Iwo Jima Memorial

This not having furniture thing is starting to get rough on my bottom so today we finally just needed to get out of the house and do something but we didn't feel like being in the crowds of summer visitors in DC.  Darren told me to grab my camera and we decided to try to find the Iwo Jima Memorial again.  After two tries we finally found the turn to get into the parking lot and we walked around and checked out the memorial.  The clouds were so pretty because there was a storm rolling in.

This is one of my favorite parks in DC because it is so quiet and peaceful.  Tonight the campanile was tinkling in the background as we walked around.  The boys were excited to see the dome of the Capital Building, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial off in the distance.  After we finished up here it still wasn't raining so we headed off over the Memorial Bridge and drove through the National Mall area and told the boys about the different museums that we can see and saw the White House!  Maybe tomorrow we'll have another adventure.

The Olympics Start Tonight

Are you planning on watching the opening ceremony?  The boys and I are going to watch, I remember watching the Beijing opening ceremony 4 years ago with them and I am interested to see if London can top what Beijing did.  And all this secrecy about who will be carrying the torch, sadly I probably won't even know who it is because it will be some new star.

July is almost over and the kids will be starting school in a month.  I always feel bad for them when we have to move during the summer because they don't get to spend the time off with their friends doing all the stuff kids should do during the summer.  Instead they are stuck at the house with their mom.  Luckily they play really well together but I know for even them not having all their stuff and furniture is getting old.  Hopefully next week.

We did go out this week and buy school uniforms.  The boys have to wear uniforms at their new school and they are going to look so stinking cute on the first day of school!  Still need to go out and find leather shoes for both of them but we can hit Stride Rite or something like that and find some nice comfy shoes.

The kids are the only ones missing their friends.  I came across this picture again today and I miss my friends so much.  Hopefully one day we will see each other again and it won't just be instant messages on FaceBook.

I'm feeling crafty.

I really wish my furniture would show up.  I'm back in the states and have visited many craft stores and played on Pinterest long enough.  I want to play!  I want to be crafty!  So far, I've played with cross stitch.  I found these really cute Star Wars patterns from weelittlestitches on Etsy.  I bought all the Star Wars ones because I thought they would be really cute framed up in the boys' room.  But now that we are out of the hotel I have found that cross stitching isn't as comfortable when you don't have a comfortable seat.  :(

We as of yesterday we are a two car family again.  We drove down to Norfolk/Portsmouth and picked up Darren's little Escape.  It crossed the ocean and the country and doesn't have any more dings in it then it did before it got on the ship.  I feel pretty lucky because some of our friends haven't gotten as lucky.  We got a call from the shipper bringing our stuff up from storage in Texas and it left Texas on Tuesday but won't be here until August 1st.  I was really hoping he would drive like the wind and it would get up here before the weekend.  

Well at least I have a car and can go drool at Michael's again today while I wait for my furniture to get here.

Back in the USA

I guess I've been back for just over a month now but it has been a busy busy month.  I just finally looked at my blog and realized that it has been neglected for long enough.  We have moved into our new house (it still isn't a home yet because none of my stuff has made it from Korea yet - we'll maybe call it a home once I have my bed again) and I finally have cable and internet again.  Getting cable and internet was an experience, after 2 years of "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit" cable and internet I was completely shocked at all the choices I could get for cable.  I know have more TV channels than I think we will be able to watch in our two years here in DC and internet that is so fast I think my emails are sending before I'm done typing!  LOL!!  But it is nice to be connected again and also to get up and watch some TV while eating my breakfast.

We got the boys registered for school and ran out and bought them both uniforms because they get to wear uniforms at this school.  This weekend I have a full weekend of volunteer training so that I can volunteer at their school this year.  It will be nice to meet some other adults.  I think that is the worst part of moving.  I feel so lonely here because I don't know anyone and it is so hard to meet new people.  I did join a gym but with us being a one car family right now it hasn't really been on my list of things to do but I will get back to hitting the gym regularly again once we get the other car back.  

I can't wait to get our house all settled and start scrapping and sewing again.  I miss being crafty and didn't have that much space or time to do it regularly when we lived in our apartment in Korea.  I will have a larger space to work with here and time too if I don't let myself get talked into too many things!

Well enjoy your summer, wish I was still in Hawaii.  I don't know if I want Darren stationed there but it was awesome to visit.  We had so much fun at the beach and I actually snorkeled!  Time to start cleaning the house so that everything is ready when the transportation gods decide to let our stuff arrive!!

Mt. Yeongin Trip with my Photog Friends

One last trip with the SOKO Shutterbugs before I leave South Korea.  This time we went hiking (and I mean HIKING) up some mountains at Mt. Yeongin Recreational Park.  It was beautiful and we brought picnic lunches.  I will miss seeing the Koreans all decked out in their workout gear for hiking with poles and gloves and every little thing you could possibly bring for a hike.  I felt kind of under-equipted bringing only my camera!  Here are some photos of the area, it was beautiful and very green (and really high).  I wish it had been clearer so that we could have seen all the way to Asan.  I would say maybe next time but I don't think I'm going to get a next time.

Photographing bees is not easy.

Getting to the steps was hard work, now we still have to climb the steps!

The pictures of me added here are from my friend Beth.  Thanks Beth for making me get into the pictures!

Beth and I, I'm going to miss all the adventures she takes me on!

 

Dizzy look down the stairs!

I was the first one to the top!

Pile of wishing stones.

Frogs were a little easier to capture than bees but still not easy.

I had to take a picture of the restroom sign because those are the best dressed restroom people I have ever seen!

  

300 miles

Ian has been participating in Camp Humphrey's Youth Running Club since we got to South Korea.  He has come a long way from the kid who couldn't run one complete lap.  He is now running 5K races with his dad and wants to train to run the Army 10 Miler in October.  Well tonight he hit a big milestone with the club, he became the second one to reach the 300 mile mark!  Great work Ian!!!

Ian and Coach Dave

Cub Scout Regatta

Our Pack held it's first Raingutter Regatta this morning!  We had 17 boys show up to participate!  It was awesome!  Evan didn't place for his den but he had great sportsmanship and cheered on his den mates!  Ian won first place for the Webelos and 2nd place overall for the whole pack!  Here are some of my favorite shots from today!

Hello Mr Tooth Fairy

Yes, Evan thinks the tooth fairy is a guy.  And yes, even though we are trying to move the tooth fairy will find us, even if we are on an airplane (bet that would be a hard one right?).  This morning he lost another tooth and is really toothless now, he is missing three!!  Not sure how he is going to eat dinner or lunch or anything besides ice cream!!