Flat Stanley Visits Gef Pa'go

Dear P's 2nd grade class,

Hafa Adai! (That means "Hello!") Our 2nd grade class took Flat Stanley with us on our field trip to Gef Pa'go - a replica of an ancient Chamorro village. Chamorros are the native inhabitants of Guam. They are proud of their culture and their language, and they love to teach visitors all about ancient Guam.

Flat Stanley looks out over the bay.

Learning to twist smaller rope or twine.

Sitting on a hand-carved caribou in the historic Leon-Guerrero home.

Learning how to throw a fish net.

Putting the instructions to the test. I managed to catch 1 "fish" (represented by the coconut shells).

Learning how ancient Chamorros twisted the bark of the wild hibiscus tree into small ropes, then twisted the 3 small ropes into a large rope.

We also learned how to weave using palm fronds and how to make coconut candy. We cheered for hermit crabs (first crab to crawl out of the circle wins) and had a few tug-of-war matches. We enjoyed our trip to Gef Pa'go and hope your class enjoys learning about it.

For more information about Gef Pa'go go to www.visitguam.org. Click on Sites Guide, Southern Guam, and then #69 Guam Historical Village at Gef Pa'go Park, Inarajan. Inarajan is one of the villages in Guam. Back on the mainland, you would call them cities.

Sincerely,

Michenna and her 2nd grade class

Athena - Goddess of Wisdom and War

I have a few minutes before my first student shows up - so here are the Halloween pics:


Presenting Athena - Goddess of Wisdom and War (not to be confused with Aphrodite, because "[W]ho wants to be the goddess of beauty and love? Goddess of Wisdom and War is so much better." Hooray, Michenna! I'll remind you of that in 6 or 7 years.) Medusa's head is on the shield.

Michenna reading her bat story at school just before her first book report EVER!

The chocolate rats I made for the Halloween party (I couldn't bring myself to try one):

Halloween was very pleasant this year. It was only about 78 degrees outside with a gentle, cool breeze. (Is this the part where I get to laugh maniacally?) We love living on Guam!

I Love to See the Temple (or What I Did on my Summer Vacation)

One of my favorite things about our trip home (aside from actually being home - and Target) was being able to see some temples that I had not seen before. We started at the Seattle Temple, which was under construction (as you can see in the picture). Michenna took the "engagement pose" picture of Spencer and me. Of course, I never would have worn that jacket in an engagement picture. :)

Also in Seattle, we visited the aquarium (not our favorite) and found a carousel for Michenna to ride.

Next, we drove by the Boise Temple, but we weren't able to stop - mostly because it was right off the freeway and we were in the wrong lane. Michenna drew a beautiful picture of the temple, but I can't find the sketch book . . . so we'll move on to Salt Lake City.

Okay, I've seen this temple before. But it was fun to do a few family pictures.

Next we have the Saint George Temple (yes, I've seen it, too):

At the Albuquerque temple, Michenna learned all about potato bugs. She had never seen a roly-poly before! What a sad comment about her childhood thus far . . .

We took a picture of Michenna and Spencer that turned out really well. We also got a good picture of Michenna and me with the sign.

While we did go to the temple in Dallas, we did not take any pictures there. So I'll post my favorite pics from home.

Pretty as a princess . . .

Working out with water weights . . .

Hypnotized by the DS . . .

And last of all, a picture of Spencer and me back in Guam all dressed up at the Change of Command Dinner. Aren't we cute?

I think I covered August and September now. I'll post the Halloween pics later.

All She Wants for Christmas . . .