Today We're Leaving South Korea

Words can't express my mixed emotions right now. The last 2 years we've been in South Korea and they haven't been easy for me. The first 6 months were the hardest. I've hated being so far away from home. I've had a hard time not being able to jump on a plane and be there for every family event. I've had a hard time not living close to a large military base.

But once I got over that and decided to make the most out of our time here, I realized things weren't so bad. I've made some lifelong friends. People who I will never forget. People who have left an everlasting mark on my heart and soul. I have learned so much (about life and about myself) from being here and from the friends I've made. I love you all so much. I am so thankful that you came into my life. I'm so thankful that we all have the technology to stay in touch. And I hope and pray our paths will cross again very soon. Thank you for everything you've done for me, and everything you've taught me. Thank you for being my family.

God be with you all until we meet again.

All my love,
Katie

A Few Last Sights of Korea

The other night after Clint's award presentation I snapped some pictures on our way back to Yongsan.

The Olympic Stadium

Lots of high rises. Many of them are apartment buildings.
The Han River
A distant shot of the Seoul Tower and more high rises.
Jackson playing peek-a-boo in the mirror with me.

He didn't think I could make him smile. But I did.

One of the many bridges crossing the Han.

A closer shot of the tower and neighborhoods closer to the heart of Seoul.

Being silly at dinner.

Award Presentation

Today Clint's company commander presented him with an Army medal. I can't remember the exact name of it. But this is what it looks like.

Soldiers in formation waiting for the presentation.

The commander (left) had lots of great things to say about Clint's achievements while here in Korea. He's been a great asset to the company. He's learned so much and grown a great amount, both in his career and his personal life. I'm proud of you babe!!! These last 2 years have been a little crazy, but they've been worth it!

Clint's platoon leader, Cpt. Zantt, presented Clint with this plaque. Its pretty amazing. The wording tells a little bit about Clint's reputation while here in Korea. They called him Clint "The Killer" Webb, because he hit a huge bird in the helicopter one time, and another time there was a Korean farmer that said he flew too low and killed his pregnant cow (which ended up being a false claim). He also blew over a shed and caused damage to someone's car.

Clint & Cpt. Zantt

Clint with Cpt. Sharkey (the commander) and the other Officers and Warrant Officers in his company.

The Beach~August 22, 2010

Our friend's little girl turned 4 last weekend, so we went to the beach for her celebration.

It wasn't quite like the Gulf of Mexico beaches, but it was fun nonetheless. The water was actually quite warm.

Morgan was unsure about the water when the waves got strong.

Saturday evening we got to the hotel. Its a huge hotel on post at Yongsan. Right in the heart of Seoul. Its very nice and we're glad we chose to spend 10 days here. This is the view from our room.

That night we walked down the street to Burger King. We let J try some Sprite. Needless to say, he loved it.

And he made some pretty funny faces when we didn't immediately give him more.

My favorite:

Did I ever mention he finally got his first 2 teeth in about a month ago? Well, there they are, if you look closely.

Oh, and Morgan wanted her picture taken too. Of course.

Ever since arriving to Korea I've loved this road sign. It makes me laugh everytime I see it. It is on the freeway that runs along the Han River. I've always meant to get a picture, but never did until we were on our way to the hotel on Saturday night.

Lunch With Friends

On Saturday we finished cleaning our apartment and then checked out with the Landlord and Realator. Then, we went to lunch at a very authentic Korean barbeque restaraunt.

May, Ellie, Clint, the kids, and me.

Jackson loved this pickle. He's the only one in our little family who does.
May and Jackson

Moving: Day 2

Friday August 20th

The movers came to get our household goods.

Sammy finds the silliest places and positions to fall asleep.

The kids and cat staying out of the way.
"Look what my legs can do! They can hold me up!!!"

"And I'm down."

Moving: Korean Style

Wednesday, August 18th

Some movers came to pick up our military-issued furniture. Its kind of hard to see in the picture, but they are using a crane-type thing. One guy loaded furniture onto it from our house, then the guy in the truck operated the crane (I'm not using the right word) and unloaded the furniture into the truck.

This is how J kept himself entertained while the furniture was being moved. He liked to throw the ball and watch Sammy chase it, then soot over to it and throw it again.

Crazziness

Things have been crazy. As I've mentioned before, the movers came last Friday. They packed up our stuff and moved us out pretty fast. We spent the rest of the day cleaning furiously. That night we stayed with our friends, The Dance's. After a wonderful waffle breakfast we went back to cleaning on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon we checked out with the Landlord, went to lunch with our realator, then packed up our stuff from the Dance's and moved into a hotel. On Sunday we went to the beach with some friends. We really wanted go before we left the country.

The rooms here are nice. They gave us 2 joining rooms so the kids are sleeping in one and we're in the other. There's a nice little kitchenette thing. The first night the kids had a rough time. They both woke up twice. The second night was much better. Morgan slept all night and J only woke up once. I think they're both having a rough time with the whole moving thing. But they're adjusting. Morgan is bored out of her mind with only a few toys to play with. She's acting out a lot more than usual, but thats to be expected. She keeps saying she wants to see Gwamma. She's asked to go home a few times too. There's an outdoor pool right across the street and a big playground right outside. Unfortunately its been raining since we got here, so we haven't been able to get out. Hopefully we'll see some sunlight tomorrow. Getting some energy out would help with the acting out and rough nights I think.

We'll be in Utah in one week. It feels good to have the hard stuff behind us (the packing and moving). We're excited to just relax this week and have a fun vacation once we get to Utah.

Sleeping Beauty

You know how sometimes your kids get really quiet and you just KNOW they're doing something naughty? Well, this time Morgan was actually NOT being naughty, she was sleeping. She stayed this way for over an hour.

August 2nd

I found these pictures on my cellphone. I had forgotten about them.

I took Morgan on a little bike ride to the park a few weeks ago.

She rarely gets to ride her tricycle outside due to the fact that there's no sidewalks here and people don't like to slow down through our neighborhood.

But she needed to get out of the house and so did I.

Everytime a car was coming I would tell her to move to the side and she would run full speed into the curb or wall.

Playing on the teeter-todder.

These little shelters are scattered throughout the country here. They have them at every park I have ever seen and at the zoo, amusement parks, and sometimes just throughout the neighborhoods. They are a great place to wait out a monsoon rain. Or, if you're Morgan, it makes a great stage for dancing.