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

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

Trying to think outside the box...

...about boxes, of all things.

Ok, so college students do it regularly, military families do it regularly, missionaries do it regularly...so why isn't there more written about it?

I'm talking about moving, of course. :)

College students move usually twice a year (to and from college) for four-plus years, military families move anywhere from every 6 months to 4 years, and missionary families often move between the field and their home-church base for sabbatical times.  There's tons on the internet about moving, packing, cleaning out the clutter before the move, and unpacking after the move.  That's all well and good and has definitely helped me over the years.

But now what I can't seem to find is the one type of thing that I really want to know about: when one is preparing for a life-time (or at least several years of the foreseeable future) of constant moving, how does one make EVERYTHING one owns portable or easily packable or flexible, without looking like one is living in a college dorm room with posters haphazardly taped to the walls and stacks of flimsy, brightly colored plastic rubbermaid boxes holding anything that doesn't fit in the wardrobe that came with the dorm room?  Where are the blogs about making every piece of furniture do double duty as furniture and storage that can be adapted to any sized living space but be both easily packed up and moved with out breaking easily, yet still look classy or even coordinated?  Where's all the advice about how to decorate your first home or apartment when you know full-well that you'll be relocating the entire contents in 6 months or less?

I'm determined to meet this challenge head-on and master it.  I WILL figure out a way to make this work, to keep the furniture and containers and systems that will transition well from location to location, from one side of the globe to the other, if need be, and cull out everything that weighs us down without being worth the extra effort. :)

In closing:
"Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
-designer William Morris

[Or that can be easily moved halfway across the world, or is worth the extra effort needed to do so. :)]

If I come up with awesome revelations or even vaguely useful ideas on the subject of the Itinerant Household, I'll follow up and post them!