Thursday, February 26, 2009

Heather Fortunately

So springing from the Heather Unfortunately I thought you might like to see a brighter side.

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"Heather fortunately still has her head..."

"Thanks, Heather! Fortunately the inflatable snowglobes have not showed up here yet."

"His next victim was Heather - fortunately her horns were small."

"German scientists are now making explosives out of heather. Fortunately the secret of making Highlanders out of the same material still remains in our hands"

"Poor Heather. Fortunately for her, there were many accommodatingly charming Italian men ..."

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Heather Unfortunately

I got this idea from one of my favorite sewing blogs All Sorts who in turn got it from another blogger. Type the phrase "unfortunately (your name)" into Google and then see what funny results you get. Please feel free to leave a comment with the favorites involving your name. I also decided to do the search with images too and this was my favorite. It was entitled "Strange Little Girl".

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So my favorite phrase results where ...

"Unfortunately, Heather’s first job didn’t work out."

"Unfortunately, Heather lost the ability to transform into Sasquatch."

"Unfortunately Heather will never go away."

"Unfortunately Heather has to work as a hooker to pay for her retro fashion obsession."

"Unfortunately, Heather is extremely beautiful and gets hooked up with guys that are equally beautiful but cheaters."

"In a world filled with many many dim light bulbs (unfortunately), Heather is simply one of the brightest ones shining."

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Hemoglobin Test Results

Happy news today as the nurse from Izzy's genetics doctor called us at about 4am to say our blood test (we all three had to be tested) for Russell Silver Syndrome came back normal! This means Izzy is all clear and there is no underlying genetic or medical reason (other than being born small for gestational age) for her to be so petite. Not only is this a big relief for me after two years of visiting many different doctors but it also means we can get command sponsorship for our stay here in Korea which brings added benefits and peace of mind.

Here she is just one day old with her big sister.
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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Heaven

Remember that old song, "Heaven is a place on earth."? Well I think I found it. The fabric district in Seoul is absolutely amazing! Yesterday I explored only one building, but what a building! Eight stories high and an entire city block. I bought some stretch swimsuit fabric for the Kids, stretch denim for D, and several cute cotton wovens.

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Some of my purchases.
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The nearby ancient temple.

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Street food. French fries embedded in a corn dog.
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The Kids out front of Dragon Hill Lodge on Yongsong.
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Monday, February 16, 2009

Happy Birthday Izzy!

My funny valentine is now three years old and she is still my bundle of joy. Aunt Karen sent a cradle for Meltem. I made her dress, Meltem's dress, and the doll blanket. Baba and D bought her the talking/singing tea pot. The best gift though was the packing peanuts and box at least in the short term.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Hypermarkets

Here in Korea there are number of hypermarkets similar to Wal-Mart back in the States. We went to several over the weekend just to get out of the room.

No idea what these fish are but they look cool.
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Seafood is a very important part of the Korean diet.
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Just a small portion of the seaweed available.
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Sweets made from rice flour.
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Izzy is adored wherever we go.
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Sunday, February 8, 2009

House Hunting and Finding

Mr. K, The Kids and I looked at fourteen apartments in two days. Thankfully I took pictures at each place because there is no other way we would have been able to tell them apartment after the jet lag. Some were magnificent like the fourth floor apartment with gorgeous high ceilings and an elevator. Some were horrible like the ground floor apartment with the landlord living upstairs. Still others were just mediocre like the second floor apartment with minimal storage space. In the end we chose the one with the fewest compromises. Of course it doesn't hurt that it has the most spectacular walk in closet for a sewing room ever!

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The master bathroom and dressing area is also very pretty.
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The kitchen is adequate and does have a dish washer.
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The living room is big enough for Izzy to ride her tricycle in but I'm not sure the downstairs neighbor would appreciate that.
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Hoofin' It: Part Four (final)

Once we arrived in the main arrivals portion of the airport Mr. K had information call our hotel for a pickup. The man completely freaked over the amount of luggage we had but managed to get it all in his van. When we got to the hotel the manager had the same reaction to the luggage. I'm not sure what they were expecting as moving across the world requires some things that can't go in carry on bags. It was clean and comfortable with a jacuzzi tub that I took advantage of. We all managed to sleep a few hours and returned to the airport for the bus ride to Camp Humphreys.

They had this sign on the outside of the elevator that I thought was funny.
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While waiting for the bus I took pictures of all kinds of things that were interesting to me.

In the bathroom there was a sign for were to line up.
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And these things on the inside of the bathroom stall which I'm still unsure of what it is. Is it a bell to let people know someone is inside or a perfume to spray after you do something stinky?
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The pay phones had video capability.
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And the mini-mart had many interesting options.
Just some of the noodles.
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Jerky with peanuts and something I couldn't identify.
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Saturday, February 7, 2009

Hoofin' It: Part Three

Once we arrived in San Francisco and managed to find the gate for our next flight Mr. K and D went to get lunch for us. We were all hungry after the forced starvation of the previous flight. We boarded the plane with no problems and got settled. The seats were about two inches wider which doesn't sound like much but when you are trying to squeeze in next to a car seat it is a huge difference! On this flight we had television screens in the back of the seat in front of us and I watched City of Ember which was good but I kept feeling that there had to be a better book behind it and it turns out there is an entire series! I then watched The Family That Preys which was terrible.

I meant to take photos of the food but I forgot. Izzy got the child's meal which was good because they always fed her first. For the first meal she received a hot dog, baked fries, apple sauce, and a lemon cookie. For the midway snack (six hours into the flight) she received a turkey sandwich, a slice of cheese, and a box of raisins. For the final meal (just before landing) she received the best food of the flight: pancakes with an apple filling, chicken sausage, milk, and a blueberry muffin. The adult food was not as good. Main meal choice was between a strangely sweet bbq chicken with mealy potatoes and odd tasting corn or beef with rice. There was also a cup of lettuce (I refuse to call that a salad!) and a tasty brownie. Snack was a cup of noodles which was had a nice broth. Final meal was a hot turkey with swiss sandwich and a cup of yogurt.

We were in sunlight the entire flight but it finally was setting when we landing in Incheon. As usual we were the last people off the plane and had to take a few minutes to find the stroller. By the time we reached passport control there was no one else there. The officer took one look at D's passport, gazed at her, glanced at me and said, "Same". Mr. K and I laughed and said people have been telling us that since the day she was born. We needed three carts for all of our luggage but the customs official was sweet enough to push Izzy through the doors to the main area of the airport.

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Friday, February 6, 2009

Hoofin' It: Part Two

On February 3, 2009 Mr. K, the Kids, and I took the hotel shuttle to Baltimore Washington Airport (BWI). We had a few minutes of confusion at the check-in counter because Mr. K was on leave and the Kids and I are not on official orders at this time. We sailed through security with ease even though I forgot to take our baggies with liquids out of the suitcase. What a hassle to take of shoes!

Once we found the gate I went back for food. I had thought there was a Starbucks nearby but in fact it was pre-security which meant it was at that point off limits. Instead we had juice and coffee from McDonald's and sweet buns from another place. The Kids didn't mind waiting for the plane. Photobucket

The flight was horrible for one major reason ... six hours trapped on the plane with not even a free pack of pretzels! Thankfully Mr. K's seatmate gave us a bag of really fresh carrots that we all enjoyed and I had snacks packed. There was drink service once and water service once as well. Mr. K watched the movie Flash of Genius which he gave a thumb's up for. Izzy just liked playing with the headphones.

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When we took off from BWI it was snowing but all was sunny and warm in San Francisco.

Hoofin' It: Part One

On February 1, 2009 we left the small town in Virginia that the Kids and I had called home for nearly two years and drove to the Sheraton. Mr. K thought we were lost for the last fifteen minutes of the drive but we eventually found the hotel. It is a very nice hotel. I got a great deal from Priceline which was the only reason we were able to afford such a swanky place. However, we only later learned that nothing comes without a price. $1.50 for local calls, $9 a day for the internet, $11 for the breakfast buffet. We are used to places like Holiday Inn Express where everything is free and the setup is still nice. At the Sheraton there wasn't even a microwave or mini fridge. I guess most people who can afford to stay in a four star hotel can afford room service too.

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On February 2 Mr. K took the van to the shipping service and I tried to take the Kids to the pool but it was closed for cleaning. When Mr. K got back D and I went to swim at the Westin next door and I was immediately reminded of a story I once heard on NPR of a family who having been upgraded to business class was very happy with their ice cream sundaes until they noticed that first class was being served banana splits. The Westin had a bigger pool, nicer lounge chairs, and even a cuter life guard.

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It was a great experience overall and I will remember all of this next time I need to book a hotel.