Move to Dyess... November 2012

Well, it's the summer of 2015! It has been a long time since my last blog... ok about 4 years! LOL! What can I say? Life got crazy and I got busy. I had full intentions of blogging everyday when I started this... OOPS! Please forgive me.
Since my last post we moved to Dyess AFB, Abilene Texas in November 2012. Leaving Guam was both exciting and very hard. It was a tiny island full of memories and great friends. We will always have a special place in our hearts for that island. We vacationed in Hawaii for 2 weeks on our way here. We got to see family and the Guzman's.
Once we got to Dyess our mission to buy our first home started. That was one of the most stressful events ever... buying a house is a long process and the Air Force doesn't give enough time. Thank goodness we started the pre-approval and loads of paperwork before we even left Guam. It was a huge help. Here is the house we found and decide was the best fit for us. We wanted something a tad bit bigger, but what can you do when you have limited time and homes available? This is perfect and we are blessed. I even got a cute ladybug house key. :)

 

The boys transitioned very well into their new schools: Darrien ended his freshman year at Cooper High School and Daelin finished up his 5th grade year at Dyess Elementary School. I am so proud of both of them and am happy that they have made some amazing friends. Darrien jumped right into basketball at the school. Daelin had to wait until football started. He joined the Eagles and continued to be a beast on the field!



 

I finally found a JOB at a local church working with wonderful ladies as a Mother's Day Out teacher. It was only twice a week, but I really enjoyed it and it got me out of the house a little.

 

Daniel left on what we hope to be his last deployment in July 2013. I then decided I needed to add something else to my day other than the daily duties of being a mom with two active boys... I got another part-time job at Target! It was just a seasonal job through the holidays... however they asked me to stay! Keep in mind I came to Texas still going to school to finish my elementary education degree (only 3 classes left). YES, I know I've been going to school forever. All in God's timing! 

New Year's Eve 2011

Well, we are still in Guam and as you can tell it has been awhile since I have blogged about anything! Life... you got to love it!
We are still enjoying life on the island. The boys are still playing football and basketball. Both are doing well in school (most of the time).
Daniel is still doing the same... working, playing his PS3, and always finding ways to change his Lexus.
I finally got a JOB! I started in September... I LOVE IT!

I hope 2012 brings everyone happiness and good health.

Here are the pictures of Daelin...they are both #24! Doesn't he look too small to even be on the field! The boy has no fear! In the third picture, he is about to take down one of the bigger boys on the field. I love it!

Yigo Jets Football

Since the 1st of August we have had two football games every weekend. Darrien and Daelin love being on the football field. They make Daniel and I very proud parents. We have been told by numerous coaches that our boys are easy to coach, because they listen and want to learn. That is so exciting! Darrien's team didn't have a winning season, but they all had fun and gained knowledge, and experience for the game. More importantly, great friendships! Daelin's team did finish second in his division. Since it was his first year, we are very excited with his dedication and willingness to learn and work as a team. As an ending to the season they both made the All-Star teams! We are so happy and proud of both of them and look forward to next season!
Here are some of my favorite pictures I was able to snap during their games.

One year in Guam today! WOW!

We have been in Guam 1 year! It's has gone so fast I can't believe it! So much has happened since I last blogged...time gets away from all of us in the hustle and bustle of life. I apologize for the lack of dedication in this area. I know it's important to some of you and look forward to seeing what we are up to, especially the boys! My goal I to get better, I promise!
As l look back on the last year I still remember the feeling I had when I got off the plane at 2:30 am. I don't think I will ever forget it, I was scared and nervous. That is when it hit me that our new life as started and I wasn't as ready as I thought. I worried that my boys wouldn't adjust to their new school and make friends. I had a lot of "what if's". Needless to say, my boys adjusted better than me and when I say my boys I refer to all 3 of them! :) They love it here and have love the last year. There is still many things we need to do and see while here and I just hope that life doesn't slip by and we miss our opportunity. Guam is a very nice place to live, and has many things to offer. For now this is our home and we will make the best of it while here. Love to all!

Yigo Jets in the Liberation

Here are a few more pictures of the Yigo Jets in the parade.

July 21, 2009 - Guam Liberation Day Parade

The boys got to be apart of the Guam Liberation Day Parade! They marched in with their football league Guam National Youth Football Federation (GNYFF). This new league is trying to get get the word out that they exist so they thought the parade would be a great way to advertise! The league consists of four teams: Yigo Jets, Angels, Raiders, and the Giants.
For those of you that might not know, Japanese forces landed on Guam just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, taking control of it until U.S. forces recaptured it in July of 1944. Marking July 21 — Guam's official Liberation Day holiday. With that being said, Guam is very proud of that day and celebrates with a parade, fireworks, and the Liberation Carnival at Paseo Park. It is much like the Mountain Home Air Force Appreciation Day Parade, but on a much BIGGER scale.
This was our first Liberation Day Parade, and to be in it was a blast! Something we all will remember.
The theme this year was "WE ARE GUAM". The floats were so beautiful. Take a look at the pictures and you will see what I am talking about.

June 29, 2009-First day of wearing all gear!

Here are a few pics of the boys in all their gear. Each Jet player had to have completed 10 days of training before wearing all the gear. The first day was rough! They both came home with headaches. This is the first year for the Yigo Jets so all the equipment is new, so they are the lucky ones to break it in. I feel bad, but they are being troopers about it. We spend the evenings soaking in a warm tub and icing sore areas. We love that they love the game, it makes Daniel and I so very proud! The games start in August so be on the look out for MORE pics!

Football Equipment Issue

Today both Darrien and Daelin got issued their football pads and helmets. They are both very excited to play this year. It is Darrien's third year, while it's Daelin's first. Watch out for a ton more pictures as the season begins! Enjoy these photos we got of them today.

Andersen Elementary School - End of Year Awards Ceremony

On June 10, Daelin had his end of the year ceremony. Each student gets an award based on each of their unique personal qualities. Daelin was recognized as the friendship student in his class. He also was recognized for his reading counts points of 142! His teacher set a goal for him at 100. We are very proud of him, and look forward to seeing what he accomplishes in 2nd grade.

On June 11, Darrien had his ceremony. Darrien received his certificate of promotion, the citizenship award, and the PE central challenge (which means he successfully completed 4 of the 6 PE challenges). He said if we were here all year he would have had all 6! Bummer! Lastly, he got the President's Education Award. We are so proud of him as well. The ending of 5th grade means the start of middle school here in Guam. We are excited to see him succeed as a 6th grader. He is excited to be apart of the sports program and taking intermediate band.

Ritidian Point Beach 2

Here are some of the boys playing!

Ritidian Point Beach

Today was the last day of school! YEAH, we made it through another school year. We decided to kick it off by going to another new beach. My friend Paula and her boys took us. It is their favorite beach. It was just as peaceful as Haputo, but without the 3/4 mile hike down! I loved it! You can even snorkle there! Which is something the boys and I want to try. We just have to get the gear. Here are some pictures of our day! Two of them are of the beautiful black butterflies that greeted us as we approached the area. It felt like we were in a butterfly habitat there were so many!

Daelin's 1st grade end of the year project

At the end of each school year the 1st grade team transforms their classrooms into different habitats. Then different classes come to visit them and listen to their presentations. Daelin's class is very interested in dinosaurs, so the teacher decided that was going to be their habitat. Specifically the Mesozoic Era! Others teachers habitats were the farm, ocean, rainforest, etc.

Each student had to chose a different dinosaur to research. Daelin chose the Daspletosaurus. This is his research report.

Daspletosaurus

by Daelin Campos

My dinosaur's name is Daspletosaurus which means "frightful lizard". Daspletosaurus was a large, meat-eating reptile. It ate the meat of other dinosaurs, so he was a carnivore. The Daspletosaurus lived in marches and swamps. Daspletosaurus lived between 73 and 80 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period.

It was 9 ft tall and 26-33 ft long. The Daspletosaurus was on top of the food chain. Daspletosaurus had two fingers on each hand. It had tiny horns behind its eyes.

Daspletosaurus is related to the Tyrannosaurus-Rex. He had a massive skull that could reach up to 3 meters in lenght on a short s-shaped neck. Daspletosaurus was like a little brother to a T-Rex.

Here are a few pictures that I took of the presentations. The first one is of the bamboo that the class painted. I never thought at first grade they would have done this many projects! I love it!

Haputo Beach 2

More pictures of when we finally got to the beach! It is so peaceful and instantly makes you relaxed and feel refreshed! We were the second family there on this day. The boys picked up sea cucumbers or sea slugs and we saw fish. Wonderful day!

Haputo Beach

On Sunday, we decided to take a hike down to a beach that plenty of people have spoke about. We haven't had the time to go to the beach lately, so we were more than ready! This particular beach is located on the smaller Navy base about 10 minutes away from us. Alot of people we have met considered it their family favorite beach spot. That made me even more intrigued to visit! As I mentioned, it is a hike to get down there. If we had younger children, I do not think we would be able to visit. The boys had a blast with the hike and the fun once we got down. It is so secluded and calm that it is now our favorite beach so far! Take a look at the pictures and you will understand. It is just beautiful!

The first picture is of the opening to the beach after the hike, and one of the water is from up high, close to where the hike started.