Camp Adventure

When we got to Korea, The Artist was having trouble getting settled. She had spent 6 weeks saying goodbye to many friends and family members. I wasn't sure how I was going to help her get through the heartache of moving and missing her friends. I checked out a magazine put out by MWR (Morale, Welfare & Recreation) to see what was going on in the local area and found Camp Adventure. It is nine 1-week camps with arts and crafts, games, field trips, bowling and swimming for 40 hours a week. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to help my daughter get settled. We weren't able to get her in until the 3rd week and she just loved it. It was the solution she needed to finally feel settled and at home. She had a great time with the other kids and the counselors, Mr. Monsoon and Ms. Rainbow. And she can't wait to go back again! She went to a beach in Korea this week. The family was invited to join the kids, but the Nature Girl and I didn't... wished we would have, but I needed to get some things done around the house. I'm still trying to get moved in. Maybe next time.

North Carolina

The drive to NC was pretty. It seems that NC, like TX cares to plant flowers along the roadsides to make the scenery more attractive for those stuck driving the highways. My dear friend, Jenn, was kind enough to let us stay at her place for a few days. Poor Jenn seemed to have nothing but car problems while I was there, but at least she was not alone as we drug one car after the other to the garage! When the guys are away, it seems like nothing but trouble follows. It was nice just to do the mundane stuff of hanging out, grocery shopping and staying up all night talking... it was relaxing and fun. And, oh, the fun the kids had! My girls just loved hanging out with Jenn's kids! They have missed each other since Jenn and her family moved away more than a year ago.

Now, my eldest is not fond of dogs, especially ones that are taller than her knees, so she kept her distance from Jenn's boxer for most of our visit. But, by the end of our visit, she had finally warmed up to the pup. My youngest on the other hand, is VERY fond of all living things. She had a blast playing with the dog and the cat and chasing squirrels out in the yard.

While we were there, my eldest saw Jenn knitting a prayer shawl and asked her if she would make one for her stuffed bear so he wouldn't be cold on the airplane flight to Korea. I didn't know what to make of my daughter asking for a gift like that, but Jenn thought that she had asked so sweetly, that she found some yarn laying around and got right to knitting up a little blanket for a stuffed bear named, Pete. What a blessing to have such wonderful friends!

It was sad to drive away that morning... my oldest daughter is having trouble saying goodbye to loved ones every few days as we move from one house to another traveling across the country. We still have several more stops to go before we get to Korea... I pray she will be alright.







Jenn working on my eldest's blanket with
my future cat, Lucky, and my youngest





My eldest with the pup and
her stuffed animal, Pete



Our kids

Traveling to Alabama

Well, we drove from Texas to Alabama in two days. The traffic in Houston is so bad... I spent hours white-knuckled in stop-n-go traffic. When the girls asked to stop for a break to stretch, I was glad to take a break from the traffic. We pulled over about 50 meters from the ocean, and there the girls found some shells to entertain them for a few minutes. We grabbed dinner at Ihop and got back on the road. We had barely crossed the border into Louisiana when we decided to get a room for the night. The next day we decided to stop in Gulfport, MS to stretch our legs and check out the Gulf coast for the first time in our lives. The waves were nice and gentle. Of course the girls loved it and I thought it was pretty nice myself. We spent about 45 minutes on the beach and got back on the road and got to Alabama around 9:30 at night. The hotel my mother-in-law booked for us did not have internet access. Since I only had that night to talk to my husband before he was gone on a training exercise for a week, I asked her if she would mind if I switched hotels to one that had internet access. I felt so bad having to ask that of my MIL since she had gone through so much trouble to find us a place close to her house. So we ended up staying at a Holiday Inn up the road and were even given a room upgrade... the manager on duty wanted to bless us by giving us a larger room on the 1st floor so I wasn't leaving my kids several times to go unload the car and drag things to the second floor. Just so you know, the military discount in Alabama is also higher than the AAA discount. Not a bad thing for those of us in the military. But because the cost of the room was a bit higher at the H.I., we only stayed there for one night.



Texas Roadside Flowers



Road-side stop in Houston, Texas




Girls crashed at hotel in Louisiana



Collecting Shells in
Gulfport, Mississippi

Whew!

WOW! I thought I would never get out of Arizona! I cleaned and worked and painted and cleaned for a week. Now, my house was not that dirty, but the list that the property management company gave me and the work that just plain needed done and the OCD issues that I have made it last that long! I wasn't able to just say, "that's good enough" or "I don't care". It just is so hard to find those words in me. The lady from property management came and looked at the house and said that the house looked great and that most of her owners don't put that much work into their homes. Wait a minute... you mean I could have left with a sweep and a mop???? I would have happily done so if I thought I could get away with it.

But that's not all... I spent the next whole day sorting through all the stuff that had been in my house that the packers hadn't taken away... about 3 vanloads full! I had to pack some of it to mail and some of it to actually get the privilege of driving around the country with me. I mailed about 18 boxes to Korea (don't ask how much that cost) and 3 boxes to my mom (of things she wanted to have back when my girls were done with them). Your postage rates shouldn't be going up again any time soon!

I finally pulled out of town around 11:30 am. We stopped and grabbed McD's and took a potty break and got going again. We are now halfway to Fort Hood, Texas. The girls were just great on the trip. They only had one opportunity to stretch their legs during the 430 miles of road. They sure were troopers! And tomorrow, we should get to see my dear friends, Melissa and Colleen! I can't wait! I sure do miss them! Fort Hood, here we come!

Will it ever end?

I have cleaning to do, painting, address changes, records to pick up, stuff to get rid of, utilities to shut off... the list just goes on and on! I have been so busy, that I sit down for just a minute to rest after I put the girls to bed and the next thing I know, it is 3:00 in the morning! Just a few more days til I turn over the keys. I decided to stay here in AZ over the weekend because I will never get everything done otherwise. This is a lot of work, but fortunately, I have good friends who have been helping me watch the girls so I can get things done. Well, I am off to paint the closet and start priming the bathroom (which was school bus yellow). Hopefully I can even get some sleep tonight. I figure once I get on the road, I can sleep to my heart's content... and I probably will!