Friday, November 1, 2019

Anyang Hasseo aka Hello

Greetings from the land of the morning calm. Obviously not America-ha! I don't always write when I'm traveling, but since I've got people and dogs in my house this trip it feels okay to blog in real time-ish. I'm
alwaysusually behind here on From This Side of the Pond, so 'real time' is a relative term, but I'm determined to get some words penned before Christmas rolls around and fall happenings feel like old news.

My daughter just told me I'd probably spend the first three paragraphs explaining why I haven't written lately, and another couple talking about the flight over and by then the post would be so long I'd  feel the need to wrap it up without ever really getting to the heart of the matter, which is this-


A brand new baby boy to love.

In South Korea, which is a long way from the Palmetto State but still! He's here and he's perfectly perfect with his head full of dark hair and  the most deliciously squishy cheeks, and we are already head over heels.


His mama is a rock star y'all. Giving birth is always a bit scary, but giving birth in a country not your own where English is not the language of the day requires a heaping helping of faith, strength, and courage, and her well runs deep.

So let's talk for a minute about the trip over because my daughter knows me and she's right when she says I'll overstate it. She also knows doling out a million unnecessary details is kind of my jam, and isn't that why you read here?

The days leading up to our trip around the sun were only slightly crazy. 9,717 miles since October 2nd kind of crazy but whatever. Here's how it rolled out...

The week before we were due to fly east hubs, Daughter2 and I drove to Maryland for the wedding of a boy whose family we've known and loved since our kids were small. We spent the Friday night before the wedding with hubs sister and family, then attended the very lovely ceremony in Annapolis on Saturday. We got up at the literal crack of dawn Sunday to get Daughter2 on her flight back to South Carolina and hubs on his flight to South Dakota for a long planned pheasant hunt and me on the road for the drive further north to my mom's in NJ. I was more or less 'in the neighborhood' and believe it or not this made the most sense.

I know it all sounds nuts and it kind of was, but we tried to just take it one trip at a time, vowed to enjoy the moments as we lived them, and never allowed ourselves a look at the month in it's entirety so as not to lose our minds. We mostly succeeded.

Hubs arrived back in Maryland Thursday afternoon and hopped in the car as I buzzed the airport arrivals lane, so we could hit the highway home. We made it back to SC just before midnight, spent Friday doing laundry, unpacking, repacking, having my hair done (priorities!) and then were back up with the birds on Saturday for our flight to South Korea.


Bring on the Morning Calm please.

We were able to get a direct flight out of Atlanta and a mere 14+ hours later were in the airport in Seoul waiting on our driver for the hour and a half ride to our daughter and son-in-law's home. Easy peasy. And bonus, we beat baby boy here which was such a blessing as we were able to stay with the mancub while his mom and dad brought his brother into the world.


We're Tired. Yes with a capital T. Jet lag is for real when you're in an upside down time zone, and five days in I'm still waking up at 3 AM and nodding off at 7. But!! we're here and we're so grateful for so much.


For the miracle of new life, and for strong willed little girls who grow up to roll with whatever life brings...


For new experiences and the blessing of time...


...the way our hearts expand and grow right along with our people.

19 comments:

  1. Congratulations to all, he is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. In some ways you were in your own labor as you worked to get over there!
    I am thrilled you made it before William made his debut! He is a beautiful baby, looks so much like Tommy and once again, God is so good!
    Blessings to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations on the new grandson! He’s adorable! (And yes, I do read for all the details!) 🙂

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, my, I had to take a really deep breath while reading all this. This makes Oklahoma seem like next door, which it is in comparison. Hats off to your precious Shannon for being such a rockstar! Thankful you all got there and are enjoying this special time. I know it will be hard to say leave but, as it all of life, you and yours handle it well. God's richest blessings on this most special time.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Congratulations to all! You are so blessed!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. So amazing that you can be there! Congratulations to the new family of 4! And yes, of course I (live for) read all the little things in between!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so very happy for all of you that everything worked out perfectly for you to be there in time for your new grandson's arrival. He is beautiful and Tommy will be a great big brother to Will. Do blog again soon with more pictures!! :) xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations! It sounds like you had a whirlwind of travelling but I'm so glad you got there in time. How special those first few days with a newborn are. Enjoy every minute and make lots of memories. And please share them here. We all love reading your posts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats on your ever growing family!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Congratulations to all; grandparents, parents and big brother. Fun times ahead with 2 boys!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ahh so sweet! Congratulations to all of you on the new addition to your family.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations! He is perfect. I'm so happy for all of you. Wow you have certainly been busy. Glad you got a direct flight and those are flights I'm not a fan of. Way to long. Enjoy your time with your family.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 40,39 and 33 yrs ago I gave birth to 3 little boys...who now have sons of their own. My life has been so full end enriched because of those boys. Tell your daughter for me - little boys LOVE their mamas and will make her life complete!
    Y’all rest!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I am so glad you were true to your way of doing things and covered all the details. And yes, that is one reason we readers keep coming back. That and because you make us feel like part of the family and all your goings-on. Now, let me just agree that you were not only blessed with two amazing daughters, but now two adorable grandsons. Adorable and perfectly perfect is hard to beat by the way. Rest when you can and enjoy the rest of your time there.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Whew...what a whirlwind, huh? Oh, but the expressions on everyone's face speaks volumes. Congratulations to all!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, you've been busy! Congrats, the little one is super adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow!! It's no wonder you're tired! Congrats on another beautiful grandson! So when's your next trip back? :)

    ReplyDelete