Reflection

As I watch “Men of a certain age”, I find myself having a self-reflecting moment. I was always proud of my achievements as a licensed realtor and my affiliation with the real estate practice, however; I found myself questioning my business ethics, but not till now years after my affiliation. I remember holding the hands of families as they searched for their new or first home. I helped them negotiate their asking price and would find myself essentially handing them their keys on closing day and congratulating them when I really should have been warning them of their HUGE new debt that would essentially be with them for the next 30 years if they were fortunate enough to avoid multiple mortgages or foreclosure. Back then I would smooth things over in my mind by telling myself that the bank approved them so they must be able to afford it, even if I did see their financial records proving otherwise.
After a few years I left the real estate business, which seemed to be the best timing I have ever had, I was hired as a car salesman for a reputable dealership in Tennessee. I say “salesman” because in this position and in the geographical location I was in it truly was not meant to be a position held by a woman which, if you know me at all, made me want it even more. I have always thrived in a sales position and I thought that it was due to my friendly and honest demeanor, however as I was training for a positions in car sales I found myself picking up on the little tricks of the trade. In reflection I feel as though the training course was a subliminal or brain washing approach to hook, line, and sinker the consumer.
As I began selling new cars I was able to focus on finding the consumer what they wanted in a car. Most times they came knowing what they wanted and since the cars were new on the lot the prices were no secret and listed for the consumer to see. The main objections I had to overcome were with the features of the vehicle. When I was asked to be a part of the used sales team I was thrilled! This was a place that all salesmen wanted to be and there were only 6 slots and one was mine…my own desk and bragging rights. Let’s be honest, I didn’t know much about cars and found myself trying to brush up on my product knowledge every morning but I could never keep up with the different cars that came on the lot. With my first few sales I noticed that people didn’t want to know about the car…we live in the information age where everything is online and the consumers would already know everything about the vehicle.
It didn’t take long for me to become top “saleswoman” (and yes they even started calling me that) in the entire dealership! Not only was I pushing cars off the lot, but I was “making bank” for the company and myself. This entire time I never knew what the company had in each vehicle, this made it easier, they told me how much to sell it for and that is what I did. I am not sure when or why it happened, maybe it was an attempt for my manager to teach me how the business really worked, but he began to inform me of the mark up on cars. It didn’t take long till he was telling me the numbers and I was setting my own price on cars, giving me more room to negotiate. I convinced myself that as long as the client was happy who cared how much I was getting them to pay…right….wrong.
I had so many happy clients sending me thank you cards and referrals; I was winning bonus incentives at work for the first car sold for the day or the most money made in a week. I even won the company seats to the Titans game. I remember feeling guilty for making such a large profit on a car and when I asked my manager if I could cut a deal, knowing that I could do it, he told me, “do you go to their job asking for their paycheck”? For a while that made sense to me, they were paying for my service of selling them a car, but was this ethical? I can’t help but think that I was contributing to a society that has blurred the line of business ethics so much that they have become nonexistent.
As I watch the footage of the Gulf oil spill, I wonder how many unethical decisions were made which led to this tragedy and how one bad decision probably led to many without them even realizing the ramifications of their decisions. I feel that as a society we all need to start actively thinking about the consequences of our actions. I am sure we can all think of a time that we have made a decision based on satisfying our ego, instead of what would benefit the masses. Like most lessons learned in my life, I take the hard way but thankfully have learned a lot from the many employment adventures I have taken. I look forward to taking what I have learned and applying it to my teaching practices.

I guess this is me just “paying it forward” in a sense and hoping that we can all become more aware of what is right and wrong.

Seoul Survivor

We were invited to meet some of Randy’s co-workers and their kids to go to “Seoul Land” which is equivalent to Great America. The people we were meeting were driving, but being the public transportation pros that we have started to become, we decided that we would take the train…little did we know it would be a LONG day!
We took our time getting out of the door so at about 10:30 am we took the bus to the train station. From there we jumped on the next train which we ended up waiting a half an hour for. While waiting for the train we noticed our seat numbers were in Hangeul so we tried to decode them using Randy’s travel guide…we failed at this attempt so we just waited to ask someone once we got on the train. Apparently the pictures we were trying to decode meant we would be “STANDING”. Randy had a rough night at a Hail and Farwell ceremony which means he had a slight hangover. Being the awesome wife that I am I decided that I would hold Anderson the entire 1 hour train ride to Seoul. Shortly after the train took off, Anderson fell asleep which made it easier to hold him because usually I am fighting to keep him from escaping. About 45 minutes into the trip my back felt as though it was going to give out and thankfully a man was getting off the train so we had one seat. I gave it to Randy and he held Anderson the rest of the way.
Once we arrived at Seoul Station, we had to take the subway. On this particular trip we decided to forego bringing a stroller, since there are usually opportunities to rent one for a reasonable price and it is easier than lugging the stroller around all day. However, we did not anticipate all the walking we would be doing prior to arriving to our final destination. As we stepped on to the subway we were thrilled that in just 7 stops we would be at “Seoul Land”. On our 3rd stop, everyone was ordered to get off the train and I instantly had flashbacks from our trip to Italy when they had a transportation strike. Thankfully, they were just stopping to clean the train and we were able to get on the next one about 10 minutes later…you would think I would be frustrated at this point, but really I was just pleased to find out that they clean the trains.
We arrived at Seoul Land and after walking about a mile to get to the stroller rental office we were spent and the day was almost over. It was past 2pm and we had left the house at 10:30am! Anderson loved eating dippin dots and playing in the Children’s play area. There was a huge ball pit, slides, ropes to climb, jump houses, and much more. We also took Anderson on his first carnival ride which we soon decided would be the last for a while. As the ride was spinning and lifting higher and higher off the ground, we both thought we were going to lose our lunch. Anderson seemed to enjoy it for 10 seconds then he wanted off! His favorite part was the battery operated animal that he was able to drive around. Around 6pm we decided to start our long journey home….yep just read this post backwards to get the rest of the story….subway….train…..bus oh wait…we took a taxi instead of the bus home. We walked through our front door at just about midnight!!! We were all exhausted and took the rest of the weekend to rest!!!

Anderson Update

We finally got down to only having one chuchie so we decided that we would start the process of eliminating it all together. In fear that we would lose our only one we decided that it would be a good idea to keep it in a safe place and only allow him to have it when he was sleeping. When I say we, you must understand…Anderson did not agree to this at all. It has been 6 days and it seems to be going well. Every 2 hours he has a meltdown wining and requesting his chuchie, but I just give him a snack or some ice (he loves ice) to take his mind off of it. I think I had an easier time quitting smoking! I am pretty glad we decided to do this now; I could not imagine what it would be like when he is talking more and trying to reason with me. Since we took the chuchie, he has been talking a lot more….still don’t know what he is saying but he is talking.

Anderson Update

Anderson Update:
So Anderson’s new word is Ball…and everything round is now a ball! He threw a fit in the grocery store when I would not let him throw a honeydew melon on the floor. I would let him hold it and he would try to chuck it over the side of the cart and I would have to grab it…this went on for a long time till he yelled at me and said “ball” and pointed to the ground. I had to keep telling him that it would not bounce but he didn’t care. I think we may have to buy a cantaloupe and let him smash it on the ground in order to figure it out!

MOTHER'S DAY BEAT DOWN

Mother’s Day Weekend
My Mother’s Day weekend was great! I woke up Saturday morning after sleeping in a bit and I found two cards for me…one from Randy and one from Anderson! They got me a day at the spa…Anderson got my manicure and pedicure and Daddy got my facial and massage. I left for my 2pm appointment in utter bliss…so I thought!
The manicure and pedicure was pretty typical to what I would get back in the states, however my facial and massage was more than interesting….

As I am directed to lay in a chair at the corner of the salon the facial began…in front of everyone getting their hair done which I thought was weird. As my facial proceeds I am beginning to feel relaxed and clean…and then it starts…the woman begins to slap me in the face and dig her knuckles into my forehead. As she presses on my temples I fear that my skull will crack…at one point I swore I heard it pop. I laid there wondering if Randy knew about this procedure and if this facial was payback for something. ..I was glad that it ended and ready for a relaxing massage…so I thought.

I was instructed to flip over on the chair and that is when it all started…My Korean “beat down”. Mind you I am still on the salon floor where all clients can see and hear me. Blankets were placed over my body and then a woman began to rub my back. Then a man started rubbing on my legs…which was all really relaxing, I could have fallen to sleep. Just as I am about to drift into sleep, the woman starts to pound on my shoulders and the man is using his elbows to put pressure on my butt. As this goes on, another woman joins the team and takes over my lower back…pounding, beating, kneading, slapping, and tugging my body in all directions. At this point I was praying that one of the clients getting their hair done would come save me, but this was not the case! Just as I feel I can no longer take it...about an hour….the woman near my head begins to chant and they all pat and pound my back and as they count to 3 in Korean I fear my life may end. One, Two, Three…one pulls my arms, while the other pulls my legs. I am a human tug of war……………..and finally done! I flip over feeling as though I just got jumped and look at everyone looking at me and simply say, “that was interesting”. Although it was painful, I think they know what they are doing because walking out of that place I felt really good!

I walked home from my appointment and took my time walking in and out of the little shops in the Ville. Since some of them are too small for a stroller or for Anderson’s grabby hands I am unable to go when we go on our walks.

Randy cooked an amazing meal: Cajun pork chops with fresh green beans.
We took Anderson to his new babysitter’s house where he met Aida. It was nice being able to walk to the babysitter’s house and to the bars that we were going to for our night out. Anderson seemed excited that Aida had a small dog but sat on my lap knowing that we were leaving him there. Aida being the professional that she is,
took Anders out of my lap and told us to be on our way he will be fine. With that we snuck out of the door and as I waited to hear if Anderson would cry, I began to cry…and not a peep out of Anderson!

It was nice to hit up the night life in our town and play some darts with Randy. We decided to hit up Randy’s old stomping ground the “Drunk Bus” where he was greeted by the owner Chang! He seemed to miss him quite a bit as well as the bartender and his poker friends. We sat and had a few drinks until we left before midnight to go and get our sleeping baby! I thought that I paced myself pretty good, but then the next morning told me otherwise…what a headache.

All of Mother’s Day, I was in recovery mode! We pulled out the bed in the couch and Anderson, Randy, and I watched movies and read stories all day!!! Anderson was pretty excited that there was a bed in the couch.

We did have a minor injury on Mother’s Day, Anderson cut his big toe on a sharp piece of glass on our table that we were unaware of. After a lot of bleeding and a make-shift band aid we were able to get a good look at it and it was the size of a deep paper cut. He healed quickly and we invested in a good first aid kit.
Note: Make a Bandaid
So my homemade bandaid was a piece of an Always pad…it worked great …super absorbent…go figure

Ceramic Festival in Yeoju, South Korea

Sunday May 2nd:
Despite the fact that my body was stiff as a board from the 5K and me, Randy, and Anderson were so cozy in bed….we woke up and got dressed after the alarm went off. Randy and I kept saying, “should we just stay home today?”…well we didn’t and we were so glad that we got out of the house. To the Ceramic Festival!!!
We treated Anderson to a Burger King Breakfast picnic as we waiting for the bus that would be taking us on our 1.5 hour ride to Yeoju…”the Ceramic Capital of South Korea”. Anderson did great on the bus, he played and then slept the rest of the way. Again the sun was shining and it was the best day to be walking around shopping for pottery and soaking up some culture! On this trip Anderson was able to make a coaster out of clay! I was hoping to be able to spin my own vase on the wheel, but there was a long line of children ahead of me and Anderson was losing his patience so I settled at watching the demonstration. The Festival allowed children (and adults) to paint pottery and make pottery for purchase…we mostly watched since the tables were really full and Anderson was more interested in watching the other kids instead.
Part of the trip was supposed to include a ride on a sailboat! If you know Randy, you know that this is how I sold him on the idea of taking the trip, however; after viewing this so-called “sailboat” we decided against the ride. The sailboat looked like a ferry with one sail and a motor. Supposedly, it was depicted from some of the early designs of a sailboat ever made. We decided to make our way to the Buddhist Temple instead. Here we had to be quiet since there were people praying. I thought it was so interesting to see how they pray. Some of the woman laid with their heads down, while others were more active posing in a kneeling position and then to a standing position almost resembling a form of Yoga. At the Temple, Anderson loved seeing all the colorful lanterns hanging!
A sketch artist asked if he could sketch Anderson, informing us that it would only take 10 minutes. Twenty minutes later after trying to keep Anderson still and looking at the artist, with a bunch of bystanders staring and offering Anderson candy, the portrait was complete. We paid 30,000 won for a portrait that looked like Anderson with some Korean flair, but I figured it would make a great keepsake in his baby book.
Shopping in all the pottery shops, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much my mom would have loved it there! Some of the pottery was really expensive…the green ceramic pots and vases as well as the handmade china sets they were in the 200,000won range which is just under $200. Randy and I settled for a piece for our office since he is always collecting things from our travels. I wanted to load up on so many gifts but knowing that we would have to carry them as well as Anderson, I quickly decided against stocking up!
Anderson found refuge in the windmill park. They had a display of windmills of all different colors and sizes that the kids could run through…he loved it! A group of young girls came over to give him a sucker and take pictures with him…Anderson thanked them by blowing kisses! When Randy took Anderson’s hat off the girls reacted as if he was a male stripper ripping off his pants…something about his blond curls gets them hooting and hollering…Randy and I were cracking up!
At lunch, as we devoured some chicken on a stick, a young man kept bringing us free food. He was excited that we were from Chicago so he must have been there before! I was not impressed with the food but it is impolite to turn it down so I was glad Randy was there to eat it! He was chasing it with the chicken and a coke.
Things learned: Corn on the cob looks good but feels like wax and tastes like fishy water…yuk! Try to avoid eye contact near food tents in hopes that a friendly Korea doesn’t offer you free food you may not enjoy but are forced to eat! And when spending the day eating things that seem less than satisfying…a coke becomes your best friend and is easy comfort food!

Oh a Running we will go!!!

Ok so I guess I have a lot of catching up to do…well I wouldn’t normally, but we have done so much since I have made a post. Let’s just say we have been taking advantage of everything South Korea has to offer.

Saturday May 1st:

We woke early in the morning in order to run our 1^st 5K as a family! Since Jenny has gotten me hooked on running, it has been a vision of mine to recruit Randy and Anderson as well! When we arrived on post at the registration booth I began to panic as we notice we did not have any reflective gear which is essential when running on post, despite the fact that the sun was shining bright! Turned out they were supplying the vests for those who did not bring their own so we things were looking up! Well until we were told that we could not use headphones…right there I thought I was going to die. I had just reset my running playlist on my ipod and I rely on music to get me through the run. Feeling a bit defeated, I looked at Randy, who runs every morning and would not have minded sleeping in instead but was there for me, I decided to suck it up and use him as my motivation. Although there were many hills (even Randy said it was a tough course), and a group of soldiers singing behind me…I stayed with Randy for most of the time. We finished and I beat my last time by 2 minutes! Anderson slept through the whole run!

We went home after the race and got ready to leave for the bus stop in order to get to the train station! Anderson loved his first public bus ride, train ride, and taxi ride. Probably due to fact that he didn’t have to ride in a car seat! Our train tickets were double booked so we lost our seats so we decided to go into the dining car (which reminded us of when we were in Italy and during the transportation strike, we lost our seats then too). The dining car ended up giving us more room so we were pleased. I found it interesting that they had computers, massage chairs, and a karaoke booth on the train. When we got off the train we had some trouble getting a taxi to take us to Camp Garrison for the Wine Fest, but finally found one that understood and agreed to take us. The Wine Fest was lots of fun and Anderson slept through the beginning allowing Mommy and Daddy some time to enjoy tasting! Then we took Anderson outside to the Children’s festival they were having! He had a really good time. Then we bought some wine and took Anderson to the playground. Then hit rewind…taxi, train, bus and home sweet home! Oh but wait…before home we ate dinner and a Chinese restaurant we ate from the buffet and Anderson was over tired and I was not thrilled about the food, but the fried dumplings were the best! During dinner we were asked to move tables so that a family could sit together and as a sign of thanks they sent a box of French desserts over as a gift…how sweet!

Things learned: Taking public transportation with a toddler can be a great experience. I loved seeing Anderson get excited about what he was seeing. I am sure he does the same thing in the backseat of my car but I never get to be with him to point things out to him!

Anderson loves quiche…we had it at the Wine Fest.

Running without headphones on really allows a person to talk to themselves…I became my own motivational speakerJ

Things Confirmed: South Korea has the best playgrounds!

Catchin Up

So I can’t believe that April is almost past us! I am curious to see what May brings seeing as how we already have a packed weekend planned! This weekend we are taking the train to Seoul to attend the "Wine Festival" and on Sunday we are going on a trip to Yeoju which is the Ceramic Capital of Korea! On this trip we will be shopping, eating, and taking a short sailboat ride! Should be fun!

Since I have been slacking AGAIN, let me get you up to speed on what has been going on around here!

I have learned that waking up at 4am to watch the Blackhawks game while drinking a beer and eating Chile was probably not a good idea…and I think we were both feeling it all dayJ On the plus side…Randy and I got to spend some time together before Anderson joined us for the end of the game!

Anderson has learned that going down a slide head first is not as safe as it is fun! He had more momentum than usually which lead to his chin being the stopping force…a little road rash or shall I say “rubber rash” never killed anyone (the surface is made of rubber). Now when he is at the park he starts like he is going to go head first and without me even saying a word he turns around and goes backwards on his belly or on his butt feet first.

I am finding it impossible to find an affordable Watermelon for Anderson! A watermelon goes for around $20 here which is much more than I am willing to spend for a fruit…not to mention they are pretty small. We may have to settle for a Honeydew Melon instead!

This weekend we went to the travel center and started to see what are travel options are for Memorial Day weekend and the 4th of July. We were planning on taking a trip to Hawaii, but once we saw the flyer for Guam we started to think that we would probably never get the chance to go there so we are hoping to go there as well as China. The flyers for Thailand and Indochina looked amazing as well but we only have so much time to fit it all in! Since Jeju is only a 40 minute flight and looks to be a tropical paradise, we plan to go there since it is really affordable!

We received a contact for a babysitter here, so we plan on checking her out and possibly getting a "date night" in soon! We are preparing for the Cinco De Mayo fest they have on the 21st of May...I know it should be on the 5th...but we are in South Korea so what can you expect.

Yesterday we ate Mexican Torte! This was a “throw back” meal to the days when Randy and I first started dating. It is layers upon layers of taco meat, beans and cheese all on tortillas and topped with guacamole and sour cream…Yummy!

Tonight the boys are on their own since I will be going to the monthly “Army Wives” potluck. We were asked to bring our favorite spring dish so I am making Jenny’s Cowboy Caviar…black beans, corn, cilantro, avocado, red onion all tossed in a red wine vinegar and lime mixture! Hope they enjoy it as much as I do…if not I will not have a problem finishing the leftovers!

Chow for Now!!!

Finally Arrived

So all the boxes that were sent from home finally made it and it felt like Christmas! All of a sudden I had more clothes and Anderson had new toys...I have to admit, I stashed some in the closet so that when the other ones get old I have "new" ones to give him...a little trick I do:) When he opened the box with his cd player in it he went crazy and then when he saw his books he was running around squealing like a little girl:) I really need to set up hidden cameras to capture his hilariousness!

Not much happened today...just emptied all the boxes and put things where they needed to go. Spent an hour snuggling with Anderson in bed while watching...yep you guessed it...IMAGINATION MOVERS! Mopped the floors while Anderson napped!

I just completed a paper that is due for school and feel slight relief...well till tomorrow when I have more to do:)

I am not sure if I shared this with everyone but Anderson is now saying "HOT"...and he makes the funniest face when saying it. He also says Eggs and is starting to sing (at least that is what it sounds like) to music on the radio. He is really making me laugh the last few days. Seems like he is growing up so fast now...everyday he is doing something new!

Dinner was not too exciting...leftovers of anything in the fridge! We were supposed to be having Tilapia with tomato basil salsa, but in preparing it, Randy noticed the salsa needed to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours...so we will be having that tomorrow!

Sorry, not much going on...but sometimes that is a good thing:)
See you another time:)

Slacking Already

Well I was hoping to post a message everyday, but already I am slacking. So yesterday...a great day! Anderson and I decided to go for a run in the jogging stroller after lunch. After packing a few snacks for the park we loaded up and started the run to the "walking park". The walking park down the street is a walking park for a reason and yesterday it finally hit me. The entire thing seems to be uphill!! As I rounded the first corner I was gasping for air and inhaled a huge breath of cow manure! Apparently, they spread this in the rice fields. I have found that the only positive to using a jogging stroller is that you don't have to find a sitter or face child neglect charges when wanting to go for a run! Other than that, I miss having my arms free to help my stride and posture...and I could go without the extra weight that I am pushing...my butt is enough! Somewhere along the way to the park I decided to stop jogging and settle for a brisk walk due to the fact that the sidewalks looked as though they were on a fault line!

At the park Anderson decided to play at the exercise machines instead of the slides...Mommy didn't mind. On one machine you sit on it and using your own weight as weights you lift up and pull down for a great arm exercise...even more difficult when Anderson's added 27 lbs. was on my lap, but he enjoyed the ride!

Jogged back home and Anderson was out for the count....taking a 2.5 hour nap. Randy was working late again and without a car due to the fact that in South Korea getting new plates for your car includes leaving your car for 24 hours till the plates are complete. We should have it back today:)

OH AND BIG NEWS: The list of new assignments came out and although Ft. Campbell is on the list we have been reassured that we would probably not get to go back there since we were already there in the last 3 years....sooooo....Some of the posts on the list included Hawaii, Fort Knox in Louisville KY, Fort Lee Virginia, Fort Eustis Virginia and some others that Randy says I would not be interested in which means they are out of the country! So we are at a crossroads in determining if we stay in Korea another year or put Virginia and Kentucky on our list in hopes we get them. Once we are back in the states Randy will be deployable, however; the posts in Virginia don't deploy like the larger bases (Ft. Campbell). We are still looking into Fort Knox. So we are thinking about putting in our top 3 and if we don't get one we will stay in South Korea for a year!

Last night we had Florentine Steaks (rosemary, chives, parsley, salt, pepper, olive oil, and a splash of balsamic vinegar), with Red garlic roasted potatoes and broccoli! It was delightful...and Anderson finally ate steak!

Today is a busy day....heading to the childcare center to get Anderson registered so that I can observe for school, hit up a new park on post, and get ice cream (moderation people....moderation).

Tonight on the menu: Maple-Chipotle Hot Wings...Randy made these for me last week and I was in love with them. I can seriously eat them once a week...so we are having them again...(don't worry Jen they are baked not fried). I think I will make asparagus and a cucumber and tomato salad to go with them!

Thanks for Reading:)

Day 19

Today is our 19th day in South Korea and the first day having this blog! I was able to skype with Jenny and Jackson today which is always a great way to start the day. Uncle Dave and Elmo even popped in for a quick visit!

Not sure why...and there was never a notice, but the water was shut off today! Without water, Anderson and I could not mop, do dishes, or laundry sooooo we went to the park:)

Anderson and I decided to walk towards post to check out a new park that we passed when driving. It was the best park so far...there were American kids there! I think Anderson thought that we may have traveled through time and back to the states for a moment! I was able to finally chat with other English speaking Moms. The park in our backyard just so happens to have very few English speaking guests, which really doesn't seem to affect Anderson. He joins right in by pointing and playing copy cat! As for me it was nice to have people who could understand me! I may have even found myself a running buddy and possibly convinced her to run the 5K on May 1st!

Since my life revolves around food, I will also be posting our dinner menu and dining experiences! Tonight we are staying in and Randy will be cooking (like he usually does). We are having Chicken Sofrito Over Rice with fresh green beans! Not quite sure what Sofrito is but Randy has informed me that we have had it before and I loved it! I hope I wasn't just being nice that day:) I just took a glimpse at the recipe card and it seems as though it is in my hand writing so I must have enjoyed it....I would not take the time to write it on a card if I didn't! CHEERS!