Seoul Searching

John 1:16

2011-12-27T08:27:00.000+09:00

Since being home I've had the opportunity to go to my "home" church and be around all the people who've watched me grow up the Christian faith and it became so clear to me how much I had missed attending. I know so many wonderful, strong Christians and felt so overwhelmingly happy to hear them speak about all the events that happened to them in 2011. As we left church I began to think about my 2011...

Of course it had it bout's of bad: Missing family milestones, parents being ill/surgeries, ect. But for most part, my year was full of blessings. I prayed, what seemed like a ton, more than I had previously. I fully believe my prayer "vigils" helped both me and my family through those bout's of bad times.

My blessings are too numerous to count but some of my 11' highlights were: Beginning and ending the year in Mo, surrounded by our wonderful family, growing and learning in my marriage, not getting strep for a whole year (first time ever!), being healthy, exploring Seoul more on my own, being monetarily secure/debt free (no more college loans!), sister graduating high school and completing her first semester as a college freshmen, along with buying a house, leaving her loser boyfriend, working and getting her CNA, brother and Marissa remodeling their house and Rocky getting a management position at his job, our nieces and nephew all growing up and still loving us from an ocean away, Tyler being my rock and loving unconditionally and for being so patient with me, getting the White House job, moving internationally for the second time without any hang-ups, and SO much more!

Wow, seeing that all written out is almost exhausting!

Anyway, all that made me want to read my Bible and learn more about my Lord who has blessed me with such a wonderful life! One verse, John 1:16 really stuck out to me:

"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another."

I'm just about as happy a person as you can get! I have been to busy to post but now I guess you understand why :) I can't wait to see what He has in store for us in 2012!

Duty Station Declaration!

2011-11-20T18:50:00.001+09:00

Finally it's time to fill you in on our next duty assignment! This entire process has taken us about a year to accomplish. Much paper work and hoop jumping were needed but I can fully say it was worth the wait.

Our report date: Jan 10, 2012
Destination: White House Communications Agency, Washington D.C.

Told you it was worth the wait! He will be on whats called a Presidential support team. Lots of traveling of course. Tyler has worked very hard to get to this point and I couldn't be more proud. He is completely humbled at this opportunity and cannot wait to serve his commander in chief.

There are a few hang-ups of course. As of right now we are trying to get home before Christmas. Pushing for around the first of December but I am not holding my breath. I've told our families not to expect us. The Army is supposed to give us 30 days in between duty assignments. While we would certainly love to get home to our families, just being stateside would be fine for now.

I am researching neighborhoods trying to find the best fit for us. We are sure of one thing, we aren't living in an apartment if it can be helped. We miss the quiet, having a back yard, porch swings, and having a place all to yourself. There is a ton to do in and around the D.C. area! I was afraid that if we didn't get this wonderful assignment, we may miss the culture and business of Seoul. This will not be the case!

I am ready to explore our new home of the next 4 years, ready to meet our president,first lady and members of congress, ready to eat fresh seafood, smell the ocean everyday, go fishing with my dad, buy a boat, go to the Smithsonian and every other museum and show they offer, be surrounded by english speaking people on the subway, take a train to NYC, take Missy to the ocean, drive the coast...

This is such a blessing for us. We honestly couldn't be happier or we'd be sick! I will of course keep you updated on the Hammond Happenings. For now I've just been putting things away slowly in boxes, purging rooms one by one, and trying to plan out how to live in a suit case again after 2 1/2 years here in Seoul. Thank you to all of you who helped and encouraged us along the way. And if your ever on the east coast... :)

New Blog

2011-10-24T19:09:00.000+09:00

I have started using tumblr! I am sorry for not posting this sooner but I wanted to give tumblr a test run :) Hope to see you there!

The Future

2011-09-13T10:52:00.000+09:00

I am so blessed to have someone that when I look at him, I see the future!

I’m tired of talking about the past
Time to take these stones out of my pack
I’ve been walking way too long with all this weight here on my shoulders
Hard to move while you’re looking back
You, you’re like a light in the darkness
You, you got me on track

Now the future is a big wide open highway
I wanna drive it our way
Just keep rolling all along, rolling along
Oh, the future is a wind that keeps on breaking

So hold my hand, let’s dive in
Into the blue
Cause I look at you
And I see the future

No ropes, no strings to tie us down
Nothing to keep us on the ground
I don’t need to know and I don’t care just where we’re going
I just dont wanna turn around
Don’t wanna turn around

Cause the future is a big wide open highway
I wanna drive it our way
Just keep rolling along, rolling along
Oh, the future is a wind that keeps on breaking
So hold my hand, let’s dive in
Into the blue
Cause I look at you
And I see the future

I don’t wanna miss another minute
And now that I’ve got you by my side

In the future there’s a big wide open highway
I wanna drive it our way
Just keep rolling along, rolling along
Oh, the future is a wind that keeps on breaking
So hold my hand, let’s dive in
Into the blue
I look at you
I look at you, girl
And I see the future
Tired of talking ‘bout the past

3 Years

2011-08-22T16:10:00.000+09:00

In September, Tyler will have been in the Army 3 years! So much has happened. My friend and I were talking about some of the things we’ve seen and done since being in Seoul… It’s honestly overwhelming when I think about the last 3 years. I can say now, I am ready to leave but glad I came. My hometown of 500 will always see me as the way I was in highschool but I can assure you I’m definitely not.

Tyler threw me into this Army life that I was totally inexperienced with and only knew that we would travel, and travel a lot. I went from working 45-50 hours a week in Manhattan, for 2 family practice physicians to being a housewife. From there we went to Georgia, a state I wouldn’t care to go back to, to put it nicely. Then in Georgia we got our first duty asignment: Korea. Never been one to look at things negatively or be scared to try new things, I was excited and ready. Our parents were excited but sad. I remember thanking God that we got to attend my brothers wedding before we had to leave. When our 15 hour flight came to a close, we looked out the window and saw Seoul for the first time. We squeezed eachothers hand and smiled. “We’re really here.”

As we explored Seoul, we saw lots of differences. Not only the type of people but the atmosphere of the 2nd largest city in the world of 20 million. Quite the culture shock you can imagine. Here I’ve had many firsts: first visit to a foreign country, living abroad, major plane flight, public transit like cabs, buses and subways, my first few years of marriage, not being near my family, 14 hour time difference, speaking a foreign language, not being able to attend college, not working and the the list goes on. My new favorite saying is: Being cultured only makes you appreciate your own even more.

For example, Korean food is much different than I was used to. I’d never eaten kimchi or eaten things the way they eat them here. They love spice, cold noodle soup, slurping their food/talking with their mouth full, fatty pork (they eat bacon as a main meat), coffee shops, clothes, counterfeit goods, and rice. Many times while eating the simultaneously hold chop sticks and a spoon in the same hand. How ever they can’t do much else… like drive.

The traffic here is wretched. People still walk/bike on the highways, not seeming to notice or care about cars going 60 km/hr right by them. Buses are rude! Taxi drivers are so crazy that I get nauseous when I ride with them because I feel as though we are going to crash at any moment. Traffic signals and the like are taken as more of a suggestion than a rule. U turns can be anywhere. Many times its faster/cheaper to take the subway. They have reserved “group” seating: Mothers and expectant mothers sit together, old people, and wheel chair bound also have sections.

Now let’s talk customer service:

I was in dire need of a cut/color and forced myself to make an appointment at the local salon. I have never been happy with the outcome and they are highly over priced. But I was desperate. So as usual, 30 minutes late, the women tries to tell me how bad my hair is and tries to get me to spend and extra $100 on a “hair health package” “It very good for you.”, she said. I told her I wasn’t interested then she procedes to tell me that I need more layers and then tells me I need to cut my hair shorter than what I had requested and still goes on about how “damaged” my hair is… blah blah blah. This whole entire endeavor, nothing extra included, cost me $145 plus tip. I get buyers remorse each time I am forced to go in there. I am able to just, not go. I don’t like looking like I don’t care. So that is my most recent event in the area of excellent customer service. I may create a review online to warn others. Good idea eh?

I’m just glad fall is around the corner and home is getting closer. I can drive again, get my hair done the way I want for the price I want, go to a drive-thru (oh Sonic I miss you!) get groceries somewhere other than a commissary, go back to college, see my family and friends, watch football, shop at the mall, watch hulu or netflix, and best of all, be in America! Oh it’s going to be so great to be home.

2011-07-15T09:46:00.000+09:00

Think of me as the little tea pot in this post. I'm all steamed up and need poured out... aka I need to voice some frustrations :P

I will start from the beginning so you all can get up to speed and I don't sound crazy. Our original leave date was June 30, 2011. When we got here, I was issued a "rations card". This card, along with my military ID, is my golden ticket to the base. My card is now expired. This means I cannot go to the commissary or the PX. Tyler got me a piece of paper that says it's okay to come in as long as he's with me. That's better than nothing but it's still a pain. Ty says we will save on groceries since he has to shop for us. He's been really great about all this.

For my next complaint- I have the worst luck/timing of anyone you've ever seen. It's almost like magic. Black magic. Here's a good example: The other night I was getting so bored from being "cooped" up in the house I asked Tyler if we could go to the movies. He agreed and we got ready. As we were pulling out of the garage we became fully aware of the time. Here in Seoul rush hour is from about 3-9pm. We were leaving the house at 6:30! Traffic, as you've heard me say before, is horrendous. People love to park their cars in lanes of traffic. They also love to merge with no warning, scrape your car to get in, bus' rule and we drool, and cabs are the worst! So we finally get onto base just in time for the 7 showing. I got some popcorn and a drink. While snacking away on the popcorn, my stomach gets all flippity because there is too much butter on it. Had to scratch the popcorn. The movie we were watching was "Something Borrowed" because it has John Krasinski in it :) He was great but the movie seemed to go on forever! It's the classic: I love you, I don't, I love you, I don't. Movie finally finishes and we head for home. Just at the tail end of rush hour. Still tons of cars so we have a repeat of heading to movies. Finally we make it home and both say to each other: "We are never leaving the house again!"

All that happened because I decided I wanted to see a movie! A movie that wasn't even that good! I'm telling you it's like I'm cursed. I'm glad I am a positive person or else I may have needed medication long ago.
On a positive note, if you can imagine, I've had some good fortune. I'm babysitting again! We had lunch with a family that's new here and they offered me a job. It will be nice to be needed outside the house. I can't wait to work when we get stateside. I've worked with the worst people in the world over the years but I'm ready to try again. I'm grateful for a husband who lets me decide if I work or not. Believe me, with some of my stories, you'd never want to work with people again. So it's nice to have that support.
My tea pot is now empty. I feel better. Thanks for helping with that Blogger.

Family Ties

2011-07-08T13:14:00.001+09:00

I love the days when I can get a hold of all my family members! I talked all morning on Skype. I thought I would make it a point to update you all on my family and what they have been doing.

We will start with Rocky and Marissa since they just got back from vacationing at South Padre Island. I miss them so much. It's unbelievable the hole you can feel while missing your siblings. They are so much fun to be around. I had a good cry while looking through these photo's but I feel composed enough to look through them now :P

Rental car fun.

Marissa is so gorgeous! Inside and out :)

Visiting the "Sea-turtle Haven"

Got any food?

Got to have a South Padre sign pic!

Rocky is inappropriate... And it's awesome!

Ahh... Young love.

Marissa apparently really loved this fish!

Aren't they the most gorgeous couple?! Seriously. Other than the great vacation, they have gotten into the dog breeding business. Marissa's parents have been doing that for about 25 years and are showing them the ropes. They are just about finished with the kennel. I don't think I could give away the puppies... It would be a problem to say the least.

Shelly is still doing CNA courses but is now on the clinical hours side of things. AKA: I work a full time job and don't get paid. She's starting to grasp how hard it is to work in a nursing home. I've told her plenty of my own stories but it's one of those things that you can't appreciate it until you do it. So for now she's tired and stretched pretty thin but says she's learning everyday. Her 19th birthday is this Sunday. We've sent her a gift but it's definitely not the same as being there.

My Mom is getting ready to have surgery on the 11th. I've been beefing up her Ipod touch so she can have something to do while she is recuperating. The good news is she gets 6 weeks off of work. A nurse needs that kind of break every once in a while. She works in an adult psych ward... Yeah it will make you as crazy as your patients!

Dad is doing well. We've been talking gardening and cars lately. He is so great gardening. Even in the Mo drought he can make everything green! I can't wait for him to help me plant my own. He also can't wait to take a drive in the Jag. I know he will love it!

As for Tyler and I... We are looking into having a layover in Hawaii on our trip back to the 48. Missy would have to stay at the airport but it's very cheap for her to stay, $14 a day! Ty said as soon as we get orders we will get the ball rolling on our "layover vacation"! Other than that still just waiting for something to happen. As always.

Thanks for reading and stay cool!

Extended...

2011-06-29T12:35:00.000+09:00

For the last 6 months, Tyler has been in the process of getting a permanent stateside job. We were supposed to leave Korea this Friday... But due to this job opportunity we have extended ourselves 1 month. I am hoping all goes according to plan with this job. We are supposed to contact them mid July to find out more details. I cannot believe we have this opportunity and I'm more than willing to wait it out but 6 months of limbo/uncertainty wears on us. It would really help if we could have a solid date of leave, but as of now, we are at their mercy. Not that it's not a blessing, it is. It's just a long, drawn out blessing. So that is where we are at currently.

In other news-
Sister is doing well! She is getting stuff for her house, furniture, lighting, new bed... things like that. She is also getting her CNA right now for 2 reasons. 1 is so she can work while going to school and 2 is because it's required for her RN. She's following in Mom's footsteps :) She also has a new dog! AnnaBelle is a 18 month old female Pit. She's very sweet.

As for Rocky and Marissa, they are on the beach! They took a vacation down to Padre Island. I will fill you in on the details when they get back.

Mom is having surgery in July. All the more reason for this job to hurry along. Dad is doing well. He and Mom canned 40 pints of green beans over the weekend. I can't wait to try them!

Tyler's family is well. Everyone in the McFather house is doing great. Aven and Talen are both mobile! Now the real trouble begins :)

Tyler really loves his new car. I'm so happy for him. He works so hard and most days doesn't like his job, so it's only appropriate he have something nice to climb into after a hard day! Not to mention I get to drive it too... It's amazingly fast! Can't wait to get it out on the highway. Here in Seoul there's way too much traffic to get the full effect.

I'm also trying to recover a couple of chairs... that should keep me out of trouble for today! Thanks for reading.

2011-06-17T16:22:00.001+09:00

Day 15 - Advice to someone who’s thinking about traveling to another country

Be prepared and educated. The more the better! It will make your trip that much easier and much more fun. If you just decided to go to Korea on a whim... You would be very disappointed with what you see. There are parts of this city that you cannot know about unless you really do your research. I've been hear 2 years now and still don't know the entire city!

Try to learn the language. There's an app for that! :P

Know how much the exchange rate is. This will need to be done! It allows you to get familiar with their currency and lets you plan how much money you will need.

Pack light... Souvenirs are plentiful.

Get your passport of course!

Don't forget about home. Ask a family member or friend to watch pets, water plants, take your mail, or house sit.

Kids should come first if you want your trip to be the best it can be. Remember to pack entertainment for them. In your carry on luggage bring diaper bags, books, a few crayons, snacks, music, ect. If they get too squirming too much, feel free to walk with them in the aisle. Car rides need to start early while they are still asleep. It gives you time to navigate and get settled! Plus traffic is non existent at 4am.

Last but not least, the camera. Capture lots of memories! You will not regret taking the photo's.

That is all that comes to mind right now. I'm officially done with my challenge! And challenging it was. Some posts took much more time that expected and I did skip a day or two :P but over all I did well! Thanks so much for reading. Look for updates on our new car next post!!!

2011-06-16T11:20:00.000+09:00

Day 14 - What did you learn from traveling abroad?

How to navigate an airport like a pro!
Taxi lingo
How to pack efficiently
How to endure 18 hours on a plane... Movies, naps, word searches!
The importance of Skype
Photography
Preparedness is the key to success
How to communicate in a foreign language
Subway navigation
What it's like to live in one of the world's biggest cities!
Cooking with "native" foods
How to "haggle" for a good price while shopping. Don't be afraid to walk away!
How to deal with not having family close
How to make new friends
How to drive in Seoul traffic... ME first!
To be more adventurous in eatting
And lastly, getting to know how the Army opperates

I'm sure I've learned much more but these things are what immediately jumped to mind. I really hope the information I've posted has helped someone. Last post of the challenge is tomorrow. BOLO, aka: Be on the look out!

2011-06-13T10:38:00.000+09:00

Day 13- A favorite travel quote

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

I try to live a life free of regret. As much as possible anyway. I believe all things that happen to a person make them who they are. No matter what happens, you always learn and take something away from an experience. I believe that traveling has taught me a great deal. 2 years away from home can build you up in ways you never thought of. It also brought me sadness like I'd never known. I understand myself better and know I'm stronger for it. I honestly feel like I'm better suited to take on challenges. So take some steps outside your comfort zone. You'll regret it if you don't!

2011-06-11T22:00:00.000+09:00

Day 12 - Someone who influenced you to travel abroad

I remember first being interested in travel while doing a report on Ponce De Leon. I don't remember exactly how old I was but I know I was in grade school. I thought about him on his huge ship sailing to places unknown and I realized there were a lot of places I didn't know about! One thing that I was sure about, was that I didn't just want to stay sedentary my whole life. Even at a young age I knew I liked adventure.

As I got a little older and began learning more about my parent's, they told me about their adventures in traveling and how much they loved it. Though they'd never traveled abroad, they'd always wanted to. They've been to nearly every state but said they always wanted to go to Italy.

It was really my husband who "took initiative" in that department when he joined the Army. Right from the beginning the traveling started. At AIT in Fort Gordon, GA, then our first duty station... Seoul, South Korea! He and I had always discussed traveling and vacation idea's but always thought it would be on our dime. Funny how life takes turns you don't expect.

We got very excited when we got our orders to Korea. Sure we would miss our family and our home country but this opportunity seemed to out weigh all of those things. The whole experience of moving to a new country was prodigious! We have really enjoyed traveling abroad and feel much more confident in our travel skills and can't wait to put them to use again.

2011-06-10T21:58:00.000+09:00

Day 11 - Did you have any milestones or “first's” while traveling/living abroad?

Many!

First international flight (only my 2nd ever!), dealing with jet lag, being in a foreign country, cab ride, learning/speaking Korean :P, first duty station, dealing with foreign currency, trying many new foods (like kimchi), riding the subway, eating street food, first blog...

I hope my life isn't so predicable and bland that I have no more first's! I'm excited and await them all!

2011-06-09T22:45:00.001+09:00

Day 10 - A favorite foreign movie

Who doesn't love a good black and white filled with scandal? My favorite foreign film is La Dolce Vida. It's an early 1960's film that takes place in Italy about a, "Journalist and man-about-town Marcello who struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend."

Such a great flick!

2011-06-08T19:23:00.000+09:00

Day 09 - A song you like from another country/language

C'est Si Bon!

2011-06-07T20:07:00.000+09:00

Day 08 - A favorite food from another country/culture

Today's topic is honestly too difficult for me to choose just one. So I will have to list by country.

Korea- Kalbe (beef on a leaf) I like this because it's not fried, dipped in butter or anything else to make it horrible for you. It's 90% vegetables and totally delicious!

Italy- Gnocci and gelato. Need I explain?... I thought not.

Turkey- Kebabs, beef or lamb. The sauce is the key to this dish.

Mexico- Guacamole and queso blanco dip. If you put that on any Mexican dish, it's bound be delicious!

India- My go to dish is usually prawn saag or tandoori chicken with naan. Curry is usually pretty delicious too but you have be able to handle some spice!

Thailand- I love their national dish, Pad Thai, but my favorite would have to be tom yum goong soup. The herbs in the soup are amazing!

Japan- Sushi! Who doesn't love a Cailifornia Roll? I'm also a big fan of miso soup and wasabi.

France- Lots of people would say elcair or crepes... My weakness doesn't lie with bread. I'm more of cheese and butter gal! Hence why I love French food. My picks would be, beef bourguignon or roast chicken. Though their chocolate mousse is pretty tasty.

I have many more world cuisines to try of course, but for now this will have to do. I'd love to stay and chat more but I'm hungry now. Thank for reading!

2011-06-06T13:47:00.001+09:00

Day 07 - Besides people, what did/do you miss from home?

Living in another country has made me appreciate "the little things". Like being able to ask for directions when your lost in English (my Korean is so broken) reading street signs without my Korean language book, driving myself, my beautiful muscle car, drive-thrus (like Sonic!), church, watching football, ordering food at a restaurant in English, talking/texting on the phone, Wal-Mart, having a job, college, clean air, but most of all I miss beauty salons! I can't wait to get my hair done... sigh.

Seoul is a really wonderful place with lots to offer but 2 years of it wears on person. This city has so much shopping and dining! I love being able to take the subway, pretty much anywhere, get out and find something to do. Kansas City's public transportation is like non-existent. That makes me sad.

Shopping is so very frustrating here. Korean women are, on average, a size 2-5. They also are very, pardon my bluntness, flat/without curves. Where as us American girls, are NOT! They have some of the most beautiful clothes I have ever seen here but finding your size is nearly impossible. I usually end up window shopping and day dreaming. I have found a few outfits but I got very lucky. I love all the adorable accessories here. Tons of scarves, head bands, earrings, bracelets, watches, purses and shoes. I've got enough accessories for the rest of my life. It's really fun.

Seoul, has a lot of things that America doesn't and vice versa. Tyler and I are definitely trying to soak it up while we are here but "there's no place like home".

2011-06-05T18:30:00.000+09:00

Day 06 -What does "home" mean to you

When I think of home, the first thing that comes to mind is my parents house in Sheldon, Mo. My parent's bought the house in 86 and I was born in 87. It's where my brother, sister and I where raised. My parents home is the country. They operate a small scale cattle farm of 250-300 acres with around 120 cows. This is what my Dad does full time, while my Mom is an RN.

It was odd to me to live in town at first. People right next door was pretty foreign. At first I noticed every car that drove past, door slam, train ect. After a while I got used to it but living in town is not what I think of when you say "home". I remember home as 60 acres of "back yard" to play in, gathering chicken eggs, splitting wood in the winter, canning vegetables, making jam, Sunday service then lunch with my family, always sitting at the dinner table to eat, reading books with my Mom, feeding hay to the cows, breaking ice in the winter for them to drink, cattle dogs riding on the back of the truck, hunting, fishing, driving by the time I was 8, my Dad wrapping all us kids in warm blankets in the winter to take us to the truck and off to Grandpa's house for him to watch us, coffee with Dad in the morning, Chiefs football, town being 25 minutes away, summer vacations every year, Sleeping in the same bed with my sister in the winter, Dad and Grandpa taking us kids out to breakfast every Saturday like it was a religious practice, planting a vegetable garden, drinking from a garden hose, swimming in ponds, prayers at night and before meals, spankings and real grounding if you got in trouble, closed stores on Sunday, doing what your told, making your bed everyday, snacks made by Mom waiting on you after you got off the bus, and no TV until your homework was done.

I can honestly say I didn't have a computer until I was 17. Even to this day they have dial up internet! I was never hung up on the computer or setting on the couch. I was an avid sports player for as long as I can remember. My Dad was my softball coach where I learned how to pitch and play shortstop. I remember my Dad teaching me how to catch a pop fly and I missed the catch and the ball hit me in the lip! It go so fat that I begged my Mom not to send me to school. She let me stay home. :) I ran hurtles and sprints in track, was setter in volleyball, and my favorite: forward in basketball. I was never interested in cheer leading or pink. All that girly stuff came to me after I turned 21. My parents came to all of my games.

My parents are such great people, they are what make my "home" what it is. They have been married 38 years come July and honestly still love each other. I've never seen them argue. They do a whole lot of teasing but never a cross word spoken between them. I remember my siblings and I doing the in unison, "Ewww" when they would kiss. When it was Christmas time my Mom would work extra and always took night shift on Christmas Eve. She worked in Joplin and that was an hour away, so on Christmas morning we would have to wait until 9am to open our gifts. When you look through our Christmas photographs you won't find my Mom in her PJ's, she will be in her scrubs. My Dad did dirt work for about 35 years. He ran heavy equipment like trackhoes, backhoes, skid steers, and so on. He was always dirty when he came home from work. I remember how much I liked the way he smelled. Sounds odd but he smelled like freshly dug clay and I really liked it. He even taught me how to run the equipment! I am proud to say I am the mechanic between my husband and I. Actually, I'm more the "man", all thanks to my Dad! When he would show up at any of our games he was always dirty and I was always proud. I remember both my parents as strong, kind people. They love to travel and saw the world together. They were married 14 years before they had me! They always took us on a vacation every year. It was always fun.

My family is by no means perfect but I want to raise my children the way I was raised. I think it made me a better person. My Mom and I butted heads when I was living at home but now she is my best friend. I think it's because we are so much alike. She lets me know when I'm wrong and I like that about her. My Dad is always calm and has a great view on the world and I look to him for advice. I've always been able to talk to him. He's the Dad who, when the weather was getting bad, would move your car into the barn and watch the skies and the weather channel, all night if he had too. When it got unsafe he would take us all down to the basement and he had everything we needed down there. He's been my foundation/voice of reason all my life. He and my Mom are both strong Christians and attend church where my Dad is one of the deacons.

My brother and sister... Oh lordy. They are my partners in crime! My husband says we all have the exact same mannerisms! We all love to scare our parents. Put fake snakes in the wood box kind of thing! We used to wrestle all the time, as kids do. I remember my sister, Shelly, when she was really small had a lisp. And one winter day my brother who was 8, Rocky, and her were sledding and I was folding laundry. Shelly, all of about 6 years old, comes running into the house in her pink snow suit and says (with a lisp), "Samantha come quick Rocky broke his leg!" I said, "Whatever I'm not going out there in the cold. Go play by yourself." She had to of came in the house 3 times and had this same conversation! Turns out my brothers leg was really broken and my 6 year old little sister had to pull him, on a sled, back to the house. When they came inside and I saw Rocky, Shelly immediately says, "See I told you his leg was broken!" To this day I still feel like the worlds worst sister for not going out to check on them. But to my credit they used to like to get me outside just to throw snowballs at me. Rocky is now 21 and happily married and I have a new sister Marissa. They live in Mount Vernon, Mo. Shelly, 18, just bought her first house in Nevada and is going to be a freshman in college this fall.

Writing this, makes everything seem to flood my memory and makes me kind of sad. I just cannot wait to be with them again. So after lots and lots of writing, you now know what comes to my mind when I hear the word, "home".
Small town life isn't for everyone but a good memory of "home" should be!

Dad giving Tyler the "approval" handshake at our wedding

Mom and Shelly at my wedding

My family!

Happy faces

My family at Rocky and Marissa's wedding

Mr. and Mrs. Rocky Castlebury!

Siblings!

2011-06-04T20:34:00.000+09:00

Day 05 - What do you bring with you when you travel?

Kind of an odd question... I don't carry around a rabbit's foot or anything like that. I'd like to think I pack what everyone else in the world packs. I take pride in my appearance, not vanity wise but looking "put together" and not sloven. So being that type of person, I try to put together outfits, coordinate accessories... ect. I make a check list of everything I will need for the trip. I try to travel light, so it's usually just the necessities:

Medicine
Camera
Makeup
Chapstick (I never leave home without it!)
Toiletries
Clothes
Shoes (dressy and casual)
Minimal Jewelry
Purse
Passport (if needed)
Missy :P
Phone
Book
Ipod

The one "odd" thing I do take with me is a picture of my family. I have them with me where ever I go actually. Just a small wallet size photo in my purse nothing crazy. I think everyone does that though... Not just me. Other than the above mentioned... I can't think of anything else. As I said, I'm more of a minimalist type of traveler. Those girls that pack 4 bags for 3 days... Not my style. I like to keep the car/hotel room clean while traveling. It annoys me to no end when I get into a car and there is trash under my feet! So I usually "clean out" the car when we stop for fuel.

I really love to travel. Flying doesn't bother me at all. I don't get car sick unless I am riding with an extra crazy Korean taxi driver... That feeling of impending death has a way of making me feel ill. I think I've done a good deal of travel for only being 23. There is so much more of the world I want to see! Over the weekend my friend Cassandra introduced me to, yet another, new part of Seoul, called MyongDong. It was this huge area of shopping galore! I of course was in love immediately. I will definitely be going back. Seoul is so vast that there is no way that I could see or do everything in my 2 years.

Next weekend I'm going to try and see a new park. It has fountains and a stream with several bridges. Not really much like Seoul at all. Hopefully that turns out well. Look for another post tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

2011-06-03T16:11:00.000+09:00

Day 04 - A picture of you in another country:


Yeah for rooftop shots!

Today's challenge was pretty simple. This shot isn't the best due to all the haze in the background, but if you are waiting for a "clear day" in Seoul to take pictures.... You will be waiting a while! This is on the roof of our building. I don't take a whole lot of pictures of myself since I'm usually behind the camera. I had to do a timed shot... It turned out pretty good considering!

Since we are on the topic of photographs.... I did break out my lil' point n' shoot while we were at a birthday BBQ. Here are a few shots from that:

Lucas Brown, our chef for the day.

The Spread!

I looked at David and he had a mouthful of cake and I said, "David, smile for us..." HA!

The guy trying to avoid a photo opp is Lukas Deem. He's been such a great friend to us. Even though, strangely enough, this day I had to sock him in the arm for scaring me... He deserved it! :)

Beautiful Briella Brown


Sisters Briella and Haley Brown

We had a great time and some even better food! I'm so glad it's warmed up and we can all get out and enjoy each other's company. Look for the next post tomorrow!

2011-06-02T16:58:00.001+09:00

Day 3- A challenge you've had while traveling/living abroad

The simple answer to this is, many. The list is long my friends... But here's the short of it.

Language barrier's
Racism
Currency
Shopping (finding correct sizes)
Not being able to drive
Delaying college because you have no other choice

Menu's not in English
Complete opposite time zones
Absolutely no family structure

Outrageous phone bills (before skype)
Exspensive plane tickets (you can't afford it and neither can they, to visit)
Staying up late or waking up early to talk to family, friends and business'
Whenever your out, hearing little to no English.... Constantly.
Missing your family a little more everyday.
Not being around for milestones, I missed my sisters high school graduation, her and my brother buying their first house, many birthdays, parents surgery's, Nieces and nephew's school events and first steps....

As I said, the list is long. I'm sure it has made me a stronger person but I am filled with regret for not being there when I should have been. Don't take Sunday lunches, movies, walks, shopping, hugs and kisses for granted. I'm missing the most important things but I am right where I'm supposed to be. Beside my soldier and giving him support. And I wouldn't trade that for anything.

2011-06-01T13:54:00.000+09:00

Day 2- Where you'd like to travel next

As we all know, I miss America very much but that's not a very exciting/new post. Besides the land of the free, I think I'd like to go to either London or Paris. Both have amazing architecture and great food. I've been thinking about the places I would like to see and things I'd like to do for both. I mean a girl can dream can't she?

London

I would love to see the National Gallery. It has a collection of Western European paintings by Van Gogh, da Vinci, Botticelli, Constable, Renoir, Titian, Stubbs... You name it!

Go to the London Eye for an amazing photo opp and breathtaking view. And I would have to get a picture of me in one of those awesome red phone booths!

The 900 year old Royal Palace would be a must.

See Big Ben!

The fountains in Trafalgar Square.

Eat lunch at Porters English Restaurant.

Cross the Millennium Bridge and SO much more.

Paris

First and foremost, see the Eiffel Tower, during the day and night.

I'd love to see the Louvre. It houses the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and works by Rembrandt. Oh the culture! I love art in all forms!

I'd have to see the Notre Dame Cathedral. AKA- Quasimodo's hang out. I've never seen Gothic architecture but I'm sure it's detailed and very beautiful.

Napoléon's Arc de Triomphe definitely makes the list. Such a small man with a huge monument :P

Eat at Le Grand Colbert for their famous Roast Chicken.

Have a glass of wine at Chez Dumonet and some pan-fried foie gras.

Caveau de la Huchette is a legendary jazz club... Need I say more?

The world is so big and wonderful, I'd love to make to as many places as I can! While I'm so glad I'm an American, I value and appreciate our world and all the people and places in it.

Tomorrows post is about a struggle/challenge you've had abroad. So stay tuned!

The Traveler's 15 day Blog Challenge

2011-05-31T16:53:00.002+09:00

Day 01 - Favorite place(s) you’ve been to
Day 02 - Where you’d like to travel next
Day 03 - An adventure/challenge you had while traveling or living abroad
Day 04 - A picture of you in another country
Day 05 - What do you bring with you when you travel?
Day 06 - What does “home” mean to you?
Day 07 - Besides people, what did/do you miss from home?
Day 08 - A favorite food from another country/culture
Day 09 - A song you like from another country/language
Day 10 - A favorite foreign movie
Day 11 - Did you have any milestones or “firsts” while traveling/living abroad?
Day 12 - Someone who influenced you to travel abroad
Day 13 - A favorite travel quote
Day 14 - What did you learn from traveling abroad?
Day 15 - Advice to someone who’s thinking about traveling to another country

Today is day one of a blog challenge that particularly spoke to me. It deals with all things travel. I feel like that's all I've done the last 4 years. So I figured I would elaborate a little more on the topic. I feel I'm well versed in public transit, airports, foreign customs, chop stick abilities, apartment searching and so on. So here we go!

Day 01 - Favorite place(s) you’ve been to.

My favorite place I've ever been to is Kansas City. I've been lots of places but this is "home". I love that the city is big, but not too big. It's got great BBQ and cool lakes in the summer and beautiful Christmas lights and falling snow in the winter. I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the season's change. I never thought I would embrace the city the way I do now being from such a small town. 500 people to be exact. I love the shopping and the down to earth people. My husbands family is from there as well and that is really why I became more familiar with "the city". I used to only go there for shopping, special occasions and Lakeside Speedway. I'm really glad I got to know more about the city that was only 2 hours from my parents house. It's amazing what you'll find "just around the corner." Or right up 71 highway :P

I miss Missouri oh so much and cannot wait to see it again. We are hoping to hear some news on the job offer mid June. Though the offer isn't in Mo, we would still be on the same continent and that is just a little closer than we are now.

Thanks for reading and look for the next post tomorrow :)

Strong Bonds

2011-04-22T15:07:00.000+09:00

I've been a horrible blogger as of late and haven't done an update in 5 weeks! Sorry 'bout that. I thought today would be a great day to update due to the gray sky's and the fact that I just want to stay indoors.

Tyler and I have been keeping pretty busy over the last month... Cooking for friends, going out, shopping and our most recent event, the "Strong Bonds Marriage Retreat." It took place over the course of 3 days at the Dragon Hill Lodge where all expenses were paid! We got to get away and relax for those three days and it was so great not to have to do laundry or wash dishes and in Tyler's case, not go to work!

I feel like I shouldn't eat for about a week because of all the food we ate while we were there! We might have spent $20 the whole time. It was really great. The material we learned from is called Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage. The man who does this is named Mark Gungor. It's all Christian based but it's not so drenched in the Bible that you feel like your learning more about God than about how to better your marriage. Tyler and I like to go to marriage retreats because we feel like all information is good information. There were couples doing the retreat that have been married 34 years!

This conference had the best material! I really feel like I have a deeper understanding of how men work and how I can use that to better my marriage. I signed up for the newsletter I liked it so much! I encourage you to take a peek at some of the material here.

Aside from the material based part of the retreat, we also went on a tour. We went to a Buddhist temple, a Tae Kwon Do show and an electronics shop. I snapped a few pictures at he temple and thought it was pretty interesting to actually see people worshiping Buddha. Many Korean people are atheist but the one's that do follow a religion are either Christian or Buddhist. Just some tid bits for ya!

Well it's finally Friday again! Tomorrow we are off to the "French District" to see what it's all about. Hopefully it will be sunny and warm so I can get snap a few shots along the way. Hope you liked the update. Toodles!

Events As of Late

2011-03-17T12:23:00.000+09:00

Oh the joys of activities due to the warmer weather! I guess it's a good thing that I've been too busy to post. We've been socializing a lot more and just getting out and doing things. Taking walks, going to our new favorite bakery, taking Missy for rides in the car... It's been really great.

Over the long weekend we had over the Beckers. There is a new brewery that opened up about a block from our house and we decided to try it out. The service left something to be desired but the micro brew was fabulous! As of late I'm not big into drinking... Tyler says, "Your just grew up, that's all." But I did try Tyler's beer's he ordered and found them delicious! We all had a really good time.
That same weekend we had over Lucas Deem for dinner. The kid loves my cooking and comes over pretty regular to partake! Lucas has the best stories, so while we dine he regales us with his tales. I fixed oven fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, twice baked potatoes, deviled eggs and peas. Lucas now says he needs to go to Missouri to find a wife! I told him I had a sister :)
For our last visit of the weekend we went over to see how our friend Cassandra was doing since she had her lasik eye surgery. (Something I'm really wanting to do!) We brought her a card and a tart. I looked really hard for a braille card at the PX but sadly, no luck! She was doing really well and before I knew it, it was close to 10! We always have such a good time with the Aldarondo's that time just seems to fly by.

We also have been getting care packages in the mail from my family. To people in the Army, mail is a very important thing. Despite all the technology, nothing beats a letter or getting a package. This time my mom sent us some homemade jalapenos (Tyler's fave!), some makeup I ordered, and pictures! The latter being my favorite. It was so great to be able to look at my parents, sister, brother and sister in law! I miss them more than you can imagine and cannot wait to make our international move back to America! I know there are those people who move a state or two away and say, "I miss my family. I haven't seen them in months!" but all that pales in comparison to being ocean's, time zones and days away. Count your blessing that you live on the same continent!

We have another 3 day weekend coming up and came to realize we only have 105 days left in the blessed country! I've started packing some of the valuables as I said in previous posts. It makes me feel that much closer to being home. Each day I mark off the calendar is a small joy and victory!

I am excited for the local markets to open up. They sell just about anything and everything you could imagine and even some things you can't! This means camera fun for me! As I've said before, it's so hard to make this place look pretty through pictures. I am going to try though! I know it's getting close to that time when you hear the men in their tiny Korean trucks with the beds full of produce, on their loud speakers announcing what they are selling! Tyler always jokes about this and does his awesome Asian voice "Rary good radish! I sell world best clemintine! You try!" I laugh every time. It never gets old!

Finally, I saved the best for last on this post. I have been seriously looking around at schools for when we are stateside and have applied for the MyCAA program that awards spouses of active duty military money to return to school... I was accepted and now have $4,000 to put toward my education! WooHoo! I was beyond elated when I read the email. It's just so inspiring when you pray hard for something to go your way and it shows itself! God has really blessed me and I cannot wait to finish what I started and become a college student again! For those of you wondering what my major is, it's Health Information Technology. Basically, I will handle the clerical side of health care. I eventually hope to help develop new technology and programs for health care settings like hospitals and physicians offices.

Well it's lunch time and I know I will have a hungry soldier walking through the door at any moment. Better get to it!

"Almost" Spring Cleaning and Looking Forward

2011-03-09T14:28:00.000+09:00

Today I began "Spring" cleaning and realized several things about our home and where we are going in life. Some bad but mostly very, very good!

I think I will start with my house first by saying, I hate the hardwood floors throughout our whole apartment! I know everyone else on the planet will disagree with me but I don't think most of you people realize how great carpet is until you are without it for a year and 9 months! My top 2 complains about the hardwood are: 1. It is the hardest thing in the world to keep clean. 2. It hurts my feet and back from standing on it. I love the look of it when it's clean and polished but getting 1500 square of feet of it to look and stay that way is a huge undertaking. Even for housewives like myself. I never realized how much dust accumulates in a home over the course of just a few days. I hate the feel of dirt under my feet and how my white socks become brown. So needless to say, at our next duty station, we will be on the look out for "carpet throughout."

Keeping with the home realizations, Tyler and I both agree we strongly dislike apartment living in general. Our main reason is the noise level. I don't really like knowing what my neighbors are watching on tv or hearing their children run and scream through the house. When we first moved in, we became acquainted with a young couple and their baby. I agreed to watch their baby one day while the mom went to the gym. After that, she began coming to our house everyday wanting to me to be her free child care! People seriously amaze me. It's not that I wouldn't be more than willing to help her but I am certainly not a door mat for you to use when you feel like it.

Okay... I'm off my soapbox now and on to the "where our life is going" section:

Over the last several months, Tyler has been in the process of putting in his "application" for a very important job. More like, a once in a life time opportunity, job. I am not allowed to reveal where or what this job is just yet because we are not 100% sure of it's certainty just yet. All we know is if this happens for us, we will be in the states again! And if Tyler really likes the job, it could be the place we call home for a very long while. That's right friends: a permanent duty station! The city we would be in will hold lots of things of things to do, see and experience for the first time. It's near the ocean, which is somewhere I've only dreamed of living. While I do realize that it takes more than just where you are living to make your life complete, we can fly to see our family for just $250 and that is something to be very, very grateful for. I am probably jumping the gun quite a bit but I've been doing lots of research on the city, it's public transit, shopping and dining area's, crime rates, housing, parks, and much more! My friend Cassandra used to live there and has helped me so much! So far, from what I know and what our friends have told us, we love it already. We've been praying so hard for this great opportunity and it's looking like it's in our favor but as I said before, we aren't 100% sure.

I've been wrapping up valuables for our PCS in July, because no matter if we get this great job or not, we are going to be moving internationally.... again. I am the real life version of "Army Wives"! While doing the cleaning and organizing I've been throwing out lots of old stuff and things that just seem to accumulate over time and it's felt so great. I'm one of those people who really dislikes clutter so when doing things like this I have a rule: If you don't use it, love it or make money with it, throw it out!

I am so excited to be able to go back to school and finish what I started. You'd think that I would be able to go to college at the same time I was over here... Trust me, it's harder than you think. Either they want to charge you an insane amount per credit hour, don't allow overseas students or they give you completely useless subjects to major in. For me my major is in health care and of course, it requires clinical hours to complete your course work. The one hospital here, does not work with students. So as you can see, I've had a little bit of difficulty. I am determined to finish, it's just taken a bit longer than I had foreseen.

This next PCS (relocation to next duty station) will be so great for us. We really miss America and our family and can't wait to see what is in store for us. I will also be able to take pictures of beautiful things and sites instead of the ugly country of Korea. I will also be able to do more "home projects" like making art and recovering furniture, like I used to do. I can't wait to be able to do my hobbies again!

Here's hoping everything during our last few months here goes smoothly and we are able to transition to our new duty station with ease and a clear focus. Life is so great and should be looked at in a positive light. I hope to continue being able to do this! God has blessed us beyond measure!

Freaky Friday

2011-02-26T13:23:00.001+09:00

After dinner last night, Tyler offered to take me to the PX (that's post exchange to you) before work, so I could walk around and do a little shopping. I thought it would be a nice evening to myself so I took him up on the offer.

While I was trying to put back an item from the top shelf, some older man with a Spanish accent asked if he could help me. I said sure and thank you and tried to go on with my night... Not so lucky. He began telling me that he could tell I was a nice person by my beautiful face and asked if my eyes change color... "Nope, just blue, everyday." The guy would not stop talking to me/following me around! After about 5 minutes of this nonsense I shut him down but he still followed me, though at a farther distance. Everywhere I went, even the make-up department the man followed me. I got my mace out of my purse when he followed me to get a cab.

Why are people so darn weird sometimes? Only 4 more months in Korea... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

What Kind of Person I am...

2011-02-17T12:43:00.000+09:00

In the words of the Jung Typology Test I am an "INFJ". Introverted-Intuitive-Feeling-Judging. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about Google "HumanMetrics" and take your own test. My test was very accurate. It helps you to see what type of job suites you best, your best matches in a partner, people you can easily befriend and so on. It's fun and it's free.

I'm very much a relaxed type of person. One of my favorite quotes is "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans." If I could have looked ahead on my life 5 years ago, I wouldn't expect any of what happened! I believe this is true for most people. I have dreams, like everyone else but I don't have a rigorous schedule in which they must be attained. I'm a very spur of the moment type of woman! I love to just grab my mom or my sis and go shopping! My test confirmed this :) Some things left unknown are good! If your too rigid with life, your setting yourself up for disappointment... And who wants that?!

I am also very choosy about whom I'm friends with. I don't have very many "good" friends. I tend to not make friends at my work. I see work as just that... work. Too many people knowing the ins and outs of my life is not really my style. I think that's why I tend to gravitate toward male friends. They don't really like drama and neither do I.

As far as tangible things go... I know my husband for one, "loves" his belongings. If he gets a new thing, like his gun, he really does "love" it. Not I. I very much value people and experiences over things. When I take a vacation, I remember the sites, food, laughs, pictures, and so on. For my husband, he's more likely to recall the cost of the trip and how many miles we put on the car. : / I'm working on cracking his shell little by little.

If I am having an "in depth" discussion with someone, I am able to complete the entire conversation in one sitting. Some people need time to "think on the matter" and then get back to you. For me, by the time this person is "ready to talk", I've already moved on with my life and don't feel like exhausting the subject. I'm really very glad I'm the kind of person I am.

Now all this is not to say that I'm some random, never plan anything, do what feels right at the time, type of person. I just try not to get ahead of myself. Take things as they come. For one thing, being in the Army means almost no planning. You get moved a ton, you could get deployed, you hardly ever do the job you were trained to and so on. I am getting a little tired of the whole waiting game. We are supposed to PCS out of Korea in late June, early July. We still do not have orders for our next duty station! We have tried to do lots of things and tried for goals in the Army and none of them have worked out. Very disappointing! We know couples who got involuntarily extended to stay in Korea. This country is really wearing on us... Lets hope we aren't one of those unlucky couples. Those of you in the service know exactly what I'm talking about.

So all in all, I'm very happy with the optimistic person that I am. I see myself as a person who can take a hit and keep coming. I don't let a flat tire ruin my whole road trip. I know who I am and I'm very comfortable with it.

"I love my wife."

2011-02-14T11:25:00.000+09:00

My thoughts may stray
My eyes may roam
The neighbor's grass may seem much greener
Than the grass right here at home

If pretty girls excite me
Well, that's life
But just in case, you didn't know
I love my wife

My mind at times
May dwell on sex
If someone's rating dreams
Then most of mine I guess are double X

So dimpled knees delight me
Well, that's life
But just in case, you hadn't heard
I love my wife

Like bait that wriggles
And it makes catfish bite
A lady jiggles
And my eyes gotta light
Upon so sweet a sight

And if I shake
Break out in spots
Don't fret, it's not swine fever dear
Your swine has merely got the hots

If rosy lips invite me
Well, that's life
But just in case, you couldn't guess
I love my wife

My mind at times
May dwell on sex
If someone's rating dreams
Then most of mine I guess are double X

If rosy lips invite me
Well, that's life
But just in case, you couldn't guess
Or hadn't heard
Or didn't know
I love my wife
I love my wife
I love my wife
mmm
I love my wife

Winter Survival Tips

2011-02-03T12:03:00.000+09:00

As "Blizzard 2011" hits our family and friends in Missouri, I began thinking, "What are they going to do to occupy their time?" They have 20 inches of snow... No one is going any where, any time soon. March 20th can seem like forever away, especially with early sunsets. Being confined to a house can cause serious cabin fever! I have been brainstorming ways to help you all fight this battle and here's what I've come up with...

Make snow ice cream! It's a great activity for kids and adults.
Purchase a new bath robe. Believe me, you will be glad you did.
Have a spa day in your new robe! :)
Play board games or put together a puzzle. The latter being my favorite!
COOK! Winter is the best time for comfort food. The crockpot should be your new best friend.
Make home improvements or clean out your closet. People are always in need. Help someone else stay warm this winter.
Read a book. My current read is called, "Packing for Mars." You should check it out!
Write a letter. Have children write as well or include their art work. Your recipient will love it.
And finally, rearrange the furniture. A new look will help in big way!

Now onto the necessities of surviving winter... For real!

Make sure your car has proper tire pressure, anitfreeze levels, oil weight, and gasoline.
Your cars emergency kit should include:

-Jumper cables.
- Inflated spare tire.
- Jack.
- Cotton gloves.
- Extra bottle of windshield wiper fluid.
- Sand or absorbent cat litter for traction.
-Flashlight and fresh batteries.
- Simple first-aid kit.
- Blankets.

At home keep plenty of batteries ready for radios and flashlights.
Non-perishable food and a manual can opener.
Cash.
Anti-stress items like books or magazines.
Blankets.
Toiletries.
And lastly a lantern.

Hope this little post helped you in more ways than one. Winter can be a very fun season! Get outside and enjoy the snow!

"Beef on a Leaf", The Korean Dining Experience

2011-01-14T09:41:00.000+09:00

I was thinking about getting back into the swing of eating Korean food again and realized I've described the food but have never revealed a picture! So here you go!

As you can see, there are tons of dishes/sides. Nearly all of them are pickled or cold. No potatoes or salt and pepper. If you look at the meat on the left, you will notice some scissors and tongs beside each other. This is how Korean people cut their meat... With scissors! As a side note: This is also the way they cut their crab legs.
The way that this traditional meal usually goes is... You sit on the floor after you've taken off your shoes and wait for your server to bring you hot coals to place in the middle of the table top grill. After the grill is set up, you cut the meat into bite size pieces and place it on the grill. You also may place whole, raw garlic in some aluminum muffin tins to roast.
After the meat is done cooking, you don't put it on your plate. You move the cooked meat to the side of the grill to keep it warm. Then you take a piece of lettace, aka "Leaf" and hold it in your hand and fill it with whatever you would like. Similar to a tortilla... Kinda. No one has a "plate" of their own. Double dipping to them is very much okay. You simply take your chop sticks and pick up what you want on your lettuce leaf, along with everyone else. I can only eat this way with my husband. To me, everyone's germs on their chop sticks and their double dipping into every dish is too much for me to handle.
In this particular picture, the vegetable choices that you have are: picked onion, tofu and seaweed, pickled/spicy bean sprouts, whole garlic cloves, kimchi, spicy anchovies, radish and red pepper paste for dipping. Nearly all Korean food is spicy. Many things that you eat at meals like this one are colored red due to the spice they add.
Now, in America, it's considered rude and uncouth to talk with your mouth full or to "stuff" food into your mouth... Not here. This is the way all Korean's eat. Whether it be a burger, ramen soup, or beef on a leaf. They consider it a "compliment to the chef" when you slurp and shove huge bites into your mouth.
I had a very hard time adjusting to this style of dinning to say the least. The "bites" of food they eat are enormous! Picture putting 2 hard boiled eggs in your mouth at once and this is the average bite for a Korean. :|
So if you find yourself in Southeast Asia, in the tiny country of South Korea... You will now know what to expect for a dining experience. I assure you, it's like nothing you've ever seen. Oh and one more tip... Ordered bottled water for obvious reasons.

Joyous January Journal Jotting

2011-01-11T07:21:00.000+09:00

Say that 5 times fast!

Made it home safely to Seoul yesterday afternoon. Our trip home was amazing and I wanted to write about all the happenings. I was unable to see all the people I wanted to see due to the fact that I was sick literally the entire time! How is that you ask? Epstein Barr virus and a touch of the flu is the answer. The main symptom of the virus is chronic fatigue. So the short version is that I slept about 2/3 of my trip. Nice right?

So lets move on to the things we did while I wasn't comatose.

One of the first things we did was check out my brother and sister-in-laws new house! It had came a long way from the first time I'd laid eyes on it in pictures. We stayed at their house for a few days and decided to go see the lights at Steal Your Dollar City.

Aren't they just too cute together?!

The little sis and I. Camera work courtesy of Rocky. He may need a little practice.

My mom and sister in the kitchen preparing an Italian feast!

Shelly and I in the huge chair!

Tyler and his beard!

Beautiful lights.

Rocky and Shelly in Grandpa's Mansion.

Cute Shelly :)

Who doesn't love GIANT Christmas tree festivities?!

AND Chocolate cake!

Sweet shot of my gorgeous car!

A new life on the farm.

Cows like to pose in case you didn't know :)

Quick snap shot while cruising the old dirt roads.

As far as our Christmas went, we had a wonderful time. We had Christmas day at Tyler's parents house and everyone came over to help celebrate. We are oh so thankful for such wonderful family members. We also got to meet our twin niece Aven and nephew Talen for the first time. It made me cry simply because they are so beautiful. Love them to pieces!

Emersen enjoying her Christmas.

Reese just a tad bit excited to begin opening gifts.

Candice, Reese and Emmy.

Dave and Tyler making Reindeer Fodder :)

Aven!

Pastry Chef Reese :)

Pat opening his "Army Style" gifts.

Belinda's beautiful tree!

Yes, it's true. I got a little blue box for Christmas :)

And for the former diabetic... 2 lbs of Reese's!

My present to Tyler.

Some of my loot!

Tally and "Monew"

Handsome Tally and I.

Trav and Ty have matching beards this Christmas.

"Take my picture!" Says Emersen.

Little monkey, Talen :)

Excited!

Aven loving on Uncle Ty.

Handsy little guy.

Reese and Aunt Sam.

Chubby Tally!

Grandpa and Emmy.

Sleepy Aven.

Shelly rockin' the onesie!

The Mink!

Tyler and I going out for New Years Eve. I look gross because I was sick :(

My handsome hubby!

Picturesque Liberty square.

Beautiful Baptist Church.

I didn't get to take nearly as many pictures as I wanted to due to sleeping excessively but the ones I did get are great!

We were happy to see our own home again and sleep in our bed but still miss our family terribly bad. We are hoping the White House job works out for us so that we can travel back and forth to see our family as much as we like! I've even jumped the gun a little by looking at houses and things to do in D.C. Sue me :)

I hope you all enjoyed my jet lag post. We really did have a great trip and can't wait for summer to be here so we can see everyone again. Before I get too caught up, I'm off to unpack some more and take a shower. Until next time!

Finally In The Land of The Free and The Home of The brave!

2010-12-16T16:59:00.000+09:00

We finally made it HOME! Feels so great. My jet lag is horrible to say to the least but I will eventually get over that. For example: I'm blogging and it's 1:45am KC time and 4:45pm Seoul time. Missy is jet lagged too! We were in the air a total of 16 hours! The flight was okay... The best thing was the individual TV's and the free adult beverages.

We finally got our Sonic fix today. There is just no way to replace their drinks! There is also this great sushi place here in KC we are going to for lunch tomorrow :) We had Rancho tonight with Tyler's family and it was a really great time. I laughed so much my jaw hurt! I can't wait to see my family. My parents met us in the airport and took us home. We had planned on having breakfast the next day with them but I was pretty much comatose for the next 13 hours, so that plan went out the window.

I only packed 1 pair of jeans and 2 shirts... Guess that means I have to go shopping. How terrible is that!? I can just here Zona Rosa calling my name. While we are there I have to pick out my little blue box Christmas present :) I'm spoiled beyond belief I know, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Well I guess that is all for now. I think I'm going to try to catch a few more z's. So happy to be home!

Thanksgiving and Bountiful Leftovers!

2010-12-03T14:51:00.000+09:00

Our Thanksgiving holiday weekend was glorious! For the holiday we had 11 people over. We served ham, green bean casserole, corn casserole, rolls, homemade chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, candied yams, apple-butter pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and pecan pie. As far as the turkey and stuffing go, we had a friend offer to make that and I was very thankful he offered! I have a very small Korean oven and it isn't always conducive to my cooking needs.

The food was huge hit. All the boys loved it. I was so glad we were able to provide them a Thanksgiving away from home. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to take too many photo's. My plans were to take to lots of pictures but I was very busy to say the least. So here is a picture of the after Thanksgiving day breakfast!

I know it's not much :( I also made ham and beans. Oh comfort food, I love you. Our friend Lukas Deem came over for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning and loved it! He had never eaten stuffing with eggs and now says its one of his favorites. Man, can that kid put it away!

In other news our leave is vast approaching! Only 11 days left. I am really hoping this month of leave time can will us through our last 6ish months in Korea. Needless to say its not our favorite place be. I have been doing a little bit of baby sitting lately. I am doing it to raise money for Missy's plane ticket. She is going to cost us $400 bucks! Girls are SO expensive :)

I did happen to gain 4 lbs over the last 10 days.... (Dang you gravy!) So I'm trying a new workout regimine and its kicking my butt. I'm so sore but without pain there can be NO gain. Thanks for checking in. I will try to post as a get more things ready for our leave.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Things Women Don't Do Anymore...

2010-11-17T12:48:00.000+09:00

Cook. Lot's of you all keep sweaters in your stove.
Clean.
Stay at home.
Wear dresses/dress conservatively. Leave something to the imagination ladies!
Be polite and considerate. Let's be honest, women are brutal to one another.
Write "Thank You" letters. Yes ladies, you still HAVE to do this!
Stay pure until marriage.
Uphold your man for something more than his wallet.
Have clean mouths. *&$% that annoys me! :)
Act lady like. And you all wonder why he doesn't show you respect....? Hmmm.

I had to make this post when I realized other people think the same way I do. Twitter today had a hot topic of things women don't do anymore. So I thought I would elaborate. I believe lots of values and traditions have went down the tube as of the last 30 years or so. Women simply aren't conforming to "old" ways and womens roles as they used to. I think this is fine in certain respects but above all we should still remain polite and kind.

I guess maybe laziness has gotten the best of us. Everything is instant nowadays. From email to dinner. If it's not easy... We don't want it. I understand not being very good at something... Like cooking. But many people simply don't want the hassle or the mess. As far as the working aspect goes... Women are go getters! They are going to college, getting their degree, making a solid foundation for themselves and then pursuing husbands! I am proud of all you hard working career women. Keep it up!

This time last year our Company Commander had to send out an email on proper etiquette! I mean wow! I honestly thought that the things mentioned in this email were "common knowledge." Apparently I was wrong. The things mentioned where like the list above. It's not that I want to time travel back 50 years or anything but women back then seemed to have it figured out.

I will get off my soapbox now. I just thought I would see if anyone else still cooks and cleans... Just wondering... I am becoming obsolete?

Baby It's Cold Outside

2010-11-08T22:31:00.000+09:00

NOTE
***I've officially given in to Christmas music!***

If you can't tell by the title of this post... It's cold outside. As a matter of fact, less than 5 minutes ago my husband alerted me we are having our first snow of the 2010 winter season! The winters here in Korea aren't to be taken lightly... Heavy coats and boots are a must!

Today was a really great day despite it being a Monday. Tyler got the afternoon off! So he relaxed and I began prep for our Thanksgiving dinner. I made homemade noodles today! Here's a pic of me hard at work!

And people say housewives don't work :)

We are expecting 8 or so guests! We must be very popular. I just wish I had a bigger oven. Tyler is really looking forward to Thanksgiving. I hope I can give the boys a "family" like Thanksgiving. I know how hard it is being away from home. I will of course post pictures!

Tonight we went out bowling with Morris and a few other people from Tyler's work. I am sooo bad at bowling but I had a great time. Watching was more fun than actually bowling! It was a great start to the week.

Well it's after ten... I'm wore out! Tomorrow holds laundry, pie crust making and prepping for a dinner we are hosting Wednesday night. Good nite all!

Flash Forward

2010-11-06T10:24:00.000+09:00

People always say, "Don't wish your life away." I believe this saying goes out the window when you haven't seen your family or visited your hometown in a year! Don't get me wrong I am grateful for all that we have been given in terms of the Army but, it doesn't make us "not miss home" just because we are well taken care of. But it does make it easier to bear.

Army life is hardest on those who are tightly connected to their loved ones. Like us. Many young women and men join because of a lack of family structure. This is not our particular case. Tyler and I have a niece and a nephew whom we've never met. Just take a minute and imagine that... Yep. It's hard. We have gotten stronger as a couple and as individuals because of this lifestyle. At first you just want to reach out to your family and because of this, you tend to push each other away. After you finally come to realize that your family can't be there for you, you lean on one another and you grow. That's the short of it anyway.

Tyler and I want so badly to flash forward. We have missed so much in respect to our "old" life. I honestly have to ask my sister to tell me the popular songs on the radio. My brother and Marissa bought a house and have remodeled it. The twins were born. Reese and Emersen are growing and changing. My dad has had surgery. The list goes on and on. I try not to let it get to me all that often. But I simply can't be happy all the time.

In 38 days we will be HOME! I sincerely hope that a few things work out to our advantage in the next few months. If these things happen, we will be much closer to our family. As always in the Army, you have to remind yourself, out loud, "Don't get your hopes up."

Somethings, besides family and all that comes with it, that I miss are...

Sonic
Drive Thru's
Shopping Mall's
The English Language
Normal television
Long drives
My car
Being able to drive period!
The radio
Being somewhere that I can actually go back to school!
Normal traffic and road signs
Regular Starbucks!
Walmart

Seoul is a great city... But it's definitely some place we would ever want to come back to. You just can't begin to imagine how excited we are to come back. We talk about it at least three times a week if not more. Now, when I hear the National Anthem, I honestly and truly appreciate it. Not that I didn't before, the Army just has a way of doing that too you :)

As of right now I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner that we are hosting and having over our closest friends we've met here in Seoul. I really can't wait to cook! After that, our visit home will only be a few weeks away and it should be nothing but clear skies ahead. We are scheduled to leave Seoul in July 2011. As far as the near future goes... Today I am babysitting the Aldarondo boys! They are so darn cute! I'm hoping to get a few shots of them in action :) And next week Tyler and I have a political meeting of some kind next week and at the end of next week we have a 4 day weekend!

Isn't she sweet!?

Olympic Park!

2010-11-03T12:40:00.000+09:00

Weird modern art...

The picture below is of the flags of all the countries that participated in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Tyler and the ever burning Olympic fire!

Tidbits

2010-10-28T09:24:00.000+09:00

*6 weeks and 2 days until we are boarding our plane for America!*

While over the weekend I did manage to wake up super early and go to Olympic Park and take pictures... I put them in the wrong format and blah, blah, blah. Still waiting on Tyler to help me fix that.

It has gotten extremely cold here over the last 3 days. This winter is going to be a long one. Last year we had snow in April!

Found out that Missy's flight is going to cost us $400 bucks! We were pretty bummed.
So...I have began advertising for baby sitting again. Hope I get a few bites.

My sister and her friend Avery are dressing up as Batman and Robin for Halloween. :) (Shelly is Robin.)

Tonight we are going to Karaoke with our awesome friend Joel! Love to hear him sing.

Still looking at school options. It's so hard to decide what you want to be when you grow up!

This weekend our friend Morris is taking Tyler and I out to eat at Mercado's for my belated birthday present! We finally got to go when our good friends the Aldarondo's invited us out for David's birthday dinner. We all had a really good time. So we can't wait to go again.

My lil brother turned 21 on the 25th! Tyler and I were so sad we didn't get to celebrate his birthday with him. :( Again... Can't wait to be back home where we belong!

We have been hitting the gym pretty hard the last week or so. My legs feel like they weigh 200 lbs but I'm seeing results!

I do have a few pictures of our niece Aven and nephew Talen! Candice put them up on FB, so I'm stealing them and showing them off! They are 8 mo's old! Ugh... Can't wait to finally meet them!

So that's all for this post. I promise to put pictures up of the park when I am actually able.

Shower's are nice... I think I will take one. Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Bust...

2010-10-14T14:28:00.000+09:00

Well the short of my birthday weekend was that it was just terrible... But I can't just say that now can I? This is a bit of a pessimistic post. You've been warned, so if you like just jump ahead to the pictures! :) Here's the pro's and con's of our trip to Jeju Island...

Pro's

Our room had an ocean front view.
It was nice to see grass and trees!
We really enjoyed the quiet.
We can say, "We've been there."

Con's

Hardly anyone spoke English.
We never saw a beach!
Our "free" breakfast was seaweed soup, runny scrambled eggs, cold poached eggs in vinegar, kimchi, bulgogi (beef in soy sauce), rice, salad, and dehydrated anchovies and squid.
We rented a car and drove around the entire island and still found nothing to do or see.
The cleaning lady threw away our plane tickets!
The only restaurants were shishimai (raw fish served with kimchi and rice)
The only places we ate were the hotel's free breakfast, Duncan Donuts, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.
No malls or shopping area's to speak of.
Photo opportunities were few and far between seeing as how the island isn't beautiful...
And last but certainly not least, we completely wasted money going there.

I am an optimist and can see the good in nearly anything but this trip/23rd birthday was the worst! Now for the few pictures I did take while we there.

This is what the entire island looked like...

And this is what the towns looked like...

No beach... anywhere.

So that's as close as I got to the water. All in all you've seen Jeju Island. Here's hoping the next post will a bit cheerier!

Weekend Highlight Reel

2010-10-04T11:30:00.000+09:00

Tyler and I had the best weekend and I thought I would share what we did.

Saturday morning cleaning! He motivates me :)
Headed to the PX where I got a new holiday scented Yankee Candle!
FREE lunch thanks to our punch card.
Grocery shopping
Naps
Wonderful seafood dinner!
Added extra blankets to our bed
Steak dinner
Chicken nugget deliciousness!
Walks in the cool air :)
TV/snuggle time
Bathing our baby
Wrestling
Baked a cake for a dear friends birthday
Army boys and their jokes
11:30 pm door bell ring from the birthday boy!
Pictures!
Talking to family. I love Skype!

All in all it was a great weekend! I'm sure next weekend will be just as fabulous seeing as how it's my birthday and we are going to spend it at a tropical island! I feel so blessed in all area's of my life and couldn't ask for anything better. Life is perfect!

Why I've Fallin' for Fall!

2010-10-02T15:41:00.000+09:00

Why I LOVE fall.......

Perfect walking weather
The smells... (brisk air, cranberries, cinnamon, apple, ect.)
Open windows!
No more allergies :)
FOOTBALL! 3-0 so far for my Chiefies!
Scarves
Apple Cider. I'm hoping to learn how to make it!
Apple pie... My absolute favorite.
Crock pot dinners
No more re-runs
It starts to feel like the holidays
My birthday is in this wonderful season
I can enjoy hot coffee again
Mittens and gloves
New scenery due to the leaves changing colors
Walking into a warm house from the cool air
Sweaters
School is back in session... Little crazy kids around the stores can rattle ones nerves quickly.
Boots
New fall scented candles... I purchased a Yankee one today called Be Thankful. It's great!

Those are just a few of the many reasons why I love this season. It also reminds me that my husband and I are one more season closer to being back to our families.

Tyler called his mama today and we got the dish on what's been happening in the KC area. We miss it so! Our nieces and nephew are growing big and strong. Talen, our nephew, weighs almost 19 lbs and he is not even 10 months! I'm so excited to meet them. My brother and his wife are still working on their little house. It has came a long way since they purchased it this summer. It really makes me want a home and some roots of our own. But all in good time! All in all everything seems to be going well. We had a lump of bad news (came in 3's of course) last week, but it all seemed to have worked itself out. Time has a way of doing that and I'm grateful it does.

Terrible Weather and Neighbors...

2010-09-21T18:28:00.000+09:00

Bad weather is not really "new" news here in Korea... But today the Yongsan area was hit pretty hard with flash flooding. I thought I would share a few pictures from their website.

So as you can see, it's pretty bad. I'm just praying that none of these cars get water damaged! It rains every other day here but today was especially bad. I'm hoping my birthday bash down at Jeju Island is rain free!!!!

As for the neighbors part of the title... We got a new family to our building over the weekend. Never good because along with moving comes the noise from moving furniture and things... but this was not the case with this particular family. They have several small children and a dog. I'm sure you can see where I'm heading with this. They live directly above us and they never seem to be quiet. It's better during the day but at night the noise carries on until at least 11:30. The children make all the noise. What good parent lets their child/children run around being that chaotic at 11:30PM? Even now as I type this they are having what seems to be a rock hammering contest... I'm at a loss as to what do. I've tried to give them the weekend to get "settled in" but I'm feeling this is going to be ongoing. I think tomorrow I will have to go talk to the landlord.

This is the main reason why I hate being in an apartment. I do not want to be rude or mean to this new family but I also want my sanity and my sleep. Common sense is a punishment I believe. It's a punishment because, apparently, no one else in the world has it. Tyler, luckily, can sleep through just about anything. I just wish they would realize other people live in the building too. Is that too much to ask?

Karaoke!

2010-09-11T20:24:00.000+09:00

This title speaks for itself really... but we've been testing out Karaoke lately and have had LOTS of fun! It also helps to hear a friends great voice. I wish I could sing. Don't get me wrong, I try, but I fail miserably. Here are a few pictures of us and our good friend Joel!

Joel and I get along great because we love all the same music. He's a BIG Sinatra fan... Which is so awesome. He sings him quite a bit when we go out and I love it. Him and Tyler pick on eachother the way boys do and I can't even think about having a bad evening. They are both so funny! We are lucky to have such a light hearted and funny friend here in Korea. Hope you all liked this post cause it's filled with our fun times together. Hoping to have many more!

So Much "To-Do"

2010-09-09T14:57:00.000+09:00

Order Missy a soft sided "house" for the plane ride back home. (That meet the exact specifications!)
Call the travel office and verify we have everything we need in order to get Miss back and forth.
Finish the last new items on the Christmas shopping list.
Save for going home.
Finish writing letters back home.
Continue diet and exercise regime.
Swim lessons.
Try out new healthy dinner options.
Start eating breakfast.
Organize the closets and
Do paper work!

Overwhelming?? Answer: YUP!

Dream Big!

2010-09-07T15:22:00.005+09:00

I have been consumed lately with the thought of buying a home. Now I must be realistic, this will not happen for several years but I think it's completely fine to let the mind wonder and dream! Tyler, however, isn't interested in the slightest. He could care less. Which means, I guess, that I will doing nearly the whole process by my self. That's fine... I can just get what I want easier! And since I know this blog is for myself... It's okay to put my personal dreams on here :) Here are a few things I would love to have in our home of the future...
Style: Colonial. I think this best represents, to me, what a home should look like. I hate ranch simply because everyone lives in one.
Location: Liberty/KC area. It's big enough for me seeing as how I came from a town of 500! It's layout is perfect and has so many things to do and see. Plus it's cheap and close to our families. I would love to have a vacation home as well and if we play our cards right, we can have the best of both worlds!
Layout:2800-3000 sq. ft. At least 3 bedroom and 2 baths. A must have is huge closet. This is non negotiable. I love bay windows and crown molding. Also a big back yard and a fire place. And a back porch for a swing and BBQ grill.

So now that you get the gist of what I like... Here's a a few pictures to bring it all together...

Don't you just feel, "at home" when you look at it!? I sure do. We just have to do a little time and get a big reward :) I'm very lucky to have such a good provider.

Hope you all like my little post about my big dream.

A few things I've learned about Korea.

2010-09-07T13:55:00.003+09:00

Men and women walk out of their shoes because they cannot afford the proper size.
Many Korean's are bow legged due to Rickets disease (a vitamin D difficiency) because not drinking enough milk. I've never seen a full gallon of milk here...
Nearly all meat they consume is high in fat.
ALL women wear high heels everywhere.
Image is very important but cleanliness is not.
They eat dog!
Korea has no natural resources.
A typical work week for them is 80-100 hours. If your boss is still at work, your obligated to be there as well.
For 3 days in August nearly all Korean's go on vacation at the same time.
A typical "vacation" is a trip to the water park.
They do not travel much.
Their power lines are all above ground and very tangled making the city unnecessarily ugly.
Public transit is a way of life. You can take it to anywhere in South Korea!
They spit a lot!
They have a traditional "ice cream" dish that contains red beans.
Good service at a restaurant is considered a lot of food and little service. ex: Lots of hot peppers but no refill on your glass of "mool" or water.
Stomach cancer is very prominent here due to all the spice they consume.
When they eat fish... Nothing is wasted. I mean nothing.
Korean highways are NOT user friendly.
Everything is cheap.
Their is little variety of food here. If your pallet isn't suited to this... Your out of luck.
At McDonald's you can get a shrimp or bulgogi burger :)
Ice cream at McD's cost about 25 cents American.
A traditional Korean restaurant is where you sit around a grill and cook your own food.
This Korean meal has been labeled "beef on a leaf" by our Army boys, and it is grilling various meats like pork or beef, along with mushrooms, whole garlic, onions and then putting in on a piece of lettuce with kimchi or pickled cucumbers and shoving the entire thing in your mouth.
Dinner etiquette is non existent. ex: Slurping your food shows the cook how much you like the food. They also ALWAYS talk with their mouth full.
When you shop at a Korean "Wal-Mart", Chop sticks have replaced forks and knives.
You can buy anything counterfeit here. Watches, movies, coats, purses, shoes, scarves and the list goes on and on.
Traffic is hellacious 95% of the time.
Traffic symbols are a suggestion and not a rule. Honking is not considered rude.
Cops are only around to help out with accidents. Their are many!
Police are Military service are mandatory for at least two years for all males at age 18.
Although Korea is not our favorite place we are glad we got this experience :)
They drive on the sidewalks and park there as well.
Taxi drivers are insane!

That is all for now. I'm sure I've left out a few things but for the most part I'm sure you catch the drift. Hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for stopping by!

The Weekend

2010-09-06T16:46:00.003+09:00

Tyler and I had a very fun filled 4 day weekend. It included a Norybong (korean karaoke) with Joel Smith. We started that evening with dinner and then went to the Norybong and stayed until around 12 then traveled across the street to get our 2nd dinner... Lotteria (korean McDonalds) I however don't have any good pictures to post but it was the most fun I've had in a loooong while!

Our next endeavor was a BIG breakfast we hosted for our friend Morris. We really enjoy his company and always look forward to his company. I fixed eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes and home made O'Brien potatoes. It was super delicious... Even if I did make it ;)

The only downer was that Tyler caught a cold that I may or may have not given to him... So being the good wife and caregiver that I am, I filled him up with meds and let him nap... A lot.

And lastly today, Tyler and I dropped Morris back off at his barracks and then hit the PX where I got some new lip gloss, eyeliner, a sheet set AND a new super cute RL sweater. I'm the luckiest girl to have a great man like Tyler! I love him more than words.

That is all I have at the moment... I'm off to give Missy a haircut and finish the laundering. Tyler has one more day off then it's back to work for a short work week of 3 days. Hope you enjoyed my little post! Till next time, tata!

Typhoon!

2010-09-02T11:54:00.003+09:00

With in the 24 hours of my last post a Typhoon developed in the Yellow Sea to our west. It was a category 3. It hit sooner than expected at 7 this morning. Lots of power outages and broken structures but us and our apartment are just fine. There is supposed to be another strong storm coming in tonight. Oh how we love Korea!

Also I've been sick the last 2 days... Yay.

Gym Rat

2010-09-01T13:06:00.003+09:00

So it's September first! That means today was our first "lunch time work out" with our good friends the Beckers. Today was upper body so it was my favorite :) Hoping I will have brought sexy back by my 23rd birthday in October! 5 day's a week should do it. Love working out with my husband. He's a great motivator.

In other news... Still looking at school options. The one is Topeka is still on the top of my list but I think I will tackle medical billing and coding for the time being. I like working in an office setting because it's not so crazy and you don't have to worry about codes or anything like that. It's also a good traveling profession and Lord knows us Army wives need that!

My swimming classes are dwindling. I only have 2, 4 year old girls now. Every one else just kinda leaves me to figure it out for myself. I guess this means I will have a lot more time to focus on school! Which is awesome!

We also have 95% of our Christmas shopping done! I do believe we are getting, "older and wiser." We get so excited when we start thinking about being HOME for an entire month! It seems to lift our spirits when anything bad happens here in Korea.

As far as Tyler's OCS process... It's finally starting to move along. I made him a deal that as soon as he got his acceptance letter with his class date that we would go get him a shiny, brand new car! I totally think he deserves it. He never asks for anything and I only want him to have the best when he does. So what ever his choice, I will be very happy.

Oh and I saved the best for last!.... We are going to Jeju Island for my birthday! We will spend 3 days in a luxury hotel on the beach. Can't wait for this get away. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a birthday. Seafood, sand and sun. Feel free to be jealous :P

Guess that is all for now. Be looking for another update soon... Til' then, tata~!

Carpe Diem

2010-08-24T13:01:00.003+09:00

The Army is such a great place for us to be right now. Yet another blessing has been laid at my feet... Money for school! They gave me $4,000 to be exact. I have lots of options to explore! I am pretty sure my choice will be for sonography but I want to make sure I've evaluated all my options. The only problem with medicine is the clinical hours. The hospital on post does not work with students or residents. The school I'm looking into is in Topeka. My sister in law, Candice does this and says she loves her job. It might be a year before I can do it but the money will still be available! I'm pretty much chomping at the bit to go back to school. I will update more as time passes and things are nailed down.

My brother and sister in law Marissa have been hard at work on their house. My mom says they have done a ton of work in the little time they have lived there. I am so excited to see it for the first time in December! I am still day dreaming and looking at homes in the KC area... Not that we are anywhere near ready to buy a house. I just like day dreaming I guess :P

Tyler is putting the finishing touches on his OCS (Officer Candidate School) packet! So by this time next year, hopefully, he will know when his class date is. Pending acception of course. But if you know my husband, you already know his determination level. It's one of the many things I love about him.

Not to get too boring on you but I am reading a new book! "Families of Two." by Laura Carroll. The book is dedicated to people who are, "happily married, with no children, by choice." I wanted to read it because I feel like society makes you feel like you have to have children. When, honestly, nowadays it's a choice. I really like it and have trouble putting it down.

As for our "baby"... I took her to the vet yesterday for her yearly and to get her microchiped. Since we are taking her with us in December, I wanted to make sure their aren't going to be any fowl ups with getting her there and back. I might be starting a little early but better safe than sorry!

My lesson's have pretty steady. I am beginning to think I am going to have to put an age limit on kids to enter the program. I've had so many calls from mom's with children as young as 1 wanting lessons! There is no possible way your child will benefit from swim lessons. I tell them it would be a waste of their time and money. I've had several just drop me. No calls to cancel just leaving me to figure it out... I have 4 people I'm coaching today so I will most definitely be tired tonight.

In other news, Tyler's college friend, Dave Kiger came to stay with us for a few days! He's a great guy and has the best stories. We always enjoy his company!

I'm dieting... Again. It stinks but I am seeing results. On Septemer 1st starts a group work out plan Tyler got us signed up for. I'm excited and I hope I can keep up!

Well that is all for now! I'm off to teach :) Thanks for stopping by!

Seoul House Tour

2010-08-16T15:33:00.003+09:00

P.S. It's totally okay to be jealous :P

August Picture Update...

2010-08-14T20:18:00.007+09:00

Just a few pics of some recent activities

Most recent being....

Tyler's 24th Birthday!

Oreo Ice cream cake from ColdStone :)

I could look at him forever... I think I just might :P

Yes it was as good as it looked... ColdStone always delivers!

All of the pics of the boys in orange is "Company Organizational Day" or "mandatory fun time" as my lovely husband calls it :) It's a game day for all enlisted people and their families. We took home the trophy... AGAIN!

Morris showing off his mad balance skills :)

Practicing offensive line.

Deem giving some pointers. Don't know what Tyler is doing... Sleeping??

He wasn't QB but he could chuck that pigskin a fair ways.

See!

Tyler receiving a PT achievement award from Captain Becker. He is the leader for the "Special Pops" PT and gets people back into shape!

Cheesy as usual :)

Baby Gabe playing bowling the day he came over! He beat me! The kid is good...

Super duper pooper scooper cute!!! I can see one of his pigs :)

Haha! I love her <3

One clear day Tyler took me up to the mountain for some pictures !

Over looking the Han River.

Our little trip down town.

Hope you enjoyed this lil' post... Stay cool everyone!!!

Beach Weekend and Recent Events

2010-08-11T09:15:00.003+09:00

The weather has been so unbearably hot here in Seoul! Tyler and I decided to head to the beach with our friends over the weekend. We woke up Saturday morning at 4:00 to beat the traffic... I surprised myself at how well I rolled out of bed :)So we loaded up the car and headed to the East coast. 3 hours later we arrive. We set up the tent and had lunch and then went for a swim. A very, very, very cold swim. The water had to be 60 degrees. So it took me forever to get used to the water, but I finally did. Got myself a very nice shell collection too! I didn't take a camera because it was raining on and off the whole trip. The rain water was much warmer than the ocean... Crazy right? Went to sleep around 11 Saturday night and woke up at 6:30. Our friends brought lots of camping gear which included a propane cook stove, pans and plates! They also brought pancake mix. I tried many times to get the pancakes to work but, alas, they just kept sticking :( So we just decided bacon and eggs was much easier. After breakfast the boys tore down the tent and loaded the car. I took a much needed shower...
Okay let me just pause for a second to tell you about the shower. It was a huge room with shower heads lining the entire wall and 3 huge tubs of water in the center with ladles floating in them. The shower heads had NO hot water... The only way to get the hot water was to use the huge basins in the center. Mind you, there are NO curtains. So you see everyone and they see you in your birthday suit. ICKY! But a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. So needless to say I don't know whether they were staring for good or bad reasons. Remember I am the only, "ample" white girl there.
Okay back to what I was saying... After the car was loaded we headed to a local fish/seafood market. It was smelly but interesting. Guys were coming up to us trying to sell us fish like it was a new car or something! So we decided to try some... All they do is fillet it and lay it out for you. I tried a few bites but neither Tyler or I could stomach it. It's not even remotely close to sushi if that's what your thinking. So they brought us out some soup to cook the fish in. With the fish head in it. Let's just say I ate a lot of rice. So after all that I was still a little hungry and decided to try some fried shrimp. That didn't go so well either because the shrimp was fried WHOLE. It still had eggs under it's tail. So to keep myself from upchucking I just passed on food all together. It took us about 5 hours to get home due to traffic. Korean's all vacation at the same time, and that weekend was vacation weekend... But all in all the camping trip was a success and we had lots of fun and had a good adventure.
Tomorrow is Tyler's 24th birthday! I am now heading for a much needed shower and then to go get his cake. Other than that, my swimming lessons are going so well! I am now coaching several kids and each one of them is awesome. I am very lucky they are all good little listeners. Well I'm off for a cool shower!!!!

Lots of Company

2010-07-23T14:14:00.002+09:00

Monsoon season is in full swing here in Seoul! That means lots of time indoors and extra naps :) I did however get lucky one day and got to go up to Camp Morse and take some pictures! This tiny camp is on a a mountain (literally) so it's got a great high vantage point for pics.

This last week Tyler's leave form came through and we bought our plane tickets home! Hoping Missy does just as good this time. She didn't make a peep the whole 18 hours last time! What a good little pup :)

Last weekend we babysat ALOT. Basically the entire weekend. I was so proud of Tyler. He even made homemade ice cream for the boys. The kids we watched were all terrific. We had a lot of fun. And this weekend Tyler's friend David, from college, is coming to visit. He arrives tonight so we are taking him for some fabulous prime rib and catch the new Inception flick. Saturday morning I will be feeding 4 boys a home cooked breakfast. Hope they are as excited as I am! Oh, and best of all... Tyler, being awesome, is taking me "home accessory" shopping on Saturday afternoon! I'm super stoked!!!

Tyler also got an achievement award from the Army for his leadership in physical fitness. He makes sure that if soldiers fail their "PT test", he gets them back in shape for the next test. He's like the instructor for morning fitness class. He's the best!... I might need him to coach me :)

Okay that's the latest on the little Hammond fam. Thanks for stopping by! I'm off to do more house wife duties!

Top 20...

2010-07-13T14:53:00.004+09:00

This post is not really like me at all... I hate giving out lots of personal information but I believe this post is mostly for myself and realizing all that has turned around for me and how God has decided to bless me. So here goes....

I am just entirely too happy to be out of touch with my home town and it's people. Have you ever looked back at your old hang out and realized nothing and no one has changed??? Here are some reasons why I love not being connected to my past :)

I have seen so much of the world!
I have learned to broaden my view of many things.
I have learned to "like" so many more things.
I have an awesome life!
When I pray, I only thank God for what he has given me.
Tyler <3
We have so many options as to where we want our life to go... pretty much limitless :)
People from my hometown are down right mean.
It's just plain boring!
Drama...
Drugs... Not that I did any but the fact that everyone else does them!
Knowing everyone's business and them knowing yours. (btw I just purged some "friends" on my FB :)
Knowing they are the ones missing out on life!
Getting to meet great new friends!
Becoming a coach/photographer.
Trying lots of new worldly foods.
Experimenting with fashion :)
Life/financial stability!
Knowing my family thinks the same way I do.
Support from them even though I am half a world away.

Those are just the tip of the iceberg! I am not saying that staying close to your roots is a bad thing, I'm just stating that I hate mine. I do not miss it in the slightest. I do however, miss mine and Tyler's family. But I am so happy it's crazy! We are so blessed and I cannot wait to see what else life has in store for us. Cause hey, if you wanna hear God laugh, tell him your plans! :)

Coach Sam :)

2010-07-03T08:37:00.003+09:00

Yes it is true! I am now giving swimming lessons and have indeed become Coach Sam! I am very proud of my little swimmer! I also start teaching his dad today! Not sure how it will be teaching an adult but I am really excited.
Had an AWESOME interview this past week for a very fiscally enticing job. Hopefully, hopefully, the lady liked me as much as I liked her. By the end of the interview we were discussing our dogs and fashion... So in my mind it went really well!
On a school note... I am thinking of finance, in some form or another, for my major. I know I HATE numbers but the income is crazy for those area's. I am emailing a few schools to see what exactly the course layout would be like. I definitely don't want to be in over my head :)
This weekend, 3 day!, has been dark, wet and completely wonderful! My husband loves weather like this. I am simply loving the fact that I can just take pause and enjoy my weekend at HOME! We are entertaining a lot this weekend for the 4th. I love cooking... Have I mentioned that :P Hoping for a no-rain 4th... Not sure that's going to happen since monsoon season has officially begun!
A new photographic opportunity was presented to me the other day by a fellow Army wife... There is an ENGLISH speaking photography teacher here! Hoping to maybe get some lessons from him :) Seoul is not a very photogenic city, so any help here is much appreciated!
Well I'm off to go prepare for my swim class! Stay cool and have an awesome 4th!

P.S. I must mention my impressive knack for breaking things... I believe this goes way past accident prone... The bottom of my FULL coffee cup fell out yesterday! I mean what the????

And yes it's okay to laugh, I already know you are! :)

1 Month Update!

2010-06-21T08:24:00.007+09:00

Wow it has been a full month since I posted last! So much has been going on... I will just do this in bullet form to make it easy on myself!

I finally got to test out my camera in a formal setting... My good friend Margie had her baby shower last weekend and I got some really great shots!
We also had a luau last weekend! Tyler did the bartending and it was a hit to say the least! Everybody had such a great time and the weather was super wonderful. Oh and some random man decided he wanted to eat the eyes out the pig... Gross! I got pics but believe me you don't want to see them. So here is a pic of Tom Cruise instead :P
The day after the luau, my Japanese friend Yuki Kawasaki came to visit us in Seoul! I hadn't seen her since I was a Jr. in HS! She and I had so much fun! We did some shopping, went to a traditional Korean musical and went to the spa. The spa was completely different from anything I'd ever done in the US. But a great experience nontheless! Here's a pic of us before the musical :) Ty and I can't wait to go see her in Japan!
And for a family update... Dad is doing sooo much better! He felt great for Father's Day which was wonderful! He's not taking anymore "big meds" and now is able to do more things and take long walks! So great :) Rocky and Marissa are still keeping up with the renovations on the house. I can't wait to see it when we are home for Christmas! My little sis just went on the first camping trip of her summer break and had a really great time! My mom, of course, is working too much like always. She should really slow down!

Well I hope you all enjoyed this post! Sorry it took a month of waiting but wasn't it worth it :P Have a great work week everyone!!!

New, New and New!

2010-05-19T08:56:00.002+09:00

As you can tell by the title lots of "new" things are happening!

Tyler got me a Nikon D3000 on Saturday! I love my big girl camera. He's the best!

My new life guard job starts in just a few days!

Tyler also set up an office for me this weekend!

And last but not least... I am officially learning sign language! LOVE IT!

Just thought I would let you all know the "new" happenings! Thanks for stopping by!

DMZ Tour and More...

2010-05-13T16:02:00.012+09:00

I have lots to note... So brace yourself for a long entry. But there are pictures :) So that helps :P

On Wednesday Tyler and I, along with a few other couples got the privilege of touring the Demilitarized Zone or DMZ, that separates North and South Korea. I personally loved the tour. This is the area I'm talking about just so you get the idea.

As you can see Seoul is pretty close to this boarder. It only took us and hour via bus to get there. We got to actually step foot inside North Korea! We saw North Korean Soldiers and they, of course, saw us. Not going to fib here, it was a little terrifying! We were told not to make any gestures because they could be misinterpreted... EEEK! They were even taking our pictures! We saw them on top of the white building you see in the background.

So after that lovely experience we went to one of the buildings they use to host talks with North Korea. Our guide pointed out the foot prints all over all the tables and that all the chairs had been pulled out. North Korea does this as a sign of disrespect to the South and America. By the end of this entry you see why people call them, "crazy Koreans." The blue buildings in the fore ground are where this little event took place.

Next stop... Propaganda Village! This small village was built by North Korea's first "President" (or dictator in my opinion) Kim Il Sung as a way of enticing South Korean residents to defect in the 1950's. It was painted bright blue, faced the South and rest's under the worlds largest flag belonging to North Korea. It weighs 600 lbs and takes 45-50 men to lower and take it down. No one has ever lived there and it was built for that purpose alone. Hence the name Propaganda Village. If you click on the image you can really tell the buildings are just empty shells.

The next few quips will really give you a really good idea of what North Korea and it's government are like. For starters..... The boarder has guard towers, obviously. And in between watch towers 3 and 4, there was a large tree obstructing view into North Korea. South Korea and it's allied forces informed North Korean government they were going to remove this tree. While doing so North Korean Soldiers attacked and "axed to death", 2 United Nations Soldiers. The large cement ring around the memorial is the size of the tree trunk that once stood there.

Next is The Bridge of No Return.

This is the branch point where POW's were released after the North and South Korean War, being told they could choose which country they took up residence in..... But whichever country they chose they could "Never Return." On our particular tour we noticed something at the North end of the bridge. Our tour guide looked with binoculars and told us they were 3 dead dogs. He says it happens quite frequently as a sign of disrespect to the South and American forces.

There is also a small farming community inside the DMZ. The farmer and their families are watched over 24/7. We saw a man discing his field and there were 2 South Korean Soldiers watching over him. The families that belong to this specific group, have very strict rules to live under. The have to be in their homes with windows and doors locked every night by midnight and are only allowed to be away from their homes 124 nights per year. Also, the children that grow up under these hazardous conditions are allowed to pick any school of their choice, in South Korea, and it is completely paid for. Farming families also do not pay taxes and are guaranteed to make $82,000 per year.

As a conclusion on this subject... Tyler and I bought some Blueberry wine and whiskey made by North Korean citizens. We plan on keeping the whiskey as a reminder of our time there. Overall it was a great tour. It reminded us all that North Korea is still very hostile and this conflict is still very much alive today.

On a lighter note.... My Dad is doing well. Just sleeping a lot. My sister went to prom last week. I hope I am actually there next year for her Senior prom. Thank goodness she took pictures for her big sister. I just wanted to share. Her boyfriend, who dumped her last year 2 days before prom, decided not to do with her this year..... errrr. I wish she lived in a larger town where there are more boys to choose from. So Shelly went with her best friend Avery and had a blast! I was so glad she went and had a good time WITHOUT her boyfriend :) Here are some pictures of the beautiful ladies.
My sis is the one in yellow...
Aren't they stunning?! Wish I could be home!!! I'm missing out on so many things in her life :( It's hard being away from your best friend.

Well I guess this post has "worn out it's welcome" so to speak. So tonight's big plans involve dinner and Karaoke with friends... Oh my goodness. This is bound to be interesting :P Until next time... Chao!

Where I Stood

2010-05-04T17:50:00.000+09:00

I don't know what I've done
Or if I like what I've begun
But something told me to run
And honey you know me it's all or none

There were sounds in my head
Little voices whispering
That I should go and this should end
Oh and I found myself listening

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
'Cos she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood

See I thought love was black and white
That it was wrong or it was right
But you ain't leaving without a fight
And I think I am just as torn inside

'Cos I don't know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
'Cos she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood

And I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call
You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all
But you taught me how to trust myself and so I say to you
This is what I have to do

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you
All I know is that I should
'Cos she will love you more than I could
She who dares to stand where I stood
Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood

Dad Update/Formal Dinner

2010-05-02T09:27:00.011+09:00

Well we thought all was going well with my Dad... We were wrong. Saturday morning while my Mom, RN Sandy, was changing my Dad's dressing , she noticed his incision didn't seem right and decided to take him for a trip to the ER. She was right in doing so because his white cell count was up to 18,000 and he had a pretty severe infection. He had to taken in for emergency surgery! He has to have another surgery on Monday morning to do the same type of operation, or "clean sweep" as I call it. These surgery's are to clear out current infection and prevent future ones. He's on the big med's now and is doing better but not feeling better quite yet. They are going to send him home Monday or Tuesday with a PIC line. This will allow him to be on IV antibiotics at home. I feel so sorry for my Dad. He's honestly the toughest guy I know. Please keep him in your prayers.

Okay, let's to move on before I get too worked up. On a happier note...................

Last night was a formal dinner to celebrate Korean and US alliances. It was held at a brand new hotel in Seoul, over looking the Han River. It was breath taking! Over all, I believe, there was 365 people at his event. The attire was Class-A's for the service member's and cocktail or suit and tie for your date. It was open bar, so many people, including ourselves, took part in that! :) After drinks came speeches by the host and higher up's in the Army. Then dinner and entertainment. Dinner was served buffett style and it was delicious! We had 4 different performances ranging from traditional Korean dances for the emporer to beat boxing! It was a great night with great pictures! :) Of course I took pictures, you think I'd forget. Well here you go!

Aren't we just gorgeous! Mom say's to take lots of pictures while your young, you won't regret it. So I do! It was wonderful evening. Tyler said I looked like Jackie Kennedy. Now isn't he sweet!? I also wanted to update you all with some new pics of our baby Missy. We love her so darn much!

Cutest lil' pup ever! I will post again when I have more info on my Dad. Again please keep in your prayers. Thanks all. Buh-bye!

Hello Weekend!

2010-04-30T11:06:00.003+09:00

This post is random: You've been warned :P

I feel a nice weekend coming on! Just wanted to keep you all updated on the activities :)

Friday night= Hail and Fairwell (at Mainpost club!)

Saturday= Pedicure and formal dinner :) I'm wearing an awesome little cocktail!

Sunday= Bootleg movies and getting the "to-do" list crossed off!

Best of all.... I think I only have to cook once or twice this weekend! WOOT!

And as a side note: Totally dropped my phone in the toilet yesterday. Tyler got it working again though, thank goodness!

Shelly has prom on Saturday. Super bummed that I can't be there, but she promised to take lots of pics for me!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I know I will! Ciao!

Pic of the day for ya:

Great Weekend!

2010-04-20T11:44:00.008+09:00

Wow! What a great weekend we had! Even got some photo's courtesy of my great friend Ashley.
I guess I will start from the beginning... Always a good place to start eh?

The Cherry Blossom tree's are blooming here in Korea and they smell just as wonderful as they look. Gorgeous right? I may just have to take some back to MO in remembrance of good ole Seoul. After these pics were taken we spotted our long lost Korean Air friend.....

It was so funny because, honestly, Ashley and I love Korean Air. Not funny? Okay I guess it's a "you had to be there" kind of moment. :P Here is a SUPER cute pic of Tyler and I.

Other than the beautiful tree's and ton's of people, there wasn't much to do. So we all decided to take a walk.... A very, very long walk. We ended up getting kind of lost. It was completely fine though, we had lots of daylight and got to explore a new part of Seoul. After we decided we couldn't navigate our way back, we flagged a cab and it cost us $10.00 US to get back home! That's an expensive cab ride! Oh well! SO much fun.
After returning home we all were pretty famished so we decided to grab some dinner. Tyler's favorite... Turkish food! It was super tasty. I'd only had it once before and wasn't really impressed but this little endeavor was great. Everyone was very happy with it. So after dinner naturally comes drinks :) We headed to a cosy little bar called Baby Guinness. Greatest name ever by the way. Emir had told me their bloody mary's are the best he's ever had, so being a fan of Mary I tried it. It was super spicy but soooo good! Tyler even liked it. Tyler of course had Guinness... Definitely not my fave. Here's a pic of Tyler, Ashley, Emir and myself at Baby Guinness.
So that pretty much concluded our Saturday night. Sunday we all hung out again and did dinner and drinks. We had Indian food and it was pretty good. The sauce's were my favorite. Ah, good times with the Guevara's. :)

On a more serious note... My dad's surgery was Monday and he is doing so well! Not even 10 hours after spinal surgery he was up walking around and asking my mom what's for dinner! God really does know what He's doing huh? :P My dad is a blessed man.

Other than alllll that. Rocky and Marissa have just been painting their new house! Seeing them so happy with that makes me want to buy a house and put down some roots. But that is dream is a long term goal. Might achieve it in.... 5 years? Hopefully. As for right now I'm just taking each day as it comes. I did get a piece of good news this morning in email form. There is a job fair this Friday! I know it's not even close to the end of summer yet but I would still like to know my options once life guarding is no longer available. Just as a side note, I have a brisket in the works right now and it smells incredible! I'm too good of a cook for my own good. Hope Tyler likes it. Well off to do wifely duties. Thanks for stopping by. Chao kids!

Spring has finally sprung!

2010-04-11T11:05:00.002+09:00

Ok first things first... it's official... I am a life guard! Go Me! It felt great to make it through such a physically demanding course and pass with a 93%. So now we can move on :P

It's definitely spring here in Korea! All of the farmers are out with their goods and people are starting to come out of hiding. I really wish that my camera's had chargers so that I could run out and take pics of the amazing markets here. There are lots of cool things like for example, rotisserie chickens sold out of the back of trucks. 2 for 12.000 W. Which is ten dollars American. They also have HUGE king crabs that are sold out of the back of trucks as well. They are honestly as big as televisions! Truck sales are huge here. And everything is so cheap and fresh it's really hard to just walk by.

Friday night we had some friends over for dinner. It was alot of fun for them since they have 3 boys and hardly ever get out! We had cornish game hens, mashed potatoes, steamed veggies and angel food cake with strawberry sauce for dessert. I absolutely love cooking! I feel like I'm pretty accomplished at it for being so young. I am always looking for something new and challenging to try out. I think it may be my one and only talent besides being an awesome housewife :P

My Dad's surgery is on the 19th. It's coming up fast so my fam, Mom, Dad, and Shelly have been working really hard in the garden to get everything lined out. I can't wait for Mom to send us some salsa! I know she will because she planted 40 tomatoe plants! Wow! She knows tomatoes are my fave so she made extra just so she could send some over. Isn't she awesome?

As far as my whole job situation goes... I don't start until May 20th. So it's like a little over a month away. As of right now it seems like it may never get here. I'm not sure what I will do when swim season is over but I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there.

It's 11:20 right now and Tyler is still sleeping. He really must be wiped out from work. My plan for the day is to clean out the computer room. It's the biggest project of my spring cleaning and I want to get it out of the way! Here's hoping. Hope you all had a great weekend! Bye!

Happy April Fool's Day!

2010-04-01T11:09:00.004+09:00

Phew! This last week has been nothing shy of crazy. The last weekend of March began my life guard courses. Friday night was basically, testing your skills in the water to see if you could survive the course. It was extremely difficult! The harder things we had to do were swimming 300 meters (12 lengths of the pool) in combo's of breast stroke and free style. There was no stopping, did I mention that? No time limit but finding your pace was crucial because, if you didn't get that right, there was no way you were going to make it! I was not sure I could do it but I DID! whoo hoo!
Then right after your completion of that little test, you had to swim 25 meters, dive down 12 feet and retrieve a 10 lb brick and bring it back to land, without it submerging again. The time limit on that test was 100 seconds. I did that one pretty well I thought. Of course there is that little bit of added pressure when your boss is there! ahhh! but no worries because I made it. The whole weekend I was in the water 15 hours! wow!
The class is nearly all korean's except for me and another guy, Albert. He and I are partners because of the whole language barrier. But he is like 45 or 50, 6 ft 2, over weight and not so smart. I am not happy about this at all. Not only is he difficult to work with because he slows me down immensely but he also tries to dive way too deep into my personal life when he talks with me. He also tried to convince me and my entire class I was an alcoholic!!! At that point I'd had enough and told him where to go. It takes a lot of badgering to get me upset, but he managed to do it. Oh yeah, and at the end of class he asked if Tyler and I could give him a ride! What a moron!
So after dealing with him all weekend, Tyler got me some beautiful yellow and pink roses! Saturday night we just stayed at home and watched movies. And Monday evening he surprises me with a 10 piece set of Emeril cookware! He honestly knows how to turn a bad weekend around for a girl! I'm a very lucky lady.
As for what is going on around home, Aven and Talen are both home and weight 6 lbs now! Rocky and Marissa are getting things in line for their house. Basically it just needs the aesthetics touched up. Their guest rooms/future kids rooms are yellow and purple :) So you can see what I mean. My Mom got a whole week off work because of scheduling! :) Lucky breaks are always good! My Dad is getting the garden ready so that it's all taken care of before his surgery in April. Mo weather has been amazing for them and I'm very jealous! Here's it's rain and wind constantly. COME ON SUMMER!
So this weekend comes another rigorous round of training. So I had better make sure house work is all caught up. Hopefully the next time we talk I will be an official life guard :) Here are some pics of my weekend gifts :) LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Highlight Reel

2010-03-26T15:07:00.004+09:00

Well I've got a few pieces of news to pass along but not a whole lot to elaborate on so we're guna do this in bulletin form.................

Tonight at 5 begins my official life guard training course! :) It's going to run the course of two full weekends which is totally fine with this housewife. So excited!
Rocky and Marissa are officially home owners! They got a house in Greenfield, just about 20 min from Springfield and they close on that April 7th.
My sister is going to prom with her best friend Avery Casey. Her dress is yellow and I just know she will look stunningly beautiful.
Dad's back surgery is in one month. :( Hope this is the last one!
I finally got an X-Ray on my back! I thought it was in order due to the fact I've had chronic back pain since I was 11....
This past weekend was long, 4 days, and lovely. Lots of cooking, eating, walking and hanging out with friends. Perfect really.
Oh yeah, and Tyler and I managed to polish off an entire bottle of Champagne. WHOOPS!
Tyler and I got new books :) yep we're a pretty enthralling couple.
And last but not least.... Boot leg movies by the ton!

That's all for now my peeps! I will let you know how I do tonight :)

Jay Z

2010-03-12T17:06:00.001+09:00

This song has been in my head forever! It should be in yours too! :)

Live and Learn

2010-03-06T11:18:00.002+09:00

Well for the past few days I have been down and out with a bad cold. I knew I had to start hitting the gym hard this month so I decided, in my brilliance, to go for a run... I felt great while I was actually exercising but the instant I stopped it was all bad business. I'm surprised I didn't pass out! UGH! It was awful. So coming from someone who has been there done that, don't work out while sick.
Anyways in other news. I am officially employed! WOOT! I am the new life guard for main post pool :) I had coffee with Cappy and he gave me some of the broader details and the other little stuff will be worked out later. But I am very happy about this! I love being a house wife and Im sure I will return to that when children come along (a long time down the road, dont get any ideas) but for now I am bored with it. Not to mention extra money is always useful! Also I discovered that Dereon has a store somewhere in Seoul..... Shopping trip anybody?! Im a spoiled brat, but he wouldn't have it any other way. So I guess that is all for now kids. Thanks for stopping by!

Back home in Seoul

2010-02-28T09:09:00.005+09:00

Well I'm back home as you can tell from the title :) I had an amazing trip home but didn't get to see all the people I had intention of seeing. I am doing surprisingly well with the jet lag. I go to bed at 8 and wake up at 6:30. Pretty good to be actually sleeping ALL night. I have a life guard meeting tomorrow at 4:30 and hopefully they will let me know when I can start formal classes. It takes 6 days of training! wow! So I am starting a hard core cardio workout regiment tom. I actually excited to hit the gym.... weird, but in a good way!

The day before I left my parents threw me an awesome "Bon voyage" party! My cake was in the shape of a suitcase... don't let the name fool you, it was extremely detailed! The only bad parts of my 18 hour trip home were the fact that I had no personal tv on the big bird and I basically had to share my seat because the woman I sat next to enjoyed the cheeseburger a few too many times. That and she wasn't a pleasant woman, not a good combo if you ask me.

Nevertheless I arrived at Inchon 1/2 hour early and Tyler was there to greet me with flowers and arms as wide as the pacific! I love him dearly and was very glad to see him! His SGT gave him some time off to be with me, which was extremely kind. We have been doing the usual couple things... Eating, talking, laughing and sharing stories. It's been really great.

The weather here is great. I am so glad to see winter is finally breaking. I am more of spring and summer gal. Better weather also equals more time with my camera! yeah for taking pictures :P Well I guess that is all for now. I will post again when I hear more about my job. I'm off to get bikini ready! wish me luck!

Here are a few pics for you lovely followers of the great Sam beanie......

me with my new do by Marissa <3me and my BEAUTIFUL little sister Shelly. I miss her already :(

The twins arrive!

2010-02-04T00:59:00.012+09:00

Welcome to the world Talen Seth and Aven Marie McFather! They were born via c-section at 1:30 AM on 1-30-10.

TALEN 3.15oz

AVEN 4.5 oz

They are still in the nic-u but doing better each day! Candice is doing really well despite the major recovery she is going through. I am up here in KC helping out with Reese and Emersen. They have been great. They are also excited to see their new baby brother and sister. Tyler really wishes he could be here but I'm going to take lots of pictures for us to have in Korea.

Tyler is doing well without me....surprisingly! He is still trying to get his PT score up and is up for a promotion to Sargent in a few weeks :) So that's great news. OCS is also still in the works as well. I will be leaving a little earlier than previously planned. I will head back on feb 22 now instead of march 1. I can't wait to be with my little family again!

My sis and I have been doing a lot of fun things together lately! I love spending time with her. We went and got our industrial piercings done in our left ear on the 30th and we love, love, love them! We also got a 30 minute massage from mom for Christmas so we went together and had it done. I also went to dinner with Shelly and David at Casa in Nevada. It was really fun. Ah young love!

The week before that I went to dinner with the awesome Heather Bledsoe. She is just SO funny! I love that lady. And yesterday I had dinner at Applebee's with Aron Stacy. So I have been having alot of fun seeing everyone again.

So to conclude... life is great and all is as it should be! Have a great day everyone!

Activities Of January

2010-01-29T00:46:00.003+09:00

So far my trip home has been AMAZING! I have loved every minute of it. I have spent alot of quality time with my family which is what I was really in need of. I had my wonderful sister in law give me a cut and color, and of course it turned out amazing. I've been to Church and seen all of my Christian family. Helped out alot around my parents farm. I am proud to say I can now split 5 pieces of wood before being completely wore out! Stealing my sisters clothes, always lovely. And spent some time in KC taking care of my prego sis in law. She's 33 weeks now and the Dr says she should deliver with in the next 10 days! I can't wait to meet the McTwins!
I am currently at Rocky and Marissa's cute and adorable little abode. I arrived last night at around 6:30 and we had amazing chicken marsala made of course by chef Marissa. Delish! Sookie (2 lb terrier) has finally started to warm up to me. She's absolutley precious. The plan for the day is shopping and going in for a style at Marissa's shop. I woke up in such a great mood today! I believe that if you think positive, you achieve positive! So now it's time to put my plan into practice and head for the shower! Oh and here is a pic of my new do! Hope Ya like it!

First Missouri Post :)

2010-01-02T14:03:00.002+09:00

So I made it home! FINALLY! I had to stop 3 times and spend a total of 10 hours in lay overs, but I did it! Thats the short of it. I still havent seen my brother and Marissa :( but due to all the crazy ice and snow that fell on Christmas Eve, it makes it difficult for them. I had a wonderful Christmas though! This year, giving was better than recieving. I loved bringing all the gifts back to my family from Korea and seeing their reactions. Reese and Emersen LOVED their Kimonohs :) Sadly enough my camera died, so I couldn't take pics :( I am also patiently awaiting the arrival of my 3rd niece and 1st nephew! So excited to meet them. Candice looks wonderful even though she is bed-bound until they are born. The Dr. says he expects them to arrive in a few weeks or sooner! Craziness! I recieved gift cards, clothes, lotion, make-up and a 30 min massage from my mom! Whoo hoo! I went shopping with Belinda today and got lots of great New Year sales. I arrived in KC on the 28th and have really enjoyed my stay. But it's off for southwest MO again tomorrow. My jet lag is getting better by the day! It's hard to go to bed when your not the least bit tired. But since it's winter, it gets dark at 5, so it makes it easier. I am finally ready to start seeing my friends now that I'm back on schedule. Well it's getting late and I have a big day tomorrow.... Reese turns 5 and I'm heading back home. It's great to be back. Thanks for all the prayers and phone calls. Good night all!

2009-11-27T11:31:00.000+09:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Pictures :)

2009-11-19T18:54:00.018+09:00

I have had many requests for me to show my home and other Korean coolness.... So this entry is alot like my favorite book... Lots of pics and few words :P Lets get started!

This is living room. The large white thing in the back of the room is our air conditioner/heater. I don't really care for it because it's just a plain eye sore. The two windows lead to our deck. It allows you to people watch, which is definitely my fave past time!

Front door, small dog, extra furniture, leading to the kitchen...

Again... extra furniture. I look like I'm running a soup kitchen.

My tiny Korean oven:c) cute... but not practical.

Coffee station. Totally could run Starbucks outta biz!

Tyler's think tank :)

Our bathroom.

Our room. Cozy :)

Office. So now that I've taken you on the grand tour, I hope you enjoyed it btw. Im going to show you some pics that I've taken around town. Seoul is very hard to photograph, so please bear with me.

Pictured above are bugs you can snack on while walking around the zoo. Not for me, but I always wonder how they get so darn many? Are they're bug traps... It's a mystery...

This guy has lots of different popcorn and cereal type stuff. My Dad would love it!
This last one is basically what the entire city looks like. It's the 2nd largest in the WORLD, so it tends to get a little crowded. You get accustom to shoving. I know it's odd but you really don't even notice it after a while. Well kids thats it from me tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I absolutely cannot wait to see you all in the coming months!

Much LOVE!
Samantha

Exciting news!

2009-11-12T13:47:00.008+09:00

I have the best news! I get to go HOME! woot! I talked to Tyler about it and he agrees that going home and seeing my friends and family would be good for me. I am planning on coming home in Jan after the holidays. I am sooo excited! My flight will be an all day occurrence but well worth it.

Ok now that I got that out of my system... a few other things have happenend since last post. Missy got spayed on the 5th, which is good but I felt so sorry for her :( She walked like a little drunk. She came home at 12:30p and didn't wake up until 9p! She was, for lack of a better word, pathetic. But all is well now and she is back to her old self :)

We got the door fixed finally! It was letting in a severe draft for about 2 weeks before anyone came out to fix it. Needless to say I was definitely drinking lots of hot cocoa and coffee during those rough 2 weeks. Tyler was sweet enough to try and bring home wood for us to burn in our awesome fireplace, but it was wet cedar ;) I told him I couldn't burn it because #1 it's cedar and sparks waayyy too much and could cause a fire and #2 it's wet. But it was the thought that counted.

On November 10, Tyler, Lt. Grines, Cpt. Grines, Elizabeth and I all participated in the 10k walk for breast cancer awareness. Before the walk Tyler and I ate breakfast at Charley's and got some fuel to get started! It was 6.2 miles but I did it and felt great in the end. I did however forget my sim card for my camera. That made me really irritated. But when I got home I took a pic of me and my metal.

Today is baking day! Tomorrow is the company Thanksgiving and I was asked to participate so I'm making 2 apple butter pumpkin pies, a spiral ham and 2 green bean casseroles! The apple butter pumpkin pie is new so here's hoping! but can you really go wrong with apple butter??? Hopefully we have a nice turn out and it actually gets started ON TIME! Oh how I love the Army. So I guess that is all for now. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

*Had to put a messy kitchen pic! :)

One Step at a Time

2009-10-17T12:23:00.002+09:00

Lots of things have went on since my last post. Some good, some really bad. Lets start with the positives..... My 22nd birthday was fun! I got $150 from Tyler to do whatever I wanted, 3 dozen roses, and a hilarious card that reads, "Honey for you birthday I'd like to tuck you in bed tonight.... Oops sorry about that typo!" I couldn't stop laughing. I was great. We went out for a walk and then that night he took me for some amazing sushi.

The next day is we decided to go to a local market to pick up some fruit. We were driving our scooter when suddenly a car makes an illegal left turn and we collide broadside with him. We were only going 15 kpm but it threw Tyler and I off the bike. Tyler gets up and checks on me and I say "I think I'm okay". Then Tyler throws his helmet at the driver. He was scared and mad. I'd never seen him like that before, but this was unusual circumstances. Our friends arrive before the police and help me to the sidewalk. I felt like throwing up and passing out all at once, not a good feeling. At this point I notice Tyler has a large lump on his right forearm and my right foot isn't feeling great. After giving our info to the authorities we head to the ER. They took x-rays of our injuries and say that Tyler's arm is not broken but my ankle is. GREAT! So we are sent home with a sling and crutches.

A few days later I follow up with the Ortho Doctor and he says I don't have a broken ankle and that I'm free to walk without assistance. I was very relieved to hear this and so was Tyler. He had to do all the house work since I was laid up. He did an amazing job but he certainly didn't enjoy those demanding duties.
Good news is we sold the scooter and Tyler no longer wants a motorcycle. PRAISE GOD! I hate to think what would have happened had we been going any faster. It was an all together eye opening experience. Oh and P.S. I hate motor cycles.

My family, mainly my sister Shelly, is another piece of not so great news. Lately I have been missing home and have been calling alot more. I just miss things like local news, my church, mom's cooking, shopping with my sister and just seeing everyone. I have been trying to connect with my sister since coming here with no avail. She is 17 and need to take into consideration, but she is also my best friend and sister. I call or text her and she is always, "busy, gotta go." or worse, she's rude to me. :( I love talking to her but I can't take her verbal and emotional battery. It doesn't take anything to set her off and that makes me so sad. I even ask her if she knows she's hurting my feelings and she says she doesn't care. I pray everyday that God lay a little tenderness on her heart but so far she has not changed. Mom says I need to only talk to her every 2 weeks to give her time to miss me. 2 weeks to me is forever, but I'm going to have to try.

Another thing is paying bills over here! Ugh! I pay them all online but somehow they get screwed up or "I make too many online payments" Whoever heard of such a thing? Anyway that's enough of that.

This post is not a good one and there are many other things going on that I cannot discuss. So say a prayer for me, I could really use some lifting up. I will end on a good note that I'm going to the Beyonce concert on the 20th! I'm going alone but I am determined to have a good time. Hopefully next post won't be such a downer. Till next time! Ciao!

Busy Life

2009-09-29T09:02:00.007+09:00

Alot has happened since my last post.... First things first, my cousin Amanda Blue lost her husband in a jet skiing accident yesterday. They have a 2 year old son and are desperately in need of prayer. Please send some their way.

In other news, Tyler and I went away for the weekend to Busan on a "strong bonds retreat". We had some really good lessons and learned about how to deal with a lot of scenarios. We walked on the beach! I got some really great shells. Our hotel was on the beach, so as soon as you stepped out the back door you were there. It was wonderful to say the least. We arrived late on Friday night and had our first session. Not the timing of my choice but oh well.
The dinner they served us was really nice, but it made both of us sick. So we didn't get to bed until 12:30 and had to get up at 6. Since we are in Korea, naturally they served Korean dishes the whole weekend. We decided it better that we not eat the free Korean food but rather find some sandwiches and things like that. At breakfast they served seafood and eggs casserole.... so it wasn't hard to turn it down!
On Sunday morning, being the coffee lover I am, I went over to grab Tyler and I both a cup. There were lots of people in line for coffee so I was trying to be very careful. While trying to make my way through the crown a young woman bumps into me and spills HOT coffee down my right hand! It took every ounce of will power to not scream. She apologized but I was forced to hold a bag of ice on my hand for 14 hours. 2nd degree burns. ouch. As a side note... finding ice in Korea is difficult. As a whole I would say our weekend was 50/50.

The Start

2009-09-14T13:15:00.006+09:00

Wow.... What a crazy life I have come into. I never pictured being in S. Korea, married at the age of 21. But needless to say if you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans. I've decided to make myself more interesting. Being average is not exciting. SO I have taken up photography and drawing. Also signing up for oil painting this week! I've become increasingly homesick so I must find things to fill my time. Here are some of my newly found past time pics! ENJOY