I’ve heard from a few people that the link I sent yesterday to my “Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!” story did not work.  I’m surprised because I tested it before sending it out.  Anyway, it’s a computer thing and I assume if any of you really wanted to read about them, you found your way to my site and looked it up.  Sorry about that!

Because of yesterdays snafu, if you want to read my story about my first husband Greg, you can find it on my site under:

Greg – My First Hubby

Hopefully I’m on a roll here and will get all of the stories done by June.  As I write the new ones I will let you know, in case any of them interest you.

Enjoy and have a good day!

So how is everyone doing on their New Year’s Resolutions?   Let me guess.  You’re doing great, you’re still trying or forget it, you gave up a long time ago.  I hope you haven’t given up.  There are still 11 months of the year and you can still achieve those goals.

As for myself, I’m doing great (well better) on eating healthier.  I have a healthy salad almost every day for lunch and I have cut back on the red meat.  I’ve also cut out most of the ice cream and sweets.

I am back to exercising (now that rainy season is over) and I walk almost every day.  I have Tom drop me off somewhere different every day, on his way to work, then I walk home.  There are some pretty steep hills so it is a pretty good workout.  I’m also still lifting my soup cans (I may have to get the big chunky soup cans) because the little ones are starting to feel too light.

We’ve been working sporadically on our websites but they are moving forward.  This month will be a slow month because Tom takes his Bar Exam at the end of the month and needs to start studying for it.

As for my personal site (this one) you know that I haven’t been posting much lately.  It doesn’t mean that I haven’t been working.  In fact I have spent the last two weeks putting together my list of previous jobs.  I had done this list about a year ago and somehow it disappeared from my computer.  I had to go through over 40 years of diaries, journals, appointment books and calendars to find all of the information.  Now that I have the time line in place it will be much easier for me to write each individual story.  I’ve also started working on some of the stories so they will also be coming soon. Really!

So, I wouldn’t say that I am doing great but I’m still going forward and refuse to give up. (even when I backslide a little)  I know that eating healthy and exercising will not only benefit me now but in the future as well.  Once I get most of my stories written I will be able to throw away all the memorabilia that I have been keeping for the past 40 years.  It will all be consolidated here on the site.

If your interested in seeing some of the jobs that I have held, hit this link at http://www.billiewalter.com/about-me-2/jobs-jobs-jobs/ or you can visit my site and hit the Jobs! Jobs! Jobs link on the left side.  If you happen to remember me working a job that I have left out, please remind me so I can add it.  Thanks and enjoy!

RESOLUTIONS!

It’s been ten days since I have written.  I know, I know, I said I was going to post three times a week this coming year and I am way behind on that resolution.  The reason is because not a lot of interesting things have been happening lately.  It has been raining almost day and night for the past seven days.  They told us that rainy season should be over by now but clearly, it is not.  Because of the rain, I haven’t been doing much walking.  Up and down the stairs, yes, but not long aerobic type walks.  I have been faithful to lifting my weights (soup cans) at least three times a week.  I have also been doing well as far as eating healthier most of the time, so I am pleased about that.  As for my writing, we have been working on our new websites sporadically but I have been putting in a lot of time getting my own stories organized and ready to write.  So, I guess I get a C+ … the plus is because I am still trying to stick to my resolutions and haven’t completely given up.

AMAZON.COM

I see that some of you (don’t know who you are) are still using my Amazon search box to purchase things.  I want to thank you for your continued support.  I made $2.37 so far this month!  Yippee!

JOBS!

Tom is still working and I am still looking!

THE ISLAND!

I’m still undecided.  I’m sure that when the sun starts to shine on a regular basis, I will like it a whole lot more.  I have made a couple of girlfriends on the island and I am enjoying my new relationships.

FOR MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

Just want to say that I miss all of you and it is always nice when we get a chance to chat on the phone, on line, on Skype, on Facebook or just send e-mails back and forth.  Thanks for keeping in touch

While most of the people on the island have cell phones, obviously not everybody does.  The island has hundreds of unpaved roads just off of the main roads.  We often take time to explore these roads just to make sure that we don’t miss any interesting sights.  Recently, we made our way down a long gravel road and found an old apartment building with this telephone booth sitting outside of it.  While we found it amusing, I have to admit, at least it wasn’t asking for any money.

On another matter…

I’ve made a commitment to have most of my personal stories written by the end of June.  I realize that this is going to take a long time and that if I try to remember everything about my past, I will never get anything written.  So, I’ve decided to just start writing and whenever I remember things or come across more information, I will just add it later.

I will keep posting Saipan sights as I find them.  I want all of you to get a little glimpse of our little corner of the world.

So how are your New Year’s Resolutions holding up?  Are any of you 100% on target?  It’s okay, I’m not either, but I’ve made a lot of progress in the first week.

We added one more pasta night and one more chicken night.  This means that we are eating a little less red meat and probably saving a few cholesterol points and a few dollars.  I ate a salad for lunch at least four of the days and have traded in my ice cream snacks for apples and pears.

As for exercise, I managed three days of weight bearing and did strenuous walks on three days.  It’s a little short of my goals but I am giving myself a little break because I walk up 47 steps to our apartment at least five times a day and a lot more times when I do the laundry.

As for my writing, we managed about six hours working on our new sites and I posted three times with about five hours of writing total.

I have to admit one thing.  Many times I didn’t feel like doing the exercise or the writing but I kept thinking that I was going to be writing about my progress and it pushed me to do the work.  I know, I could have just lied and no one would have known… but I would have known and the only person it would be hurting would be me.  So I guess that announcing to the world what your intentions are, does have its benefits.

I will continue to work at this and urge all of you to do the same.  If you have fallen and given up, remember, it is only the second week of the year.  Start again and keep trying.  Achieving goals does give one a sense of fulfillment.

I can’t believe it.  We arrived in Saipan three months ago today.  I’ve heard it said that time flies when you are having fun but I’m here to tell you that it also flies when you are having challenges.  Tom and I both agree on these statements.  He loves the island and I am still deciding.  We certainly have had our share of challenges, but hopefully that is about to change.

We moved into our third “home” on Christmas Eve.  It is the nicest place that we have lived since we arrived on the island and so far and we are pretty happy with it.  It is up on a hill and we have a nice view of the ocean from our terrace.  At least the constant hunt to find a place that we both like is over.

We also switched from cable to DSL for our internet service.  Both the internet service and our Vonage phone service has improved 100%.

Tom’s job at the law firm has turned into a permanent position and he is getting comfortable in his new job.  I on the other hand, am still unemployed.   During the holidays was not a good time to job hunt.  I will now put forth a serious effort to find something full time.

I don’t do well in cold weather, so I feel for those of you who are braving the snow storms and the bitter cold weather.  The one thing that I am most thankful for is our beautiful weather, especially since rainy season is about to come to an end.

As for the comforts of home, we are living without three things that I wasn’t sure I could live without.  A dishwasher (I haven’t seen one since we got to the island), a microwave (yes, we could buy one but so far it hasn’t seemed like a necessity) and a TV (we download our favorite TV shows and watch them on our computer).  We can pretty much get everything we want.  It is just a matter of having it imported and paying a ton of money for it.  We’re living a pretty simple life and it seems to be working out just fine.

In my next post, I will report any news, as well as give you an update as to how my New Years Resolutions are coming along.

Happy New Year 2010

I’d like to wish all of you a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous 2010.

Each and every year we make New Years Resolutions.  By Valentine’s Day most of those resolutions have been forgotten.  So if we really want to make changes in our life, what can we do to accomplish these changes?  I have a few idea that I think will help you (and me) be more successful this year, than we have been in the past.

1)  Don’t choose 10 or 20 resolutions.  That’s just too many things to change.  Limit your resolutions to 5 or less.

2)  Be specific about the changes you want to make.  Lose weight or save money is not specific enough.  Say how much weight you want to lose per week or how much money you want to save per week.  Keep it manageable.

3)  Ask friends and family for support.  These are people who love us and want us to be successful.  Tell them to remind us the importance of our resolutions if we happen to slack off or give up.

4)  Make a public declaration.  If no one knows your resolutions, it’s very easy to just give up.  The more people who know about your resolutions, the more likely you are to stick to them.  This is because we don’t want to look like a failure in others eyes.

5)  If you falter or take a step backwards, don’t worry.  You have 365 days to get your resolution accomplished.  Once it is accomplished, reward yourself and be proud that you were able to follow through.

My personal New Year’s Resolutions!

1)  Eat healthier – eat more fruits and veggies and eat less meats and sweets

2)  Exercise more – do at least 5 days of aerobic exercise & 3 days of weight bearing exercise a week

3)  Personal Blog – write at least 1 hour per day & post at least 3 times per week

4)  Websites – work at least 1 hour per day on our new (hopefully money making) websites

I’m posting this publicly in hopes that you will all keep me accountable for the above resolutions.  I will occasionally blog about how my progress is going.  If you see me slacking off, remind me.  It will help me to stay on track.

I hope you all make resolutions and I hope that you all achieve them.  If you do, you won’t have to make them again next year

The majority of responses that I received, voted for Thanksgiving. Christmas came in second.  Since most of my readers have my posts sent directly to their E-mail, most have responded to me personally.  I was going to post some of the wonderful comments that I received, but I don’t feel quite right about doing that.  If you sent me a response and want it to be included, just copy it and add it to the comment section at the end of the previous post on my website.

Most of you know that while I was growing up, I lived in foster homes and a Children’s Home.  I never had the opportunity to experience what it is like to gather every Thanksgiving with family and friends and to share this time together.  Many of my Christmas holidays were not good experiences, either.  As a result, I couldn’t justify picking either one of these holidays as my favorite. From the responses that I got, I know that I missed two very special traditions.

Now for my favorite holiday…New Year’s Day! No, I didn’t say New Year’s Eve but New Year’s Day! I know that this probably seems like a strange holiday to pick as a favorite, but it always motivates me to make a commitment to change some of the things in my life that I think I want to change.  It’s a chance to have a new beginning.  I realize that many of us (myself included) make resolutions only to have them wither away by the second or third week of January.  While I know that making a positive change, even for a short while, is better than not making it at all, I suspect that making a lifestyle change that you really want to make and sticking to it, would be extremely rewarding.

In my next post I am going to tell you my New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m told that by making them public, that I will be much more likely to follow through on them.  I’m hoping that you will hold me accountable and as a result I will be able to finally follow through on some of the same resolutions that I make year after year.

I decided to wait until the Christmas Season was over to ask this question.  I’m fairly certain that during one of the most stressful times of the year, not many would pick Christmas.  So, what is your favorite holiday and why?  It doesn’t have to be a long answer.  In my next post I will tell you my favorite holiday and why it’s my favorite.

On another subject, I’d like to thank all of you who made purchases on Amazon through my site.  I don’t know who ordered what, but I managed to make enough money to cover my hosting fees for a month.  A whopping $10.00.  More importantly, I know that it is possible to make money with websites, so I am moving forward with the two new ones that I am currently working on.

From all of the messages that I received, it sounds like everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  I am thankful for that.  If most of you are like myself, you’ve got a few more days to eat anything that you want before the New Years resolutions kick in.  Enjoy…

May you always have Love to share,

Health to spare,

and Friends that care.

We wish you all A Very Merry Christmas!

Tom & Billie Walter

Since we arrived on the island, Tom has mentioned more than a few times that he thinks we should get a scooter.  I realize that we are not talking about a Harley Davidson here, but a spill on a little scooter could do just as much damage, since my back is not fully healed.  Aside from that, it is rainy season for about half of the year and is not really that practical.  Well, it was my idea to rent a scooter for the day to explore Tinian.  Since 25 mph is about what everyone drives on the island, I felt fairly safe and comfortable.

We headed to the atomic bomb loading pits.  They are located on Tinian’s North Field.

Atomic bomb loading pit

This is where Little Boy was loaded aboard the Enola Gay.   It was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Little Boy

Fat Man

Fat Man was loaded aboard the Bockscar and dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Below is an example of what most of the roads look like.  There is one that is measurably better but many are much worse.  To say the least, it was a bumpy ride.  Fun but bumpy.

Next we headed off to the Tinian Shrine.  It is the only intact Shinto Shrine on the Northern Mariana Islands.

Shinto Shrine

Then on to the House of Taga.

House of Taga

These ancient latte stones formed the base of Chamorro Chief Taga’s House around 1500 BC. The Taga House in Tinian’s San Jose Village is the largest group of latte stones that were actually used by the ancient Chamorros. Legend says that when the last stone falls Chief Taga will return to Tinian.

Sunset on Tinian

We rounded out our afternoon watching the sunset at Taga Beach.  It was a day filled with adventure and history.  (We saw lots of other things but I thought I would just give you some of the highlights)

In the morning, we hit the beach, before heading back to Saipan.  We both agreed that it had been our best weekend since we got to the island.  Sometime after the first of the year, I will hit some of the highlights of Saipan, take pictures and do another such post.

First a little history about Tinian.  Tinian  is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.  It is best known for being the base from which the United States launched their atomic bomb attacks on Japan during World War II.  It is located about five miles southwest of Saipan.  You can either take a ten minute flight or an hour ferry ride to get there.  There are approximately 3,000 people living on Tinian.  There are no traffic lights, two gas stations and several restaurants and shops.  Oh yeah, there is also The Tinian Dynasty, a large luxurious hotel/casino on the island.  Most of the people living on the island are either working for the casino or the government.

During the previous week, we had heard that there was going to be a poker tournament at the casino.  Since we haven’t had the opportunity to play poker since we left Las Vegas, we were looking forward to our weekend trip.  The casino has not offered poker for more than a year so we were a little curious as to how this would compare to poker in Las Vegas.

A few details for our poker playing friends…  Here was the deal…  Come to Tinian on the ferry ($20), buy into the $50+5 tournament and you will get reimbursed for your ferry ride and get a room at half price ($55) for the night.  Stay on Saturday night and they will pay your ferry ride back.  Well, we decided to wait and see what the rooms were like before we made a commitment for the second night.  First of all, the tournament was a very pleasant surprise.  They limited it to 50 players (I guess that is how many poker tables the casino has) and it was sold out.  They returned all the money to the players with the exception of the $5 entry fee.  We had expected a Luxor style tourney with 500 in starting chip and 15 minute rounds.  We started with 2,500 in chips, 25/50 blinds to start with 25 minute rounds.  The tournament was well run and the dealers were extremely competent.  Everyone was friendly and having a great time.  We’re not used to everyone at the poker table having a good time during a tournament.  Maybe it the free drinks that most of the players were having.  Not many bottles of water on the table.   I was sitting by a nice guy who worked for the police department.  He said that he had never played poker in a casino before and that the only reason that he was there was because there were no cock fights being held that night.  Of course, he went on to win the tournament.  Neither Tom nor I cashed but we had a nice time and got to play some live games after.

As for the hotel/casino, it is beautiful.  It looks like a small version of Caesars Palace.  Marble floors, murals, statues, chandeliers, the works.  The rooms were just as nice with all marble bathrooms and tasteful decor.

We decided to stay on Saturday night so we could take some time to explore the  island.  In my next post I will tell you more about the island and other interesting things that we encountered.

Until tomorrow……..

I know, I know… I haven’t written in more than a week.  It’s always something, isn’t it.  Christmas is always a good excuse but unfortunately I can’t use that excuse.  My excuse is that we are on the move again.

We spent a week looking around the island to find a place that we think that we will like better.  There’s nothing wrong with where we are right now,  it just isn’t what we really want.  Tom wants to be on the beach and I want to look out my window and see the ocean.  We both agreed that one of these would work.

Well, we found a two bedroom place on Navy Hill that has a view of the ocean.  It’s on the third floor.  I haven’t really exercised since we got here, so at least my legs will be getting a daily workout.  We are planning on moving in on Christmas Eve.  We think that we will be happier there, so we are looking forward to the move.  If we don’t like it, we will move again.

As we head into the holiday season, I hope that you are not too stressed and “enjoying the process.”  Until next time…….

Those of you who know me well, know that I hardly ever ask for anything.  It makes me feel very uncomfortable and I always feel as though I owe so much more in return.  I’m much more comfortable giving than I am receiving.  It’s probably my upbringing, but that’s just the way I am.

First I would like to explain the reason for my request.  When I started my website, I knew nothing about building a website or blogging.  I have come a long way, but I still have a million things to learn.  One of the things that I have discovered is that there are a lot of people out there (on the Internet) who are making a very nice living by blogging and having websites.  Well, since I am still “a desperate housewife” (unemployed), I have decided to set up some websites and see if I can make any headway in this arena.  My websites will be geared towards restaurants in Saipan.  These will not be of any interest to you, unless you are living in Saipan or planning on a visit.  (You’re all invited)

Now for my request.  Since I don’t really like the idea of monetizing my own personal website (that could change if I find a way to do it that would offer value to my readers and make me a few bucks at the same time) but I do want to try a few things out.  If you go to my website you will see that in the right column, at the bottom, I have an Amazon Search Box.  If you are planning on doing some Christmas shopping at Amazon this year, I’m asking that (if you remember) you go to my website and go to Amazon through that search box.  You won’t be charged a single penny more and I’m supposed to receive a small percentage.  I can’t believe that people can actually earn money this way but I am willing to try it out.

By the way, if any of you have experience in this area, I would love some feedback or suggestions.  I don’t mind learning as I go, but if I can avoid a lot of timely and costly mistakes, I’m more than willing to listen.  Thanks!

I’ve cooked Thanksgiving dinner almost every year since I was eighteen years old.  Since I never lived near any of my family members, I usually invited every friend that I had over to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  This year was different.

Several weeks ago, Tom and I were discussing what we were going to do for Thanksgiving this year.  Since we sold all of our cookware, platters and serving dishes, Tom suggested that we go out to a restaurant.   That was the plan.  Little did we know that we were about to receive three invitations for Thanksgiving dinner.

We accepted the first invitation that we received.  It was at the house of one of the partners in the law firm where Tom is working.  Many of you have asked what Thanksgiving was like in Saipan.  Well,  it’s pretty much just like Thanksgiving on the mainland.  They had two turkeys, one roasted and one deep fried (I had heard of deep fried turkeys before but I had never tried one) and they were both delicious.  If I had to vote for my favorite, I think I would vote for the deep fried one.  They also had all of the usual trimmings as well as pumpkin pie.  There were probably around twenty five people there.

The attorney who hosted the dinner has a house that sits atop the highest point on the island.  It’s an incredibly beautiful home with a 360 degree view of the ocean.   It was in the 80’s, so it was a beautiful day.  We made lots of new friends and it truly was a great experience.

I’m thinking now, that I may not replace all of the cookware, platters and serving dishes that I used to have.  Maybe I’ll just plan on going to a restaurant and hope for another great invitation.

I mentioned in past posts, that Tom had been working part time for a law firm here on the island.  Well, they made him an offer this week and he accepted it.  So one of us is gainfully employed.

On the other hand, I am still looking.  I do have three or four future possibilities, but no offer at this time.  Oh yeah, I could take a job making $5 an hour with no benefits (minimum wage on the island is $4.55), but I really can’t see myself working 40 hours a week to earn $200. (We’re not broke yet )  I’m sure one of these will work out for me.

In the meantime, I have started to work as a volunteer at the American Memorial Park.  The park was established to honor the dead in the World War II Mariana Islands campaign.  I will be working with school children on their field trips as well as tourists and locals.  The people that I work with are very nice and I am learning a ton of things about Saipan.  If nothing else, I will know the complete history of Saipan and their people.

One of these days, I will post some pictures from the island, showing some of the historical highlights.

I think it’s time to get back to basics.  When I started this site, I started it to put my life on paper (so to speak).  With the surgery and the latest move, I have been too busy to write anything but some updates of our adventure.  I will continue to blog about some of our experiences here on Saipan, but I am also going to start concentrating on getting some of the stories written that I promised would be “coming soon.”

This is where you, my friends and family come in.  While I can’t promise that I will write “soon” about everything on the list, I’d like to get feedback about which of the stories along the left side of my site that you would most like to hear about.  Let me know and I will do my best to get some of the most requested stories written first.

Don’t expect miracles…. I have to first do my research (go through my condensed diaries) write down the facts and try to remember everything about the story that I think might be interesting or that I want to say.  After I finish writing it, if I have pictures, I will then spend a lot of time trying to get them cropped and positioned in the story.  I’ve still got a lot to learn about doing that.  It’s not just the writing that is time consuming but also working behind the scenes (so to speak) on the website.  Every time I think I know how to do something, things change.

You can either click on “leave a comment” at the end of the post on my website or write me personally and let me know what your preferences are.  It will also help to keep me motivated and keep me writing

I’m calling this post “A technical speed bump,” but that only tells part of the story.

Last Tuesday, I approached the front desk of the hotel where we were staying to inform them that we would be staying for another month.  We hadn’t really found the place that we wanted to call home, so instead of moving again and again, we thought that within another month we would surely find the perfect place.  At this point, they informed me that if we wanted to stay, that we would have to change rooms and move to one on the third floor. It seems that federal agents were coming into town and needed to rent their good rooms.  The room that they had for us, had no doors on the closets, soiled and stained carpets, old worn curtains and gross looking bathrooms.  These rooms had not yet been renovated.  No way was I going to stay in one of those rooms, so we chose the best option available at the right price.  We rented a two bedroom apartment, fully furnished with a washer and dryer.  It’s not on the beach and doesn’t have a view but it is clean and comfortable.  We would move in on Thursday.

Here’s the “technical speed bump.”  On Wednesday, I went to the one and only cable company on the island to put in the order for internet service.  This is extremely important for two reasons.  One, I’m not sure I can live without internet service.  If you’re reading this, then maybe you understand.   Two, we have Vonage phone service which allowed us to take our Vegas phone number with us so that we can keep in touch with family (my Dad is 84 and is not online) and friends.  We cannot use Vonage without an internet connection.   Anyway, when I got to the cable company and applied for service they told me that it would be installed on Friday.  I could certainly live without service for two days.  Since the island only put up street signs a few years back and there are no street addresses, they handed me a piece of paper and told me to draw a map telling them how to get to where I was going to be living.  I looked at the customer service rep and said “You’re kidding?”  They weren’t, so I drew a map.  If you ask anyone on the island how to get somewhere it usually starts with, “go down to the church and turn right… then there are a few grocery stores to pass until you get to the brown house at the end of the unpaved road.”  Now that we know where the church is, life has become so much easier.

Anyway, they showed up on Friday and connected the internet.  Within an hour, the modem quit working and they were not available to come back out again until late on Monday.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the modem to work with our router until late on Tuesday night.  So for many of you who wondered if we were still alive, yes we are.  A little frazzled from running out to find restaurants and bars that have internet service so we can check our e-mails for emergency situations.  Fortunately, nothing earth shattering occurred over the last six days and we are now connected.  It’s not a fast connection or a stable one, but we are finally connected.

Most Thursday nights, we wonder down to the Garapan Street Market.  It’s held from 5 to 9 in the main district of Garapan, Saipan, right behind many of the large hotels.  It is comprised of about 40 booths featuring various culinary fares, locally grown vegetables, as well as locally made crafts, imported products and other novelties.

They usually have local dancers or singers to keep the crown entertained.

While we’ve tried many of the different dishes, we still tend to lean towards the barbecued “meat on a stick.”  Dr. Atkins would be proud of us.

We round out the evening by browsing the local shops.

It’s not the same as a night in Las Vegas, but it’s what we came here for.  A new and different experience!

The elections are only two weeks away in Saipan.  To show support for their favorite candidate, fans wearing T-shirts with their candidates name and picture on them, line the roads on Friday evening and wave at passerby’s.  As we drove along Beach Road, I wove (back) so much that I was starting to feel like I was on a float in the Rose Day Parade.

Hundreds come out to show their support.  Trucks like the one seen below, can be seen driving the streets of Saipan with music blaring and announcements of who they would like you to vote for.  It’s certainly a lot more colorful than on the mainland.

The island is small and since we’ve been here, we’ve had an opportunity to meet several of the candidates and chat with them personally.  Unfortunately, we got here to late to register to vote.

Maybe that’s a good thing.  We are still trying to make and keep friends!