Life with the Samuelsons

Monday, April 15, 2013

Fun on the Farm

Welcome to Spring in Nebraska! I am so not prepared for snow!! Thankfully Emily and Grace can wear the same clothes and we were able to scrounge up a few things for Tristan. Needless to say the kids are having a ball. Snow + farm = 7 happy kids.

Chase is the ultimate in tour guides and is pretty much my kids' hero.

Chad went out to try to clear the trampoline of snow, but found it a bit difficult since the weight of the snow kept pulling him to the center.

Tristan had to climb up to the top of the feed bin to check it out.

Erik was more than happy to keep Naomi entertained.

The triplets.

Judi, Dana, and Joanie threw us a party while we were home so we could have a chance to see everyone without having to drive everywhere or have our schedules packed for the 10 days we are here.

Complete with Uncle Bill's polka band!

It was overwhelming the number of people who came out to welcome us home! I wish we could have spent more time talking to more of you. Thank you to our family for having this wonderful party for us, and thank you to all of you who came to see us!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Back in the USA

After a mishap in Chicago (we were at the wrong gate and missed our connecting flight, but on the upside, we had a fabulous steak dinner and got a good night's sleep), we finally made it to St. Louis. The USO there is awesome! They fed us, gave Naomi a book and a stuffed toy, and directed us to a car company who took us to our car that has been waiting for us for at least two weeks now. Then we had the daunting task of getting everything into the car - thankfully we had the forethought to put the rooftop carrier in when we shipped the car!

Piled to the ceiling! It wore Naomi out just watching us. :)

Now we're on our way!

Almost there...

We made it!

This sign made my day!

I'm a proud military wife, and I appreciate it so much when people recognize the sacrifice my man makes on a day to day basis. He loves his country, and is more than willing to fight for our freedom, and I am thankful for him and those who have served and are serving everyday.

Now, for a little recovery time...

Sunday, April 7, 2013

An-nyeong-hi kye-se-yo Korea

Today is the day we say goodbye to Korea. I'm sad, I think we all are. I know I've said a million times just how much we have loved it here. Looking back on my feelings about this "strange" country when I first arrived, I never anticipated I would have come to love this place. You are forced to get to know and love your neighbors here, because it's not always easy to get home to your family. So the people here become your family, and I'm going to miss that.

The cat is not happy. Drugged, but not happy. And there's a yapping dog that's about to drive all of us nuts.

This is what we will be living out of for the next 6 weeks: 10 suitcases.

A cart piled high for each of us.

Naomi's already beat. Chicago, here we come!

Korea, thanks for the memories. We will forever hold you dear in our hearts!

Farewell

The time has come for us to say our goodbyes. While we are excited to experience our new duty station, we have grown really fond of this one and the people we have met here. We have seen so many people go before us that it is kind of surreal that it is really us this time.

Monday we had David's send off at his office with a potluck luncheon, where he was presented with the prestigious Knowlton Award. The Knowlton Award was established in 1995 by the Military Intelligence Corps Association (MICA), in support of the Military Intelligence Corps, and recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the promotion of Army Intelligence in ways that stand out in the eyes of the recipients, their superiors, subordinates, and peers. These individuals must also demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and moral character, display an outstanding degree of professional competence, and serve the Military Intelligence Corps with distinction.

COL Biggerstaff giving his sendoff.

CPT Song reading the Knowlton Award Citation

COL Biggerstaff presenting David with the medal.

SGM Simmons presenting him the plaque with the citation.

In true Korea style, David's farewell gift was messed up.

The poor guy has lost rank twice in this last year!

I was also nominated to receive the Golden Rose Award. This award is intended to recognize a spouse whose volunteer service contributes substantially to the mission accomplishment of a Military Intelligence (MI) unit, activity, command, or staff agency. Established in 2004 by MICA in support of the MI Corps, the Golden Rose Award is not intended for recognition of a single, short-term event or contribution. It is a prestigious award to recognize volunteer service that makes a substantial contribution to the MI Corps and has a positive impact on the quality of life of soldiers and their families.

I am very proud to have received this award, but at the same time had a hard time agreeing that I deserved the recognition. I do what I do to support my husband and his troops and any family members that I can. It's the way I was raised. We are a military family, and we stand by one another in good times and bad, and we help each other in times of need.

Then on Thursday, we had a Battalion Hail and Farewell luncheon.

Today he was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal, another prestigious award.

I'm pretty proud of my man, if you can't tell. I'm not trying to be boastful on his behalf, but I'm proud of all of the hard work that he does on a day to day basis to keep us all safe. He spends long days at work to make sure that everything is in order, that his soldiers and their families are taken care of, and that his job is done well and done right.

Finally, today we had a farewell for the kids. They have made some fantastic friends here, and we wanted to give them an opportunity to have a fun sendoff with their friends.