51 OG Dining In

This past weekend, Jonathan and I attended the 51 OG (that's Operations Group, for you non-military speakers out there) Dining In. It's basically a formal dinner for those in the flying community, including a guest speaker and awards ceremony. The fun part is a tradition called 'The Grog.' Everyone gets a program that lists all the rules of the Grog (things such as you can only drink with your left hand, answer each toast correctly, etc.). Anyone who gets caught breaking one of these rules (and there were like 20 of them) can be called out and sent to the Grog, which is a table set up in the middle of the room with two buckets full of liquid, one alcoholic, one non-alcoholic. The alcoholic one was basically a VERY strong Jack and Coke (I would say 3 parts Jack to every 1 part Coke) and the non-alcoholic one looked like this:

That, my friends, is prune juice, Nesquick, jalapenos, sausage. . . and perhaps a few other things. Granted, some brave and admirable souls chose this version of the Grog when they got called out; me? I think I would have just bit the bullet and drank the Jack.

As "Mayor" of our squadron, Jonathan had to serve at Vice and help run the evenings festivities. But, of course, he did have the drink the Grog. (And for those wondering, he chose the alcoholic kind). Here's him on the far left doing the pilot-toast before partaking:

The night also consisted of an awards ceremony for the Turkey Shoot. The two fighter squadrons on our base each had competitions among their pilots for various things. Jonathan won first place for 30 DB. I have no idea what that means, but hey--its first place! :) Here's him receiving his award. (Yes, I was sitting all the way in the back. Because Jonathan had to be a part of the "show," we didn't get to sit together. He sat up front with the "big wigs," and I sat in the back with the rest of the squadron.)

Here's his award. Again, you'll have to ask him what it means. I was just proud that my husband won an award. :)

And, after going through all the individual winners from each of the two squadrons, they announced the over-all "Top Gun" squadron:

Come on, was there ever any doubt when you place A-10's up against F-16's? ;)

After it was all over, we were finally reunited, and I was able to get ONE picture of us together while he was in his mess dress. I mean, come on. . . the uniform is the reason I married the guy. ;)

Last but not least, a group photo with the Lady Draggins. Almost all of the wives have left Korea for the summer, but a few were able to stick around and attend the Dining In. And, to that, I give a big old hearty: "Pil Sung!"

Korean Flower Market

I've been in Korea for almost a year, and I have never been to the Korean Flower Market until today. I know, it's shocking. BUT, my good friend Nicole is getting ready to PCS (that's military for "move") back to the States next month, and she wanted one last trip so I thought: what better time to go than now? So anyways, we braved the Korean highway and made our way to the market, which is up near Seoul. This is a look at the outside of the building. I never would have found it if it wasn't for Nicole.

But this ugly, drab Korean building houses some of the most beautiful (and cheapest) flowers I have ever seen.

You want some long-stem roses? 2000 won for a bunch; that's about $1.50. I'm not kidding.

There were also sunflowers GALORE. And anyone who has been in my apartment knows how much I love sunflowers. I was in absolute heaven.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but the place is huge. There were two floors like this one, just covered in flowers. And, keep in mind, this was just ONE of the buildings.

Cheap gerber daises of every imaginable color. . .

So with all of these choices, where do you even start? I was a good girl and brought only 20,000 won so that I wouldn't go TOO crazy. But, that meant I had to choose my flowers carefully. After walking around and around the building, I finally admitted to myself: "Who am I kidding?"

And I bought some sunflowers :)

And I still had plenty of won left over for the next trip :)

God Bless America!

Living overseas is an amazing experience, but there are many, many things that just don't compare with living in the States. While I was home, I got to experience a few of them. So, without further ado, here is a very short list of what I love about America (in no particular order):

1. Arby's Beef and Cheddar (I wanted one as soon as I stepped off the plane in Indy. . . forget the 24 hour travel time and intense jet lag---get me to an Arby's STAT!)

2. My nephew, Gabe. Even when he didn't recognize me with my sunglasses on and is often covered in chocolate, I love this kid.

3. Busch Stadium and the St. Louis Cardinals. Period.

4. My extended family (here represented by my sister-in-law Amy and my nephews Philip and Gabriel)

5. My in-laws. . . no, I really do love my in-laws. I am blessed. :)

6. My fur-nephew Chippity-Chop (here pre-groomer and looking like a character out of a Dr. Seuss book. . . seriously, look at the hair on his feet and tell me that doesn't look like the Grinch.)

7. William George Patterson and his willingness to let us take funny pictures of him:

8. Karen Boggs (Patterson), who will always be my best friend in the world, no matter how long I'm overseas:

9. The great state of Indiana. We're Hoosiers: quiet, backwards, and a little bit old-fashioned. . . and I love it.

10. My family. Out of all the ones I belong to, this one is the best :)