By Sheila Corson
Chronicle staff

     Wherever they end up, in their 44 years of marriage, Jan and Larry Butterfield have always found a way to keep themselves busy and "enjoy each step in our lives," Jan said.
     That was no different when they decided to move from Washington to Guam, sight unseen, in 1999.
     Larry Butterfield has made a passion of taking floundering banks and turning them into thriving banks, said Jan. That was why they originally moved to Omak in 1986.
     He previously worked for First Bank Washington in Omak.
     While they were in Omak, the Butterfields built a home overlooking Omak, and became heavily involved in community organizations. He served as president of Okanogan-Omak Rotary Club; she was part of the Omak Junior Civic League and co-chaired the Junior Miss program.
     Both were involved with the Okanogan Valley Golf Club.
     After awhile, the bank had stabilized enough that Larry felt it was time to move on and help someone else out, Jan said. At first they moved to Auburn, but in a year, he started searching on the Internet for another position, and a job opening for president and CEO of Citizens Security Bank In Guam popped up.
     Thinking it might be a fun adventure, Jan said they decided to sign on to a one-year contract. If they didn't like it, they knew could always move back after the year was up, she said.
     Eight years later, Jan said living in Guam has been the "adventure of a lifetime."
     They live in a ninth floor condo overlooking the ocean. They enjoy 86-degree weather year-round, with the water temperature between 83 and 80 degrees, according to Jan.
     The Butterfields have jumped in to even more organizations, included the Rotary Club. Jan said Larry will always be a part of Rotary, no matter where he goes. The rest of their clubs involve the water.
     Larry is president of the Navy League of Guam, which supports the large military presence on the island.
     The island, about 37 miles long and eight miles wide at its largest point (about a quarter the size of Rhode Island), packs in 180,000 people, both military and civilian. Jan said they wanted to be sure to support both.
     As part of the Navy League, they've spent time on the water in aircraft carriers and under the water in submarines. They have toured visiting ships from Russia, Chili, Korea and Japan.
     Jan also keeps herself busy with a volunteer program to preserve endangered green sea turtles, she said. Several times a month, she checks the beach for "turtle crawls" to see if any have been in the area.
     She said the most amazing experience she has had while on the island was during an overnight campout. The team was catching and tagging turtles as they came onshore. As part of that group, she was able to watch a mother turtle dig a nest and lay her eggs.
     Perhaps their biggest hobby, which has turned into an organization, keeps them the busiest. Originally, the group started as a way to keep military wives involved with the local community.
     Now, the dive group has an e-mail list of 117 potential divers, with 25 or so fitting on the boat at one time, Jan said. Diving is a wonderful way to get people together to experience the place they live, she said.
     The Butterfields started diving before they moved to Guam, and loved it so much they continued to dive as much as they could, she said. Since moving to Guam, they get in the water as often as possible, and have done so in multiple other locations, such as the islands of Chuuk, Yap and Palau (they've been there 16 times).
     Other travels, just for fun, have taken them to Hong Kong, Maccau, Bali, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. They're a lot closer to those places in Guam than they were in Omak, Jan said.
     Now, their Christmas newsletters to friends and family have become a way for those on the list to live vicariously through the Butterfields, Jan said. They've never received quite the response that they do now as they send photos of deep-sea diving and sandy beaches packed tight in an envelope.
     Even in a beautiful place like Guam, homesickness can still set in, she said.
     Jan said the outdoors and sports of the Northwest are calling them back. They miss the campouts and skiing and such, she said. Both also grew up Northwesterners, Jan said, she in Washington and he in Idaho.
     Their daughter, Shelli, lives in Spokane and their daughter, Cheri, lives in Gig Harbor. Jan's family is in Port Angeles. They also have two granddaughters, ages 9 and 10, who love to visit grandma and grandpa in Guam, but would like to see them more often, said Jan.
     Before the end of 2008, Jan said they expect to be back somewhere in the Northwest. Larry will be probing the Internet to find the next struggling bank.
     But wherever they end up next - whether in the Northwest or another tropical island somewhere - Jan said they are looking forward to the next adventure.
     "Anyplace can be home," she said. "We make the best of wherever we are."