Early Anniversary!!!!

I can't even begin to tell everyone how happy I am right now! You see it is tough work when you are half a world away from one another. But let me say a few thanks to the following: Lets start with SKYPE, push a little US Postal Service in the middle, with a dash of Delta Airlines, and finally a big thanks to the folks at LG Diacom. Because without these guys, I would not be able to keep in touch with my beautiful, wonderful wife back home. So without further hesitation lets begin....

As we may all know, starting last January I began running and cycling in preparation for triathlons. In the pursuit of this awesome experience in human endurance I have spent waaaay more money than I first briefed Guinny I would be spending. Everything from shoes, shorts, shirts, swimming gear, and last but not least cycling equipment. After the dust has settled I dare mention the total dollar amount due to the fact I am afraid Guinn may completely remove my testicles in my sleep. I know you are asking yourself "Clayton, get to the freaking point"! Well here it is. I fell in love with cycling. Every moment not spent in the cockpit I am spinning away on my Cannondale (aka Canny).

So in pursuit of happiness I found the shimano 105 groupo an excellent beginner groupo for light riders who don't really "jam" on the pedals and spin along at low RPM with low torque levels. You will recognize this by your derailleurs jumping or your chain slipping when you jump up for a 15 second sprint. I began pricing some higher level groupo's that could handle the rigors of cycling along with a longevity that would justify the HUGE price tags that most carry. So as I was sitting on my couch (skipping work) watching the TDF (Tour De France or Le Tour) I began noticing a trend. The pros were using a groupo known as SRAM Red. If you have known me for more than a day, you know that once I get my mind stuck on something its hard to stop me from making it happen. I told myself and Guinn who was here in Korea at the time of the TDF, that I must have that groupo!

After Guinn politely (and as sweet as she could) stated the words I here almost as much as I love you was..... "Clayton, NO". It took many more miles on my Canny and some serious internet research to finally find the elusive Sram Red groupo at a reasonable price. Usually in the $2400 range I was able to dabble a bit and score it for half that on ebay! The cherry is that it has never been ridden or been installed on a display bike. It just so happens that my super long legs and now slender body dimensions made this hard to sell groupo easy for me to obtain. Not to many guys that are 6'4" buy pro level parts. So bonus for me, and thank you to the seller on ebay!

You all know how silly someone looks when they speed walk on the hike and bike trail. Well that's what I looked like when I got the package! I came back and opened it up to see my new power train laying in sheer splendor right before my eyes. Red, everything I see is red! My bike sits next to my rollers in my living room begging me to take her out. For the plastic "barbi dolls" in LA this my friends is my Canny's new set of boobs! She will go under surgery in the next couple of weeks. But when she comes out, well my lord what will daddy do with his new toys!

FOR GUINNY: Baby this is the greatest anniversary gift in the world. While typing this Mark Broussard (the CD you made for me) has been singing in my ear. You have and will continue to be the most wonderful woman in the world. I love you more than you like to say "Clayton, NO"! As for my next itunes riding mix, Mark and I will pedal in sequence for the love of the sport and for the LOVE I have for you. Thank you beautiful girl, thank you so very very very much. Hugs and kisses off the moon to you. I love you......

Green Platoon/RL Progression July 18-August 28

Well I owe to all to update the blog and tell you what has been going on since my beautiful wife left and I started really "working". Let me start off by saying flying is far from working! Okay, so "Green Platoon" here is a six week course that allows new aviators from flight school to progress to RL1 quickly to become an asset for the unit.

Before I get to far ahead of myself let me tell you this... As an aviator you are responsible for certain tasks that must be done in the aircraft. Such as: taking off, landing, starting the darn thing, talking on radios, and all things that encompass flying this wonderful "fling-wing". However unlike flight school, here you are responsible for much more. Kind of like qualifications to fly in a specific area. So other than the easy flight school tasks, let me tell you about some of the fun things I did while in GP.

Lets start off with the water bucket, I will try to keep the aviation terms to a minimum. This is a large bucket that hangs from the aircraft about 40 feet below and you use it to fight fires. his was a good training day. As we hovered over the lake to fill up the bucket, fisherman would drive a boat over and try to wave us away because I think he was scared we were taking his fish! But needless to say we didn't scoop up any Korean fisherman but we did almost blow a guy out of his boat! Fun stuff though...

The last thing I want to discuss with yall is terrain flight. Pretty much low enough that your wheels are dragging on top of the trees! Flying through valleys and landing on mountain tops is way more fun than I am making it sound!

After the six week course I came out RL1 and it was back to the company to start flying with the boys. Good times fo sho! If you have more questions or want to know more just post up a comment and I will answer you back as soon as I can:)

DMZ

On Saturday Clayton and I went to the DMZ. The Demilitarized Zone between North Korea and South Korea. To be honest I was a little scared. Before the tour you have to sign a form warning you that you could be injured or even killed. I posted a lot of pictures of the DMZ. It has probably been to coolest thing we have done yet. Sorry I look rough, we had to get up at 4:30am to make it to the USO in Seoul. There were a lot of places where we were not allowed to take pictures but when we were allowed we were firing away. The tour took us to a few different points within the DMZ. We started at the UN buildings where all meeting are held. From there we went to one of the guard towers which is actually surround on 3 sides by N. Korea. We went by the bridge of no return to an observatory which actually had the best views but photographs were not allowed. At the end of the tour we went to a tunnel that they found in 1978 that was dug by N. Korea in an effort to sneak into S. Korea. Since then they have found roughly 10 more tunnels. The USO now operates the tunnel so tourist can visit. We were able to walk to the N. Korea border in the tunnel. It was pretty neat however it was roughly 5 tall and 5 feet wide. I had to duck down, Clayton and to squat down. It was pretty funny. Pictures weren't allowed here either. In this picture Clayton and I are actually standing in North Korea. We are standing inside the UN Building, right behind the South Korea Soldier is the door to N. Korea.

We were getting a brief about the UN building. The table is right in the middle of the room. The flag marks the division of S. and N. Korea. This building is still being used for all the peace discussion between North and South Korea.

Here we are being told no pointing, do not try to make contact with any N. Korea soldiers, stay in line and do not take photos until you are told it is okay.

The Bridge of No Return. It was used for prisoner exchanges at the end of the Korean War in 1953. The name originates from the fact that prisoners were giving the choice to remain in the country of their captivity or cross over to the other country. But if they crossed the bridge, they would never be allowed to return.

So it was a typical Korean day ... hazy and humid. That is a picture of the propaganda village in North Korea. All the building here are empty because no one is living there. Its only function has been to blast propaganda to anyone around for 6-12 hours a day. I believe it was 2004 when they reached an agreement with South Korea and the propaganda stopped. The flag you see in the picture is one of the largest flags in the world. It weights almost 600 pounds dry and has steel beams within it so the flag does not tear under its own weight.

There is another village in the DMZ, called the freedom village. It is on the South Korea side and people actually do live there. After Seoul hosted the Olympic games in 1988 they donated the South Korean flag to the village, at that time it was the largest flag, so N. Korea had to out do them and that is when they got their HUGE flag. Families that live in the freedom village live tax free in very modern houses. Most families in S. Korea farm 1-3 acres, those that live in the DMZ farm an average of 17-20 acres meaning they make a lot more money. The village is guarded by military and they have a curfew with set times to have windows and doors locked as resident have been kidnapped before. (I don't think I'd want to live here.)

Another picture of the North Korean Flag. It has to be real windy to be able to blow the whole flag.

A N. Korean watch tower. Kinda of hard to see here, but if you look at the left corner of the tower there is a Soldier standing there.

All the blue buildings belong to the UN. Grey belong to N. Korea.

Four North Korean Soldiers

He brought his buddy out to watch us.

Busted. I swear he was watching me the hole time. A few people got in trouble by the American soldiers for pointing.

The S. Korean soldiers stand half behind the building in case they get shot at. We on the other hand were just out in the open looking like complete TOURISTS.

The cement line divides the North from the South. Kinda crazy... I went to North Korea!!

There is another N. Korean in that window that takes pictures of everything that is going on.

This is the building we went in and stood in North Korea.

Sorry this was a long one. I just had a lot I wanted to share.

Thank you for reading!! Come back soon.

Namhansanseong

On Sunday the 5th we decided to go hiking. I read in my travel guide that Namhansanseong was a great place to go and take a picnic lunch so off we went. It was a fort built nearly 2,000 years ago however most of the visible structures that are still standing were built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Namhansan is a mountain fortification surrounding a valley that guarded Seoul's southern entrance. Only the west gate survives intact. Well that's enough history for today! So there are tons of trails that go all throughout this area. The one we planned on taking, and thought we were on, went around the old fort walls making a loop. Clayton and I started out and down the steps we went. After walking for a while we started laughing and said good thing we don't have to come back up this way. After walking for about an hour we reached the bottom. We weren't making a loop at all. We were on the trail that went straight down the middle to the town below. So you guessed it... we had to hike all the way back to the top, 2, 290 feet UP. There was very minimal zig zagging, we literally were walking up. All the signs were in Korean so we had no idea where we were, what we should have done, etc. Clayton and I were starring at some sign that lead to a little side trail and finally some older Korean came up to us and said "wada" it was a stream you could drink out of. Clayton of course is in awesome shape so he had no problem, I on the other hand hadn't worked out in well over a month or so. I made it to the top with the support and patients of my loving husband.

Korean Folk Village

After visiting Osan, Clayton and I stopped by the Korean Folk Village. It is authentically reproduced Joseon-dynasty villages from various regions of Korea. Many of the buildings here are the real things that were transported here from the country side. Here are a few pictures from our day. All the men were wearing these shoes. I don't see how they could be comfortable.

Me and a statue.

There was a fence so we used it to get a pic of the both of us!

This is an example of an old stone bridge that was once how they crossed streams.

The colors are so vivid.

This guy was crazy! I wish we had videos of all the different things he did. It would have been nice if we knew what he was saying also.

Osan

Clayton and I spent our 4th of July in Osan. Our first stop was lunch. I experienced my first taste of Korean food and it wasn't that bad. I know it looks like bacon in the picture but it was strips of sirloin. Its pretty cool cause they cook the food on a grill in the middle of the table. After lunch we went to the Village which is a big market where you can buy knock off purses, bags, jewelry, painting, etc. I bought a Coach bag! Clayton and I went into the store so I could look at purses and then man asked if I wanted to see the real ones. Naturally I said yes and he told us we would have to go down stairs. I just assumed it was another floor to this man stores. Clayton and I head down stairs and see the owner moving purses off the wall, then he removes the shelving unit from the wall as well. Next thing we know he pushes open this tiny piece of the wall, it couldn't have been more than 3 feet tall. Clayton and I follow him through the hole and there is just enough room for the 3 of us to stand. The tiny hidden room was where he kept his Coach and other big named purses. All I was thinking about while we were in the tiny closet of a room was what if the police decide to come in this store while we are literally standing in the wall. I grabbed a purse gave him the money and got out of there. I went into another store mainly just to see how good of a deal I got and that man took us to his attic to see his "real" purses. Once I got home and took my Coach out of the black bag the owner tided it up in and was really able to look at it I realized .... IT IS A COOCH! haha Instead of pretty cursive that says coach within all the C's in the fabric, it says cooch. Oh well! I LOVE my Cooch! It's a Korean Special. Clayton and I also went into a really awesome art gallery where you can get a large canvas painting for around $100. We are going to get some for the house we will one day have but couldn't choose. We have about 10 picked out. We have decided when we go back we are each going to pick one we like. After walking around we went to the Osan Air Force Base. You know the Air Force, they have to one up everyone else, so their post was Awesome. It was like being back in the states for a little while. We did a little shopping at the PX and then were off on our next adventure. Sorry I didn't get many pictures. If we go back to the Village I am going to try to get a picture of the secret hole in the wall with the purses. Korea is great thus far. Can't wait to get home and breathe some fresh air... the air quality is horrible here.

The Car

Here is the Hooptie!! And yes that is a warrior on the hood!

Yesterday was my first full day here and it was pretty uneventful. Clayton and I went to Yongsong (Probably not spelled right) to get new ID cards. Since he is now a CW2 we had to update everything. We also got my card registered so I don't have to show my passport along with my ID to get on to K-16 or any other post here. I got a few pictures while we were driving but it was very hazy. I also got to attend the change of command ceremony which was neat because I got to meet a few other Army wives. They all live here though. The question of the day was "Why don't you move here?" Clayton and I try to dodge that topic. They are REALLY trying to get families over here. We are trying to figure out where/what to do this weekend since Clayton gets a 4day holiday for the 4th. William, my cousin that is over here, is running in a 5k on Sunday so if we stay around town we are going to try to check that out. Also, Sunday night Deana Carter ("Strawberry Wine") will be putting on a free concert for the Military so that might be pretty cool to check out. I will have a lot of free time during the morning since Clayton is still working so I will keep the blog as up to date as possible. See ya soon!

Guinn's going to KOREA

That's right folks, I am going to Korea for 3 weeks!!! I leave this Sunday the 28th and will return July 18th. I will update the blog more often while I am over there. I am sure it will be an adventure. Pray for me! It is a 14 1/2 hour plane ride. Stay tuned...

The View

Well hello everyone! I attached a couple of pictures from my room on the ninth floor of my building. So far it has certainly been a journey. If you have been keeping up with the blog, I will start where Guinny left off.

So work is slowly coming to be. In-processing has been a bit lengthy and slightly troubling. K-16 is such a small facility that I have to actually go to another post to get groceries for food or equipment needed for in-processing. Well that might be fine and dandy in the states, however over here its a pain! Let me start off by saying I don't have a car or maybe I should say I don't have a "hooptie" yet. The good news is soldiers sell them to one another for a few hundred bucks when leaving for the states. When I say a few hundred I mean just that. These cars are so ugly and worn out I don't think a junk yard would take them in the states! But it has four wheels a seat belt and can get you from point A to point B when need be. With Guinnny's approval I will be purchasing a car in the next few weeks. I will follow up with pictures once the transaction is complete. But I must warn you, not to view while drinking any sort of beverage. Due to the fact it may come shooting out of your nose! Okay we will move on from the car deal.

At the office it is busy like all get out. A shortage of pilots keeps the boys flying non stop. Once I am RL progressed to the max, I will soon be busy myself. I have a follow on responsibility of running the company ALSE shop. To keep from boring you on the specifics I will let you know that it to will keep me super busy. So work looks good, and should make the time here fly! No pun intended;)

The good news is Guinn can come and visit when ever she feels like. She is able to stay as much as 90 days! Haha but really its no prob for her to come and visit for as long as her schedule will allow. She is permitted to stay in my little one bedroom apt on post, so no cost is incurred during her stay. I like that mucho!

I did have the opportunity to go out with the guys from work last Friday. It was great to actually be "off the clock" and get to know the guys. I had a great time and the guys (though some are leaving) have been exceptionally helpful in trying to prepare me for flight line. We went to Hooters of all places in Seoul. We went to the rich district of Seoul that closely resembles Manhattan NY. All the females and males alike were very fashion oriented even though I'm probably the last person that should be giving fashion tips:) We rode the subway to our destination. Let me start off by saying I was a freak show on the ride for sure. Not as if the people were paying to get a ride home as much as seeing the super tall American hanging out in their subway car. Needless to say we were so packed in that thing that some Koreans literally had their face pushed up against the glass. That being said they all still wanted to point, smile, and laugh at me as I uncomfortably tried to blend into their culture. Not happening! Some of the boys wanted to make a night of it so my boss and headed home by grabbing a taxi outside of hooters. Thank god Scott knew a little Korean otherwise I probably would have ended up in China if it were up to me. But we made it home safely, and yes we made it well in time for curfew. That was my segway...

Military personnel have curfew's over here. Week nights we have to be back on post and in our buildings by midnight mon-thurs. On the weekends its 0300 hrs. That's 3:00 am Lynn just in case you were wondering;) Haha but its no joke! The MP's will bust you if you don't follow the rules, and they are out on the town with you! So if you get out of line they will scoop you up and take you back to post and throw you in the slammer quick, fast, and in a hurry. But that has been my only night life experience since my arrival.

But all in all it has been going really well. Keep your eyes peeled as time continues and I will keep yall up to date on flying and keep the pictures coming. Keep checking in with Guinny and Bailey, as they both will always have the "up and up" on the scoop. Miss everyone, look forward to hearing from you!

And of course I miss my beautiful wife and love her dearly. Her support along with all of you will make this experience a great one. Stay tuned. Oh and be a good dog Bailey... BEEEZ!

*Clayton*

K-16

A lot has happened since the last post.  Sorry I have not been more punctual with keeping our blog up to date.  

Since the last post Clayton found out that he will no longer be station at Camp Humphreys.  He is now stationed at K-16 which is located near Yongsan and a short subway ride to Seoul.  Poor Clayton he went from thinking he was going to be living in "Wonderland" (called that because Humphrey's is a large post with many amenities) to now live on an airfield with a few buildings.  He was fortunate to get the last remaining officers quarters.  He is living in a nice one bedroom apartment on the 9th floor.  Apparently it is the room to have according to guys in his company.

One of Clayton's first duties is to run the ALSE shop for his company.  He will have two "KATUSA's" and a civilian working for him.  Katusa's are Korean army guys that work for the US Army.  There are not a lot of pilots where he is so he should be able to rack up on the flight hours. 

Clayton is settling into his apartment the best he can right now.  His household goods from the states have not arrived yet.  He does however have internet and a mailing address.  Just e-mail us if you are interest in the address.  

His first day of work is Monday so I am sure there will be more stories to tell soon.

Out on the Town

Well holy hannah we went out on the town today.  It was just five officers that were allowed to go.  The rest of the privates took a bus back to Incheon to look at pottery.  So we were allowed to hit the town!  We took a cab about two miles into the city here next to Camp Stanley and ate lunch.  Not a single thing was in english and needless to say it was a bit challenging to order. 

 

By the end of the order all the locals were laughing at us because we had ordered a TON of food!  It cost 32,000 thousand (won) for my dinner alone.  Roughly about $20 bones.  This was a more upscale place but it was awesome!  All the food was wonderful, minus the kimchi (sp?).  I have to say I'm not really a big fan.  Guinny everything is super spicy so you might have a rough time.  Its not like American spicy though, its kinda hot going down but doesn't continue to burn your mouth afterwords.  All in all a wonderful experience.

 

After lunch we walked around and looked at the shops and checked out the local scenery.  Surprisingly clean everywhere we went.  All the Koreans have been super nice.  I attached a couple photos of me feeding my face.  I miss and love everyone! 

Beach Bum

So I got thinking, Why should this only be about Clayton's year? I'm in this too, so here is a little about what I have been up to.  

One week down!! It gets a little easier as each day goes by.  This weekend was a blast on Tybee.  Friday night was the annual Beach Bum Parade.  It is a huge island wide water fight and everything is fair game except no water balloons, no hitting the cops, and no opening people door and squirting water in, however if their door or window is already open

ed it's fair play.  Needless to say Amber, Zach and I were soaking wet before we eve

n got to the festivities.  It was the

 craziest thing I had ever been apart of.  People young and old took part.  I'm not lying, there was a couple that could be my grandparents running (slowly) around and shooting people.  But don't worry we had on helmets!! I have not laughed that hard in a long time.  Next year everyone needs to come and experience Beach Bum.  Who doesn't like a water fight?

Camp Stanley

I have only had this blog for 4 day and I am already slacking off.  Sorry guys!  Clayton made it to Camp Stanley Tuesday, our Monday!  I have been thankful to talk to him twice a day.  My 6 a.m. when he is getting ready for bed and my 5 p.m. when he is waking up in the morning.  They have all been very brief but it is nice to hear one another's voice.  Clayton tried to post a blog himself but the internet will not work on his computer yet.  He went to the library to check his e-mail and try to write a blog but the font was in Korean so needless to say he didn't get very far.

Clayton will be at Camp Stanley for a few weeks while he is in processing.  In processing will take 5 days and then he has to complete a 5 day junior leadership course that will start next Thursday.  He will not be able to complete the course in 4 consecutive days since next weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, thus making his time at Stanley longer.  Once he leaves Camp Stanley he is off to Camp Humphreys and his permanent room.  

Clayton said so far everything is going smoothly.  He will be allowed 30 days leave while over there which he will probably take when I come visit so we can do the sight seeing thing and act like tourist and to spend more time together of course.  Well it is almost time for him to be calling again so I better go get my phone.  As soon as I know more you'll know more!!

Clayton has landed!

Clayton survived the 14 hour flight and has made it to Korea in one piece.  I missed his first call, bummer, but woke up when the voicemail went through around 3 am Tybee Time. Luckily I was able to Skype him around 6 am.  He had just got to his hotel room at the Dragon Hill Lodge and I was getting ready to go to work.  There is a 13 hour time difference if you live in the Eastern time zone so getting in touch with one another should be interesting.  I was able to speak with Clayton again at 4:30, so far I think I'm pretty lucky to have talked to him twice in one day. It was 5:30 am in Korea and he was just about to begin a day full of in processing. Hopefully we will have our questions answered.  It is unclear when I will hear from him again as he is not sure where he is going today and for how long.  I, along with Clayton will try to keep you as up to date as possible as this year long journey apart begins.