Back from Korea...

We made it back safe and sound from Korea. It was a long trip…over 36 hours of traveling which included a two and half hour drive to Incheon International Airport, four flights (one to Hawaii, then LAX, then Dallas/FW, and finally Chicago O’Hare), lots of waiting in airports (will the fun never end?) and topped off by a three hour drive to Grandma and Grandpa’s home. It was LONG and VERY PAINFUL! I do not want to do this much travel with young kids by myself again any time soon!! It took a lot out of me. I got so much gray hair from this trip…I’m going to finally break down and color it! It took us all a good week to get over the jet lag which seems pretty good considering the 14 hour time change.

We enjoyed a fun Thanksgiving meal at Aunt Tiffany’s and Uncle Jeff’s home with their new baby. She is just the cutest little baby girl I have ever seen! It was good to finally get to meet her and hold her. After Thanksgiving Mark got a nasty cold and then ended up with an ear infection. So, he is on an antibiotic and seems to be doing much better. He did feel the need to share his cold with me, yuck! I’m still not over it and Andrew sounds like he is getting it also.

I have been for my first OB doctor’s visit. Everything went great…I really like the doctor I have now. He was able to find the baby’s heartbeat! I’m still smiling! I’m 12 weeks and my due date is June 28th. I had my first ultrasound this past Wednesday and got to see the baby who was very active…arms and legs going and body wiggling...very cute for an ultrasound picture of him or her. It is way too early to tell the sex yet…just have to wait until the next ultrasound around 20 weeks. So, sometime in February we might know?

Seoraksan National Park

November 10-11, 2008 – We headed off for a short but much needed getaway to Seoraksan National Park. It was a beautiful three and a half hour drive through South Korea. Once we arrived we check into the Mt. Seorak Tourist Hotel. It was a nice clean room at a great price with marvelous views. The fall leaves were still striking in all their colors even this late into the month. After getting settled in it was time to take the cable car ride up to the top of the mountain near by. Mark kept saying we were flying while on the cable car. Once we got to the top we hiked the rest of the way up to the summit of the mountain. It had been raining and we were hiking on rock so it was a very slippery hike. Some of the higher mountains were even a bit snow covered! It was quite a lovely sight. As is typical in Korea, there were some women hiking in heels! CRAZY, from my point of view!!!! The Korean women like to hike in style I guess? The next hike we did was the Two Waterfalls hike. The waterfalls were impressive and the hike was not only gorgeous but peaceful also. By then it was time to eat dinner and head back to our room to watch a movie and go to bed. The next morning after breakfast, we hiked the trail that starts behind the very large Unification Buddha near our hotel. It was another outstanding hike up to a prayer hall inside a cave called Gyejoam. The huge boulders all around had Chinese characters carved into them. By the time we got back, it was nearly 2 pm and time to start the long drive home. We stopped at a rest stop for a late lunch on the way out. Overall, Seoraksan was wonderful to get to spend time in God’s amazing creation together as a family.

Thanksgiving - November 8, 2008

Saturday, November 8th, the Somers family (Owen, Lynnience, Alexander and Zachary) and our family took a full Thanksgiving feast over to Moonja and Jong Gun’s home to teach some 20 of their students about Thanksgiving. It was an enjoyable and educational day! The three older boys did a short presentation on Thanksgiving for the Korean students which I recorded and you can watch on You Tube. The Korean students were all good sports about trying the very different foods. They were not sure what to do with the gravy since they do not have anything like it in their diet. Some tried to put it on the side to dip food in which did not work out so well! I’m sure the food was somewhat bland to them since most of their food is spicy. I don’t think any of the students came back for seconds but the Americans sure did! It was very delicious!

Who's the dummy directing traffic?

Two dummies and two U-Turns! (second dummy was driving and not available for a picture)

Happy Halloween!

Andrew "the Ninja" and Mark "the Pilot" checking out their loot!

Last night in China...October 26, 2008

Eating dinner and the kids showing off there finds from the market on our last night in Beijing, China.

Time to come home...

October 27th (5th day in China) - Mark starting getting sick around 0100 on the day we were to fly back to Korea. We stopped counting after the 6th time he threw up, poor little Mark! After breakfast at the hotel in which Mark threw up all over Joseph, we loaded our baggage on the bus for the trip to Beijing International Airport. We flew on Asiana again on the way back to Incheon. Mark only threw up once on the flight! The bus ride back to Osan AB went smoothly and Mark slept thought most of it. It was an incredible trip to China! Thank you Lord for this magnificent experience!

Tian An Men Square & Beihai Park

October 26th (4th day in China) - After another great breakfast at the hotel our bus driver and our amazing tour guide Shelley took us on a tour of Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square was huge and extremely crowded. Afterwards we headed off to Beihai Park which was just a relaxing place to be. We all enjoyed a walk around the park with a choir singing in the back ground. This park was once the winter residence of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. The Bai Ta (White Dagoba) is a Buddhist shrine built in the Tibetan style in the center on the park. Next we were dropped off at another Market for a late lunch and more bargaining. After about 4 hours of shopping at the market it was time to get back to the hotel, start packing, and have dinner.

I know I have not said much about the outstanding driving skills of our bus driver but he was able to drive or park that bus in places I’d have a hard time parking my car – really! And the driving in Beijing is a whole new level of crazy compared to South Korea because not only are the drivers nuts but the bike rides are out of their minds and everywhere. On our first day, we actually had a bicycle rider that was messing with his cell phone run broadside right into the middle of our bus as we were going into the entrance of the Temple of Heaven! And I can’t leave out our tour guide – Shelley was worth her weight in gold. Not only was her English outstanding and her stories of China and Beijing entertaining, she was just a delightful person with a warm kind personality and a joy to be around.

Forbidden City & Hutong Tour

October 25th (3rd day in China) - After breakfast at the hotel it was time for our tour of the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It was built in the Chinese court architecture style using feng shui to determine the position and shape of the buildings, with 8,706 rooms where some 10,000 people lived over 170 acres. The emperor ruled from the Dragon Throne located in the Hall of Supreme Harmony with a large courtyard that could hold 90,000 spectators located in front of it. Four sided roofs covered with yellow glazed tiles were used on imperial buildings. It was outstanding to be standing, seeing and walking though so much of Chinese history.

Next we went on a visit to a Silk Quilt Factory which was exceptional. The demonstration done here was the best in my opinion of all the factory demos we saw because not only did they show us the process and teach us about how silk is made but we also were able to participate in some parts of making a quilt. The kids seemed to really get into it all. After we had time to shop we were given our own private fashion show. By then it was time for lunch with western style food at a restaurant called You Shi.

Following lunch it was time for the Hutong tour. The Hutong was once the center of life for people who lived out side the Forbidden City (Imperial Palace) but is quickly disappearing as Beijing grows. We had tea in a local family’s home in the Hutong and learned about their pet fighting cricket (the top crickets fetch more than $2000!!). The kids played hackie sack in the courtyard before it was time to leave to take our Pedicab (rickshaw) tour of the Hutong. Our Pedicab tour ended at the Drum and Bell Towers which were used to indicate the start and end of the day. Then it was time to go do a little bargaining at the Lido Market. It was an unusual experience that I’ll have to say I did not enjoy. We did walk away with some great deals, don’t get me wrong, but I did not like the bargaining process in small spaces with way too many people in it. It was like nothing else I have ever experienced. But we won that round! We bought ski jackets and ski pants for Joseph and myself – the asking price for Joseph’s ski jacket alone was $220, but in the end we bargained down to $38 for ALL FOUR PIECES!! That night, we had dinner back at the hotel and then crashed for the night.

The Great Wall & The Summer Palace

October 24th (2nd day on China trip) – After a tasty breakfast at the hotel it was time to start our adventure for the second day in China. The first stop was the Jade Carving Factory which was one of Andrew’s favorite stops. He really liked all the carvings of animals as you might guess. The carvings were incredibly intricate, elaborate, and detailed and it was interesting to learn about how to recognize real Jade. We also learned about how the different colors of Jade happen and how long it takes.
The next stop was the Great Wall which was everyone’s favorite in our family and it was even more amazing than I thought it would be. We went to the Badaling entrance of the Great Wall which is located in country providence to the Northwest of Beijing. We climbed to the top of the highest way we could go. It was just extraordinary to think of all the history we were walking on. The climb was tremendously steep, over 45 degrees at some points, and the views were spectacular. The Wall was started in the 5th century BC but its present course was determined by the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huangdi around 220 BC. It was not finished until the Ming dynasty and the most striking section were built during this time. As you might expect we took a bunch of pictures! After our climb it was time for lunch of Chinese food at a restaurant in a Friendship Store. At the store, we saw a demonstration on copper enameling and specifically the style of cloisonné. We were all impressed!
After lunch it was time for a tour of the Summer Palace. The palace was built during the Qing Dynasty by the notorious Empress Dowager Cixi in 1888 using money intended to build a naval fleet. The Summer Palace covers a very large area but the part we were able see in the time allowed was just magnificent, but like many royal palaces in Europe, highly excessive – one can understand the anger behind the peasant uprisings that came later. Among the many things to see is the longest walkway in the world – over 2500 feet long! The kids’ favorite part of this tour would have to be the Dragon Boat ride across the Kunming Lake. It was a relaxing ride after climbing the Great Wall and the views were gorgeous.

Following the Summer Palace tour we went on a visit to a Pearl Factory. The demonstration we watched on harvesting pearls was very interesting. The kids were all given a pearl out of the oyster they opened during the demo. There were 15 kids in our group and there were still pearls left over – I had no idea how many pearls one oyster could make! It was then time for dinner at Shu Wei Nong which served Suchuan style Chinese food that was spicy but very appetizing. Next we went on a tour of Wangfujin Street which is a place to go to eat some very unusual types of food. The most adventurous samples Andrew and I tried were the fried scorpion which was unexpectedly fine! We also enjoyed more conventional fried ice cream and caramelized fruit on a stick. Mark slept though the whole thing.

Temple of Heaven & Acrobatic Show

October 23, 2008 (1st day on China trip) – We left Osan at 0600 for our trip to Beijing, China. The bus ride and flight on Asiana were uneventful. Andrew and Mark are both super good travelers! Our first stop in Beijing was lunch at Shan Shui Jain which served Cantonese style food. We were also treated with a traditional dance performed right in the room where we ate. After lunch we headed off to the Temple of Heaven which sits in the middle of a 670 acre park that dates from the Ming Dynasty and is an excellent example of Confucian style architecture. It was constructed without using a single nail! The blue tiles that cover the roof on all three levels symbolize heaven. The four largest of the 28 pillars used to support the roof symbolize the four seasons. Twelve of the other pillars symbolize the months and the last twelve symbolize the traditional division of the Chinese day, each comprising two hours. The temple and the halls all around it were used in a ceremony for a good harvest. As we were leaving, we walked down a long open air corridor where many Chinese were playing instruments, singing, dancing and playing games.

After our visit at the Temple of Heaven we all went to watch an Acrobatic Show which the kids really enjoyed. It was pretty impressive what they could do! After the show it was time to try Peking Duck at the Hua Fu Ge restaurant along with many other traditional Chinese dishes. Following a delicious dinner it was time to check into the Best Western Premier Beijing which is a four star hotel. We ended up with a fabulous corner room with great views of Beijing and beautiful sunrises.

Happy Birthday Grandma Fletcher!

We shot this on your birthday October 26th Grandma Fletcher. Sorry, it is a bit off key! We hope you had a super day! Love, Joseph, Jennifer, Andrew & Mark

October 23, 2008

Dance performed after our first lunch at a Cantonese Style restaurant called Shan Shui Jian in Beijing.

Osan AB Air Power Show

Sunday after church we met Moonja, Jong Gun and their two kids Cindyjo and Jonnie at the Osan AB Air Power show. We all had hotdogs for lunch and then watched the F-16 demo. Joseph was able to explain a lot to Moonja and Jong Gun about the F-16 demo since it was the plane that he used to fly. We walked around and saw the airplanes on static display and then watched a search and rescue demo that was done with A-10’s and helicopters. It was a very impressive display. After the last demo, we spent some more time walking around the planes on static display. By now we were all getting hungry for dinner and Jong Gun had heard about a restaurant that he wanted to try. So, off we went to find the restaurant. It was not more then a ten minute drive and located in an old traditional style Korean home. The name of the place was Cucina Restaurant. If anyone is looking for an out-of-this-world meal this is the place to go! It would be a great date night place but also kid friendly if you want to bring the family. Along with the amazing food the conversation was exceptional. We always enjoy our time spent with Moonja and Jong Gun and family. The kids all had a ball playing together not only at the Air Show but also at the restaurant.

Monday and Tuesday we have been settling into our what we like to call our “vacation home.” Our friends the Evans are on a ten-day vacation to Thailand and Malaysia and offered to let us use their place in Hallasan while they were gone! Thank God for such thoughtful and kind friends you have blessed us with here at Osan AB! It is such a blessing to us to have the gift of space for these ten days. We had a hiking trip planned for two days this past long-weekend but once we settled in we did not want to leave!

Wednesday, Mark got his first round of the DTaP vaccination. Most of you know we decided not to vaccinate Mark until he was over two and that he would only get one vaccine at a time of the ones we are allowing him to have. He has had the Typhoid and Hep A and Hep B vaccines since it is recommended for travel in China. We are all very excited that we leave in six days for China! Joseph, Andrew and I can’t wait to see the Great Wall! Mark can’t wait to ride the bus, big surprise! But right now we are just enjoying our vacation at the Evans’ family home! Thank you Amanda and Brian!

Seoul Forest and Seoul Tower

It has been a busy holiday weekend. Saturday, on the way up to the Seoul Forest, we stopped at the Flower Market so Joseph could see and experience it, and so I could pick up some needed ribbon. It was overwhelming in all its smells and outstanding in all its colors! After trying and giving up a few weeks ago, we finally made it to the Seoul Forest. I have read that the Seoul Forest is the Central Park of Seoul. It has only been around for five years but is an attractive park and popular with the Koreans. Parking was a bit of an issue but not being able to speak the language does have its advantages. We spent some time at the wood playground area then found a big open green area to kick around the soccer ball, sit under a shade tree, and relax. After relaxing, it was time to find the sculpture park, which was enjoyable to walk through, but we were all getting hungry. So, we made our way to Yongsan Army Base and the Dragon Hill Resort for a late lunch/early dinner at the Mexican restaurant there.
After our meal we decided since it was such a lovely clear day that it was time we did the Seoul Tower. Seoul is usually not clear. The adventure to get to the top of Seoul Tower took quite a bit more time than we thought it would. We parked at the National Theater as the tour book said to do and found the bus stop to wait for the number 02 bus to take us to the top of the mountain and the entrance to Seoul Tower. At least five #02 buses went by packed and then finally one stopped with just enough room for us the squeeze on to, and let me stress we really squeezed! It was kind of like how many clowns can you stuff in a VW Bug! Luckily, we stood at the very front of the bus looking out the big front window and praying the driver did not make any sudden stops. To our surprise and relief, Mark LOVED the bus ride and was not thrilled when it was time to get off at the top. He did calm down when told he would get to ride the bus back down again after we went to the top of the big tower. Joseph bought our tickets to the top and then we waited for our number to come up to ride the elevator to the top. There were a lot of people there! The view from the top was worth all the effort. We even saw fire works coming from the Seoul Forest area. At the base of the tower along the fencing we saw sets of two locks locked together and attached to the chain-link fence. This is a tradition that newly married people do to ensure their marriage last and symbolizes their unending love for one another. You will see a few pictures of the locks…there are tens of thousands of them! They make the fence look and feel some how hopeful by their symbol of love. The light show that is put on at the base of the tower is pretty spectacular and I would recommend staying to see if you have the time. By then, we were all getting tired so it was time to get in line to take the #02 bus back down to the National Theater. Mark loved the bus ride and as you can predict he did not want to get off and made sure everyone knew how he felt about it! Andrew talked with a few Korean’s wanting to practice their English and handled himself very well. By the time we got home and got the kids in bed it was around 2230 and we went to bed shortly after the kids. It was a wonderful adventure! Thank you LORD!

Andong International Maskdance Festival

It was another exciting weekend for the Fletcher adventure. After Andrew’s soccer game (which he played really well in and I lost count of all the goals he scored) we went to the Andong International Maskdance Festival with Moonja, Jong Gun, Cindyjo, and Jonnie. The drive to Andong was gorgeous. The Korean countyside is bursting with beautiful valleys complete with rice paddies, rolling hills, and mountains. It is all still very green this time of year here. The weather has changed to fall and is just perfect in the low 70’s during the day and low 40’s at night. We are looking forward to all the marvelous fall colors to come out next month! Once we arrived in Andong we went and found a nice little place to eat. The kids and I tried some mussels and Mackerel. Andong is famous for its Mackerel so I wanted to give it a try. Joseph stuck with the pork BBQ! It was all yummy! After dinner we went and watched performances from all over the world in the special event part of the evening. The masks and costumes were elaborate and brilliant in all their colors. Mark’s favorite part was the dragon! Andrew’s favorite was the Tae Kwon Do mask-dance. He was very impressed as were the rest of us. Andrew and Mark both really enjoyed the whole evening. The final performance Saturday evening was called Good morning Mr. Heo. It depicts the legend of how the Maskdance started in Korea. It was a tremendous help to have Moonja and Jong Gun to translate the performance for us. I read about it last week but it was just fantastic to see it in person. We checked into our room around 11:30p and all collapsed into bed.
Sunday we got up and walked around Andong for a few hours. The little narrow alleyways reminded us of Europe. We also went through the large outdoor market. The kids were back to their superstar status here in Korea. One very nice lady gave each boy two chestnuts. They both attracted a lot of attention on this trip. It seems the father away from Seoul we go the more attention the boys attract. We made our way back to the Maskdance Festival and the kids all made their own masks. Our boys each picked out the nobleman mask. Joseph was far braver than myself and was in charge of helping Mark paint his mask. After a promising (cooperative) beginning, Mark became more and more determined to paint in his own way, which unfortunately included flinging paint on Joseph and everyone/everything around him. So, I ended up finishing Mark’s mask and cleaning up Joseph! Andrew did a super job on his mask! There were many other hands-on activities for the kids to do but we just picked that one. We then went over to the Maskdance Theater to watch the Sooyeong special performance. It was another incredible performance complete with “tigers.” We then went to the Puppet Theater to watch the Tears of God performance. We enjoyed the performance and were able to understand most of it. We then did a little souvenir shopping and ate a Korean style snack before it was time to make the journey home. We got home around 9:30p after a fun adventure to Andong. The festival is very large, has three different sites and lasts for ten days so we only saw a very small part of it. We thought about going back next weekend to see more but I think we will pass because we all need to recover. We might go back down in the next two months to the Hahoe Village because it was one area we did not get to see that we wanted to on this trip.

Life in the ROK

Friday night Joseph and I went on our second date since I arrived on the ROK. It was a double date with Owen and Lynniece…I hope they don’t get tired of hanging out with us! We all had dinner at the O’Club and then went over to see MAMA MIA! It was an amusing blast of a show. I’m glad we finally got to see it.
Saturday we got to talk to both sets of Grandparents which was good. Then we headed over to Andrew’s first soccer game here. It started raining just a little on the way over. They played anyway and made it until about half way though the game when it started thundering and pouring! Andrew played a great game and scored one goal, and his team was ahead three to zero when they called the game. The name of his team is the Gold Tigers and they played against the Purple Bombers. After the game we had planned on going to the Seoul Forest but given the rain we went with plan “B” and headed to Seoul to go to the National Museum which has a children’s museum. But unfortunately not only did the rain change our plans but the traffic was HORRIBLE! So, we got off the road and tried to go to the Flower Market but it was closed. So, we went over to a mall and got some ice cream to try to save part of the day. We had all had enough of sitting in traffic for over two hours for a trip that should taken 45 minutes and given the traffic we were still another hour away from where we wanted to go, YUCK! Anyway, I guess we were just not meant to make it to Seoul this past weekend. I did finish my book club book, which is good since our first meeting is this coming Wednesday. The book is titled The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It is a great little read that I enjoyed more than I thought I would. It made me cry, laugh, pray, and think.

Sunday, the kids and I went to church and then out to lunch with Moonja and Jong Gun and their kids. We went to a yummy Chinese’s restaurant. We worked on our plans for this coming weekend’s activities in Andong at the International Maskdance festival. We can’t wait for the weekend to get here. Andrew went over to Moonja and Jong Gun’s home for a play date and Mark, Joseph and I had our own play date going grocery shopping, playing at the playground and going to a cookout. It was a relaxing Sunday!

4 & 9 Market

This morning we went for the first time to the 4 and 9 market in Songtan. It is called the 4 and 9 market because it is set up on any days with a 4 or 9 in them. Our friend Lynniece showed us around…it was massive! We did not get to see everything but we saw enough. I picked up what I needed to make my man his salsa, plus, red and yellow peppers at a great price. I took a few pictures before my battery gave up the battle. I’m sure I’ll go back and take more pictures of all the incredible sights. Thank you Lynnience…we are looking forward to going again!

Chuseok

This past weekend was Chuseok, a three day Korean holiday. Chuseok is Korea’s Harvest Moon Festival and is similar to our Thanksgiving. We did not venture too far from Osan AB because most places are closed and the highway traffic jams are a nightmare. Friday night we met up with our friends, the Evans, at the Osan Hospitality House for dinner and fellowship. Hospitality House is run by missionaries from Cadence International with the goal of “sharing the gospel and our lives with the military community.” They provide a safe alternative to the night life around Songtan and, might I add, loads of fun for military personal. Joseph is involved with a men’s Bible study run by Hospitality House also.

Saturday we got up and went on a walk around base. It was good to get out and get a little exercise as a family. We stopped by the commissary and the playground at the end of our walk. Back at home, we talked with Uncle David who lives near Houston. He was all ready for Hurricane Ike to hit. We also had a good talk with Grandma Titus. Saturday night Joseph and I went out on a double date with our friends Owen and Lynniece as well as one of our friends from Holloman AFB who is here without his family. We ate at a great little Thai place above the Volvo dealer. This is now the third Thai place we have eaten at in downtown Songtan and they have all been marvelous so far. There is one more to try if we get around to it. After eating, we walked around for a while and then stopped for dessert at a place called Melissa’s. It was a great little European style restaurant/bakery. We then headed back to Owen and Lynniece’s to pick up the boys. They had had a ball with Owen and Lynnience’s boys, Alexander and Zachary. So, it was an outstanding date night for everyone. We have another one planned already for Friday night!

Sunday we got up and went for a 6.5 mile walk around the flight line. Back at home, we talked with Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher to get the latest update on how David and family were holding up after Hurricane Ike came through. They have no city power but their generator is working great. They did not have water for a while but it is now back and running. Their house was not damaged as far as they can tell. After Mark’s afternoon nap we went on a lovely Sunday drive to the east of the base looking for the “11 mile lake” as it is called on base. The lake’s proper Korean name is Idongjeosuji. It is a striking lake surrounded by mountains and frequented by water-skiers. We then drove a bit farther to Gosamjeosuji Lake and spent most of our time exploring this area. I finally got a few pictures of the Lazy Boy type chairs around the lake with people fishing – it still makes me laugh! We spent some time walking around the edge of the lake watching people fish and enjoying the scenery of the nearby mountains and rice fields. On our way back we stopped at the Gosamjeosuji Lake dam and did some fun exploring with the kids. We also drove by interesting buildings on our way home, one with wonderful paintings all over it and another shaped like a pig! It was the finest Sunday drive I have been on in a long time!
Monday we spent a peaceful day together as a family. In the morning Andrew went with his Dad to Tae Kwon Do and Mark and I went to the playground. After lunch Mark napped and Joseph and I worked out and Andrew got some Webkinz time. Monday evening we went over to our friends, the Thomassees, for a wonderful potluck dinner. The kids had a blast playing and the adults had a fantastic time hanging out. We can’t wait to do it again!

PWOC

I just started a new Bible study with the PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) here at Osan AB. We are reading and studying Chip Ingram’s book God As He Longs For You To See Him. I just read the first twenty-seven pages today and was just amazed at how this book seems to go along with another book I’m reading and what God seems to be working out in me at this point in my life. Plus, I’m reading II Corinthians in the Bible this summer. One verse from II Corinthians (NIV) in chapter ten verse five in particular has hit home - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. It has been a different kind of year this year to spend so much time apart as a family and it looks like Joseph will not be home until the end of March instead of the end of February. I am not complaining but trying to stay optimistic. I fully appreciate that other people have it much worse and a great deal harder. Anyway, I have been reading another great book by Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Dutch Roman Catholic priest, titled The Return of the Prodigal Son; a Story of Homecoming. It is a brilliant spiritual journey through Henri J.M. Nouwen’s analyzes of Rembrandt’s painting depicting the powerful Gospel story of the Prodigal Son. It was not hard to see parts of my life line up with the younger prodigal son but it was extraordinarily humbling to see myself as the older brother! Not something I really wanted to see or admit to myself or anyone else. It has been good to see my own misperception about myself even though I did not like what I saw. Both of these books have been challenging my misperceptions of who God really is according to the Bible, and helping me deal with the misperceptions my mind seems to come up with about the people God has blessed me with in my life. God has been really working on my thought life and helping me, along with the Holy Spirit, to take my thoughts captive and make them obedient to my Heavenly Father to love people the way God does. It has been freeing and difficult. I have felt God’s love energizing me to be able to love more genuinely and making me aware of the needs of those around me. I think this process will always be complicated and ongoing this side of Heaven.

Dinner with friends!

Sunday was another great day in Korea for our family. We started off with a fun trip to the playground before church. After church we stopped by the commissary for a few necessities before heading home for lunch and a little downtime before heading over to our Korean friends’ home for dinner. I made some brownies to take with us and they were a big hit! I think from now on we will be bringing brownies when invited over for dinner. The dinner was mouth-watering! We had bulgogi with many different types of lettuce and spicy red pepper paste. We also had cucumber kimchi made fresh by Moonja’s mother out of her garden that was scrumptious. Cucumber kimchi is our favorite! Moonja also made another wonderful Korean style salad that was delicious. We also had the most amazing grapes for dessert – they were the largest, juiciest grapes we had ever seen, some almost the size of small plums! I had to take a couple pictures of them before we ate them since they were so lovely, and they were delectable too! We also ate brownies and ice cream. The kids had a blast playing and for Joseph and I it was a wonderful evening of fellowship with our friends. We already started making plans for our next adventures together. Can’t wait!

Icheon Ceramics Village

This past Saturday we had the first adventure of our second trip to South Korea. We ended up going to the Icheon Ceramics Village. It was a dangerous choice with a two year old but we decided to risk it anyway. I’m so glad we did. The drive over was relaxing since I was not driving and Joseph was excited about getting out for a drive. We did get a late start so by the time we got there it was time to find a place for lunch. The first place we stopped at had only pictures of seafood, but seafood in Korea is often “interesting” and we were not up for that much adventure. So, we moved on to the next restaurant down the road. The place we found was marvelous but I have no idea what the name of the place was or the name of what we ate, but it was good anyway! And the boys had a ball watching the cook do his work out the window by our table. After lunch it was time to go to the Icheon Ceramics Village. We saw many gorgeous pieces of pottery. It was just a wonderful experience. We picked up two celadon vases with a lovely inlay pattern that included delicate white cranes. There were many very expensive pieces of pottery by famous Korean potters that were extremely enjoyable to get the chance to look at. Mark did not get to go into some of the pricier stores – we just did not want to take the chance! Joseph and Mark spent most of the time running around outside far away from breakable items and watching a construction site near by. Thank you Sweetheart! There were many kimchi pots (utilitarian pots used for pickling vegetables) to be found in many stores. These pots take on an attractiveness of their own when all lined up on display. Kimchi is a staple of the Korean diet. I can’t wait to go back and see all the stores we ran out of time to see! Once we got back to base it was time for the BBQ & Blues event outside the O’Club. The BBQ was very yummy. We all enjoyed it. Andrew and a ball at the bouncy castle and Mark loved playing the Korean style drum and dancing (bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce…) to the Blues! It was also fun to meet up with friends and get caught up. It is good to be in Korea!

back in Korea

Well, we made it safe and sound back to Korea for our second visit. The trip over went as efficiently as it could. Both boys did get some sleep on the second flight of our trip from Seattle to Seoul. I, however, was up for 37 hours straight—yuck! Andrew seems to be over the worst of the jetlag. He has already been to Everland (a very large amusement park) with our Korean friends. He had a ball. We plan to go again maybe next month as a family. Mark and I were just not up to it after only being here less than two days. Andrew starts soccer practice today and will have soccer games on Saturday mornings. He is also going to do AWANA which meets on Wednesdays. We are all feeling very blessed and happy to be back together as a family. It was hard to be apart for the summer. Yesterday was a very big and important day for our family—Joseph pinned on Lieutenant Colonel. We are all so thrilled for him and this next stage of his Air Force career. His boss Col. Harris pinned on one side and Andrew helped me pin on the other side. Mark, thankfully, fell asleep during Col. Harris’ speech (no offence Col. Harris!) and our friend Owen held Mark for us while his wife Lynniece took pictures. On the exercise front, I have been missing doing yoga on the Wii Fit in the afternoons. So, the boys and I have been doing some yoga moves for Dad (and making Dad laugh!). We have also been enjoying catching up with all our friends here in Korea. It is good to be back! We are planning another adventure for this coming Saturday so we will keep you posted.

Mom and her boys

Andrew and Mom

Mark and Mommy

Getting ready for Korea!

We are now busy getting ready to leave for Korea on our second visit to be with Joseph! Andrew got home this past weekend and it is wonderful to have him home! I love hearing his voice, watching him play, and hearing all his stories. It is also wonderful to see his face, give him a hug, and tuck him in bed at night. I can’t wait until our whole family is back together in a few days! Andrew has been busy growing over the summer and so we went shopping for new fall clothing plus all the “stuff” for soccer. Mark has more clothes than he can wear with all his hand-me-downs from his brother and two cousins! On the trip down to pick up Andrew we met up with our dear friend Kim and her daughter for lunch at Panera Bread. It was a wonderful visit and great lunch. We also visited with our close friends the Holdings! Andrew had a ball playing in the mud with Bree and Blair. Back in Warsaw, we’ve been enjoying Wii Fit in the afternoons while Mark takes his nap. See you soon Joseph!

Chicago

Mark and I drove up to Chicago and had a fabulous visit with Aunt Liz! We ate out at a few fantastic restaurants, the best one being Jake’s, of course, since it is Aunt Liz’s restaurant. We did a little shoe shopping and have formed the sisterhood of the traveling Keens! If you are ever looking for great walking shoes try a pair of Keens. Dansko clogs are also the bomb! We of course talked and talked and talked constantly! I think all the talking wore Mark out! He did not like it when he was not always the center of attention. It is hard to be two! We also made a visit to Chicago’s Millennium Park. Mark had a blast playing in the fountain with Aunt Liz and myself. I had a marvelous time taking many pictures. Aunt Liz’s cats Lorna Moon and Violet I’m sure were happy to see Mark leave. Lorna Moon came out and tolerated Mark but poor Violet hid the whole time under the bed. Thank you Liz for a stupendous time! You are the greatest!

Children's Museum

Part of our Indy visit was taking Andrew to Arkansas for his second visit with his other family there. It is always a stressful time for our family. It is so hard to say goodbye. We all miss each other so much. Mark keeps looking for his big brother. We can’t wait to go back to Indy to pick him up and give him a big hug! We look forward to talking to him on the phone as much as we can. It is so good to hear his voice. A brighter part of our Indy visit was getting to spend the day with our friends Matt and Stephanie and their delightful little one, Ryan! We spent a splendid day at the Children’s Museum. The kids had a ball playing in the preschool room. Once we were done at the museum we took a long drive around Indy so the kids could get a little nap before heading back to Matt and Stephanie’s hotel for a swim. After the refreshing swim it was time for a pleasurable dinner out at Chili’s. Thank you Matt, Stephanie and Ryan for making the trip to Indy to spend the day with Mark and me! It means a lot to us! The blessing of your friendship is a true treasure!

Indy visit

The boys and I went down for a visit with our dear friends, the Holdings! It was a great visit as always. The kids had fun playing and Daena and I had a marvelous time just being together! God blessed us with an amazing friendship!

Brothers!

The boy's!

Our delightful boy's at the pool!

birthday flowers

Thank you my LOVE for the beautiful birthday flowers!

sad news

Sad news…I was 14 weeks pregnant and had a miscarriage. It was hard to go through but I have been so blessed by God with so many exceptional friends. All your prayers, e-mails and phone calls have really made me feel loved through this whole thing. Thank you!

camping trip

Grandma, Nick, Blake, Emma, Andrew, Mark and I all went camping at a great state park not too far away! It was Nick, Blake and Emma’s first camping trip and they had a ball as did the rest of us! It was fun sitting around the campfire at night eating dinner and then making smores. We walked to the lake and went for a swim every day, and one afternoon I took Andrew, Nick and Blake on a canoe ride. They did a great job for their very first time in a canoe. I also took the kids on a short 1.5 mile hike and they all did a marvelous job. Emma did get a little hot toward the end and told me she was going to put her pretty barrettes in and sit down to cool off once we got back to our campsite. She was very serious and I had a hard time not laughing out loud. It was a fabulous trip and I can’t wait to go camping again! We love camping!

warm summer day!

We are having fun being at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Our days go like this: In the mornings Mark, Andrew and I, plus Maggie and Franklin our two furry friends, go for an hour-long run. Mark, Andrew, Maggie and Franklin usually make about half an hour then they stop off with Grandma for some much needed water and play time with their cousins. After exercising, it is time to call Dad on Skype for our morning talk while we all eat breakfast. With full tummies it is now time for Project “Wear the Kids Out at the Swimming Pool.” We all swim for around an hour and then it is time to go home to get lunch ready. After lunch, Mark takes his nap and Andrew does his summer school. In the evenings we have dinner and I go for a walk with Erin. Mark enjoys his ride in the stroller and Andrew rides his bike. Oh, the wonderful warm summer days!

Andrew's birthday party!

Sunday, July 13th – Andrew’s birthday party was a total blast! Aunt Kim made a fantastic “turtle” cake. The kids all had a super time playing croquet, playing a bean bag game, swimming, and eating hamburgers & hot dogs and cake & ice cream. Andrew received many very thoughtful gifts. It was a fun day but just not the same with out Dad. We miss you Love!