise...they did work some while in Rota)

 

 

Yes the water is that clear & that turquois

The beaches looked like they were straight out of those Corona Commercials

Had to get a snapshot of myself on the beach!

The Bird Sanctuary

Along the other side of the island are cliffs where a variety of seabirds nest...

Below is where they all live, in the tops of trees.

Just a view from the bird sanctuary

Latte Stone Quary

I don't have much info of the history of why these quaries were important to the ancient Chamorros...I need to do some better reasearch. Either way they were pretty impressive

 

Fisherman's Cliffs

These were huge cliff where you could see the fish swimming below. My adventurous husband walked all the way to the tip...he really will give me a heart attack one day.

We could actually see some fishy's swimming! I couldn't believe how crystal clear the water was from the cliffs

Wedding Cake Mountain

(yup, it's supposed to look like a wedding cake)

At the airport they had these plane engines that were fished out from the ocean on display...kinda cool...kinda scary to think about too!

I hope you guys enjoyed the pictures as much as we enjoyed Rota.  I really have to pinch myself over & over again when I look at them. I can't believe we were actually there! It was a wonderful trip we shared together.

This snapshot really doesn't get old,  does it?

I have to pinch myself....

Aaron & I are spending a few days here on this insanely beautiful island of Rota (just north of Guam).  I cannot believe how serene this place is...more blogging to come about our little island getaway when I get back home in a few days!

Your Newest Scuba Diver!

Here we are descending to about 50 feet

I'm being very cautious...since i'm a scaredy cat

(L-R: Aaron, Me, Instructor)

 Still descending, Jackie, my instructor, gives me the "YOU O.K.?"  signal

I signaled back "I'm O.K."

GROUP PIC

My Scuba Class...I'm on the far right

One of the things I got to see on my first underwater trek

To put into words the feelings I had this past week... tension, anxiety, nervousness, stomach aches,  accomplishment,  pure awe,  excitement... there's so much bundled into this entire adventure.  We started off in the classroom to go over things we learned through bookwork & DVD. We hit the pool to practice our skills learned (i froze that night!!) and then 2 days of open water diving, again practicing just a few of the skills we learned in confined water. There were times I was so scared and wanted to quit.  I was on the verge of tears at one point, because I couldn't calm myself down. (I didn't cry..I pulled it together!).

It's such a unique feeling to breathe underwater and absolutely incredible to be among the beautiful sea life!! I really couldn't believe I was there...hundreds of fish swimming above me...around me...underneath me...it was exhilarating! Aaron was able to accompany us on the open water dives, which brought peace of mind to me. I am really happy we were able to experience my first dives together. I am so proud of myself for accomplishing this new thing I wanted to try! All of the nerves was worth seeing the most beautiful sea animals and plants on the planet. I can't believe I actually did it!

(just a side note-we also were able to see a huge pod of spinner dolphins while on the boat we used to scuba off...very very cool! there was even a baby dolphin! so cute)

Scuba Britney??

Today,  I begin my scuba diving certification class.  A little nervous I gotta say!  I had always planned on becoming certified when we came to Guam and made it a goal to have it done by the end of January (o.k., so I'm off by a week).   The hubs is very excited for me to finally get it accomplished.  I have to complete 'homework' from an instruction manual before class meets, and Aaron will occasionally ask "Have any questions?"  and has been really good with explaining things. ( Aaron has been diving hundreds of times,  knows a thing or two about it all and will thankfully be here to ease my fears)  I should complete my certification by the end of the weekend and ready to conquer the seas!  Well maybe not yet, I'm a bit of a 'scaredy cat' and probably won't go pass all the pretty coral and fish...that will satisfy my taste just fine.  We live on an island with some of the best diving in the world and I really can't pass the opportunity up, no matter how much of a chicken I may be. 

Another year older and wiser too

Yes friends, I have recently celebrated another birthday (eek!!).  Two of our neighbors & I have birthdays within like a week of each other.  They had been planning a birthday party together and surprised me by celebrating my birthday too.  It was so incredibly sweet of them to include me!  People were invited over, we had pizza and relaxed. They made a football birthday cake for us & we exchanged gifts. (our next door neighbors are from Alabama too...small small world) The hubs gave me a kitchen aid mixer! Man, I tell ya he spoils me way too much!!  It was a great night of celebrating! I'm such a lucky girl. I have a wonderful husband, terrific friends, and family who loves me.