Life "back then" was a whole lot funnier. . .

I found these vintage ads on the internet and got such a kick out of them that I just had to share.

Jonathan has tried this line on me. . . it doesn't work nowadays ;)

This one is just disturbing. . . but it is French so. . .

This ad reads: "Fits so tight it shows all you've got. . . you're a walking turn-on." I don't even have a response to that. . .

Smoking keeps you sexy. Indeed.

Back before they were "plus-sized," they were just plain chubby. . .

What?! A ketchup bottle I can open myself?! Thank you, men, for giving us something we CAN do!

If my doctor does it, it MUST be okay!

Beer for mom AND baby: "The malt in the beer supplies nourishing qualities that are essential at this time and the hops act as a appetizing, stimulating tonic." Wow. . . just wow.

If only my husband were this understanding. . .

Playing with the Big Boys

Last night, I got experience something few civilians ever do: I got to watch my husband air refuel from the deck of a KC-135. As some of you might know, I was selected for this while I was in the States for my sister's wedding and, as happy as I was to be home for that, I was seriously bummed about missing this opportunity. On top of that, I found out later that my husband was the pilot who would be refueling. I was sure the stars would never align properly to give me that chance again.

Fast forward two months. Word goes out that they are going to be offering another ride on the KC-135. Naturally, I jumped at the chance and, lo and behold, I was selected. Once my husband learned I'd be taking the ride, he worked his fighter pilot magic to be the one refueling. He's such a sweet guy that he made it so my good friend Shawna's (who had also been selected for the ride) would be his number two so that we could see BOTH of our husbands.

Unfortunately, the ride was a night ride (we didn't take off until 2000) so no pictures turned out of Jonathan re-fueling. However, it was an absolutely AMAZING experience, and one I don't think I'll ever forget. For this nervous flier, sitting in the cock-pit during take-off was fantastic. I was plugged into the communications cable and could hear the pilots talking. So, as long as they weren't panicked, I wasn't panicked. It was the most at-ease I've ever been during a flight. In addition, I was able to lay in the boom operator's seat (he actually lays down in the back of the aircraft) and move the boom (the thing that dispenses the fuel) around. That thing is HEAVY; I couldn't hardly move it.

When it was finally time for Jonathan to re-fuel, it was like magic: he appeared out of thin air (at least, it appeared that way--it was too dark to see anything!) But once he got close to the boom, I could see him personally. I got to "help" guide the boom to his plane and then talk to him over the radio. Afterwards, I gave Shawna my seat so she could watch her husband re-fuel and I went back to the deck of the plane. Out the side window, I could see Jonathan flying in formation with the KC-135, waiting for his number two to finish. Before the two of them took off into the night, he released a few flares, just for show. That's my husband. :)

I wish the pictures would have turned out, but you'll just have to trust me that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I would not have missed for the world. As if I needed more of a reason to respect our men and women in uniform, seeing what they did tonight just blew my mind. Thank you all for what you do.

Here are the few pictures that did turn out. Enjoy :)

Getting ready to board:

Shawna and I sitting in the jump seats, waiting patiently for the ride to start. Right after this, we were asked if we wanted to sit in the cock-pit during take-off. Uhhh. . . YEAH!

Self-portrait of me in the cock-pit. We had to turn our flashes off while we were in the air. Blinding the pilots and/or boom operator would be a bad thing.

Looking back into the belly of the plane from the cock-pit:

Taking off!

Laying in the boom operator's chair. Notice my hands tucked safely underneath me. There were a LOT of buttons and switches, and I did not want to break anything.

The view from the boom operator's chair. Korea actually looks pretty from the air. . . from the ground, not so much.

Beautiful view from one of the very, very few windows.

Okay, so its not Pearl Harbor at sunset. . . but it was still amazing. . .

By the time our first fighters met up with us to re-fuel, it was already getting too dark to take pictures. This is about the only one I got. If you look carefully off the wings and above the glow of the sunset, you'll see some lights. Those are 3 F-16s flying in formation with us.

Here is the best picture I got of Jonathan re-fueling. Again, its dark, but if you look closely, you can see the outline of the boom as well as the A-10.

Waaay too dark to catch pictures of Jonathan flying off the wing of the KC-135. I could see him just fine, but my camera could not. However, at least you can see the results of his "show boating" as he and his wingman pulled away (the bright lights are the flares coming off his jet--he is to the immediate left, even though you can't see him.)

Maybe, just maybe, lightning will strike THREE times, and I will get to see him re-fuel during the day. ;)

A Day at the Park with Oskar: A Story in Pictures

Korea in the summer is awful. To anyone who has never been here, I cannot begin to explain the weather. Now, I'm from Indiana; I know heat and humidity. But I have never experienced anything like a summer in South Korea. In any other place, a relative humidity level of 100% would mean its raining. . . or, at least, getting ready to rain. Not here. 100% relative humidity is normal, day-to-day thing here. Summer is monsoon season here, and you'd think the rain would be refreshing. I mean, at home, when it storms, it tends to cool things off, at least for a little bit. Not here. If possible, the rain makes things MORE humid because the rain seems to evaporate into the air almost immediately. The air is so thick you can't breathe, and you can literally feel the sun baking your skin. When I got here, I often wondered why Koreans would walk around with umbrellas when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Now I understand. That sun is brutal. I don't know if the hole in the ozone is directly above Osan, South Korea, but I would bet money on it.

That being said, Oskar still needs to go for walks and still begs to go play at the park. However, it's so hot that its literally the same story every day. I thought I would share our normal afternoons with you by way of pictures. Enjoy. :)

We normally go to the park around the same time every day, so Oskar can tell when its almost time to go. This is his "Mommy--I think it's time to go to the park" look.

Waiting ever so patiently for the elevator door to open. Going from the 7th floor to the 1st takes FOREVER when it's time to go to the park!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're off! As soon as those doors open, Oskar pulls me the entire way. Down the stairs. . .

. . . through Mustang Valley ("Come on, Mommy! I'll show you where it is, in case you forgot!")

. . . and straight into the park. ("Mommy. . . are you coming in?")

"First things first. . . I must sniff and see if any other dogs have been in my park. Better pee everywhere just so everyone knows this place is mine."

"Then, I must bark and run in circles, scaring away any birds lingering on the fences. They may not be dogs, but they still have to understand that this park is mine."

"What? You have a tennis ball?!"

"Mine! Mine! Mine!"

This is what pure joy looks like. :)

"I found it!"

"You're throwing it again?! This is the best day EVER!"

After two or three more throws. . . "I'm starting to get kinda hot. . . "

And after two or three more. . . "Mommy, seriously. . . I'm hot."

"Are you ready to go yet? I'm dying out here."

The walk back up to Seoraksan Tower is completely different from the walk to the park. This time, its me pulling Oskar.

"Home is all the way up there?! I can't do it, Mommy."

"I don't know about you, but I've found a shady spot, and I'm not moving another inch." At this point, Oskar will invariably sit down and refuse to move. So, if I want to go home, I have to carry him the rest of the way.

"Sweet, sweet air conditioning and my favorite spot on the couch. . . this is more like it."

And there he will remain for the rest of the afternoon. I think its safe to say that he's ready for fall almost as much as I am. ;)

Almost Disney World. . . Almost

Happy Be-lated Independence Day! We actually had a fantastic time celebrating America's birthday here in Korea. The base held a "Liberty Fest" with games, music, food, and fireworks and, even though we're in the heart of monsoon season, the rain couldn't stop the Draggins. It made me realize just how wonderful all of our friends are here that you can enjoy an American holiday so far away from home and ALMOST not even miss it. ;)

Anyways, our good friends the Mannings just left Korea yesterday, but we were fortunate enough to get to spend their last day on the ROK with them and a few more of our friends from our previous base (there are were so many of us that came from Spangdahlem to Osan that we're sometimes called 'Spang East' or the 'Spang Mafia.') Tim and Nicole decided they wanted to spend their last day in Korea at Lotte World, the world's largest in-door theme park. It also houses an outdoor amusement park, a shopping mall, a hotel, a Korean folk museum, sports facilities, and a movie theater--all in one place.

Here's a view of the inside portion of the park from our "hot air balloon" ride:

So happy for a day off of work! :)

There's an ice rink in the middle of the park, and there were this little Korean kids learning how to speed skate. Aren't they so stinkin' cute?!

I made Jonathan take this picture. He was not happy.

The out-door part of the park, called "Magic Island." I love the giant castle. It's almost Cinderella's castle. . . almost, but not quite.

The boys were the only ones brave enough to get on the "Gyro Drop."

The journey home involved lots of walking, fighting with the Seoul Metro system (literally--Tim has the bruises to prove it), and a long ride on a kimchi-smelling bus. However, the youngest of group also had the highest spirits. Here's Ava, Matt and Erica's little girl, playing "Let's do whatever Jonathan does" as we were waiting for the train.

Good-bye Tim, Nicole, Meg, and T-Bone! We'll miss you guys!