the RaMcCanSon family of 19 - go to Saipan

On Memorial Day Weekend... our husbands - Dale & Webb - planned a family trip to the island of Saipan. We stayed at the Pacific Island Club and enjoyed a relaxing family vacation all together! It was the first & the start of many get-togethers for our families.

Also on this trip - was my friend & neighbor - Sheila Cason & her family. It was so nice to spend a relaxing time together - vacationing and letting the kids enjoy a little get-away.

Sheila is an awesome photographer and captured Morgan wonderfully here as he was playing ping-pong on the PIC premises.

One of the highlights of this trip was - Sheila's hubby - John, taught our boys how to play on the giant chess set... it still is one of their favorite things to do since that trip! Thanks for teaching the kids, John... they love the wooden chess set you bought them! Too bad I didn't get a picture of you with them playing!!!

In the evening the kids enjoyed karaoke night... dancing and being up front. Dale sang a little Frank Sinatra (he's such an old soul)... and I loved hearing Beth & Webb sing their duet from the movie Music & Lyrics... what is the name of that song? Way Back To Love? Something like that.

The best part of the trip was just hanging out as adults as the kids ran around together. We enjoyed meals together and sat around talking with satifyed bellies! It's the simple things like not having to cook and clean up that I enjoyed most about this trip!!! Yeah!

Here's one of my favorite photo collages from our trip. No comment necessary... the pictures speak for themselves! How fitting that Beth's hubby is a Urologist... I should blow this one up for his office, what do you think?

Seven adults and twelve kids total... what a bunch. For that weekend we were the RaMcCanSon family. Ramirez . McCanse . Cason Families combined!

Here is a photo of all of us taken when we arrived back home to Guam. A fun and memorable trip!

Saipan (pronounced /saɪˈpæn/) is the largest island and capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean (15°10’51”N, 145°45’21”E) with a total area of 44.55 sq mi (115.4 km2).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saipan

HELD

If you were to ask me, as a Mommy - what my biggest fear would be... it wouldn't be snakes or spiders or heights or small spaces. Without a doubt, it would be losing a child. I did lose one, it was only 10 weeks old - and it was at my first ultra-sound when I knew... I had gone through 3 others to know when you look on that black & white screen there is usually a little flicker on it showing the baby's little heartbeat. There was none. I knew - before they even told me! I knew. I cried and there was a huge emptiness in my heart! There still is!  

 

One year later - there was Mia. Each pregnancy is a miracle. A gift from God! How incredibly blessed I am to be able to raise and train my children... not just in their daily activities... but also in their spiritual guidance. Ultimately leading them to Christ and daily praying that they will know HIM and allow HIS light to shine through them. 


  Just like I knew when looking at the ultrasound monitor... Our Father knows what our future holds. I pray for my childrens safety and for HIS guidance every day! I am thankful HE hears my prayers! He knows our hearts! He knows our future!


Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
I have not stopped thinking about our family & friends who have lost loved ones all too suddenly!



5 years ago - our friend ROB died serving in Iraq http://www.robsoltes.com/



** Hit the Pause button on the PLAYLIST BELOW to stop music - grab some tissue - because you'll need it - BEFORE STARTING VIDEO
Remembering Rob Soltes from David Matthies on Vimeo.



Almost 1 year ago - on July 15th - our little friend - Joshua "JR" died of an Asthma Attack at the young age of 9. - http://jrlipat.blogspot.com/



... just this year
my maternal grandma "LOLA" Decena

... and just recently, my cousins 2 year old son - Anton drowned in that terrible ferry accident in the Philippines!


This is a beautiful song by Natalie Grant called, HELD. I pray that we will always remember that even in the tougest times - GODS love will carry us through!



Held lyrics - Song by Natalie Grant Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling
Who told us we'd be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We're asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it's unfair
[Chorus]
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held
This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow

[Chorus]
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held

[Bridge]
If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our savior
[Chorus]
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held... We'd be held
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was when everything fell
We'd be held... This is what it means to be held.....

Across the Ocean... Happy 4th, America!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA... Living on Guam, Where America's Day Begins... our day is already coming to a close!

When was the last time you looked on a globe or on a map and found where GUAM is. It's that little DOT in the middle of the ocean! Far far away!! We're on that teeny tiny dot! Looking at this photo below reminds me of that Jason Mraz song, LUCKY - to hear it go down to my PLAYLIST and hit the play button.

DO YOU HEAR ME I'M TALKIN' TO YOU

ACROSS THE WATER ACROSS THE DEEP BLUE OCEAN

UNDER THE OPEN SKY, OH MY - BABY I'M TRYIN'

It's not fun being sick on a holiday weekend! Especially when there were so many get-togethers! When you're ON THE GO as much as we are... then this holiday weekend would've been considered a complete YAWNER. We caught up on a lot of sleep, that's for sure!

Oooh I had so many plans! But instead, Momma got some rest and relaxation and some great pampering! Massages from the hubby! NICE! He even cooked this weekend - which is always a treat for me! He's mastering his art of GRILLING... now if he can only cooked vegetables and make it a balanced meal - but I'm not complaining, I'm just sayin'!

I've enjoyed relaxing and tweeking the look of my blog... do you like it? I love the main page photo... isn't it so sweet? I may change it again... but for now I'm lovin' it. The kids have already changed so much since then.

Morgan has his braces off and probably grew another 3 or 4 inches since February - when the pics were taken. Ryan... okay - maybe Ryan is the same... I'm sure he's growing too... it's just hard to tell because of his gigantor brother! Dani's tooth grew in and her hair is longer now... and then there's Mia - her hair still is at a stand still... but she has added a few more teeth... and a lot MORE attitude!

Thanks Jeni Winegeart for the beautiful photos taken of our family back in February when my parents came to visit! This island isn't the same without you!

I want to THANK all our service men who are serving our country. Away from family & friends during this holiday weekend... and many other personal milestone events... such as birthdays, anniversaries or those 1sts that all children go through!

Dale recently put in a package for a deployment to GITMO - Guantanamo Bay - the base on Cuba. A ONE year deployment. We discussed his options and although there were others vying for the leadership position - there was always that MAYBE he might be selected! After 4 days from our discussion - we found out HE WASN'T SELECTED. ** BIG, no HUGE *sigh* of relief!! ** I won't lie - I had shed a few tears even before the decision was made... just the idea of him gone for a whole year made my heart ache! For now I am thankful and truly grateful that our family can continue to be together!

I think of our new friends and neighbors... THE MERCADO's. He's a physician serving in Afghanistan for over a year and we met via their blog prior to our move out here. (around the same time I met Amy M before moving here). It's amazing how these blogs work and how much they can pull families together and bond - because you can really get a glimpse of their personality... their life and who they are. While Mike was serving our country... his wife Gemma has managed to be a strong Military wife, care for her son Max, have a new baby girl (now 10 mo.) named Maya and spend quality time with her family back in California

Anyway - we've been car starters/house sitters for the Mercado's since we moved on the same street... and wouldn't you know it... my mom knows Gemma's side of the family. Being filipina and also Seventh-day Adventist - our world becomes very very small! I love that about our culture!

The times I would go to Mike & Gemma's house I would tell Mia, "Let's go to Max's house"! Mia LOVES Max's toys (because they're new to her) and always got so excited to go there. She's so sharp because we would get there and she'd look at me and question, "Where Max?"

We met and picked Gemma, her 2 kids & Mike's mom at the airport... along with a bunch of other SDA friends that she knows and worked with at the Guam SDA Clinic. (Gemma is a Family Practice Physician). After over a year she has returned home to Guam.



Taking time to pray and THANK GOD for a safe arrival!

WELCOME BACK HOME GEMMA! THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'VE SACRIFICED, too - WHILE MIKE WAS AWAY! Helping you guys while you were away seems like such a little thing to do compared to all you've had to endure, too! We look forward to having Mike back home too!

Finally, after 10 months of living here... these two have met & become fast friends! They toasted their water to the start of their friendship! Aren't they adorable? Mia can finally know Max. And what a sweet boy he is!

Don't Forget

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Celebrating 14 years...

Today we are celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary and it's a bittersweet celebration because we are missing our sweet Bella girl. Three days ago - on June 29th, my parents had to make the tough decision to let her rest! She would've been 14 years old in September. A long life for a dog. What a true blessing she was!

We had just moved to Italy (Sept 1995) and our neighbor picked her out for us from a box in front of the commissary. She said it was a "Welcome to Your New Home" gift. I was thrilled and fell instantly IN LOVE! Dale was ready to give her back! Obviously - my LOVE for this furry little pet soon rubbed off on him!

I could sit for hours just holding her, talking to her and petting her. Living in a new country and moving far far away from all my family & friends was a huge adjustment... having Bella made it much easier to cope with! She distracted me... and for the first 3 years - it was just Dale, Bella & I. It was the start of our family.

Having Bella prepared me to be a good mommy! She taught me how to be patient & how to love unconditionally! Bella was faithful until the end. She was great with the kids... even during their toddler years of fur pulling & tugging! Bella watched us bring home 4 children - she was a part of our family!



Today we celebrate our marriage... but also the LIFE OF BELLA and all the love she gave us throughout our journey together as a family. The journey that started 14 years ago! She takes with her a piece of my heart... and I still have tears in my eyes just thinking of her not with us anymore! Realizing that we will never see her again!

She is no longer suffering. No longer in pain. In the end she barely ate her food... couldn't walk down the steps of my parents motorhome... and had difficulty breathing. She was living with my parents in Florida - as the journey here to Guam would've been too much for her to handle at her age. It was hard to leave her behind. Daniella, who was probably the MOST fond of Bella was wishing that we could go back to visit her - and was recently asking if we would ever see her again. I think she knew that we were on borrowed time already!

I will always remember how she loved to play with a ball. Racquet balls were her favorite because she would chew on it until it popped! She could time the super bounce real well and catch it in mid-air!

I will always remember when my mom came to visit us in Sicily - we would go on the base and walk around the track. Bella would be off her leash and drop her ball... we would walk around a few times and then I would say, "Bell, where's your ball?" And she would go find it.

I will always remember she would always come in the bathroom when I sat down... knowing that she had my full attention. If I didn't pet her right away... she'd put her muzzle under my hand and flick my hand up so it landed on the top of her head.

I will always remember how we locked ourselves out (while living in Sicily) and I called her through our glass front door and within a few seconds she had unlocked the door... seriously - she did, it was so amazing!

I will always remember how you would run with your hind legs a bit sideways... it was a Bella signature run.

I will always remember coming home to find you shaking (again in Sicily) because our house had been broken into and you had a bump on your shoulder area - probably from being hit with something. I didn't care what was taken... I was just happy that Bella was safe.

I will always remember how you HAD to bark whenever the doorbell rang... it drove me crazy! And how thunderstorms made you so scared! You would shake in your boots even before we even heard the thunder...

I will always remember how I taught you how to "smile" and you showed your teeth... you only did it a few times... but it was cute.

I will always remember all the tricks you learned... sit, shake, stay, hi-5, turn around, bow, smile, speak, crawl, roll over, fetch.

I will always remember how much you LOVED cheese!

I will always remember how you would tilt your head and put your ears up whenever I would say, "Bella where's the squirrel?" or "Bella, you want some cheeeeeesssseee?"

I will always remember how much you LOVED to swim in the beach... in the creek... anywhere there was water!!!!

I will always remember YOU!

THANKS AMY for this beautiful poem posted on my Facebook page:

LAST NIGHT
I stood by your bed last night; I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying you found it hard to sleep.
I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear,
"It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."
I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea,
You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.
I was with you at the shops today; your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.
I was with you at my grave today; you tend it with such care.
I want to re-assure you, that I'm not lying there.
I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you; I smiled and said, "it's me."
You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.
It's possible for me, to be so near you everyday.
To say to you with certainty, "I never went away."
You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew...
in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.
The day is over... I smile and watch you yawning and say "good-night,
God bless, I'll see you in the morning."...
And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide,
I'll rush across to greet you and we'll stand, side by side.
I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out...then come home to be with me.

- Author Unknown