I was a bad bad momma...

Once we were done at Fort Rucker, John had one more school he had to complete before we could PCS to our next duty station. Our household goods were sent ahead and off we went. John went to a command school at Fort Leavenworth, KS. It was only 6 weeks long so Rob and I stayed with family in St. Louis, MO. My folks kept Rob for us for 2 weekends and I drove out to see John. Then Rob and I went out to Fort Leavenworth one weekend for a visit.

Rob was about 3 1/2 so we were looking for something fun to do with him. We decided on going to a mini golf course. It started out as the prefect day. Not too hot, not to cold. It wasn't raining or very windy. But everything was about to change. We got to the course, parked, got our clubs and balls and headed for the first hole. We got through the first hole OK and then it happened. I realized that I had left my camera in the car so I went back to get it. I got it and headed back for hole #2.

Rob looked up, saw me and came running towards me. The problem was he didn't see a metal black rail that was hip high for me and forehead high for him. He ran smack into it. He was going so fast that he flew backwards and just laid there. It took a second but then John and I started running to him. As we got to him, he was just opening up his eyes. At first I thought he was OK. But then he started screaming and blood came rushing out of his forehead. People came running to help and we scooped up Rob and headed to the office.

The manager at the course called 911 and then tried to help us stop the bleeding. By then Rob and I were both in tears. The ambulance showed up quickly and the medics got to work. All we could do was stand there and wait. They got a bandage on his head and strapped him to a back board. I rode with Rob in the ambulance and John followed us to the hospital.

Once we got to the hospital they took us right away. Next there was iv's, blood tests, x-rays and a CAT scan. Lucky for us in the end he only needed stitches...thank god! We were told to keep him quiet for a few days and have the stitches taken out in 7-10 days. To this day, I can still see him flying backwards and the blood gushing out of his head. It always makes me feel like a horrible mother, Rob on the other hand doesn't remember anything.

A Trip to Florida

John's time at Fort Rucker was great. No late nights, no staff duty and no weekends. Plus for the federal holidays we got 4 day weekends. So we picked Columbus Day weekend for a little trip. Since we lived so close to Florida we decided that Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay would be prefect. Rob was one month shy of turning 3 and that was a great age. Potty trained and still wanted to be seen with us:-)

The drive down Friday was uneventful and we found our hotel easily. We were up and out early Saturday morning. We had gotten free tickets in from my sister who worked at Busch in St. Louis so getting checked in was easy. The park was huge and it took us awhile to get our bearings. We decided to start off in the kiddie section. We weren't real sure how Rob was going to do. Our worries were put to rest quickly...he loved it! He went on ride after ride after ride. He wasn't scared of anything.

By the time we had hit every ride in the kiddie section it was time for lunch. We ate in a restaurant that was in the middle of an aquarium. Really cool. It was nice to get in out of the heat and sit down. In order to keep the relaxation going we opted for a train ride around the park. It was a great way to see all the animals they had there. The last thing of the day was seeing the whale show. It was a great way to end the day and get cooled off all at once.

After a quiet dinner and some time in the hotel pool we were all ready to call it a day.

The Next Step

As our year apart drew to a close we had to decide what our next step would be. Part of the deal with John going to Korea was that we would get to pick where we went for the Officer Advance Course and then our follow on assignment. Now knowing the Army we didn't expect them to keep their word but to our shock they did!

We picked going to the Aviation Advance Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Why, you ask? Well I have an answer for that. We knew we wanted to try something different from Air Defense Artillery but what? I think it goes back to when John joined the military. He checked out the Air Force first but his eye sight was too bad to fly. So helicopters were as close as he was going to get. Oh, and it fit the timeline.

John got back from Korea and we spent a week visiting with friends and family before heading out. We got to little Enterprise, Alabama over the weekend and started in-processing Monday morning. As usual our first question was about housing. Rob and I waited nervously at the hotel while John got started. He came and got us at about 10am with a huge smile on his face and a handful of keys.

There were plenty of 3 bedroom homes on base and we were actually going to get our pick. As we drove around and looked we noticed some even bigger houses that were empty. So we went back to the housing office and got some keys for 4 bedroom homes. We couldn't believe our luck, we picked out the perfect house.

Korea Part 3

One of the highlights of the trip, was getting to tour the DMZ. The trip to the DMZ was incredible. It was something that very few civilians get to see. In fact I was the only civilian on the trip, a big honor for me. First there was a dress code. The soldiers had to wear their Class A uniform and I had to wear a dress. We all loaded up in the bus and began the long drive up there. When we got close to the base it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. There was a lot of barbed wire and soldiers with rifles.

The first thing we did was to get a security briefing. During the briefing we had to turn in our military id cards and wear a special security badge. There was to be no picture taking and no sudden movements. Then we watched a movie about the history of the DMZ, it had a lot of facts that I didn't know. Next we got to see the "treaty" room. It was a small building with a rectangle table in the middle. There was actually a white line down the middle of the table. At the ends of the table there was a South Korean soldier on one side and a North Korean soldier on the other. We were told no talking and to not engage the soldiers.

We loaded back into the bus and continued with a driving tour. They drove us to the lookout tower. From there you could see the dividing line and the bridge that connected North to South. You could also hear the propaganda that the North blasted over the loudspeakers. We were told that we were being watched through binoculars and I just had a really creepy feeling. When we were done with the driving tour we got to eat lunch there at their dining hall. Then it was time for the long drive home.

I feel so lucky that I got to experience the DMZ. It's not a place that I would want to go back to but I'm glad I saw it.

Korea Part 2

Seeing John in Hawaii was wonderful and awful at the same time. I knew that I missed him but after mid-tour I felt hollow. I had no idea how I was going to get through the next 6 months. We finally decided that since John couldn't come to me I would go to him.

Both sets of grandparents were going to take care of Rob and I was flying off for a month in South Korea. Now I had to get busy and get my passport and visa in order. I had never been out of the country before but I kept my eyes on the prize of seeing John. After a long flight from St. Louis to L.A. and then an even longer flight from L.A. to Seoul, South Korea I was in his arms again. Perfection!

Getting through customs was hairy. I couldn't read the signs and didn't speak the language. On top of that with my blonde hair I was getting a lot of stares...very unnerving. Anyway, I finally got through and there was John ready and waiting for me.

John was one of the lucky ones. He had a private "hooch" with a living room, bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. John still had to work during the day so I had some time on my hands. He explained the money and showed me the local transportation and then I was off. I would take the city bus downtown to Uijonbu and wander the markets. The markets were unlike anything we have in the states. They were loud, crowded and smelly...I loved it! As I walked by different stalls they would offer me a free sample. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Mid-Tour Leave

Well, we made it through the first 6 mos and boy was it hard. Now we had better things to look forward to. We had spent our honeymoon in Hawaii and we couldn't wait to go back.

My parents once again stepped in to help and support our plans. We decided that I would go first and have a week alone with John. Then they would bring Rob so we could spend 2.5 weeks together as a family. They had their own vacation during this time. Then they would take Rob home and give John and I a few more days alone together.

The plan was to meet at the Honolulu Airport on February 14th. Yes, Valentine's Day, could we be any cheesier?! John was suppose to arrive first and wait until my flight got in. But I had other plans. I arranged for my flight to come in the day before so I was waiting for John when he stepped off the plane. It was a sweet reunion and made easier because I was already checked into our room at the Hale Koa.



We had a month in paradise and it was wonderful. We had a lot of quality time together to reconnect and once Rob got there our family was complete again. We did the typical things: ocean, beach, pool and room service. We also took Rob to Sea Life park, Bellows beach and Hanauma Bay. Things were going so well but we knew the hard part was coming.



My folks hooked back up with us for a few days. They have always loved John and considered him their son. So they were happy to get to spend some time with him too. Then it was time to say good bye to them and Rob. John had a real hard time saying good-bye because he knew how much Rob was going to change before he saw him again. Now the count down was on for us.

John and I were scheduled to leave the same day. His flight was first. Again the horrible good-bye, it never got any easier. The one thing that helped a little bit was my trip to Korea coming up in the spring. I was going to spend a month with him and help with his promotion to Captain. At least there were less days to mark off on the calendar.

Korea

Being separated for a year was going to be hard. We just didn't know hard it would be. I hoped that being back in my hometown with lots of friends and family would help, and it did some what. We had been separated in the past but it had been only for a few weeks. Doing it for 52 weeks was totally overwhelming.

The grandparents were thrilled. Since we had lived so far away they hadn't been able to see Rob as much as they wanted. Now they had to decide how to share him. To keep Rob busy I enrolled him in a pre-school program 3 days a week. It was a great way for Rob to socialize with other children and it gave me a welcomed break. When John and I had talked about having a family we always thought it would be a 2 parent involved job. The Korea tour gave me huge respect for single parents.

We knew going into it that John would miss some things but it really hit hard that fall. It was the first Halloween that Rob understood and enjoyed trick or treating. Next was Rob's 2nd birthday. He was growing up so fast! Thanksgiving was spent dividing our time between the grandparents but we all felt John missing. Christmas was the hardest. Rob loved everything that had to do with Christmas-the tree, the lights, Santa Claus and of course presents!

We somehow muddled through everything. In fact, we started getting excited. John had 30 days of leave for mid-tour and we were meeting in Hawaii for 30 days!