Sunrise

One of the sweetest spots to watch sunrise just across the Golden Gate bridge at Marin Headlands.

Gobble Gobble

Dang. Now I know why they called the bike race "Tough Love" up Mt. Tapochou. Not even your mama can help you! Call us insane to run up those steep gravel hills at 6 am on a Holiday but it was so much fun. My calves were on fire. We ran the Turkey Trot Race from Lower base to Capital Hill all the way up Mt. Tapochou on Thanksgiving Day. The run up was a killer but what a spectacular view from the top!

What I love most about training and doing these races is that you get to meet alot of cool people on the island. The sports community on Saipan is huge and I just love how active everyone is here. I've made friends from beach volleyball, scuba diving, soccer, swimming . . . you name it! It was good to see alot of familiar faces.

The Piersons and Moreno also came out to do the Turkey Trot. My only goal was to make it to the top alive! The song that kept me going was Till I Colapse by Eminem. Its a song about digging deep inside yourself and finding something that you thought you never had to give you that second wind. The run was tough but the reward was worth it: another stunning sunrise.
I think the Turkey Trot is a great tradition to keep up on Thanksgiving day. Back home in California my friends and I had the Turkey Bowl! A bunch of us would come together and play a friendly game of flag football before we all celebrated Thanksgiving with our families.


********Gobble Gobble*********

This year I got to celebrate Thanksgiving twice. Lunch at the Blaylocks and Dinner at the Maycocks. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for obvious reasons: great eats and having the chance to spend time with those you love and care about. Though I really miss my family back home in California I still am fortunate to have my Saipan family. Here's some pics of our dinner at the Maycocks. We had a yummy potluck dinner and the best pumpkin, cherry, and apple pies!








Here's some pics from my lunch at the Blalocks. Sara and Kelli made a traditional Thanksgiving meal from scratch and it was so yummy! I really loved Sara's home made cranberry apple sauce and the turkey was cooked to perfection. At the end of our meal we went around the table and talked about the things we were thankful for. Everyone had some heart felt thoughts and funny things to say. Love hanging out at the Blalocks because there is never a dull moment! Right, Harry?!





As I look back on this year I realize that I have so many things to be thankful for. Here's my list in no particular order:

My faithful flossing patients, for making me feel what I do matters.

My jack hammer Handy Dandy Cavitron tool, for helping me get this betel nut crap off my patient's teeth everyday. My hand would really die if I didn't have this tool. (Pictures taken with patient's consent. Look away if you can't stomach these pics)





My ipod, for helping me escape my daily grudges. Music does wonders.

The internet, for letting me explore and discover things and amazing sites that I never thought I'd ever get to experience.

My health, I'm so lucky to be able to do the things I love to do.

My family, for always being there. I'll be home soon.

Manang Janice, Angie, Mel, and Rae, for being my life lines.

AC, for helping me snooze at night.

Mandi Asian Spa, for the infinite pool that over looks the ocean.

Truoung's Viet Restaurant, for their yummy avocado smoothies.

Tre, for the best deep tissue massages.

Saipan SDA Youth, for lifting my spirits every week.

Friday Night Bible Study buddies, for your encouragement and your insights about a loving God that does exist.

Moretti, for making me smile and laugh everyday.

Scuba buddies, for being my guardian angels and experiencing a whole new world with me.

Java Joes, for your iced Chai drink.

Saipan, for her sunsets and sunrises that put my soul at ease.

Sunrise Catchers & Dolphins

There are great rewards in being an early morning riser. One of them is catching a sunrise on Saipan. Funny how you'd think catching a sunrise is relaxing but sometimes racing down Middle Road at 5:30 am to make it in time is stressful! Sunrise usually is around 6 am. My favorite place to catch sunrise so far is Bonzai Cliff in the Northern part of the island. Its about a 15 minute drive from where I live.

It's true that no two sunrises are ever the same. Some of them are electrifying and some just peak through the clouds. Its rainy season and the clouds are out. If you're patient and willing to wait sometimes in the rain to see when the morning sun breaks through the clouds . . . it is a spectacular site. I don't know how anyone can live on this island and not experience a sunrise atleast once a week. If I could, I'd watch it everyday but I'm usually swimming or running that early.

Monday morning Greg and I spotted a pod of atleast 20 Spinner Dolphins making their way across bonzai and towards Bird Island!! How lucky were we. They looked really small but really playful. We were so excited since this was the first time we ever saw dolphins in Saipan! Sorry no pics of the dolphins. They were hard to capture since they blended in with the waves. We also saw two turtles below us just riding the waves.

There is this other spot near bonzai where the fishermen sit above the cliffs and fish. I really love this spot because it gives you a clear view of the sunrise, bonzai cliff, and suicide cliff. You also can dangle your feet while sitting on the cliff ledge which is about 100 ft from the waves crashing below. Such a sweet site.

Holidays In Saipan

I love living in Saipan because we not only get government holidays but we get the Catholic holidays as well! Thanks to the Cathollics I get a three day weekend. In the years I have worked I have never had Good Friday off in the states.

So Friday instead of sleeping in like a normal person would, I woke up at five o'clock in the morning to watch the sunrise with Grant and the other missionaries at Bonzai Cliff. It wasn't too long ago that Grant saw a whale and her baby surfacing up near Bonzai Cliff. We were hoping we'd catch a glimpse of them again. We weren't so lucky this time but I did enjoy having an early breakfast hearing the waves crash on the rocks below us while watching the sun light up the morning sky in pink and coral hues.

Life is good.