I Can't Remember!

I'll be honest... it's been SO LONG since I've blogged that I can't even remember exactly how to do it, but... let's see if I can figure it out.  I say all the time that I NEED to be better at keeping a journal, whether photo or otherwise, but I also WANT to be better.  I'm just not good at making the time to do it.  And I feel old.  At the end of the day, I'm simply exhausted!

Take for instance last night...  I spent the day prepping and finishing all the details for New Beginnings, cleaning the cultural hall, setting up {both with the awesome help of Damian}, then giving the big lesson on this year's theme:  Press Forward  2 Nephi 31:20, then cleaning up and getting everything home again!  And by the time the activity was over, I was totally spent.  I didn't even do the dishes!  Ugh!  {Though I will admit that for my very LAST YW activity here on Guam, I was very pleased with how it turned out!  What an enjoyable evening!  I was VERY moved at one point in my object lesson!  I'll have to share that all in a separate post.  And I didn't get any pictures.  But I know someone who did.  Maybe she'll be willing to share!}

Then... we talked about how soccer went for Ella, how the game went for Lexi, and how the scout outing at the police station went for Braeden.  Showers, getting ready for bed... a quick read in The Friend, and it's already past bedtime.  When I get into bed and think I'm settled, I get THE WORST leg cramp known to man, I'm pretty sure!  It just would NOT let up.  Boo!  And then my exhaustion totally took over, and I was cooked.  Done.  It was over.

I will say this:  I did feel like I accomplished something.  A lot of things.  And I need to remember all the small victories made throughout the course of my days.  No matter how small and insignificant they may seem, they do make a difference.  If even a dent.  And they do matter.

So...  here's the start {hopefully} of blogging again!  It's small, yet it's a start.  And nothing gets accomplished unless we START, right?!!

Starting now...  I have made a commitment to myself to photographically record the things I love on Guam.  I always enjoy the beauty of the scenery around me, but the realization that I won't be here forever, and that I WILL forget a lot of this over time has started to set in as we prepare ourselves {if even mentally and emotionally right now} to move back to the states this summer.
Here's some of what I found today that I love:

"I Spy" a baby YellowBittern!  {Who squawks at me as I try to get a little closer...  ;) }

Awww!  It hasn't even fledged yet!  It's got fuzz on it's head, along with some little rain droplets!

It's neck is totally craned, and it's up on its legs ready to flee at any second.  I had it totally stressed out... not meaning to, but still.  

Peek-a-boo!  

This is baby bird's brother or sister.  Hope it hatches!  Maybe I can capture it since I know it's likely coming soon!  

The nest isn't as tightly woven together as other nests I've seen.  But... it seems to work. 

Here is the mother.  She came back and landed on my lawn and was eyeing me carefully.  These birds are strange looking, but also beautiful.  They have an almost purple-colored feather under the wings.

Yes... my lawn got mowed later that day, too!  It was getting a little long...

Hibiscus touched with rain.  This from the bush where the bird is nested.

Yeesh!  I do NOT love spiders, but... this is a beautiful thing to see on a drizzly day.

As it drizzled, the clouds hung low on the hilltops.  This is just northwest of where I live.  Hard to believe that just about two years ago a fire ripped over pretty much this entire hillside...  {It was green again only several months later...}

The sun peaking out and gracing the hills.  A beautiful Guam morning.  :)