A day in the life of us...

Getting Ready To Move

2009-12-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

We have finally reached the relocation phase of our tour in Korea, and it couldn't come soon enough.
Coming to terms that we won't live in Korea has led to many feelings, one step at a time. I figured that I would start to blog on the different phases of our move, I just found out that Chris will be deploying within the first month that we arrive; working with the Mobilization and Deployment program has educated me on what to expect and how to prepare. I'll take the time to post more blogs as we go along.

Basketball

2009-01-28T22:43:00.000-08:00

Haley on her way to play Seoul.

You can try to fight it...

2009-01-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

...but why? Gotta love them!

Christmas

2009-01-28T22:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving DInner

2009-01-28T22:39:00.000-08:00

Homecoming...

2009-01-28T22:27:00.001-08:00

Daegu Warrior Eagles!

2009-01-11T02:34:00.001-08:00

Last week…

Basketball: Chris and I are coaching Isabelle and Sophia's basketball teams. I'm coaching Sophia's team and Chris is coaching Isabelle's team. I decided to coach Sophia's team with the reasoning, "The kids are five and six, how complicated can this be? If I'm off a beat, the kids will never know". WRONG! I had half of the coaches sitting in the bleachers! Somehow I had forgotten how many volunteers a kindergarten class can bring in, we have one head coach (me), two assistant coaches (who can easily pass as professional coaches) and one stand-in coach. I would be putting it lightly if I didn't admit that I was slightly intimidated and wishing I had taken a course on Basketball. When the assistant coaches introduced me as, "Head Coach", I felt my height shrink by at least two inches. I stood there thinking, "Is it too late to sign up for Snack and let one of the Assistant Coaches take over?" Oh well, a little humility never hurt.

Pink Bunny

2009-01-11T02:38:00.000-08:00

Cats

2008-11-29T23:08:00.000-08:00

The evening we went to see Cats.

Isabelle...

Halloween

2008-11-29T22:09:00.000-08:00

Isabelle

Sophia

Haley and Homecoming

2008-11-29T23:00:00.000-08:00

Haley and Alyse before the Homecoming Dance 08.

Sports Banquet

2008-11-29T22:06:00.000-08:00

Haley, Sophia and Isabelle
Haley was awarded the, "Coaches Award".

Sports Banquet

2008-11-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

Haley had her sports Banquet Saturday night. In Cross Country she was given the "Coaches Award", she was extremely honored.
Report cards also were last week, all the girls did very well.

My apologies

2008-11-17T01:29:00.000-08:00

I have to apologize for my previous post and the stench of misery it exhumed. Being away from home and surrounded by less desirable situations has left me with a bitter taste that was once known as holiday cheer, tis the season.

It's almost Turkey time and the countdown begins... who's the turkey now?

2008-11-16T03:43:00.000-08:00

I was in the PX today, picking up mouthwash and dental floss when a flustered acquaintance rushed up to me telling me she was picking up some "last" minute Christmas gifts for family back home. It frightened me that she was using the words "last minute", this meant the clock had started ticking and the race of "I finished my Christmas shopping (blank) weeks ago" was on! Of course, I hate this race because I always finish last, if I even participate.

I find it most challenging to maintain an appearance that is in no way offensive to the mother who is sharing her holiday story of how she sacrificed the last 3 weeks at the local blood bank in order to fulfill her deserving child's dream of being the proud owner of the #1 most desired gift 2008.
I understand how important it is to get the perfect gift at whatever cost.
I don't know what the kids want for dinner not to mention Christmas and I have to be honest, don't think they know either.
The festive part of the season is lurking around the corner, can you hear the joy in my voice? (cha-ching)

If you must shop for us, pick up something that makes you happy and don't worry if it doesn't make it by Christmas.

To all American Citizens,
Below you are provided a list of requirements for to achieve Christmas Cheer, if you choose not to complete all of the listed demands you are at risk public shame and lifelong guilt.
1. You will appear jovial at all times.
2. Wear festive attire with either red or green, light up accessories are encouraged (batteries are not included).
3. Provide addresses of the last 100 people you have met in your life, write them a note and appear to be sincere, if this is not possible then a newsletter advertising your family's achievements in the last year will suffice.
(I had a hard time remembering my address of the last 8 years and now I am expected to achieve this?)
4. Kill a tree and if one is not available, purchase and assemble one at your local retailer...color optional.
5. Bake, bake and bake some more. If you are unable to bake, go to your closest retailer to purchase a candle in the scent of "home baked (fill in the blank)"and pick up your fresh baked (fill in the blank) on your way out.
6. If at any time you feel the pressure holiday cheer, no worries, just stop by customer support at your local retailer for assistance.
7. Be reminded that all requirements need to be completed by a designated date. If you choose to fault this deadline a late fee will be charged but to help you avoid these fines our local retailer and publicity specialists have volunteered to provide you with a daily countdown clock and notify you when you have moved from the green zone to the amber zone. Please, for the best interest of your festive integrity follow the provided guidelines.

Its always at this time of the year that I consider buying a Costco membership.

Later, while grocery shopping a co-worker invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner (out of pity) because we are choosing to eat at the Dining Facility on post. Call it our overseas tradition, but eating at the Dining Facility is our number one choice, they do a great job, the price is reasonable, no one is left out, bank accounts aren't drained and the government foots the bill, who wouldn't call that a reason to give thanks?

More happy thoughts...

Growing Pains

2008-10-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Friday morning at work, Billie Holiday in the background, window open, birds chirping and not a person in sight...moments to appreciate. I love Fridays!

Haley has decided to work tonight instead of participating in the local festivities. This not only is her 14Th birthday but also marks the year that she has made the transition from child to teenager, like all change, comes sacrifices.

Last weekend Haley made business cards and flyer's advertising that she is a red cross certified babysitter, a week later and she has 3 jobs lined up, including tonight (the night of Halloween and her Birthday). Work equals an income and with the income is freedom from begging mom and dad for money, this is a good thing.

As of recently we decided to have Haley pay for her own violin lessons. Historically, Haley had the tendency to forget about her violin commitments, as long as she was practicing , we would pay for the lessons. With the breach in her agreement, she is now responsible for the payment of her lessons.

Yesterday after school Haley worked for 3 hrs babysitting 2 children. What she earned in 3 hrs. still did not cover the cost of an hour of violin lesson (I love reality moments). Haley has quickly realized that her free time was also the time that parents needed babysitters, this brought to light how inconvenient it was for her to work (sacrifices).

Thursday evenings are when the violin teacher comes and the hour was approaching. Haley sat on her bed with phone in one hand and money in other, obviously she was struggling to make a choice, was she going to cancel her lesson or was she going to pay? Hunched over with tears in her eyes she looked at me, "mom, what should I do?"(this is code for, mom...are you sure you wont pay for my lesson?) "Haley, this is your money and you have to be the one who decides how to spend it, you need to ask yourself, "is the violin something that you want to continue?" With pain in her body language, she decided to pay for the next 2 weeks of lessons.

Later that evening...

"Mom, I think I made the right choice, once my teacher found out that I am paying for my own lessons, she gave me a discount and I am totally going to practice!" (I'm thinking to myself, "all this time I have been paying full price and now a discount?" )

I forgot to mention...

2008-10-11T01:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have been to Korea, its not surprising that I was in a car accident. For me, its more shocking that I have been here for over a year and this is my first accident. Id go into details but I'm not quite sure what happened, let me try...

We were the first car in the left hand turn lane and the man behind us thought that he might leap frog in front of us by going around, to our left, in the oncoming traffic lane. Usually this stunt works and it puts the tricky driver in front- in the sidewalk (this of course is ok in Korea). The problem was, we were turning left at the time he decided to leap frog- we were t-boned- on the drivers side. By this time I'm not shaken, just annoyed and anxious about my soon to be cultural experience with car accidents.
The driver of the car was an older man and nearly deaf, or so I assumed since his wife was giving him an animated earful.
All respective parties were notified (except the human trafficking officials) Military Police (who are KATUSA), Korean Police, Hannah Obi "One" Kinobi, (Ill go into that later), both drivers, Chris, and a slightly unstable Korean girl in hot-pants and a very revealing tank top (I'm not sure if she had secret desires to use her conversational skills or it was Chris in uniform). Now that we had a small crowd around us, Operation Security was in full swing! Once the Korean police found out that I wasn't the driver and only the passenger, I was no longer needed... free to go, no statement, nothing!
Feeling obliged to stay with my driver and make sure that everything was going to be OK, I was totally over-reacting....I was just the passenger there was no need for me to hang around or make a statement. I was shuffled off by Hannah "The One".
The minute Hannah appeared on the scene, she was knuckle deep in translation...what happened, how it happened and what was going to happen. I was free to go, "The One", was going to take care of everything and she didn't even need to ask me what had happened (this is why I call her "The One").
LATER THAT DAY...
My driver called me later to give me the status; the other couple felt that the "One" wasn't translating the conversation accurately and thus assumed the fault was on my driver. I say my driver because I wasn't really a participant at the accident. I'm sure there will be a photo with my body and "The Ones" face airbrushed in.
I'm not sure how it all ended, maybe a drive to the ATM and a cash settlement, or an ongoing he-did it, she-did it argument, at least until the exchange rate improves. Who knows? I have been told that no matter what, the Americans are held 10% at fault reason being, if we were never in their country, it never would have happened.
THE NEXT DAY...
I get a call from my driver...
After the incident she decided to go into the after hours emergency care clinic, apparently she had been suffering from a pain in her back and neck. She had taken the day off to rest, she just couldn't think straight with all the pain medication, it made her loopy and tired. This is where I say..."Where the heck am I when all this is happening? I was in the same car as this woman but I wasn't having half the experience as she was, I had nearly forgotten about the entire event and here she was in bed resting while I was at work!" All I could think was, "I know Obi One Kenobi had also taken the day off to rest from the traumatic experience."

This all reminds me of when Chris's Aunt and Dad came to visit and our experience on a dirt road, a very narrow dirt road with water on both sides, I get an anxiety attack just thinking about it (again, a blog entry worthy of its own).

"Maybe we should send out the FRG"-Army Wives...

Just one of those days...

2008-10-09T03:12:00.000-07:00

I have one of those jobs that had one of those days. The stone wall has fallen, my head jerks, eyes squint, the air is musky and stale, and my head is throbbing. I cant ride fast enough ....

...he says, "you look mean and angry", I didn't know how "exhausted looked". With a halfway smiled and a look of surprise, I tried to care. I checked out hours ago, buried myself in papers hoping the friendly greeting was all I would have to submit to this tango....

...he tells me that he sent his friend a link of a conversation we had the day before...I still don't care.... but then he mentions an author ...

Just as if someone had stepped on a dried piece wood, "CRACK", startled, I'm back! Edward Abbey! Desert Solitaire! Brutal Honesty! Quickly I wiki Edward, read aloud and a peaceful wave rushes over me, subconsciously I smile.

...he says, "look, your smiling!"

Note to self...get an Edward Abbey book on the shelf...it really is the simple things in life...

The Korean Tea

2008-09-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

With my position at work, opportunities to support the Good Neighbor program are available to those who dare and the E-family dared.
When I look at the photos labeled as "Tradition Korean Tea" I cringe, let's recap:
Chris, myself and the girls decided to partake in one event that was labeled, "Traditional Tea Festival". It had been explained to us that we were going to learn and demonstrate how to perform a traditional Korean tea. Once we had been taught, we would then go to the exco center and participate with other countries in the "Traditional Tea Festival". When you view the photos, you will see the class that we attended. No one spoke English except our interpreter, who was very casual in explaining the entire event. We were fortunate that one of the Korean women were helpful in capturing this memorable moment on film; pay close attention to all the separate movements involved in the ceremony (we obviously didnt). The kind hostess even provided us with a cd and a tea set, if we chose to practice. We definitely felt the "Good Neighbor Program" as we walked away feeling culturally enlightened.
This is where the gears shift. The day arrives and the E-gang is ready to play tea party with various cultures around the world. We meet our terp (short for interpreter) and off we go. Now, when we were told Exco, think Convention Center. We arrive to the Exco center, as we walk through the doors, we are asked to pin numbers to our lapel for the judges to rate us. This is when the bullets of sweat start to pour, and as luck would have it ... this was a contest! Can you say, blindsided? The program begins and wee are the first set of contestants. This is where I start to rationalize the events to myself and say, "hey, at least we don't have a hard act to follow" or "maybe people will still be taking their seats and wont even notice us" or "if we go first, we can leave first". If you take notice of the pictures near the end of the slide show, you will see a large TV screen behind us, this wasn't for the audience to have a better view but it was the view that was being broadcasted on TV!
Come to find out, the music that was given to us was specific to the tea, lets say it was a choreographed tea party (we found this out after watching teams that followed). Without the obvious needing to be said, we didn't take first place but received the "participant" award. After feeling humbled and resenting our interpreter for the lack of information she provided, the event was over. This was an event that qualified as, "lets not talk about what didn't happen". Well, that would be all too simple now wouldn't it?
Weeks later...
As I walk into a restaurant for lunch, a man walks out and stops me to tell me that he has seen me before, on Korean television doing the traditional Korean tea, stunned and embarrassed, I nod, smile and say "thank you" as I try to become invisible.
This is where I will be making a blanket apologies for poorly representing the US in a traditional Korean Tea competition. For any that feel so inclined to attempt this feat on their own, the precise steps are documented for your study. Godspeed and good luck!

Aunt Gerry and Grandpa E

2008-09-15T03:55:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Aunt Gerry...

Click here to view the album...

Sophia's First Soccer Practice

2008-09-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

Click here to see the entire album!

Brotherhood

2008-09-15T01:14:00.000-07:00

Summer 2008

2008-09-15T01:01:00.000-07:00

From San Francisco's China to Portland Oregon

View album here.

Bike ride on the Daegu River

2008-09-14T22:38:00.001-07:00

Click here to view the entire album!

Cats

2008-09-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

We had a great time!
By the time we got home Haley was in her PJs and Sophia was in bed, so it was Izzy Chris and I.