Congratulations are in Order

After a very stressful week assessing for an aviation special forces unit (the 160th out of Fort Campbell, KY), Ryan has been accepted to the unit. Congratulations to my Saaaweetie.

There were 45 applications for the unit, and only 17 were invited to assess for the open positions. Five of the 17 happened to be Captains, and Ryan got the one and only Captain position the unit had open. I am so proud that I can't even put it into words.

Having a husband that is in special forces is scary - I won't lie. I know he will be doing things that he won't be able to talk about (and we talk about EVERYTHING), and there are deployments that I am going to have to accept not knowing where he is or when he will come home. I worry less knowing that Ryan has been trained by the best and worked/trained hard. He is the most dedicated person I know to the United States Army.

I once met some wives in Fort Rucker, Alabama, where Ryan and his buddies were going through flight school. They all complained about how much time the guys had to spend training, flying, and being away from home and families. I'll admit, I like to have Ryan home, but I also know that the more he trains and learns, the safer he can be at work. I need him to be safe at work. Flying a helicopter is a dangerous job (his life insurance premium is proof !), and I need his full concentration on his job, not worrying about trivial things at home.

So here's to my brave, intelligent, and wonderful husband - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I love you!!!

A Death...and Rebirth

I'm just now getting the guts to tell everyone this. It has taken me 4 months to gain the strength, and even now I'm not sure I want to admit it.

My wonderful, awesome, expensive, beautiful-picture-taking Nikon D40x 10.2 MP digital camera followed me into the ocean on a beach in Maui this past September. I wish it would have been a child to scold or a husband to roll my eyes at, but it wasn't. I was left standing wet on a gorgeous black sand beach with a broken (and wet) camera and a heart that had dropped to my feet.


For those that don't know, I hate water with wildlife. Well, I don't mind it from afar, but me getting IN the water is a phobia of mine. I was scarred one summer while in the Ohio River when a floating dead fish touched me. I haven't been the same since.

It happened in an instant. I went to the water's edge to wait for the next wave to roll ashore. I could see it coming. I waited, anxious to get my feet wet. But the wave didn't slow down, and I knew that this fish-infested water was going to come farther up my legs than I wanted. I tried to back up, but the flip flops I had on were suctioned to the wet saturated sand. I lost my balance, and as soon as the wave came in, so did I (and my camera that was around my neck). I got a little more wet than I bargained for, and my camera only read an error message. I was so mad at myself. I still had 2 days left in Maui to photograph!

Since the sad death of my camera, I have been using a Canon PowerShot (a great point-and-shoot camera, but not even close to the picture quality of my Nikon). I mailed my Nikon to have it repaired, and I finally have it up and running again. My apologies for the mediocre picture quality on the blog. It will be better from here on out! I'm so thankful to have my camera back!

*In case you were wondering, I did go in the ocean quite a bit in Hawai'i. I snorkeled and swam every chance I got! Having such clear water made a huge difference!

Where the tragedy took place: Honokalani Black Sand Beach along the Road to Hana

The DMZ

Ryan and I made a trip to the DMZ Tuesday, the 23rd of December. The DMZ stands for the Demilitarized Zone, a 2,000 meter area between North Korea and South Korea. This was a trip worth taking, and I recommend it to anyone that ventures this way! It was eerie having a North Korean soldier stare you down, all the while staring them down. The rules were strict - no communicating with the North Koreans in any way - no smiling, no gesturing, no winking, etc. A part of me feels sad for the North Koreans, knowing they have no freedom. I pray that one day this conflict may be resolved and Korea will either unite as one or live peacefully. Who knows, maybe I will live to see it all happen.

The stare-down between the ROK (Republic of Korea) Army and North Korean Army.

Is it appropriate to smile? Not so sure looking back...

A North Korean Soldier posted outside of the building. He stood there for a little while, then got a buddy, which you will see in the next picture.

Looking at you, looking at me. The North Korean Army takes pictures of the tourists from the ROK side and uses the images as propaganda. I could be famous there now - who knows.

Me - being goofy. Not sure this was appropriate either, but at least I had my back to the North Koreans.

Ryan with a ROK Soldier. All the ROK soldiers posted at the DMZ are 10th degree black belts in Tae Kwon Do. They mean business. The sunglasses are worn to "intimidate" the North Korean soldiers, but my theory is that they just don't want you to know where they're looking.

Korean War Memorial at the DMZ. At this point, we were surrounded by 3 sides of North Korea. Some of the landscape is pictured below.

Signs posted every 10 meters between North and South Korea warning people of crossing the country line. The sign includes English, Hangul (Korean), and Chosŏnmal (North Korean Language). No one should misunderstand the ramifications if lines are crossed. Mine fields are on either side of the signs.

A look into North Korea. The day was very foggy, so the pictures aren't very clear. I hope to go back, and maybe I'll have better luck with the weather.

Another peak into North Korea - the village of Kichong-dong or "Peace Village," as it was called by the North. United Nations Command troops called it "Propaganda Village" because over the years the North broad casted its propaganda from loud speakers located in the vicinity of the village. Although North Koreans work the fields by day, they are all removed from the area before dark and only a small custodial staff actually lives in Kichong-dong. All the lights go off at the same time every night. The North Koreans pay to light a ghost town. Interesting...and weird.

The Bridge of No Return - crossing this is also a big no-no.

This cross lights up every night in South Korea proclaiming religious freedom to the North Koreans.

Memorial for the August 18, 1976 ax murders by the North Koreans to ROK soldiers and American soldiers. A tree we being cut down by the ROK Army when the North Korean Army attacked and killed the soldiers with an ax. The tree was being chopped down to gain visual fields from one guard tower to the next on the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line. The North Koreans "justified" their actions by stating the tree had been planted by Kim Jong-il himself, and cutting the tree down was a dishonor to their leader.

Interesting websites with more information:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/dmz.htm

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Culture/DMZ/dmz.cfm?subject=jsa

Out and About

Ryan and I bought tickets to see Alegria Cirque du Soleil showing in Seoul through the 27th of December (yes, Ryan is here visiting!!!!!!!). We loved it! I went to Cirque Hawai'i with some friends this past summer, but Cirque du Soleil was much more elaborate than the one in Hawai'i. Apparently, there are 13 different Cirque du Soleil show varieties, casting people from over 55 different countries, and performing in over 40 different countries. This is one of the perks of living in the middle of a HUGE city! If one ever comes close to your city, you should go. The strength and flexibility these people possess is incredible (some of it was so incredible that it didn't seem real)!

Our Tickets

A Picture Before the Show