Houston, we have an apartment....

It has been a day - or a few - since my last post.  I have been busy feathering my new nest...after countless days (62) in Army lodging, we are finally settled in our apartment.  There are a few boxes here and there, which is why I have not posted pics yet, but I will be posting some this week. For the most part, all the furniture we brought fits.  I have had to be pretty creative to get everything just right, but I think I can make it work.  It is tough going from 2300 sq ft house to 1600....thank goodness we only brought half of our stuff! But we do love our view, even though there is a dairy farm right off post (our apartments are right on the edge of post) and it smelled pretty badly yesterday.  But I have a view of the mountains off my balcony, and were it not for the view of some of the Humphreys water towers (and that blasted dairy farm), I can pretend I am at a resort! I am also going to ignore the cemetery I can see from our 9th floor view or any creepy pets or scary people that may crawl out of their resting place at night to haunt some poor unfortunate soul! Hopefully, those things stay on their side of the fence! 

We were fortunate enough to receive our household goods and unaccompanied baggage the same day as our move in.  I was worried about our huge armoire, buffet, and dining table getting in the elevator, especially because someone already stationed here told us the Koreans were weak and would break our stuff (I know, rude and presumptuous), but everything got here in one piece.  Except our couch....that is broken, but because of the packers in the states, not the Koreans.  

So when the Korean movers brought in our stuff, they unpack it for you and place it where you want it.  Every time one of the movers unwrapped one of my precious treasures, I would hear a gasp.  I brought over an old door, windows, shutters, and a huge column post.  I am pretty sure the movers thought I was building another house inside this one.  I kept saying antiques...but I guess junk doesn't translate in Hangul.  I wanted so desperately to explain to the movers that when it all comes together, this junk really looks great.  But my Korean language handbook does not have that sentence or translation.


Next week, I am all ready to host a ladies luncheon for the few spouses I have met here and like.  The Mister would rather that I wait to host and entertain, but after living out of a suitcase for so long and eating out all the time, I am ready to spread out and serve some delicious homemade meals on my new gas stove!  It has been a while since I have cooked with a gas stove, and I could not be happier! 

So, our suitcases have been put away for now...they found a new home in our basement storage, and I can't say I will miss them.  Living out of a suitcase usually means you are on a pleasurable vacation, but that was not the case with us.  The next time we get to pull out those weary bags of nylon and zippers will be for our trip to Hong Kong next month.  Hopefully, the idea of living out of a suitcase will take its normal place in our vernacular when we begin exploring Asia, and our suitcases will not be carrying three months of our lives, but souvenirs and treasures from the exciting places we will go!