It's been over a year now since our move to the motherland... now that we're situated, and a little more familiar with the way things work over here I've gotta admit that Korea is actually growing on me. There's talk that we may be relocating back to the states soon, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that we'll somehow get extended, or at least finish our 2 year agreement here.
If I haven't said this before, it's really hard trying to live a military lifestyle... I've lived in Dallas TX my entire life, and didn't even venture far for college. The idea of moving around every couple years just seems a little unsettling to me. I need to learn to be more adventurous and crawl out of my shell.
Goal for 2010 (wait.. is it still 2010?) OMG I seriously had to check my calendar... it's 2011, geez! So let me start over.
Goal for 2011-- look at things with a more positive attitude from the get go.
<3
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Officially 2011
The start of a new year, many hopes and promises as we start with a blank slate. This year (like every other year) I will attempt to be a better person... by better I mean lighter, prettier, more patient with less attitude. or something like that.
This year, I do intend to keep one promise I made at the end of last year, which is to raise my daughter with a Christian upbringing... which means I need to take my 15 pound overweight butt back to church, and really dig deep to connect with my spiritual side. I have been spiritually dead for years now... I don't even know what it truly feels like being a Christian anymore... I need an awakening, and I intend to do it before I have to figure things out the hard way.
These days there's barely any time for anything. My 8 month old now has a mind of her own, and she follows me around in her walker screaming high pitched shrieks at the top of her lungs... she finally stop as I reach down to pick her up, but then decides she doesn't want that either. All day I am at her mercy... I eat when she lets me, sleep when she says I can and even shower at her discrepancy. I am a slave to my master...
The past 2 months we spent flying around the continental US. My little Yena is a traveling guru. She has been to 3 countries and 4 states in the past 8 months. I am pretty sure she'll think that flying is a normal mode of transportation. In the past 2 months, sleeping schedules have been completely thrown off. It has been months since I've slept through the night. I know that I"m supposed to let her cry it out, but I can't stand listening to her cries. 15 minutes and I'm done!! So, I'm up almost every hour of the night, tending to my masters needs. *sigh*
I can't believe it's been a year already since we arrived in Korea, and started this journey~~
I'm beginning to feel like this is home... Although Korea and I have a love hate relationship, I'm actually really going to miss this place when I leave... well, at least the food. In Korea, you can get just about anything delivered to you... Thank God for delivery otherwise my family would have starved during my many lazy days of boycotting the kitchen.
It's getting late, and I know the little one will summon me soon. Hopefully I'll be back with another update soon.
<3
This year, I do intend to keep one promise I made at the end of last year, which is to raise my daughter with a Christian upbringing... which means I need to take my 15 pound overweight butt back to church, and really dig deep to connect with my spiritual side. I have been spiritually dead for years now... I don't even know what it truly feels like being a Christian anymore... I need an awakening, and I intend to do it before I have to figure things out the hard way.
These days there's barely any time for anything. My 8 month old now has a mind of her own, and she follows me around in her walker screaming high pitched shrieks at the top of her lungs... she finally stop as I reach down to pick her up, but then decides she doesn't want that either. All day I am at her mercy... I eat when she lets me, sleep when she says I can and even shower at her discrepancy. I am a slave to my master...
The past 2 months we spent flying around the continental US. My little Yena is a traveling guru. She has been to 3 countries and 4 states in the past 8 months. I am pretty sure she'll think that flying is a normal mode of transportation. In the past 2 months, sleeping schedules have been completely thrown off. It has been months since I've slept through the night. I know that I"m supposed to let her cry it out, but I can't stand listening to her cries. 15 minutes and I'm done!! So, I'm up almost every hour of the night, tending to my masters needs. *sigh*
I can't believe it's been a year already since we arrived in Korea, and started this journey~~
I'm beginning to feel like this is home... Although Korea and I have a love hate relationship, I'm actually really going to miss this place when I leave... well, at least the food. In Korea, you can get just about anything delivered to you... Thank God for delivery otherwise my family would have starved during my many lazy days of boycotting the kitchen.
It's getting late, and I know the little one will summon me soon. Hopefully I'll be back with another update soon.
<3
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Domo Arigato
Konichiwa.
It's been quite some time since I've had a chance to keep you posted.
Our new little house guest (Yena) has been keeping us quite busy! It's been an exciting and very challenging 5 months. Brad has taken command of his battery, so he's hardly ever home, and I've had my hands tied with the little miss. I've definitely come a long way in the past year, and I've grown up a lot in the past few months. I hardly recognize the girl in the mirror!
In the past few months, we've decided to utilize our free time to do some exploring. Everyone told us that Jeju Island was Korea's version of Hawaii. So we took a trip out there as soon as Yena's 100th day approached. It was by far an utter disappointment. Like Hawaii pooped a little turd of an island and they called it Jeju. It was however, quite interesting to see the traditional Korean neighborhoods. I accidentally walked into a house thinking it was on display, only to find some family actually resided in it. Pretty neat, but I have no idea how any modern day person lives without up to date plumbing.
It's been about a week since we took our second family vacay to Japan. Kyoto to be exact. After returning home, a few things were fresh on my mind... Japanese people are super clean, they are extremely friendly and helpful, the fashion is so adorable, and Kyoto is absolutely breathtaking. I should have been born Japanese. *darn*
Yena is now a little over 5 months old. Although we definitely had our challenging moments traveling with an infant, she was such a trooper (just like mommy)! keke. She did however, catch her first cold while she was there!
Anyways, I'm getting ready to return to the States after almost 11 months of being away. I am definitely looking forward to my Texas size steaks, some msg infested pho, and yes, even a night out at norazo. I know on any given night, I will still find the usual crowd there~~ I know nothing has changed even though it seems like an eternity since I"ve been home. Nope, there are no surprises no matter how long I've left Dallas for!
I think Dallas will ALWAYS be the same, it's me who will become different. I'm actually wondering if I'll even find my niche in Dallas being the person I am now. I'm definitely not who I was when I left.
Anyways life as an ahjumma means you get the condensed versions of my journey out here in Korea. There's hardly ever any time to write, and speed writing means no fluff, and no fluff means boring text. I will happily report however, that this week will be my last week teaching English. And I can proudly report that one of my challenged students, after almost 9 months of lessons, still cannot distinguish between a short a and a long A vowel sound. FAIL! I am seriously growing old because of this child! Good riddance.
Anyways, it is mommy's bedtime, so I shall update you again soon!
sayonara~~
It's been quite some time since I've had a chance to keep you posted.
Our new little house guest (Yena) has been keeping us quite busy! It's been an exciting and very challenging 5 months. Brad has taken command of his battery, so he's hardly ever home, and I've had my hands tied with the little miss. I've definitely come a long way in the past year, and I've grown up a lot in the past few months. I hardly recognize the girl in the mirror!
In the past few months, we've decided to utilize our free time to do some exploring. Everyone told us that Jeju Island was Korea's version of Hawaii. So we took a trip out there as soon as Yena's 100th day approached. It was by far an utter disappointment. Like Hawaii pooped a little turd of an island and they called it Jeju. It was however, quite interesting to see the traditional Korean neighborhoods. I accidentally walked into a house thinking it was on display, only to find some family actually resided in it. Pretty neat, but I have no idea how any modern day person lives without up to date plumbing.
It's been about a week since we took our second family vacay to Japan. Kyoto to be exact. After returning home, a few things were fresh on my mind... Japanese people are super clean, they are extremely friendly and helpful, the fashion is so adorable, and Kyoto is absolutely breathtaking. I should have been born Japanese. *darn*
Yena is now a little over 5 months old. Although we definitely had our challenging moments traveling with an infant, she was such a trooper (just like mommy)! keke. She did however, catch her first cold while she was there!
Anyways, I'm getting ready to return to the States after almost 11 months of being away. I am definitely looking forward to my Texas size steaks, some msg infested pho, and yes, even a night out at norazo. I know on any given night, I will still find the usual crowd there~~ I know nothing has changed even though it seems like an eternity since I"ve been home. Nope, there are no surprises no matter how long I've left Dallas for!
I think Dallas will ALWAYS be the same, it's me who will become different. I'm actually wondering if I'll even find my niche in Dallas being the person I am now. I'm definitely not who I was when I left.
Anyways life as an ahjumma means you get the condensed versions of my journey out here in Korea. There's hardly ever any time to write, and speed writing means no fluff, and no fluff means boring text. I will happily report however, that this week will be my last week teaching English. And I can proudly report that one of my challenged students, after almost 9 months of lessons, still cannot distinguish between a short a and a long A vowel sound. FAIL! I am seriously growing old because of this child! Good riddance.
Anyways, it is mommy's bedtime, so I shall update you again soon!
sayonara~~
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
100th day
It's officially our daughter Evelyn Yena Son's 100th day. It's been quite some time since I've been able to update, but life with a little one hardly leaves any time for leisurely writing. It's been a fabulous 100 days, and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect daughter. God truly knows how to make his children happy, and has blessed us with more than I could have ever dreamed of.
I must say that being a mom has definitely been a tough job. I've had my moments where I've felt defeated, tired or overwhelmed, but for the most part it has been an unbelievable journey thus far. It feels like Yena (we tend to call her by her Korean name) is learning something new each day, and teaching us something in return... I always knew I wanted to be a mother, and a good mother at that, but that's about as much as I had anticipated. I really didn't know what to expect of myself. I tend to be lazy and God knows I was a horrible adolescent, so I didn't know if I'd be successful as a mom... I thought I'd sleep through the night (on accident) while my baby cried, but it's incredible how strong my motherly instincts are. My sense of hearing is unbelievable when it comes to my daughters cry. With this kind of hearing, I could probably sense a cricket in Timbuktoo.
I've shed my share of tears when my daughter had her first experience in the hospital when we found out she was jaundice. I have never lost my appetite over emotional distress until I saw my daughter hooked up to IV's and getting her blood drawn daily to check her biliruben levels. I will never forget hearing her cry, and the first time I knew what it really felt like to be a mom.
It has been a wonderful 3 and a half months with our daughter. I prayed to God almost every night for a happy baby, and once again he answered my prayers. I love seeing her smile and lately she has been laughing out loud. We noticed 2 days ago that her bottom front tooth was growing in, and she has been drooling as if she had 10 shots of Novocain in her mouth. She's 97% for her height and 90 percentile in her weight. She was 63 cm tall and about 14 pounds at her 2 month checkup. I think she's going to be taller than her dad at this rate.
I hear her crying in the other room. Which means its time for me to go!
I'll update again soon! <3
I must say that being a mom has definitely been a tough job. I've had my moments where I've felt defeated, tired or overwhelmed, but for the most part it has been an unbelievable journey thus far. It feels like Yena (we tend to call her by her Korean name) is learning something new each day, and teaching us something in return... I always knew I wanted to be a mother, and a good mother at that, but that's about as much as I had anticipated. I really didn't know what to expect of myself. I tend to be lazy and God knows I was a horrible adolescent, so I didn't know if I'd be successful as a mom... I thought I'd sleep through the night (on accident) while my baby cried, but it's incredible how strong my motherly instincts are. My sense of hearing is unbelievable when it comes to my daughters cry. With this kind of hearing, I could probably sense a cricket in Timbuktoo.
I've shed my share of tears when my daughter had her first experience in the hospital when we found out she was jaundice. I have never lost my appetite over emotional distress until I saw my daughter hooked up to IV's and getting her blood drawn daily to check her biliruben levels. I will never forget hearing her cry, and the first time I knew what it really felt like to be a mom.
It has been a wonderful 3 and a half months with our daughter. I prayed to God almost every night for a happy baby, and once again he answered my prayers. I love seeing her smile and lately she has been laughing out loud. We noticed 2 days ago that her bottom front tooth was growing in, and she has been drooling as if she had 10 shots of Novocain in her mouth. She's 97% for her height and 90 percentile in her weight. She was 63 cm tall and about 14 pounds at her 2 month checkup. I think she's going to be taller than her dad at this rate.
I hear her crying in the other room. Which means its time for me to go!
I'll update again soon! <3
Monday, May 24, 2010
Evelyn Yena Son
short and sweet...
Evelyn Yena Son was born on May 10, 2010 =)
she weighed 7 lbs 5 oz & was 21 inches tall.
Unfortunately she had a bit of jaundice (which I am now finding out is fairly common amongst Asian babies), but after her photo therapy treatment and a few doctors visits, they said she was fine. Brad and I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. She is so sweet & hardly ever cries. Will post again soon!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April Showers Bring May Babies
April is already coming to an end. What is happening to all this time? It seems to be flying by, and leaving only hints and trails that it has come and gone. We do have some pretty memorable moments though, and I am definitely looking forward to these next few months.
The weather is now starting to warm up, however I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up to a blizzard tomorrow. Like every other city I know, the weather is quite unpredictable now days, and I find myself bundled up in the morning just to remove layer by layer as the day goes on. I have been following the news about the volcano eruption which is causing all sorts of delays and cancellations on flights. So fortunate to not be one of the stranded.
MAMA Son has come and gone. Her visit here was great, and our fridge is completely stocked with all sorts of traditional Korean dishes. We have like 5 different kinds of marinated anchovies, 5 different kinds of black peas (kong ja ban), and I don't even know how many different types of fermented cabbage/roots/leaves/radish. This definitely came with a price though. Since Brad's mother and father collectively have about 12 brothers in sisters, we were bombarded with visitors whom we had to host... For those of you who don't know, I have one of those obsessive anal personalities like Monica on Friends. I will literally lose sleep over what to cook for breakfast if I know we're having guests, for the simple fact that I want everything to be perfect.
Speaking of Mama Son though. I think it's absolutely adorable that she talks to Papa Son like 5 times a day, with their conversations always ending in "I love you, I miss you, I'll come home soon." It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know that someday Brad and I will tell each other that with our graying hair & aging bodies.... =)
By the way, Brad has been out in the field for training exercises and will be for the next two weeks. The house is so quiet, and it definitely feels like the calm before the storm. It's almost erie though. No puppy, no baby and now no hubby. All I have are plants to take care of. I am keeping busy though doing all my catch up reading on all of our baby stuff. Finally getting the hospital bag together and getting prepared for our little one.
If I told you that I was anxious, it would be an understatement. It seems like all I think about is baby Evelyn's arrival & what it'll be like after she's born. Being in Korea, I am definitely worried about finding her the best pediatricians, and finding a good housekeeper/nanny for the hours that I'm working. It feels like I'm trying to figure all this out with my hands tied since I am still foreign to this country. I'm definitely doing a lot more praying since I know I can't do this on my own. I'm sure He's got my back! =)
It's so crazy to see how far I've come... and how different my life is from even a year ago, or two years ago. I feel like I've done so much growing up in the past two years that I hardly recognize myself. I'm definitely glad that I did though!! Life as I know it now is fantastic!! Of course I wouldn't have done anything differently in the past either though... those times were great too!!
Anyhow. I'm at 36 weeks now... 37-42 weeks is when I should be expecting baby Evelyn. I will come back with an update after we meet her. <3>
Speaking of Mama Son though. I think it's absolutely adorable that she talks to Papa Son like 5 times a day, with their conversations always ending in "I love you, I miss you, I'll come home soon." It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to know that someday Brad and I will tell each other that with our graying hair & aging bodies.... =)
By the way, Brad has been out in the field for training exercises and will be for the next two weeks. The house is so quiet, and it definitely feels like the calm before the storm. It's almost erie though. No puppy, no baby and now no hubby. All I have are plants to take care of. I am keeping busy though doing all my catch up reading on all of our baby stuff. Finally getting the hospital bag together and getting prepared for our little one.
If I told you that I was anxious, it would be an understatement. It seems like all I think about is baby Evelyn's arrival & what it'll be like after she's born. Being in Korea, I am definitely worried about finding her the best pediatricians, and finding a good housekeeper/nanny for the hours that I'm working. It feels like I'm trying to figure all this out with my hands tied since I am still foreign to this country. I'm definitely doing a lot more praying since I know I can't do this on my own. I'm sure He's got my back! =)
It's so crazy to see how far I've come... and how different my life is from even a year ago, or two years ago. I feel like I've done so much growing up in the past two years that I hardly recognize myself. I'm definitely glad that I did though!! Life as I know it now is fantastic!! Of course I wouldn't have done anything differently in the past either though... those times were great too!!
Anyhow. I'm at 36 weeks now... 37-42 weeks is when I should be expecting baby Evelyn. I will come back with an update after we meet her. <3>
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Enough with the cold weather already. It's already mid March, and it is still in the 20s and 30s. I'm not completely sold on the global warming theory, but something is definitely messing up our environment and screwing up the weather as a result. 3 major earthquakes this year, cyclones, hurricanes and tornados ripping people's worlds apart. I think something is definitely not right with this picture.
In other news. My teaching business has taken off, and I've now acquired a total of 7 students ranging from 4 years in age, to 32. I work about 4 hours a day, and that's all I intend to do. I can't stand how bratty some Korean children can be, and as much as I love kids I can't help but daydream about hitting them in the head or flushing their face in a toilet. Ok, I kid. But somedays I feel like I'm in over my head.
Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm now a ripe 7 months pregnant. Some days I'm fine, but others I have contemplated locking myself in the bedroom and not coming out for a whole 24 hours. I am so tired, and the little one is poking and prodding in all directions. It's the most fun when she's pushing against my back & or having a boxing match with my rib cage. Squirt 7, ribcage 0. I don't know how my body is going to hold up for another 2 months. None of my clothes fit anymore, and now that we have our curtains and blinds up in our house, Brad allows me to walk around without restrictions. You don't know how liberating it is to not have a waistband digging into your gut. Excuse me for having no shame in talking about this.
Now that I'm in my last trimester, my dreams have become extremely vivid and bizarre. It starts out like a normal dream, and then out of nowhere I'm seeing whales & things that are flying that shouldn't be. Brad has been reading a book called "What to Expect When your Wife is Expanding" and someone (I'm wondering if it's Brad) wrote to the editor "Lately my wife's dreams have become especially vivid. But when she tells them to me, I am still incredibly bored. Is there something wrong with me?"
The response: "Not at all! Natural anxieties, hormonal changes and sleep deprivation account for this, but there is nothing more tedious than hearing about a dream... 'Say that reminds me of a story that has no particular beginning or end, and doesn't make any sense. Care to hear about it?' 'Oh sure honey, just let me know when a character is no longer who they started out as, or when you completely change where you are okay?'"
Needless to say, I try to keep my dreams to myself so that I can appear somewhat sane to my husband who already thinks I'm half crazy, but between me and you, I think that's why he loves me. haha
Since we got here, Brad and I have been contemplating extending our contract for 3 or maybe even 4 years. Korea has exceeded my expectations, and I think it would be nice if our little one(s) picked up a little Korean before heading home. But once again, being in the military, nothing is ever certain, and we actually don't know where we'll be even this time next year. Rumor has it, Brad's unit will be moving to El Paso, TX. Hopefully we'll be able to stay put. Oh the joys have having a governmental leash around our neck! I guess we should be thankful for job security, but gosh what a price we're paying.
A few things I miss back in the states, apart from friends and family, is a nice big bowl of Pho Tai, some good ol' TX bbq, cajun crawfish with extra potatoes and corn, in and out, and five guys. And Central Market! Gosh I miss the grocery stores. It's kind of hard trying to cook when you're limited to 4 aisle at the commissary, with no organic anything, and frozen meats that have been there for God knows how long. I miss having rows and rows of herbs and peppers to choose from with a nice big selection of seafood, steaks, and fresh produce. And I miss my Eggo Waffles! The Korea grocery stores are great, don't get me wrong-- but I miss the bargain prices at Costco, and the herbs here are all different from the ones I'm used to seeing.
Next week, my mother in law will be arriving in Korea. It'll be nice having another familiar face around. The house has been rather quiet since we sold our puppy. Yes, we finally had to get rid of her, after months of battling it out with her. Overall it was just too much to handle with Brad and I working, with a baby on the way & a house to clean. I was pretty sad though! I had such a love/ hate relationship with Lexi, but it feels like something's really missing now that she's gone. I don't however, miss the stench from her potty room. Bleh!
Well the next couple weeks should be rather busy with my mother-in-law in town, and then Brad will be out in the field for training for a couple weeks, and by the time he's done with that it should almost be time for me to pop out the baby. Hopefully I'll find some time to keep you updated =) In the meantime, take care and be safe! Don't forget to thank God for all the things he's blessed you with!
안녕!!
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