This is just one of those seasons of life. Truly. We’re simultaneously so busy, yet we’re also in a weird holding pattern – something that’s not uncommon with the military – but it really just throws everything into chaos. For those curious, I posted on my instagram today a little bit of an update regarding our upcoming PCS to Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Simply put though, we’re still waiting. We’re supposed to leave in 32 days, but we don’t have actual orders, so we can’t. We’re stuck. And so, we do our best to stay busy and stay sane (or insane, depending on the day). Life lately has been a mixed bag between the death of Ryan’s father, this waiting game, and some health issues, but we’re doing our best to keep treading water.

Snippets & Snapshots of Life Lately in South Korea

I don’t do enough of these posts. You know…the ones where you share photos with few words? Those. I’m at a bit of a loss for words lately when it comes to articulating this season of life, but I’m almost always photographing something. And now, just inches from summer and with a big move approaching (sooner or later), I want to make sure I continue to capture these moments, both little and big.

I’ve closed my photography books on South Korea now, which is affording me more “free” time to do the things that need to be done prior to PCSing like purging, consolidating, organizing and, you know, randomly hyperventilating into a bag when it all gets to be too much. Trust me. If you know, you know. PCSing is wild, and OCONUS – OCONUS PCSes are no exception to the rule. Ryan and I also managed to go to a ball in Seoul a few weeks ago, too, coincidentally on Cinco de Mayo. It was our first ball since I was pregnant with Mieke, and it was such a fun one (until we found out at the ball that Ryan’s dad passed).

The boys are staying busy with jiu jitsu and actively chasing down their grey belts. We’ve found a gym we plan to attend in Alaska, and they’re very excited to start training no gi, as well as gi, which is what they train now. Mieke’s been growing up, but she hasn’t loved being in her own room lately so, after lots of pleading, we switched her to the boys’ room, and they actually love it. Now, they’re begging for triple bunks in Alaska. TBD, my friends. TBD.

In the meantime though, we’re gearing up for a little Memorial Day trip! We’re actually heading to the Philippines this weekend, and we’re so excited. We purchased our tickets on a whim, booked an Airbnb (our favorite way to travel), and decided to just go for it. If the Army wants to keep us in a holding pattern, we’re going to do what we do best in the meantime and chase the adventures and all the good in between. We have no big plans beyond lots of swimming and plenty of fresh air, but it will be so welcome.