De-hoarding

We already have our cabinets in order for the move.  I am pretty sure we are going to be cutting it close on what we'll be down to come PCS-day.  I haven't done any large shopping since the beginning of summer and have only been replenishing the basics like bread, cereal, milk, and beer. 

But in my quest to mealplan my way to October 8th and an empty pantry, I found myself giggling while taking inventory.  Let's see if you giggle too:

I have 3 cans of 28 oz pumpkin.  This is due to the great pumpkin shortage of '09 where even Mrs. Smiths couldn't get pumpkin.  I bought some in the states to bring with me to Osan so I could have some pumpkin, and then must have bought some more when the commissary, and then more last year because obviously I forgot I had it in the pantry.  Needless to say, there will be more baking. 

I have 2 cans of artichoke hearts.  Again, there was a great artichoke shortage when I got here and the ladies had been without for sometime.  I even remember the email that came out when there was some in the commissary.  I guess I have been keeping some on hand, just in case, because I'm the only one who eats artichokes in the house. 

Lastly, I have a mixed case of specialty beers.  There is always a shortage of good beer at the Shoppette.  So much so that we have a "Good Beer Alert" that goes out when they actually have some good stuff in.  It's either a phone call that says "the shoppette has Shocktop in" or an email that says "Blue Moon - hurry up!"   I will be enjoying my Rogue ale, Octoberfest, Shocktop, and lone Blue Moon with a smile and a tip of the hat to the Good Beer Network. 

I'm sure that's the tip of the iceberg in my house, but I thought it was funny...  and I just know the ex-Osaners out there are laughing right along with me. 

On That Day

Ten years ago...

We were stationed at Vance Air Force Base. Ronnie and I had been married almost 9 months. The morning started like it always did, he got up at some unforsaken time and went off to the base where he was a student pilot.  I got ready and dressed in my best suit and went off to work at Express.  I remember that I even had the forethought to take something out for dinner (unusual for me, normally I would head home at lunch to do it).  I did my quick drive to work and sat down at my desk. 

While turning on my computer, the phone rang.  It was my co-worker's husband saying something just exploded at the Twin Towers.  I said, what are you talking about?  He reiterated, there was a bomb or something.  Quick turn on channel whatever out of OKC.  I said okay and hung up.  Immediately, I walked into my office manager's office and told her what had just happened.  We went back and turned on the tv in the breakroom....  just in time to see the second plane fly into the second tower.  

I thought to myself, this has got to be an accident.  Were the air traffic controllers at JFK compromised?  Did the auto-pilot on the airplanes go wacky?  Stunned and amazed, we could only just sit and watch the mayhem unfold live on television.  Then the news then reported the Pentagon was hit.   I remember feeling the lump in my throat, the uneasiness in my stomach.  This was done on purpose. 

The phone was ringing again and it was Ronnie.  All he said was, do you know what has happened.  I replied, yes, I'm watching it.  He said, I may not be home tonight.  I said okay, I love you.  He said he loved me too and asked me to call our friend's wife for him because he couldn't get ahold of her.  I said I would.  And that was that.....   I hung up not knowing when the next time I would talk to Ronnie would be.

I called April and told her the message.  She was as stunned as I was and her workplace had come to a standstill as well.   I told her she and Emma (her two year old) had a place to stay with me if need be.

The rest of the day was a daze....  We tried to work but couldn't.  I went to a Chamber event, but it was all we could talk about.  Oklahoma was still raw from the bombing in OKC in '95.  There were a lot of tears and hugs and pats on the back.  I remember the looks I got, me, the lone military wife in the sea of locals.  The "your husband has to set this straight" look and my "I know, it's his job" reaction.  The day finally ended and I went home.  The dinner I had laid out went back in the fridge for when Ronnie came home. Best to be saved for a time where he's home and I'm actually hungry.  

He eventually came home that night, hours after I was home alone with my thoughts.  I was never so happy to see him, but I knew what was to come.  I knew that his job would take him right to the heart of what just attacked us.   I knew this wasn't the only time that I get a 5 minute phone call and never know when I was going to talk to him again.  More importantly, I knew that it was his duty to go and fight it, as it was mine to let him go. 

It's been ten years...   and I still remember it like yesterday.   Because forgetting is not an option.

And Now For Something Completely Different

Adding it all up, I've moved twelve times in my lifetime that I've had some say in and six of those moves have been with the Air Force.  All in all, we are moving specialists...  I know exactly what to go through and get rid of, keep with me until the end, and I can plan our food intake/grocery shopping so there's not much to move. 

I would have to say that I'm a professional by now and know what to expect when packing day gets here.  But the Koreans, well they just do things their own special way.  So our lessons learned for this week are about moving:

Adventures in packing, note 1: we put my shoes in the 6 drawer dresser rather than having to box them up. Well....... we needed a box anyway.  And no, I do not have a shoe problem.  I have significantly less pairs than we counted when I moved to college (my parents are shocked right about now). 

Adventures in packing, note 2: it's best to get the kids involved. It makes them feel like they are part of the move. We found a note attached to one of the boxes: 

No, Sarah wasn't helping the packer, we think they just took a piece of paper out of their notebooks, but it's funny right.  We did have them help us by packing their own toys into two piles:  one that would stay with us and one to go in our quick ship.  They did great, and picked a lot of books to send. 

Adventures in packing, note 3: You can never be too specific when labeling boxes. It makes it much easier on the other end to locate your valuables.  Unfortunately, a friend noted that she too had a box labeled similarly, and it disappeared in her move. 

Adventures in packing, note 4:  When the packer comes in and goes "Oooooo" that may or may not be a good thing.  I noted that we had 10,000 lbs to move...  I guess they didn't believe me.  We started out with 3 packers, who put a pretty good dent on the place before lunch.  After lunch, two more packers came to help out.  When I went down at 3 pm to fetch Holly from the bus, three more were walking in the door. 

Adventures in packing, note 5:  Pack a go-bag before the packers start.  so with all the packers in the house, they were finished packing, had our household goods secured in 10 crates and were home by supper time.  I couldn't believe it walking into my house.  Our apartment came furnished, but it was 6:30 and there was no way we could get the beds up.  Hastily, I threw some items into an overnight bag and we headed to the hotel on base for the night.  Great decision as we slept in a little, lounged around after getting Holly off to school, and then got back in plenty of time to get the house cleaned up and set up for the night. 

So that's that - our stuff is on it's way to the Pacific NW and we only have a car left to get on a boat. 

Déjà vu

We got back to Korea late last night.  Our adventure in Seattle was short and sweet.  We had a definite silver lining on our emergency leave in that our next assignment is to the place we happened to port out of (for you non-military folks, that means where we enter and exit the States).  We decided to look around and get to know the area and neighborhoods. 

Well, we found more than we bargained for:  we found a HOUSE!!!!!  It's a beautiful rental and is another military family's "forever home."  We cannot believe our luck in finding it and having it be available right in the timeframe we need.   It is a beautiful home and we cannot wait to get there and have guests.  As househunting trips go, we didn't get to visit any with my family up that way.  But no worries because we'll definitely be back.

On Wednesday, we started our long journey back to Korea.  I was initially concerned that our flight would be delayed, as we had a layover in Tokyo, and we would miss the last bus home.  As usual, Korea exceeds my expectations, though the flight on United left me less than satisfied (that's another post in and of itself).  We landed, were through immigration, gathered our bags, cleared customs and still had time to use the restroom before we caught our bus back to Songtan in less than an hour.  Oh, and we caught the bus before the last bus home.  

As I was drifting in and out of sleep on the bus, I noticed that the driver was listening to some classic American music, interspersed with Korean commentary.  I'm sure they were introducing the songs, the period, the type/genre, and the like, though I really wasn't paying attention.  Not until I caught myself humming and singing right along to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."  I opened my eyes and noticed we were on a rice patty road just a few miles away from Osan.  Talk about a different interpretation of that song and a not quite right moment.    

With just landing, I'm unpacking our bags and doing laundry while I draft up this and some of the other blogs.  The déjà vu that titles this post comes in with packing.... it seems that all I ever lately is pack or unpack. Packing to go on a trip, packing to come back home, packing up the house to move across the ocean again.   One day those country roads will lead me to my final home that I pack up my house for the last time....  Until then, the Air Force beckons us to make our next home and start the next chapter in our lives.

Getting Fresh With the Locals

Good morning from Tacoma, WA!!!  We got in late Saturday night and have set up for the next couple of days in a hotel near Tacoma.  In true Oliver fashion, we are already getting out and exploring our new home.  While looking around to find the houses we're going to drive by, I stumbled upon a farmers market.  We decided it would be a great way to get out and possibly pick up some yummy snacks for the next few days.  

We found more than snacks. We bought blueberries, raspberries, and sweetheart cherries.  Ronnie and I talked to a local pig farmer, who also has fresh eggs, turkeys, and other cuts of meat.  And they make their own sausage!  We found flowers and a bakery.  We had a delicious lunch of homemade tamales accompanied by some of our fresh purchases. 

Best of all, we got great information on the local co-op, other farmers markets on different days, and an invite to come out and see the farm!  I can't wait to move up here!

Finishing out Florida

Here I am, packing my bags, again.....   We are boarding a plane today and heading to our next home.  I know, weird right.  Well, today we're flying back to Seattle and we have about 3 days before we board our next plane bound for Korea.  It's weird thinking that this will be my  last day in Florida for awhile.  At any rate, here is the rundown for the week and the rest of our visit.

Let's Go Again Mommy!!!!  On Sunday, we decided to head to Busch Gardens for the day.  Ronnie and I have very fond memories of going to Busch Gardens and riding roller coasters, and we knew this would be a great day for Holly.  And we couldn't be more right!  She drug us from coaster to coaster, asking to go again and again and again.  Luckily, they have a parent switch off area, so we would wait in line once and get to ride twice, so the other parent could stay with Sarah.  Now, Sarah didn't get left out of the fun -- she picked the bumper cars, the flume ride, and the Sesame Street area. 

Before we knew it the sun was setting and Holly wanted to go on one more coaster before the park closed.  She and Ronnie ran up ahead to Gwazi, the double wooden coaster, while Sarah and I rode a few more rides in the Sesame Street area.  I finally caught back up with Ronnie and Holly and we ran up to ride the coaster one more time.  As we were going up, we had a great view of Tampa -- it is such a beautiful city at night!  Holly was pointing out the stars that were up, though she didn't realize we were cresting the top.  She told me "Mommy, look at all the stars and the moon and look there's another sta-AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" followed by a "THIS - IS - AWE - SOME!!!!!!"    It was a good day!!!

Fin Growth  The girls "graduated" from swimming lessons!  They are so much better than they were, but we still need more practice.  Holly is able to jump off the diving boards and get herself to the side.  Sarah is also able, but a little more reserved if you aren't right there to catch her.  Now, onto continuing our lessons and build them into strong swimmers. 

Holly is 7!!!!!!    After hounding her for days, we finally got to August 10th.  Holly was so excited!  And when the time came, we all gave her big hugs and told her "Happy Birthday."   Even Cleo the cat joined in on the love fest (not really, but I made her get a hug from Holly).  We went over to Grammy and Papa's house for a birthday party with Uncle Robbie and her cousin Arryn.  It was such a great home party, complete with climbing trees and a zip line! 

Getting a little WILD   We continued our Florida fun with visiting the Jacksonville Zoo.  They run a great special on Tuesdays - $2 for admission!  Again, we had a fantastic time running around and looking at the animals, hiding out from the heat, and getting wet.  Yes, that getting wet part:  there is a spray park at the zoo, but it's more like a huge splash pad.  So the girls went in fully clothed.  Then, the ubiquitous afternoon thunderstorm crept up at 3 pm, rather than 4 like it's supposed to.  We were exiting the zoo when the bottom fell out and had to dash to the car.  We were soaked in just the 100 yards we had to run, but it was too much fun! 

So that about wraps it up....  We had a great time visiting family and seeing a few friends here and there.  But now it's on to scope out the next adventure in our lives.

The It's Amost Holly's Birthay Party

It's August ya'll!  Meaning one thing in our house - Holly's birthday.  Every year, we start building up to the festivites by waking her up on the morning of July 31st and telling her it could have been her birthday today but X-many years ago she decided she was comfortable.  So she can't have cake for breakfast.  And we repeat every day until August 10th.  Poor Holly...   if she gets out of her childhood unscathed it will be a miracle. 

We decided to take advantage of being in Florida and held a small family birthday party for her today.  Holly and I conspired on her cake this year -- I owed her big after ruining last year's cupcakes.  After a bit of searching and lots of back and forth, we settled on a homemade Barbie cake.  I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out for her and Holly was tickled pink!  We also decided to decorate the porch a bit.  A blog that I follow posted a "how-to" on making normal crepe paper streamers fabulous. And that they were - they came together easily (10 minutes and done) and were super cute!  Try it out yourself and check out some of her other posts and ideas - Ruffled Streamers

The party was low key.  The girls went swimming in the lake, came up and make candy necklaces then it was time for cake and ice cream.  We had a great visit with my sister, nieces, Callie and Laurelei, and Ronnie's parents (Grammy and Papa).  Oh, and the cake, it was a hit!