10th Birthday

Monday was Jackson's 10th birthday. We all woke up early so that Jason could watch him open his presents before he had to leave for work and so that Mimi and Pops could watch on Skype. It was a pretty awesome for birthday this year. Jason and I decided to get him the new Rockband 2 for the Wii. Ok ok, I will admit it, I was desperate to get my hands on that drum set. As soon as the presents were finished the kids and I all went into Jackson's room and formed our band. Marley was on vocals, Jackson on guitar, and me on the drums. I have to say, this game was so much fun. The music was great and we all had a blast getting into it.

Girls Night Out

I had a wonderful day the other day at the fabric market again. This time I went with two other wives and Marley. Jackson had the opportunity to go with a group of other children to an aquarium in Busan (about an hour away) so it was a girl kind of day. Marley was so well-behaved the whole time we were in the market. I was most impressed. She did get tired of being a side show freak by the end of the day, but all in all she was really good. She called the fabrics "beautifuls" and begged me to make her a blankie out of almost everything. I am not saying I want to take her with me every time I go, but now I know that she will not make it a miserable trip when she does.

Friday night I was invited to "Girls Night Out" with a few of the women who live in my building. We ended up hanging out and talking until 1 am and I had a wonderful time.

We are pretty sure that we are going to be getting a car in a couple of days. A guy that Jason knows is getting ready to PCS (military move) out of Korea and he is going to sell us his car for $500. It is a pretty decent "hoopty" and I am so excited about getting some freedom back. I have been studying for my drivers test (I have not looked at this crap since I was 16). I am going to be really embarrassed if after 18 years of driving I do not pass it on the first try. Jason already has another car lined up to buy on the 1st of Sept so total freedom is right around the corner.

Clutter be gone

Yeah for me!!! Today was the day that they come to pick up all the borrowed furniture that we no longer had a use for. I am so glad to have my dining room and my spare room back! We had been waiting for them to take away the unwanted pieces and bring us another bookcase. Now we finally have all the books unpacked and I have about 3/4 of my craft stuff unpacked. I was going stir crazy without being able to make something. My house is really starting to take shape. It is slow going with Jason working every day, but we are getting there.

Say no to haircuts

Did you know that while we are in Korea the military men are not allowed to get a haircut at any barbershop off post??? In America when we see a spinning light on a pole we think "old school" shave and a haircut; not so in Korea. In Korea if you see a spinning light pole at a barber shop it means they offer a "happy ending" with your haircut! Apparently you get your haircut down stairs and then head upstairs to the waiting women. I thought this was too bizare for words. There is a barber shop like this around the corner from where we are (they are EVERYWHERE), but I have yet to ever see anyone go in or come out.

Empty Boxes

Transportation brought all of our things to us on Monday. We were all so excited, but we had forgotten what a pain it is to unpack all of our stuff. I had the movers go ahead and unpack my kitchen stuff for me (they always use the most paper for the kitchen stuff). Jason took the day off so we opened, emptied, and broke down as many boxes as we could (the movers take the trash away) before the movers were done. I could have had them unpack everything, but it is way more trouble than it is worth. Just as we got into a good rhythm Jason's phone rings, and I'll be damned if they aren't calling him into work. He helps me until the movers finish and then they all head out the door. Yeah me! I get to unpack everything AND deal with two children. Bless his heart, Jackson unpacked his entire room and organized it all by himself. He really did an amazing job of it! I unpacked Marley's room and organized it which seemed to keep her busy. The movers left me a phone number so that I could call them when I was done unpacking and they could come get the rest of the boxes. I spent Monday and Tuesday unpacking every box (nothing is in its place, but it is out of the boxes) so that I could have them get these boxes and get them out of my house. The entire spare room was floor to ceiling cardboard boxes, so I was excited when the movers picked it all up Tuesday afternoon. I never realized how many little decorations I had until I saw them all on top of, and underneath, my table! Hopefully we will have the entire house finished by the end of the weekend. I would take pictures, but I had to sacrifice my camera batteries so that Jackson could play the Wii.

Best Dinner

Last night our family decided that we wanted to go out to eat. On the base that we live on there is nothing, but about 1/2 mile away there is another base with a restaurant. We set off on our walk to the other base excited about getting dinner. On the way we stopped at a few Korean shops and looked around. Unfortunately, once we got to the restaurant we noticed that they were closed on the weekends. Bummer! Instead of catching a cab we decided to walk around the city and see if we could find somewhere to eat. Finally we settled on a little place where they did not speak any English. It is really cool here because no matter how nice the restaurant is they all have picture menus of their food. I have no idea what to call what we ordered, but OMG it was all fabulous! Jason and I picked an appetizer dish with a multitude of different things on it. There were bacon wrapped veggies, grilled garlic cloves, beef, chicken, and even tiny octopus all on these little skewers and a few different sauces for dipping. I did not like the octopus, but I did at least try it. We also ordered two other plates that ended up being Korean chicken wings and like a sesame chicken. Marley only ate the french fries, but the rest of us could not get enough of everything else. We all said that it was the best meal we have ever eaten at a restaurant and it probably cost us a total of 20 dollars. Sufficiently full, we headed out for the walk home. At first the maze of streets and crowded shops really freaked me out and made me feel claustrophobic, but I am really starting to love this place. The jumble of stores are completely random. There will be a nail shop next to a place selling puppies next to a small grocery store next to a junk yard. There is no rhyme or reason to it. On the way home we stopped into a place that sold blankets. It was so cool. Here in Korea instead of rugs they use these mats. The top side is either a beautiful print fabric or a very soft plush fabric sewn onto a bottom fabric that has little rubber things that grip the floor (kind of like the bottoms of feety pajamas for toddlers). They were so neat that we had to have them for the bedrooms. What a cool way to solve the problem of having linoleum throughout the house. I decided to wait on the ones for my room until we get our stuff, but we went ahead and got ones for the kids. Jackson, of course, got a solid red plush one and Marley got a solid pink plush one. The best part about the whole thing was that it cost me a total of $30. The kids love them and I cannot wait to go back and get some for my room!

Bugs

This morning I was sitting outside drinking my coffee and watching the rain when Jackson came outside to tell me that there was a bug in his room. I still blame my mother for making that boy scared of bugs! When Jackson was three we lived in Dallas for a year and I vividly remember Mimi shrieking at a bug (causing Jackson to shriek at the bug) and both my dad and I told her to stop because she was teaching him to be afraid. Funny how children pick up on that stuff and it stays with them. I immediately put down my coffee, put on my shoes, and followed him to his room. After five minutes of searching I decided the bug was gone and told him to tell me when he saw it again. I started back to get my coffee and could feel the stare on my back. I turned to find him giving me a very pitiful look. He informs me that he will not be able to go back in his room until we (meaning me) find and kill the bug. DAMN IT!!! All I wanted was to enjoy my coffee and a little peace and quiet before Marley wakes up and instead I get to play hide-and-go-seek with a bug. Once I was back in Jackson's room I started to move furniture looking for this thing. Again, I am just not seeing it. Finally I hear a squeal and turn to find him doing the "Kill it kill it" dance and point. OMG he was right, this thing was HUGE! Who ever said, "Everything is bigger in Texas" has never been to Korea. The bugs over here are on crack! The ants are the size of a thumbnail. The dragonflies are as big as a child's hand. It is crazy how big the bugs are over here. Ok, so I did join Jackson in his bug dance for a second. Once I regained my composure I quickly stepped on the bug, cleaned it up with a paper towel, and disposed of it in the trash. Thank you, thank you, thank you........wave to the crowd and exit stage left.