Frankfurt, San Francisco, Seoul

When I put away our Easter decorations I enjoyed setting out some things in a new way on the furniture under the tv.  

Before moving here I knew I wanted to hang clocks with different times ticking from places we have lived.  Both kids were born in St. Louis.  We were stationed at Scott AFB for 2.5 years just long enough for me two pop out our two kiddos.  But when Madi was 6 weeks old we left for Germany.  Last summer we moved here to CA from Seoul, Korea.  I wanted to label the clocks with cities that the kids have lived near or in.  I am so thrilled over the way they turned out.   

Ben and Steve lucked out finding $10 tickets to the Sacramento Kings/OKC Thunder so they are out enjoying some NBA tonight.  Madi and I enjoyed staying home cleaning up the house and watching movies.

We LOVE Korea!

My heart just stopped last night when I heard the news coming out of North Korea. I believe the world is a better place with a man like that gone. We love the country and people of Korea. I want all my friends still living there to be safe.

Look at this picture of Madi...when we first moved to Korea she could NOT eat with chopsticks. Now she is a pro!

As a mom I am thrilled my children lived in Korea and experienced so many wonderful things. I know they will forever love Korea and it's people. And speaking of Madi here is a funny story:

We lived off post in Seoul. So many of the kids friends were Korean kids that lived near us. Koreans love love love baseball. All the kids would spend hours playing baseball outside. The Korean kids spoke enough English to speak it while playing with Ben and Madi because you would hear "strike one, strike two..." Most of the Korean kids my kids would play with were boys. Well one day after school everyone was playing at the park. All of a sudden I started hearing "jdjfiowjejeijowj Madi." "sdfowjeijwjfe Madi." So I started paying closer attention to what was going on because the Korean boys that were saying this were not even playing with Madi at the time. Then one of the boys ran over to Madi and was saying "love Madi" and pointing at one of the other Korean boys. Then a different Korean boy came over to Madi and asked her if she liked Korea and she shook her head yes. I guess the kid was making sure Madi liked his homeland before he started making long term/marriage plans. It cracked me up...it still does.

So I am keeping a prayer in my heart that whatever happens just might be better than before. Also I will be thinking of my military friends who are still there. Many of the spouses will be working lots of overtime with all this uncertainty on the peninsula and it's the week of Christmas. Let's just hope for peace.

California Girls

It's official! I have always wanted one of these. It's hard to believe we actually live in California.

Oh my goodness...we had been driving around with no license plate, just a big piece of paper taped to our back window that read: US Forces Korea - exp. 11/11. You would not believe how many CHP's road my butt trying to look at that paper. When we left Germany they at least let us keep the German plate. I don't know why Korea didn't.

Home Is Where The Air Force Sends Us

For years I have been looking for a way to display all the many places the Air Force has sent us. Here is my new mantel...I am in LOVE. I had a subway art made with a list of all the Air Force bases and Army posts we have been sent to. sweetwater is who made this treasure.

Home Is Where The Air Force Sends Us:

1. Lackland AFB...we were both stationed here for almost 3 years.

2. Sheppard AFB, TX

3. Incirlik AB, Turkey

4. Yokota AB, Japan

5. Osan AB, Korea

6. McConnell AFB, KS

7. Keesler AFB, MS

8. Hill AFB, UT

9. Fairchild AFB, WA

10. Keesler AFB, MS...we were here twice

11.Scott AFB, IL

12.Rhein Main AB, Germany

13. Wiesbaden AAF, Germany

14.Ft. McPherson, GA

15.USAG Yongsan, Korea

16. Beale AFB, CA

Steve's deployments to Afghanistan and his three tours in Iraq were added to this too.

I think now that we are in California this may be our last base, but you never know. And to think all these homes are all in our adult lives....we both moved at least this many places in our childhood too.

Utah, Nevada, and California!

After leaving Denver we drove over the Rocky Mountains on I70 heading west still. Our last stop in Colorado was in Grand Junction...it had been a long time since I had been there but I remembered it...I like it there. Right after we left Grand Junction we drove over the border into southern Utah. Wow...southern Utah is something I had not forgotten either. You can drive for hours without hitting a town. But then I love when you climb and get that first glimpse of the Wasatch front. When I lived in Utah I never took the beauty for granit. We took the kids by Temple Square.

We gave Ben the choice of either going to see the BYU campus or the Utes of the University of Utah and he likes the Utes so to the University of Utah it was.

After leaving Salt Lake City we drove straight west on I 80...now there is really NOTHING west of Salt Lake City. We drove right through the Salt Flats...this is where they made the Will Smith movie Independence Day.

Finally we got to Nevada. I was worried this was going to be a bad drive but you know Nevada was really pretty.

Awwww this is California. Heading up towards the Truckee pass.

Check out the sign. We were all so excited to know we were almost home...our new home. It was one long drive. Especially after just flying from Seoul, Korea and all that goes with that.

We still are sleeping on the floor. None of our things from Korea have gotten here yet. Our fast shipment of 500 lbs. will be delivered Friday. At least I will be getting some of my pots and pans, rice cooker, silverware, and my sewing machine. Oh yeah tomorrow we are going to the Bay to pick up our car that just got here from Korea. Slowly but surely we will get settled.

Driving through Kansas and Colorado

What a summer. There is nothing like driving across the whole United States Of America! Check out the field of sunflowers in Kansas. Ha...something funny about Kansas was that Ben was afraid of driving across it. He didn't want to run into a tornado.

We drove right past Ft. Riley(home of the Big Red 1) and Junction City...this is where my family was living when I left to join the Air Force.

The drive from Kansas City to Denver is like no other...FLAT! But once you hit Denver is the most beautiful drive in the whole USA.

We we up in the snow...it was freezing up there.

We kept the altimeter out the whole day. Can you believe we went over 11,000 feet that day.

The kids enjoyed watching some river rafters in Glenwood Canyon. They want to go rafting so maybe here in California...there is a place about an hour away from our new home.

What fun. We really enjoyed this. Steve and I have done this drive once before when moving from Keesler AFB, Mississippi to Fairchild AFB, Washington. Something we have never forgotten and now our kids have done it too.

Google & Stanford

We still don't have our household goods. The house is filled with our blow-up mattress, 4 lawn chairs and my beautiful cherry red washer and dryer set. By Friday my back was screaming to get to a bed. So we picked up the kids from school Friday afternoon, with plans to drive around and tour the cities around the San Francisco Bay. Friday night we stayed in Pleasentan...home to John Madden and some other neat stuff. It has to be the nicest town in all of America...we want to retire there!!!!

We made a stop in Silicon Valley at the Google complex. Very cool!

There are bikes all over the complex and anyone can ride. I guess this is how the workers during the week get around from building to building.

Google is a big terrorist target so lots of "Google" security.

15 miles down the road from Google is Stanford University. Stanford is the most beautiful college campus I have ever seen.

Ben likes Stanford and picked out a shirt.

Hmmm...I wonder which one of these on the schedule we might get to go to? We had such a fun weekend!!!!!!

Back In the USA!

We are in The Mile High City tonight...Denver, Colorado. My body doesn't know how to feel. We made the 14 1/2 hour flight from Seoul, Korea to Atlanta, Georgia. Steve's mom picked us up at the airport and then she helped us out for a few days in Georgia and we also got spend a short time with the Harmon side of the family...always a fun time. Then we hit the road heading West for California. OMGosh is it LONG!!!!! That drive from Kansas City to Denver is over 8 hours on nothing. I have the best kids in the world to be doing so well with all of this...they haven't complained at all. Ben was afraid of driving through Kansas at first because of tornados. Yesterday we took the kids to Scott AFB, IL so they could see where they were born. That base hasn't changed. Both kids enjoyed seeing the St. Louis Arch. They were surprised how big it was. They have both been there before but don't remember of course. Ben had just turned 2 and Madi was 8 weeks old when we moved from there to Germany. Tomorrow is exciting to think about...we are driving right through the Rocky Mountains.

My beautiful Korean home

lHere is a video of my beautiful Korean home. I have enjoyed it very much. We are now at the Dragon Hill. The packers came on Wed. OMGosh!!! We are flooded here in Seoul right now. Another record was set while we have lived in Korea...in the last 3 days it has rained so much, the most in 100 years...as much as they would normally get in one month of rainy season. And this is after it has already been raining for the last month. The Han River has swallowed the roads. My packers were suppose to be there at 0800 but didn't come until 1400 because all the roads were flooded. But, we finished all the packing and finally made it into the Dragon. Before I moved here I was nervous about what the housing might be like...if you are moving to Seoul, Korea housing is not the thing to worry about. This has been the nicest, 5 star housing I have ever lived in. I am going to miss living like the rich and famous!

My Farewell

Tonight is Steve's going away party. Mine was the other night. What a wonderful night it was. I love these ladies. It has been such a pleasure being one of the 607th Weather Wives! We stick together are a strong group of ladies. Seoul, Korea is AMAZING. It's been the most fun assignment we have had. But, we are here for a serious reason... We are members of the most forward deployed Air Force Squadron there is. We live 35 miles from the most heavily gaurded border in the world. And face the largest artillery in the world. Not only all that but this past year has been one for the record books too. We had the coldest temps in 90 years this past year. We had the worst typhoon hit here in 2 decades. We had a new record set with 20 inches of rain in like a few hours...we had a HUGE flood. And back in November that scare where North Korea actually shot missles into South Korea for the first time since the active war. So we are taking so many memories with us. I have loved every minute.

Okay so my going away. It was at my favorite Italian place here. Who would have thought I would move to Korea and eat the best Italian food of my life. The other wives gave me some gifts and also gave me the most beautiful traditional Korean tea set...in their famous green pottery too. I am so thankful for the treasure.

Luckily, I bet I run into some of these great friends again. It's a small world.

Silent Ranks

Unknown Author

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens.
But I am in the military in the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders, salutes I do not give.
But the military world is the place where I live.

I'm not in the chain of command, orders I do not get.
But my husband is the one who does, this I cannot forget.
I'm not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line.
But my job is just as tough. I'm the one that's left behind.

My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man,And the call to serve his country, not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.

I love the man I married. Patriotism is his life.
But I stand among the silent ranks known as the military wife.

Last week we had a going away party for two of out Weather Wives who leaving us. For a gift, one of the wives recieved this beautiful poem framed like I have never seen before. I fell in love with the poem and thought it would make a beautiful card. So these are my 4th of July cards and I am making a whole bunch because I know lots of military wives. Military wives are like no other. So much is asked of them. They move all over the world. Theye are alone so much of the time. I always say "yes, there are single mothers but I believe being a military wife can be just as hard if not harder". A single mother can live her life. Military wives do a single parents job but have their hearts out there missing their husbands, helping their husbands and caring for their husbands from far away. Our husbands come and go like the wind. I dearly love the wives I know and am thankful for the chance to learn from them and lean on them and to call them my friends...it's a wonderful life.

Seoul American Elementary School

Ahhh...Seoul American Elemetary School...it's so big in size but yet it's such a warm and close place. I am so glad my kids got to experience this famous school in the heart of Seoul. This elementary school has over 1,300 kids enrolled. There are at least 9 classes in each grade level. There are 2 music teachers, 2 art teachers.... It's almost the largest Department Of Defense school...some Army base in Germany has 50 more kids than this one. I have never seen a school quite like this one. The old buildings that house Seoul American Elementary School are the buildings that use to be the old 121 Army hospital (The 121 if you ever watched the TV show M*A*S*H) back during the Korean War...OLD...but yet so full of life.

The school is all these little buildings...almost like college campus life.

The building on the left is where Madi's 3rd grade class was and the building on the right is where Ben's 5th grade class was.

Madi's classroom were those first 3 windows.

From this part of the school you can see the Dragon Hill and Seoul Tower.

Me and mine yesterday morning at the bus stop before school. Yesterday was Ben's 5th grade graduation.

My handsome boys!

Today after school the kids and I stayed to play at the park and then walked to the foodcourt and PX. At this point we are near the Dragon Hill getting ready towalk over the bridge. This bridge was not here back in 1995-1996 when I came here for a few days. This bridge connects Main Post and South Post. Back in the day you would have to walk out South Post, walk across Itaewon Blvd. an enter Main Post. This bridge make life much better.

What a WONDERFUL year it has been. We will miss this place!!!