South Korea: The RFO

     Now that we finally have an RFO (Request for Orders), I can actually share some factual information about our upcoming move to South Korea for those of you who've been patiently waiting for details! :)

An RFO is a preliminary set of orders, which the Army--naturally--reserves the right to change without warning.  So basically, here is the information that we're currently operating on (but which could still change):

-Drew's current training course lasts until May 22, 2012.

-He has been assigned an additional few weeks of training for the specific type of equipment that he has been assigned to for his time in Korea.  That training will wrap up on June 22, 2012.

-He has been assigned a report date to the 2nd Infantry Division, 1st Brigade (probably as an FSO, for anyone who knows artillery and is curious) in South Korea for July 9, 2012 (however, he is authorized to report early if he wishes).

-There is almost always a lag-time between when the soldier goes and the dependent(s) follow(s).  Therefore, I expect to be stateside until the end of July at the very least.

-We expect to be stationed at Camp Casey, which is north of Seoul in what the Army calls Area I.  The larger city outside the camp is called Dongducheon (alternate spellings available depending on how one romanizes it from Korean, I think).

-We don't have any details yet about how long we'll be there or whether or not we'll have command sponsorship.

That's it for now, folks!  At least we're not moving in 6 weeks (for those who remember how I was slightly panicking in a previous post about possibly having to pack everything and move with less than 6 weeks' notice)!

Thanks for reading!  Further bulletins as events warrant. ;)
-Emily and Drew

For the Record

     Just for kicks and grins (and in anticipation of our upcoming move to South Korea--Camp Casey and Dongducheon), I decided to make a list of which states and countries I've visited (and when/why--if I've been there more than two or three times, I'll only reference the main or most memorable trips), which I can return to and update as we travel more in the coming years.

US States:
Alabama--2000--cousin's wedding
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California--2007--cousin's wedding
Colorado--1990s-2011--camping, skiing, youth group trips (summer and winter), DCC (x4)
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida--1987-2011--regular visits (starting pre-birth) to grandparents' home
Georgia--2005--college visit
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois--numerous trips to Chicago...
Indiana--2005--college visit
Iowa--1987--born there.
Kansas--far too many cross-state roadtrips from MO to CO
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan--2005, 2011--college visit, catching up with a friend from the other side of the world who was meeting her future in-laws in Michigan ;)
Minnesota--many regular visits to relatives
Mississippi
Missouri--lived there. :)
Montana--2010--cousin's wedding
Nebraska--2010--roadtrip to cousin's wedding
Nevada--2007--cousin's wedding
New Hampshire
New Jersey--2004--choir tour
New Mexico
New York--2004--choir tour
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma--lived there in 2011-2012
Oregon
Pennsylvania--2004--choir tour
Rhode Island
South Carolina--2002, 2006--youth group trip, choir tour
South Dakota--2010--roadtrip to cousin's wedding
Tennessee--2005--college visit
Texas--2006, 2011, 2012--mission trip, grad school visit, visit to in-laws' in Dallas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia--(hope to visit later in summer 2012)
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin--drove through on way to MN more times than I can count...
Wyoming--2010--roadtrip to cousin's wedding
Washington D.C.

Other countries:
Austria--2009--fall break trip (Vienna)
Canada--multiple times for family trips (Thunder Bay, Ontario)
England--2007, 2009, 2010--family trip, study abroad (fall semester), visiting friends on way to second study abroad trip
France--2007--family trip (Paris)
Germany--2009--fall break trip (Munich, Berlin, Hamburg)
Ireland--2009--weekend visit to Cork, Blarney, Limerick, tour of Galway Bay area, and Shannon
Italy--2009, 2010--fall break trip (Trieste, Venice, Pisa, Rome), summer study abroad (Florence, Rome, Naples, Caserta, Verona, Cinque Terre)
Mexico--2006, 2011--mission trip (Juarez), honeymoon!
Scotland--2009--weekend in Edinburgh(Riviera Maya/Cancun)
South Korea--2012-2014-- PCS-ing with Army to Dongducheon/Camp Casey in summer 2012! :)
Japan--2013--stopovers flying between South Korea and US

And hopefully I'll get to add a few more states and countries to this list by the time we're done with the Army in a few years! :D

Itinerant Household!

Ok, I've given A LOT of thought lately to the topic of the previous post--being an itinerant household. The reason?

WE COULD BE MOVING (AGAIN) IN AS LITTLE AS SIX WEEKS.

Yes, you did read that correctly.  It will probably be longer than six weeks, but there's no guarantee.

That's right.  We could be moving in less than two months, COULD being the operative word.  The Army, bless them, hasn't bothered to cut us any orders--or even any pre-orders (called RFOs)--yet.  All we know for sure is as follows (and we've known the following 3 things since Feb. 28, nearly 6 weeks ago):

1) We are officially moving to South Korea.  (More on that in the next post!)
2) Drew will be stationed with the 2nd Infantry Division (henceforth referred to as the 2nd ID).
3) We won't be leaving until after May 22, 2012, because Drew's coursework/training here in Lawton concludes on that date.

Yes, that's all we know.  And yes, May 22nd is a mere 6 weeks away.  Can you tell I'm getting a bit restless?

I've been reading all about the country, the culture, moving tips, pinning all things moving-and-itinerant-household related onto Pinterest, speculating about all the possible variations of how this whole moving-to-Asia thing could go down, and stressing out some about how little real info we have about something that's happening for sure and may be happening very soon.

If you search Google for moving advice, timelines, and checklists, most of the moving timelines start counting down from 8 weeks...and expect you to actually know where you're moving to.  We won't even know what kind of housing accommodations we'll be renting until Drew gets there (he will go first) and signs a lease, by which point in time, we'll have already moved out of our apartment here in Lawton, OK, USA, and put all of our belonging into a) storage, b) a shipment to Korea that has a maximum weight restriction, or c) his and my suitcases.  So much for the internet's advice to consider the layout of your new home and label the boxes with appropriate room designations and plan furniture layouts! Ha! :)

I guess I always have said I wanted adventure...I just sometimes wish it didn't involve so many unknowns or so many things outside my control, truthfully.  At the same time, I know that these few years of Army moves will be an amazing experience--we'll get to travel to and live in places we might never otherwise see, and we get to grow together as individuals and as a couple through these experiences and the challenges that come with them.  So even though I'm sometimes frustrated, I try to remember that--as one of the women at the Army wives' Bible study I go to said recently--"God cuts the orders and the Army foots the bill!"  God already knows all the details that we don't, and better yet, He's already planned out each and every purpose He has in store for us in South Korea.  We have the chance to carry the Gospel with us all over the world, and the Army pays our expenses. :)  I hope to find joy and comfort in that as the move gets closer and closer.  God is the God of the whole world, and He goes ahead of us and follows behind us, guiding and guarding us as He gives us a role to play in His Kingdom's work.  As we remember especially at this time of year our Lord's atoning death and triumphant resurrection, may we find joy in being including in the glorious project of Redemption.
In Christ, who is the Hope of the whole World (even Korea),
Emily