Island Reflections: A Special Trip to the Mainland

Living on Guam has forced Josh and I to miss many special occasions with family and friends. We've missed holidays, graduations, weddings, births, etc. and it pains us to not be a part of these special times. However, it has made the occasions we've been able to share all the more special. Last summer, we were fortunate to be able to attend my dear cousin Melanie's wedding in Laguna Beach, CA. On August 1st, she married Ryan, a wonderful guy that we were able to get to know and love when we lived in San Diego. Josh and I had a blast catching up with family at the wedding, and I was even able to take a few days to visit my Uncle Ferol in Sacramento with my parents. The flights to and from the States (aka mainland) weren't exactly fun (think 40+ hour trips with 12-15 hour layovers...), but the hassle was well worth it. We look forward to our next visit to our Stateside family and friends, whenever that may be!

A thirsty bee at the Portland International Rose Test Garden. (12 hour layovers actually aren't so bad when they're during the day and you can go sightseeing...)

My dad and his brother, Ferol, at Lake Tahoe. Look at that family resemblance!

Another view of Lake Tahoe. What a gorgeous summer day!

Mom, Dad, and I at a vineyard in Sonoma Wine Country (Yes, I have acclimated to Guam temperatures. I did occasionally wear a coat in the Sacramento heat...)

Picturesque grapes at the vineyard...they make for tasty wine!

A day trip to Carlsbad to visit the Cornthwaite family

Here begin the wedding week festivities...we had something fun planned every day!

Mandi and Melli rediscovering our princess roots at Disneyland!

Disney fireworks over Cinderella's castle

Much of the family celebrating at a pier-end diner in Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach - it was absolutely gorgeous and lots of fun, but slightly more crowded than our beaches in Guam...

The Hollywood Bowl, an enormous outdoor amphitheater with great acoustics. We saw Guys and Dolls! (If you really strain your eyes, you can see the Hollywood sign in the back of the mountains on the right side...)