Friend Separation

As you can see, our leave deadline is rapidly approaching. I know everyone is itching for updates, but frankly, I still have none to give.

No, we don't know where we're going next.

No, we don't have tickets.

No, I don't know a specific day I'm leaving.

No, I don't have anything packed.

But as frustrating as it is, this rapid deadline has really been the cause of some introspection as well. All of us have been looking back at our time in Korea, kind-of, in a different light. While there will ALWAYS be things about this "tour" that will frustrate us, there are definitely things that we have learned and that we have to be grateful for. As our time is ending here, it's slowly sinking in that the people that have created our second family will still be here and we will probably not see them again. As hard as it was for Gabe to leave North Carolina and Michigan, Korea will be much MUCH harder. Even though we've only been here for just under two years, we ALL have formed life-long friendships. And will dearly miss all the families that we leave behind. In a way, we are almost bitter-sweetly leaving this base. We will be more than happy to be back in the States, but Humphrey's has become a community for us. So many of us have been pregnant together, seen our babies grow up and attended playgroups with the kids. Currently, there are six or seven of us that are all pregnant together (due within 5 months of each other) and a couple that have just had their babies. We won't be able to hold each other's babies, or bring dinners to each other, or take the older kids to the park and give Mom a break. It's heart wrenching and unfathomable. Gabe was having friend-withdrawals after two days of being home, I can't imagine what he'll be like when everything sinks in. Friend-separation is something that we'll be dealing with very soon.

However, I am SO THANKFUL for Facebook and Skype and all the other social media tools that allow people on different continents to connect. While they have helped us stay in touch with family during this "tour", they will continue to help us maintain our long distance friendships as we leave Korea. I am thankful that we decided to have a going away party and so many friends will be able to attend. My goal is to take pictures of Gabe with all his friends and make scrapbook pages for him. Also, I want to put pictures up on a map so we can track where our friends are. Maybe it will help with geography, but the main goal is so he won't feel like everyone's so far away. Part of me understands that this is an Army life, the constant moving and uprooting of our family, this is what Matt has signed up for and what our country needs. But it doesn't make it any less painful. It's likely that every three to four years, we'll be doing the same thing - leaving old friends to make new ones and honestly, it's a little disheartening.

I just tell myself it'll get easier the more times we move, the boys and I will adjust.

Restaurant and Shopping List

There are two things that everyone talks about over here - shopping and restaurants. After being here for a couple months Burger King, Pizza Hut, Pop-eyes, Taco Bell and Subway get old really fast. The PX gets old after the first two trips there. It doesn't take long before you start craving food from the U.S. and whether you realize it or not, you begin a list either mentally or physically of all the restaurants you want to eat at as soon as you get home. Shopping is the same way. Everyone has a list of where they'll go first.

Of course everything is amplified when you're pregnant, so I've had a cumulative list going for a couple weeks now, along with stalking the menu's of restaurants online. I can't help it. I wish I could describe to you what it's like to live in a bubble for two years, but it's one of those things you can't really understand until you live it.

Anyway, here is our compiled list of restaurants we plan to eat at least once at while we are in the States. Some are location specific, so I've included the designated location. Some of the locations are not feasible as we won't be in that state again (at least for awhile), but first and foremost this is a wishlist. For the most part, these are in no specific order as to importance.

Jimmy John's

Jersey Giant - East Lansing, MI

Jersey Mike's - Fayetteville, NC

Mitchell's Fish Market - Lansing, MI

P.F. Chang's

Gumby's Pizza - East Lansing, MI
Panera Bread Co.

Cheesecake Factory

B.C. Pizza - Boyne City, MI

Andy's Pizza - Peckville, PA

Buffalo Wild Wings

TGI Friday's

Jason's Deli

Sonic

Chuck E. Cheese

Red Lobster

Dairy Queen

Steak and Shake

Carraba's

Olive Garden

Wendy's

and lastly, in my great need for salty food - some kind of Hibachi/Sushi restaurant

Shopping, of course, is easy enough. Walmart and Target are always the first couple answers you get if you ask someone. I can't wait for Meijer (for those of you that aren't from the Great Lakes area, it's like a Walmart but not as ghetto). Mostly, I can't wait to just go to a mall. To see all the stores in one place and be able to actually see clothes and try them on before purchasing them. Good quality clothes for decent prices. Shoes that you don't have to gestimate the size. Choices in electronics with prices that aren't marked up because of international shipping. Again, I wish I could explain the significance behind these feelings, but words couldn't do it justice. My list for shopping is not specifically location-based. While, I will be thrilled to step inside a Target and a Mall, I am not as concerned about where I buy the things I need as I am just excited there are options!

Unofficial update

In other news: I know everyone is curious about how things are going for us regarding leaving Korea and where we're going next. And the answer is that everything is pretty much still up in the air.

We have found out that Matt's curtailment was denied, which means that he will stay in Korea until the end of his tour (Sept. 27th) and that the boys and I will be flying back to the States by ourselves.

The ERD (Early Return of Dependents) paperwork for me and the boys was turned in to Matt's chain of command for approval on Friday and hopefully by the end of this week, we should have either an approval or a timeline until approval. Until we get ERD orders, we can not schedule our flights through the Army with the travel office or the pick-up of our household goods with the transportation department. If for some reason this paperwork gets dragged out until around July 8th, we will be purchasing commercial flights for the boys and I to get back. Regardless of how we leave (on ERD orders or of our own will), Matt will move into the barracks after we are gone.

We have no orders for our next duty station yet. Because Matt was Airborne with the 82nd, he has an Airborne identifier on his paperwork. Which basically means that if there's an Airborne position opening, he will be assigned that job. However, because of Matt's permanent profile, he is no longer capable of maintaining said slot and therefore can not be assigned a position with an Airborne unit. After talking to his Branch Manager (the guy that assigns everyone's next duty station), he will not give Matt an assignment until that identifier is removed. So this week Matt is filling out all the necessary paperwork and submitting it to his chain of command to try and get said identifier removed as soon as possible.

That being said, we will still not get much of a choice for our next duty station. I know that everyone is hopeful that we will return to Fort Bragg or move to Fort Campbell, but as of right now both options are HIGHLY unlikely. Once the Airborne identifier is removed from Matt's records, it is unlikely we will ever return to Bragg or any other Airborne units (Alaska or Italy). Regarding Fort Campbell, as most of the base just returned from deployment, there are little to no openings in Matt's MOS.

While it would be nice to hand pick our next duty station, we need to remember first and foremost, Matt will be placed where it best suits the Army.

It is also unlikely that we will have our next duty station orders by the time I leave Michigan. What that means regarding school for Gabe and doctor's appointments for me, I'm not sure. The very worst case scenario I can imagine is that we don't receive orders until shortly before Matt leaves Korea (end of September), Gabe starts school for 3-4 weeks in Michigan and I receive medical appointments from a civilian doctor for that time. Things could be much worse for us. We are extremely thankful that Matt's DERO's is around a month before this baby is due and he will be stateside for the delivery.

These next couple weeks and months will be extremely stressful for us and more than anything we will need the support of our friends and family. We ask that you be patient and understanding with us as we try to sort out our life. I am saying right now, I have no idea what our time in Michigan will be like and make no promises or commitments. I apologize in advance because I know we will not be able to spend nearly enough time with everyone or do everything we want to do.

Thank you everyone for being so understanding and supportive. We are doing our best to sort through this mess with our sanity in tact!

Genna

*As a footnote, I would like to include that all of this (as with every post) is merely MY opinion. This has not been read over by my husband and is no way a reflection on him or his opinions. If something I have mentioned is factually incorrect, I apologize, but please correct ME and not my husband.

So much going on!

I know that I've gotten behind on updating this blog and it's not from the lack of having topics to talk about. We have been on the go almost everyday for the last couple weeks!

We were able to go to the Seoul Grand Park Zoo again with our friends. It was the first time Zander had every been to a Zoo and loved every minute of it. When we went before, it was shortly after Zander was born. We went with on a group trip organized by Camp Humphrey's and while we enjoyed it, we weren't able to stay and see everything as much as we would have liked. This time, in travelling on our own schedule, we got to the Zoo much earlier and stayed much later than we had been able to before. We saw (almost) all the animals and exhibits and were much more able to enjoy and stroll around the park. It was very enjoyable and definitely worth the price and drive to Seoul. To anyone in Korea, I highly recommend it!

Last Saturday, Matt's company hosted a trip to Everland (Korean Disney World) and we were thrilled to go again. Our first time at Everland, I was 5 months pregnant with Zander and it was the dead of winter. This time around, I am still 5 months pregnant but there were so many crowds of people we weren't able to experience all the parts of the park we would have liked. Also, in taking a group trip, we didn't have nearly the amount of time to spend as we would have liked. There's so much to see, you really need to get there when it opens and stay until close. We did have fun though and were able to experience parts of the park that had been closed during the winter while also revisit previous favorites. Both boys loved all parts of the park but I think the Zoo was definitely more exciting. I think the biggest disappointment of Everland was the lack of souvenirs, there wasn't really anything specifically from Everland to buy. Fake, furry animal ears are a Korean tradition, but Matt and I both nixed those for the boys.

Otherwise, we've been busy just around Humphrey's. Now that the weather is nice and not getting scorching hot in the mornings, we've been meeting friends at the Zoeckler Field track 2-3 mornings a weeks for at least two hours. It has been great exercise for everyone! The kids run around and play with outside toys, while the Mom's walk and talk around the track. What a great way to unwind and get out the pent-up energy for everyone!

Also, as I'm sure everyone knows already, we are happy to announce that baby Brong #3 is a girl! Last week Tuesday, we had an ultrasound in Osan and were happily surprised by not only her gender but also her size. Apparently, baby girl is measuring bigger than average (5 days bigger), but my OB said that unless the difference in due date was +/- 11 days, she'll be fine to have the original due date (October 28th). She's more than welcome to make her appearance anytime after 38 weeks.

Today was the first time we've been able to visit the water park (Splish and Splash) since it opened the last week of May. It was the perfect day for it, not blistering hot and a nice breeze. The boys had a great time! Zander LOVES the water and couldn't decide if he wanted to stay at the zero-entry pool or play with the dragon slide. Gabe had lots of fun with his friends and water gun. Thankfully, it was not nearly as crowded as it has been in the past. It was so relaxing to sit in the sun with the breeze and the water that Zander fell right asleep as he ate his ice cream cone. He didn't stay asleep for long (1/2 hour) and was ready to get right back in the water. In other news, Zander is officially walking! He has been toting around the house for the past couple days, but the water park was a break through and he took lots of steps without holding onto a hand.