The Rest of December

December has just rushed by in a flash. Of course, getting sick didn't help the rush. So here's the run down of what the last few weeks have held for us:

Ugly Christmas Sweater and All!

We had an ugly Christmas sweater party for the Draggins this year.  I had sent my sister out shopping for me, because where else but retirement home laden Florida would you be able to find a tacky sweater.  But the mail was running real slow to this side of the world this year (we are still getting cards and Christmas presents in the mail even now), so we resorted to some other sweaters we had holed away.  Ronnie went for the preppy log cabin look, while I was striving for elementary school teacher.  

Us, and the winners of the sweater contest (right)

Santa is Rated in the A-10

Santa flew an A-10 to see all the kiddos in the 25th for our annual children's party.  He had to stop by the firehouse first, so the guys let him borrow their firetruck this year!   He brought the girls books and we had lots of good Christmasy fun. 

Sleepovers

We had a slumber party with our friends Kaitlyn and Ryan.  As with any sleepover, it was full of watching movies, eating junk food, playing the Wii, making cookies, dress-up and anything else we could find to get into.   Too fun!

Family-time at the Nutcracker

This year is the first time Sarah was able to go to the Nutcracker.  We got all dressed up and headed up for the Saturday matinee.  According the Sarah, it was "good" with two thumbs up and a big smile (even though she fell asleep right before the finale).  It was a fantastic performance this year, and so much fun to continue the tradition. 

He Came, He Came!!!

I love Christmas morning, especially hearing the excited squeals from the girls when they see that a certain someone came to visit them.  This year, it was Sarah who was first up and this is what I heard:  "He came, he really, really came.  Daddy, daddy, Santa was here!  He left us presents, daddy.  Look, they're right there."   I drug myself out of bed to partake in the present opening fun. 

Unfortunately for me, I came down with a cold that I had been fighting off for a few weeks.  The official diagnosis was bronchitis and a sinus infection. Yes, a double whammy.  I'm still on the mend and still have a wet cough.   

White Christmas Weekend

The girls experienced their first white Christmas weekend.  It started snowing the night of the 26th, so we woke up to a winter wonderland the next day.  We've had a few more days of snow this past week, so there is lots of snow on the ground, making for some fun sledding and snowball throwing. 

LotteWorld

We ventured to Seoul on Thursday to take care of our passports at the Embassy.  That was about the best trip to get passports anyone could ask for.  We all had appointments and started at one window and worked our way down.  We were done and out of the Embassy an hour later, and only because we randomly ran into the Smileys while there.  With the rest of the day at our disposal, we decided to head to LotteWorld. 

LotteWorld is an indoor/outdoor amusement park.   Holly has been begging to go back since she visited this summer during camp.  We decided to go ahead and use our Christmas money on annual passes so we could head up anytime we wanted.  This trip was more to get the lay of the land so we knew where to go, and more importantly where not to, for the next trip.  What we discovered is that Holly is a hair shy of 122 cm  now, meaning she's definitely going to be able to ride the roller coasters this summer.    

A Decade Down, A Lifetime To Go

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary.  We've lived in 7 states (Alabama-Oklahoma-Georgia-Arizona-North Carolina-Texas-Louisiana) and one other country.  And we've been blessed with the two most beautiful girls on this earth.  Not bad for the first 10 years.


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A Few of My Favorite Things

1.  My new favorite website:  Kim Jong Il Looking At Things ROCKS!   I just laugh and laugh.   There are a few who don't get it and I don't get what they don't get.  Check it out Here

2.  Google docs may quite possibly be the best file sharing site.  I have my half plan save out there and can access it so long as I have computer access.  Of course, I'm also that dork who has this next thing

3.  iPod Touches are the bomb.  I'm a recovering Crackberry addict and I refuse to get a smartphone while we're here because I'm saving up for when/if we get back to the states in a few months.  I also have my half plan saved on my touch.  No excuses, right.

4.  We're working through watching our favorite Christmas movies with the kids.  I love family movie nights. Really, it's just the being lazy after a long week. 

5.  My kids are super excited about Christmas.  We're starting our baking this weekend - we'll see how long they last. 

The Student Becomes the Teacher

There's a point in your life where when someone says you act like your mother, you say thank you because it's a big compliment.  I'm not sure where that point was, but I am my mother and I don't mind it at all.  I hear her words coming out of my mouth even before they register with me that I had heard them somewhere in my upbringing.  To be fair, I also have my fair share of things my dad used to tell me coming out of my mouth as well. 

Pearls of wisdom like: "if you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough", "Shhhhhh - the news is on", and my personal favorite "do you just want to be average in your life, or do you want to be excellent."  They are all favorites really, because there is one pearl that has successfully been passed down to the next generation.  The Plan. 

My sister and I were raised with "The Plan" (read more here).  But I say successfully because of this fantastic exchange I was privy to the other day.   

Last week, we were driving somewhere with the girls.  As usual, they are chatting away in the back seat about who did what, said what, ate/picked/hit what or who.  I had mentioned to the girls that the Smiley family was going to have baby Hudson joining them soon.  The following conversation ensued:

Sarah: I want to be a mommy
Holly: Well, you can't be a mommy yet Sarah.  You're not big. 
Sarah: But I still want to have a baby.

And then, it happened.  Water parted, Angels sang, and there were harps playing.  Because then Holly said, "Well, you can't have a baby until you're married Sarah.  And you can't get married until you get done with school, and you're not even in Kindergarten yet.  So you have to wait.  Because you  have to go to school, then get married, and then have babies."

She skipped the part about getting a job, but I was really proud anyway.

Resting High on the Mountain

AAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That would be our collective sigh from this past weekend.  After last week's "entertainment" and the frenzy that is Thanksgiving, we were in need of a break.

A few weeks ago, I booked us on the trip to Mt. Seorak and convinced some very sweet friends of ours, the McCulloch's, to go with us.  Up until late Thursday, I wasn't sure if we were going to go since the base was on alert status from the events from earlier in the week.  But lucky for us, we were released to go. 

Seorak is located on the northeast coast and is the third highest mountain in Korea.  This is the same mountain range Ronnie went hiking in back in October, and I have really been wanting to go myself as I had heard it was beautiful. 

So, after the craziness of Thanksgiving, we piled into a bus on Friday morning and headed for the mountains.  It took us about 3 hours by bus to get there, but it flew by.  The girls are finally able to entertain themselves for a few hours by coloring, reading and just looking out the window.  I was even able to catch a light cat nap because they were behaving so well. 

We were booked in the Sorak Tourist Hotel, which is within the national park and right at the base of Gwongeumseong.  The hotel was smaller but family owned, which made it very cozy.  This was our view from our hotel...

If looking at that while you're lying down in a comfy bed doesn't instantly relax you, there may not be any hope.  We dropped our bags, grabbed a quick bite, and off to the mountain we went. 

First up, the cable car and Gwongeumseong.  Legend has it that this castle was built by two men who wanted to protect their land peacefully.  The cable car ride was quick, but a little painful...  Sarah was a little scared of the height at first.  But it was well worth it.  The view was utterly fantastic - you could see the East Sea and most of the other peaks in the area.  Ronnie climbed to the top with the McCullochs and said it was even better up there.

Next was the Biryong Waterfall.  The girls had had their fill of hiking, so we went back to the hotel, while Ronnie pressed on with the group.  Biryong means flying dragon, and is kind of what the falls look like.  It was a nice hike through the bamboo forrest, then you get to Yukdam Falls, and press a little further to Biryong. 

After all the days events and some fantastic pizza, we settled into our hotel for a quiet night's rest.  Early the next morning, we woke up for our hike to Geumgang Cave.  Mother Nature surprised us with a gift: the first snow of the season.  It was beautiful to watch blow in down the valley, and luckily it was gone as quickly as it came. 

The girls and I hiked most of the way, but turned around at Biseondae because the hike was going to be mostly vertical from there.  We returned to get a snack at the hotel while Ronnie went on with the group.  The hike was pretty difficult, but the cave had a spectacular view and there was a small shrine inside. 

When they finally returned, it was time for us to head to Waterpia. Again, if this vacation couldn't have been more relaxing, then they send us to the land of hot tubs, massaging water jets, and dry saunas.  

Sunday morning brought us bright blue skies.  I took this picture from the roof of our hotel as the sun was rising.

I did a quick hike with the group up to Sinheungsa Temple, one of the Buddhist temples in the park.  Once we got back, we all loaded into the bus and headed for Naksan Temple, which is right on the East Sea.  The grounds were beautiful, although it was devistated by fire a few years ago.  The sea was beautiful against the bright blue sky and we had a fantastic view of Seoraksan. 

After a quick lunch, we headed back to the "real" world but quickly agreed that we must revisit this area before we leave next year.  

Giving Thanks

Where did this year go?   I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving.  This year, we celebrated with two fantastic groups: the 25th and the OSS.  

First up, we repeated the fantastic tradition that the 25th has: the Thunderbolt Feast.  Basically, we cook way too much food and invite the maintainers over to eat turkey dinner.  It is a great day of fellowship with the fine men and women who keep our pilots safe everyday.  This year, I just ate a light lunch, as we had another group to go celebrate with.

Ronnie has moved into a new job and is in charge of the Life Support office in the OSS.  It's another group of unsung heroes because these guys make sure that all of the aircrew equipment is up to safety standards.  And another group worthy of a semi-home cooked meal.  I wasn't able to do a full turkey dinner for them, but we made ham and most of the sides.  I don't think there was anyone who went hungry in that group...  for days. 

All in all Thanksgiving in Korea, part deux, was a success.  We were able to spend time with a group of people who probably don't think the pilots appreciate them (and most the time they don't)...  but hopefully, this one day let them know that we do appreciate what they do on a day in day out basis to keep daddy coming home safe and sound. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Flexing the Muscles

Living in a foreign country is a blessing in many ways.  There are life lessons and experiences you wouldn't have anywhere else.  But there are other things that you learn along the way that will stay with you the rest of your life. 

If you are like most Americans, and like I was before October 2009, the Korean War was something you studied in World History and was most likely sandwiched between WWII and Vietnam or the timeperiod that MASH was set in. 

But living here causes the war to come into a different perspective.  Because, technically speaking, the war is not over. 

Earlier this week, our friendly neighborhood psychopath decided to shell an island in the Yellow Sea.  The attack was completely unprovoked (from what I can tell on the unclassified newswaves) and unfortunately, several people lost their lives or were seriously injured.   

As with other major events in the world, you sit and wonder what is happening, what caused it to happen, and what can we do to make sure it doesn't happen again.  Fortunately for me, that is for people with far more experience to handle.  From what I can tell it's all about Jonger wanting his nukes, and the South saying fine, have your nukes, but you won't get any more rice.  Childish really, but then again, why would you expect anything rational to come out of a fruitcake. 

So I have checked our go bags, I have cash ready at my disposal, and I know where all my paperwork is...  just in case.  

TEAM WHATS-HIS FACE

I would say that this battle has been reduced to name calling, but since other unnamed individual isn't even uttering a sound, it's gone beyond that.  Fight's on.  I enjoy beating my wife, even better if it's for a good cause. 

As I'm sure you already know from her post, we're running the Seoul Marathon in March as a fund raiser for Knights of Heroes.  Throughout my career, I've had several friends leave wives and children behind. This is just one of many organizations that can make a difference for them.  So even if you choose to support the thorn in my side, I can live with that.  However, if you'd like to sponsor TEAM RALLY you can click the link here. -------------------------> KoH Fundraiser 

I put $750 as a goal before I knew Songtan Sally was going to turn this into a grudge match.  So my actual goal is what ever she raises plus $.01.  I'm fairly certain she'll win this one, as she is fairly certain that I'll beat her 1/2 marathon time in the full.  I guess each of us can use the other for motivation in their weaker area.  Sometimes it works out when you marry your opposite.

It's going to be a busy 17 weeks until the race as we are both begining our training programs.  Stay tuned for updates.

Week 1 Recap: Team Chris vs. Team What-His-Face

Week one of my half-marathon training is complete.  By day five, I wanted to kill something or someone; luckily, the next day was a day of rest which is what I needed.  I logged 5 miles this week, and most of it was jogging; I also logged two cross training days and one "walk" day.  Not bad for week one, and it's right where it needs to be to help me condition my legs for the miles ahead.  Week two will be interesting, as we have Turkey day and a trip to the East Coast ahead of us. 

This week was also a week of realizations...  like it is getting cold in Korea and I really don't have any cold weather running gear.  I don't want to train solely on the treadmill because that will kill me on race day.  I'll be shopping for some running tights and other layers this week. 

Another one is there is a slight possiblity that Ronnie will finish the full marathon before I finish the half.  Yes, I am that slow and he is that quick; and I'm okay with that.   I've decided that since I can't compete with him on the course, what I can do is hand him his ____ in fundraising.  This is the part where you can pitch in. 

Whether you decide to pull for Team Chris or that other guy who calls himself my husband yet shall remain nameless, please pull for this cause.  We are running for the Knights of Heroes.  More specifically, we're running to honor our friend Nick (About Nick) and the countless other warriors who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  We're running to help Caleb and all the other young men who will grow up without their father to give them a place where they can grow and realize they are not alone. My goal is simple: raise $1,000, the cost to send at least one young man to camp.

For more information on the Knights of Heroes, please click here. 

To donate to Team Chris, please click here.    To donate to team whatchyamacalit, well, I'm not sure where that link is...  :)

Lighting the Night

Recovering from this weekend doesn't do it.  With the Apple Festival on Saturday, you would think we would take it easy on Sunday right.   Nope.....

We headed to the Seoul Lantern Festival with some friends.  We did some quick research and found out that the festival is in the same part of town as the Blue House.  Since we haven't seen that yet and it was another pretty day in Korea, we hopped a train earlier than the Haugh's and Kaercher's.

This time, we even figured out how to take the rapid train and shaved 30 minutes off of our travel time.  After arriving at the station, we immediately found the location for the lantern festival and went about wandering the neighborhood.  

Chongwadae translates to "The house with blue tiles" and refers to the grounds as well as the building of  the Oval Office of President Lee.  The grounds are beautiful from what I see online, but I want to visit in the spring when the gardens are in bloom.  After walking up and saying, "yep, there's the Blue House," it was time to grab some dinner and meet our friends at the festival.  

The festival is different than the one we went to in the spring.  This one was along a walking path that lined the Cheonggyecheon.  It was crowded, but nice to walk along and enjoy the lanterns.  They had traditional lanterns, different lanterns from all over the world, ones depicting storybook characters, and lanterns celebrating Korean heritage.  What was great was I was able to get some good pictures this time since they weren't moving. 

After about an hour, we had enough of the cold and walking, so we headed to warm up in Holly's Coffee.  Apparantly, Holly has had time to become a coffee mogul here in Korea.  We enjoyed our coffee and treats and decided to hop the train back to Songtan, as it was getting late. 

The "Life"

Ronnie and I were able to enjoy a childless meal today and I was telling him this story that I'm about to share with you.  He immediately asked if I blogged it; obviously I haven't.  But first a little backstory:

We are a military family through and through.  Counting up, we've lived in five states and one country in our almost ten years of marriage (Ronnie has been in three more than I for training so that would make eight states for him).  Holly was born in North Carolina; Sarah in Texas.  I know more abbreviations than any one human should know.  And we have conversations that play out like this:  husband comes home and says we have orders to move to _________; wife says Awesome, I think so-and-so are there now.  Kids are uprooted from friends, activities, schools, and homes for a new unknown, but make new friends, take up new activities at their new home and school. 

Such is the life of a military family and the upbringing of military brats.  One that I lived growing up, albeit only slightly, and one that I'm asking my kids to live with Ronnie and I. 

There are things that happen when you're a military brat that you really don't think twice about.  It seems like second nature to us, but to others it would be odd.  We're already starting to talk to them about moving next summer, but we don't know where just yet.   We instantly stop in our tracks and stand at attention anytime the national anthem is played.  And then you have things like this that happen:

Sarah and I were heading to the commissary a few weeks ago.  I can't remember where Ronnie and Holly were, but they weren't in my car with us.   Anyway, we were driving by the O'Club when I noticed the street was blocked off and several Airmen in SWAT type gear.  I knew they were running some scenarios on base, but I hadn't seen any of them.  Then Sarah says, "Mommy, there's a boy with a gun over there."

I quickly whipped my head and saw what looked like a sniper lying in the bushes with his gun pointed at the building the SWAT-looking guys were around. 

I said, "Yes, he does have a gun, doesn't he Sarah?"

Sarah said, "What is he doing?"

I said, "Well, he's going to kill the bad guy."

Sarah said, "Okay.  Mommy, can we get some ice cream at the commissary?"

And just like that the conversation was over.   What child would just accept the explaination that a guy laying in the bushes with a gun pointed at our car was going to shoot a bad guy with no further questions?    Only the military brat is the best answer I can come up with. 

Curiosity Doesn't Always Kill the Cat.....

Like I posted earlier, fall has definitely come to Korea.  The mornings are getting more and more crisp, the leaves are now in full color, and the days are getting shorter.  A few weeks ago, I was picking up some apples at the market when it dawned on me...  there were apples at the market!  Generally speaking, freshness is of utmost importance to the markets and they don't carry anything that isn't in season. 

Later that night, in one of my daydream/random thought sessions, I was thinking that these apples have to be grown somewhere.  A few Google searches later landed me some information about apple farms and farm experiences.  After some more research I found out that there were farms in our immediate area, they offered apple picking, and they were going to have a festival!   SCORE!  

We set out Saturday morning for Yesan-gun, an area south of us, with lots of friends in tow.  A little while later, we arrived at our destination.  The orchards here don't look like what you would picture in your mind.  Then again, the apple business didn't start flourishing until the mid-80s (from what I could gather on Google). 

The festival was so much fun.  They had the Three Korean Tenors (and other entertainment), traditional Korean basket-making, and hands on apple activities.  The girls and I made pies, apple jam, and apple wine.  We watched them make fresh apple-infused sausage and then throw it on the grill to serve up.  We were treated to samples of apple wine and barbecue.  Last but not least, we headed for the orchard to pick our apples.  The day was just perfect and we had a fantastic time!

Starting Back at Day One....

Today is day one of my running plan.  I have lost a lot of my conditioning due to a lackadaisical approach to running the last few months.   So today is day one on a semi-conditioned 5K plan. 

What am I training for you ask...  The Seoul Marathon.  

I'm running the half marathon while Ronnie is training for the full.  And we're running for a good cause, The Knights of Heroes http://www.knightsofheroes.org/. This is a fantastic charity and one that hits close to home.  

Be looking for updates from the both of us over the next few months as we fundraise, replace shoes, and push me beyond my current mileage.

Falling Down

The leaves are that is, not me.  

After our quick hop to the States in September, our temperatures have continued to drop.  We've gotten below freezing already and morning frost is starting to be a daily occurance. 

Watching the leaves change is another reminder that I've been here a year already.  I was amazed at the color last year, and this year I'm getting to appreciate the subtleties.  Oaks versus maples, azaleas versus cherries still on the trees.   Here are my my favorites of what I've seen thus far. 

They look like butterflies to me

Yes I put a filter on this, but the bright red fruit on the otherwise sparce tree caught my eye

Sarah "The Don"

So Sarah fired Holly. Not sure what they were doing or what led up to it, but all I heard was, "Holly, you're fired." A little part of me wanted to go show Sarah the proper way to invite someone to find a new job, but Holly's response was "You can't fire me Sarah cause I'm not playing with you."


I have to say, even though I've seen that exchange before, but I've never laughed as hard as I did this time.

Ne?

In case ya'll were wondering, Korean's don't know or understand what a thingajigger is.  Guess they don't teach that word in the Engrish classes here.  Here's how I know...

I split lunch with a friend of mine today.  She went to get a drink while I waited for our order.  When our sandwich was ready, I knew we needed another plate or something so we could  half it.  So, I asked for another "sandwich thingajigger."

The poor guy just cocked his head to one side and said "Ne?"  That would be the equivalent of "huh?"  I held up our sandwich and said can I have another sandwich holder thing.  He then said oh and handed me one, kinda giggling and smiling at me. 

I guess he hasn't gotten to the southern part of his Engrish lessons. 

Korean F1 Grand Prix

Soon after getting here, we discovered there was going to be a Grand Prix race in Korea.  Unfortunately, we then discovered that it was on the south-east tip of Korea, the high speed train doesn't go there, and it was really expensive.  We gave up on going after it seemed the planets were not aligning.....   that is until I ran across a FB post from Yongsan.  The USO was coordinating a military tour at the right price and they were going to have a bus running from Osan.  We quickly got our sitter lined up and bought tickets. 

We took off early Sunday morning for the long bus ride down.  A few hours (and a good nap later) we arrived in a drizzly, overcast Mokpo.  The USO really did a great job - our tickets were in the Main Grandstand at around the 10th/11th start positions, 5 rows up.  After finding our seats, we went exploring. 

The raceway and grounds are still under construction.  There were a lot of unfinished areas, mostly parking; for us this meant the drizzly rain was making a muddy mess.   But that didn't stop us from trying to find some food.   Slim pickings there too, but lucky for us, we liked what they had.  There were two vendors set up for food and a few others serving coffees and snacks.  We got some bulgogi and rice, Ronnie found a hamburger, and then we got some coffee and a churro for the stands.  Because it was race time!

The officials went ahead and started the race, but after a few laps behind the safety car, they decided to wait out the rain for another hour.  Yeah, the safety car ROCKED - the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.  That hour came and went and it was race time again.  The rest of the race was good, there were a few crashes that took out some of the leaders so it was exciting to watch the last few laps.  Ferrari's Alonso led the last few laps and the fans finally started cheering, chanting and getting excited, and they erupted when Alonso crossed the finish line. 

All in all, the F1 was a great race to experience.  I hear there's a F1 track opening in Austin, Texas....  sounds like we're gonna have to hit that one, cause at least I know there will be smoked turkey legs. 

Zen Hiking - the Good Bus Tour

Kinda like the Magical Mystery Tour, but not really.  That's for another post  :)

Recently at work, we realigned and Civilian Training came into the Education Services/Force Development umbrella.  With that, we welcomed Ms. Chin to our office.  Ms. Chin is delightful and loves that our family loves to explore Korea.  She brings by bits of information on events and festivals and is encouraging me to use the very little Korean I know.  In getting to know one another, she found out that Ronnie and I love the outdoors and Ronnie in particular loves hiking.  She immediately invited us to join the hiking club.  

Yes, a hiking club - on base - and we had no clue.   Turns out there's a good reason though, the club is mainly for the Korean Civilian Service employees but anyone can join them.  

So, Ronnie joined them for a hike to Seoraksan this past weekend.  The directions to the bus were go to the bus terminal and look across the street for the bus that says "Good Bus."  It was easy enough to find too - the bus was right where she said it would be and "Good Bus" was right where you would find "Greyhound." 

The weather was wonderful, the traffic was heavy, and the hiking was fantastic.  The leaves are turning over here, which is why traffic was so heavy up to the mountain.  In general, hiking trails aren't cut like they are in the States; they mostly are staircases straight up the side rather than switchbacks.   Hearing this, it was a good thing I decided to stay home with the girls.

Ms. Chin wasn't able to go on the tour, so she asked her friend Ms. Kim to watch over Ronnie to be sure he didn't fall off the trail anywhere.  Ronnie said she took care of him alright - every time she was eating, she was feeding him too.  An orange here, snack cakes there, and a full Korean dinner after he got something off the snack bar.  

After a few hours of hiking, they made the long, traffic filled trip back to Songtan.  Ronnie's summary was that it was a good trip, pleasant company, and nice to have someone lead the way.  We're hoping to join them on another hike in the spring. 

You Sure You Want Us to NEO?

I warned you before, and last night just proved the point again.  Do NOT mess with the women at Osan.  They just might want to reconsider the NEO process and keep these fierce women here to fight the mini-Jonger. 

Then again, we would only be proficient at handing them their a$$es in Crud. 

The call came out about two months ago that the Seoul Sisters (the team who won the tourny back in the spring) had called to see about when the next one was.  As soon as it was even mentioned, it was game on.  The trophy had been taken away from Osan and it was time to earn it back. 

With Ronnie being at the OSS, rather than the squadron, and me in the FSS, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be on the Lady Draggin team.  Quickly, that thought was dispelled with the formation of an Active Duty team.  

We had more than a little fun practicing and getting some game strategy together.  Over the course of a few weeks, I spent more time with the team than with my family.  To say that we have an awesome group of ladies in this squadron wouldn't be enough, because awesome isn't a "good enough" word for what they are. 

Finally, it was time for the tournament.  We drew one of our favorite teams to scrimmage against, the 7th Air Force.  It was a close game, but we lost by a few lives.  On to the second game, where we played the Active Duty team.  This team formed quickly in two weeks, and we practiced a lot with them.  It came down to the last lives on both teams, with our fearless leader Jenny receiving the ball.  She quickly made mincemeat out of Amanda and the crowd erupted!  

Our third match had us pitted against the 7th again.  With one loss on the board, we needed a win.  Again, it came down to the wire with the last lives on both teams, and with Jenny taking her final stand.  We were on the big table and Jenny was playing against Tricia, who we lovingly refer to as Gumby or Legs Magee.  Jenny took a long shot and missed the hit by millimeters.   And with that, we were out.  

Ronnie and I watched the rest of the matches and were delighted when the Seoul team was sent packing by the 7th.  We could finally breathe - the trophy was home with Osan.  But it was on to settle the winner: the 7th versus the Fiendettes.  It was more than fun to watch, but was hard to sit there and not cheer for all my friends who were playing on each of the teams.  At one point, Ronnie asked me who I wanted to win.  I replied, "I really don't care because it's not Seoul."  After a great match, the 7th triumphed and won the tourny.

I'm just hoping we'll have another tourny in the spring so I can play one more time at Osan. 

PIL SUNG!

All That and a Bag of Rice

A few months ago, an email was sent out to the base about a race in Pyeongtaek, our big city to the south.  My thought process went something like this:  Hmmm.....  International race, distances I like, nice shirt, and it's free.  Sign me up!  

I was shooting to run a 10K, but it wasn't to be.  With Ronnie training for his marathon, school starting, Ronnie semi-injured/semi-sick, and crud (that will come in a sec) it was too much to aim for.  I backed myself down to a 5K about a week left to go, and knew even that would be a stretch based on the lack of training I have done. 

Lucky for me, the race info went out to a great group of ladies at Osan who all signed up for varying distances.  I was doubly lucky that several of the Draggin Ladies were running the 5K as well.  

You couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather and before we knew it, we were off and running.  Ronnie was well enough to participate in the 5K while pushing the girls in our jogging trailer.  I planned to run/walk my 13 minute/mile pace, which is about what I average with no training.  After the first mile, I fell back in the pack behind the other ladies.  The lack of training reared it's ugly head a few times when my heartrate skyrocketed, but Ronnie and the girls stuck by me.  I figured I may as well enjoy the race if I couldn't actually "race" in it. 

We had a grand time watching the dancers, cheerleaders, and everything else that Korea offers to cheer you on.  As one of my friends noted, Koreans tend to run like they drive: running really fast, then just stopping in front of you for no reason, randomly darting in and out right in front of you, with no care of where you may be.  I felt bad too, I think I tripped a few people by accident when they darted in front of me while I was mid stride. 

About the last mile, I knew I was a little behind my target time and needed to make up some ground.  Ronnie ran up ahead so he could take some pictures at the end and have the girls ready to run me in.  I had just began my run when I noticed a young lady who I had been running alongside.  She and her family were running the 5K as well, and she had fallen behind.  Her dad was doing his level best to run with her and her sister who was stopping and waiting up ahead.  Being that I wasn't going to get there any faster, I offered to run with her to the finish so her dad could catch up to her sister. 

That last mile was brutal, but with Catherine by my side, it went by quick.  Before we knew it, we had caught up to Ronnie and the girls.  As is tradition and where we can, the girls ran with Catherine and I to the finish line, into the cheers of my fellow Lady Draggins, and Catherine with a big smile on her face.  It was a fabulous run and I even got my pace goal - 12:55 was my average.  Not bad for being out of shape. 

We knew we had some goodies waiting for us back at the festival area.  Since Ronnie and I were registered for the 10K, we got a bonus in our bag... a 1 kg bag of rice!   After the race, we hung out for a while and waited for some of the other Osan ladies to cross the finish line.  We meandered about, finding some wonderful oxtail soup, rice, and bean sprouts to munch on from some friendly ladies. 

We found the USFK tent and were chit chatting in there when, in true "we brought a bunch of Americans to the race" style, they brought in some Whoppers and Cokes.  I was too busy enjoying my soup, rice and bean sprouts to eat a Whopper, so I shared mine with the nice woman who gave me the Korean food.  She giggled and went about splitting the burger between herself and her coworkers. 

All in all, it was a fabulous event.  Several of our friends placed and got even bigger bags of rice than we did.  Definitely going to make this international running a "thing" to do...  we had way too much fun.

Air Power

It's that time of year... Air Show Time!  This year we were treated to a performance from the Black Eagles, the ROKAF aerial demo team.  We were also able to get our neighbor, Heather, and some of the kids out to enjoy the performances.   It was a beautiful day and the performances were awesome!  



Better Late Than Never

Sarah, if you read this when you get older, please know you are not an afterthought.  You'll need to refer back to your birthday post. 

We had Sarah's un-Birthday Party today!   FINALLY could get it together enough to throw one.  Holly kept refering to it has Sarah's fake birthday, but I convinced her it was an Un-Birthday a-la Alice in Wonderland. 

The weather has been gorgeous as of late, and today was no exception.  It was sunny and not too hot/not too cold.  We had the party at the park with Sarah's friends and had a great time - two playgrounds, grilled hotdogs and a pinata.  What more could a 4+ year old want? 

 

Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other

Today is day 365 in the ROK...  we have 365 days left.  I can't believe we're half way through this assignment already. In light of this momentus day, I thought I would recap our favorite photos of our journey thus far.  Enjoy!

(left - First morning in Korea; right - first ride on the subway)

(left - Go, Daddy, Go!; right - playing in the snow)

(left - learning to fly kites in Busan; right - Holly playing t-ball)

(left - cousins!!!; right - River Run)

 (left -CRUD!; right - Operation Sitter Recall)

(left - Cherry trees blossoming in the spring; right - getting stranded in Seoul)

(left - Lotus Lantern Festival; right - playing at the beach)

(left - Boryeong Mud Festival; right - Sevendust concert at Yongsan)

(left - summer, friends and ice cream; right - Mt. Halla overlook)

(left - Hopping to the states; right - Everland)

(left - Air Show fun; right - Lady Draggin Running Team)

(left - Draggin Family; Right - Lady Draggin Crud Team)