Windshields and Rear-view Mirrors

More cardboard fun

2012-01-22T12:03:00.000-05:00

I found an old Bed Bath and Beyond gift card in my old wallet. I had no idea if it was still any good, so I checked the balance, and it still had $7.00 on it! So, a quick trip to the Clearance section of their website later.....this little cardboard beauty was on its way to our house. It is actually surprisingly sturdy, and will probably be hours of fun for Mdx to color. I told her that Mav can play with it, but I'm only going to let her color it (since he loves to color walls.....AHEM...sofas, etc).

Silvester 10K

2012-01-10T02:52:00.000-05:00

There is an annual 10K that runs through our village, and a few other surrounding ones. They close the main road (the one we live on) for the runners.

Mdx is ready to do some cheering!

We made a little poster, and got lots of thumbs up from the runners!

Some of them even had coaches or friends riding along!

Almost every house had people come out and clap. There was very little cheering, mostly clapping. The two young men you can see (besides Marshall) are our landlord's sons.

Unfortunately (or fortunately??) Mav slept through the whole thing, but maybe he'll see it next year.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2012-01-05T16:28:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Marshall's birthday a little early this year, so he could enjoy cake, ice cream, and presents before he left.

Homemade Birthday Cake! He actually had the gall to utter the words "That's not how my mother does it" while I was making this cake. And he survived.

Mdx wanted to know which number goes first. Mav is cheesing.

"Mav- say cheese!" "NO GIMME SOME CAKE!"

OKAY HERE! He talks in all capitals, in case you didn't know.

That's the best Birthday fortune I've ever seen.

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband, we love you so much!

Money well spent!

2012-01-04T17:41:00.000-05:00

Thanks for letting me know you are here! It's hard to type up words and upload pictures and send them out into the great beyond, and not ever hear an echo. But I see your smoke signals now, so that makes me happy!

Tonight the kids and I went to Zumba class. Initially a few weeks ago I went to a Zumba class myself after finding info for it on facebook. Thank you facebook for helping me with....just about everything.

At the class they handed out tiny little business cards that showed a class for kids on Wednesdays. Since all the dance classes on base are full with waiting lists, and this Zumba class is right in the next village, I asked Marshall if he thought we should sign up Maddox. The class costs €5 a week. "Sure, sounds great" is what he said, which is a typical Marshall response.

I've played our Wii Zumba game, which is supposed to be a kind of aerobic workout. You strap on a velcro belt around your waist, and stick the controller in a side pocket of it, and it magically can tell if you are doing the movements correctly. What they didn't program into the Wii game is how to measure the arm movements, so a lot of the time when I was playing I would just stop moving my arms because I could barely keep doing the correct steps as it was! The Zumba game is pretty hard, and a decent workout! The Zumba class (for adults) was also hard, but really fun- and I am sooooooo uncoordinated. It takes dance and step aerobics to another level. Another thing that I found funny is that the Zumba franchise sells clothing to wear to class- they have some eighties looking stuff with torn holes and neon colors- and other outfits that are like cargo pants and tank tops. I haven't purchased any Zumba clothes yet, and don't know if I ever will. I'd like to look like an uncoordinated idiot in my own clothes, thankyouverymuch.

Back to the kids class. ... Instead of being out in the main open gym, it is in a classroom. They turn down the lights, turn on the disco ball, and ROCK OUT! There were about 15 kids there tonight, all ages and abilities. Really the class is meant for kids from around 5 to 12, but Mdx was holding her own! Parents are welcome to dance too, but I was wrangling the baby. Toward the end Mav got over his intimidation and was dancing too. It was so cute! Hopefully you can see in these videos, they are dark.

In this video Mdx is dancing a Samba, and then you hear me laugh.

This one is a song called "Chocolate" that they do every week, so the kids really get to learn it well.

And the last one, you can see Maverick trying to copy all the other kids.

Hello?

2012-01-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

Aside from being one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever.....

Hello?

Hello? *tap tap tap* Is this thing on? Starting to feel like no one reads this blasted thing. Of course, I'm only partly doing it for you (whoever you are) and I'm partly doing it for me. I'm not a scrap-booker. I'm not a journal-er, and I'm barely a blogger. But, a blogger I am, and I guess that's better than nothing. It's nice to look back at the blog and see pictures and stories, so I guess even if no one is reading, that is why I'm doing it.

The strangest thing happened today. I was trying to make a new header- which took forever because I forgot how to do it with Picasa. Then after finally doing it, I tried to upload it, but it was either WAY too big, or way too small. When I'd click the "Shrink to fit" option it would make it too small and all the way to the left. So I had to go back to my old headers and find out what size it needed to be- then when I tried to upload the header as the correct size- GUESS WHAT??

I have reached my 1G free upload limit on Picasa Web Albums......which (I had no idea) is where your pictures are stored when you upload them to your blog. I guess it's not that bad that it took me a few years to reach 1G of uploaded stuff. Some of it is wasted memory because I had to upload the stupid header multiple times at different sizes before finding the right one because there is no "preview" choice for headers.

Which means........I have to pay for more storage. Or I can't upload any more photos or videos. WHAT?! That's right.....I can have 20G more storage for $5.00. So, I did it. I paid $5.00 and uploaded my new (correctly sized) header. You know what though- now that I stop and think about it, I think it said $5.00/year. WHOA, I better go back and check. I mean, it's not a lot, but that will add up over time, and what if I shut down the blog and stop paying? Will the entire thing just disappear!? ACK!

You're welcome. Or, I'm welcome. Sigh.

2012 New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-31T03:35:00.001-05:00

See ya 2011! As Scarlett says "Tomorrow is another day" and I'm a girl with a plan:

2012 New Year’s Resolutions

1) Health- stop taking myself for granted, for my own happiness, for my kids, for my husband, for MYSELF. Always easier said than done, but I’m not getting any younger, and I’m tired of not being happy with myself, when I’m the only one who can ever do anything about it.

2) Creativity- spend time sewing, painting, embroidering, just creating in some way, and helping the children do it too. Try to not be bothered by the mess.

3) Music- play instruments, sing, and do it regularly. There are too many instruments in this house that go untouched because we were afraid they'd get broken. At this point I’d rather them get played and broken, than get dusty.

4) House- Celebrate and decorate the holidays and seasons. I love going to people’s houses that reflect the time of year- they feel lived in, and loved. Pinterest and Etsy are priceless for this one!

5) Dinner- Plan our meals and grocery shopping better. It will save me time, and money. This also goes along with number 1- we eat better when I sit and plan instead of grabbing something out of the pantry.

Let's make those lists!

2011-12-30T04:14:00.001-05:00

Well, what do you know? It's that time again.....the time when people everywhere make bold proclamations about their intentions for the coming year. Or they don't. I admit, in the past, I've been hesitant to make resolutions, because I just plain forget about them after a while. However, in this age of blogging, facebook, and instant communication- I think if I put my resolutions "out there"...maybe they'll haunt me a little more this year and I'll work a little harder to make them a reality instead of just a resolution.

People have many different reasons for not wanting to make resolutions. I think it takes a kind of inner searching that some people just aren't comfortable doing. When we sit and take the time to reflect upon ourselves and what we want to change- well it can be downright depressing. As long as I don't think about my weight, it doesn't bother me. As long as I don't think about my problem with procrastination....well, I'll think about that tomorrow.

Or, conversely, you may be pretty darn happy with the way things are, and see no reason to make a list or rock the boat. My relationship is great, my house is clean and organized, my kids and smart and beautiful- what do I need to change? {you have to know I am being facetious here.....}

I think that both of these views have their own merits, yet both of these types of people could benefit from a resolution list. When someone feels that their life is so far from what they want it to be, that making changes is pointless- I certainly hope that they will realize that every journey starts with one small step. All you have to do is choose your direction- and the choice is YOURS and yours alone. So use your list to not even move- just point yourself in the way you want to go, and tomorrow decide to move an inch. The next day move two inches, and the next day three.

If your life is wonderful (and damn, I'm jealous!), then GREAT! Use your resolution list in a different fashion- maybe add something on your list that benefits someone else, besides yourself. Or make a resolution to learn more about something that interests you- because no one knows everything about everything, and education never ends no matter your age.

The most dangerous type of thinking when it comes to New Year's Resolutions is this: "Well, I'll just fail at doing anything, and then feel like a failure, so what's the point!?". This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You said you would fail, so you did. Here's the point- the only people who are failures and PEOPLE WHO DON'T TRY. If you never try to change your life, how do you know you can't? There is not one person on this planet who can't make some kind of positive change in their life. Maybe your list will only have one thing on it, but that is better than nothing at all.

So, think about it. Tomorrow I'm posting my 2012 New Year's Resolutions. Not for comparison or scrutinization, but merely for my own memory and accountability. 2011 was a pretty awesome year for me, but I know 2012 can be better. Now, with that- go jot down a few things and we can BOTH show 2012 which direction to take!

*if you are feeling brave, add your list or a link to your list in my comments- just for fun!*

Christmas Germany style

2011-12-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

We received quite a few packages in the days leading up to Christmas, and I don't normally scrutinize the customs forms, however- for some reason this particular one caught my eye. A 6 lb 50 oz coloring book!?? WOW! Haha! This was from Mdx's Godparents- Michael and Lisa, who live up in Minnesota, and are Lutheran Pastors (woot! I've been looking forward to typing that- finally!). I think it was so cold that it froze Lisa's brain for just a minute or so. :)

This was an awesome package from my childhood pen-pal Andrea, who is German and lives up in Northern Germany with her family. We are planning a trip to visit her in a few months! She also sent some really cute gifts for the kids.

Wow! Chocolate cigars?

Mdx wanted to color Santa a rainbow instead of writing him a letter, and by this point I really didn't feel like arguing- so the old guy got a rainbow. We left him some homemade cookies, milk, and whiskey in a glass Marshall inherited from his Grandpa Mac.

We also left some reindeer food (oatmeal and sprinkles) outside- because you don't want the reindeer to come into your house!

Santa left some great things for Mav! A taxi, lawnmower, wooden music set, dump truck, and box to keep his cars in.

Mdx was equally spoiled with an easel, a scooter & helmet, paintbrushes, paper, a play laptop, and a shopping basket.

Thanks to all those packages we got- our tree was packed with love from friends and family!

Christmas morning the kids slept until a decent time...close to 7. We headed downstairs to see if Santa came. Here is where the pictures get blurry because the kids were moving SO FAST!

Mav jumped in his taxi right away! Major hit!

Then he vaulted onto the couch to see what was up there.....

...rocked out on the xylophone for a few minutes....

...then jumped down to do some work on the lawnmower.

Mdx is showing me the wooden ladybugs that she found on her easel tray.

She could barely wait for the sun to come up so she could ride her scooter!

Which we did as soon as socially acceptable!

There was some taxi driving too! Truthfully, Mav wants to ride the scooter, but someone's a little possessive of it. He'll get a turn, maybe in 2013.

That night we lit the fifth candle of our dried-out-and-crispy Advent wreath. I also made way too much food, and even had to call my Dad in America to ask what to do about all the juice in the ham. He's so smart!

Christmas was great! We spent so much time focusing on the kids and cleaning/cooking/assembling/playing that we weren't as homesick as we were last year in Korea. Maybe it will get easier as time goes on and we can develop our own traditions. To all our friends and family, we LOVE you, we miss you, and thank you so much for everything you've done for us and sent to us. We are truly blessed.

Santa and a Cookie Party

2011-12-28T18:19:00.001-05:00

You can't have Christmas without taking your kids to see Santa, now can you? I think all parents feel obligated to make the annual trek to wherever ~~the weirdo who thinks dressing like Santa and having kids on his lap~~ the closest authentic-looking Santa is, so we can get those great photos of happy, smiling children, and cute memories of kids telling Santa exactly what they want for Christmas. If only it actually worked out that way.

If you look through the Archives back to last year (I'd link you but it's late and I'm lazy), you'd see that the kids weren't fazed at all by our Korean Santa last year. Piece of cake. This year, I knew it would be different. I know my kids, and I know how they react to things, and I KNEW it probably wasn't a great idea. Yet still, we got all dressed up, schlepped to the Community Center on base, prepped Maddox with the "Now, what are you going to tell Santa, do you remember?"....and Mav fell asleep on the way. Great. I actually figured that having a sleeping kid sitting on Santa's lap would be cuter than a screaming kid. If only that plan would have worked. As soon as we were in line and all the other kids and parents were being noisy, he woke up and looked around like "WHAT THE???"

Bad sign, folks. He wakes up like me- really unhappy to be awake, generally pissy, doesn't want to talk to anyone about anything, or move too quickly- in fact- everyone just GO AWAY. Mdx on the other hand wakes up all sweet and happy, full of "I love you"s and hugs. Not Mav- he (as do I) has a hard time with the transition. So Santa- yeah...good luck old buddy.

Maddox walks up and gives him the picture she colored of the scooter she wanted. She then spent the next minute explaining the picture and why she colored it, and who it was, and why she brought it- until I got antsy and said "Okay, let's take a picture!". I think all the stuffed animals and fake trees were creeping me out.

He says some "HoHoHo"s and I put her on his lap. She fake cheeses, click, we're done. I put Mav on his lap, and well- here:

That's the "I'm about to turn around and punch this dude in the throat" face. Good times. Click. Let's get out of here!!

Back at home, he was much happier.

And the kids played a game of Let's-squish-Daddy-on-the-couch!

I grew up going to an annual cookie party with my Mother and some of her teaching friends, and I really miss it when I don't get to go. We hope that next year we can make it back to the States in time for the cookie party (crossing all our fingers and toes!). Mdx and I baked some cookies so she could have a little taste of the excitement.

Apron on, and ready to bake.

Rolling out the dough

It started snowing, so she had to check it out!

The cookies cooled off so we could decorate them.

A little royal icing on each, and sprinkles, and they were GREAT!

We made some for our Landlord's family, with the letter of each of their names.

We ate a lot, but saved some for Santa!

You better watch out

2011-12-23T02:54:00.000-05:00

This is dedicated to her naughty little brother.

Trier Christmas Market

2011-12-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

We drove to Trier last weekend (a little over one hour drive) because we heard it was a historic town with a beautiful Christmas Market. Trier is right on the Moselle River, and has amazing Roman ruins. The GPS took us straight there, but once inside the city we had to drive around a bit to find a place to park. After about an 8 block walk, we came upon this- the entrance to the pedestrian market and city center.

The Roman gate- Porta Nigra- dating from 180 A.D.

So beautiful, I can't imagine if I had a better camera what kind of photos I could take!

We quickly came upon the Christmas Market, and mass chaos.

The crowds were so thick, you could hardly walk! If you have claustrophobia you must avoid Christmas Markets at all costs! You couldn't even walk- it was more of a shuffle, and to look at the things being sold, you had to wait your turn! It's a shame because I was so busy making sure I wasn't plowing into anyone, that I didn't get to enjoy the beauty around me.

Definitely doing Christmas shopping here next year! These little houses hold a tealight candle.

They sold candles of every color, shape, size, and smell.

I was JUST talking about these to my Mom. These are little metal displays that you put together, and when you light a candle in the bottom the warmth makes the propellor on the top rotate. It makes a tiny *ting* sound each time it goes around.

More candle holders.

Its hard to tell, but these are porcelain candle holders with historic sites etched on them.

Hand-carved and painted wooden Christmas trees, and Matryoshka dolls from Russia. I think we'll just go to Russia if we want to get some!

This was a cute display of robots doing some baking.

It's not a Christmas Market without a carousel!

I'm riding a reindeer!

The Cathedral in the distance- hopefully we can make it there next time.

St. Nikolaus came to town

2011-12-20T15:02:00.001-05:00

We have quite a lot of Christmas books, and they are well loved!

On December 6th, German children leave their shoes outside, to be filled by St. Nikolaus. What is pretty interesting to me is that German Lutherans also honor the St. Nikolaus tradition, not just Catholics- woot! I didn't know about this until a few days before it happened, and promptly forgot to put the children's boots outside that day. Luckily our landlord has adopted us in more ways than one, and she came knocking on the door while the children were napping, with goodies for them! She covertly handed me a bag and said "From Saint Nikolaus, for the Kinder!" (As in, hello you silly American, I don't see any shoes outside, so your poor kids obviously didn't get any candy today!) Ah, this family- we are so blessed! I quickly grabbed Maddox's boots and filled them will chocolate coins, and put them somewhere she'd notice them. Mav doesn't own boots, and wouldn't care anyway.

A sack for each child, and a big family gift! The family gift was a large family calendar, by a German artist named Janosch.

When Mdx came down from her nap I didn't say anything about St. Nikolaus coming, I just let her find the boots- which she found immediately! This kid has a built in candy radar! When she asked where it came from I said "It must have come from St. Nikolaus! He comes to the houses and brings gifts for the children!" She accepted that answer this time, I'll need to do better next year!

A coat hook, ginormous chocolate Santa, chocolate nutcrackers, oranges, and walnuts!

Oh Tannenbaum Oh Tannenbaum!

2011-12-16T06:23:00.001-05:00

We are "real tree" kind of people. I grew up having live trees, I guess my parents were "real tree" people too! I love the process of picking one out each year, bringing it home, setting it up, and decorating it. I love the smell and look of a real tree, even though the cost, eventual drying out, and needle shedding is a pain in the rear. Luckily, I manage the budget, I also like to vacuum, and have a tolerant husband.

We asked our landlord if she knew where we could buy a real Christmas tree, and she gave us an incredulous look. Then she told us that 100m up the road there is a Christmas tree farm! "No way!" I said and looked on Google Earth, to the North of our little village, and SURE ENOUGH, there's a tree farm there. Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

She said that they only sell trees one day a year (really? Not great for business if you ask me, but you didn't), so we should go early on that day because the whole village would be there to buy a tree. Then a few days later she told me that she spoke with the owner, and he said we could come early and pick one out if we wanted to. Right about now is when I realized how wonderful it is to have a landlord who A) speaks fantastic English, B) loves children, C) lives right next door.....and D) has lived here essentially her whole life. The woman knows everybody!

So, one day we received a call from her son "Your Highness" (see my facebook posts to get the reference), telling us that they were at the tree farm and we could come and pick one out. Maddox immediately began to change her clothes into a more appropriate outfit- you'll see what I mean in a minute.

What!? This is not what you would have worn? For the record, that's her birthday dress, purple crocs, and a tiger hat. Hey, if you want to freeze your little 4 year old buns off, go ahead. I'm not going to argue about it.

Maverick wasn't really sure why we were in a field in the cold wind.

Not a bad farmhouse for a tree farmer.

Maybe it is just too many stripes Mama!

My little Elf inside the Weihnachtsbaum wrapper- where the trees are wrapped in mesh to get them home.

We got the tree all decorated, and then tried to put the star on, but that was a little harder than Marshall thought it was going to be.

Finally. Half tree in place- we put it on a side table from IKEA. Ornaments and star in place- Mav isn't even interested in them apparently. But the presents are another story!

Indian-German-Italian

2011-12-15T16:23:00.003-05:00

We ordered pizza from a place in our neighboring village- it's an Italian restaurant run by Indians. (Sigh!). When I went to Korea to visit Marshall the first time he was there, we had Japanese sushi in Korea made by a Russian- and it was delicious! Now we have come all the way to Germany, to have Italian food made by an Indian. SIGH! I love this small world, but I sure hope that we never lose the authenticity of our cultures!

That's a mighty happy looking box!

Mav REALLY reminds me of my FIL here- don't touch my pizza! Yes, that is Marshall's ginormous pizza- family sized, so about 12''x18''!

Sometimes, you just get so tired that the Korean blanket blanket makes you pass out. Those blankets are soooooo soft!

Playing with Daddy after he got home one day. Where is Daddy?

It's beginning to...

2011-12-08T04:30:00.002-05:00

..look a lot like Christmas!

Steeler's Christmas train.

This old radio used to belong to my parents. On the left is a Korean nativity, given to me by the Osan Enlisted Spouses club when I left.

Scottish Santa is playing the bagpipes.

Irish Santa, and an Amaryllis that has since bloomed!

We have a great basket full of Christmas books.

I used some cloth from Korea to cover the side table.

I love this "Peace" print. It might stay up all year.

Advent wreath! This was taken when only one candle was lit, now there are two!

Maddox has a Kinderegg Advent Calendar. Kinderegg's are hollow chocolate eggs with a toy inside.

We've got a star in the playroom window.

Now we just need a tree!

What is Disposable

2011-12-07T03:00:00.002-05:00

There have been a few times in our Air Force life where I have really started to wonder whether we are doing the right thing. NOT about our marriage, ha no- not about that. Marshall and I are like yin and yang, like cake and ice cream, like movies and popcorn.

The problem with our transient life is that "things" have just become disposable, and not necessarily in a good way. We choose (at this point in life, with a 1 and 4 year old) to buy cheaper things like furniture because they may get ruined in the next few years and we don't want to be upset by that. In a way this can be a good thing...because really if you place too high of a value on "stuff", you start to care about your "stuff" way too much, and not the things that really matter in life- like people and experiences.

But what does that teach the little people in our life? It's okay if something stains the tablecloth because we'll just buy another one? Well, NO! It's not okay! I don't want to over-react, but how do we teach a healthy appreciation for the things we have, when we know that the things we have aren't really that important after all? I don't want to berate Maddox and make her feel ashamed for something that is truly an accident, but then again, how do I make her see that her Daddy works long hours in order to earn the money that buys the nice things that we have? When I am working, I also use my income to provide nice things for them that they wouldn't otherwise have. There are so many times when Marshall and I look at each other and say "This is why we can't have nice things!" and it is a joke....but it's not.

We have encountered people over the years who honestly place too much emphasis on the "stuff" of life. Their base housing is packed from corner to corner with "junk". Because, in my opinion, if you have it and have moved it, and haven't touched it in over one calendar year- it is junk. We only get a certain weight allowance of household goods dependent on rank, why waste your HHG weight allowance on something you haven't even touched and your kids don't care about? Books are a huge weakness for me. I love them, but they are heavy. So I now utilize the library more, and only keep books that I want to own because they were particularly good, a gift, or I will want to reference them later.

What about the truly meaningful things that we have acquired over the years? Something that is passed down from generations or handmade by a family member is certainly more meaningful than something purchased at a flea market. I have a wooden rocking chair in Maverick's bedroom that I got for free, that I rock him to sleep in every night- and it is from my Great-Grandfather's home in Charlottesville, VA. I also have a $25 (bought used from craigslist) children's play table in the playroom. But, how do you distinguish between the two? The children don't know the history, nor do they care. It's merely my reaction and treatment of the furniture that provides the difference in how they are regarded.

But even then- it's just furniture. Even if it is something that my Grandfather rocked in as a baby, if I take it and assume responsibility for it- I'm saying that whatever happens to it, I accept the blame. So should I pass up the chance to get a family hand-me-down, just because it may get destroyed during life with a military family? And if it gets broken, is it really that important? Just because we are a military family, does that mean that we shouldn't be allowed to have anything of value?

With Christmas coming, I start to get bogged down again. I want to buy every little thing for the kids, because I want them to be happy- and it's hard not to get carried away. Christmas morning will come this year and they'll be overjoyed with the gifts they receive. Mdx probably won't have to use "present face" even once. (hahaha!) This year I'm taking Mdx shopping to buy a gift for Mav- she's old enough to start learning how to give as well as receive. I know she's young, and at four years old, it's hard to expect her to understand. But we can try.

I've started to detach from "things" and started to attach to "people" these last 5 years. I miss my family and friends, and the best gift of all is time with them. I want more and more to be surrounded by the people and traditions that bring me comfort, and never once have I ached for a certain chair or table. (Although that Korean couch was pretty hard!) That doesn't mean that I won't do my best to preserve historical artifacts, or meaningful items from my past- just that I've genuinely started to recognize their place in the grand scheme of things. I appreciate and value the past, and things that remind me of it. However, I know that over the course of my life it will be PEOPLE and not THINGS that bring me the most joy. I hope I can teach that to my kids.

Mav's first haircut

2011-12-06T05:15:00.001-05:00

It was time. It was beyond time. If you saw the pigtail picture I posted on facebook, well- can you blame me? Mav's mullet was out of control, so I finally took him to the barber shop. I was worried about him sitting in the chair, or not letting them cut his hair at all- but he was an ANGEL! Besides giving the lady the stink-eye, he did amazingly well!

Little buddy- waiting his turn.

This chair is pretty fun!

He's watching carefully in the mirror.

Mdx was there for moral support.

What's the big deal?

He got a little annoyed she sprayed his head with water.

Back at home- the finished product!

He looks so grown up!

Now watch me roll on the floor! Woohoo!

First Halloween in Germany

2011-12-05T06:37:00.002-05:00

I know, I know. Halloween was a long time ago, and was even before Thanksgiving. But you were just dying to know how it went here, right?

We arrived here October 17th, and moved right into TLF on base. We began crazy house-hunting, paperwork, getting in-processed, etc. Luckily we found a place and moved in pretty quickly (with a LOT of help from our friends in the house-hunting, translating, and ride-providing!!). I knew that they didn't celebrate Halloween in Germany the way we do in the States, but there were a lot of Halloween activites planned on base. We decided to go on base to base housing so that the kids could go trick or treating. So did almost everyone else who lives off base! We took a few pictures at home before heading to base.

My little Tinkerbell in the outfit my friend Michele got for her in Korea! Didn't you know Tinkerbell wears purple Crocs?

The busiest ketchup packet you've ever seen.

This is as good as it gets.

We got to base housing right at 5 when it started.

By 5:15 there was quite a crowd, and you had to wait in line for candy.

By 5:30 there were so many people you couldn't even walk around, and I said "We have to get out of here!". Mdx had candy and was happy, so she didn't care.

We came home and Mdx and Marshall sat outside to see if any trick or treaters came to our house. None did. :( They still had fun drinking beer (Marshall) and eating cookies and candy(Mdx).

First Thanksgiving in Germany

2011-12-04T06:36:00.000-05:00

We feel very fortunate to already know a few families here in Germany, from previous duty stations. One family in particular has known Marshall since his first tour in Korea. Emily and Jarad invited us to their house for Thanksgiving, and we happily accepted! Last Thanksgiving Marshall had flown home from Korea after his grandfather passed away, and the children and I ate at the Officer's Club. It was nice to be in a home this year, and not at a buffet!

Maddox put on her party outfit and was really excited to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

It doesn't feel like Thanksgiving if I don't get to watch a little of the parade.

The boys stayed outside to fry the turkey. It ended up taking much longer than it should have because the automatic timer on the fryer kept turning off after 15 minutes. Mav fell asleep.

Emily didn't realize that her 22 pound turkey wouldn't fit in the fryer, so she had to do some butchering! Then when she put the main part of the body on the part that holds it, it wouldn't stay put, so she rigged it with toothpicks. It worked!

Their house has four flights of stairs. Maverick is pretty good at going up, not so good at going down.

The fried turkey was delicious!

Mama and Mav.

Maybe we will host next year!

Riding the school bus

2011-11-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

During Maddox's last week of school we moved into the World Hotel, which is not far from the Main Gate of Osan. However, it is the opposite direction of where we used to live, making the walk to school around .75/mile. Since it was still sweltering hot and muggy in late August, I decided to let Mdx ride the school bus home in the afternoons. She was SOooooooo excited, because after the School Bus Scare of 2010 (she got on the bus when I was supposed to pick her up) I told her never never never never never never to get on that Korean school bus ever again- oops! Mama changed her mind!

Maverick and Daddy waiting on Songtan's main street. I could see them from our hotel room, so I snapped some pictures.

The bus pulling in, and the teacher throwing open the door. One teacher always rode on the bus with the kids.

She jumps out and lowers Mdx out of the bus.

It's hard to see, but Mdx is overjoyed in this picture!

Mdx had to say goodbye to her sweet Teacher (Seon-Saeng-Nim). Goodbye Global Kids, we will miss you very much!

Email to Kia

2011-11-28T17:20:00.001-05:00

Oh, what a Monday. UGH.

I just finished writing an ~~essay~~ email to Battleground Kia in Greensboro, NC and also to Kia USA Consumer Affairs division. We'll see what they have to say about our situation. I'm not looking to get a new car out of this, or even for them to pay our repair bill. I just really want to know what they think, and what they suggest. Here's the email- it is long, but interesting...if you are into that sort of thing. Disclaimer- the sludge theory came from a friend, it is not mine- but I bet he is right!!

Dear [redacted for his personal safety],

Please forward this email to whomever you feel is appropriate at your dealership, as I could not find an email for the service department on your dealership's website. I am also forwarding this to the Kia USA Consumer Affairs division, through the KMA Consumer Assistance Center website.

My name is Mary [McYouaregoingtowishyounevermetme], and my husband Marshall previously used your website to ask for help regarding our vehicle. You replied saying we should expect contact from the service manager, which has not happened. We do not have any emails, or missed phone calls.

I brought in my Kia Sorento VIN # NOTTH3R3AL1 to your dealership on 9/15/11 for its 90,000 mile maintenance, even though the car was running perfectly at the time. I specifically asked the service department to do a thorough check of the engine, since we would be shipping it overseas and I needed to ensure to the best of my ability that we would not have problems with the car once it arrived in Germany. (We are currently stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany). Having two small children and with my husband frequently out of town or country, I make sure to keep my vehicle in good shape! We paid $496.96 for the premium service, which includes an oil change. After picking up the car on Thursday, Sept 15th, the next day we drove to Norfolk, VA, where the car was shipped from the vehicle processing center en route to Germany on Monday 9/18. There were no problems at all with the car after the appointment or before shipping.

We have the maintenance records to the vehicle in a file in the glove box. We provided regular maintenance including the 60,000 mile maintenance, and oil changes, some of which were done at Casey Kia in Newport News, VA, and some were done on base at Langley AFB. I have gone through our oil changes specifically, and the average mileage between oil changes was 4,000 miles, using synthetic oil.

For some reason, after picking up our vehicle in Kaiserslautern, Germany on 11/2/11, during the drive home the oil light turned on and the engine started a small knocking. Since we were close to home, my husband drove carefully home and checked the oil level, which was fine. I told him that since there was a Kia dealership nearby in Kaiserslautern, we should take it there, which he did. They informed us that they would charge us 600 Euro just to diagnose the problem (approx 795 dollars). This was an astronomical figure, just for them to tell us what is wrong.

At this point my husband tried to contact your dealership to ask what we should do. However, since we are 6 hours ahead of you, and he works full time, making a phone call is not the most convenient way. He sent the message through your website, awaiting a reply. We never got a reply, hence this message.

We decided to have the car towed from the Kia dealership, because we could not afford the diagnostic fee. The vehicle was towed to Ramstein AB Auto Shop, where they checked the oil pressure, and found it low. They suggested changing the oil and filter, and checking the lines to make sure nothing had been shaken or knocked loose during transit, thus blocking any vital oil passages. Once this was done the oil light turned off and the engine operated as normal for approximately 45 minutes, after which the light and sound returned.

They called us to notify us of their findings and their new recommendation to replace the oil pump. The part (actually multiple parts, as you know you can't replace just one part to any car) were ordered, and we were told it would take 2 weeks to arrive in Germany, with an approximate cost of parts and labor totaling around $600. This is painful to us, but luckily we had an emergency fund for this specific reason.

Which brings us to today. You see, today we heard from the Auto Shop, who received the parts and began dissembling the engine to replace them. What they found is perplexing to me. There is sludge in our engine. Our regularly maintained engine. The engine that your dealership performed 90,000 mile maintenance to only 2 short months before, saying nothing of sludge at the time. Our labor bill has now skyrocketed, as taking off the pan, cleaning the parts, etc has become a much larger job than they anticipated. The mechanics brought me back and showed me the engine, and I took a few pictures. I am attaching them to this message. After asking them what they recommend next, it seems that their first suggestion is to stop dumping money into the car, since it may need a new engine anyway. If we want to salvage the car, they could send the engine off base to a German facility to get cleaned, costing a staggering amount of money. Their only other suggestion was to buy an engine flush type product and attempt to flush out the sludge ourselves, then get the oil changed again to hopefully remove as much as possible and have a working engine.

Finding ourselves in a financial bind, I don't believe we have much choice. It appears that if the engine flush doesn't work, we will have to junk our 2005 Sorento, that only has 94,000 miles on it.

I simply don't understand how a car with no mechanical issues and regular maintenance develops sludge so quickly- but I have a theory. This is not an accusation, but merely a brainstorm as to where our engine sludge came from. Feel free to investigate, or offer any other opinions. We dropped off the car, and you performed the maintenance as requested, seeing no signs of sludge. You also changed the oil. It is certainly plausible that the bulk oil that you most likely use for your oil changes was probably at the bottom of a barrel, and therefore contained sludge mixed in. Sludge that went into our regularly maintained engine. As long as we drove the car the oil stayed mixed up, and therefore didn't settle and gum up the filter, pump, and engine. However, when the vehicle sat on a boat for 6 weeks, it was ample time for the sludge to settle. Therefore, when we got our car back- BOOM- engine sludge.

Now, if the oil for our oil change came from quart bottles, then this theory cannot be correct. Do you have any other ideas?

I am also curious as to what suggestions you have for us from this point forward. We should be picking up the vehicle in the next few days. I wish I could express how inconvenient it has been to be in a foreign country having car trouble, but the biggest concern for us now is finances. My husband is an E-5, and I do not have a job. If we have to buy another car to replace this regularly-maintained-and-paid-off car....well it won't be pretty.

If you read this entire email I thank you for your patience. Now, please do me the honor of a reply, so I know it was received, and not ignored.

Sincerely,

Mary Mc[Toldya]

myemail@thatplace.com

(German phone number) 8675309 cell

German phone number WD-40 home

We'll see if I get a reply!!

Korean Birthday party

2011-11-28T03:26:00.000-05:00

In between the kids' birthdays in August we had a party for them so we could celebrate their birthdays with our friends in Korea before we left. We decided to have it at a place in Songtan on Aragon Alley, called "Casa Bella", which is a Greek Restaurant run by two lovely Korean ladies named "Sunny" and "Honey". Of course those are not their real names, that is just what they told us to call them. They both used to be models, and there are pictures all over the restaurant from their modeling days. They both loved it when Maddox (and the rest of us) would come into their restaurant, and she would color pictures for them. So, it seemed fitting to host the party in their restaurant.

Mav showing off his Super-Mav outfit, that I purchased at an adoption fundraising auction.

Mdx helped greet the guests.

The party table (see the pictures on the wall?!). Ice cream cakes, beer, treats for the kids, and cake pops!

The strawberry cake pops were made by a Captain in Marshall's office. They were awesome!

We got boxes of cookies, and Maddox wrote "Thank You!" notes, signing her name in English and Korean.

We were packed into the restaurant, luckily they turned on the AC for us! There were a few funny moments, but one particularly embarrassing one. We began to open presents, and Mdx opened her first present, which was a Toy Story game for her Leapster. She thought it was the Toy Story movie, which she had only tried to watch once, but she thought it was scary and screamed for me to turn it off. So when she opened up the game she yelled "I don't like that!" and practically threw it at me. ACK! I was mortified. I had to explain that it was a game, not the movie, and apologize to Megan, who gave it to her. After the party I started working with Mdx on "present face" (you know, no matter what- you smile and say "thank you so much!"). Let's hope that never happens again.

This was our surprise guest- Mr Chicken!!

We wrote out a Birthday invitation, and took it to Danny at America Realty. He translated it into Korean for us and printed out two copies so that we could give one to Mr. Chicken and one to Imo (the woman who runs Blue Opera). We didn't really think that they would come, we knew that Imo had to be at work at B.O., and Mr. Chicken didn't seem to understand when we gave him the invitation. But he came!! He came running in the door a little late, and he brought an ice cream cake! He speaks very little English, but he hugged and kissed Mdx, and sat with her during the party. It was SO sweet.

Toward the end of the party- SuperMav passed out.

Back at home, Mdx practiced telling people that she is FOUR.

The next day we went to Blue Opera and saw Imo. She gave Mdx this beautiful white shawl that she crocheted herself! It was so special.

Mdx is also wearing the dress that she was given for her birthday, that was made by her buddy K's mom. The dress has a M on it (hard to see in the photo). K has one that matches, with a K on it.

Our last Sunday lunch at Blue Opera! We sure do miss it there.

Landstuhl Christmas Market

2011-11-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

There's no way I'll ever be able to post every thing or every picture that I want to post from the last three-ish months that have passed. Trust me, there was chaos, craziness, shenanigans, and weight gain involved! You don't need to see all that, now do you? I think in order to make sure that I get to post things that are happening NOW now instead of after all the catch up posts, I will post new stuff as much as possible and old stuff as I get time.

NEWS FLASH- we are living in Germany now! Marshall is stationed at Ramstein AB, we live off base, and so far we love it here!

Today we went to the Christmas Market in Landstuhl, which is a town just south of Ramstein AB. Landstuhl Army Medical Center is where most of the wounded soldiers from Iraq or Afghanistan are transported for medical care, en route to the United States. I'll post more about this later. We had gone to the (surprisingly small and overall not impressive) Christmas Market in our town, but you can't go to just one! They start in November and run almost constantly until Christmas, just in different cities and towns. There is a guide to all the Christmas Markets around here: Christmas Market Guide 2011

Maddox was all bundled up and ready for some fun!

Maverick was in the baby carrier, because we were told that strollers didn't really fit at the Market. That probably would have been true, but we went right as they opened and they weren't very busy. It worked out well, because Mav was warmer against me than he would have been in the stroller.

Landstuhl's Christmas tree in front of the Stadthalle.

There were many choices of places to get Brats and other things to eat. We stopped at this one that caught Marshall's eye.

No such thing as a bun length here? Ha! It was delicious!

This was a spice tent where they sold tons of different spices. It would have taken me forever to translate and figure out what they were, but I did understand the "Gluten Free" on the sign.

Look Carla, we found a miniature booth! I mean, a booth that sold miniatures. The guy said he doesn't have a shop, he just makes things as a hobby.

Advent wreaths are everywhere.

There was a carousel for kids to ride. Mdx rode this one but didn't think it was much fun.

And another ride that had cars that went around called "Micky's Drive". Mdx loved this one and cackled the whole time.

We had to try the waffles with melted Nutella to make sure they were as awesome as they looked. They were.

Before we left we stopped by the "Highlander" booth to get a glass of Glühwein (pronounced glue-vine). You can't go to the Christmas Market and not get glühwein! It is mulled with lots of spices and served warm. It was delicious! You don't get to keep the mug, but they do sell them if you want to buy one.

I asked the guys working the booth if they were Irish or Scottish, and they said that they are just Germans who like everything Scottish. They were wearing kilts in 30 degree weather. I think if you drink enough glühwein you don't feel cold anymore. They gave me a pamphlet for their Irish festival in April, so we'll have to go and check that out. It was a fun trip, and we are glad that we ventured out early so that we missed the crowds! We are talking about going to Mannheim or another larger city next weekend to go to another Market, but we'll have to wait and see how the weather looks.

Moving on up!

2011-08-31T18:30:00.000-04:00

...out of our basement Korean apartment and into a hotel to wait for our flight out of here next week! :)

Maddox took one last picture with our sunflower that we planted a few months ago. We planted six, and one has bloomed!

We had spent quite a while getting rid of stuff, and organizing what needed to be packed into a pile so that the packers wouldn't have to go through every room of the apartment. This is around the size of the pile of stuff that we sent here.

Some of the other stuff to be packed- our new hutch, a dresser, the TV...and you can see a few plastic tubs in Mdx's room.

The movers showed up and got ready to work! Those large wooden boxes are what get packed full of stuff, and eventually put onto a container ship or airplane to be sent to the next duty station.

Marshall was supervising (in other words facebooking)

The packers worked extremely quickly and got everything boxed up!

Hmm.. "The Careful Movers". If this is the truck of the careful ones, I'd hate to see what the truck of the NOT careful ones looks like!

This is what we were left with, to head to the hotel! 6 suitcases for 4 people, that's not too bad! Of course, that's not counting our carry ons!

This is our hotel room in downtown Songtan. The TV is around the same size as the purple couch you see, and the beds are pretty soft for Korean beds! We are now living out of suitcases once again, until we find a house in Germany. Back to a life of being homeless! LOL!

The Three Bears

2011-08-30T19:12:00.000-04:00

Maddox learned this song at school. It is about the Three Bears (I think!)

Happy 4th Birthday Maddox!

2011-08-30T03:44:00.000-04:00

Newborn:

1 year old!

2 years old! Daddy skyped in to watch the birthday party from Iraq.

3 years old! Headed to her first day of American preschool!

4 years old! Headed to her last week of Korean preschool!

Four trips around the sun, and you've done so much!! I can't wait to see what your fifth year brings!

Ketchup

2011-08-29T08:52:00.000-04:00

Here's a photo dump of some recent pics of the kids:

Monsoon season is over thankfully! But Maddox enjoyed playing in the puddles!

While Maverick enjoyed playing with the shoes (yuck!)

We went over to a friend's house, and he was delighted by this stroller.

And it was just SO funny!

Here's Mdx with her best buddy K.

In K's room she has this SuperawesomeIreallythinkMdxneedsone playhouse. It is made out of cloth and on top of what seems to be a card table.

There was a children's theatre production for kids on base, and Mdx's other best buddy A played a caterpillar.

Mav helped Marshall with his beer.

Mdx and I went to a birthday party for another friend at the Bowling Alley on base, and got this cute photo of the two of us before Mdx bowled.

Birthday Boy!

2011-08-19T03:00:00.000-04:00

Maverick Garrett is ONE year old!

Newborn:

1 Month old:

2 Months old:

3 Months old:

4 Months old:

5 Months old:

6 Months old:

7 Months old:

8 months old:

9 Months old:

10 Months old:

11 Months old:

And TODAY- on his 1st Birthday! One trip around the sun, many more to go!

Part 3

2011-08-19T01:09:00.002-04:00

If you haven't yet read the first two parts, make sure to start there! :) This post has more gory details, but childbirth isn't all clean and sterile- so be prepared!!

Alright, it's after midnight, though I haven't looked at or paid attention to the time for quite a while now. I'm in the big, warm, relaxing birthing tub. My doula and husband are both doing a great job letting me hang out and do whatever I feel like doing in the process of laboring. But that's an interesting word: laboring. I didn't really feel like I was working really really hard through the contractions. In fact, I was mostly sitting back and letting my body do whatever came next in the normal, natural process of childbirth.

As far as pain goes, I never felt like it was enough to ask for any kind of medication, or pain relief. The water did a great job relaxing my body and mind, and I knew that I had nothing to fear about the whole birth process. I felt that I trusted the people on my "team" completely, I knew them well, and they knew what to do. It was a wonderful feeling. Tara had returned from helping the woman next door deliver her baby, and said she could tell I was getting close! She had been checking the baby's heartbeat with a doppler (they work under water too!), and every time she checked she'd smile and say softly"Happy baby" So reassuring, and I was never worried.

Around 12:15am my body started pushing the baby out. That may seem like a surprising way to put it, but it is exactly what happened. During a contraction all the sudden my stomach muscles started tightening in a different way, and it almost felt like I was coughing. I had very little control over it at all! If you had told me to stop pushing, I probably couldn't have done it. During one push my water broke, and Tara said it was clear. The water broke with such force it felt like a balloon exploded (and I guess it kind of did!) I could feel the baby's head descending, and feel myself opening even more that I knew was possible. There was no one yelling in my ear to push, or forcing my body into an uncomfortable position.....however I was floating in the water was how the baby was going to come out- and that was okay. Babies come out all sorts of ways!! I do remember Heather at my side gently telling me to put my chin down, but I was in another place at that moment, so she tapped the bottom of my chin and then my chest and said "Put this here"- and it worked!

Tara shined a flashlight down so they could see the head start to emerge. In between contractions she said, "Mary his head is coming out, do you want to reach down and feel it?" and I said "Oh no! I can feel it!!" Hahahaha! I was feeling the "ring of fire", and wanting him out (who doesn't?), so I asked her "Can you just pull him out?" and she laughed. I don't remember exactly what she said, but I know she told me I was doing a great job getting him out myself. I had some tearing with Maddox, and I had shared with them my fears of tearing again, so Tara did her best to help me ease him out, and I really think the water helped too!

Just 14 minutes after my SROM (spontaneous rupture of membranes), at 12:39 am Maverick entered the world under water, and went straight into my arms. Tara caught him, and brought him up out of the water as I grabbed him. She got quite wet in the process- but that's part of the job!! He was so warm and wrinkly, and amazingly clean! Tara remarked about how clean he was. I held him for a while as he was wrapped in a towel and given a hat. Heather took a few photos, which I'm keeping for memories, but not going to share. The labor pains seemed to disappear, although I know that it wasn't completely over, I just don't remember pain anymore. Once the cord was cut he went to be cleaned up (minimally) and then went straight to skin to skin time with Marshall while I got out of the tub and got cleaned up. I had to deliver the placenta, and only needed one tiny stitch. I started nursing right away, and it seemed like time was standing still.

I'm clean, now pick me up!!

At some point I remember the Peds nurse coming in to give us our bracelets, do the paperwork, etc. She looked to be about 75 years old, and seemed forgetful. We declined most of the common newborn treatments except the Vitamin K shot. She took his footprints, did some other things, an said she'd be back later to weigh him. (she forgot and we had to call them to send her down again later) Tara left to shower and said she be back to check on us, and we sent Heather home to get some sleep after having an incredible "Wow, we did it!! Can you believe how perfect it was!?" conversation. Then it seemed the whirlwind was over, the lights were out, and we were both lying in bed together just looking at our sweet baby before 2:00am It. was. AWESOME. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome it was.

My favorite photo:

Coming up....some pictures of the Birthday Boy, and thoughts and doulas and midwives.

Part 2

2011-08-18T23:50:00.001-04:00

Heather was on her way and we were down in the lobby of TLF, having decided that laboring at home for a while (which had originally been the plan) wasn't going to happen. We needed to get to Norfolk as my contractions were now moving towards 4 to 5 minutes apart, stronger, and I could no longer talk through them. I was more than happy to just get to the birth center and be able to labor there, with the big shower, birthing tub, rocking chair, big Queen sized bed, etc.

One of the Birthing Rooms at the Midwifery Center

Heather arrived, and we were off. She followed behind us. As we came up to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, we could quickly see that what is normally a 2 lane tunnel was going down to one lane for some night-time repairs. Wonderful. Every contraction I had was pretty painful and I was grabbing on to the "oh shit" handle (you know, the one above the passenger window?) and pulling myself up off the seat because it made my back feel better. As the cars were merging together into one lane, Heather was stuck to our bumper trying to stay with us, but there was this one guy who was acting like he was going to run her off the road rather than let her in. I was looking in my side mirror thinking "Oh my lord, my doula is going to get into a road rage incident on our way to have a baby!" Hahaha! She got in, and all was well. She probably would've gotten out of the car and beat the crap out of the guy if necessary, she doesn't mess around. I also shot off a quick text message to my friends (the Real Housewives of Hampton Roads) letting them know we were sneaking off to the hospital....they were all thrilled!

What normally was a 20 minute drive to the hospital ended up taking us around 45 minutes, so it is a good thing we left when we did. As we pulled into the hospital Marshall dropped me off at the door and then drove across the street to park the car. Heather was also parking, and hurrying to catch me. I tried the door and *IT WAS LOCKED*. No joke. I totally forgot that they said after 9pm (or maybe it was 10?) they would lock that entrance and you had to enter the hospital through the other entrance CLEAR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BUILDING. Not cool, DePaul, not cool. So I turned around and yelled across the street to Marshall, who was getting our bag out of the car, and said "The door is locked!". He thought I said "My water broke!" and came sprinting across the street with a towel in his hand! I think men who have a wife in labor have a little hard time hearing because of their adrenaline level. :)

Just then a car pulled up and a hospital worker got out and used their badge to open the door. She could see that I was there to deliver a baby, and told us to come on in! Thank you random stranger! We made our way up to the floor where the Midwifery Center is, and went right into one of the birthing rooms, since we had already pre-registered at the hospital. It was nice not to have to fill out forms and answer tons of questions right away. We met our nurse Colleen, who was wonderful and did a great job helping me get changed and set up to do the initial 20 minute fetal monitoring period, after which I was free to labor how I chose with intermittent monitoring, as long as everything was fine. Tara came in to check on me and see how I was progressing. She let me know that she'd be with the woman in the next room who would be delivering soon, but that she'd soon be back. The hardest part was just lying still on that bed, I wanted badly to get up and move around, it was SUPER uncomfortable. I was lying on my left side, which was most comfortable to me, and when I would have a contraction I was pushing with my right foot downward on the bed, lifting up my pelvis a little bit. I don't know why this felt better to do, I think it had to do with the position of the baby at the time. The contractions were maybe 3 to 4 minutes apart, I can't really remember at this point- I wasn't timing them anymore, just focusing on breathing. Heather was doing a great job keeping a cold washcloth on my head because I was sweating a ton (thank you hormones!) and so hot, and she also talked to me and helped keep my mind off of feeling chained down in the bed. The monitoring was FINALLY over and I got out of the bed as quickly as I could. I'm not sure exactly when it was, but sometime around now is when Colleen asked me if Marshall was my husband, and I looked at her and said "You don't think I drag him around for fun!?" Sorry Colleen! I bet nurses get snippy b!tches giving birth all the time right?? I think if that's the worst thing I said during labor, then that's pretty good!

I have to say, that at no point during any of this was I scared, and I don't think Marshall was either. We had taken a Birthworks Int'l class that helps couples prepare for natural childbirth, and it was fantastic. So, we knew what was happening, what was coming next, what we could do, etc. We were empowered and over all just excited!

They checked me and I was already 8cm dilated! Woot! I really felt great about that, like most of the hard work was already behind me! The tub was already filled, and I knew I wanted to labor in the water, so I got in. I left my sports bra on, but really, all modesty is out the window at this point in childbirth, you really don't care who sees your business, or what you look like. As soon as I got into the water, I knew I probably wasn't getting out. It. was. AWESOME. The water just lifts up all your heavy pregnant weight, and takes the pressure off of your joints and back. I was still feeling the contractions, but they were localized, and I wouldn't say they were severe. I was shaking on and off, which is a sign that I was having some major hormonal stuff happening, but I never felt nauseous. I leaned against the side, sometimes on my left, sometimes on my right. I tried to get on my knees and lean forward, but that didn't feel good, so I just leaned against the side again. At this point I started making this "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh" sound during the contractions- trying to keep my mouth open, taking deep breaths, and focusing on opening and relaxing.

...more coming...

Maverick's Birth Story Part 1

2011-08-18T19:59:00.003-04:00

I don't recommend waiting a year to try and properly write out your birth story- exact times get a little hazy, but I really do remember this birth and the details and how it felt so much better than I remembered Maddox's birth. I'll spare you the goriest details, but still include the fun stuff. :)

On Wednesday, Aug 18th 2010 (one day overdue) Marshall, Mdx, and I were taking our daily walk around Target. You may laugh, but that's not really an exaggeration! We were living in the Bayview Tower TLF (Temporary Living Facility) on base because we had moved out of our rental house a week and a half before. Now, WHY in the world would a family with a woman almost ready to deliver a baby move into TLF?? Truly, it was our best option. Marshall was heading to Korea Labor Day weekend, and I was moving down to NC to stay with family until we joined him. I didn't want the stress of having the movers and everything crazy with a newborn baby, so we got permission to live in TLF for almost a month so that we could be moved out, deliver the baby, have some time to recover, and then leave. We were so thankful that Langley TLF was understanding and extra accommodating! So anyway- back to Target. If you've ever lived in a TLF you know what I'm talking about here- you quickly become tired of flipping the AFN channels, staring at each other, and riding the elevator for fun. Not that we would ever do that.

We made a few videos just for fun:

We also got many hours of playground time (mostly Marshall and Mdx)

So, with Target a few minutes down the road and a kid who loves shopping carts and popcorn- you get the idea! Every day those poor red shirted employees watched me dig through the dollar section and mutter generally rude things under my breath about organization and rednecks not putting things back. They may or may not have had to draw straws to see who was going to have to clean up the mess when my water broke, after daily watching me waddle through the door. I think on this particular day we made a few laps around, when I started to feel the difference between real contractions and Braxton Hicks contractions.

I knew my body was preparing to deliver for a few reasons. The baby had dropped LONG ago and was engaged. With every step I could feel his bowling ball of a head (as I imagined it, because Marshall's head is huge) knocking on the door. I also had been at least 3cm dilated for weeks. My body had "cleaned itself out" over the last day, which is definitely a sign (sorry folks, but it's the truth!) I knew second babies generally come faster than first babies, and Mdx's labor was about 8 hours, so once labor started, I shouldn't dilly dally. Still, the contractions were really not too bad. Stomach tightening, back definitely hurting, but manageable. I could still carry on a conversation but every seven minutes or so I got this look like I was thinking really hard about buying that spiky blue ball that goes in the dryer.

After timing contractions for around 30 minutes (7 to 6 minutes apart) I told Marshall that I thought we should go back to the hotel and see if they stop or continue. He agreed, so we got into the car and headed back. Having contractions sitting in a car is not fun....it's an awful position for the pelvis to be in with all that extra stuff going on down there. By the time we arrived back on base I couldn't walk during a contraction, I had to stand still. So I stood still in the parking lot, then in the lobby, then on the elevator, then in the hallway, and finally safely back in our TLF. The contractions seemed to be closer together, and once I began timing them we saw that they were now 6 minutes apart consistently. Time to start making some plans!!

Marshall called our friend Jamie who had offered to keep Mdx for us whenever it was time to go to the hospital. Jamie was so thoughtful and would check in with me before going out and doing anything, to make sure that I knew she would be just a phone call away. Coincidentally, Aug 18th was also Jamie's birthday! She lived in the neighborhood right next to TLF, so it was a quick trip for Marshall to gather Mdx's things and run her over. Mdx was really excited about getting to sleep at Miss Jamie's house, she didn't even notice anything was going on with me!

While Marshall was gone I called my doula Heather (more about her later!) and let her know what was going on. She was at a sewing party with some friends, and told me I should probably call the midwife and let her know I was in labor, and then call her back and tell her what she says. So I called the Midwifery Center, and was pleasantly surprised to have my favorite midwife Tara answer the phone! The Midwifery Center at DePaul is a birth center that is inside a hospital, staffed by Certified Nurse Midwives, who are assisted (when necessary) by OBs. (I'll write another post about my new views on birth....) I had received all my prenatal care there, and gotten to know the four midwives pretty well. I was THRILLED to be able to birth there.

Tara talked to me on the phone, assessed the situation, and recommended that we head over to Norfolk sooner rather than later, since sometimes tunnel traffic could be bad. She said she already had one woman laboring there, so she'd already be there for the night! I hung up the phone and called Heather back. The first words out of my mouth were "You are going to hate me....."- I felt bad that she was going to have to leave her sewing party- but she was stoked to know that it was GO time! She didn't mind one bit, this is what we'd been preparing for all this time! I started gathering all our stuff so that when Marshall got back and Heather arrived we'd be ready to go.

....more to come as the essay continues......

DMZ Part 3

2011-08-08T09:31:00.000-04:00

After going through a checkpoint our bus arrived at the Joint Security Area. We were then boarded by an American Soldier who is stationed at Camp Bonifas and assigned to work at the JSA. He wore a special armband designating him as assigned to the DMZ, and recited quite a few memorized speeches during our time there.

Camp Bonfias JSA water tower. No pictures allowed after this until told otherwise.

We rode in our bus to the Visitor's Center where we were shown a brief presentation regarding the history behind the JSA, and the seriousness of our visit there. There can be (and have been) incidents within the DMZ where people can get hurt, and there is a very strict protocol that must be followed. There was a dress code we were given when we bought the tickets-no logos or provocative sayings on clothing, no short shorts, women dress modestly, etc. I was told my Bermuda shorts might be too short, so I wore jeans.

After the presentation we were put onto a JSA bus, and driven up into the JSA. The building is called the Freedom House, and stands directly across from the blue buildings that straddle the Military Demarcation Line. You can see a better layout on this website.

This is the view from the steps of the Freedom House, over the blue buildings that were intended to be temporary when they were built. The large building you can see is the North Korean building where they gather their negotiators and distinguished visitors before entering the blue building. When our tour group was getting ready to enter the building, the South Korean soldier locked the door to the North Korean side, and stood guard. It can only be used by one side at a time.

The soldier is standing with half his body hidden behind the building so he can signal if he needs to without the North Korean guards being able to see him. These guards stare at each other all day long.

Inside building T2, the American soldier is explaining to us that within this building is the only place where you can set foot into the North Korean side of the DMZ. The South Korean soldier is standing at a position sometimes referred to as "ROK Ready"- it is a modified Tae Kwon Do stance. You can see their ginormous arm bands.

Running down the middle of the buildings is the MDL- you cannot cross this line. Actually, you used to be able to, but after a series of violent attacks, it was decided that both sides should stay on their side of the line.

Marshall is trying ROK Ready. It doesn't have the same effect somehow. Maybe it is the loafers.

The soldier peeking around the building.

It's hard to see, but in this photo there is a North Korean soldier at the top of the steps peering at us through binoculars. Hope he liked my jeans.

When we were done at the JSA Panmunjeom we traveled to an observation point where we could see North Korean observation towers.

The skies finally cleared enough that we could just barely see Gijeoung-dong Village, which is a North Korean village built for the sole purpose of propaganda. North Korea has tried to make this village look like a place with nice apartment buildings and people working in the fields, but it is obvious that there is no glass in the windows of the buildings, and the people working in the fields are transported in. Surrounding the village are powerful loudspeakers that sometimes send out propaganda messages or music. What you can see in this picture is the giant flag tower they built so that the North Korean flag could be visible from the South Korean side. However, the flag is so heavy that it sometimes rips under its own weight.

Here is a view down to where the axe murder incident happened.

This is a memorial marker, in the exact spot where the tree stood. Reading about this incident, and listening to the stories really goes to show how volatile this whole area is. That people would be killed over trimming a tree- how senseless.

Around the checkpoint you can see the entrance to the bridge that straddles the MDL.

This bridge is known as the Bridge of No Return. Soldiers were allowed to pass across this bridge only once at the end of the war, they had to choose which side they wanted to go to. But wherever they went, they could never go back. And what is amazing, is that it is now 2011, and they STILL cannot go back.

That concludes our pictures from the DMZ tour. I highly recommend it to anyone who gets a chance to go. It helps to understand why these countries are divided, and why our forces are still necessary here. I pray for peace for all Korean people, and that their country can be reunited one day.

DMZ Part 2

2011-08-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

Our next stop was to Infiltration Tunnel #3. There were signs all over saying that we should not take pictures, but Marshall took this picture of the diagram showing the layout of the tunnel structure going from North Korea under the DMZ. We went into the visitors center, put on hard hats, and went straight down a long sloping walkway all the down into the tunnel that was secretly built by North Korea. There are other tunnels that were discovered in various ways- this one was found after a defector told them about it. The tunnel was about 2m wide by 2m tall, and in many parts you could not walk standing upright. It was also pretty cool (temperature) down there! It's hard to imagine what would have happened if these tunnels had not been discovered, or if North Korea has somehow successfully built tunnels that have not yet been discovered.

The diagram of the tunnel. I am only posting this picture because I feel that it does not endanger South Korea's national security to show something from what is essentially a tourist attraction.

See the NO PICTURES sign....bottom left. Oops. Also, No Smoking, and No Running. Well, 2 out of 3 isn't bad- however, still a failing grade!

From there we went to the Dora Mountain Observatory, which was just a short bus ride away up a winding road. This station is just on the South Korean side of the DMZ, and high enough to see over into North Korea with high powered telescopes. It was a hazy day, and we knew we wouldn't be abl to see much- on a clear day it would have been much more interesting.

You could not take pictures from the edge, and you had to pay 500 won (around 50 cents) to use the telescopes.

The yellow line that you had to stay behind to take pictures.

After the Observatory we went to Dorason Station, which is the northernmost station of the South Korean rail system. The railroad tracks leave here and continue on into North Korea, but no trains are allowed to pass. This rail station is the largest, newest, most modern building- and gets no traffic at all. I'm sure they hope that one day they will see trains coming and going filled with people headed North and South, but the day we were there it was empty.

In this map you can see how far people from South Korea could go by train if the rails through North Korea were opened. They could travel all the way to Europe and the Middle East.

No one can go to Pyeongyang. Maybe one day! I would do it, if I were allowed to.

This Korail sign says 205km to Pyeongyang, 56km to Seoul. It is hard to believe that all the people in Pyeongyang have no idea what they are missing down in Seoul!! Two different worlds!

Optimism at its best. "Not the last station from the South, But the first station toward the North".

President Bush came here during his visit in 2002 and signed a railroad tie. Marshall was excited to see how many people named Mac also appeared to have signed it, or maybe they were vandals?

"May this railroad unite Korean families".

As the bus pulled away from the train station, we saw the border checkpoint where the only cars and trucks that are allowed to enter North Korea must pass through. The road was empty (except heading South).

Us. On a bus.

DMZ Part 1

2011-07-31T08:31:00.000-04:00

Marshall and I took an all day ITT (Information, Tickets, and Travel) trip up to the DMZ last week. The ITT office offers trips to many different places all over Korea, and are very affordable. The great part about these trips is that they take care of all the travel arrangements for you, and offer tour guides. Since I can't possibly remember all the great info that we learned on our trip, I'm going to post a few links, and you can read some of it for yourself.

Having just finished reading Still Life With Rice, this trip was perfectly timed. This book is fantastic (I highly recommend it!), and helped me come to a greater understanding about what life was like in Korea during the time of the Korean War. The Korean people have truly been torn apart, and have overcome so much. Just riding through Seoul on our tour bus, I am amazed at how successfully and quickly South Korea has rebounded from being nearly destroyed. From everything I have heard and seen, the Korean people want nothing more than to have their entire country united once again, but most of all they want peace. I hope in my lifetime this happens for them.

The first stop on our trip was at Imjingak Resort. This is a park filled with monuments and displays, right along the border of the DMZ. This park is visited by millions of South Koreans each year who come to pray for their lost family members and ancestors buried in North Korea, and to pray for reunification. They look across the border at the land they cannot visit, and the people they may never see again.

This is a giant bell, waiting to be rung to celebrate reunification.

There is a wall full of stones from different places all over the Earth that have been at war, and now are at peace.

Some of the stones in the Peace Wall. There is one from Massachusetts, honoring the Revolutionary War in the US.

These are ribbons tied onto the fence separating the two countries. Each ribbon contains a prayer for a loved one still in North Korea, an ancestor buried there, or a prayer for peace.

This one is in English. "Pray for God's grace and His peace be upon North Korea".

The park is right next to railroad tracks that run all the way up to the border of North Korea, but are not allowed to cross. This old train was one originally that used to make the trip across the border, before the two countries were separated. If the border was opened, trains would be able to travel all the way to China and beyond, like they could before the border was closed.

The South Korean guard actually looks nicer than Marshall.

This bridge goes right up to the edge of the Imjin River bridge,until 1998 it was the only bridge that still crossed the Imjin River into North Korea (of course you are not allowed to cross it).

Fountain shaped like the unified Koreas.

It was a hazy day, but you can see the bridge crossing the Imjin River. At the end of the Korean war, thousands of captured soldiers crossed this bridge back into the South, into freedom.

At the gift shops outside they sold North Korean beer (or so the sign says).

We also picked up some North Korean money.

This little gal guarded one of the shops. Her front and back nails are painted different colors.

That's it for now, more coming soon!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

2011-07-02T06:28:00.004-04:00

After drawing all the winners for my prizes, I looked back at who they are- and the results are so funny! No one can say that it was rigged (sorry Mom, maybe next time), and the diversity of the group of winners really shows how widespread my group of friends truly is! To fill you in, I'll post how I know each person.

Here are the winners for all of my Giveaway prizes from this week!

Monday- Magnet set- 19 entries- Winning entry #13-
SARAH MANN WILLCOX!

Sarah and I became friends when we both played together in the Durham Symphony. My Father in law has done a keg stand in her backyard.

Tuesday- Chopsticks set- 18 entries- Winning entry #12-
JENNY SHUCK BATES!

Jenny and I worked together at Swenson's Ice Cream (my first job!) in Friendly Center AGES ago, and I hung out with her younger sister Tina. Jenny has three adorable children, and gives great advice.

Wednesday- Pottery bowl- 22 entries- Winning entry #3-
TIFFANY KING!

Tiffany and I were both Music Ed majors at UNCG. She married a violist- insert any number of jokes here.

Thursday- Luggage tags- 22 entries- Winning entry #19-
E VOIROL!

I met E about eightish months before we left Langley, and I wish I had met her sooner! She and I have very similar senses of humor- and she once lent me a zebra print body suit. True story.

Friday- Name banner- 17 entries- Winning entry #11-
ARIAIL BERKELEY BUNTYN!

Ariail's mother and my mother have been friends since they were in High School, so I've known her literally my entire life. We have baby pictures together. I can't say that about many people.

To all my lucky winners- send me (via facebook message preferably, but email works too) your mailing address- and I will get these prizes in the mail next week!

If you didn't win and really, really, REALLY want something, I can be convinced to buy it and mail it to you- but you'll have to send me a check, or paypal! :) Family members may make Christmas gift requests too.

Okay, that's it! Giveaway week is complete!! MaryMac OUT!

Givewaway week- FRIDAY!

2011-07-01T02:07:00.002-04:00

Today is the LAST DAY of Giveaway week, and this has been so much fun! Entries to all posts from this week close at Midnight Eastern time, so go back and comment if you haven't already! Thank you to everyone who has participated, and has taken the time to enter. Some people even posted about it on their blog and facebook- so thank you to you too! This is my first time trying to do anything like this, and it can get complicated, so thank you ALL for being understanding. :)

The comments will be numbered and then I'll be using this random number generator to pick the winners. I'll post the winners here (and also on facebook probably) on Saturday, so stay tuned! I was going to have people guess how much Mav weighs for this last post (because this boy is a chunk, and that would be funny)- but that just adds another layer of complication. So- random it is!

Here is the final prize for one lucky winner!

A custom made banner! We have one for both of the children, and they are really very nice! This booth is operated by a very elderly man, who paints (painstakingly slowly and carefully) with beautiful rainbow colors on white silk. Each letter is formed from something from nature, like a bird, bamboo, a tree, a sunset- each thing he paints is unique! If you win, you get to choose what word or name you want on your banner. You can hang it up, frame it, or give it away. And in case you were wondering, yes, his booth is made out of mostly cardboard, plastic, and packing tape. Genius!!

Here is a picture from Maddox's old room, and you can see her banner hanging on the right.

Oops- forgot to say- the Rules posted previously during the week still apply. I'm not cutting and pasting it again!

Now, live long and prosper! Or, go forth and multiply! Hmm....how about this- PAY IT FORWARD!

Giveaway week- Thursday!

2011-06-30T00:02:00.003-04:00

It's another rainy day here in Songtan.....Monsoon season! I have never seen this much consistent rain before- and yet it is not flooding. Where is all this water going? For someone who walks everywhere, this is also pretty inconvenient. However, I've got places to go and stuff to do! I really must walk more than the average bear, because in the last week three different people have said "Mary I see you walking all the time!" (of course they see me from their car......). Before we came to Korea I was wallowing in my pregnant and then postpartum glory, and the only walking I was doing was around Target!

This Giveaway week has been pretty fun so far- I love seeing who is reading! If you haven't entered the previous three days of giveaways- head on back and comment! All entries before Midnight on Friday (Eastern time) are accepted.

Today's item for giveaway is probably not specifically Korean, but I had never seen it until Marshall brought one home with him from his last tour here. Now, here in Korea I see them everywhere! These are luggage tags/name tapes that are heavy duty, and snap onto a suitcase or backpack. They are approximately 1.5 inches wide, and about a foot long. They really help when you aren't sure if the suitcase coming around the carousel belongs to you! They also would look really cute on a child's bag. If you win, I will get two different ones made, and you get to pick what colors, and what you want them to say. If you want your name in Hangul (written Korean) that would be cool! Or maybe "Go Steelers!"? It doesn't have to be for you, you could get it made for someone else- so think about what you would want on your luggage tag.

To enter today, all you need to do is comment and tell me THE LAST TIME YOU WALKED MORE THAN A MILE. Ha! No, I'm not kidding.

Stay tuned for tomorrow- Friday is the last day of Giveaway week, and I think it has the best prize!

The Rules- Surely you have seen these by now? Mama always said "Read the fine print". Or something like that.
Each day I will post the item being given away, and how you can win. At the END OF THE WEEK (so after entries are closed Midnight Eastern time on Friday) I will post the winners and send out messages to notify them and confirm the shipping address. If you are not my facebook friend, make sure to include your email address in your comment. I will mail (from an APO address, so be patient) your prize. Please only enter one time for each post- and spread the word! These kinds of giveaways are much more fun when you get new people involved!! (And PS- if you have a blog, why not host a giveaway, huh?)

Giveaway week- Wednesday

2011-06-29T00:02:00.001-04:00

Welcome back for the 3rd day of giveaway week! I'm giving away cool Korean stuff to celebrate my blog reaching 20,000 pageviews. Granted, most of those views were from family members and friends- but I've had this blog for quite some time and it took a long time to reach 20,000! So let's celebrate!

Today's awesome giveaway item is this Korean pottery bowl/dish/jewelry holder (can you tell I'm not exactly sure what it is for?). It is a beautiful light green color known as celadon, common in Korean pottery here. It is about 5 inches in diameter, and just a few inches tall. It resembles a flower. There are many ceramic shops around Songtan, all offering a few variations of the same kind of things- but the green color seen here is very distinctive.

If you would like to win this piece of Korean pottery, just leave me a comment telling me WHAT FOREIGN COUNTRY YOU MOST WANT TO VISIT. I'm not yelling, I'm just putting that here in big letters to get your attention. :)

Remember the rules: Each day I will post the item being given away, and how you can win. At the END OF THE WEEK (so after entries are closed Midnight Eastern time on Friday) I will post the winners and send out messages to notify them and confirm the shipping address. If you are not my facebook friend, make sure to include your email address in your comment. I will mail (from an APO address, so be patient) your prize. Please only enter one time for each post- and spread the word! These kinds of giveaways are much more fun when you get new people involved!! (And PS- if you have a blog, why not host a giveaway, huh?)

Giveaway week- Tuesday

2011-06-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

Welcome back for giveaway day #2! If you didn't enter yesterday's giveaway, go back and comment- remember, comments are open until Midnight Friday (Eastern time).

The item I am giving away today is this set of Korean chopsticks, with cloth holders. I was surprised to discover that the chopsticks they use here are metal and not wooden, and are stored in a little box that sits on the end of the table. I find the metal makes picking up food even harder, but my skills have gotten so much better over the last 8 months! I can even eat rice with chopsticks now!

The ends of these chopsticks are decorated, but the ones in restaurants are not normally decorated. Koreans also use spoons when eating things that have more liquid in them, and some rice dishes like Bibimbap (YUM!). I have learned that it is considered extremely rude here to pick up your bowl and put it close to your mouth while you eat- whereas in China/Japan that is considered more commonplace.

Now, could you keep it down? I'm trying to sleep!

Giveaway week- Monday!!

2011-06-27T00:01:00.006-04:00

In celebration of my 20,000 pageviews (up in the top left corner, in music notes) I am hosting giveaways this entire week! Monday through Friday, come back every day for a new giveaway of something unique from South Korea, where I'm currently living!

I consulted with my bloggy buddy Danielle, who recently did a successful giveaway on her blog. Basically, the idea is to reward loyal readers, encourage them to comment (because really, comments are like someone handing you a piece of chocolate), while also trying to convince new readers that my blog content is worth their time. If you aren't familiar, here is what my blog is all about:

*I'm a Mom. This blog holds pictures and stories of my kids for friends and family to see and enjoy. My kids are wonderfully average in every way, and I love them like a fat kid loves butter.
*I'm an Air Force spouse living overseas. I'm a member of the Make-the-best-of-what-you've-been-given Club.. We Skype with our families back home when it can be managed, but not many people want to see my kids half dressed, squawking like pterodactyls, while they try to ask me about the weather or what we are doing for the day. South Korea has been a beautiful adventure, stay tuned for Germany this fall!!
* I'm a Carolina girl at heart. I love the East Coast of the USA- the beaches, the mountains, the climate, the accents, and Cheerwine. Just a little bit of (real)wine brings out my Southern accent, and ya'll, it's fantastic.
* I'm a violinist, teacher, and music lover of just about all kinds (except a capella, which makes my hair stand up). I hope to return to teaching in a formal school setting once we are settled this fall. My favorite genres are bluegrass/newgrass: Alison Krauss, Avett Brothers, Nickel Creek, Mumford and Sons, Gillian Welch, people who write and perform their own music.
*I'm opinionated and sometimes sarcastic. Don't take me too seriously! You don't have to agree with me to read and appreciate my blog. In fact, disagreeing with me, and intelligently and respectfully arguing with me helps us both to grow. Help Me Help You. I'm amazingly open minded, and I really love everybody, even those most different from me.

Alrighty! Now the nitty-gritty!! Each day I will post the item being given away, and how you can win. At the END OF THE WEEK (so after entries are closed Midnight Eastern time on Friday) I will post the winners and send out messages to notify them and confirm the shipping address. If you are not my facebook friend, make sure to include your email address in your comment. I will mail (from an APO address, so be patient) your prize. Please only enter one time for each post- and spread the word! These kinds of giveaways are much more fun when you get new people involved!! (And PS- if you have a blog, why not host a giveaway, huh?)

Monday's giveaway:

This is a super cute set of 10 girl and boy magnets, dressed in traditional Korean clothing. Each one is about two inches tall, made of clay. Korean traditional dress is called Hanbok, and children receive a special Hanbok outfit to wear on their first birthday.

Here is a Hanbok shop close to our house.

HOW TO WIN: Anyone who comments on this post before midnight Friday will receive one entry, I will draw a name randomly. Just leave a comment and make sure I know how to reach you!

Remember to come back tomorrow for another giveaway!

Great "Mom Gym"!

2011-06-20T05:05:00.000-04:00

When we were first stationed at Langley I had just had Maddox, and was (of course) trying to lose the baby weight. I went to the gym on base, and used the Parent room a few times, but it was extremely lacking. First, it was a pretty small room, with only a few machines in it. If there were two other people there, chances were the machine you wanted was already taken. Also, the play area for children was behind an opaque half-wall, so once the kids were in there you couldn't really see them. There were no toys, just a table and small chairs. There was a TV, but you had to bring your own movies to watch. I didn't go there often because Maddox was never happy there, and once we discovered the YMCA down the street from our house had childcare- we joined the Y.

Here at Osan I'm glad to report that there is an AWESOME Parent and Child workout gym. It is in a separate building than the main gym, in between the main gym and the swimming pool. There are offices and classrooms also in the building, but I rarely see anyone at all when I go. The bathrooms are clean and nice, and there is a real changing table in the women's bathroom. This gym was installed in June 2010, through the help of various sponsors, fundraisers, and volunteers- and other bases should take notes!! For a base that has less families than other bases, this is incredible! It is a 1.8 mile walk from our house, so I walk Mdx to school, then walk there (pushing Mav in stroller), do 30 min cardio and around 15 min weights workout), then walk back and I'm home by lunch time.

This is the play area for 6-24 months. There are soft toys and stuff to climb on- and clear walls so you can keep an eye on your child!

Mdx is showing you the play area for 2-5 yrs. They have a bookshelf full of books, a pirate ship, a playhouse, and a basket full of toys. There is a flat screen TV mounted on the wall, with a DVD player, and a basket full of kid movies. All of this is enclosed in the clear walls with gates that you can latch shut to keep the younger ones from roaming.

The other side of the room is the workout equipment, just steps away from the kids. On this side: Recumbent bike, stationary bike, stair master, and another stair type machine.

A treadmill, two elliptical machines, free weights, resistance bands, aerobics steps, and two more flat screen TVs complete the workout area.

Osan really has become a much more family-friendly base just in the last few years. To anyone considering coming here, I would definitely encourage it! Besides the gym there is a Youth Center, a Community Center, there are a lot of activities for families, in fact Sesame Street Live is coming here next week. A gym like this goes a long way to keeping the Moms of the families here happy- and we all know that when Mom is happy, life is so much better for everyone involved! :)

Kid pictures

2011-06-19T08:58:00.000-04:00

When Mdx is good she gets to ride the rocket ship outside the baby store downtown.

Mav has learned how to beg for food, and does it frequently. He likes spicy food!

Because really, who can resist that face?

Hair sculpture after bath time. Yes- he rarely has clothes on when we are at home because it is just too hot! A diaper will do!

Outside a restaurant downtown called Nolboo, they have HUGE orchids! Bigger than Mdx!

An Addendum

2011-06-17T21:43:00.005-04:00

I've always wanted to use the word Addendum in a blog post, and now I can......

I'm so glad there were so many that enjoyed my last post. It's very fulfilling to get so much feedback when you write something so potentially controversial. People hold their churches near and dear to their hearts, and the last thing I want to do is make someone feel like I am being critical of something they love! I love the comments, and even if you don't agree with me about the Traditional Services, hopefully you could see my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. Sometimes my humor doesn't translate through the screen as plainly as I'm putting it down.

An important part that I should have included in my musings on Traturgical Services is that I don't think that they are for everyone. And that is totally fine. I'm not offended when people don't like the Traditional Service and seek out another way to worship. I have heard people refer to Traditional worship as feeling stagnated, dated, and behind-the-times. I don't take it personally. I didn't write or develop the Traditional Service format, and the only personal investment I have in it is that I have spent close to thirty years of my life in Traditional Services. I personally value the liturgy, the familiarity, and the ceremony. When I am there, I feel God. And to me, that is all that matters.

There are so many different types of people- so many different ways to get what you need from the God-and-you relationship. If you haven't found a church or a service where you feel comfortable and feel God, keep looking! It's all the same God (in my opinion). Heck, why not church-hop for a month or two just to visit new places? I would enjoy doing that just for the educational value. Many churches offer multiple worship formats because they have realized that they need to offer ways to worship that are just as diverse as the membership of the church. Let your church be like a buffet- take what you need and want from what they offer, and leave the rest for someone else. Not everyone likes the jello salad at the K&W Cafeteria, but there it is, week after week!

What if you feel God best when you are not at church? As a Lutheran, I believe that I am saved "By grace, through faith".....NOT "By grace, through church attendance". Some people feel God best hiking on the top of a mountain, or with their toes in the sand, staring at the ocean. They see Him in the everyday interactions with their children, or ruminating during a long car ride. Do you have to be under the formal roof on a Sunday morning? I don't actually believe that you do. Your relationship with God is personal, and does not need to be justified to anyone.

However, there are things that you gain from attending any kind of church service, that you won't necessarily get otherwise. The biggest is a sense of community. A church truly is a group of people, not just a building or service you go to. Without the people, the church itself is meaningless. Conversely, if you attend church and choose not to interact with people- if you always skip out of the coffee hour or never attend the Lenten dinners- well, you are probably not feeling the community warm fuzzies. Talk to people, volunteer, remember names, and donate cans of food. Offer to hold a baby so a mother can enjoy the service, or tuck a little treat in your pocket to give to a fussy kid in the pew in front of you. Build relationships, because this builds God's community.

I'm going to get off of this religious kick that I'm on, because I know what most people really come here for- pictures of the kids!! It is nice to be able to write about what's on my mind, and I encourage any of you who need a place to download (or is it upload?) your thoughts, to consider starting a blog. I hope you enjoyed these posts, and if anything they made you think. Peace, my friends!

I'm a Lutheran snob, and proud of it.

2011-06-12T08:22:00.002-04:00

Today we attended the combined Traditional and Liturgical Service (also known as the Tradurgical or Liditional) at the base chapel. It was only our second time attending as a family. We are making a more concerted effort to get to worship, especially as Maddox gets older- I want to honor the promise we made at her baptism. You may wonder why we haven't been going to church while we are here in Korea and there are many different answers to that question (the new convenient 10:00am start time had something to do with it)- but I'll share a few of the reasons with you here.

One reason we didn't go to services was that-well.......we are high church Lutheran snobs. That's right, even as liberal ELCA members, we just don't get as much out of going to contemporary worship as we do from the familiar predictability and comfort that a traditional Protestant service brings. For me (and I'll speak for myself from here on out and not presume to know all Marshall's reasons), I want my church services to be pretty much the same every week. I want to start out with a greeting, a few announcements, and then get right down to business with a Brief Order of Confession and Forgiveness. In fact, if it's the old Green book confession (which I know I'll almost never get to say again) well, that would just rock my socks. Anyone remember it? This is from memory, but I'd venture to say I'm pretty close to the LBW version:

"Most merciful God, we confess that we are in bondage to sin, and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. By what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen."

Boom. Call me a wanna-be Catholic, but I want my confession to kinda sound like that. Anything a little too off from that basic outline, anything along the lines of an altar call- and you've lost me. If we don't get on our knees, I'm not feeling really very confessiony at all. After that I'd love a Sharing of the Peace, but please, Lord have mercy, do NOT make your guests raise their hand, introduce themselves, or in any other way point out the unsaved heathens in the crowd! I mean honestly, that's the fastest way to get people to never come back. You think I sound like a snob now? Just wait.

Alright, after all the hand shaking and "Peace of the Lord be with you"- "And also with you" kinda stuff....we need to sing Hymns. You know- from a hymnal.....those are these books full of printed music that are mysteriously missing from some churches nowadays. And not slow hymns- it's Pentecost for crying out loud! For future reference, any hymn that has a note to be sung over a C (the one above middle C), well that's just a little too high for most voices to reach comfortably on a Sunday morning. One last note (lol) about music- if you are going to project the words up on a screen to a song the congregation has never heard before, be prepared for only the choir to sing. Oh wait- there's no choir?? I'm outta here!!

Moving right along to the Lessons. Yes, LessonS. As in, more than one, ending with the Gospel. I don't care who reads them, but they need to be followed with a "The word of the Lord" or something similar, and we can answer with a "Thanks be to God" just to high five the reader, cause us Lutherans are down with that kind of thing.

There needs to be an Offering thrown in there at some point. God knows the church needs the money. Now, if you REALLY want to get the most money the ushers need to pass those plates. Don't just wave them in the general direction of the pew as you speed down the aisle and see if anyone makes eye contact- get the plates going all the way down every row, in fact if you make people actually turn and hand them to someone else- well that act alone will probably get you five more dollars. Try it. I mean it.

Here was the biggest point of contention for me today (and granted, we had a substitute minister from another service....so I forgive him). The Sermon. There are time limits to people's attention spans, and any pastor knows this. You've got to be like Seal team 6, you get in, get the job done, blow something up, and get the heck out of dodge. Well, without the blowing up part, I am personally NOT a fan of the fire and brimstone method. Tell some good stories, make sure to tie the ending in with the beginning, use some humor, vary the tempo of your speaking but NOT the volume (seriously, what is that about? Are you trying to wake up people in the back, or scare the crud out of us?)- and please make sure to stay behind the podium. I start squirming when the pastor starts walking around like we are having some casual conversation. Lastly, don't end every paragraph with "Does that make sense?". Not to mention how condescending it sounds (is what you are saying so above our heads that we wouldn't get it- well that's definitely a problem!) Do you really expect us to answer? If we say NO we look foolish. If we say YES we are talking during the sermon, and Mama said to never do that. Mama trumps pastor. The answer to every question asked in church is "Jesus". Write it down.

After the sermon, get to communion and get there quick! We are really hungry for some body of Christ, but please make it clear what we are supposed to do. Whether it's rip and dip, tip and sip.....I get really confused sometimes. The mini shot glasses are fun, but make sure we know what to do with them- we have plenty at home so I really don't need to take it with me. And if you are going to offer communion to some, in my opinion the Lord's table is open to all- Jesus dined with prostitutes, thieves, and tax collectors, so please don't act like you need to see credentials to share the love of Christ with someone.

Communion is over. You know people are checking their watches, the last hymn needs to be the fastest tempo of them all! Get that choir high stepping out the door so we can get to the "Go in Peace and Serve the Lord"- "Thanks be to God" part! What?? THERE'S NO CHOIR? I'm outta here!

Now, to be clear, I am not writing any of this to offend or step on anyone's toes, but if anything, I am an equal opportunity offender! I love all people regardless of their religious beliefs, preferences or lack thereof, what service they attend or don't attend, and I certainly hope to be forgiven for my snobbishyness in this post. These are my opinions, no one else's. Maybe I'll see you in church one day- or maybe not! :)

A little bit of that...

2011-06-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

I made this Big Ben centerpiece for our table at MOPS. (Mothers of Preschoolers) I cut out pictures of Will and Kate and had them looking out the windows, and had the Queen peeking out of the top. It's amazing how much fun it is to make stuff out of cardboard, but recently I've started to get tired of all the cardboard toys around our house!!

I went to Namdaemun market up in Seoul with the Osan Enlisted Spouses Club. We took the bus to Yongsan and then took cabs to the Market. It was so much fun! There were street vendors and shops selling everything you'd ever want to buy. I wish I had turned around to get a photo of the actual market, but it was wall-to-wall Koreans and I thought it would be rude to take a picture in someone's face.

This was a ginormous building filled with hair accessories! Most of these people sold their stuff wholesale, but you could bargain with them. For example, one package of 8 bows would be 6,000 won (around $5.50), but if you only wanted to buy one or two you paid 2,000 each. So it made more sense to buy a ton, but then what do you do with them? I stayed away from the pink frilly hair bows, but did get some (around 100?) cute rainbow hair clips for Mdx.

My friend Michele got Mdx her very own (knockoff) Barbie doll that came with 35 outfits! Mdx has had so much fun playing with all the old Barbies at Grammy's house, it's about time she had some of her own! When I opened the package to get it all out, the outfits were hot glued down, so I had to cut the glue off of some of them!

The Fascination of Art City- huh? GRILS Shopping Fashion Style.

A little bit of this.....

2011-06-08T23:41:00.000-04:00

We went to a picnic, and Mav got to taste a cake pop. Marshall looked at me and said "You never used to do stuff like that with Maddox!". He's right. Eh- second baby.....I'm not worried so much about breaking this one.

We grew some sunflower seeds from a kit, and after they sprouted had to plant them outside our apartment building. Now everytime we walk by Mdx wants to check on the "Rainbow flowers". I hope she's not disappointed when they don't grow all rainbowy. AND- just a few days after we planted the little seedlings, there was a ginormous dog poop right on top of them! They are now almost 1.5 feet tall!!

One of our most favorite things to do is style Mav's hair after bathtime.

Mdx can write all her letters. Now she messes them up on purpose just to see if I notice, and then corrects me if I don't notice. She has said many times that she wants to be a Kindergarten teacher when she gets big like me.

We call him "Maverator" sometimes, when he's tearing up the house.

Wine Train Part 2

2011-06-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

After we were done at the vineyard we got back onto the tour bus for a trip to a concert hall and music school. We heard a great performance of Korean music by local musicians. I made a few videos but have recently discovered that my new camera (Kodak Easyshare M532-remember I left my old one on a plane....) is not compatible with sharing videos with my Mac. My old Easyshare was a more expensive model, and had no problem transferring videos. So- all the videos I made with the new camera did not end up on my computer like I thought they did, and I long since cleared the memory card. I emailed Kodak and their solution was to use iMovie, which I find to be a total not-user-friendly program. Grrr- at any rate. I have still pictures. :)

This woman is playing an instrument called a Haegeum. It is bowed and has two strings, and a very muted sound. The lady in the back is playing a modern drum set.

The whole ensemble.

These are types of Gayageum. They are one long piece of wood that acts as a soundboard, and the bridges are movable.

After the performance they had classes to give us a chance to play a few instruments.

I got to sit into a class to learn how to play the Gayageum. It was AWESOME! Right around the time this picture was taken Marshall dropped the camera (I'm telling you, we are hard on cameras in this family...) and the lens was jostled. It couldn't focus anymore unless you zoomed it to a certain point. Marshall finally beat the camera back into submission and it still works to this day. However, now that I know I can't get videos off of it, it might have to accidentally disappear into some hot grape juice or something. I digress.....

You push the strings down on the left side of the bridge to produce a vibrato effect, and also to alter the pitch from anywhere up to a whole step!

Outside the concert hall we got back on the bus and headed back to the train. It was a great trip, and I'm so lucky to have a husband who plans thoughtful things for us to do!

Wine Train

2011-05-31T22:14:00.001-04:00

Marshall made reservations for us to go on a trip offered through the ITT office here at Osan for our Anniversary. The beauty of the ITT trips is that the transportation and all the plans are provided for you. They normally include a tour guide, which is great to have when you are farther away from base where there might not be many people who speak English. Marshall even arranged for an all day babysitter and different evening babysitter for the kids! Our kids (at least Mdx, but probably Mav too) LOVE having babysitters. Mdx loves the new attention she gets, and thinks babysitters are much more fun than boring old Mama and Daddy.

This was our train car, attached to a few other "Wine Train" cars that were also attached to a normal passenger train.

We got settled on the train and were ready to drink!

These were the four wines they offered during the train ride to the vineyard: 1)White dry wine, 2) Red dry wine, 3) Nouveau wine (this was my favorite) and 4) Sweet wine. They were okay, but there wasn't one that I really loved.

We got to wear this sweet name badge all day. Those little people are made out of ginseng.

These little rubber mats are made out of the same stuff we lined our kitchen cabinets with, with a little crocheted edge on it.

This is Julie our tour guide, she was great! Once the train arrived at the town where the Wine Korea Vineyard is, we got off the train and onto a tour bus for the 15 minutes drive to the vineyard. The wine industry in Korea is very new, I believe she said it is less than twenty years old. So the wines are still developing, but they are very good and win awards.

We knew we were getting close to the vineyard when we saw grape vines and orchards! It was a dreary overcast day, but not too cold and not too hot.

The warehouses.

Our tour busses at the front of Chateau Mani. (That name always made me think of manicure)

Once we got off the bus it was time for lunch! They served a large buffet of mostly Korean food, and two different wines were served at lunch.

There were little glasses, bigger than shot glasses and smaller than wine glasses. The two types of wine they gave us at lunch were gender specific. Some kind of potency-energy wine for men (viagra wine?), and some kind of sweet berry wine for women. They did not taste very good, so we got more of the wine we had on the train.

We sat with a really funny couple that came on the tour from Kunsan, and the guy was telling a story when this picture was taken. Obviously it was a funny story!

Giant blow up bottle of wine. I think Mike McIntyre needs one of these!!

These were large tubs filled with hot Hot HOT grape juice.

This is what we did with the hot grape juice! We had to add a lot of cold water before it was tolerable. Two people in our group dropped their cellphones into the water while we were sitting there. Ugh!!

Coming next.......Wine train part 2!

Royal Wedding Guest

2011-05-29T02:19:00.000-04:00

We have a friend from the Hospitality House named Rachel, who is British. She lives and teaches in a town South of here and comes into town for the weekends for fellowship at the HH, and church. Rachel is rambunctious, energetic, hilarious, and calls herself "The Queen"! She planned a Royal Wedding party at a local coffee shop, since the Royal Wedding was starting around 7pm our time. She stayed in our guest room that weekend so that she could watch the kids while Marshall and I took a little trip to celebrate our anniversary. (post about that coming up!). I decided to get a few things together for her stay here with us.

I got some cute fabric at Happy Quilt that had little crowns and tiaras on it. I made a new pillowcase for Rachel's bed. It was so easy, and turned out so well!

At the commissary I searched and searched and tried to find things that were British. I ended up with a few cliche items, but it was funny! Roses, English muffins, English tea, English crackers, Ghirardelli (just because Rachel likes them) and a cookie shaped like a wedding cake. I used a different crown fabric as a little cover for the bedside table.

It was fun trying to make things special for our guest! :)

Graduation

2011-05-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

Marshall finished his Associates Degree in Intel Studies months ago, but the graduation wasn't held until April. I didn't realize what a big event it was, there were over 100 graduates! We were one of only a handful of families there, and I was worried that Mav was going to disrupt the ceremony somehow, but he was great! I know Marshall was excited to have us there, since most of the graduates didn't have anyone there except coworkers. The guest speaker was a Chief who gave the requisite "This is not the end, this is only the beginning, keep striving to educate yourself" graduation speech. He was not the best public speaker- but maybe he was nervous. I just had high expectations for a Chief I guess. Marshall's Commander came over and spoke to me for a while. She is PCSing to Washington, D.C. and we talked for a while about our plans for our time in Germany.

The Banquest room of the Officer Club. There were three times as many people behind me!

Mav stayed busy trying to get the label off of a water bottle.

The procession of graduates. Nice Service Dress!

This is a bad photo, but I wanted to show it to you anyway. First, there is a finger in the upper left hand corner! Second, it is blurry, and there is a shadow above my head that makes it look like I poofed my hair. And last- they just had to include sleeping Mav in his car seat that he doesn't fit in anymore! Ah, good times! LOL!

Marshall received the Pitsenbarger Award, which was given to Airmen who demonstrated leadership, citizenship, teamwork, community service, personal development, and dedication. We are so proud!

Trying to get in shape

2011-05-26T03:18:00.001-04:00

Hmmm.....now how does Mama do this?

I think she does this! Weeeeeeeeeeee!

Easter party at school

2011-05-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

The comments! Woot! Of course I need to get my butt in gear and comment more often too....no more throwing stones in plexiglass Korean apartments. :) You know what I should do? I should have a giveaway.........hmmmmm....what in the world would I giveaway?

The Easter party at Maddox's Korean preschool was....interesting. Since we had been gone we got a note the day before that said we could send in donations of candy or cake. I made some brownies and bought a bag of candy and took it in. The invitation said families were welcome, and to bring friends. Once we arrived I discovered that their idea of an Easter party is like a cross between a birthday party and Halloween. Certainly not all Koreans treat Easter this way, but this is how it was at Mdx's school.

All the children had made Easter "baskets" out of cardboard boxes that were decorated with Halloween stickers. Also, at least half of the children were dressed up in some kind of costume. They brought all the kids into one of the classrooms to sit on mats on the floor and wait for the Easter bunny. Mav wanted to sit with all the other children!

He wanted to be with the kids, but he didn't.

Cakes, cupcakes, chips, and candy. The little boy in the picture is wearing the school uniform- a pink Burberry-Plaid-lined jumpsuit.

Each child got a turn at the egg race. See the teacher with the witches hat in the background? Right after the egg race they played "Pin the tail on the donkey!".

The Easter Bunny made an appearance. Mdx was not a fan. You can see her name in Hangul on her box, and the child in the witches dress.

After they each got their picture taken with the Easter bunny they were all lined up and taken around the school, going room to room in a type of trick-or-treating for Easter candy.

It was certainly a party we will remember forever! :) One wonderful thing about this school is how hard the teachers work to plan fun things for the kids to do. They are always taking them on picnics, or outside to garden, or doing craft projects. They are also extremely friendly and love to pinch Mav's cheeks and coo at him when I come to pick up Mdx. It is a great place for her!

A month is good

2011-05-24T08:10:00.000-04:00

I think that was a lovely vacation from blogging. I had to rest my fingers, which were worn down to the bone from the every day posting during Lent. Which, I have to say- will never happen again. Especially with the lack of comments I was getting. It's like putting on a huge show and at the end nobody claps. (LOL!) Now, I know Blogger can sometimes act stupid- heck sometimes it won't even let me post or upload pictures when I want to- but there are SO many different ways to comment.......yet people don't. Not even anonymously. I don't write for the comments, but it's nice to know people are out there reading, appreciating, having thoughts they want to share- etc. Okay, off soapbox. :) Lord knows if there's a soapbox I can find it.

Moving on.....

We are going to go back and play catch up for a little while. This is the story of my life (playing catch up....not what is coming up next on the blog). We went home to the States, and on our flight back to Korea I requested a children's meal for Maddox (which I knew you could do) and a BABY MEAL for Mav! Did any of you know they have baby meals now? No one said anything to me about it on my flights back to the States, but I saw them serve different food to some kids down the aisle. So, a few days before we left the US I called Delta and spoke to their customer service (who were very helpful and friendly BTW), and the lady said "Oh yeah, we have just about any kind of meal you would want, you just have to know to ask for it!". So there. Now I know.

Behold, a Baby meal! This is Japanese Baby food. (we flew from Atlanta to Tokyo)

When we got back to Korea Spring had sprung! Purple flowers had bloomed everywhere!

Someone had also planted flowers along the side of the road from our apartment into town.

Lent is over!! Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T23:44:00.000-04:00

Praise God! I don't think I will ever do a blogging every day challenge again! At first it was interesting, but then became more mundane, and there is nothing I hate more than feeling obligated to do something that I don't really want to do! I definitely phoned it in on some days. Oh well- I hope you all enjoyed it, for what it is worth!! :)

Here are some pictures of our Easter celebrations:

On Saturday we went to the Easter Parade and Easter Egg Hunt on base.

The Easter Bunny started the Parade in a Jeep.

Osan Enlisted Spouses Club

The end of the Parade was the Command Chief and Base Commander on a fire truck.

The football field was covered in eggs.

Mdx picked up about ten, and then said she was done!

Marshall helped her see what kind of goodies she got.

Later on that day we dyed five Easter eggs. Yes, only five!

Aren't they pretty? We used these to play the egg cracking game that we always play with my family on Easter- the Green Egg won!

The Easter Bunny had to improvise this year, but the kids were still pretty happy!

Mdx had more fun with Mav's stuff than he did.

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

2011-04-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

I wish I could participate in this! Oh well- maybe next year when we are in Germany!
I haven't been using our cloth diapers as much as I would like to since being here in Korea,
but my new goal is to use them more. Especially since I brought them all the way here!
There are so many new styles of cloth diapers, and they are now affordable AND adorable.
What a great way to get the word out and hopefully educate more people about using cloth!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

Funny

2011-04-22T20:17:00.000-04:00

DEADLY TERMS USED BY A WOMAN.

(1) "FINE"- this is the word women use to end an argument when they know they are right and YOU need to SHUT UP.

(2) "NOTHING" - really means SOMETHING and you should be very worried!

(3) "GO AHEAD" - this is a dare, not permission, DO NOT DO IT.

(4) "WHATEVER" - is a woman's way of saying SCREW YOU.

(5) "THAT'S OK" - she is thinking long and hard on HOW and WHEN you will pay for your mistake.

Oh no

2011-04-21T07:20:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Mav was sick. All over the place.

Today, Marshall is sick- at least he has better aim.

I feel a ginormous target on my back.....please please please please please do not let me get sick. This stuff is brutal.

I'm going to sit in the bedroom with a canister of Lysol aimed at the door.

Post edit: 3:40am......Mdx has been sick all over her bedroom, Marshall is cleaning it up. There is no Lysol in this house I am doomed.

Green and Blue

2011-04-20T06:05:00.000-04:00

Even though this photo is a little washed out, I love how you can see the colors of the kids' eyes!

What jet lag feels like

2011-04-19T03:14:00.000-04:00

If you've never tried to turn your days into nights and nights into days- then you definitely haven't ever felt this before! Marshall's mom changes her work schedule all the time-I have a new admiration for her, because let me promise you...this is so hard on your body, brain, emotions, common sense, you name it!!

-first you think you may have gotten lucky and not gotten it. This is simply adrenaline folks, and don't you worry, that b*tch jet lag is waiting just around the corner with her party hat on.

-then you start to have to think just a little too hard for words like: suitcase, fork, and anything besides a swear word.

-next comes a little dizziness and loss of appetite. The appetite will reappear right after you get into bed to try and catch some Zs before one or both of your children wake up screaming because THEY are also hungry.

-so you get out of bed, you down a thousand calories of whatever you have to chew the least, and as you are slowly nodding off into your bowl of oatmeal (yep- great jet lag food along with yogurt) your kids wake up! Surprise!! You won the lottery! NO SLEEP FOR YOU (said in the "No Soup For You! voice....Seinfeld)

-congratulations. You are now officially slap-your-mother-tired. At least this what I call it, because you are honestly so out of your mind that you'd slap just about anyone....and we all know slapping your mother would bring you instant death. But at least then you'd be getting some rest.

It never gets old

2011-04-18T17:29:00.000-04:00

We are sitting in the hotel outside the Incheon airport. The kids and I have been up and playing since around 4am, Marshall is sleeping. He took the first shift with the kids and let me sleep a few hours, now I'm letting him sleep a few hours since he actually has to work the second half of today. :) In about 1 hour we'll get showered and pack up to head back to the airport to catch the first bus back to the base.

Yesterday during our travels there were lots of little reminders of being a military family. First, when I got to Raleigh and checked in I was browsing in the Borders bookstore they have in the concourse. I picked out a little paperback book to read and Mdx found an Easter booklet she wanted, but I didn't have my "Borders Rewards" card to get my discount. Then the cashier saw my military ID and gave me a military discount- I didn't even know they offered one! Sweet!

We got to our gate and almost all the seats were full. There was only one open one left, and it was next to an Army soldier in uniform. I had Mdx sit next to him and he offered me his seat, but Mav was snoozing in my baby carrier, so I explained that if I sat down it would probably wake up the baby. I asked where he's headed and he said he was going back to Afghanistan after his R&R. I wished him luck, and asked where his home base is. It ends up he lives in Germany! So we chatted about that for a while, and about life in Korea. We were interrupted when a cute old man hobbled up and said "Son, are you coming or going?". The soldier jumped out of his chair and said "Going sir!" and the man shook his hand and gave him a HARD pat on the back and thanked him for his service. Then we watched him slowly walk down the concourse to every gate and shake the hand of any person in uniform he saw. Now, THAT never gets old. Next time you are looking to fill your time in an airport........

Once we were on our plane to Atlanta, there was another reminder. The plane was full and they were asking for volunteers to give up seats. One of the last guys to get on the plane sat in the row behind us. He had been moved from his original seat close to the front of the plane because a woman pitched a fit at the desk about how she wasn't sitting next to her friend. He lost his window seat and was stuck in the middle- but was being a good sport about it. The flight attendant came back and was apologizing profusely to him for the rudeness of the other passenger, and said that they would provide him whatever beverages he'd like to drink for the flight. He looked a few rows up at another soldier in uniform (different than the one I had chatted with) and said: "You can give all my drinks to him, he probably won't have many more for a while!".

So, whether you are giving handshakes or alcohol- saying "Thank you" and recognizing that just wearing the uniform means you have given up something- that will never get old. At least not to me!

Traveling today

2011-04-17T18:00:00.001-04:00

Today I'm headed back to Korea with the kids! So, probably nothing interesting going to be posted until I get back, unless I can get some free internet in one of the airports. I am hoping that our international flight will have free wifi.....but I'm not holding my breath. I'll catch you all on the flip side- when we are finally back "home"! :)

Teacher Pay

2011-04-16T22:27:00.000-04:00

The next question in my series of questions from friends comes from my friend Susan, who is a fellow AF spouse. I met Susan when I was part of the online spouses group, and she has been a valuable asset for me. I know I can always go to her if I have questions regarding almost anything having to do with AF life, and if she doesn't know the answer she will find it for me! She's also very intelligent and witty. Susan is a wildly independent woman, jetting around the country on ski trips, and supervising the construction of their vacation ranch- I think you have to be independent to manage life as a military spouse. We can't sit around and wait for our men or we'd be sitting forever. Gotta live life NOW! Thanks for the question Susan!

Susan asks: Why are teachers so grossly abused for such little pay?

Obviously as a teacher I will have a biased opinion about this. But trust me, I don't have the answer to any of it!! I think that it is unfortunate that teachers are having more and more responsibilities added to their day, well beyond teaching in the classroom. Hall duty, bus duty, lunch duty, tutoring, sponsoring clubs, mandatory field trips, etc......things that have to be done. However, when you add more students to classes, and you take away planning time that teachers could use to make copies, write lesson plans, grade papers- teachers can only give so much. It is very frustrating.

On top of that, depending on where you teach, the pay you earn is really low compared to the education and training you are expected to have to get a job. I know that when I was teaching in NC I was earning less than $27,000/year my first year. I had a Bachelor's degree, and was licensed. NC's teacher pay uses a tier system, and for every year that you teach you get bumped up to the next level, where you earn incrementally more money. I estimate it takes about 6 to 8 years of teaching to reach a comfortable income where you don't feel poor anymore. With the recent budget problems, teachers have been advancing to the next tier, but not getting the pay raise. If you are part of a family where both parents are teachers- imagine the impact this has on your finances! Add to that the furloughs that have been added to the equation last year, and you have the equivalent of not just no raise, but a pay cut. It's disappointing to say the least, when you've worked hard to get your degree, get your license, work your tail off all year, and get no reward for it. It's no wonder that many teachers quit the profession before they've even taught for 5 years.

In Virginia the only position I could find was a half-time position. Since I had earned a Master's degree I was on a higher pay scale than if I had a Bachelor's degree- so with my 3 years of experience I was earning $21,000/year to teach HALF TIME. I was very happy with that! I was just glad to be working, and thrilled that I could earn that much and work 20 hours a week. However, with the budget problems that Virginia (let's face it EVERYONE) is going through- since I was half time and didn't have tenure, I was in the first group of teachers laid off at the end of last school year. Luckily we weren't living off of my income, but if we had been our family would have been having a very hard time!

One thing I DO think needs to be addressed and changed is the system of determining tenure, and attaching teacher pay to performance. Tenure seems to be a good idea in theory, but I think it ends up protecting teachers that don't necessarily deserve it, making it harder for bad teachers to be fired. As a military spouse I may never stay in any school system long enough to earn tenure, meaning I will always be on the chopping block first.......but what if I'm one of the best teachers in the school?? I'm not being arrogant, I'm just making a point- giving a teacher tenure has NOTHING to do with their ability to educate.

As far as using test scores to determine teacher pay.....I can see positives and negatives about this. First, of course there should be some kind of system to determine who the good teachers are and reward them, and who the bad teachers are and either retrain them, or fire them. BUT- using standardized tests does not seem to be working. How long have we been doing this? There have been NO MAJOR gains in the state of education in our country, and anytime people claim that they can use test results to prove progress...it is debated because of accuracy of testing data, and accusations of cheating. Sometimes fantastic teachers teach their asses off, yet the test scores don't reflect the blood, sweat, and tears that went on in the classroom. As an Orchestra teacher, there is no standardized test to prove what I am teaching my students, so how would they decide what to pay me? How would I prove my worth in a system like that?

Many people say, "Oh it must be so nice to get the summers and holidays off"...as if we just sit back and collect our paycheck for not working. There must be a misunderstanding- teachers work for 10 months and only get paid for 10 months. Or you can have your paycheck spread out for 12 months and you get smaller checks. Have you ever gone without income for 2 months? It's pretty difficult! Some teachers even end up getting summer jobs to cover them.

I think teachers have become the unfortunate scapegoats in a world where we want someone else to blame. At some point parents and students have to be held accountable for their own successes and failures as well. Teachers don't choose the profession to get rich, or because it a nice, easy, cushy job. With all the teacher bashing and union debates going on recently, it has certainly started to feel like being a teacher is not a respectable thing anymore, and that is a shame.

Day off

2011-04-15T23:59:00.000-04:00

Yep......even when you are blogging every day for Lent you get to take a day off now and then. You didn't know that?? Hahahahaha! I mean really- what do you think Martin Luther and the Protestant revolution were all about? (Trust me, it had nothing to do with blogging after all). Sorry to all my devoted readers out there....all *3* of you. Tomorrow hopefully I can write something interesting.

I'm in trouble now!

2011-04-14T21:50:00.000-04:00

Mav is mobile...and he is SO proud of himself!

This video was taken today at the Greensboro Children's Museum.

May need another suitcase

2011-04-13T08:00:00.001-04:00

Thanks for my new jammies Aunt Em!

For the record- Bubba wears 12 months sized clothes!

It's a hard life

2011-04-12T22:49:00.000-04:00

Marshall's computer is fixed!! *no Geniuses were harmed in the completing of this task*

New camera acquired!! *the old fashioned way, not Marshall's way*

Jet lag is defeated!! *let's not talk about how I get to do it again next week, mkay?)

Target trip completed!! *so hard to leave things on the shelf there*

We aren't having any fun back here in the States....no sir!

AAARRRRRGGGGG.

2011-04-11T21:55:00.003-04:00

Marshall's computer was on the verge of not working. We have had 3 Macs and this is the first time we've had a problem with one. I looked for authorized service centers in Korea, but on the Apple website, when it has you searching for service centers in other countries- as soon as you select Korea as the place you are searching- the website switches into Hangul (written Korean). No English option. GRRRrrrrr.

When I decided to come home after Grandmom died I told Marshall I'd bring his computer with me and take it to the Apple store to see what was wrong with it. When I took it in a week ago they ran all kinds of diagnostics on it and couldn't find anything majorly wrong with it. However, when he tried to restart it, it sat and pinwheeled for over 5 minutes. The guy looked at me and said "Hmmm....that's not good.". DUH!! He told me that they'd have to take it in and keep it for 5 to 7 days....BUT since we hadn't backed up everything that was on the computer I bought the cheapest external hard drive they sell there so that they could back up everything to that. I was under the impression they would fully restore the computer when they were done with it (that's what I get for ASSuming). Grrrrrrrr.

I hadn't heard anything by Sunday (the 7th day) so I called them to find out what was going on with it. The girl who answered the phone said "Oh yeah, it's ready for pickup!". I said "Was someone going to call me and tell me??". She said "Yeah, we are really behind on our phone calls.....". WHATEVER. Grrrrrrrr.

So I went today to pick up the computer. When I got there they were packed and I had to wait for a couple minutes before anyone was free to go and get the computer. Then he took me right to a cash register and told me I owed $99 for Data Transfer since they had to replace the hard drive and they backed everything up for me. I said "Um, NO I DO NOT, the guy that took this computer just said I needed to provide the external hard drive, he didn't say anything about a charge....not to mention we have the extended AppleCare plan, AND a one-to-one membership!". So after searching in his computer he decides I'm right and starts the paperwork to give me my computer back. Grrrrrrrrr.

Then he shows me the piece of paper taped to the hard drive- it says they could not restore the data to the computer, or create a user, and I would have to do it manually. I said "If you couldn't do it, then how am I supposed to know how to do it?". Blank look from him. Blink-blink. He said "Oh, it's really easy, you just plug it in and transfer everything over". Feeling annoyed and like I'm being rushed out the door, I sighed....signed the papers, and left. GRRRRrrrrr.

Get home.......no data transfer happening. The computer shows the hard drive icon on the desktop, yet when I try to use Migration Assistant to transfer all the data, all the sudden the hard drive is not showing up as one of the options to transfer from. Grrrrrr.

Tomorrow I'm going to Apple at Friendly Center and going to Say hello with a smile, and then give a big fat knuckle sandwich to the next GENIUS who rushes me out the door, or won't help me transfer my stuff. We are a MAC family, no doubt. We love their products and have had great experiences (previously) with their customer service. But this is ridiculous. Don't sell us a computer with a faulty hard drive and then replace it and give us a empty computer, and no help getting it back the way it was before it bit the dust.

Just a few

2011-04-10T20:48:00.000-04:00

Em and I tried our best to get some good shots of the four cousins together. However, poor Anderson wasn't feeling well and did not want to get his picture taken at all. Finally he allowed us to take his picture, but no smiles.....so here are a few of the shots I got. This is the best we could do!

When I travel:

2011-04-09T21:47:00.000-04:00

* I leave something everywhere I go. If it's not a camera, it's an ipod cord, a sippy cup, a sock.....something. It used to drive me crazy, but now I almost expect it.

*I forget what day it is. Heck, that happens to me whenever I'm not working. But the days all start to blend together and I find myself having to ask people what day it is.

*My children get fed whatever happens to be around at whatever time they act hungry. This doesn't really bother me as much as it should.

*I sit and watch TV shows that other people watch, that I really have no interest in. Since we live with Korean tv and watch our shows online, it really makes you think twice about sitting in front of the computer to watch a tv show. But when someone else is already watching tv, I get sucked in and just sit there and rot. I would love to get DVR if it's even possible when we are in Germany, so that we only watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it.

*I become much more aware at what a bad hostess I am. I never remember to give my guests towels. I never make special things for them, or offer them a drink,or go out of my way to make sure they are comfortable- even though other people do this for me. I promise I will try harder in the future!!

First Horseback riding!

2011-04-08T09:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we went with Em and her kids to a barn a little north of Wake Forest in a place called Franklinton. Em knows the family from their school, and they have twin boys Taylor Anne's age. They board horses, and own three of their own. When we got there Em got one of the horses from the pasture and we thinned out her winter coat and brushed her. She lost so much hair it looked like there was a Shih Tzu on the concrete! After we were done with the first horse, they went and got the horse that Taylor Anne was going to ride. We were surprised when the owner said that Maddox and Anderson could ride her too! (SOooooo glad, because if Mdx didn't get on a horse, there was going to be a meltdown!) These pics are from Em's camera....still no word on my missing one. :(

Cousins having fun! Yes, she is the same height as he is.

Brushing Maddie the horse.

T.A. was in jail.

"I'm a rock star"

A little scared and very excited.

She said "Walk Maddie!"

Going about 1 mph.

Action shot

2011-04-07T21:15:00.000-04:00

Have you ever seen jet lag?

The meanest Mama in the whole world made this video around 4pm one day....when a certain little girl was passing out on the couch.

Back in the Boro

2011-04-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

Whenever I come back to Gboro there are certain things I really try to do. Of course, now that we are living overseas I have a new appreciation for the things I used to just want to do. Now I NEED to do them! I always make a trip (or five) to Friendly Center, and of course Toys & Co. After working there for so many years, there are still people that I know working there, and I still seem to know the inventory pretty well! Maddox is old enough to enjoy going there to play without tearing the place apart, and pretty soon Mav will be able to play too!

I've talked about Yum Yum before, so of course that is on the list.

Downtown Greensboro has changed a ton, so I always make a trip down there for beer(s) or food. This trip we ate at Fincastle, which is a diner style restaurant. I had a Magnolia Burger- YUM!!! Bacon, Onion straws, Cheese, Tomato, on a Sourdough bun. They had a Simpson's car with the characters inside that Mdx played with almost the whole time we were there.

I like to drive by Grimsley and check out the school to see how it has changed. I wish I could take the time to walk through and see some old teachers, or see if they are there....but I never find the time. Hmmm....it is softball season, maybe there is a softball game we could go to!

Of course I love to go back to First Lutheran and see all our friends and family there. I've known most of our congregation since I was in Elementary School, there's a lot of great memories there.

Just in the last year or so I've started getting back together with girlfriends from high school who are still local. When I'm in town we try to meet up for lunch or dinner...just whoever can make it. It's so nice to see people again, and no matter how much time passes we always find things to talk about.

I haven't even made it to Target yet this trip, but that will be soon!

Cultural Differences

2011-04-05T19:30:00.000-04:00

Update: last night's sleeping was no better. This jet lag is really painful on the kids, and I hate it for them....but I am just about at my limit of how much one person can function with such little sleep. Thank goodness my mother and sister are helping with the kids in the morning so I can catch a quick nap. Still....I'm getting about 5 hours max (night and day combined, never consecutive), and that's just not enough! I feel a permanent state of blurriness.

The next question in my series of questions provided from facebook friends comes from my friend "E". E lives up in Virginia near Langley, and I met her through a mutual friend while we were stationed there. She sells Scentsy, is a party planner, and we always had some great conversations. So, I'm not surprised by her question: "What do you think are the major cultural differences between Korea and the U.S.?"

Besides the obvious differences of language and food, one of the things I have noticed the most in Korea is the respect paid to elders, and the way they use their "elder-lyness" (not a word??) to tell other people what to do. The older Koreans are the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and command a certain level of respect. In my interactions with the members of the community around Songtan, I have been told multiple times by an Ajumma (an older Korean woman) that it was too cold for the baby "Agi choo-woh" when I had Mav in my Beco and we were out walking around. They would walk right up to me and pat the baby's back, looking worriedly at his face. Now, yes- most of the time it was below freezing...but he was in a fleece snow suit, his head was covered, he was up against my warm body, AND the whole Beco was zipped into my North Face jacket. The child was toasty warm. So I would nod and say "Ne" (Yes...) or something like that and walk away. With an air of "mind your own beeswax" but without saying it. I'm not staying home just because you think it is too cold for me to have my baby out!

I was also told to sit down on the train by men (Ajussi) and women. They have seats reserved for old people, pregnant women, handicapped people, and women holding babies. As soon as an older person would see me with Mav in the baby carrier they would walk over and grab my sleeve and nudge me toward a seat. When the seats were full, they would gesture to someone else to get up. This is something I would be shocked to ever see happen in America!

Another cultural difference that I notice is how safe it seems to be in Korea. I'm sure there are some shady places, just like everywhere else, but I feel very safe when we are out walking at any time of day or night. People leave things outside their houses and apartments, and merchants leave things outside their stores, and they are not stolen. If they ARE....suspect a foreigner. There is a bathroom store down the street from where we live, and they leave stacks of very nice (and probably expensive) tiles right on the sidewalk. I have never felt threatened or scared of any Koreans, and have found them to be very friendly to us, as long as we are respectful.

One negative thing I've noticed is the amount of garbage and pollution. There is smog visible over the neighboring city of Osan sometimes, and all along the roads there is trash. There is no specific garbage day, and it appears that every corner is a garbage pick-up area. I think Korea would be a much more beautiful place if there were less piles of trash everywhere. Part of the problem is probably how quickly the country has industrialized, it's hard for them to keep up with the growth. It is also very windy near us, so the garbage is blown right out of the containers.

There you have it- just a few of the cultural differences I have noticed in the last 5 months in Korea!

Jet Lag

2011-04-04T22:18:00.000-04:00

The flights over from Korea went surpringly well! So many people were friendly and offered to help me with whatever I needed. On the first plane (Seoul to Tokyo) a businessman in a suit held Mav while I installed his car seat (glad he didn't spit up on him!). Right before our second flight (Tokyo to Atlanta) we met some lovely people who had a granddaughter Maddox's age, and they thought Mdx was just cute as a button. They were seated exactly one row in front of us and said they'd be glad to watch Mdx so I could go to the bathroom, or to hold Maverick if I needed a break. I ended up not needing their help much at all, but it was nice to know I had the option. Diaper changes were an interesting experience- airplane restrooms are tiny anyway, and the only ones with a changing table are the handicapped ones. The changing table folds down over the toilet and doesn't have any kind of ledge, so I was very worried that Mav was going to roll off. Then, after I'd change him I'd use the facilities while holding him- which is a strength challenge since he's such a hunk of love! For the third flight (Atlanta to Raleigh) the plane was full, and we were surrounded by a group of High School kids returning from a school trip. Mdx slept and Mav waved and smiled at everyone until the last 10 minutes. Right before we landed they both cried, and I thought "We seriously made it this far and NOW you want to cry?!" Once we landed Mav was asleep and Mdx was too excited about seeing Gramps and her cow carseat.

I'd love to show you pictures, but I can't find my camera at the moment! ARG!! I may have left it on an airplane, which is the last place I remember seeing it.....but I'm not too sad if that's the case. It was at the end of its life anyway, the battery would only last for about 15-20 pictures, Maddox had dropped it multiple times (note to self- get child her own camera), and I had already downloaded all my pictures off of it, so I didn't lose anything important. However, I haven't been able to take any pictures here yet during our visit! I'll have to borrow some from Em, otherwise these posts may be pretty boring!

I can't believe how hard the jet lag is on the kids. I feel bad because I've adjusted pretty quickly, but Maddox and Maverick both have been sleepy and somewhat cranky during the days. I did let them nap the first day a good amount, and then today tried to limit their naps and keep them short in hopes they will sleep tonight. BUT- last night was awful and made me rethink this whole lets-change-13-time-zones-in-one-day plan. First, Mav was tired and cranky so I put him to bed right around 8:30. Then Maddox went to sleep shortly thereafter at about 9. I didn't go up to bed until 11 because we were up working on Gmom's Eulogy. I had been in bed 10 minutes when Mav woke up. I fed and changed him and rocked him back to sleep. He slept from 12-1:30am. At 1:30 he awoke and was up until 2. Then he slept from 2-2:30 and woke up again. I got him back to sleep around 3:00, and then Maddox woke up and said she wanted to get up and play. I said NO and made her stay in bed, but she was awake and tossing and turning. Mav woke again right before 4, Mdx was still awake, so I gave up and brought the kids downstairs.....having been awake since 2:30am. Luckily I snuck in 2 short naps during the day. The kids took shorter naps too, and hopefully will sleep better tonight! By 7:30pm Mdx was delirious because she was so tired and melted down- so I put her into bed. I'm crossing fingers to make it until at least 5am before both kids are awake tomorrow morning!!

So, to make a long story short- International airplane travel alone with two kids = not too hard at all!
Dealing with jet lag with two kids = much harder!!

Mother's Day ideas

2011-04-03T06:30:00.000-04:00

Probably sleeping off jet lag today- so I'm posting something I've been working on for a while! :)

To my dear sweet wonderful husband, who loves it when I tell him exactly what I want: Here are some ideas of things I'd love for Mother's Day. I realize Mother's Day is still pretty far away, but not when you live in order-everything-off-the-internet land. I don't need all of them, but ANY of these awesome things would make this Mama happy!! I'll point you in the right direction, let's see if you can execute. (LOL!)

P.S. If you order something form Etsy, make sure you message the seller to ask them to send it Priority, otherwise instead of a Mother's Day gift it will be a "Happy Summer" gift. :)

P.P.S. Other guys out there who have wives: take notes.

P.P.P.S. Father's Day? Going to need some guidance.

Bird Nest Necklace- love this, for my two babies.

Vintage Jello Mold- my Grandmom O. had one of these, and I will always think of her every time I see one. I need this.

Violin Calligram

Toms Red wedges, Size 8.5

Fluid Dynamics Dress in size L

Good Luck! :)

Buddhist Temple

2011-04-02T05:45:00.000-04:00

Part of the Korean Folk Village is a beautiful temple that is up on a hill, I don't think I even noticed it was there last time.

The first part you come to is a pavilion that overlooks a little pond.

Maddox said: "Mama, look at the SWAMP!" Forgive the outfit. Folks, she chooses her own clothes as much as I can stand it.

An archway leading up the hill to the temple.

Beautiful painted colors, such detail must have taken forever!

Really pretty stone stairway.

Mdx was not scared by these guys, I felt like we should walk a little faster though!

At the top, clear blue skies and a statue. If I could read Hangul I'd know what it said.

Big drum!

Big bell!

Korean Folk Village

2011-04-01T01:20:00.000-04:00

My Grandmom passed away early yesterday morning. :( She is in a better place, and no longer confused or upset. I'm sad for myself and my family that she is gone, but there is almost a sigh of relief for her (I hope that doesn't sound awful!!) The kids and I will be flying back to the States for a few weeks for some good family time. We are leaving the same day as Carla, but not on the same flights. By the time we get back the yellow dust might have shown up (not sure why I'm interested to see it- I'm from the South where you can see the pollen blowing in the Spring breeze). Flying with two kiddos will be a challenge, but we'll make it. We have much less stuff than we had on the way here, and Maddox is used to walking. I'm looking forward to seeing some family members that I only see once or twice a year, squeezing my friend Brandi (!!!) and eating at Yum Yum.

We took Carla to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon this past Monday. It was a chilly day, but we still enjoyed walking around and saw new things that we hadn't seen the first time! I didn't get nearly as many pictures as Carla, this lady is the ultimate tourist!!

Marshall learned how to make a woven rice mat. This man showed him using sign language!

One of the many types of houses they have there.

Another house.

This was in the Government Building, where the business of the town would be performed. Including flogging.

A sign at the town gate.

A Kimchi farm. Is this a whole town's worth of kimchi, or just one family?

On the bus ride back to Suwon Station, Maddox was falling asleep. Check out those curtains!

New Trick

2011-03-31T05:02:00.000-04:00

The boy is learning new things every day!

More before and after

2011-03-30T03:38:00.001-04:00

Thanks for your prayers. Clark passed away early this morning, and is now at rest. He will be buried in a Green Cemetery in Wake Forest, NC.....with services probably on Friday. Green burial was Clark's passion, and a documentary will be coming out shortly chronicling his life, death, and burial.

I took a picture of us recently that reminded me of another picture from years ago.

Marshall and I, on a bus in Korea in 2007 BK (before kids)

Marshall and I (2011 AK- w/ Mav in a Beco!)

Peace, my friend

2011-03-29T06:06:00.000-04:00

Just in the past few days death has been on my mind. I was reminded of one of my friends from teenage-hood, Trey, as it is the 12th Anniversary of his death. The loss still stings when I think of how unfair it was, and I still see little reminders of him everywhere.

My grandmother is not doing well. She has Alzheimer's, which is getting progressively worse just in the last few weeks. She will not remember me if I ever see her again. That's a BIG if....because she has had a series of strokes and is deteriorating rapidly. I know that the life she is leading now is not easy, and one has to wonder how long she has to suffer. Selfishly it makes me want to go home, but that wouldn't change anything. I know that at 31 years old it is pretty remarkable to still have all four of my grandparents, so right now I'm trying to focus on happy memories of Grandmom O.

Last, just in the last 2 days my friend Clark, who is battling lymphoma, has had a major decline in health. Clark and I played together in a few quartets, and were members of the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra together (he played cello, I played violin) for about 5 years. He has fought this battle with everything in his heart and soul, writing about it in his Caring Bridge journal. As a doctor of psychiatry, his perspective on facing your own mortality is very intense. After going round and round with his insurance companies over coverage, he received two bone marrow transplants, both auto and allo, and survived them both- but it seems that infections and lung damage will ultimately trump the cancer. Within hours of my writing, he will be extubated, and hopefully peacefully pass on to God.

I think these things are compounding on me at the moment. The news of one without the other would perhaps not make me feel so bad. I know that death and loss are a part of every person on this Earth's journey, and it is SO hard on those of us left behind. Part of my inner conflict right now is just that I chose to come here to Korea, and I left a lot of people (including my Grandmom) behind. That's on me. People say when you are having a hard time and don't know what to do, that just putting one foot in front of the other is the best you can do. So I'm walking.

Clark, walk towards the light my friend...to a place where there is no suffering or pain. This is a song we sang at Trey's funeral, and it is very special to a lot of people.

Peace, My Friend

We have come to know each other
We have come to love each other
We are more when we're together
Than we are when we're apart

Though the years may come between us
We must never fear the distance
We are one in God forever
In our minds and in our hearts

Peace, my friend
May the love of God go with you
May our Father guide your footsteps
May the sun shine every day

Peace my friend
May the Spirit walk beside you
May his Grace be warm within you
May you always find your way

When the time has come for leaving

And the words have all been spoken

When you know the door is open

As it always will remain

When the last goodbye has echoed

When the last tear has been shed

When we've said it all a hundred times

We'll say it once again

Peace my friend

May the love of God go with you

May our Father guide your footsteps

May the sun shine every day

Peace my friend

May the Spirit walk beside you

May his Grace be warm within you

May you always find your way

May our Father guide your footsteps

May you always find your way

Answers for Lent

2011-03-28T09:40:00.000-04:00

In a short moment of desperation I asked my facebook friends for questions that I could answer on my blog. Not that I'm having trouble coming up with things to post about- oh certainly not. I've got nothing but time on my hands and tons of juicy stories to tell up in here.

The first person to respond was a lady named Lindsey, who I know from an online AF spouses support group, which I am no longer a part of. She just relocated to our next base in Germany, and also has two young children- I'm looking forward to finally meeting her in person later this year! Incidentally, the reason I am no longer a part of this group is- funnily enough- I defended John Edwards when someone (NOT Lindsey- someone else who most of the time drove me bat-$hit crazy) posted a National Enquirer article about how he was cheating on his wife and may have an illegitimate child. This served as the proverbial camel-back-breaking-straw to me, and I told her to "grow the hell up" among other things. I was simply tired of rumor and innuendo being used to spread gossip about whoever was the Republicans' enemy at the time. I am friends with plenty of people who don't have the same political views that I have, and we manage to have mutual respect- with ease. But this other person....let's just say they seemed to bring out the worst in me. Lo and behold.....John Edwards in fact DID cheat on his wife AND had an illegitimate child, and may go down in history as being one of the biggest douchebags ever from NC- because he's certainly the first politician that ever happened to. Open mouth, insert foot. However, I stand by my posts- and my main beef with that whole situation was the fact that a tabloid was considered "News". Realizing that I was putting way more time and concern into the board than I was getting out of it, I decided it was time to move on. I've stayed in contact with those people I enjoyed, and haven't even looked back on the rest. Onward and upward. See- I told you I was full of juicy stories!

Now, to Lindsey's questions:
1.) Your favorite parts of being a military wife, the parts you don't like and why?
I am thankful that my husband enjoys his job, and the security that it brings. We are thrilled to get the opportunity to travel and see other places and cultures. I could never have imagined how it would feel to instantly be a part of the "sorority" of military wives until I became one; it is just hard to explain. Major plus- my husband looks really HOTT (that's a shout out to my Woodleaf cousin Stephen! LOL!) in his dress blues. :) The main part that I don't like (so far) is that I will not really be able to have any kind of career as a military spouse. As a teacher I will never obtain tenure in any school system, nor will I become vested in any retirement plan. I love teaching, I miss it, and can't wait to get another teaching position as soon as I can. Bonus answer: My pet peeve- when people write Airforce- like it is oneword. It is: Air space capital Force. Air Force. Not Airforce. If your husband is in it, learn how to write it correctly.

2.) What would you do if you won the lottery?
If we won the lottery we would invest enough of it to be able to live comfortably off the interest for the rest of our lives, and provide trusts for our children. We would donate some of it to our favorite charities (among them Camp Kemo, Lutheran World Relief, Camp Agape, Team in Training, etc) and endow scholarships at a few favorite Universities. After that we would probably pay off whatever debt our parents and siblings have to ensure they have comfortable lives, and fund higher education for our kids, and extended family members. But, I honestly have no idea, because the idea of having that much money simply doesn't make sense to me.

3.) Your answer to world peace?
I wish I knew. I wish that there was enough peace and good in the world that militaries weren't necessary. It seems that so much of what we do is defensive against other countries who may or may not act aggressively against us. But to disarm and not be prepared would mean we would absolutely be overthrown and defeated. I think one of the main proponents of peace is education. I (perhaps blindly) believe that if we could just focus more effort on educating men and women around the world that we would spend less money and effort on fighting each other. (Ahem- how many wars have been started by women??) I do believe that unfortunately sometimes force is necessary, and that by using that force lives can ultimately be saved. I understand why people want to exercise their right to own a gun, however I'm not comfortable having one in my home....and will never allow my children to "play" at violent games. (This was mentioned at my PG book club last week, and I pretty much agree). I've been told that now that I have a son, I will think differently in the future- I suppose only time will tell. There is is nothing entertaining about war. There is nothing exciting or thrilling about the suffering and dying of people, innocent or otherwise. I never want my children to become so desensitized to it that they can play a video game where they are blasting the heads off of other people and don't think a second thought of it. There are plenty of other things to entertain my children besides that.

4.) How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?
Having only eaten a handful of tootsie pops in my life, I truly have no idea! LOL! I skip the pop part and just buy tootsie rolls. :)

How's that!? No pics of snotty noses or tales of poopmageddon 2011. Stay tuned........

Bueller............Bueller?

2011-03-27T08:19:00.000-04:00

Anyone?

Let me clarify- I never said I was going to blog anything remotely interesting or significant during Lent.....right? My main goal is to get either a picture, writing, or both up in this space daily until Easter morning- and in many cases I may just slap up a picture of one or both of my kids and call it good. Totally cheating- but totally acceptable in this instance (in my opinion). My blog. My rules. LOL!

P.S. If anyone would like to tell me what this sign says, that would be great. :)

He's a R.O.K. star

2011-03-26T09:57:00.000-04:00

Mav has a way with the ladies......or ajummas.