This summer two of our favorite people are getting married, Collin and Leann! Aside from making this monumental commitment and step forward in their lives they will be leaving a place they have both grown to love, Guam. Bittersweet is this departure as they have both developed great communities and friendships that will last a lifetime. My brother Ian and I wanted to spearhead this project as a testament to Collin and Leann's journey together in Guam, the people they met along the way, the places they visited, and the recognition of love and respect that we all have for them. The one other major part we must not leave out is the paddling. Outrigger canoe paddling for both Collin and Leann became a major passion while living in Guam. So this effort is also a way to keep this passion fueled and spread the good power of community and friendly competition wherever Collin and Leann go.
So here we are wanting to attest our love and friendship for Collin and Leann and celebrate their adventures and here's how we are going to do it.
All of us are going combine our energy's and gift Leann and Collin a new TWO MAN OUTRIGGER CANOE. If we all join together to raise this money we can accomplish this, demonstrate our appreciation for them and send them off on their new life paddling strong!
THE LOGISTICS:
DONATE- via my linked PAYPAL account linked at the right. Just click the donate button!
If you are unable to donate via credit or debit card, you can do so via mail by check or cash. For those in the Guam contingent, Erwin, Jeff or Joe will collect the money if need be and make the donation online in your name.
Email, tsmithnxnw@gmail.com for mailing address if needed.
If 90 people donated $50.00 we meet our goal.
If 225 people donated $20.00 we meet our goal.
We need to have the boat ordered by June 25th in order to have it ready for the wedding, so don't hesitate another moment, the countdown is on!
Note: This not meant to replace Collin and Leann's wedding registry. If you had planned on gifting them something from their registry, we encourage you to do so.
COMMENT- A very important part of this mission is to reply to this blog post with a special message for Collin and Leann as after the gift is presented on your behalf they will be given the blog address so they can read your comments. Click the COMMENTS button just below this post. If you do not have a gmail or preferred profile account just use the anonymous profile and be sure put your names at the end of the post!!
THIS IS A SECRET MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON"T BLOW IT!!!! AND BECAUSE THE TIMES WE LIVE IN DEMAND IT, I HAVE TO ALSO ADD, THAT THAT MEANS NO POSTING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ON...... ON.... ON..... WAIT FOR IT......FACEBOOK!!!!!!
This gift is not only for those who are attending the wedding. This gift is meant to be from anyone and everyone who feels appreciation for Collin and Leann or have been affected by them in some way. This is a great opportunity for those of you in Guam who have lived with Collin and Leann over the years and have helped them along their path to show your support and good tidings.
The boat is expensive, somewhere in the range of four to five thousand dollars, but if everyone who wants to be a part of this project was able to donate some amount of cash it's a done deal. $50, $30, $20 or even $10 bucks will do the trick. If you can donate more then please do. If there is any extra cash left over it will be donated to Collin and Leann for their wedding/honeymoon fund. We would like to create an engraving or book of some sort with everyone's name who donated for the boat. It would be presented along with the boat at their wedding ceremony. A gift from all of us to them.
Just Click the donate button above and to the right!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
THE STORY BEHIND THE MISSION
Soon after Collin first landed in Guam he began paddling with these two fellas Joe and Jeff and then a little later Erwin. At the time, the paddling culture was seemingly in a lull. Collin was immediately taken with this sport and its intensity and the sense of community that the team was building. Collin, Joe, Jeff and Erwin went on to create a club team, competed, did very well and gained some recognition for themselves and the sport. As they began to really promote the sport, more and more interest in the community was sparked. Now, I cannot mention the growth of paddling Guam without mentioning also longtime supporter, organizer and mentor, Guam National coach, Rick Appleton. On my visits to Guam, Rick was always a mainstay in the paddling community and certainly has and continues to bring substantial support to the sport in Guam. In any event as things continued to take development, Collin took on the creation of his High School Paddling Team, which notably this year went undefeated and won the championship.
During this time Collin, Joe, Jeff and Erwin among others realized that there continued to be a lack of young paddlers to feed the ranks of High School teams and club teams so they took it upon themselves to implement "Operation Mayors". "Operation Mayors" was a grass roots movement to petition the Mayors of villages to appropriate funds for the purchase of outrigger canoes thus building an island wide youth paddling league. "You buy the boats and we will coach the kids". So Collin and his crew broke off and all set out to these communities as coaches and really helped bring about a rebirth of paddling in Guam. At this time in Guam, there are now both strong club and High school paddling leagues. On any given evening on lagoons and bays all over Guam, such a Piti, you can see canoes with coaches and paddlers training for their weekend competitions. You see its truly a beautiful thing.
The story doesn't stop there. Collin has gone on to compete in the Cook Islands with his original, "Allstar" team of Erwin, Jeff and Joe. He was also invited to be a last minute substitute for the Pan-Asia Dragon Boat paddling competition in China, which sounded like an amazing adventure.
So then that brings us to Leann. Leann and Collin met on a whirlwind wedding bash in Mexico. I say bash because it sounded insane! In a fun way. The short end is that the sparks flew for Leann and Collin. Collin returned to Washington State with this massive crush and persisted to spend the next four weeks attached at the hip with Leann. These two were obviously smitten and seeing that Collin was flying back to Guam in no time at all, they were trying to get the most out of their time together.
Collin approached me with, "What do I do here?"
I said, "Collin you have nothing to lose and everything to gain brother, take her with you, have fun, laugh and see how it goes. Worst case, it doesn't work out and Leann gets to see Guam."
At the time Leann was not attached to her teaching position or living arrangements so she was more game than not. Which is generally a good way to describe Lee. She's game. Now I may be taking some liberty here, but I would venture to say that when put into perspective this was a pretty scary move to make. Just met this guy four weeks ago, he lives in Guam and now he's asking me to move to Guam. Talk about life changes and going big! Leann took the challenge. Gutsy move. And so we all know how this turns out, because we are here reading this Wedding Gift blog. Now, I'm not sure how long Lee waited to start paddling with Collin, but there is a funny side to this story. I remember distinctly hearing Leann mumble about how she didn't want to paddle, it was to "hardcore", too competitive. Which I was kind of agreeing with her at the time. As a side note here, competitive outrigger canoe paddling is not 'hey, let's go for a nice paddle and check out the birds and cliffs and such'. It's more along the lines of wondering 'what's going to happen first, are my arms going cramp up and fall off or is my heart going to rocket out of my chest'. No joke, I have been humbled too many times to count by this exercise. Anyway, so Lee, mumbling about its a bit hardcore too competitive, etc. Well shortly after this Leann through some persuasion joins a club team. Well, the cat is out of the bag, because we all soon find out that it's Leann who is a bit hardcore and competitive! Soon enough Lee is on a strict regiment of diet and exercise and second place is not ever going to be good enough! We all knew Lee was an athlete, but wow, she has the focus, the discipline and the intensity! I hear whispers that a sibling rivalry may have had something to do with that. Leann went on to compete with her girls team at the South Pacific International Paddling Competition in Rarotonga last year and the team held their own. So paddling went on to become an important part in Leann's life as it had with Collin.
OUR DONORS!!!
Steven Torres
Justin Maenhout
Ann Marie Gawel
Jann & Calvin Smith
Ariel & Luke Coleman-Puttrese
Rick, Leilani & Duke Appleton
Josh Thun
Kate Cendejas
Jen Briggs
Jake Briggs
Sara & Joel Blackmon
Kendal Thomas
Greg & Cindi Lang
Trevor & Sasha Smith
Laurel & Cactus Cook
Nate Roberts
Barry & Robin Maxwell
Holly & Mark Smith
Brianna Greer
Howard & Nancy Murphy
Renee Malkey
Thomas Jarzynka
Tom & Taliea Strohmeyer
David Crockett
Cindi, Kyle & Brea Bowen
Phil & Sara Zarelli
Brenda Sonnier & Mike Sariotis
Katie Hagerman
Ian, Sara, Eridan & Aine
Lynnae & Doug Coleman
Kelly, David, Olivia & Taylor Andringa
Steve, Carla & Andringa Family
Tami, Brian, McKenzie & Connor Andringa
Kaleb Coleman
Clay Murdach & Brittany Downham
Nancy & "Symon, the cat" Andringa
Allen Andringa
Megan, Travis, Piper & Bronco Cook
Robin DelRosso & Ed Coleman
Bethany & Chris Johnson
Mark & Kathy Galvin
Bill Briggs & Barbara Simon
Adam Davidson
Jill Coleman & Chris Valley
Erwin Cruz, Charity & Jamias
Jessica, Tony, Sophie & Sumner Smith
Johnathan "The Reverend" Hopkins
Natalie Cavlo
Libby Cook
Alison, Brian & Georgia Handsaker
Marivel Anderson
Jennice Eckert & Shawn Franquez
Tyler & Averil Smith
Scott Davis
Brian Roth
Stephanie Coleman
Joe, Lisha, Ha’ani Mae & Matau Joseph Nowell
Debbie Retuyan
Mike Pangelinan
Roxanna Myers & Erik Miller
Robert Reyes
Derek Sullivan
Jennifer & Josh Frunz
Argy Evarola
Shaun Hong
David & Wendy Hupperich
Pam & John Swanes
Asrid, Mike & Leon Scott
Matt, Paula, Nicole & Jasmine Daniels
Connie & Bill Hilton
Patrick Kane
Brian Chargualaf
If you don't see your name here and it should be please email me at tsmithnxnw@gmail.com
During this time Collin, Joe, Jeff and Erwin among others realized that there continued to be a lack of young paddlers to feed the ranks of High School teams and club teams so they took it upon themselves to implement "Operation Mayors". "Operation Mayors" was a grass roots movement to petition the Mayors of villages to appropriate funds for the purchase of outrigger canoes thus building an island wide youth paddling league. "You buy the boats and we will coach the kids". So Collin and his crew broke off and all set out to these communities as coaches and really helped bring about a rebirth of paddling in Guam. At this time in Guam, there are now both strong club and High school paddling leagues. On any given evening on lagoons and bays all over Guam, such a Piti, you can see canoes with coaches and paddlers training for their weekend competitions. You see its truly a beautiful thing.
The story doesn't stop there. Collin has gone on to compete in the Cook Islands with his original, "Allstar" team of Erwin, Jeff and Joe. He was also invited to be a last minute substitute for the Pan-Asia Dragon Boat paddling competition in China, which sounded like an amazing adventure.
So then that brings us to Leann. Leann and Collin met on a whirlwind wedding bash in Mexico. I say bash because it sounded insane! In a fun way. The short end is that the sparks flew for Leann and Collin. Collin returned to Washington State with this massive crush and persisted to spend the next four weeks attached at the hip with Leann. These two were obviously smitten and seeing that Collin was flying back to Guam in no time at all, they were trying to get the most out of their time together.
Collin approached me with, "What do I do here?"
I said, "Collin you have nothing to lose and everything to gain brother, take her with you, have fun, laugh and see how it goes. Worst case, it doesn't work out and Leann gets to see Guam."
At the time Leann was not attached to her teaching position or living arrangements so she was more game than not. Which is generally a good way to describe Lee. She's game. Now I may be taking some liberty here, but I would venture to say that when put into perspective this was a pretty scary move to make. Just met this guy four weeks ago, he lives in Guam and now he's asking me to move to Guam. Talk about life changes and going big! Leann took the challenge. Gutsy move. And so we all know how this turns out, because we are here reading this Wedding Gift blog. Now, I'm not sure how long Lee waited to start paddling with Collin, but there is a funny side to this story. I remember distinctly hearing Leann mumble about how she didn't want to paddle, it was to "hardcore", too competitive. Which I was kind of agreeing with her at the time. As a side note here, competitive outrigger canoe paddling is not 'hey, let's go for a nice paddle and check out the birds and cliffs and such'. It's more along the lines of wondering 'what's going to happen first, are my arms going cramp up and fall off or is my heart going to rocket out of my chest'. No joke, I have been humbled too many times to count by this exercise. Anyway, so Lee, mumbling about its a bit hardcore too competitive, etc. Well shortly after this Leann through some persuasion joins a club team. Well, the cat is out of the bag, because we all soon find out that it's Leann who is a bit hardcore and competitive! Soon enough Lee is on a strict regiment of diet and exercise and second place is not ever going to be good enough! We all knew Lee was an athlete, but wow, she has the focus, the discipline and the intensity! I hear whispers that a sibling rivalry may have had something to do with that. Leann went on to compete with her girls team at the South Pacific International Paddling Competition in Rarotonga last year and the team held their own. So paddling went on to become an important part in Leann's life as it had with Collin.
OUR DONORS!!!
Steven Torres
Justin Maenhout
Ann Marie Gawel
Jann & Calvin Smith
Ariel & Luke Coleman-Puttrese
Rick, Leilani & Duke Appleton
Josh Thun
Kate Cendejas
Jen Briggs
Jake Briggs
Sara & Joel Blackmon
Kendal Thomas
Greg & Cindi Lang
Trevor & Sasha Smith
Laurel & Cactus Cook
Nate Roberts
Barry & Robin Maxwell
Holly & Mark Smith
Brianna Greer
Howard & Nancy Murphy
Renee Malkey
Thomas Jarzynka
Tom & Taliea Strohmeyer
David Crockett
Cindi, Kyle & Brea Bowen
Phil & Sara Zarelli
Brenda Sonnier & Mike Sariotis
Katie Hagerman
Ian, Sara, Eridan & Aine
Lynnae & Doug Coleman
Kelly, David, Olivia & Taylor Andringa
Steve, Carla & Andringa Family
Tami, Brian, McKenzie & Connor Andringa
Kaleb Coleman
Clay Murdach & Brittany Downham
Nancy & "Symon, the cat" Andringa
Allen Andringa
Megan, Travis, Piper & Bronco Cook
Robin DelRosso & Ed Coleman
Bethany & Chris Johnson
Mark & Kathy Galvin
Bill Briggs & Barbara Simon
Adam Davidson
Jill Coleman & Chris Valley
Erwin Cruz, Charity & Jamias
Jessica, Tony, Sophie & Sumner Smith
Johnathan "The Reverend" Hopkins
Natalie Cavlo
Libby Cook
Alison, Brian & Georgia Handsaker
Marivel Anderson
Jennice Eckert & Shawn Franquez
Tyler & Averil Smith
Scott Davis
Brian Roth
Stephanie Coleman
Joe, Lisha, Ha’ani Mae & Matau Joseph Nowell
Debbie Retuyan
Mike Pangelinan
Roxanna Myers & Erik Miller
Robert Reyes
Derek Sullivan
Jennifer & Josh Frunz
Argy Evarola
Shaun Hong
David & Wendy Hupperich
Pam & John Swanes
Asrid, Mike & Leon Scott
Matt, Paula, Nicole & Jasmine Daniels
Connie & Bill Hilton
Patrick Kane
Brian Chargualaf
If you don't see your name here and it should be please email me at tsmithnxnw@gmail.com
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