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!