The Big PCS - Part 5

For the rest of the story: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

There's really not much to tell about the fifth phase of our PCS. It was just the time that we spent in temporary lodging after we arrived here. We actually found a house just two days after we got here, but it wasn't going to be ready for us to move into until a month later. So, while we were in temporary lodging, we...

- got sick a few times

-picked (and ate) a lot of strawberries

- went for a lot of walks

- watched too much t.v.

And that pretty much sums it up.  It wasn't too bad being in temporary lodging for a month, but we were really looking forward to moving into our house. It's great to be in our house now. We're still trying to get everything unpacked and get all settled in, but we love it... especially the back yard. 

And that is the end of the story of the longest PCS known to man (unless you count the part where we wait for the shipment of the rest of our stuff, but that wouldn't make for a very interesting blog post... kind of like this one, I guess.)

The Big PCS Part 4 - Another Ocean Away

For the rest of the story: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

We had a wonderful week in my hometown after the Man was finished with his training. It was a VERY busy one, but so great to have our family all together again. It went by quickly and then it was time to start the next phase of our big PCS, and get ourselves across another ocean and into Europe.

We were SO happy to have the chance to stop and visit my brother and his wife for a few days on our way. That's them in the picture above. Aren't they cute? It was so nice to see them and the kids had so much fun with their aunt and uncle. They were probably relieved to see us go (they live in a one bedroom apartment that normally houses two people, and then we came along adding five more people, three large suitcases, three large carseats, a pack n' play, and five carry-on bags to the poor college student living space), but I think they were glad they got to meet the Aegi for the first time, and see the Girl and the Boy, who've both grown a lot since they last met. We are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with them.

After spending a few days there, it was time.

The dreaded time.

Time for the Man and I to drag ourselves, our kids and all of our luggage into a taxi, through an airport, find some relief after dropping off the horrendous load at the baggage check, continue on to our gate stopping to fill empty tummies and making several potty trips along the way, all the while having the anxiety of getting on the plane and traveling over the ocean for several hours building inside of me.

That's the dreaded part - being on a plane for so long. I always dread it, even though I'm so grateful that we have that convenience, and even though I'm excited for the adventures that are ahead, I always dread those flights. And I really can't complain. The kids are really good. They put up with a lot from us -dragging them through several time zones in less then a week, and living out of suitcases for months at a time and all. So, like I said, I can't complain, but oh how I loathe those flights.

Here's a summary of our flight to Germany.

After dropping off our luggage, we went to a sandwich place in the airport to get some dinner. While we were eating I took the Girl to the bathroom, which seemed to be about a mile away. We came back and were finishing our dinner when, out of nowhere, the Aegi threw-up his dinner. I figured he must have just downed his juice too fast or something because he wasn't acting sick at all. Nevertheless, the situation required a change of clothes, so I changed him into the only change of clothes I had brought for him, thinking to myself that I had hoped that these would not have to be used before at least half-way through the flight, certainly not before we even got on the plane.

Moving on, we went to our gate, and the Man took the Boy to the bathroom while we waited to board. I was suddenly feeling very sick to my stomach for some reason, and the Aegi had decided it was time to train for a marathon - a sprinted one.

At last, it was time to board the plane. I'm always relieved when the things I dread the most begin, because I just want to get them over with. Thankfully, my stomach was feeling better and they let us board early, so we got on and got settled and waited for the plane to take off.

A short time later the plane took off. Less than five minutes into the flight, the plane was still climbing and the seat-belt light was still on, and the Aegi threw-up. Again. All over the only clean clothes he had left. I'll spare you the details.

Jumping ahead to several hours later, the Aegi had fallen asleep (I was so glad about that). He woke up, had a few sips of water and threw-up again. I just wanted so much to have our feet on the ground again. Luckily, by this time we were almost there. The flight attendants brought out breakfast, and the Aegi really wanted to eat. I didn't want him to because I knew he'd probably throw-up again. But I ended up giving him a little bit of bread and a little bit to drink.

Finally,  it was time to land. I was so happy to have finally made it to this point in our journey, and thinking that maybe the Aegi had just eaten something that made him sick and he'd gotten it all out of his system. And then, he threw-up. He didn't get any clothes dirty this time (we had stripped him down to just his diaper after that first time after the plane took-off.)

Fortunately, the Boy hadn't needed his change of clothes, so we put them on the Aegi before getting off the plane. We found our way to baggage claim, claimed our load, and then went to talk to the Army guy that looked like he would tell us how we were supposed to get to the base. Turned out, we would be taking a bus in a couple of hours. At that point, a couple of hours sounded like an eternity.

The 'couple of hours' turned into more like four or five hours, but we finally got on the bus, and made it to the base, and part 4 of our big PCS was DONE!

Now we are in the final phase of our PCS, and then we will be done PCSing for a long while.

Halleluiah.

The Big PCS Part 3 - Two Months in Pictures

Well, we are now nearing the end of this phase of our big PCS. I guess you could say the last couple of months have been Part 3. You can read about Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

The beginning of Part 3 was full of excitement and travel, but the majority has been spent here at my parents' house, while the Man has been TDY. And since arriving here, things have been relatively calm and laid back. We've just been kinda hangin' around, waiting for the next phase of this big move to arrive. But it's been so great to see so many relatives while we've been here. My parents have had jobs out of town, so we've mostly just been able to see them on the weekends when they are in town, but that's more than we'd have been able to see them if we weren't here at all, so I'm not complaining. So even though I wish the Man was with us, I'm thankful for this time that we've had to catch up with everyone.

The Man comes home tomorrow (yippee!!!), so I thought I'd give a little run-down of Part 3 of the big PCS so far:

One of the first things we did after leaving Korea was share a plate of noodles in Tokyo.

Since then, we...

Spent a few days in Hawaii.

Spent some wonderful time with family and friends (including 99 year-old Great-Grandma).

Celebrated Easter.

Learned to walk.

Had some Texas Bar-B-Q (I got to go visit the Man for a couple of days).

Watched the tulips bloom.

Spent time in the snow.

And the sun.

I'm so excited to see the Man tomorrow, and also so happy that we get to spend a little bit more time here. I'm also really excited for the weeks to come and the next phase of our big PCS...

The Big PCS Part 2 - Reminiscing

The Big PCS Part 1 can be found here.


For the last few days before we left Korea, we stayed at the same place we had stayed when we arrived 26 months before. Staying there again brought a lot of memories to the foreground of my mind. Here are some thoughts I wrote while we were there.


Staying here again is a strange feeling. It really brings back the memories of what it felt like to be here at first. I remember being so incredibly exhausted when we arrived. We went to bed as soon as we could once we got to our room and slept until about eight a.m. At some point - it was either that morning, or later when we were napping - I was laying in bed and heard an air raid siren. I knew it was just a test, but those things just sound so ominous. Even though I knew it was really irrational, for a moment, I thought, What have we done? What were we thinking, bringing our children to South Korea? There is a hostile dictatorship just a short drive away!

But the moment passed, and I felt normal again (at least as normal as one can feel when suffering from major jet-lag in a totally foreign country).

I remember being so excited to look out our hotel room window that first morning, to see the country in  daylight for the first time. We have that same view out our window now, but now that skyline of high-rise apartment buildings and mountains in the background is so familiar.

I remember the excitement of venturing out into the city for the first time. It was Sunday, and we rode the subway to get to church. The subway station closest to the church was about a 15 minute walk away from the church, so we got to soak in all the sights on that Seoul street as we walked to our little white church building up on the hill. It was so fun! I remember how, even though I had become quite a bit more comfortable with the idea of being here in the five days since our plane had landed, there was nothing that made me feel more at home than walking into that church building. The gospel is the same everywhere. Our branch changed quite a bit during our time here - lots of people coming and going, a new building in a totally different part of the city, and even combining with another branch - but through it all, the people in that branch were a constant source of comfort, friendship, strength, and inspiration to me, the Man, and the kids.

I remember having a little more anxiety when we moved into our new apartment. It was a great location - right across the street from post, and the same place that our friends lived, but we were on the 26th floor. I don't think I'd ever been on the 10th floor of any building in my life, let alone lived on the 26th floor. I was so sure that I could feel that building moving under my feet, swaying in the wind. I figured out later that I must have been kind of crazy because when my parents came to visit, my mom did not feel any swaying. She gets motion sick very easily, so I think if there was any swaying going on, she would have felt it.

And then there was the voice.

The amplified voice from somewhere down on the streets below. The kids and I would hear it everyday around lunchtime. It was a very serious sounding man's voice speaking Korean, so of course to me, in my fragile, anxiety-ridden state, it sounded ominous, and made me wonder if there was some kind of political revolution going on. The Girl always got a little scared when the voice started up, but I would just tell her it was okay - just a guy talking in a speaker so lots of people could hear him - and I'd look out the window, searching for the source of the voice.

It didn't take long for me to get used to being on the 26th floor. My paranoia of earthquakes, fires, or artillery subsided, I couldn't feel any swaying anymore, and I finally figured out that the ominous voice was just a dude selling fruit from his truck.

And Korea became home.

One of my favorite things about our experience here is how warm-hearted the people of this country have been to our children. I have a lot of great memories of people of all ages, men and women alike, showing love to our kids. One of my favorite memories was an elevator ride up to our apartment. There was a man who lived one floor below us. There were a few times that we happened to be on the elevator at the same time as him as he was leaving the gym. He was a tall, strong looking man, probably in his 50's or 60's. Anyway, the Boy was just about a year and a half old and whenever we rode the elevator with this man he would smile at the Boy like he reminded him of his own grandson. Well, one day, he just got down and scooped the Boy into a great big hug. It was the cutest thing. That is such a good representation of the warmth and goodness that we felt from so many people here, and is one of the many reasons why this country will always have a special place in my heart.

It's been almost two months since we left now. I miss it, and I hope the memories will not fade.

The Big PCS Part 1 - Baby Shoes

We are sort of in the middle of a big PCS... it's a long drawn out move because of some training the Man has to do between our last location and the next. I started preparing for this move weeks before it actually began, organizing and sifting through our stuff to see what we should give away. Nevertheless, the Saturday before we moved out, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and wasn't in the best mood. I was snappy with everyone, even the Aegi who wouldn't take a nap, was really fussy, and kept pulling my hair while I had him on my back so I could fold laundry.

I could tell the Man was thinking something, so I told him he'd better tell me what it was. He said, "I think you're being ridiculous right now." I knew he was absolutely right, but since I was being ridiculous anyway, I very maturely replied, "You're being ridiculous right now!" Anyway, once I got that out of my system, I apologized for being ridiculous and pulled it together (or so I thought).

In an effort to help, the Man suggested we go room by room and take a look at what was left to do. We went into the kids' room and there on the top shelf in their closet were several pairs of little shoes that they had grown out of during our two years there. The Man brought in a bag and started looking at each pair of shoes. If they were old and worn looking, he threw them into the bag to be trashed.

At some point during this process, he looked back at me - probably asking my opinion about a pair of shoes - and noticed the tears streaming down my face. I think he asked me why I was crying and I sobbed out something like, "I don't want to throw the shoes away!" The Man said, "Okay, then let's keep them." And I said something about how we shouldn't keep shoes that are too worn out.

Oh, the poor Man... He was really doing a stellar job at hiding the exasperation I know he must have been feeling at this point. But I guess he's pretty used to me by now.

In the end, we ended up keeping a couple pairs of dress shoes (they weren't worn out at all), the Boy's tiny Crocs (just because they're cute) and his baby shoes.

In just two short years, my kids went through a lot of shoes - evidence of how much they've grown and changed since we arrived in Korea, and I'm just too sentimental sometimes, especially at times like this.

Times of transition.

 Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier if we were settled down. Would I still feel so emotionally attached to symbols of the past, things like shoes? Or would I not feel that so strongly because there would be one major constant in our lives - namely a home.

But then I realize I'm grateful to have to face these transitions and the awareness of the passing time that they bring. If I didn't have these, I could imagine myself one day being shocked with the reality that ten years had passed in the blink of an eye. I guess we are all blessed with these reminders whether we live in one place for a long time or move around a lot. They come in many different forms.

So, even though our moves are bittersweet, I'm glad for the bitter parts too. If it weren't for them, I may not be as aware as I should be. I might take moments for granted even more than I already do.

I'm also glad that we still have the Boy's tiny Crocs.

We made it... thus far.

After many hours on a few of these (the larger version), many miles on interstates, many precious moments of visiting with family and friends, many tears, are we there yets, diapers, runny noses, Wee Sing songs, snacks, diapers, dirty clothes, dips in the pool (and the ocean), sunny days, diapers (did I mention that already?), snowy days, and prayers...

We have arrived...

at the next phase of the longest PCS known to man.

We will stay in said phase until about two months from now, at which point the Dude will be finished with his TDY and we will move on to the final phase...

of the longest PCS known to man.

Honestly, I'm so grateful for this time to be able to spend with family. It is a real blessing to have these treasured times with our loved ones, before shipping ourselves across another ocean.

Time Again

The Man got his orders this week, so we've really been thinking about/preparing for our upcoming move, and it's brought back the memories of when we were preparing for our move to here. All the same old feelings are back – excitement, sadness, happiness, sentimentality. This is how I put my feelings into words right before we left our last home before this one:

Every time we face a big change in our lives or have to say goodbye to our loved ones for a time, I have to face a personal struggle that is caused by the awareness of the passage of time. For some reason, this is one of my biggest challenges. It is one of the few things that has the potential to make me really teary for awhile. I guess there is something about knowing that years, months, weeks, days, and moments are constantly passing and we can never relive those moments once they pass. It's really not a bad thing. It's actually wonderful to see kids growing. It's great that as our parents grow older, their lives can be enriched by new little ones in the form of grandchildren, and that we all grow wiser as we grow older, and get to have new experiences. But thoughts of the passing time come with both happy and sad feelings, and the struggle for me is which feelings will be stronger. I always want the happy ones to come out on top, of course.

This week also marks two years since we came here. Last night, as I was peeling carrots for the chicken soup I was making for dinner, the Girl and the Boy were in the living room playing a game of Candyland together. The Aegi was in the Ergo carrier on my back (so he wouldn't mess up the kids' game), and it reminded me of the days when we first came here… For our first couple of months, almost every Saturday or holiday, the Man and I put the kids in the backpacks and went to see someplace new in the city. It was so fun for us to have so many new places to see. I thought about how our family has changed since then. When we came here, the Girl was just barely three, and the Boy was 16 months. The Man had returned from a long tour in Iraq just four months before we began our adventures here. And now, here we are with the Girl and the Boy old enough to be keeping busy playing a board game together while I make dinner, and here is the Aegi who we didn't even know yet just two short years ago… and who is even wearing hand-me-down pants that his brother was wearing when we came here.

I was reading one of my books from the library the other night and came across this passage. I like what the author says about time.

Often time seems like an enemy as the minutes squeeze your day tighter and tighter and you see that you have more to do than you have time to complete. Do you complain about not having enough time? Do you wish there were more hours in a day? If you have toddlers, you may wish for fewer hours in a day because bedtime seems much too far away for your exhausted body. As you witness your children growing up right before your eyes, do you wish that you could stop time before those precious moments slip away?

In those instances I have to remind myself that time is a gift from God. An Irish proverb says, "Time is so precious that it is dealt out to us only in the smallest possible fractions – a tiny moment at a time." Just as a beautiful, delicate flower unfolds slowly, one petal at a time, God protects us within the layers of His created time, unfolding each day lovingly and gently as He reveals, day by day, His perfect plans for our lives. When we are aware and when we remind ourselves that God is continually meeting our needs … we experience God's deep peace – the antidote to chaos.

-Marilyn Rocket, Homeschooling at the Speed of Life

Time is something I'm always trying to grasp. I feel like I'm always chasing it, but it's always faster. I try to catch it and hold it in place, but it always slips away just beyond my reach.

I've decided to try to think about time as a gift – not a gift that once I've got in my hands, I open, use up, wear out, and then have to leave behind. I will think about time as the gift that keeps on giving, and try to give to time as much as it gives to me.