First week back in the States

Well, I thought I’d get everyone caught up on the latest happenings of the Fletchers. The kids and I have been busy getting over the time change. Andrew has had the easiest time of it but Mark and I did not both sleep through the night until Saturday night. We all are fighting off a cold. Maggie was very glad to see us as we were to see her! Andrew has had great time playing with his cousins. We all went to see Blake play T-Ball. We are back to talking daily to Dada on Skype. Mark was a bit mad at his Dada the first day and would not look at him. Mark is really sad without his Dada and has had a difficult time adjusting. He is doing better. Andrew says “I’m sad inside because I miss my Dad but I’m alright.” Mark and I have been taking Maggie for a walk after dinner and then going for a swim in the pool. It’s a great way to end the day. Friday evening we had a late birthday party with my family since we were not together for Mark’s actual second birthday. My Cousin Carter’s wife Kim made a fabulous Thomas the Tank Engine cake for the party! Mark loved it! It was a fun time together eating and watching Mark open his gifts. Saturday we drove to Indianapolis to drop off Andrew for his four week visit with Chris. We have spent a lot of time listening to Andrew as he deals with this nerve-racking time in his life. We have tried to do our best to get him ready for his four weeks. But in the end it is just hard and stressful for both Andrew and us. Mark keeps looking for his BaBa (Andrew). But we are sure he will have fun and enjoy his visit overall with his family in Arkansas. We will be very happy when the four weeks are over and Andrew is home with us. Our family is just not right without him. Saturday Mark and I took an hour and a half flight on Southwest to Kansas City for a two week visit with Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher. Mark slept through the whole flight so I was able to get a short nap also. It is very good to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s home here in Olathe, KS. Sunday we went to The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. It was a great sermon based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 given by Pastor Adam Hamilton. Joseph is doing fine, just missing us. He tested in Tae Kwon Do and is now the next level red belt and was asked to fill out the paper work for black belt. Great job Honey!

The trip back to the States...plus a surprise!

Monday June 9, 2008 – We waited until this morning to take a pregnancy test. So, it would either make the day a bit shoddier (since we were leaving Korea) or make a day that was still hard but magnificent. Well, drum roll please…..we ended up with the hard but magnificent day! Praise GOD! If all goes well there will be a new baby Fletcher the beginning of February! We are all very excited -- ok, maybe not Mark since he doesn’t really understand and if he could he may not be so pleased by the thought of losing the baby of the family status. Joseph and Andrew both think our baby will be a girl…I think we will just wait and see! The drive to Seoul Incheon International Airport went much faster then we had anticipated which was nice. Once we arrived we checked in at Japan Airlines for the first leg of our journey back to the States. We said our very depressing goodbyes then through security and off to get some lunch before boarding our one hour and fifty five minute flight to Tokyo Narita. Mark was a bit fussy on the first flight because he needed a nap but just could not get comfortable. Japan Airlines answer to helping fussy babies seem to be giving them “stuff.” So, we now have a Japan Airlines toy plane, toy rattle and an animal board book in Japanese. The book board worked the longest but none of the gifts solved the problem of a two year old that needed a nap. Once we arrived safely in Tokyo we had to go to the American Airlines ticket counter to get new boarding passes for our next flight to Chicago O’ Hare. Then back though security to board a train to walk to our gate to then wait about an hour to board our ten and a half hour flight to Chicago O’ Hare. Mark slept about six hours of this flight. So, I got some sleep. Mark also screamed for an hour of this flight which made life not so enjoyable for him and all around us. Andrew of course is just a super great traveler and did great the whole journey back and did manage to even sleep a little on the last flight. We arrived at Chicago O’ Hare a half an hour ahead of schedule -- YEAH! Getting our luggage and going through customs was painless. Grandpa Titus and my cousin Carter were there to pick us up -- thank you! The three hour drive home went well until Mark decided he was hungry. So, we stopped at a Wendy’s with only thirty minutes left of our drive -- oh well. Mark was much happier with food in his belly for the last part of our long trip back to the States. Thank you LORD for a safe trip home!

Last full day in Korea

Sunday June 8, 2008 – Our last full day in Korea -- what a sad thought but we had a fantastic day together! After church, Moonja and Jong Gun invited us out to lunch to a Korean noodle restaurant they wanted us to experience. It was a bit longer of a drive than we had thought it would be but worth it. Since this was our first time we did not know what to expect. We were not disappointed at all. The food and fellowship was out of this world. After lunch we went to get some ice cream to end our time together. The kids all had a grand time playing together. After a delightful afternoon it was time to say our goodbyes. It was hard but alright since we know it is only for the summer. Then it was time to get serious and finish all the last minute packing and load the car up for the drive to the airport the next day.

Last week in Korea

Our last week in Korea was a fun one but busy getting ourselves prepared for the upcoming 79 days apart. Our friend Lynniece came shopping with us on Wednesday and Friday in Songtan. We went to playgroup on Monday, walked down and ordered luggage tags on Tuesday, watched a friend’s children Wednesday morning, and then went swimming Thursday. Friday morning my friend Ginger and her little girl Jade and I went to the Flower Market on the South side of Seoul. It was marvelous! Fabulous! I am going back when we get back to Korea! Part of the reason for going to the Flower Market was so Ginger could help us surprise Joseph with 40 roses. Along with the flowers Andrew and Mark made special signs just for Dad to hang up around our place. I think we succeeded in surprising Dada! Saturday it was time to do laundry and pack, YUCK! We did end the day on an up note by taking Andrew out to eat at Chili’s for an early birthday dinner. Our friends Nathan & Chelsea and Mark all joined us also. It was a special way to end the day.

Build your own pizza night

June 2nd – Our friends have been telling us about build your own pizza night at the O’ Club since we got here. Well on our last Monday here for this trip we finally got our act together and went. It was so much fun. The kids had a blast with the jumpy castle. Our friend Mark joined us. So, we had good company. The guys had fun building the pizza; thanks to their work it was very tasty. The kids wore their flight suits so they could look like their dad. Andrew thought I needed one too because he didn’t want me to feel left out. It was very sweet but the thought of me in a flight suit is a bit frightening. I did get a few pictures of them in front of a painting of Dad’s first airplane, the F-16, at the Club. Looking at the pictures reminds me of what a wonderful family I have been blessed with – thank you LORD!

O' Club

June 1, 2008 – We invited our friends Jong Gun and Moon Ja and their two kids to Sunday brunch at the O’ Club (Officers Club) after church. Brunch was an immense success. They loved eating American food again (they lived in Washington DC for 3 years) and there was a lot of different food to pick from in true American buffet style. The best part of the brunch was watching our friends’ enjoyment of it. After, brunch we came back to our place to show them some pictures of where we live in New Mexico. It was wonderful fellowship as always. We were busy making many plans for our next visit this coming Fall. Moon Ja and I are going to try to take a Korean cooking class together at Pyeongtaek University. We are also planning a get-together so Andrew can meet Moon Ja’s students so they can practice their English. Jonnie has been telling the students all about Andrew; consequently, they can not wait to meet him. We have other plans in the works also and I’m sure we will do our best to keep you updated on our adventure as it happens. While the adults talked, Mark napped, and the kids had a superb time playing outside with a frisbee, football and sidewalk chalk. Then, it was time to say our goodbyes around 5p. Cindy Jo was so sad she could not say good bye. We all felt bad for her. Then it was time to head over to our friend Amanda’s for dinner. Mark and Trevor had a grand time playing and Andrew had fun playing with all the boys. It was a good time of fellowship but we did miss Brian. He is on a TDY at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Muju

May 31, 2006 – We took a trip to Muju with our friend Moon Ja and her two kids Cindy Jo and Jonnie. The drive took around two hours through gorgeous countryside south of our home at Osan AB. Once we arrived in Muju we then went to Bandi Land (Bandibuli – meaning “firefly”) which is an insect museum. We had been planning this trip for some time as a surprise for Andrew since this year we will not all be together for Andrew’s birthday. We thought an insect museum would a perfect place for an early birthday gift. And we were right – it was a huge hit! Andrew, Cindy Jo and Jonnie all had a magnificent time. We viewed a Korean cartoon on a large dome screen and spent hours in the ecological greenhouse. In the greenhouse was a little stream that the kids had a grand time putting little berries in and following them along as the berries went over waterfalls. We also went into this marvelous dark room full of fireflies. It reminded me of growing up in Indiana and checking lightning bugs on warm summer evenings. The displays of all the insects were works of art in the way they were designed. You will notice when you look at the Muju pictures on Shutterfly that I really enjoyed the artistic arrangement of the butterflies. Outside the museum there was a charming little playground area where we spent a relaxing time talking and playing. After a while there, it was approaching dinner time so off we went to look for a restaurant. So, we had to leave our peaceful location in search of food. I’m so glad Moon Ja was with us and able to find a great little Korean place to eat. I’m not sure of the name of what we ate but it was yummy and everyone enjoyed themselves. The whole day was a wonderful time of fellowship and learning. Jonnie really looks up to Andrew, and CindyjJo and Andrew have become good friends.