FHE adventure-You Are Here Cafe!

Hello again friends and family:

So we have gotten very very very...did I mention very?...stir crazy in the hotel. So for FHE tonight we decided to go out and explore Seoul.

Our three options: Pet Alley, Norayangjin Seafood Market, or You Are Here Café.

You Are Here Café won. I will be honest, we are YouTube nerds. Big time. So what better place for Youtube nerds placed in Korea to go than the new café opened by two big Youtube channels, Talk To Me in Korean and Eat Your Kimchi!

I was pretty hesitant at first, knowing that we would be going into a younger part of Korea i.e. college area with three little kids but it was actually a lot of fun and everyone we met there was super nice and inviting.

We were even greeted at the door by Hyunwoo and his wife and newborn son when we got there! We did not get a photo with them but it was really cool to have a conversation with the guy that built Talk to Me in Korean from the ground up. If you haven't gone to their website, you should try it out. Great podcasts and easy to learn Korean material-and the best part is the majority of it is free! Woot!

We went inside and ordered a grapefruit-ade and Nutella shake: both pretty darn good! While ordering inside, we noticed a large crowd of people all looking in one direction-Sooozeee! Poor Soozee probably knew she was being awkwardly stared at by a large group of people, but she pulled it off well pretending she didn't care. I figured that she was probably a pretty cool person to meet so I went up and talked to her. Very sweet and down to earth and even put up with our family taking a picture with her later on.

Soooozeee!

We later went outside and met a number of fun people that were going to school here in Seoul. One guy was even named Eddie! I think our Eddie thought that was kind of cool. Ethan was followed around by a sweet college-aged girl that wouldn't stop watching him. He was pretty good with the flirting for her-and she totally ate it up.

boys trying out the Poi lights

While outside we got to see a guy playing around with Poi balls-here in Korea lighting things on fire is a no-no apparently so they use LED lights in these instead. The boys LOVED this and had to try. We got the guys info on the store he has and when they do shows by the Han River.

We started to leave, when we noticed a very familiar KIA drive by. I didn't quite catch on til Larry yelled a, "Hey guuurrlll!" -note: I did mention that we are BIG TIME Youtube nerds. If you do not understand this reference, no worries, we are not the norm.  So, we then decided we should turn around to meet Simon and Martina from Eat Your Kimchi.

Meeting a Youtube celebrity is pretty much that, meeting a celebrity. Poor Simon looked pretty overwhelmed with everyone surrounding them and jetted but Martina was super friendly and stuck around to talk to everyone and take pictures with us. Edana was pretty excited to meet her. I pretty sure it is the Pink hair factor and that Martina LOVES Sailor moon as well. We were invited to come back with the kiddos for Halloween-Koreans don't really celebrate Halloween, so a place where a bunch of foreigners hang out might be fun-we will see.

Edana and I with Martina. Edana kept talking about how cool it was to meet her after.

The little boys were the most excited about Spudgy. They kept following him around so they could pet him. That's right, we really just came for Spudgy. Mission accomplished. :)

ha ha! apparently they both wouldn't sit still long enough for a photo! The blue streak is Simon and Martina's dog, Spudgy.

After that, we attempted to find some food but with the kiddos tired and extremely hungry, we ended up buying stuff at a small shopette.

Our haul for the night: banana milk, banana puffs, yogurt drink, some kind of angry bird chips, steamed corn (Eddie insisted on this for some reason) and TTMIK workbooks to help with our Korean.

Overall, it was a fun experience to meet some of the people that we have been following and learning from to get ready for this Korean experience. It was a pretty awesome way to start off our adventures!

We love you all, and think of you often!
Until our next adventure!!

 

*and here is a video of the guy showing us the Poi balls! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l_3kP7SAG0&feature=youtu.be

Latter Day Saints Seoul Branch

Hello friends, families and others that may find this page!

We made it to church here in Seoul yesterday! We were lucky enough to have my cousin's two daughters to be our tour guides in helping us find our way in the subway!

It may not seem like a big deal in making it there, but here is an idea of what the subway systems are here in Korea:

It is fairly easy to understand, but it goes EVERYWHERE here is Seoul and is pretty confusing when you are trying to wrangle 3 kiddos and find the "English" version of things here.

To travel the subways here, you first need to purchase a T-money card:

This is a pretty cool little card. You load money onto it-most rides on the subway are w$1000 (roughly $1) and just scan the card right before you get into the subway station and at the station you come out of. The coolest part is that you can also use these cards if you take a taxi too! Most taxi's have T-money scanners, so no worries of looking for cash while getting kiddos to stay in their seats.

We only had to get 3 cards for Larry, Edana and I-the boys are free, you just carry the kids along with you.

To get to our beautiful LDS Church, from the Dragon Hill Lodge, we got on the Noksapyeong station and took Line 6 to Gongdeok station and hopped on line 5 where we got off at Yeongduangopo-gu office exit.

Stay right to exit the station, turn left once outside, continue left down a long side walk and once you come to an autocare service center on your right and a small food/cigarette shopette on the corner next to it turn left, walk a little bit more and turn right once you see a Fujifilm, and tada!!! Isn't a beautiful sight? It is huge! Four levels high with a basement for parking.

The branch is large as well! Over 100 kids in primary! My cousins family was such a great help and even helped us out so that we could go to all of our adult classes, rather than sit in nursery. We were so happy to go and so grateful for these two cute tour guides to get us there!

 

 



Korean sign: The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints

Korea: we made it!

Hello friends and family! 안녕하세요!(hello!)

We have made it to Korea, the land of the Morning Calm!
How are we feeling right now? To be honest, calm would not be an adjective that I would pick for us at this point, but we are getting there.

We have started this adventure with many bumps and confusion but I think we need to just get use to it because this really is an entirely new experience for us!

a small little room to get some sleep in at Seattle airport

In getting here, we took 4 different flights, 9 very heavy and large suitcases that we kept ending up having to get from one part of the airport to another, and an overall of 19hrs of lay over time-not including the flight time! Whew! Needless to say, we got to the Dragon Hill Lodge very very very very tired at around 11pm.

The hotel is pretty awesome. There is a fun play area for the kids, a swimming pool, hot tub, and beautiful grounds to walk around and see. The base is located just outside of downtown Seoul, so it is a very busy area once you go outside of the base but there is so much to see and experience!

to show that squatting to sit around is actually part of culture
even in cartoons!

 The driving here is CRAZY! We have heard that China is even worse-??!!! Do you remember the game Traffic Jam, where you have to rearrange the cars to let the white one drive out? It is very similar here. We have had our realtor drive us around in the small side streets and if more than two cars were squeezing down these alleys every one would stop and have to do three point turns to try to get out. I will have to just take some pictures next time. It is something to see! (it makes me really not want a car here).

We have had some major set backs in things we had been told about housing situations and how some of our moving costs would be settled, but it has been very reassuring to receive help from other families that have been through where we are (or worse!) and are so very positive.

We have already gotten to have our first playdate with my cousin Sarah and her family, as well as game night (very important to us Eyrings!) We were able to meet with a friend of Sarah's and in just one evening was able to answer so many questions and concerns-so helpful. I feel so so lucky to have family here and contacts right off the bat. I don't know what we would do if we hadn't met up with them or didn't have anyone to talk to! It makes us realize how much we all really do need to look after one another and help where we can. It is so important to not feel completely alone in the this world.

As of right now, we still are "homeless". There has not been any report of whether or not we will be stationed at Camp Humphrey's, or here in Yongsan. Hopefully things will be cleared up this coming up week.

North Seoul Tower, about 3 miles from the DHL

We sure miss you all already. It has been strange to drive around the city, not know on earth what others are saying, and even just looking over such foreign rooftops of villas and apartments here. It really is such a different life than we are use to but I think for the most part, we are ready to hop in and figure it out.

We hope all is well! We love you!
나중에보자! (see you later!)
 

The H word

Homeschooling.
This has been the word that follows me throughout my day. I read about it every chance I get. I prepare for it any moment I am allowed. I talk about it with anyone that will actually talk about it. I constantly find myself praying to my Heavenly Father about it. It haunts me in my sleep and brings me peace when I think of what our family can gain from it.
But with all of this preparing, planning, reading, thinking, praying, soul-searching, and dreaming, I feel that I have hit a wall.
"Mommy. When I get bigger, I can't wait to go to real school." My sweet little Edana said as we walked away from The Canterbury Tales a middle school had put on.
This tiny little statement sent my heart aching. I could understand what she meant. I remember going to my brothers schools, peeking into their class rooms and being so excited for when I was going to be able to take those classes too. I remember the thrill of being in highschool plays, chatting with friends at my locker and finding solace sitting in the library reading a book, away from everyone. I remember the excitement I got every year picking out new clothes, books and backpacks for the new year to come.

As silly as it may sound, I began crying over these things I thought she would lose because of our decision for her education. These wonderful things that are available to every child in the public school system!

Every single fear, judgement and self-conscience thought I have ever had about homeschooling came swarming at me, making me believe that I was the most unfit person in the world to teach my child. I mean, come on! I was the person who was dim enough to think that Alaska was an island because the only picture I had ever seen of it was in a little square box just like Hawaii! I AM the dullest crayon in the box!

But then I realized that with the good, there is always the bad. The bullying, name-calling, stressing, boring, mind-numbing and over-exerting feelings that many people have felt with public school can also be paired with the amazing learning experiences that youth have there.

I hear the YoungWomen in my ward heartbroken over horrible conversations and bullying they experience day to day. I've seen 3/4 of a room full of kids between the ages of 13-17 raise their hands when asked if they have seen a gun or knife at school; many admitting that they have seen weapons there more than just one or two times. I have seen first hand the HUGE variety of drug use that is being used by students at school, ranging from drinking and smoking, marijuana, and even to harder drugs like meth, acid, and cocaine (and this was almost 8yrs ago!).

These things are not just connected to public school, this I am sure of. I know that these things do creep into the lives of homeschool students as well. Which made me then realize that this beautiful and almost romantic idea of what schooling should be for our children, the best schooling that we can possibly hope for and imagine, does not actually exist. There is no possible way or time where our children will be able to have access to every thought, idea, lesson or lecture. There is no possible way to shield our children from every scary thought, name, lie, heart ache, bad decision or pain that is out there. Because our children need to and have to learn these things for themselves.

How many tears have been shed because of our own decisons by our Heavenly Father? What an amazing Father He is, to constantly trust and love us with our own agency so that each and every day He parts with His own beautiful children, who come here to face the same things we find ourselves worrying over!

One of the best encouragements I have gotten about a child's education was from my mother-in-law. She told me the biggest thing you can do for your child's education is to "be there for your child." Homeschool or not, be there for them.

I have realized that no matter our decision for our children's education, we will be there for them no matter what they choose or need-just as our Heavenly Father has shown us. We will teach our children of our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ and their love for each and every one of us. I find that in this thing called "life", this is as real of a school as we can get.

So, to answer any questions: Yes. I will be homeschooling my children. For how long? I will take it one year at a time. But I am more encouraged to set my focus on being there for my children rather than obessing over what cirriculum we will use, whether or not they get into school plays or in what way I will track their progress.

I am so grateful for others and their clarity of life. This is the comfort I have been needing. Thankyou Momma Jones. Your words have echoed in my mind tonight, at a time I really needed it most.

*And just to note: among other lessons we hope to instill, Edana will know that you can in fact drive your car to Alaska.

New hobby?

So I have been slooooooowly....at I mean slow-as-molasses kind of slow....writing for a website called Examiner.com.

I have been bashful about even posting or telling too many people about it do to the fact that I cannot write. I have always LOVED writing and as Larry can vouch for the many lists, journals, half-written blogs and other jottings around our house, I am constantly writing-as much as a mother of two can. So I am trying to slowly come out of my shell and say "hey, read this."
Though, as of right now I am a military life writer and though I do enjoy some facets of the military life, it is not a passion of mine. But I thought this a way to improve some of my writing, researching and journaling skills as well as making a couple of pennies on the side. (*yes. I am at 44 cents as of tonight! woohoo!)
I hope that it will also further my knowledge of this military life I live.
So, if you would like to follow along, or know of any military families out there that could benefit from the articles and deals I come across, please share.
Without further ado.......

All Things In Moderation-revised :)

Hooray for the lovely and brilliant Abby Olsen! Here is the blog that I could not copy and paste, if any were interested.
Thankyou so much Abby! I was having issues ...obviously. ;)

Once again this blog is sliding to the wayside.
In all honesty, most of the well intentioned projects I have started are sitting on the side lines as well.
I have come to a huge realization. I am an “all or nothing” person. I have said this in the past but I don’t think I have ever stopped to really consider what that means, what I can gain from that or more importantly what I can lose.
I apologize for the contemplative blog. There will be only one picture this time, so if you are in for some reading, by all means join me in my tangent.

“All things in moderation.” This musters up images of being on the internet, watching tv, playing video games (which I will admit caused this realization of mine) or eating. I have never considered that this term “moderation” would apply to such things that I find productive: preparing for our upcoming home school, organizing my home, cleaning my home, budgeting, spending time with hubby, baking, exercising, etc,etc. I realized that not only does my late night “binge” of playing a silly video game (causing not only frustration by lack of sleep but also another “project” that won’t be completed) qualify as a distraction but these other things that I have been busying myself with have distracted me from some many other facets of my life. But most importantly, my relationships.
I am sorry to you reading this, since everyone that I can think of that may continue reading would fall under this category…
I have realized that I become so obsessed with my projects, that I forget that I have friends and family that I have not talked to or heard from in so long. It reminds me of a talk that was given once, where a man had stated that if he was to find a sin for the Latter Day Saints to be distracted with, it would be to keep them busy.
I am such a person. I won’t do things because I know that if I do, I will become distracted. Writing this blog: a distraction from dishes, reading another home school book, folding clothes, and taking a 20min nap.
I am so fallible to distractions, tangents, projects and every day worries that I have forgotten that the wonderful people in my life mean so much more than all of these silly, of-the-moment things.
I ready to try moderation. It sounds like maybe it will be liberating. 
Though I did just try it with this blog and I have been editing and un-editing this now for the last hour. Sigh.
ALL THINGS IN MODERATION, JENNIFER!
On another random note: here is the one picture.

Larry and I on our 6th anniversary date.
Because of Larry’s love for John Wayne we had a “True Grit” themed day. Breakfast was grits (Larry made fun of me for the literal way I had taken the movie title), we played disc golf with my own twist on the game, namely us doing crazy things dressed as we are in the above picture. We then went home and watched the new True Grit. Then ended with us going to Flying W Ranch (which was pretty lame, so we got our money back and went to HU HOTS…LOVE IT!) We then ended the night by having our own shoot out with nerf guns. I feel so lucky to have this handsome man at my side. It is so comforting to know that I can always turn to him when I need someone to talk to, cry to, laugh with and even just hug. I love you so much Larry. Thankyou so much for these 6 years. I can't wait for the rest!!

Anyways, this was the only picture I got of us because our camera officially died. Seriously. The camera fell, shattered and then made these pitiful clicking noises before completely turning off. At least the date made up for it. :)




Sigh and cry. I will finally go finish my silly dishes now. :(

Summer Lovin'- happened so fast

It's amazing how fast summer went by.
It's even more amazing how many things we actually did this summer. Ready for many pictures??
We started out our summer in Utah, where we played Were extremely great examples to our little nephew

We were able to see family and show off our little Ed

We FINALLY were able to go see Grandma Maggie!

We then headed to St. George for the Eyring Reunion where we were able to visit the beautiful Zions Park.

We were introduced to the silly sport of plankingWe visited the Hogle Zoo, a zoo Larry and I hadn't been to since we were kids.

We were able to not only see animals and dinosaurs but also Michelle Money(?) from the Bachelor
My little brother, Britton, graduated from High school!

Edana got to ride a horse

We were able to play with cousins

Jen then drove the 13 hour drive out to Austin, TX with the kids to see our friends, The Banks Family.

Oh, my how silly are kids were.

And also so sweet

We were able to meet up with Larry (as he was training there) and even went to Sea World. A first for our family.

And for some reason I only got pictures of the kiddos. But they sure are cute!

Back at home, we continued on with preschool during the summer

We had fun with friends

We went to the Renaissance Festival, where I talked Larry into dressing up with us...

..met a hired Jack Sparrow impersonator.... *the highlight of Jen's day*

and I even made my first full dress.

Larry and Edana got to ride an elephant.

Jen was called as an Activity Day leader

And was able to help run in the 195mile race of the Rocky Mountain Epic Relay!

And believe it or not, since finally getting these pictures loaded, I have found a handful more of things we did over the summer. For next time, I guess. Whew. What a summer!