I have been in the field for the past two weeks, only coming home to shower and sleep. On Saturday, I was able to sleep in, see the kids, have a home-cooked meal....and empty boxes!! It was a great respite, but it's time to go back to the field for the rest of this week. We have a four-day weekend coming up for Labor Day, and we plan to finish unpacking then. This was the first move where we actually have some damage to claim. One of our boxes got wet. We lost both Nate's and Chris' comforters, a couple of pillows, and my soft-leather briefcase to mold. Our main TV also is not working. Funny - our name brand TV, that was carefully wrapped, is not working. The non-major brand name 19" TV we bought after our wedding, which was placed in a box with packing paper....is fine. We are now trying to decide what type of TV to get as a replacement for the main one. Do we spend the money and get a nice one...or a basic brand, standard clunky one, as Chip and I don't watch much TV? We have also discovered that the leak we thought was the washer and was fixed...was not the washer. We had our first significant rainfall since the beginning of August, and noticed a small pool of water on the stove. Looks like Housing will be coming back to fix whatever they missed last time. School starts on Tuesday for the kids. I think they are looking forward to it, though they won't say it too loud. I think Chip is looking forward to it, too. :) Chris will be attending a 3-afternoon-a-week preschool. It is Christian-based, which is unusual for a military post. There are specialty classes the other two afternoons, that we are debating about. We hope all is going well in the States, and God Bless!! Mona

Might help if I select a font color that is visible!

We have a home! It took us a month, but we now have a place to lay our heads. Once we finish unpacking, we will then rest! It is smaller than what we have been staying in for the past two moves, but it will work. We are living on post, the commissary is nearby, there is a shuttle bus to help us get around, really not too bad. Both Nate and Teri have their own rooms. There are multiple bathrooms, and the furniture the Army provided isn't bad at all. The only problem is that I leave for an almost three week exercise tomorrow. Luckily we have had the chance to unpack the basics. The kitchen is set, the furniture is in place, and clothes have been unpacked. Although it may take up to two weeks to get a home phone, Chip has set up the computer and can now work on budget stuff. There are playgrounds nearby and both Nate and Teri have a friend in the area. God has remarkable timing; I don't think we would be able to stay sane in the hotel much longer.
Other news...Nate has had his first modeling session. After hair and makeup prep, he posed for five hours with three other kids. Chip went with him and said that the crew liked what they saw and took many pictures. This is for a children's clothing magazine, and Nate may end up on the cover. When they publish the catalog, we will get a copy. For all that work, Nate earned 160,000won - just over $160. Needless to say, he wants to go back! He is negotiations with us on how much he actually gets to spend!Until next time...hope all is well and God bless!

We have a home! It took us a month, but we now have a place to lay our heads. Once we finish unpacking, we will then rest! It is smaller than what we have been staying in for the past two moves, but it will work. We are living on post, the commissary is nearby, there is a shuttle bus to help us get around, really not too bad. Both Nate and Teri have their own rooms. There are multiple bathrooms, and the furniture the Army provided isn't bad at all. The only problem is that I leave for an almost three week exercise tomorrow. Luckily we have had the chance to unpack the basics. The kitchen is set, the furniture is in place, and clothes have been unpacked. Although it may take up to two weeks to get a home phone, Chip has set up the computer and can now work on budget stuff. There are playgrounds nearby and both Nate and Teri have a friend in the area. God has remarkable timing; I don't think we would be able to stay sane in the hotel much longer.
Other news...Nate has had his first modeling session. After hair and makeup prep, he posed for five hours with three other kids. Chip went with him and said that the crew liked what they saw and took many pictures. This is for a children's clothing magazine, and Nate may end up on the cover. When they publish the catalog, we will get a copy. For all that work, Nate earned 160,000won - just over $160. Needless to say, he wants to go back! He is negotiations with us on how much he actually gets to spend!
Until next time...hope all is well and God bless!

Mona

Our family tends to be homebodies. Our home is our comfort zone and it takes a lot to get us out and about. Once we are out, we do tend to have a great time. In an effort to break with habit/tradition, I suggested an adventure. Maybe because we have yet to move into a home, we decided to do so. So yesterday, the family walked outside the post gate and went into the heart of Seoul. The first part of the adventure was trying out the subway system. Chris was loving it! After a bit - trying to figure out what we were supposed to do - we landed. Armed with a tour book and a map, we walked up a significantly steep hill to the second part of the adventure. We found the cable cars, that would take us up near the top of the mountain located in the center of Seoul. Although nervous, the kids enjoyed looking at a city with no end in sight. After another walk up a bunch of stairs, we hit the top of the mountain. Seoul Tower is located here, a large television tower with a observation deck over 1000 feet up. We were able to see a city that still refused to end. The kids enjoyed being able to see our hotel in the distance. Througout the entire trip, Koreans kept coming up to gawk at/admire Joey. Many took pictures of him, to the point where the other kids noticed the extra attention. we will have to keep an eye on that. On the way down, we stopped for ice cream, which tasted like a more-solid version of a vanilla shake. By the time we hopped off the cable car, Chris was through. His 4 year old body had walked a long way, and could go no more. Unfortunately, the taxi drivers outside of post do not speak English well at all, and we couldn't communicate our needs. So back down the hill we go, with Chip carrying Chris. Halfway down the hill, Teri gives out. So I carry Chris, Chip carried Teri, and Nate pushed Joey in the stroller. What do we find at the bottom of the hill, near the subway station? An Outback Steakhouse. So much for trying the Korean cuisine! We crash landed there, and recharged our batteries. Good food, but you can tell it was a name brand restaurant overseas - ouch! Teri was much better after dinner, and Chris perked up at the subway. Upon our return to the hotel, we were one hot, sweaty group. A quick dip in the pool cooled us off and time to call it a night!
Chip and I have agreed that we need to start looking at digital cameras. Of course, it might help if I am in the habit of taking pictures in the first place. I took one on the way up the mountain, and then promptly forgot about the camera until we arrived home. One thing at a time, I guess!

We thought we had reached the end of the road at our hotel, but it ended up being a blind turn!

Housing called and told us we had a place to look at. If we liked it, I would sign for the keys and we would be moving in on Friday. I only had a few minutes before going to a meeting, so I told Chip that I would take a quick glance. He and the kids could look as long as they want, after dropping me off. So I open the door, all excited, and "splash!" My foot landed in a puddle. After a quick investigation, I discovered that the washing machine on the second floor had sprung a leak. There was water on the second floor, had soaked through the floor/ceiling and was on the floor on the first floor. Needless to say, I turned the keys back in.

The problem is that there is nothing else. They say that it will be fixed in a week, but Chip and I are concerned about the process. With Koreans doing the construction/cleaning, we cannot go up and simply ask how they plan on fixing the problem. Their poor English and our lack of Korean is simply too much to overcome. We are going to take a look and decide what to do thereafter. I don't want to assume that the Koreans do not know what to do....but we are worried about mold issues. Not a good thing with Chip's known asthma and possibly Joey's...All we can do is wait until next Tuesday....

Mona