so I'm keeping busy. not necessarily by choice, but it seems to be passing time. Addison cut not one but 2 teeth (yeah!!!) and Ethan informed me that when he grows up he is going to marry Addison so they can live together. very innocent thought but scary since we will probably be moving south....(sorry to all my southern friends:))

Tomorrow is a big day for all the house moms in okpo because a Starbucks is opening. its such a big deal plans were being made all morning to go there directly from school drop off tomorrow a.m., which I'm alittle confused about because nothing opens in okpo before 10am, i mean nothing. with rick still lost at sea, we have been forced to explore with the car without him which is an experience within itself. i am not very good with directions and don't pay too much attention to where I'm going unless i have to. luckily, rick is good with directions and for assistance with my current situation, so is Ethan. the only problem with Ethan is that he isn't always consistent with his accuracy on telling right from left so our recent trip to the exercise park went like this. "ethan, do you think you can help mommy get to the park." "i know how to get there mom, daddy showed me" so I'm driving along and I'm trying to concentrate on where I'm going. side note probably not mentioned before that will make more sense as to why its hard to get places besides my topographical orientation problem. the streets have names that are like 50 letters long and make no sense with sometimes more than one name on it, not consistent with anything. so everyone has nicknames for the streets but not every group of people use the same name. so if i am talking to one group i may say "is it on tree street?" and they may say yes, or they may say "whats tree street?". most people know where dunkin donuts and baskin Robbins are so alot of times you will receive directions from there. rick and i have our own name for streets so if he tells me where to go i understand. when we first arrived and would walk or drive around rick would quiz me and say "where are we" or "which street is that". the ladies i know don't call the streets by the same name so i have a hard time with their directions. they will say things like "belly dancing is across from the shoes store", and i dont know where the shoe store is so... anyway, this is why it was difficult for me to get the park because you look up at the street names and it tells you nothing. sometimes you can remember landmarks but they are written in Korean and everything is bold and busy looking and it all honestly looks the same. they are trying to be so eye catching with all the colors and lights that you just tune it out because it is so overstimulating. if someone put up a plain white sign with black writing it would be in such contrast to its surroundings that everyone would probably notice it.

so we are driving down ski slope (called this for obvious reason due to its steepness) and i know i need to turn soon but i don't know for sure which way. Ethan's in the back going "turn left" and I'm going "i think its right" and he's going "this way mommy" (which i cant see him because he's in the back seat and pointing) cars are riding up on me, i could be heading for a one way street for all i know, Addison is grunting in the backseat (she grunts, i think, because she thinks this is talking. very unlady- like i know but when you look at her when she's doing it, she beams this beautiful smile at you that you cant help but love) and i decide to go right, which is the correct way, and Ethan says "see mommy, i told you i knew where it was" . by the time i get anywhere i feel like i need a drink.

with Halloween next week i have been helping out with party plans at the school and making gift bags for the kids. i decided i was suddenly really crafty after reading an easy to do article on the Internet and now spend way too much time gluing things together. there is alittle party at the school outside (still in the 70's here) and then trick or treating up at the row houses. the row houses are built into the side of a mountain and are duplexes connected to each other in rows. they have very small backyards which make them desirable to alot of people but are much older and smaller than the high rise apts all over okpo. we go back and forth as to whether or not we want to live in one, currently we think it might be a good idea. we are on a waiting list for one so we don't know if the option will even be there but we have reason to believe it might come up in December. we went to a BBQ a couple of weeks ago at one of the houses and i got a chance to take a look at the inside. they are smaller than our apt but they are not as old looking as i thought. i definitely had a more homey feel than you get in the apts, which of course is appealing to me. the pros that i noticed were: separate dryer (not all have this but many do) which would significantly cut down on my laundry time, backyard with a grill (room for blow up pool for kids), ceiling fans (absolute addiction of me and rick), alot of kids live there (good and bad), free gym at the admiral hotel, park in walking distance, very close to the foreigners club (serves American/British dinners (dont order a hamburger)and has a bar and kids play room. hosts fun things like Mexican night and trivia parties. we go about once a week) and bakery(which is called an epicurean or something which i always think is a hair salon) , close to school. cons: smaller and older, up on a hill making stroller questionable, farther from the shipyard meaning rick might be taking the car, we have to move, and I'm sure there are more but nothing immediate comes to mind. we are leaving to come home DEC 12th until Jan 2nd so the timing might be hard too. i don't know, it changes from day to day with me.

i have decided to take a class here during the week if it is okay to bring Addison(which i heard it is). the class is belly dancing and a few of the woman here already go. my goal is to start this next week and make it there at least once a week. i here it is a great workout so i guess we will see.

rick is now working 6pm-6am on the ship and looking forward to coming back. he should be home by Halloween but we are not sure. talking to him (which is getting harder and harder with poor reception) is interesting with his vocabulary consisting of alot more profanities than i remember. something about those off shore guys...

next week i am volunteering at Ethan's school in his classroom cafe to teach the children to make grilled cheese and possibly read a Halloween book. tonight as i talked to rick on the phone i managed to wear the baby in the Bjorn until she fell asleep, make Pb&j (remembering to cut into a heart shape), pack a lunch, put away dishes and dodge Ethan who was riding around me with his bike. i even made sure i sat down with e and taught him how to make the letter n for noisy nick of letter land and read books. over all i am holding my own, just not sure how long it will last.

so plans for next week: Halloween bag assembly with friends on Monday, belly dancing on Tuesday, volunteer at school on Wednesday, obsess over row house versus no row house on Thurs, Halloween party and rick's return on Friday and plan for a weekend away with family to replace the one we missed soon. keep it busy to prevent loss of sanity....