Good Luck Manta Band, We ARE Proud of You!

Four out of the five Manta Band students left to Guam for the '08 Beijing Olympics on Monday. There was no fan fare, no media, no big production. Too bad. I would have thought we'd give these kids a nice send off, after all they are headed to a once in a lifetime opportunity; one they've earned through tireless practice, dedication and talent. It's a good thing for us that they have enough intrinsic motivation not to notice they seem to come second fiddle, pardon the pun. I sound like I'm complaining, but I am. I wonder how different a send off kids would get if they were say, part of an athletic competition. It isn't just musicians who get left out, I've noticed that our drama students also don't get the recognition we should offer them. Our tiny islands are filled with remarkable talent. We have so many talented athletes, thespians and artists of all genres. The future is not far and it belongs to them. Let's not forget that.
We took Tony to dinner before heading to the airport. He'll be staying with a family on Guam for the entire summer honing his skills for the Olympics. We figured we'd fill his tummy and his heart before putting him on a plane. Last night we all realized how much we already miss him. He's such a wonderful kid, loving son and great big brother. I'm not just saying that because I'm his mother. The boy is gold.
The family came to the airport to say "good luck" to Tony, but it was hardest on Kimi, his girl. Two great teenagers, we are so lucky. It wasn't hard to give up the last hug to his girlfriend. Well, it was a little new, a little scary, but not at all hard.
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Peace from Papago!

And I left out this one little thing

If you asked for an invite to visit Divorce is Grand, please send me an email or give me your address. In broken Ing-glish: I nit you address fan. My address can be found on my profile page. I got you Kirida!
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Check out my baby's new hair. She'll be 13 in July, and I'll be darned if I know where all the time went.
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Val and Chris, we miss you. We had such an awesome time together and I am so glad that Val actually got hold of the mic and sang with us - Yay!!! It was such a blast meeting my honey's BFAM. It felt like we'd known one another for years, and boy did we pack some good times in a matter of days, literally folks, days. It all began when......
I went on a random errand, not suspecting anything fabulous would happen and I get this call, " Hon, where are you? Because MY BEST FRIEND CHRIS IS HERE!!!!" The excitement in Wayne's voice was so genuine and heartfelt I couldn't help but smile. "Please pick him up and bring him and his girl up." So I drive to the hotel to Chris and Val, who I've never met looking like I stepped off the tractor at the ranch and I see two people walk out smiling. Chris is grinning from ear to ear and just as excited to be seeing Wayne. Val says he fidgeted the whole time waiting for me to get there.


We have a great day that turned into an wonderful evening of listening to them reminisce about good, funny and downright scary times. But, scary times are all over baby! We decide the good times are here to stay.


Val's never had Korean food before so we eat at Wol Mi Jung, and laughed the night away. We grabbed a night cap at Naked Fish, and then headed over to the Red Box for some karaoke fun. Val said she never sings. Yeah right. By the end of the night we were hoggin' that mic. Step aside Mr. Kaipat, Mrs. Kaipat's signing the next big CD :) We can't wait to see you again Chris and Val. Thanks for the company and the laughter!!

I forgot to mention

My "other" blog, ahem, the one that started out as something and ended up a divorce journal, is only open by invite.  I had to protect myself from scorpions and so, if you frequent Breathe...breathe (now entitled Divorce is Grand), please let me know by dropping a comment and I'll add you to my list of trusted readers.  I know the military ladies out there that provided so much support often drop by too, so please let me know if you are still willing to travel a different road with me.  

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Negligent blogger.  That's me.  I've been quite busy with life, but I've documented some of it and I'll be posting when this nasty bout of tonsillitis clears up and my fever's gone too.  

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Sorry Ed, for not making it to the forum.  By the way, I guess CUC is now rationing water too?!   We had to have some water delivered this morning.  What a way to start  a Sunday.  Basic human needs.  Basic.  Let's get that oversight hearing started!