A Welcome Surprise

  Finished the last of our first bag of Chamorro chip cookies tonight and figured it was high time I start blogging about Guam before I forget all my first impressions.  The flight to Guam from Hawaii was long but easy--they fed us not only lunch (which we were expecting) but then ice cream and a couple of hours later, dinner.  The kids spent the trip eating, watching movies, and sleeping.  They are great travelers.  I thought back to how I felt on that last leg of our trip to Hawaii and how hard the last 90 minutes were for me--I was so restless and bored and my knees ached after being on planes for over 12 hours.  Can't imagine how a tall person survives long-distance travel!  Anyway, I was feeling so thankful that we decided to split up our trip and spend a week in Honolulu.  By the time we arrived in Guam, I was tired but ready to move on to the next phase in our adventure.  I had no idea of the surprise that awaited us at the airport in Guam.  First, there was an older lady at the baggage carousel (a traveler like ourselves) who helped pull our 10 suitcases off the belt.  She told us about the death of Osama bin Laden and that she worked at a wildlife refuge on Guam--come visit her there.  So friendly.  Then, we went through customs and just on the other side were two, yes TWO welcoming committees.  We were immediately lei'd with gorgeous purple flowers and given gift bags for the children from the group on the right (Lance's new colleagues) and simultaneously greeted by a group of ladies on the left sent by my good friend, Dawn (who used to live on Guam and contacted her friends here to get them to meet us at the airport).  They also came bearing gifts--the Chamorro chip cookies that I finished just tonight.  Everyone was so nice and we were completely overwhelmed by everyone's friendly and welcoming spirits and that they would drop everything to meet people they didn't even know at the airport.  It was all I could do not to weep, and I still get emotional when I think about it.  I was so surprised and wowed that it didn't even occur to me to get a picture of us and the group!  Can't believe that--may have to take mug shots of each person that was there to put in my scrapbook.  We talked and talked in the parking lot like long-lost friends until finally we had to call it quits.  Lance's colleagues had brought a 15 passenger van to transport our luggage and an SUV to transport us to the hotel.  Then came my next surprise.  Our hotel on the beach was less than 10 minutes away.