The Future

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

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. 

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

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...

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.

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!!!

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!