He's really gone!

Yes, it's been quite the emotional week. Richard did leave on Wed. We had many things going on and a lot of projects, but finally at 12:30 a.m. on Wed. morning we got it all finished and went to bed. 3 1/2 hours later I got up to finish getting him ready and to get all the kids dressed and ready to take him to the airport. We left about 6:00 a.m. and drove Richard to the Salt Lake City airport. His flight left at 8:00 a.m. They offered to allow us to go all the way to the plane, but we didn't want to draw out the emotion ... it was nicer to feel rushed and late and not really think about it. When the ticket lady had sympathy for our situation and told our family thank-you's for our sacrifices, I did get quite teary-eyed, but I walked in front of all the kids so they wouldn't see. They were all holding up so well and almost excited with adrenaline in the air. I'm sure they don't really comprehend one whole year! He goes so often for a few weeks that I'm sure they just assume that's all it is. We had one last final hug at security and the kids and I left. We got McDonald's for breakfast and Bradly even said, "YESSSS! This is the best day of my life!" First of all, how pathetic it is that my kids think breakfast at McD's is so amazing, and 2nd of all, I totally knew they really didn't have a clue what the next year was about to be! LOL!

We happened to pull into Roy right when the younger kids started school so we took them straight into their class. Rylan's school starts about 30 min earlier, so I walked him in and signed him in late. He had baseball tryouts with the Jr. high and the cut list was out that morning, so I was anxious to see if he made it or not.

So that is our other big news! The Jr. High only has one team for the whole school and the school consists of 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. I was really hoping he would red shirt, which means that you're kind-of on the team ... you go to the practice, and can only be at the home games and you have to sit on the bench. After all week of continuing to be called back, he found out Fri morning that he made the team! He's not even red shirting!! He and his 2 other friends on his Competition Sandlot team made it and several 8th graders red shirted! We are so excited for him and this is a huge accomplishment!!

Richard called me at about 10:30 a.m. our time on Thurs. He just got in to Kunsan. It took him over 26 hours to get there!! He was also able to call on Sat. He has no phone and no way for me to call him so he uses the twice a week moral calls that the military gives us and calls from the hall phone in the dorms. He got there and hit the ground running! They started an exercise Sunday so on Sat they gave him all his chem gear. Poor guy. He hasn't done any in processing or briefings or anything. He'll work at least 12 hour shifts and we'll have to wait until the exercise is over before we can grasp our means of communication. He may buy a cel phone there, but wants to wait because in a few weeks, he may be going to Alaska TDY for 7 weeks. No sense in spending that much money on a cel if he's in Alaska!! If he doesn't go on that TDY then he's trying to go on a TDY in June to Japan (Kadena AFB). This would be great because we have several friends there and it's a money maker!! Right now we're just going with the 2 calls a week, but they are only 20 min and after he talks to 5 kids, I don't have much time left.

He does have an address now: TSgt Richard Shimer
8th MXS
PSC 2 Box 693
APO AP 96264

I know he would love to get mail from anyone, and it's just like mailing stateside. Well, that's about it for now! I'll try and get back on my weekly schedule. Thanks to all for the love and support. I've really appreciated the phone calls! We all now I'm a more verbal person and it's so nice to have adult conversation!! So please keep the emails, phone calls, and comments coming! Love to all! Kim

Getting ready to say Goodbye!

It's definately been "hurry up and wait" with the Air Force! The very next day after getting back from Disneyland, I had the kids that I babysit, and Morgan had an orthodontist apt. I dropped her off at lunch and instead of putting her retainer on her desk in the classroom, she put it on her lunch tray. At about 3:00 I got a tearful phonecall that she dumped it! I left Rylan at home with Elly and went over there with rubber gloves (thank heavens for that)! Since it was so late in the day EVERY lunch trash bag was in the dumpster, so Morgan and I spent the next hour and a 1/2 traipsing through slop, searching for a stupid retainer. After going through EVERY bag we still couldn't find it. I couldn't take the smell anymore and decided perhaps it would be worth the $85, rather than go through it all over again! Tuesday was spent getting all the stuff together for Richard to get packed out. $500.00 later (he decided at 8:00 at night to buy a $200 bike from our neigbhor, and wanted a recliner to take as well) he felt ready to go! UGH!!! We stayed up until after 11:00 that night organizing what would go in the suitcase and what the movers would take. We still had no idea when he was flying out and it takes 6-8 weeks for his things to get there, so we knew his suitcases needed living priorities. He's packing some towels and 1 set of sheets as well as his pillow, blanket, and mem. foam matterss topper in 1 suitcase, and clothes in the other and a set of uniforms in the carry-on. Wednesday, he got packed out. It was good to finally get something FOR SURE and accomplished with this PCS.

The movers worked quickly and were done in just an hour or so. ... Fastest pack out we've ever had!! I was extremely panicked about our plans with selling the house. The orders didn't authorize moving and storing our stuff and I spent the day calling around on how much it would cost to store my things, how much rent was for the apt I had been looking at, how much it would cost to have movers get the big stuff moved into the storage unit, etc. I was imediately very overwhelmed and discouraged. There was just no way I would be able to handle all that by myself with all the kids, nor could we financially manage it! I called the base and asked them what my options really were. Finally I got a straight answer. I don't know if Richard wasn't asking the right questions, or what! Anyway, they told me that the military will move us 1 time and that they will store our stuff for 90 days. What order and when I want to do it all is up to me. We decided to time out the house selling so it coordinated with having the stuff stored for the 90 days before he arrived to SD. If our orders change after receiving the hard copies for the move, then the AF will pay for it themselves to ship it to the next base. This makes the most sense, stress-wise and economically, so we decided to wait and put the house up for sale until later so that it will work out timing wise to have the military pack me out and store our things. This will help so much. We can adjust to Richard being gone and have a fun summer without worrying about people coming in to look at the house.

Thurs., Richard's parents came to visit. We had a lot of fun playing games and visiting. On Friday night we went to a restaurant that we'd been wanting to go to since we moved here. It is called the Rodizio Grill (Brazillian Grill) in the Trolley Square Mall (where that shooting was a few years ago). It is pretty spendy but such a fun experience. The waiters just bring meat around on huge skewers and you say if you want it or not. They even had a really great grilled pineapple. It was probably the best food I had ever eaten!!

It's so nice to have a child that babysits!! I couldn't imagine having to take the kids to that restaurant! I think Rylan will be my salvation with Richard in Korea! We had a really great time going out to dinner ... Richard's parents, his sister and husband, and their son and girlfriend all went. Then we went to Daniel's house (Shelda's son) and played guitar hero for a while. I have heard so much about it, but I had never played it, so it was a lot of fun. Especially with a bunch of adults looking like compelete fools and morons!

Richard's last day of work was on Wed. That was also the day he was supposed to fly out. I felt like he was staying longer, for sure, that night when we got no phone calls and he wasn't on a plane! LOL! He now has a plane ticket for Mar. 25th. So far he is still going to AZ for training on the plane that he isn't working on. We are hoping to go with him as well, but Rylan has a tournament in St. George, and we're just waiting to see if it will all work out schedule-wise. We have friends there in Tucsan that we would love to hang out with. He is supposed to leave this next Sat. but if we go, we want to see the Grand Canyon and will leave on Fri. We will be gone for a little over a week. Then he has a few days and will fly out. Feb and March are going so fast!

Well, that's about it for now. Don't know when I'll get a chance to blog again. Hope all is well! Kim