Where IS that Damned Tooth Fairy

Talk about slackers.  The tooth fairy is really flaky at our house these days.  She forgets just about every time.  In fact, she banks on the fact that the Russ or Rach will also forget so she can get a reprieve.  She will sneak into the house while the kids are at school and then I will ask them about the tooth fairy after they get home.  It is very sad.  Hopefully it is just Korea, otherwise Rowan is destined for a life of disappointment from the tooth fairy...

You Know?

During the Fall of 2011, we took a tour to Seoraksan that was organized by the travel office on base.  We loaded up on buses and set off to find the beautiful fall foliage!  It was forecasted to be a ‘peak color’ weekend and, yes, Koreans forecast fall foliage as well as cherry blossoms.  We had a great trip.  What I really want to share with you is our adorable tour guide, Mr. Pak.

Mr. Pak worked for the USAF for 30 years, retired and now works part time being a tour guide for the travel office on base.  I found him to have a very endearing way of speaking and what I hope to share are some quotes, not exact, but close enough… you know?

“Please, remember my face.  There are so many of you and only one of me, it is hard for me to remember each of you.  You know?  And I know that we Korean people, well, we all look same, you know?  So, I will wear this hat, so you can know me.”  He said to us on the bus before started a hike.  And then he puts on the cheapest hat – a polyester  blue ball cap that has Osan ITT printed on it.  He smiles.

“Uuuuh, hello.  We have two buses on tour.  We are in first bus.  We stay in Seorak Tourist Hotel and other bus stay in other hotel.  Our hotel is older, but it is in park, you know?  Other bus stay at hotel not in park, but maybe a bit newer.  We are closer to park and I think is better, you know?”

“Korea is covered by mountains ____%.  We have a lot of mountains.  And so Koreans, they like to hike.  They like to hike b/c there are so many mountains, you know?  And Seorksan important mountain.”  What he failed to mention is that Koreans are serious about their hiking.  Adam and I called them Ninja Hikers because they have ALL the gear.  Hiking poles, boots, sleek hiking clothes, backpacks, hats and face masks.

“OK.  Now we go to Sokcho.  Great Buddhist temple there.  I am not Buddhist, you know?  I am a Christian.  But, this temple have great meaning.  It burn down twice.  And they rebuild this last time and cost 15 million dollars.  And that’s a lot of money. Uuuh, I think that Buddhists have a lot of money to rebuild great temple 2 times, you know?”

“Well, we visited Seorksan.  It is great national park with history, you know?  And you, we, we visit the park together and make the memories and the history together, you know?  I think that’s good, you know?”  Yes, actually I do : )

The 12 Steps

Okay, this is a little spoof on the 12 steps, applied to purse shopping because I have attained quite an impressive purse collection while in Korea....  Let me say that I mean no disrespect to AA.  I have friends in AA and have the utmost respect for their courage and the challenge they face every day.

My friend, Mary Dene, had one time suggested on Facebook that I needed a 12 step program for my purse addiction. Here it is:

1.  I am powerless to buying knock off purses.
2.  I need a greater power to to restore my will power, probably my husband.
3.  I must turn over my spending to Adam for his control.
4.  Making an inventory... I don't have a Gucci or Fendi purse in my collection.
5.  I have purchased A LOT of purses.
6.  I have plenty of purses and do not need to buy any more.
7.  Adam can cut me off from my purse money.
8.  I have 'harmed' friends by taking them and influencing them to buy purses.
9.  Sorry friends for encouraging you to buy purses.  If you feel the need to unload them, I will carry the burden of taking your purses.
10. Hmmm continue to inventory... I still don't have a Gucci or Fendi.  Or a good yellow purse.
11. My new mantra: Do not buy purses, do not buy purses.  You do not need to buy purses.
12. Carry my message to others:  Sorry ladies, I can no longer take you to Miss Kim to get special Aimee price!

Seoul-O Shopper

It is no surprise I have embraced shopping in Korea.  And yes, there are some jokes about my 12 step program to stop buying purses, however you don’t hear those jokes when I am taking people out and getting them a great price on a knock off bag ; )  That being said, there are bargains to be had and treasures to be discovered!

One weekend, my friend Cheryl and I had a full weekend of Seoul shopping planned.  It pretty much would have gone down in the history books as the shopping trip to end all shopping trips ; )  Unfortunately, germs claimed Cheryl and she (and her ‘smoker’s’ voice) had to stay home.  As bummed out as I was, I made the decision to go it alone.  Seoul-o, if you will!

I have to admit it was a little empowering to navigate Seoul on my own, make bargains without speaking Korean, discovering all kinds of fun stuff.  Of course, I had my map, so I can really go anywhere.  I learned quite a bit about a couple of market places that I wish I would have figured out a long time ago.

There are several markets/areas in Seoul to be explored:

Dondaemun – a mecca of shopping.  Besides department stores, there are all kinds of ‘alleys’ that all sell a certain product.  There is a toy alley that sells toys, stationery, art supplies, and other little gifty things.  Near toy alley is what I would call the aquarium alley which segues into more of a pet market with all kinds of little critters, supplies and cages.  There are markets/stalls that just sell shoes, or just clothing. 

One of the greatest places in Dondaemun that is so different from anything we are used to in the States is a 5 story building that is sewer’s dream – the fabric market. I don’t even sew and even I love it there!  And fabric doesn’t even cover it.  Besides fabric, notions, yarn, ribbons, and beads you can order it seems anything to be made.  Things for the home, clothing, accessories; the choices are pretty much endless.   To navigate the building is confusing.  Stalls are packed in and the narrow walkways are flooded with people and men making fabric deliveries.  One floor seems to be dedicated to where designers could come in and make orders?  I am not entirely sure on that, but I have seen Koreans walking with sketch books and swatches and talking to vendors.

Myeon-Dong – is like the hip place for shopping.  There is an H&M, a Forever 21, and hundreds of little boutiques and larger stores like Nike, The North Face, etc.  There are also lots of Korean boutiques and dept. stores.  And of course, there are street vendors selling scarves, bags, dog clothes, food; you name it!  Myeong Dong seems to have its own heartbeat.    A fun energy that just catches you.  Or maybe it was the music playing in the street?  I think perhaps both.

Namdaemun – the wholesale market that sells everything.  I have written about this market before.  My first girls’ weekend in Seoul (New Woman post) we ventured thru Namdaemun.  I have been several times now.  It is a curious maze of alleys and shops that sell everything.  Then there are multi story buildings and each floor has a ‘theme’.

Bangsan Market near Dondaemun – I call it baker’s alley, some call it the box market.  It is a little bit of both.  I call it baker’s alley b/c it is a couple of alleys full of shops selling all kinds of things for baking.  There is one shop that I like where I have purchased cake pans for less than $5 each.  And they are good heavy pans too!  When people call it the box market, it is still the same area, but really what they sell are food containers, more specifically for baked goods.  You can buy all types of boxes with Kor-English sayings on them, gift bags, disposable plastic cupcake carriers, anything a gifting baker could ask for : )

Itaewon – this is a bit more touristy and expensive than other places.  But I would call it artsy fartsy, but in a good way!  Lots of tea and coffee shops, lots of pottery shops, art galleries and typical Korean souvenir  type things.  I have been there twice and enjoyed it more the 2^nd time.

Yangae Flower Market – from what I have heard and seen there are a few flower markets in Seoul.  The one I’ve frequented b/c it is easy to drive and park there is Yangae.  Flowers as far as the eye can see.  Dried flowers, fake flowers, fresh flowers; all wholesale prices!  Not just flowers, oh no… tissue paper, baskets, wrapping paper, ribbon, netting, decorative bins and other little treasures.  Outside the flower market building are several greenhouse buildings selling indoor and other potted plants.  And in another smaller building a few shops selling vases and pots.

Express Bus Terminal – is almost a little bit of each of the above markets, all rolled into one.  That can be both good and bad.  Good in that there is a lot there to be seen, bad in that a day there can cost a lot of $$$ and time ; )

If you were to ask me what  my favorite place to shop is???? I’d say ________________.  Yep, that is definitely my favorite!!

Poop Slide Cafe

 THIS is the poop slide cafe.  Actually it is called the Dalki Cafe.  Dalki means strawberry in Korean and apparently there is a character called Dalki and her friend likes poop and composting (I think).  What you are looking at is where the sled ends, in a pile of poop.  That is a fly on the left and the friend who likes poop on the right.  In the picture below, Russ is jumping on this big air trampoline thing. 

 What exactly is this place???  It is an indoor play place that serves food and BEER!!  It is located within the Olympic Park in Seoul.  Basically you pay to enter and you get to play for 2 hours.  When we went we also had lunch and our adult admissions were deducted from our lunch total (a total bonus, as lunch was a bit pricey).  Lunch was surprisingly good.  Sort of Korean, sort of Italian, but definitely one of the yummiest meals we have had in Korea.

 The kids had a blast and parents can sit and relax and watch youngsters on TV screens if you can not see them from your table.  Rowan had fun on this "zipline".  There were tons of things to do.  Even a reading nook with Korean books.

Here is Mr. Poop Lover again.  That is a roll of toilet paper he is holding and it is formed into a chair.  Why is his nose dripping???  Perhaps he needs some toilet paper to wipe his nose???

I believe we took the bus to Nambu terminal and rode the subway to Olympic Park.  We did the Poop Slide Cafe, walked around Olympic Park, and went to the museum at the park. A fun little day all in all.

Life as a Rock Star??

I have been wondering if the kids will miss being 'popular' in Korea. It seems everywhere we go, they are being photographed or talked to just because they are American.

One of the 'worst' days was our hike on Sunrise peak on Jeju Island during Spring Break. I had to take a picture of all these students wanting a picture with our family. It was almost constant.

As we are getting ready to move to Tucson, I wonder if the kids will miss the attention or be thankful to blend in??

Up Close and Personal

Nothing says get to know your neighbors like a 6:20pm fire alarm on a Thursday night. The buzzing sound is loud and then a woman's voice, "Attention in the building, attention in the building" and then she says something about a fire and to exit the building. So, imagine, if you will, Adam is gone (of course!) and the kids and I have just returned home from ballet, trying to get some sort of dinner put on the table. Then it starts. It is so loud it is startling. Rowan immediately starts crying, Rachel and Russell start panicking b/c they actually think there is a fire. I think Rachel was naked b/c she was changing out of her ballet clothes. You can imagine the chaos amongst the 4 of us. Down the stairs we finally go, me holding Rowan and trying to cover his ears, Rachel starts crying because now she is hungry and cold (she is no longer naked, we got her dressed!) and Russ is trying to hurry us down the stairs.

Everyone pours out of the building and the playground is off limits b/c they are replacing the ground cover. Well, that starts another round of tears for Rachel. I find us a curb near some friends and we plop down and wait. I am kicking myself for not grabbing snacks or ipods, anything to entertain and keep the Rs kind of happy? What do you do at that point? People watch of course. You all of sudden know whose kids go to bed earlier than yours b/c they are all in the pajamas. Whose kids do fine in a time of stress b/c they are not crying. In fact Rachel decided she needed to go over and talk to her pal Matthew and tell him why she was crying. She did and came back happy. So, thank you Matthew! You learn who has dogs and who has dogs that don't like other dogs. And you learn that the very smart people take their kids to their car and either hang out there or drive off.

Oh and add to that one broken elevator in your building, leaving only 2 elevators to take all the inhabitants back up to their respective floors. And when one elevator is broken, you pack in. Which leads me to my next up close and personal scenario – broken elevators.

This time imagine all the school children and escorting parents along with people trying to get downstairs to go to work and you are down an elevator or two. You really pack it in. Personal space is not an option. You all groan together as you stop to pick people up on every floor. Yes, even the 1^st and 2^nd floors. We have faced almost packed elevators where you see a friend's face poking out from the back of the elevator and she says "Pack the kids in, I'll walk them!!" And of course, you do the same for other friends, especially those with strollers for their little ones.

Okay, so one last thing about the fire alarm. Adam had called like six times while we were outside and calls again just as we are getting back into the apt. The alarm is still going off. The firemen have inspected the building and cleared us to return but they can't get the alarm off. Encouraging, I know. And what does Mr. Wonderful have to say while the kids are crying and hungry?? He was calling to share he made it back to Korea from Okinawa and he got bumped to 1^st Class and it was so awesome, he wants to fly 1^st Class as much as possible, blah blah blah blah blah. That was when I started to cry… just kidding!

My new plan for the fire alarm, which I have shared with my new neighbor – we grab snacks and earphones, we go down the stairs, we go directly to our minivans parked side by side, and we either watch movies in the vans or head to Burger King!!! OPf course now that I am so s-m-r-t we won't get the opportunity ; )

I’m the Map, I’m the Map, I am the MMMMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPP!

My friend, Janise, reminded me that I have not shared very many stories lately. Okay, lately is an under exaggeration. Looking back at my last post in March (yikes!) is right around the time I started having all these weird symptoms and I had become a medical mystery!! While I won't get into all the symptoms, let me say that it has been terrible. The bottom line being that the very essence of Aim was slipping away and it was/is noticeable to many. We had to cancel our trip to Thailand over Spring Break and right before my big trip CA for the summer with the kids, I was sick again. I was sick in CA, debunking the rumor that it was a 'Korea Thing', and am now waiting on the results of yet another round of blood tests. This time for Celiac disease, this is an allergy to wheat and wheat protein (otherwise known as gluten). I have been trying to be gluten free over the last 4 weeks and have seen some improvement, but also had a medicine dosage increased, so the results of the blood test will really be the deciding factor in the Celiac diagnosis. This topic could be a whole other blog post.

Needless to say, blogging about Korea since March has not been a priority! But now that I am feeling better, I have thought about a story that I would like to share.

I have a really great map of Korea.

This map gets me everywhere. This map is so worn out that I have had to tape it pack together with clear packing tape. The best thing about my map is that was FREE, but it is worth $$$!

Case in point….. I actually corrected a taxi driver when he was going the WRONG way. When my friend, Beth, turned the big 4 -0, we took a little gals trip to Seoul. Just 4 gals going wild in Seoul! Not really, but we had plans and we needed to get around Seoul in the rain. Who came to the rescue, you know it, it was THE map. I navigated the streets of Seoul like it was nobody's business. My map has landmarks written in BOTH English and Korean. That may not seem important, but it is when you have a taxi driver that doesn't speak English. You just point to something on my map and they can read it in Korean. Brilliant! So, back to my 'case in point'. We are travelling from point A to B and the taxi driver is going the wrong way (I suspect maybe to rip us off). Not to this savvy map reader. I am saying to my cohorts, 'he is going the wrong way, he should be going this way' and gesturing to my map. Lo and behold, the driver flips a U and takes us in the correct direction. Yes, I'm the map, I'm the map, I am THE map.

The map also proved itself invaluable on a family trip to Busan over Memorial Day weekend. We decided to drive through the glorious countryside of Korea instead of taking the train. We are suckers for a road trip. Kim (remember her; the GPS?) was very good to us that weekend, but my map kept us one step ahead of Miss Kim. And then, while in Busan, we used MY map to communicate with taxi drivers. Once again, I will say, I'm the map, I'm the map, I am THE map.

A funny side note for the Busan trip…. We are cruising in a taxi and the Korean driver looks at me and says 'Espanol?' And I say no we are American. He goes on to tell us in broken English he lived in Mexico for 7 years. Oooooh, I figure it out. So I tell him that yes, I speak some Spanish. So we converse in Spanish for the rest of the ride. I mean honestly, what are the chances of getting a Korean taxi driver that speaks Spanish in Busan?? Once in a lifetime right there!

There are many more times that I have used my map, but I won't get into each time. I do like to know where I am going and how to get there, so I really value my map. Adam suggested that I get framed after we leave Korea. God, I love that guy!!! I will get it framed; holes, tape and all. I mean after all, I'm the map!!

Preheated Hot Water and Other Simple Things

I was able to have lunch with Adam today. It was a fun little outing. Rowan and I walked over to his office and then we walked to lunch. It just got me thinking about how I should write about some of the little comforts of life here. There is a lot to complain about here, but there are some benefits too. These are just some of the simple pleasures amidst the oddities in no particular order…

Our water cooler… I am a little picky about drinking water, so we bought a water cooler and have the 5 gallon water jugs delivered as we need them. This water cooler has the hot water dispenser too. Hot tea? No problem. Oatmeal? Couldn't be easier. Hot chocolate all around? You got it. Can you tell how easy it is to please me these days? I know you must be thinking, I am thinking it too. Really? Preheated hot water makes you happy? It is a little sad, but I live in South Korea.

The medical clinic and hospital is literally across the street from our apartment building. We haven't had many appointments, but when we have, it is so nice to not have to think about getting everyone in the car and timing the traffic, parking, etc. It takes 2 minutes, if that, to get there. If we have to go to the ER, (fingers crossed we never have to), just cross the street. With the croup that goes around, this could be a major convenience for the Bright Fam.

Walking almost everywhere, if you want. I am liking the walking option and am sure I'll like it better when it is warmer. It would be a pain to walk everywhere on base, but the areas we use – the school, the commissary, BX, post office, movie theater, library – you know, the basics of life, we can walk there, if we want. (Do you like that? If you want. I can admit I don't always want to, but I like the option!!)) I have found the more I walk, the more likely I am to remember to use my reusable bags. And, if I have to carry everything I am buying, I am less likely to overbuy.

Consequently with all the walking, I only buy gas about once per month. Isn't that crazy?? When have you ever only bought gas one time per month?

The commissary is right next to the school. In the States, I prefer to grocery shop every couple of weeks and pick up milk when we run out kind of thing. Here that is impossible b/c the fridge and pantry aren't big enough. So, I have adapted to buying basically what we will need for a week at most. That being said, the commissary is next to the elementary school. I walk to school twice per day, so if we need milk or bread, it is so easy to pop over and grab it while going to get or drop off the kids.

Ajima Heaven. (Pronounce it "ah-jee-ma") I have a Korean cleaning lady, Mrs. Pyo. She comes once per week, is here for maybe 6 hours and she is awesome. She does everything and I LOVE her. Actually she does too much, but there is no telling her that. She cleaned the patio when it was 30degrees out and she was wearing a tank top and capris. She scrubbed the tile floor on the patio. I tried and tried to tell her not to do it, but she did. Then she took out buckets of water and rinsed the patio. Did I mention how I love her?

We have a nice view from our apartment of the flight line and one of the main streets on base. I swear every guy that comes in our apartment for the 1^st time goes straight for the view. I am sure during Spring and Fall the view will be even better. I can sit out on my 'freshly scrubbed' patio floor, have a glass of wine and watch the sun set. Who could complain about that?

7^th floor – I like all our neighbors. I think we really lucked out. I know have written about that before. A couple of other things about life on the 7^th floor… I never feel guilty about taking the elevator. If I lived on maybe the 3^rd floor or so, I might guilt myself into taking the stairs.

When it snows, someone else does all the work to shovel, salt and sand the roads, sidewalks, etc. to clear them. Plus, I really enjoy the view from the apartment while the snow is falling.

This is a funny one – the garbage chute! When the garbage has to go out, it goes down the garbage chute. No stinky garbage cans in the garage, no empty garbage cans being blown all over the street. Recycling gets bagged in clear bags and goes down the chute too. No overfilling recycling bins in this house! No having to remember if this is the week the recycling truck comes, just take it out when it's full.

I would never have learned about Graboid if we didn't live here. It is a website that you watch TV shows and movies or download and keep them if you like. We pay a nominal fee for it, but it is worth every cent. We hook up the laptop to the TV and voila! I know I have complained about the cable here, but Graboid really makes up for it. Adam and I got caught up on Top Chef in like two weeks. Some movies we have watched are being shown at the movie theater here. Some movies we question the copy, nod, nod, wink, wink, but how many of you have watched TRON and Harry Potter 7.1 at home????

I am sure there are plenty of simple things to list, but of course I am now thinking how sad it is to be excited over preheated hot water. Sounds like it is time for a cup of tea : )

 

 

 

Wait a Minute, Kim, You Want Me to Do What in 500 meters? How Long is 500 meters???

I am getting to know the metric system. Kim will say "In 500 meters, to the right." What? What is to the right in 500 meters? Do I turn right, exit right, stay right? When is 500 meters? When is 200 meters? Kim, you are failing me. Kim, what exit am I taking? Can you say it? That's all I get, 'to the right in so many meters'?????? Help! Damn, I missed the turn. Time to recalculate, Kim.

That pretty much says it all, except who the heck is Kim? Kim is our Korean GPS. Yes, I named her Kim with the help of my friend, Sam. What can I say? Adam and I named our Garmin GPS in the States, Sheila, because we use the voice with the Australian accent. Ugh. Sheila. I have been known to talk to Sheila and on occasion even use a cuss word or two. OK. That is a big understatement right there. I talk to Sheila constantly, like she is sitting in the car, and I talk to her like I don't like her. I like to use Sheila to see where I am in relation to upcoming exits and if I need to search for a gas station, Starbucks, etc. However, I really prefer to use my own GPS system in my head that is called my brain. That can generally work in the States. I can read directions online, make a mental note and off I go with Sheila as my back up. That is not true here.

I think I said before that I feel disoriented here because addresses are written so differently. And THEN every brochure, website, map or tour book will give an address just a little bit differently. I think some things are lost in translation. So, you may think you have a correct address, try to program it into Kim and she may or not have that street, city or county spelled exactly the same way the website has spelled it. So, then you have to guess is it Jinwi-ro, Jinwi-ri, Jinwi-gi, Jinwi-go??? I just made those up as examples, but that is how it is. That example could easily be used for a street or city name. So, you could guess on the city and then look for the street and it is wrong. Go back and pick a different city section and then find you have 3 choices for streets. See what I mean? It is frustrating, confusing, irritating, the list could go on. One thing Kim does have in her many options is to search for a business or landmark name. She probably has millions programmed. So, that is how I start my search, with a name and then go from there.

Kim is quite the system. She is a Korean brand, Woori, which is in English. She can take and save notes, play music, pick up a TV signal, play movies, (she came with her own SD card for media), and I think she even has Bluetooth capabilities. I am sure there are more things she can do. Oh, if you attach a camera to the back of your car, she can help you see behind you when backing up etc. We picked Kim because she has lots of places preprogrammed and she comes with free updates. You can buy a Garmin here, but you have to have it updated with Korean maps, but then it doesn't always have as many places programmed and you can pay big bucks for updates, if you choose. It was a tough call. We liked the familiarity of the Garmin. However, the convenience of all the preprogrammed places in the Woori and the man that sold it to us has a booth on base offers technical support; we thought that was a better choice for us. We did try to buy a used GPS, any kind, but they sell fast and we weren't fast enough!

She has a fairly large screen and then she splits it with her guidance. So, a split side screen will show you the exit lanes and the larger part of the split screen will show you the main map. It is hard because, you need to watch the road, not Kim's fancy screens. And then where she shows how long until the next exit, turn or ' to the right' is confusing. It is all a matter of getting familiar with it and getting the settings just right. I guess I could take her in for some support, but I am stubborn and want to figure Kim out. A quick side note on being Kim's 'master'…. Sigh. My cell phone. I feel like such an idiot because I have a pay by the minute kind of phone and I can't add the minutes. You buy a calling card with 30 minutes to add to your phone and they are good for 30 days. Seems simple enough, right? Wrong! You have to have the Korean employees at the kiosk add the minutes of your card to your phone for you because the directions are all in Korean. If you want to know how many minutes you have left, you have to stop by and they call in for you to tell you when they expire and how much is left. I hate that dependence. I want to do it myself. Hence, why I want to figure out Kim and not have to take her in for help for easy stuff. Crazy? Yes. Stubborn? Absolutely. Controlling? You got it!!! At least I can admit it.

The bottom line is this: I am learning to trust Kim, but it is difficult. What I have decided to do is turn Kim on wherever I am going off base so I can get to know her better and just get used to her screens and prompts. I suppose I really do need to get on board with this whole metric system and figure out my meters too. That may be easier said than done.

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

If you live in the States, you'll think this is a post about exercising. Wrong! This is about the Giant Voice on base. Are you totally confused? Let me tell you a story about a boy, a beanstalk and a giant. Just kidding! On base we have a Giant Voice and that is literally what it is called. You can't make that up. I want to meet the genius that said, what the hell, let's just call it the Giant Voice because that's what it is. The Giant Voice, or GV from this point, is like the loud speaker on base. You can hear it anywhere on base and a lot of times off base. On normal days it will tell you the road conditions on base. We have three in case you were wondering: green, amber and red. We can have 'amber' road conditions, not yellow (like that is too common?), but we have a Giant Voice. The GV also plays the Korean National Anthem and the American National Anthem at 5:30pm every day and Taps at 10:00pm. On non-normal days the GV is on and loud at any time 24/7. I should also note that the GV is an actual person talking with the exception of the songs played or sirens blared. Yes, I said sirens, more on that in a minute.

Right now we are in the middle of an exercise on base. A non-normal week. The base is prepping for an inspection and other things and exercises are part of the process. Each one is different, apparently. I am on my second exercise. The GV is really something during the week. Typically everything it says starts with "Exercise. (pause for the echo) Exercise. (pause) Exercise." Then it will state some kind of message that has some importance to the Exercise. The GV will announce at all hours of the day and night. It will blast siren warnings at all hours of the day AND night. During our first exercise, Rachel looked at me on the last day and asked "Why is that man always telling us to exercise?"

The people involved in the Exercise work all kinds of hours. Adam could work for a good 12-16 hours on any given day. They aren't sitting at their desks working; I won't bore you with what they do. They have to wear all kinds of gear while working depending on what the GV has instructed. That gear can be very heavy and I am glad I don't have to wear it. After work, Adam has to stay in the apartment. He can't go to the gym, the commissary, the post office, or even walk the kids to school. He is at work or at home and so is everyone else participating in the exercise. Think of some of the single folks here that live in dorms and can't go to the chow hall to get meals. They stock up on what they can b/c they are stuck in the dorm or at work with no kitchen. It is a crazy, weird week. Everyone's exhausted whether you are active duty or not.

When the first exercise ended, the GV played the song "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. It literally just blared out the song, not from the beginning, so you really only got the loud chorus parts. I was hanging pictures up in the living room thinking am I really listening to Lee Greenwood on the GV? That is so bizarre. I had to run across the hall and ask Leslie if she was hearing it too. When she first heard it, she thought maybe her phone was ringing and it had changed its own ringtone. (That, btw, would not be a surprise with Korean cell phones. You think you are doing one thing and it does another) I am wondering what the GV will play at the end of this exercise. Will it be Lee Greenwood? Could it be some other 4^th of July standard? I know you are all on the edge of your seat waiting to know. Until then I leave you with exercise, exercise, exercise……. Crazy loud annoying sirens ….. Exercise, exercise, exercise…… Why IS that man telling us to exercise???

It’s Good, for Korea

My friend Beth said this to me the other day when we were talking about a restaurant. I spent a moment thinking about that comment. I came to the realization that you can use that phrase to describe anything here. In a lot of ways that statement can be a state of mind. If you don't get into this particular state of mind, your time here could be torture because you'd always be expecting better, more or different. I have embraced this 'state of mind' because there is no use in living abroad and expecting life to be like it was at home.

A couple of examples…

We were talking about a Thai food restaurant that we went to for Russ's birthday. It was decent, but our Thai food restaurant that we loved in Vegas was incredible in comparison. And it isn't that the food was bad at the restaurant here, it was good, for Korea. When you ask people about certain restaurants around here, very rarely do they say it was the best food they ever ate. The attitude is, you guessed it, good, well, you know…

Oh my Gosh… roads. You could really use that expression for describing roads or traffic. Roads here are narrow, there is typically quite a bit of traffic and a lot of Korean drivers don't choose to follow traffic laws. And boy, do they love their horns. Another quick thing, there are theses dummies on the side of the roads that look like people, Korean people of course. And the arm will move with a flag attached to it to draw attention to something that is written in Korean. The first time I saw one, it looked real to me, but random because we were on a country road with not a lot of traffic!!! Anyway, so when describing a route or a drive here, you could easily say………..

The smell on the trains. Sometimes it is bad and other times it is really bad. And really the smell is just because they eat different foods than we do. I will say on a long train ride you are hoping that the smell or the crowds will be good, for Korea.

Rowan has started a preschool at a church off base. It is an American school/church. Is it the greatest preschool any of my children have attended? Probably not. And don't get me wrong, I think it is a fine preschool and they do the best with the facilities that they have, but it could easily be described as good, for Korea. I think the location is its biggest and only problem. There is no outdoor play area. Picking up can be a nightmare due to the narrow streets and Koreans not following the no parking laws. Picture, if you will, a line of mainly American cars – minivans and smaller SUVs driving in a line up a narrow street where there is no parking designated on the street but Koreans park any way. Then more Koreans driving down the narrow street, maneuvering in between the illegally parked cars and the brigade of minivans lined up to pull up to the preschool for pick up. Or there are Koreans in cars behind the minivan pickup brigade and they are ticked to be waiting in line for preschool pick up at a school where their children do not attend!!! And then when they can't drive between the parked cars and the minivans, they honk, they get out of their cars and yell at you, or try to force their way through. It's crazy, but good, for Korea….

I don't think I have lived here long enough to really experience the full impact of "it's good, for Korea", but I am glad I have figured it out already. It is almost like the saying "take it with a grain of salt" in a lot of ways. Just knowing that things are a little 'off' and embracing it are all part of the experience. Of course, now I am thinking what something will be like if it is "bad, for Korea". Cringe. Let's hope we don't have to figure that one out!

Ummm. It's Cold Here

This morning was an all new low for us, 1 degree. How often can you can degree without using its plural? The high was maybe 9. I am very glad I bought super warm coats on clearance last year at Lands End.

We seem to have adjusted to the cold weather and life on base. One new adjustment is living in an apartment building with interior hallways. Since we have no front yard, or backyard for that matter, the kids will play in the hallways and in the elevator lobbies on our floors. They bring out scooters, toys, DS's, games, whatever strikes their fancy. It is an adjustment as a parent because you typically stay in the apt. while the kids play out in the hallway. I like to hear what is going on, so I bought a door stop to keep our front door open. Typically it is Rachel that has some kind of drama. But, on the flipside, if your door is open, kids will coming running in to play. It is a learning process. And, we are not comfortable with Rowan out with the 'big' kids, so he has to have a parent go out with him.

Our apartment building has 3 hallways per floor and 3 apartments per hallway. When we first moved in, we were the only people in our hallway of 3 apartments. Now in our little hallway, we have a family across the hall with a boy for Russ, a girl for Rach and a mom for Aim! And at the end of our hallway, a girl for Rach, a boy for Row and a mom for Aim! Ha! On our floor, the Thomas family is in another hallway and more boys to play with!! Adam worked with Mike Thomas in OK, but I didn't have the opportunity to meet his wife, Beth. But now we are neighbors, in the same squadron and we all get along great, so that is such fun! We have met a few other neighbors on our floor with kids that all seem mix with ours. In a lot of ways, we couldn't have planned the ages of children on our floor. It is working out well. I am sure the kids will miss this playtime afetr we move. It is quite the difference from Vegas where noone is out in front of their houses.

I still need to blog about EMart. I took Adam and the kids there yesterday. Tomorrow we are going to a mall near here called AK Plaza. I feel like we should be getting out more, but it is really cold. Maybe when the weather warms up to a balmy 25.....

Haircut and A Cup of Coffee

I recently went for a haircut and while childless, attempted to run an errand off base. First the haircut. In Vegas, I adored my guy, Matt, and was dreading a haircut here. Well, my bangs grew way too long and I don't cut my own, so my hand was forced! I just went to the Beauty Shop on base. It turned out all right. The trouble, of course, is the communication. I am hesitant to have them color my hair because Matt did such a great job giving me what I wanted although I wasn't exactly great at telling him what I wanted. I love the haircut chit chat and Matt and I had great chit chat!! However, when you have a Korean lady cutting your hair, she is having the Korean chit chat while cutting your hair with the other Koreans. So, it was lonely. I will venture off-base next time because I have heard there are a few good places. But, I look forward to being in the States and having a normal haircut. A quick funny about the experience on-base. There is one woman who washes hair and will come over and blow dry your hair while the stylist is working on someone else. Now, they don't tell you who is cutting your hair, they basically point to where you are supposed to sit or motion for you to go to the hair wash chair. Well, the hair wash lady has horrible hair. It is lopsided and messy. It looks like a child cut her hair and she decided to keep it. So, not knowing she doesn't cut hair, I had a minor freak-out to myself. OMG, this lady is cutting my hair? Over my dead body. You can imagine the relief I felt when she didn't cut my hair!!

Okay, so I am childless and want to run to this little art shop off base. I had been off base the day prior, but she was closed. Korean shop owners can keep funny hours and that is just fact. So, I thought, I'd pop over buy the piece I wanted and get on with life. She was closed, again. The shop owners across the alley said maybe she'd open at 11? It was 11:15. I decided to go get a coffee and come back. I went to this little coffee shop and ordered a hand drip coffee. What a process and experience! First, I had to pick my beans. The little Korean man asked me five times if I was sure, those are strong. I think he thought I was crazy. Then he ground the beans and put them in a filter over a small carafe. Next he heats up water in a small watering can thing. He motions me to come to the counter and watch him. He shows me the temperature of the water, it was too hot. We have to sit and watch the water cool 3 degrees. Then he pours only a bit of water in and lets it steep. He doesn't speak a lot of English, so we are just sitting there watching the steeping and I am not sure what he is doing, but enjoying the process nonetheless. Then he pours in the rest of the water in this artful way with the watering can thing and lets it drip. Next he takes out 2 small espresso cups and pours me a cup and a cup for himself! Ha! I didn't realize I was buying him a cup too. So we drink, exclaim good coffee and he pours what is left for me in a paper cup (I had originally asked for it to go). Here I thought I was getting a quick cup of coffee, but I just have to remember there is no quick anything around here. I decide to ask him what is the best Korean restaurant in the area. He scratches his head and tells me he 'call his wife.' They speak on the phone and they decide there are no good Korean food restaurants in the area! I teased him that his wife was the best cook and he agreed. I almost didn't want to leave after that, but I asked for it to go and I decided to leave. I venture back to the art shop which is still closed.

It was just kind of a funny day. Two extremes in a lot of ways. A lonely haircut where you are missing something, someone, somewhere normal or like home. Then a 'quick' cup of coffee which was quiet in a lot of ways, but not lonely at all or quick for that matter. Just when you think you are getting adjusted you experience something else….

Life in South Korea

So, these are just some little observations about life in South Korea and living on base…

The apartment – I like the apartment and I am so grateful to have 4 bedrooms and all the storage space. This may sound weird, but everything seems lower. The kitchen counter is the prime example. It seems lower than in the states?? Which means the cabinets are lower and I have to bend over to get stuff out of the cabinets, all of them. The dishwasher seems lower too. I just don't remember having to reach so far down to put things in or take them out. I don't think it is lower by much, but enough to make a difference in that I feel it in my back. And the fridge. Ugh, we have had side by side fridges for 10+ years and this one is freezer on top, fridge on the bottom. But, my mom has that kind and I don't feel like I need to kneel on the ground to take food out or put it in. Maybe I am just the Jolly Green Giant in Korea? Ha! OH! No garbage disposal either. Why? I wish I knew. I take that back, I wish I could put one in!

TV- This is hard to explain. We get some current programs, like Survivor. But some programs we don't get at all. I am sure there are all kinds of reasons. We have a Sports Channel that can start with Fox Sports, then next is an ESPN program and then next up an even broadcast by NBC. You don't have to change the channel! We watch NFL on Monday mornings. By the time we get up, the 2^nd game is starting and we could have 3 different games to choose from. We do get to see the Today Show live in EST if we stay up late enough. For example with the Today Show, if you watch Friday night, you are watching live Friday morning.

Dining – When dining in a restaurant, they take your order, deliver your order and after that they don't have much to do with you. They don't come back to check in and see how everything is like you would expect in the states. A lot of restaurants don't have forks, just chopsticks and spoons. And those are kept in little boxes on the tables. Korean food is tasty and when we have dined at Korean restaurants, you get all these little side dishes to go with your meal. Kimchi is the most popular. We have had marinated bean sprouts, pickled veggies of all kind, egg dishes, and the strangest one we have had is acorn jelly/jello. I asked Adam for a Korean cookbook for Christmas so I too can make acorn jello, not. But, I would like to make bulgogi, which is a marinated beef dish.

Driving – I just got my Korean Driver's License through the AF. I haven't driven yet, but we pick up the car Friday morning in Seoul and Sunday I am already planning to drive to E-Mart with the Kinard girls and Rachel. I am sure this adventure could be a post all by itself. I do know that Koreans are crazy drivers and some freeways have these express lanes for buses only.

Telephones & Cell Phones – I feel like such an old fart complaining about this. The phone system is difficult. We have a VOIP phone for our home phone so we can have a CONUS number and a Korean number at the same time but, we have no voicemail. Our cell phones are the cheapy prepay minute phones, so we don't have VM on those either. We get tons of random texts in Korean. Oh and when you call a number and for example, it is no longer in service, that message is in Korean. So, you don't really know what message they just told you, but her voice is very pleasant.

McDonalds – They have different items on the menu. We like the bulgogi burger, which is like a hamburger, but the patties are marinated or dipped in this tasty sauce and then put in the buns with all the fixings. Yummmmmmm. They should make those in the States. We heard they have a shrimp sandwich much like a filet o fish, but shrimp. Oh, and the Koreans are stingy with the ketchup! That is a serious problem for us b/c Rachel could eat a bowl full of ketchup with a spoon. At the McD's in Seoul they pulled out a laminated card that had English, Korean and pictures on it so you could order. Do you want to know how to say Sprite in Korean??? It's Sprite. There, you know a word.

Koreans love Rowan – I wouldn't be surprised if Rowan has a thing for Asian women. They love him. And it isn't just Rowan. Last weekend we were on the Subway in Seoul with some friends that have 2 boys, so we had 5 kids on the train. This older woman missed her stop b/c she was watching the children and not paying attention to the subway stops.

OK, that is it for now…. We still haven't received our Household Goods from the States and we are anxious. This temp furniture is the pits. I tried to get the kids to ask Santa for our stuff, but they prefer to ask for new toys. My latest offering is that if I get our stuff before Christmas, I will no longer complain about the Dallas Cowboys being on every frickin' weekend in every place I live. This is a huge sacrifice for me….

“New Woman, U.S. Embassy”

Back to the blog. I have been uninspired, busy and bored with my blog. Now that we have moved to South Korea, I am feeling a little inspired again. That and everyone wants to know what it is like and it is hard to email all our fans ; )

I recently went to Seoul for a girls' shopping trip. I had the pleasure of travelling with 5 other spouses from our squadron. We left on a Friday, stayed the night at the Army Base near Seoul that has a huge hotel and consequently a 'Shopette' type store at the lodge where I found Rachel's fave strawberry applesauce that I can't find here at Osan Air Base. We literally shopped all day on Saturday and didn't return home until almost 10pm. It was great fun and tiring. Here are a few highlights from the trip.

A taxi ride to remember…. We took a taxi from base to one shopping market. The driver spoke very good English and wanted to know all about us. Since I had only been in the country for a week, I became "New Woman". The driver took it upon himself to give us a quick tour of Seoul, aka the long way to the market. The first thing he asked us is do we know where the US Embassy is? Uh, no. Do you know the Blue House, the other girls do, I don't. Off we go on our private tour! The driver is weaving in and out of traffic, talking away, pointing out this, that and the other. Then at a stoplight, he pulls in front of the first car waiting at the red light. "New woman, I break driving law, but we have to be in front so you get best view!" (or something like that) Giggles ensue. Then we drive by the US Embassy. "New woman, here US Embassy. You know US Embassy. Learn US Embassy near City Hall and river!" And then we turn another corner, cut across lanes of traffic and he drops us off at the market. We get out of the car, giggling, and he insisted we that we did not pay him a tip. I don't think I'll ever have another taxi ride like it! It was a blast.

Markets in Seoul…. I am still learning geography, so I may describe places inaccurately. We went to 3 different shopping areas. One was Friday night, we didn't go to shop, we went for dinner. It was Western looking to me. A busy street, restaurants and shops packed in, but it was more upscale looking. I believe that was Itaewon. We had dinner at a pseudo-Italian kind of restaurant that was very good. Then we went to a NesCafe Café . My friend Beth had a sweet potato latte and yes, it tasted like sweet potatoes!!!

Saturday was 2 different markets. The first was Insadong (after the great cab ride). That has a main street with alleys off the main street and lots of shops. I think after seeing the 2nd market that Insadong is more touristy. Many shops sold similar things, but there were quite a few pottery shops and art galleries/shops too. There were also street vendors, but these vendors had carts and that kind of thing. At that market area I bought a scarf, some Korean tops (toy tops) for the kids, a key chain, chopsticks for Adam, that kind of stuff. Oh! We had delicious Korean food for lunch, yum!!

Now the 2^nd market is a whole different world. It is called Namdaemun. It was crazy. Seemed like it was never ending, no main street, lots of alleys that make no sense as to where they lead. Every 'street' jam packed full of shops and each shop jam packed with stuff. It is definitely a market area where the locals shop. Then behind some storefronts are indoor shopping buildings, probably 6 stories high and many vendors jam packed in the building and, you guessed it, each vendor has tons of items to sell. Each floor seemed to have a theme – general merchandise, housewares, etc. This is a market you can bargain with the vendors although, I didn't. The entire market had all types of things to buy – food (some more pungent than others), clothing, purses, fabric, shoes, toys, Christmas stuff, tailor shops, probably anything you can think of. Then in the middle of the 'streets' these vendors would have plastic taped to the ground and then pile up clothes or coats. Koreans would swarm to these vendors. I think these were typically secondhand items and they must have been cheap. It was crazy. At the Namdaemun market I bought gloves, boots for Rowan (fake Ugg type with Thomas the Train on them!! So Cute!) and a hat for Rachel that has mittens attached to it (the hat is one of Hello Kitty's friends and the whole thing is very soft and fuzzy. These hats are very popular here and they make all different types – wolf, rabbit, panda bear, teddy bears, etc.). I wasn't sure what to expect to find, but now that I know, I can plan better. The one thing I may splurge on there is a new set of dishes – there were tons of different choices and a lot of great sets in white, but in different shapes. I'll have to take more pictures next time I am there.

Crowds… when Koreans want to get by you in a crowd, they just push right by you and that isn't considered rude. Only a couple of times did I hear anyone say "excuse me". On the subway they just push right into the train. Even little old ladies will push you aside to get to a seat.

Okay, that is enough for now. My mind is filling up with all sorts of ideas for blog posts, stay tuned!

I am Done. Period. Dot.

This is the last week of Adam's deployment. He comes home on Friday and Friday won't come soon enough. I think b/c I am so close to the end, my patience is gone. Most of you know that I am not a complainer, I take the bad with the good, take it in stride and move on. But today has been kind of a crummy day, so I am going to complain. I am sure I will reread this tomorrow and totally cringe.

The kids were whiny and not particularly good today. Rowan did not nap and now will not go to bed.

Russell broke this butterfly thing that Rachel made me for 'no good reason'. Normally, I'd think, hey at least he told me he did it and restrict him from whatever and move on. Today it really bothered me. I honestly wanted to take one of his new bday toys and snap it in half in front of him for 'no good reason'. I resisted and ignored him for a bit and he was appropriately apologetic. The whole really irritated me. That is so unlike him to do that, so that was troublesome too. It still pisses me off a bit.

I am tired of doing everything.

I don't want to take out the trash.

I don't want to change every single diaper.

I don't want to clean up after every frickin' meal and/or snack.

I am tired of making coffee, although it is a total necessity.

I am tired of telling little people to brush and floss their teeth. I am tired of inspecting teeth and reminding them about cavities.

I don't want to pick up after Rowan and think about my back while doing it.

I am completely done with battling a 2 year old alone. The other day he was struggling to not get in his car seat and I turned a certain way to get him in and there was my back. Not good.

Weekends can really suck. I miss reading the Sunday paper and drinking coffee without requests for this, that and everything else.

I am tired of consoling Rachel and all the tears. I am not a crier and she is. I have had to change the 'no crying' rule to 'quiet crying'. It isn't working. Today she cried b/c her helium balloon came off the ribbon after she played with it and I told her not to play with it for that very reason. AND, she didn't stop crying after I retied the damn ribbon on the balloon. Why???

I am tired of getting up every morning and not sleeping in at all. And, (bad wife moment, prepare yourselves) I just want to reach through the webcam and slap Adam when he complains to me how tired he is. Not that he has ever said he is more tired than me or anything like that. Part of my morning issue is that my old back is so stiff in the morning and picking Rowan up out of his crib is not pleasant.

I am so tired of tattling and endless requests. I LONG to say "Go tell Dad" or "Go complain to Dad" or even better, "Ask Dad".

I want to sit down to eat and not be asked to get someone something or watch Rowan throw something off his highchair the second I sit down.

I am tired of trying to help Russ get everything done – Scouts, homework, speech, and all the little things he needs to work on for school – math facts, reading comprehension. I am so thankful Rachel got that Tag Reader for xmas, b/c that way someone/something can read to her when I run out of time.

That's a good one. I am tired of running out of time.

That being said, it is time for bed. I am slightly cringing as I reread this now. Tomorrow I am sure I will have major complainer's regret!!!

Confessions During Deployment

Okay, it's not like I have anything to bad to confess, I just thought I would own up to some of things I do while home alone with three kids for months. Adam does have a tentative date to return: February 19^th
J

1. I seem to watch A LOT chick flicks. And I watch the same ones over and over. We currently have HBO, gratis I'd like to add, and with that HBO comes HBO onDemand. So, you get a select list of movies and shows to watch whenever you want. I have to admit I have watched Bride Wars, 27 Dresses , and He's Just Not That Into You more than should be allowed. Especially Bride Wars. I am probably close to 10 or more times. Not that the movie is even that great. The more I see it, the more I like it. Hmmm….
   
2. I have not really cooked in ages. I did cook around the holidays and felt a little out of practice. Cooking right now is making a salad or roasting some veggies. Oh, I did make some soups and then froze the leftovers. That was pretty handy. It is amazing that the kids would eat some type of nugget and apple, applesauce or salad every night.
   
3. The kids have eaten almost every meal at the bar on bar stools. I can just hear Adam now, "I'm bringing manners back to this house!" (That was for you, Christine ; ) If anyone wants to hear a funny story about THAT, email me.) Sometimes, the TV is on while we eat.
   
4. I drink a glass of wine almost every night. On bad nights, it is two. Even worse nights like in-laws here, more than two: I won't confess the real number!!!
   
5. I am totally selfish – I have not enrolled Rachel in gymnastics or ballet so I can go to the gym more. I really love my gym too.
   
6. I let the kids watch more TV than they should and go to bed later than they should. Rachel will put herself to bed. Russ is a night owl, although a couple times he has looked at the clock and told he should really go to bed.
   
7. I let Rowan have his bink, aka the 'nink', whenever he wants. I don't even try to have him use it less during the day. Adam is all about the nink going away when he gets back. He can do it and brag about it too. More power to him!
   
8. When Rowan wakes up earlier than I want, I bring him to bed with me to try to get a few more winks in. I usually don't get any more sleep, but now I have created a BAD habit. It is almost every morning and sometimes it is more of a hassle, what's the point?
   
9. We have only picked up dog poop in the backyard like twice Adam left. He's a little dog.
   
10. I seem to never have time to take the kids out to the park or to ride bikes, so I helped Rachel set up her own bike track on the patio in the backyard to ease my pang of guilt.
    

    
     

    
     

Three Things

One… over the holiday break, I laid Row down for a nap and he looked at his sheet and finally noticed that it has trains, cars, boats and trucks on it. He was pretty sleepy, but I put him down and he put out his arms to be on all fours in his crib and sleepily said "OOoooooh, choo-choos! Oooh, cars. Choo-choos." Just a precious little moment.

Two… Russell is a LEGO-MANIAC! He was blessed with many sets this year at Xmas and he has built all but one – saving the last one for this weekend. When he built them though, he really savored every moment of the process. It was awesome to watch. He had some pretty complicated sets to build and he did them all perfectly. Then he had to show them all to Adam on Skype, pointing out each detail, telling tales of the difficulty and then how fragile some sets are as opposed to others. Legos are so cool. He hasn't really even wanted to play any video games, even his new ones. He is also engrossed with a Lego Star Wars book, "Lego Star Wars The Visual Dictionary". He coveted the book at the book fair, I bought it and saved it for Xmas. He can't put it down.

And three… Rachel almost has the concept of adding. She got a Leapster 2 for Xmas and has been playing The Princess and the Frog game and has to add. She can do small numbers pretty well, but anything larger than 6 throws her off. She's so close, it is fun to listen to her try it 'all by herself!'

“Supermom, I’ve Always Wanted to Meet You…”

I finally met my Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Kabins, who will now be referred to as Dr. K. It has been a long road, several cancellations on his part and hesitation on mine, but I am glad I went and am on a new path with my back.

I was hesitant to schedule with Dr. K. He has pleaded guilty to a federal indictment involving this lawyer and other doctors in the area and they are dubbed "The Medical Mafia". Yikes, I know. Dr. K is involved in one case that I really don't know too much about nor care to summarize the details of what I've read. It seemed from the paper that they are after the one lawyer. But, who really knows? All I know is that I wanted some answers on my back and if I didn't like him I didn't have to keep him. The fitness director at my gym loves him (but said he was odd) and has been going to him for several years and there are a few gals that I work out with that know him/know of him and they all say good things. So, like I said I planned to go and if I didn't like him I'd make a change.

Well, what can I say other than Dr. K and I hit it off?!? When I fill out forms that ask for my occupation, I always write something like Supermom or something like that just to see if anyone looks at it. Dr. K's paperwork was no exception. He walks in the exam room, introduces himself and starts looking through my file. Right off the bat he says, "Well, you're supermom. You know, I have always wanted to meet you and so does my wife!" Need I say more?

He gave me the run down on my back – 2 bad discs and the amount of the degeneration is uncommon for someone as young as me. (I like how he kept calling me young throughout my appt!! Ha!) I am not in need of surgery now, maybe in 10 or 20 years is his guess. I like that. He's going to send me to a good physical therapist off base. I like that. He changed my pain med to something else. Haven't tried it yet, but if I don't like it I can try something else. He does not want me on narcotics and I like that. I am going to do a nerve damage test to see where I am that. Fine with me. And then I am going to try some steroid type shot to see if that helps me any. I am open to that. He said I was going to really like the pain management doctor and the pain management was REALLY going to like me! Ha! In his little tape recorder he reminded himself to personally call the pain doctor to tell him about supermom.

Then we talked a lot about lifestyle changes and exercises that the physical therapist will recommend. He just kept stressing that if I feel pain or more pain in my back after doing something, even if the therapist said to do it, I should stop. Then all the things around the house like mowing the lawn, lifting heavy things, picking up the baby, all kinds of things I have to start readjusting. That will be the hard part. I think that my gardening days are limited and I am disappointed about that b/c I love to garden. That is kind of a bitter pill to swallow at my age, but hopefully I can find ways to do parts of things I enjoy without being in pain. For example, still prune and make a mess but not have to clean up the mess. Show Adam where I want things planted and then supervise! Maybe this isn't so bad after all! Seriously, that will be hard b/c I am so independent and like doing things.

The appt ended on a positive note – I have my youth working for me, I don't smoke (he said most of patients are smokers and how smokers almost always have bad backs), am healthy and in shape/not overweight (I beg to differ, but as he pointed out that all the people in the waiting room are very overweight and smell like smoke; I could see his point). I walked out feeling like it couldn't have gone much better and there really wasn't anything else I wanted to hear from him. Plus I can now legitimately tell Adam what to do b/c the Dr said ;)