May, May, and more May

Wow, I can't believe it's May already!  Where has the time gone?  Pretty soon the kids will be out of school, and actually one totally out-Makayla!  She will be graduating on June 9th here at the newly built community center right off base.  We are so excited for her and what is to come in her future.  Right now, she is serious about the military, but we shall see.  No matter what, I know she will stride for her best and she will succeed at anything she puts her mind to.  "Go Makayla!  Run with your dreams and achieve them. We have so much faith in you and we couldn't be prouder!"

Mason and Madison are good.  I think they are both feeling the summer break itch come on.  I, for one, think it's coming WAY too fast, but at least we will all be able to sleep in.  Yeah, lets hope for that with my two early risers. =)  I am a little bummed that summer is almost here.  That means no work, substituting for me.  But, I know next school year, I will be subbing.  Might even start at the middle and high school as well.  I hear this is how you get more hours, lol.  I have a friend and she bounces between middle, high, and elementary all week long.  So, this will be on my list for the 2012 school year.

We are dealing with some stressors currently.  Our movers have decided to buy, a DIFFERENT house, and have moved out.  So, as of May 1st, we have an empty house.  And, we are paying out of pocket for our mortgage.  If we aren't able to get renters by the end of June, then there is a good possibility that the kids and I will have to go back.  (This will be the only way for us to afford our mortgage.)  If this is the case, then so be it.  I have a good strong sense that no matter what, the Lord will provide either way.  If we aren't able to find anyone for the home, then so be it.  The only problem that I have with this is leaving Tim here for the last remaining 12 months by himself.  Also, enrolling the kids at another school, only to have to prepare to move to NC in 2012 summer.  This kind of military style I can do without.  But, once again, whatever it shall be, will.  All I ask is that you can pray for this.  Pray that we find a decent renter by the end of June.  And if that doesn't happen, then pray for Tim and I, and the family during this time.  It will be difficult but we will overcome any challenge that comes our way.  We always do.

Love to all.!  Will post again soon.

Happy Easter!!!

What a glorious day.  Let's celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  "Father, I owe it all to you.  You have blessed me with an amazing life, family, and so much more.  I am so blessed and so grateful.  I could never thank you enough!"

Have to start this off by thanking my one and only, God.  Without Him, all this would not be possible.  For it is because of Him that we are all here.  Just a little reminder.  =)  Anyhow, Happy Easter, friends and family!  And what a beautiful sunny day here in Osan, Korea.  The weather held out nicely and let us have an awesome Easter day.  Our morning started early, around 0730-Tim and I made breakfast, and all 3 kids and us ate as a family.  This was so nice because during the weekly hustle and bustle, we tend to lose sight or hope for a family dinner.  So, having breakfast this morning, all of us, was nice.  Then, around noontime, we had the 2 little one's do an egg hunt.  We filled 72 eggs, some with candy, the rest with money.  Then we set the kids free, and the chaos began!  It's so fun watching them search for eggs.  They both made out extremely well, and afterwards, we took them to the store so they could buy something with their money.  All and all, it was a great day.  Followed by a delicious ham dinner.  No, it's a far cry from the way I use to celebrate Easter, with the Polish tradition of borcht, kielbasi, horseradish, rye bread, etc.  (Thanks Uncle Gene for reminding me...)  I'd give a kidney for that dinner.  Lol.  But, we made due with what we had and it was wonderful.

I was able to get some great photos too.  I am uploading them to my blog.  Enjoy!

I can only hope that everyone back home had an amazing Easter.  Let us not forget the real meaning behind this day.  Give thanks to where it's deserved!

It's Official...

As of the 15th of April, I was officially accepted as a Substitute at the kids' elementary school.  I was both ecstatic and nervous at the same time I received the email saying this.  At first, I thought "how hard could it possibly be?  I have kids here all day long sometimes at my house.  All the kids in the tower are practically over our house.  So, why not get paid for it? "  Well, time came for me to put on my "Big girl panties" (as my friend would say... and get going.  I got a call about subbing for a Kindergarten class 1/2 day.  Whohoo.  Yeah right.  I went and got a new outfit, and then got ready.  As soon as I got there, I was like a lost puppy.  Didn't know which way to turn, or really what to do.  When I made my way to the class where I was subbing for, I was pretty much thrown in there to the sharks.  Lol.  The teacher wrote down a few notes and then left.  I was like, hmmm.  Thankfully, the Kinder-aid was there to help me.  She pretty much ran the show.  I did get a good feel for what I was doing, however, I wanted to hug all the kids and not reprimand them.  I was told that that was not a good idea, ha.  I grasped what that meant quickly.  Can I just say that these kids have the cutest imaginations.  It wasn't that long ago, where Maddie was that young. Now, it's like she's 16.  Amazing how fast time flies.  Back to subbing, I was honestly scared.  Intimidated by these kids.  I was sweating.  It was weird.  I know they are kids, just like my own, but when you are there, in front of them, and they are all looking at you like "what's next", I was clueless.  Brain fart?  I don't know.  But, I swore that I wasn't going to let that ruin my day.  I made it through day one, with much needed help, but I survived.

The next day, I was asked to sub for a 3rd grade class.  I was like, sure.  This class is located on the same floor as Mason and Maddie, and actually it is right across from Maddie's class.  Plus, there are two kids in this class, that are ALWAYS at my home on a daily basis.  How bad could it be?  Sure.  I had NO IDEA what I was in for.  Nineteen kids.  Between the ages of 8-10.  It was non-stop chaos.  There was boys just waiting to launch spitballs my way, I knew it.  There was all eyes on me, and they KNEW I was scared.  It's amazing how some kids will feed off that and use it to their advantage.  I tried to remain calm, and ask nicely for them to quiet down, more then once, and it wasn't getting me anywhere.  Then, I was informed by a student, that one of the boys in the classroom was the class president, and he was in charge of the bell.  He would ring the bell if it got loud in there.  On a normal day with his original teacher, he maybe had to ring it 6 times at the most.  But, today, guess how many times we rang that bell?  Can you guess?  16 times.   Is that bad?  Lol.  So, in those 16 times, I had kids all over the place, out of seats, one kid half asleep at his desk, a young lady smearing glue all over her face, (future class clown maybe?), kids everywhere asking me for the restroom, and water, just pure chaos.  I had to sit down once and think what should I do.  Then, out of no where, I began talking to them, asking them things that were pertaining to the assignments that were left for them, and it was like they wanted me to do that.  They lit up.  And, it was at that moment, that I realized that all these kids wanted were to be acknowledged and they wanted to participate.  I was able to regain structure, and my sanity.  I ended up having a pretty good day.  So, day two is done.  And once again, I lived to tell.  Ha.

The other day, the weather was great.  We took the kids out to the park, and of course Stormy too.  The flowers are all blooming and I wanted to get some pics.  I was able to get a few, and so I am posting them. Hope you can enjoy them.  I will write more again soon. ~

Spring has Sprung...

Spring has Sprung.  Thankfully.  The weather here is finally warming up too, and the grass is greener.  There is a problem though, with allergies and the "Yellow Sand" that is coming over from China.  It's a mixture of pollution, and dirt, that carries over in the jet stream and dumps itself on other countries.  With this, it causes health issues, such as sinus infections, ear infections, and really gross and annoying allergies. The kids have been sneezing, coughing, complaining of ear pain, and sore throats.  And one child in particular, is having issues with staying in her own bed at night.  Making "three's a crowd" in my bed.  Really.  I thought at a certain age, this stops??  Ha.  Not in my house.

Other then this, the kids are all on Spring Break this week coming up.  We are making plans to do some sightseeing or something while we are all together.  There are some places that are being offered from the Youth Center for transportation to certain tourist places.  This we did last Spring too.  We were able to ride the YC bus and hang out with other families.  This time, I will be able to blog about it and you all will be able to see what we did.

It's so hard to believe that it's April already.  Before you know it, it will be summer.  That I can wait for.  Supposedly, next week, Tim is finding out whether or not if he made a brigade position or not.  We are praying that he did, and that we can leave here sooner, rather then summer of 2012.  But, only God knows if we are headed anywhere soon.  I guess we can only leave it all up to Him.  I would like to leave here though, and be back in the states.  I am missing family and just the normal way of things.  I hate being confined to a small base, with limited things to do.  How I would love to get in the car, and drive to the mall-and window shop.  Or, just drive anywhere, and NOT get lost.  Oh the things I miss about the US.

It's time for a change

Hello blog, it's been a while.  Yet, so much has gone on since my last entry.  It is March 9th here in South Korea, and what an amazing morning it is outside.  The sun is shining, it's warming up, and it's Ash Wednesday--also the start of Lent.  Now, coming from a new Christian life that I am now practicing, I still don't know a whole lot about these sort of things.  So, after googling everything I could about Lent, and what it stands for, I have decided to give up a few things to strengthen my walk.  Lent is a season of soul-searching and repentance. ( "There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbor). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God.") This is just something I looked up on the web and got a good perception of the whole Lent thing.  So, for the season of Lent, I am giving up Facebook for starters.  Facebook is a big time consumer in my life.  I can just sit there and stare at it and play silly games all day long.  So, I am not doing it anymore, and hopefully-after these 40 days, I will be free of the Facebook curse! Lol.  One of the other things I am giving up is sweets, (cookies, candy, etc).  I have a ginormous sweet tooth that I have had since I was a rugrat, but this is something else that needs to be handed over to the Lord.  Here ya go, you can have that too!  Goodbye bad calories, hello bikini body.  (At least that is what I will be striving for too!)


Enough about Lent, everything else is coming along.  We still have no idea where we will be headed to next.  Tim heard a rumor the other day, which is just that--a RUMOR!!  Something about him being in the running for a Brigade at Bragg.  How awesome would that be?  Too awesome if you ask me.  I am really done here.  These last several months, I have watched people that I have become close with, leave to there next assignments, and I still have a few more to watch leave.  As a Army wife, this has got to be one of the many hardships that we must face.  Making friends and leaving friends.  Sure, the reality is that if you make a good friendship, you will stay in touch, only hoping that they will too.  But, there is that uncertainty of that when they leave.  I just pray that the friends that I made here in Korea, (you know who you are) stay with me for this lifetime.  Via emails, letters, whatever.  I don't want to lose anymore good people in my life due to this military lifestyle.  We never know where we are headed when it's time to leave again, and we never know what lies ahead of us.  But we know that family and friends are what keeps us somewhat sane through it all!  Ha.  

February already....

I just can't keep up with these months that seem to fly by.  This month especially.  February has been a pretty exciting month for me.  First of all, it's been 15 years this month that my dear mother passed away.  Not a day goes by that I don't think about her and reminisce a little.  (Not too much though because then I would get sad, and I don't need that.)  "February 6th will be a day that I never forget.  Love you mommy, and I miss you dearly!  I know you are smiling down on me from heaven, and I can only hope that you are proud of me and all that I have accomplished."

Taylor Swift tickets, in Hongul

Her new "Speak Now Tour" t-shirt

Her Birthday guitar pick

On a lighter note, the week of February 12th was nerve wracking.  February 12th, our lil Madison turned 8!  But on the 11th, we took her secretly to see Taylor Swift.  Who would have ever thought that we would see Taylor Swift here in Seoul Korea?  Not me, but as soon as I found out that she was coming in concert, Tim and I talked it over and bought tickets.  What a blast that was!  Unfortunately only Madison and I went, while Tim and Mason hung out at the Dragon Hill up in Yongsan.  They had 'guy-time' and Madison and I enjoyed the time away,singing along with our favorite singer.  YOU ROCK TAYLOR!!!!  It never gets old listening to Madison sing her songs.  I swear she will be the next Taylor Swift someday.  I look forward to seeing what the future holds for her.  So, not only did Madison get to see Taylor Swift, but she also got to stay the night in the hotel, and the following day, she had a pool party at the Mustang Indoor pool here on base.  Twelve kids came to celebrate with her, and after about 3 hours of swimming, she and Mason were pooped.  Made for an easy end to the night, that's for sure!  Thank you chlorine. =)

All this week now, Tim has been in the field up in Suwon.  It's never the same when he isn't home with us, but he's gotta do what he's gotta do right?  As long as I hold the fort down here at home, we are good.  All three kids are good.  Makayla is preparing for only 3.5 months of school left, till she graduates and moves onto bigger and better things.  It will be weird when she graduates and leaves this house, but I know that she will do great things and she will succeed in anything she chooses to do with her future.  Whether she goes to college, or the military like her dad, we will support and be proud no matter what.  Mason, on the other hand, was having a rough patch there for a while.  He was experiencing anxiety and even was having some anxiety attacks with it.  At nine, no child should have stress!  At least I think so.  But, we were able to get him in with the school child psychologist and she has been working with him on a once a week basis.  He is struggling with Separation Anxiety, (towards me), and even took time off from his friends and video games.  That is how I knew something wasn't right, "Mason-no video games?"  I guess his good friend was showing him a rated "M" game, something along the lines of a zombie game, and it really freaked Mason out.  He hasn't been the same since, as far as being carefree and independent.  Now not so much.  The good news it, he isn't all in his room, in front of the TV playing his games.  And, in the last 2 weeks, there has been much improvement.  The bad news is, he hasn't been clinically diagnosed as having anxiety, but I can tell he does.  Just like me.  It's sad to see this happen to your child, especially at the age of 9!  I honestly didn't think it was possible, but I guess it can affect even kids as young as three.  Or so I have been told by the Dr.  I just keep praying that this is just a bump in his road and that it's not going to be lifelong.  He is however, getting his 'attitude' back.  I was enjoying him not having one, but it's definitely back.  Ugh!  Oh well, I rather have that anyday over him having anxiety attacks.

Thank goodness the weather is getting warmer slowly too.  I am so ready for Spring.  This winter here was brutal!  Not so much snow here as last winter, but the windchill and temps were below zero more then I can count.  It's still cold here, in the 20 and 30's, but the sun is out more, and you can feel Spring about to come upon this peninsula.  Let's hope for sooner rather than later.,

Well, hope this blog entry finds everyone well back in the states.  I love and miss everyone there and can't wait to come back there myself.  Could be sooner then we thought, if Tim makes a certain brigade position, but I'm not holding my breath this time. Lol.  Keep your fingers crossed.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Yes, I'm back!! =)

Geez, where do I begin?  The last time I was on here was what, Christmas time?  Or New Year?  So much has gone on since then.  Umm, well kids went back after winter break, and were at full speed with school work and sports.  Mason is on basketball, and for this being his first 'official' time on a basketball team, he is rocking it!  Our lil man made an awesome shot this past weekend, scoring half the teams points.  It's such a joy to watch him do the things that God made him to do, and that I believe is all sports.  (Well, and to be our awesome son). Mason-your the BOMB!  Love ya buddy. xoxoxo

Tim's and my bowling league for the Ironhorse Battalion has begun.  Yep, it's that time again, and after bowling for 5 weeks now, we are in 1st place.  Let's just hope we stay that way.  I went to my first bowling tournament up in Seoul a few weekends back, and surprisingly I didn't come in last.  It was something I have wanted to do now for years, and so I can smile and cross that off my 'bucket list' now. =)  Not sure if I will go to more, being that everyone bowled 300's, where I was more of a 200-kind of gal.  Oh well, at least I can say that I did it.  We are in the process of getting team shirts made, and this is the highlight of having team spirit, and everyone getting involved.  Even if we are the ONLY team with shirts, we will look great!  I will have to get a pic once we all got them, and I will post on here for all to see.

Makayla will be starting softball soon, and this is always a fun thing to see.  She has become quite an athlete too, with Cross Country and softball, her team has been going to Far East now for two years, and sad-but Makayla has seen more of Korea, and Japan then we might ever get that chance to do.  Her whole team goes and competes for banners of Far East Champs.  We are proud to call her our Mak.  She is also currently getting her things in order for college, doing apps, etc.  This can be a stress but she is determined. What a smart and beautiful woman she has become.  Can't wait to see her walk across that stage!  "Go Mak!  You can achieve all the things that you put your heart and mind into, you are just that awesome!  Don't let anyone ever tell you that you can't!  Prove them all wrong!  We love you!!"

Awe down to Maddie.  Our lil author, artist, mess maker!  Ha, no in all seriousness, this has got to be the messiest child ever!  She hasn't found a sport to get into here, although we have looked into some things for her to do.  She wants to be a writer, right now, so we are supporting that.  She has begun writing short stories, and it seems to be her gift.  Same with her drawings.  We got a lil artist on our hands.  How is it that she can tell me about Picasso, but not 2nd grade Math?  Ah, following after my footsteps it seems.  We are so proud of her too, and all the accomplishments she has strived for as well.  She FiNALLy came out of her shell too, and has become such a "Ms. Personality".  She is quite the queen too, if you know what I mean. =)  Love ya lil momma. xoxox

As for Tim and I, things couldn't be better.  We had to attend another St. Barbara's Day ball on the 28th of January.  We had a pretty good time, but the day after wasn't so hot.  I think we both have decided to become permanent DD (designated drivers) for all those that wish to drink.  We are so done with military hangovers.  And it's so funny too, because these are the only times we drink alcohol, is at these functions.  So, from now on, I'm done.  He might change his mind, but not me.  I hate the morning after. Ugh.. Weather is getting slowly warmer day by day, and before you know it, it's going to be Spring here.  Oooh, and sometime during the spring, we should have word on WHERE we go next!!!  Keep your fingers crossed and prayers coming, Lord knows we could use them right now.  Love and miss ya all bunches!!  Peace out~