Wait, I have a blog...?!

Yes, I know it has been quite a while since I last posted about our adventure in Korea! I personally feel like since we got off the plane our lives have been extremely busy! Since Camp Casey/Hovey just started allowing families to accompany their soldiers, there have been many invites and openings for playdates, FRG meetings and Post activities. While normally I wouldn't try to overload on such activities, there are limited amount of families to attend/volunteer for such things. (Example- There are 100 soldiers within Charles' Company, yet there are only 8 families here for the Family Readiness Group.) And we feel as if no one attends them now, they will not be available later as more families arrive. So on we go!

Also all of the day to day activities we do are starting to seem normal, so I have been forgetting to share them! :)I am thinking about keeping the video camera with me and just filming our day to day Korean experiences, and making a vlog. We will see how that goes! Hopefully I will be blogging more!

Washer/Dryer

We have one of those new washer/dryer combos. It is wonderful because it saves space, which is the theme in Korea. Before I came over I heard other wives talking about these combos, saying that it didn't really dry the clothes and so on. So before Charles left for Korea we stopped at Lowe's and asked to look at one. The employee told us that they didn't sell them in the US because the are to unreliable, great... But we ended up getting on in our lease (Which is a blessing, I have heard other wives saying that they have nothing, even though they have been here for a month. Dragging my laundry to Post with three kids is not my idea of a fun day!) But trying to use it correctly is a bit of a struggle.

First, the load size has to be much smaller than I would do in the states. Our Realtor mentioned to Charles that us Americans tend to stuff the washer and therefore nothing gets dry. So we tried our first batch of laundry, with our Korean dictionary in hand we figured out how to do a wash/dry cycle. (Not knowing what setting the water temperature is at is kinda annoying.) But the cycle took four hours! So this week I have been trying to do as much wash as I can and hang my clothes out to dry, or lay them on the floor and let the heat dry it out....Lol! It is a new experience and something I need to master, hopefully very quickly!

Pizza?

So today I spent the day at home, trying to get the house in some kind of order while Charles went on post to take care of some business. (Thankfully he didn't go into the field today, we will have to see about the upcoming days.) So we decided to go out to New City to walk around and grab a bite to eat. Well, we got in the cab and our taxi driver didn't seem to understand where we wanted to go. Charles ended up pulling out some Korean and navigating us to our destination. Once we got out we walked for about half a minute and I was already freezing! (I am totally missing the 80 degree South Carolina weather!) Charles wanted to go to a Korean restaurant, so we started to look around for a good one. After a couple of minutes I saw a BBQ chicken place (with English writing, familiar looking food, and a WARM atmosphere!) and asked Charles if we could just go there. Once we got in Alethea saw a picture of pizza and asked Daddy for some. Granted the entire menu was Korean, so Charles picked out a pizza and we waited to be served. I knew something was up when the server brought out a thing of pickles with our plates.... A couple of minutes later she brings out this Hawaiianesque pizza with corn and some sort of drizzly sauce on it. It was quite weird and I immediately regretted my decision for "American" type food. We thought South Carolina pizza was different! It tasted like a quiche with cheese and a sweet sauce on top. It was quite an experience! Next time I will just go where ever Charles wants to eat! I learned my lesson!

We are here!

Yes, I know it has been about a month and a half since I have posted any updates! But we are finally here! We flew out April 8th and have spent the last couple of days trying to get all the "Army" stuff done for us. But I will post some of those stories later! We love it here so far! Just trying to get our sleep cycles back to normal. :o)

Moving!

Yesterday I had our Transportation Briefing at Fort Jackson. I do have to admit that I was a little nervous going into the meeting because we needed the movers here before the end of the month. Otherwise we were going to have to pack everything ourselves and put it in a storage unit until they could pick it up. Technically on a regular PCS you are suppose to contact your transportation office about 12 weeks in advance. Here I was going 2 days before we needed the movers! (We had just received our orders, so that is why we had such a delay!) But thankfully the woman as able to contact the movers and have them come on Thursday and Friday! (It is really neat to see God's hand throughout this whole process!) The last two months have flown by and I cannot believe we are at the moving stage! So today I am going to get everything ready for the movers to come. Tomorrow and Friday they will come and Saturday and Sunday will be cleaning days. Most likely the next time I will see our stuff will be May! The kids and I will be in a state of limbo after March 10th. We will be staying with his parents until we get the call that we can fly over there. (Except for a trip we are planning to New York the 13th-19th.) So that will be about another 4 weeks without Charles. It is very overwhelming, but I am so excited about the move! I will try to keep the blog updated as much as possible! 안녕히 가세요 :)

Wolfe Visit

Yesterday, we were able to have lunch with Rose and Nate. We had a wonderful time, the kids enjoyed being able to see each other again. Crazy to think it will be about two years before we see them again! Here is a pic of the seven cousins six years old and younger!

Korea, here we come!

We finally received our Command Sponsor! We are officially going to Korea as a family! Right now we are deferred travel which means we will leave about 4-6 weeks after Charles gets there. After he goes through in-processing he will be able to look for an apartment, after our lease is signed, then he can start the ball rolling on getting our tickets to fly over. :)

Homecoming

On Thursday night Charles flew in to GSP and we were there to meet him. It was exciting to see him walk towards us in his Class A's. I am so happy to have him home! Now the next adventure, Moving!

Step 6!

Last time I posted on the status of our Command Sponsor I was feeling quite down. I wasn't sure what the next few months would bring, and while I still have no idea, God showed me (again) that He is in control. The last week I had asked many of you to pray for our situation, we were stuck at Step 2 in the 8 step process and it could be in limbo for 4-12 weeks and we weren't positive that Charles wasn't going to PVOC. Well, Charles was told he would not be going to PVOC the morning after I posted, so that was huge praise! And yesterday we moved from Step 2 to Step 5 and today we are at Step 6. The final answer should be coming in the next two days. Whether or not it is a Go or No-Go is still technically undecided. But there is great peace in knowing that we will get our answer in enough time to get things settled before Charles leaves. Thank you everyone who prayed and continue to pray for us.

Ladies First, Gentlemen Second

This past August when my sister came to visit she was handing out food and said the phrase "Ladies first, gentlemen second." Even though we try to teach our kids manners, it wasn't until then did I realize that we needed to teach Hunter and Eli how to be chivalrous. (Duh?!) So from then on, at meal time I say that phrase to Hunter, along with other examples on how to treat a lady. Well, yesterday my little 4-year old became a true gentleman! It is his job to open his car door to allow Alethea and himself to get in their car seat while I get Eli in his. And it has been a HUGE help to me whether we are at home or running errands. Yesterday, we went to WalMart, after our shopping trip Hunter opened his door, walked around the car and opened Eli's door and my door! Of course I was overjoyed and let him know what a gentleman he was. Today he did the same thing! I am so proud of my little guy! I cannot believe how quickly they grow up!

Uncertainty...

Well I felt pretty good after I did all the paperwork for our passports, but as I sit here tonight I am a little stressed about the upcoming month. Charles graduates next Thursday and we are still waiting on his orders. With his MOS he could be (randomly) chosen for PVOC, which is 5 extra weeks of truck driving training in Missouri. Being that his report date for Camp Casey was in the first week of March, I figured that he wouldn't be chosen to go. Well, I guess that option is still (and always has been) open. If he does go, his report date will be pushed back and it will be another five weeks until I see him. Plus I would have to go through the moving process alone. I am trying not to worry about it and being as positive as I can be, especially with Charles. I know it is difficult for him, he is ready to be with his family and five additional weeks will be tough on him. I understand that whatever will happen, will happen and there is nothing I can do. But just trying to make a plan for each scenario. Please keep us in prayer.

Snow!

Greenville gets about one snowfall per year, so when anything that resembles snow falls, we get pretty excited! Yesterday they called for snow all afternoon, but when we woke up this morning it was more like sleet than snow. But I got the kids dressed early so they enjoy it before it turned into slush!

Remember when...

Marriage is a wonderful thing, but if you ask anyone who has made it, (You know the older couple who is left standing after "Remember when" is played at a wedding?) they say it takes work. After being separated for about 5 months, (I know, it's not super long) but after spending 5 1/2 years of marriage never spending a night apart, honestly it's hard to get stuck in a rut. Plus, being apart gets old, real quick! The first 80 days were spent writing letters to each other. Charles wasn't able to call me very often (it didn't help that his platoon lost phone privileges for most of the cycle!) and if I did get a call it was anywhere between 1-5 minutes. It would be pushing it if I said we talked for a combined total of 40 minutes while he was in training at Fort Jackson. I was so excited when he got to AIT, he can call me everyday! Plus we text whenever we can. It makes a huge difference! But even so, we get about an hour each day to talk (that hour is broken up into three or more calls throughout the day and never guaranteed!) With everything that is going on in our life that hour seems shorter than normal. We end up talking about to-do lists more than spending quality couple time on the phone.

So the other night we talked about the beginning of our relationship. <3 It has been about 9 years since we have been friends, 8 1/2 since we started dating and 6 years of marriage. Nothing makes my heart flutter more than thinking about the first time he asked to sit at my lunch table (Yes, I can still remember what he was wearing!), or when we walked down the middle of the hallway to chorus. It was the small stupid things that make 'the beginning' so exciting! A lot has happened in the last nine years, we are definitely not 16/19 anymore. But if it always fun to look back at the 'firsts' in your life, and reminisce about becoming a couple, your first kiss, your honeymoon, or your first apartment. Awww.....Warm Fuzzies!

Passports

So it has been three weeks since we found out that Charles is going to Korea! All of our Command Sponsor paperwork is in (Step 2 out of a 8 step process) and today I was able to go apply for our passports and our visas. Of course I had to travel to Fort Jackson to apply, but the process was pretty easy. (Well, it would have been a little easier if I didn't have to bring the kidos!) One thing that I continue to be thankful for throughout this whole process is the Internet. Everything that both Charles and I were told was that we had to receive the Command Sponsor and be on Charles' orders before we could apply for our passports. (Even the One Stop Office at Fort Lee told him that.) But thankfully, I belong to a network of Army Wives going or in Korea on Facebook. One of them told me about a loophole, so I was able to save a lot of time (and stress) and apply for them now. At this point in time, I am pretty sure we will get the CS, but most likely will leave 2-8 weeks after Charles leaves. But now I am just trying to concentrate on getting my house ready to move, Unaccompanied, Household Goods, and Storage. Our stuff will be packed by the end of February.
It is an odd process. I know we are moving, but I have no concrete details. Plus, it is going to take place in about a month! It is difficult to give details to people because honestly I don't know for myself. Plus the things I am told can (and do) change in a day. I am a planner, I like to know what's going on and try to set our family up for success. But I know that God is showing me that I am not in control, He is. So I have been trying to stop 'borrowing trouble' and let the small stuff go. I will be as prepared as I can be, but continue to be super flexible. A year down the road all the little things won't matter so much!

January..?

Today was gorgeous! It was sunny and 65 degrees! So I took the kids out to the playground and just had a wonderful day outside! The kids had a blast playing pirates and soldiers. Plus we got to feed the geese, which is always exciting! (Thankfully no one got bit!) Even though after we came in Hunter looked outside and said "Mom look at the snow, we need a hot lunch, soup and hot chocolate!" Huh...? But I was happy to fill his request, so on this warm day we had a nice hot lunch. :o)

Hurry up and wait.....

It's the Army motto....But I am thankful things are working out. Charles and I spent last week filling out paperwork and getting everything done for our request for Command Sponsorship. Hopefully Tuesday it will be completed so it can be sent to the list of people it needs to go to before it go to Korea. Thankfully I found out (through another Army Wife who just went through the process) that Charles was to sign a Acknowledgment of Benefits Limitations form before the request was made. I was able to fax the paper to him and skip that headache down the road. So now we just wait until it is approved. Once that happens we will be on his orders to go, wait to get our passports and visas and then we will be on our way.
I was also able to Google a couple of apartments, just to do some leg work (in case I go later) for Charles. Korean apartments are (of course) different than American apartments. While I looked on Craigslist I was somewhat discouraged because 1) I couldn't find anything near our post 2) Anything nice was way out of our price range 3) the kitchens were super small with NO ovens!!
Well, after reading some discussions on a Army Wife forum I Googled these.
So much nicer and newer than anything I saw before, in our price range, and right by the gate of our post. So in the world of unknowns, this makes me excited. I can a least picture what our new house it going to look like. I am thankful that I am able to use the Internet to help us with this move.

Paper Chain

This morning while going to the doctor's office, Alethea got very excited as we drove into Greer, saying that we were at Fort Lee to pick up Daddy. (The doctor's office is 15 minutes from our house, Fort Lee is 5 hours!) So I decided it was time to make our paper chain again. I got the idea from an Ex Navy wife who is now an Army mom. We tried a calendar, but the kids just didn't get the concept of so and so days. It worked well while Charles was at Basic. Each night they take turns to rip a link off the chain. But I didn't make one once he got to AIT because he came home for Thanksgiving, one week later, then for Christmas. So, finally, I got the camo paper, scissors and glue stick and felt like I was in Elementary School, making our paper chain. Only 30 days until we see Daddy! Hooah! :o)

Shopping with three kids.....

Before Charles left I would love to just hop in the car and do a quick shopping. I think like most people I enjoy to go grocery shopping....alone. I like to THINK about what I am doing, what I am getting and take time to figure out how much I am spending. Now I don't really have that luxury, lol. My kids do pretty well in the store. Most of the time Eli sits up front, Alethea in the cart and Hunter walks along the cart holding on. If I do a larger shopping I will use a Car Cart, which is a project in itself! :o) But as I shop my attention is constantly diverted back to my kids, letting them know that they can't get Gummy Snacks today, Alethea, don't kiss the lobsters, stay on your bottom, etc. When Hunter was a baby I read to make kids a list before you go to the store. But I never actually spent time to do it. Well, this morning I decided that I would do just that. I made a list for myself and then created a list for Hunter and Alethea. It was wonderful! They were so excited to shop for Mom. As we were going through the aisles they would stop me when we got to the item. A Sara Lee employee was stocking the shelves and Alethea asked "Do you have bread? Because bread is on my list!" As she proudly showed her list. It was cute. Plus, if they asked me for something extra, I would simply ask if it was on the list, "No, Mom." Well, maybe next time we can put it on the list and that was that. So I will keep spending a little extra time to make lists for my kids, to save time at the store. Anything that can make me day smoother is exciting for me!

PCSing

As many of you know, Charles joined the Army earlier this year. He has always wanted to join the military and finally went for it. He signed up in June, went to basic at Fort Jackson in August, graduated BCT in November and now is doing AIT at Fort Lee. Whew, it has been quite a year! I was nervous about being apart. In the 5 1/2 years we had been married we never spent the night apart. Yeah, we had a long distance relationship while we were dating, but we are married and have a family. How was I going to do it alone? But, it is funny to see God works through each situation.
This past week we have learned that Charles is going to be stationed in South Korea. Something we were praying for. We are now going through the process of obtaining a Command Sponsor so that we will be able to go with him on the Army's dime. As of right now, Korea doesn't deploy, so we would be able to spend time as a family without worrying about being apart for another 12-15 months. We are excited for this opportunity for our family. We have always talked about going to Korea, we have been teaching our kids some Korean, and enjoyed Korean food, now we are actually going to experience the culture! How exciting! Keep us in your prayers.

Getting Started

Here we go.....

I have had a blog for a while, since 2005. But I have decided to go to blogger, even though I said I wasn't. :o) I have always enjoyed looking back on my posts and remembering the events and emotions of that day. So I am starting a new blog, more for myself than anyone else. So I am stealing an idea from a friend's blog and dissembling the comment option. If you want to talk to me you can write me on Facebook or e-mail! :o)
By no means am I a writer, so I am using this space to capture everyday moments in the life of the Thompson family.