63 and Counting...

I saw Mom off to the airport this morning, and she's in mid-air above the world somewhere as I write. I'm awaiting her phone call to let me know she made it home safe and sound. With all her layovers and flight time, it will take her 24 hours one-way. Whew - makes me dread the flight back home in September! Isn't it funny how traveling (ultimately sitting on a plane) can be exhausting??? At least, I always feel exhausted. Maybe it is just me!

Mom came on July 8th, and we had quite the adventures while she visited. We traveled to Xian and Beijing in China and to Mt. Fuji and Tokyo in Japan. China was INTERESTING. Like Mom said, when people ask if we had a 'good time' in China, she answers with "it was educational more than a 'good time.'" The people there think very conservatively. Or rather, the government thinks very conservatively for them. We bought some great souvenirs, though! :)

Japan, on the other hand, was fun (although the Yen to Dollar ratio was not). Even cleaner and more sophisticated than Seoul, Tokyo is a city I would like to visit again. We also went to Tokyo Disney for 2 days, and would you believe that Ariel and Mickey speak Japanese???? Mom and I giggled at that! The subway was a bit more complicated in Tokyo than others I've used. However, Mom made us take it by the horns, and we conquered it! I did the navigating, though. Had it been left to Mom, she'd still be in Japan trying to go the right direction!

Here are a few pictures from the trips:

Us on the way to the DMZ in Korea....it rained and rained and rained and rained and rained.....

Mom on the Great Wall of China

Lookout from the Great Wall

It was STEEEEEEEEEEEEEP (and our muscles were sore for days afterwards)

There will be more pictures to come. I haven't even downloaded all of them from my camera, so in between that and editing, it may be a little while!

Now the countdown begins...63 days left in Korea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Brock (Take 2)

I recently took some 'fancy' pictures of Baby Brock. My office/guest bedroom was the studio, where the light is best in the morning. He is officially one month old now!

So comfy with Mom holding him

Sporting Dad's Baptismal Gear

Little Hands

Little Feet

Inherited Dads double hair swirls

Slept the entire photo shoot!

Was ready to be done so he could sleep without being bothered!

The 'Lasts' Begin

I hope I'm not prematurely writing this post. I attended my last Army Range on the 11th of this month and qualified on my first attempt :) Considering I hardly ever go to the range, I was pretty proud of myself! And who knows, with all this junk going on with North Korea, the Army might actually NEED a labor and delivery nurse to fire a weapon (and Hell might actually freeze over). I decided to take some pictures to bookmark one of my "last" Army milestones. Yes, I still have 15 months left to serve, but once I move back stateside, range qualification is only once every two years. Hence, my excitement.....the beginning of the end!

Ready for the Range! Formation to leave was at 04:50, a nice and pleasant time of the day....another sunrise courtesy of the Army! We rode on a Deuce and a Half for two hours to get there....loud, bumpy, and extremely uncomfortable (wearing full gear, of course). Don't worry, the Korean drivers on the highway didn't stare too much (the tarp flap was open on the back of the vehicle). Welcome to the Army, Ma'am!

A Deuce and a Half

After I qualified and on the way home! Unfortunately, the bus broke down half way back to Seoul, so it ended up being a 4 hour adventure home rather than only 2!

Memorial Day Thanks

I received this email from Ryan's Aunt Jane and thought I would share:

Memorial Day, 2009

John, Sue, Ryan, Katherine, Karl, Amanda, Chloe, and Tylor~

I would like to thank each of you for your service and sacrifice to this great nation. Thanks to you and your kind, we are free. I know since Karl has deployed twice that all of you have felt what I felt when John Buckingham went to Viet Nam. We also share the joy and thanks when our young brothers/ sons/ husbands return to us safely. Katherine and Ryan, special thoughts and thanks to you this year. May you have many, many years TOGETHER soon. Sue, thank you for finding and then loving my special brother. Thank you for being the building block that is YOUR Buckingham legacy. As an aunt (and sister and sister-in-law) I am just bursting with pride. I've said this before to John~ I can't even imagine how you contain the pride you must feel. You are a fine, fine family. I love each of you tremendously.

Thank you.
Jane




Thank you, Aunt Jane, for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. I have never been prouder to be a Buckingham. I married into a WONDERFUL, devoted, and selfless family. I am so blessed.