The Big Move!

We left Flagstaff, AZ and continued heading east. The next day we stopped just east of Albuquerque, NM for the night. Not the greatest hotel, but it was just for a night, and we did not really care. Anything to not be driving at that time. The next day found us heading for Denver, CO. Little note, this was Sunday, not just any Sunday, but SUPERBOWL Sunday....and where was the Superbowl being played....DENVER.
We pulled in to our hotel in Denver, and it was surprisingly quiet....give it a few hours, the game is still in progress. We relaxed, grabbed a bite to eat, and called it a night...we knew what the next day would bring, and we wanted to be up early for it.
On Monday morning we woke up early, walked the dog and hit the road. We were making the longest trek of the trip....Denver to Omaha....10+ hours of flat, boring, nothing....ok not nothing, random corn fields, cement mixers for landmarks, and yea not a lot.
We finally came to what we thought was our stop....

Offutt AFB is located in Bellevue, NE, which is a suburb of Omaha. Jon's office is actually located in Bellevue, NE, so this makes it a little bit easy. We arrived on base, and immediately went to check into the base lodging, so we could call it a day....Nope! Since we had the dog with us, they could not give us a room on the base, but they did have a dog friendly accommodation for us, about 2 miles away....we will take it!



 

Yep, this is the Air Force's version of pet friendly accommodations. We were given a 3 bedroom house in their base housing as a temporary house until we figured out where we were living....I could have stayed there and never moved again!

 

 

As you can see, Em and the dog are happy about no more travelling too!

 

Our temporary housing last a whopping 3 days, and we were moving again....yea, I didn't count how many times we moved in that short time frame....I was a little too preoccupied with a baby and a dog!

We accepted base housing, and were given the keys to a different 3 bedroom house in the same neighborhood. Moving day was a little hectic, as not only were our belongings that we shipped from CA coming, but so was our shipment from Japan. Oh, and the weather, well it was cold....



 

The move went smooth, nothing came broken and the house is full of boxes! Em didn't seem to mind, she was her happy self!

 

Now comes the fun part.....putting furniture back together and trying to make this place feel like home....for the next 3 years!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

January 2014....We are moving....AGAIN!!

It's January 2014, and we now know where we are moving. We had an idea that we might be moving to Las Vegas, NV and everyone was OK with that idea...we would be only 3 hours from home, so that was OK. Well, in true Marine Corps fashion, we DID NOT get Las Vegas, NV, but instead got orders to Recruiting Station Des Moines, IA, and more specifically, Omaha NEBRASKA (Tracy's first thought, "where the heck is Nebraska"). Did I mention we were leaving in 17 days....grrr!

 

 

Before we moved to Japan, we stored a lot of our belongings in Granny's back garage, so before we could move to Nebraska, we had to pack up what furniture and appliances we did have, and get those shipped. Emmalynn joined in on the packing fun...poor girl has no idea (and neither do we) how many more times she will move.

 

 

 

 

Just before we left for Nebraska, Em turned 6 months old. As you can she, she is sitting up on her own, and has started to feed herself some solid foods.

January 17, 2014....Not only is it our 4th anniversary, but it is MOVING DAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We loaded up both cars, the baby and the dog, and headed east to Nebraska. We had a plan that we would go to Flagstaff, AZ for the first night. We pulled in a little late, and were a little worried that the weather might get bad...heck, it is January and we are up above 5000ft, and it is known to snow in Flagstaff. We met up with Tracy's cousin Tricia and her family for dinner, and a familiar face. We had a good night, and all were ready for bed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



October 2013 - California

October was a month of adjusting. Jon was off to recruiting school in San Diego and Tracy & Emmalynn were adjusting to living at Nana & Papa's house for the next few months.

As you can see, Emmalynn adjusted just fine. She made herself right at home, and approved to napping at Nana & Papa's.

October would be Emmalynn's first Halloween, so of course we had to go to the pumpkin patch

Emmalynn also had to have her first pumpkin carved....thanks to mom!

 

 

 



November 2014 - Not super busy. Jon attending classes Monday - Fridays, and came home on Friday nights for the weekends. Emmalynn and I spent our time going for morning runs, and visiting with family and friends.

December 2014 - Another month that was not super busy, other than the holidays. Emmalynn grew like a weed, and started to become very active. We were given an exer-saucer, and so Em was able to work on her standing, jumping and hand-eye coordination.
The flu ran through the house, and everyone except Jon and Emmalynn got the flu. Unfortunately, Tracy got the flu on Christmas Eve, so she missed out on family visiting, and had to be quarantined away from the baby for the day (not fun at all).

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014-2015 Updates....I am so behind!

Where did I leave off....I guess I should retitle my blog....The Macdonalds are BACK!!!

September 2013 (Iwakuni, Japan) - Emmalynn was almost 6 weeks old when we got a phone call from his mom in Iowa letting us know that his dad was in the ER with a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung). Unfortunately, Jon's dad Mike did not make it. One thing the military does efficiently, is get overseas family members stateside in emergency situations.
Luckily for us, Emmalynn's passport arrived several days prior, and the entire family was able to fly home the next day to be with the family. We flew from Hiroshima to Tokyo to Seattle, WA to Las Vegas and then on to Omaha, NE. We were able to be with Jon's family for 10 days before having to return to Japan.

Jon and Emmalynn were able to get some father/daughter cuddle during a thunderstorm in Wisconsin

October 2013 (Iwakuni, Japan) - October was a crazy month for our family. We found before Emmalynn was born that Jon would be going to CA for school....what we did not know was that Emmalynn and I would be going as well. That's right, the entire family was leaving Japan. We sold some furniture prior to moving, and figured out how everything would be packed.
When the day came, we found out that Tracy & Emmalynn would be flying out of Hiroshima on the 18th, but that Jon would be flying a military flight on the 19th....that's right, Tracy was flying 16 hours with a 3 month old by herself!

Our pack-out date was scheduled for October 18th....how does this work! The movers came at 0800 and started packing very quickly and efficiently. A friend took Tracy & Emmalynn to the airport, so Jon could stay back and help with the pack-out.

Tracy & Emmalynn made the long flight to LAX, and were met by Tracy's parents. Jon followed the next day, with a long flight and several delays, but made it to San Diego in one piece!

As you can see, the family is back together again, and Bugsy was getting used to his new sister.

Long & Overdue UPDATES!!

Holy Moly....the last update was April 2013...so much to catch up on!


July 2013
July was an exciting month for us. Tracy worked up to 36.5 weeks of her pregnancy, and July 5, 2013 was her last day of work before the baby was due (her Dr. wanted her to take off a week sooner, but Tracy wanted that holiday pay!).
We left for Yokosuka on July 7, 2013 and it hit us that we are leaving as a couple, and next time we come home, there will be 3 of us....CRAZY!
Jon & Tracy had an appointment on July 8 to meet one of the physicians and have an ultrasound to check on baby girl. The Nurse Midwife said everything looked great, and she estimated baby girl to be weighing in somewhere around 8 pounds....GREAT.... we only have 3.5 more weeks to go, at 0.5 pounds per week, we are looking at a 9-10 pound baby! We left, and scheduled our next appointment for 10 days later, and weekly after that!


To keep the boredom from creeping in, and to help baby girl think about coming out, we walked...ALOT! We would walk every morning (while it was cool) for about 2 hours, and then go out again at night as it cooled off.
Tracy was completing a class in her Masters program, so working on her final kept her a little busy.
Early Thursday morning, July 11, Tracy was very uncomfortable, and could not sleep (probably because her final was due the next day, and she was not finished yet). Tracy got up around 5am and decided to use the quiet of the morning to finish her final. The entire time, she sat on a birthing ball as her lower back was bothering her, but this was nothing new.


After finishing her final paper, Tracy jokingly said "Ok baby, I am done with school for the summer, you can come any day now". Tracy was pretty tired after working the last 5 hours on her paper, so she took a late morning nap. After she woke up, she and Jon took a walk around base, and hit up the commissary for a few groceries (and to cool off in the AC). That night, the two of us decided to go to a popular steak house in town called the Station. It was several old train cars turned into a steak house. Tracy was starving, and when her steak came, she saw what she thought was a rogue plop of potato, and took a big bite....OOOPS, it was horseradish!
After dinner we took a walk along the bay, and hit up the Starbucks for a cool treat before going back to our hotel for the night.


7/11/2013 11:55pm
Tracy woke up to go to the bathroom as usual....no big deal. Came back to bed, and rolled to her right side to get comfortable. Felt a pop in her back, and thought "thank goodness, my back kink finally went away"...WRONG!


7/12/2013 12:00am
Tracy up to go to the bathroom again, except this time, her water breaks as she stands up (although she thinks "did I just pee myself"...nope! Tracy wakes up Jon, who by the way, just went to bed at 11pm.


Jon calls the hospital to tell them what is going on, and the hospital tells us to come on over, and they will check to see if Tracy's water really did break.
Tracy, being the tough one, decides that she will walk to the hospital, as it is a 5 minute walk. That is until the first contraction hits, and Tracy just about hit the floor....on second thought, call a cab.


We get to the hospital around 1:00am, and the staff meets us at the nurses station. They take Tracy in to check her, and instead of just monitoring her, they admit her into room 1 of labor and delivery.
The Dr. comes in and checks her, and she is only at 2cm, and baby girls head is not engaged....it may be a long night. The contractions were pretty intense right from the start, and no position they put Tracy in would relieve the pain. The nurse and corpsman realized that baby girl had rotated herself into a position where the hardest part of her head, was against Tracy's tailbone....holy back labor.
At one point, the nurse gave Tracy 100mg of Fentanyl, and it did not touch her pain. Jon went out to talk to the Dr, and overheard them discussing Morphine, as they did not want to give an epidural too early (it can stall labor).


7/12/2013 4:00am
Time for an epidural (THANK YOU GOD)...too bad it only worked on the right side of Tracy's body, so she still had a lot of back pain on the left...but we will take it.


7/12/2013 6:00am
The Dr. comes in and checks Tracy and says "Ok, you are at 8, but again, her head is not engaged. I think you are going to spend most of today just getting her to drop"...GREAT!


7/12/2013 7:00am
In walks Dr. Sischy, who introduces himself, and the nurse Rebecca. They talk about how things have progressed, and him and haw over whether to check me, or just let me hang out. The Dr. decides what the heck, lets check her. Dr. Sischy says "Oh my, you are at 10, let's practice a couple pushes, and see if we can get the head to drop"!


2 pushes later, he tells the nurse to break down the bed, and for me to get ready, as we are going to have a baby soon. A few more pushes to go!


7/12/2013 7:49am
Emmalynn Joy is born! Tracy pushed less than 25 minutes, and delivered a healthy baby girl.
Emmalynn was born at 37.5 weeks weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 21.5 inches long...so much for an 8 pound baby on Monday!

Emmalynn Joy

Just a few minutes old
July 12, 2013 at 0749
6 pounds 12 ounces
21.5 inches long
Born at Yokosuka Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan

Happy Mom

Happy Dad

Getting some bonding time in while mom takes a nap!

Sleepy girl

She is the best thing...

Family Picture

Just waiting for discharge paperwork

We were all discharged on Sunday, July 14 but were not quite ready to leave Yokosuka for Iwakuni. Emmalynn had a few appointments over the next few days to monitor her jaundice, and to allow
us time to relax with our new baby.

We are moving...yet again!

How could I forget to update everyone on our "new" news! Every year the Marine Corps selects Marines that are getting close to the 8-9 year mark. If a Marine has not completed a "B" billet, they are looked at...the list is called the HSST List, or the HRST List, don't ask me what this means. Ok I googled it, and this is what I got "HQMC RECRUITING SCREENING TEAM (HRST) TO HQMC SPECIAL DUTY ASSIGNMENT SCREENING TEAM (HSST)".

Whatever, the list came out, and Jon's name was on the list. Basically, it means that since he has not completed a "B" billet, has needs to put in an application for one, and his options are DI (Drill Instructor), Combat Instructor, Recruiter, Special Security, and I am sure there are a few more, but I do not remember. So with Jon being selected, he had a short time to get all of his paperwork together. Not only did he have a lot of paperwork to complete, but he needed to make sure all of his medical and personnel files were up to date.

We discussed the avenue Jon would pursue, and decided that for our future, recruiting would be the best option. He submitted his package, and the waiting game began!

FAST FORWARD 8 weeks - (like I mentioned, I forgot this update)
The day that Tracy picked up her Medevac Orders for Yokosuka, she ran into one of Jon's Marines in the parking lot of the clinic. The Marine asked if Jon had heard anything regarding his selection, and I mentioned that I did not think the results were out....well guess what, they came out that day, and Jon's name was on the list.
I immediately ran to my car, and called Jon. Our conversation was short but very exciting. Jon did not even know that he was selected...go figure, always the last to know. When Jon finally found the results, it had his actual class date posted. Jon was selected for FY14-1. When I asked what this meant, Jon said it was the first class of the Fiscal Year 2014...guess what, the Fiscal Year starts at the end of September. Jon came home and did some researching, and found out that his class is scheduled for October-December 2013....that is now 5 months from now...WHOOOHOOO!!

What does this mean - Jon will leave Iwakuni, Japan sometime in October for San Diego for an 8 week training. Baby girl and I will stay behind, and take care of business here, waiting for final orders.
We should know 3 weeks into Jon's program where our next duty station will be....again, it is anyone's guess as to where we will wind up, all we know is it will be somewhere in the US!!

26.5 Weeks.....Oh baby!

 What a difference 2.5 weeks can make on a baby belly! One night I go to sleep with a semi-flat belly, and the next day I wake up with a soccer ball for a belly!

She is still small (in weight that is), but she is LONG! She is a very active little girl, and let's Jon and I know that she is in there, with her round-house kicks at all hours of the day!

As you can tell....she is hanging out just in the front. Maybe my height has something to do with that....the fact that I am six feet tall (Ok 5'11.5) might help me look a little thinner....although, this is not going to last too much longer!

Baby Girl Update - 24 Weeks

 We have made it to 24 weeks! We had an appointment at 23 weeks (yea, we are a week off), and it was basically to update our Dr. on our trip to Yokosuka, as well as have her update us on what the Radiologist had to say about our baby girl.

Basically, we were told that she is doing great, and that she is a skinny baby....for now! She measured in the 90% for her height, but only at 34% for her weight. I promise I am eating....just not all day (like some preggers do)!

We are finally getting to see the bump....I have a feeling this will not stay small for long! 

We are slowly getting everything together....it is hard living overseas! We do not have a Carter's or a Target to walk in and look at items, and what we do have on base is limited....oh well, I have a feeling Nana & Papa will be spoiling her!

 

Baby Update...continued!

So the base we live on, does not have a hospital to deliver at. Our options are USN Hospital Yokosuka, or to deliver at a local Japanese Hospital. Jon and I both agreed that we did not want to experience the local hospital, and opted for the Naval Hospital.
We were told that at 20 weeks we would be sent to Yokosuka for our "big" ultrasound. This is also a way to familiarize ourselves with the travel route it takes to get to Yokosuka.

Thursday March 21, 2013
Jon and I took a long trip to United States Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan which is about an hour (via city train) some direction from Tokyo. To get to Yokosuka, we had to first get on the Shin-kansen in Iwakuni to Hiroshima, where we switch to a larger Shin for the long ride to Shinagawa. This ride is about 5 hours of total travel time. Once at Shinagawa, we transferred over to the city train that takes us to Yokosuka...in all, it is about 7+ hours of travel.
Once in Yokosuka, we checked into our room at the Navy Gateway, and found the hospital. We had to check in with Medevac Yokosuka so that they would not cancel our appointment for the next day. After we checked in (took 30 seconds), we started to get familiar with the base. The base is not huge, but I think it is a little bigger than ours.
We found the Navy Exchange, and the Commissary and walked around. We bought a few groceries at the commissary since we were going to be there for 3 days. Our first night there was kind of a short night...as I was exhausted after travelling all day. We called it an early night, and prepared ourselves for an exciting Friday!

Friday March 22, 2013
Today is the big day....too bad our appointment is not until 1:15pm....long morning of waiting. We both woke up around 5:30am (on our day off) excited for the big ultrasound. We finally left the room around 8:00am on the hunt for coffee and some breakfast. We found the Starbucks on Yokosuka and grabbed a coffee, then headed out to find some breakfast. After breakfast we walked around the base, basically to kill time. We shopped the exchange again...but came up empty. We shopped for baby stuff, but since we had no idea who we were shopping for, it was not any fun....then again, we did not care for any of their baby stuff.
Finally noon rolls around, and we decide to grab a bite to eat, and try to get the baby happy for it's big debut. We had to make a quick run back to the room to grab our paperwork so that after our appointment, we can check out.
We arrived early for our appointment, and waited (for those that know Tracy, patience is not something she is good at). Finally at 1:15pm the radiology tech called our name.
He took us back to the room, and explained the ultrasound process, and what he would be looking for.
He covered my belly with goop, and the fun started. First he located the heartbeat, and then figured out which direction baby was laying. He told us that baby was on it's back, with it's feet folded up by its belly (flexible).
He did a quick once-over and located a head, heart, 2 arms, spine, belly, and 2 legs. It was at this time he asked if we wanted to know what we were having.....YES!!!!
He looked and said that "there are no boy parts, so I would say it is a GIRL!!!! We kind of had an idea it was a girl, but now we know for sure.
The rest of the ultrasound was measuring how big her head is, her belly, her femurs etc. The tech was very focused on her heart, and mentioned a thousand times that she has a 4 chamber heart....this is normal. The tech pointed out the lungs, kidneys and bladder, and checked blood flow through all. He then went back to baby's head, and this is where things got interesting. He was trying to focus in on her face, and she was not cooperating. Several times she placed her hands over her face. At one point she started to suck her thumb (we will have to break that habit). The tech started to get a little frustrated, and at one time, she actually flipped him off....yep that's our girl.
After about 80 minutes, the tech was finally done. He wiped off all of the goop (I think about half a gallon was used), gave us our copies of the pictures, and sent us on our way.
We checked out with Medevac, and went back to our room to inform the family. On our way back to the room, it hit Jon....he was going to have a GIRL....he is now shopping for more guns!
We got back to the room, and not only was my mom online, so was my sister.....mind you it was 11:00pm in CA. We told them both, and they were very excited. We let our friends know next, and then the rest of the world via facebook.
That night, we went to dinner with Tracy's boss at the base Chili's (Iwakuni is the only base in Japan without a Chili's).

Saturday March 23, 2013
Today we came home. We literally took the same route but in reverse. We made it home by 3:30pm to Iwakuni, and we were very happy to be in our own home. We decided to grab a celebratory Indian Dinner at our favorite restaurant Taj, and called it an early night.....again.

We have a lot to do before our little girl comes, and we will get it all done eventually!

Baby Update....It's a GIRL!!!

 

Hiking Mt. Inoyama with a baby bump

We decided since the weather was getting a little nicer, it would be a good time to take a hike. We drove over to Oshima Island, and the plan was to hike Mt. Inoyama, which has an observation tower at the top. We parked at the bottom, and started hiking!

First stop....about 15 minutes into hiking....the bridge in the back connects Iwakuni to Oshima Island.

Oh yea, check out the baby bump

Random rock we found...it has been cut in half and looked like a butterfly - who knows if it is supposed to be like that or not!

So this hike basically consists of a road that winds up the mountain and ends at the observatory...so I was told. As we were hiking, there were several cars that passed us going up the mountain...I figured they were going to the few homes that were scattered along the mountain...WRONG!

Come to find out...there is a parking lot at the top next to the observation deck...grrrr!

After an hour of hiking straight up, we made it to the top of the mountain, and the observation deck. It was a clear day for the most part. Crazy that it was about 20 degrees colder on top of the observation deck, than on the mountain....we stayed long enough to take pictures and left.

This is a view of Iwakuni City from Oshima Island

Coming back down the mountain...I think

Another view from the top

View from the second deck of the observation tower...not as windy or cold

Looking down from the top deck of the observation tower

Looking out towards Yanai, little hazier towards the south

This is our "Take the picture, I'm freezing" look

It took another 30 minutes to hike down the mountain, but overall it was a good hike.

I did tell Jon several times, that the next time we hike, he gets to carry the baby....I think it is a good deal!

 

Baby update & Overnight Okinawa Trip

On Thursday Feb 7, 2013 I had my 15 week appointment with my Dr. I was hoping to get some new baby pictures, but it was not that type of appointment...this one was kind of boring...I guess that is good since Jon is out of town in Okinawa firing off round after round on the range.
I showed up for my appointment, and did the everyday check-in with vitals and weight. Good news, I have only gained 3.8 pounds in 15 weeks! I get taken by a corpsman to the Dr.s office, and she says we are going to check the baby's heart beat. Ok, cool. Now I know I am not an OB/L&D Nurse, but I do know that I am not far along enough to be checking for a heartbeat at my belly-button. Since I do have a little bit of knowledge, I did not panic when the corpsmen could not find the heartbeat, well let me rephrase, when the only heartbeat she could find was mine (mine was 84...baby should be 130's-170's). Anywho, after about 15 minutes, the corpsmen decided to get the Dr, who said "Let's find it with ultrasound, last time this baby was hiding"! Guess what, still hiding on my left side...but this time, it looked like he/she was doing the backstroke (possible swimmer....I think so). Anywho, we have a strong heartbeat in the 160's (does that mean girl or boy)?
I then was sent to have another round of labs done, for quad screening...basically looking for neural tube defects (spina bifida...hence the folic acid supplement) and down syndrome. Results take about 3 weeks....not concerned.
Lastly, I received my orders for medevac to go to Yokosuka next month for the big bio-physical profile ultrasound, as well as to find out what we are having (I think we are split 50/50 in our house, and my parents are leaning towards girl....we will soon find out).

Friday, was another busy day for me. I worked most of the day, and had plans to fly to Okinawa to literally meet Jon for dinner, and do a little shopping. The plan was to fly out on the weekly Patriot Express and turn right around the next day, and fly back. My friend Rachel decided to come as well, because who can pass up shopping and dinner at Chili's (did I mention we are the only base in Japan to not have a Chili's).
Rachel and I showed up at the terminal ready to fly, and found out that the Patriot Express was delayed 2 hours (that means 2 less hours of shopping). Luckily, a Colonel, Lt. Colonel and a Gunnery Sergeant came to our rescue (not really), they just happened to be flying back to Okinawa, and had room on their plane for us, and were willing to take us....oh yea, these flights are FREE!!

 

How lucky were we, they forgot to mention it was a C35, more commonly referred to as a Lear jet. Not a bad way to travel, and even better, they landed on the same base Jon is currently stationed on...how about that for luck. We managed to take off and land earlier than we would have had the Patriot Express been on time...which actually bought us some time. We shopped til we literally dropped, and at that time headed for Chili's. It was a much needed quick getaway to see the hubby and just get away.

Next up....Jon comes home to the 'kuni, and we start planning for a trip to Yokosuka, and start getting ready for a baby.

 

Stay tuned!



Big News

Yep, that's right....we are having a baby! Don't get confused, it is only one, Jon was a little picture happy so he posted two pictures....we have had several people comment that they thought there was two! As of today, we are 14 weeks 5 days (this is taking forever) and we have a due date of July 31, 2013. Of course Granny loves that date as her birthday is July 30....
We will keep everyone updated, and more pictures to come.
Next appointment is Thursday Feb 7th.....from there we will know when we go to Yokosuka (Navy base in Tokyo) for a big ultrasound...and hopefully to find out what we are having...so exciting!
Stay tuned!

USMC Birthday Ball 2012

 

It's that time of year again, the 237th Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

 

Taken by a friend with a good camera...oh wait, she is also a professional photographer...that helps!

 

Before the ceremony began

Presenting the cake....first slice goes to the youngest marine present. I want to say he was born in 1994 (I feel old)

 

Ceremony is over...let the party begin!

Yes, Tracy had several cocktails during the ceremony, and after, oh and did I mention we had pre-ball festivities.....oh my!

Yes, we took another stupid picture....it's tradition!

 

 

 

Thanksgiving in Seoul, Korea

What to do for Thanksgiving 2012.....travel to Seoul, Korea. The trip was offered through our travel agency here on base, and the price was too good to pass up! We flew from Fukuoka, Japan to Seoul, Korea. The flight itself takes about an hour and twenty minutes, and is a super easy flight. Our trip included a 4 night stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge which is located on Yongsan Army Garrison Base in Seoul. The hotel has to be one of the better hotels I have ever stayed in.

 

 

As part of our tour, we took an all day trip to the DMZ or the Demilitarized Zone which is a 4km "line" that separates North and South Korea. We learned that there are people that live and work on the land in the DMZ, and they literally do not belong to North or South Korea, they just exist.

 

We were able at one part of our tour to literally be across the street from North Korea. While we were there, 2 North Korean soldiers came out to see what we were doing, and to let their presence be known. We were also told that to our immediate right was a building that about 25 North Koreans were in, and at any given point, they would have their weapons drawn and pointing towards us....kind of not cool if you ask me.

 

In this picture, the white building is in North Korea. The soldiers with their backs to us are ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers. These are men who belong to the South Korean military, and help the U.S. military in dealing with North Korea. We learned a lot about the ROK soldiers. They wear aviator sunglasses at all times, so that their eyes can not be seen. They stand in a martial-arts stance at all times, ready to fight. We were told not to touch the ROK soldiers, and not to walk in front of them as they take that as a threat.

Us standing in the blue building in the left of the previous picture. It is in this building that we can actually cross safely into North Korea. We had 3 ROK soldiers with us that stood on guard the entire time we were in the building. It is hard to see, but there is a table in front of us, that has 4 chairs on the North side and 4 chairs on the South side....this allows for meetings to take place, and no one having to switch sides.

 

Picture of us with North Korea in the background. To the left is the Bridge of No Return....

After walking around Seoul for the day, we decided to head out and check out the night life. As we were walking back to the base, Jon noticed the Seoul Tower lit up...it's a bad picture, but that is the Seoul Tower.

Our last day in Seoul. Of course the last day has the best weather! Every single day was freezing and or raining/sleeting in Seoul, except today. We decided to set our coffee down, and take a picture in front of the fountain at the hotel. Next up, we have to pack to go home!