Remember how worried I was about Makinlee 4 months ago? It’s amazing what being surrounded by friends, family, & the country will do for a child. I have my daughter back and even though at times I wish she would stop the attitude I wouldn’t change her for anything. Look out world because this girl holds nothing back. She’s a fighter, this little flip of a thing. It’s a battle sometimes but I know that she will never let anything stop her.

Well I’m going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I’m not running from, No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don’t regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I’m going home.

I AM GOING HOME! Excuse the screaming but I am so excited. So.very.excited! Over the last month HL and I have discussed the possibility of Makinlee and I leaving Korea in May. We had come to the conclusion that we would move back to Louisiana and that he would stay here and finish out the job. Word was that his job on this project was going to be finished at the end of the year anyway. The plan was that Makinlee and I would move home, stay with my grandfather (helping him out), and that I would finish the house and have it ready by the time HL moved home. Remember this thing?

This shell of a house is still sitting on that hill in Louisiana waiting for someone to make it a home. Anyway, it sounded like a great plan didn’t it? HA! Where have you been all this time? Didn’t you know that our plans never come through? Now for the low down…

HL’s company made some promises before we moved to Korea. Those promises did not happen in the agreed time frame. The company grew even larger rather quickly, positions changed, new staff arrived, & the handshake agreements left with the so called new and improved company. All of which happened within the year we have been in Korea. Bottom line was those back in the states running things have let a lot of employees down. Meanwhile those employees that were let down found another company that still believes in a handshake. Luckily for us, those employees that found said new company are long time co-workers and friends of HL. They are the guys that have always had faith in HL and his ability to do his job and then some. When the company didn’t come through with the promises HL contacted his ex-coworkers and asked if they had a position for him in the new company. It was a unanimous yes from them and they offered far more than the current company would be able to do for him anytime soon. Did I say far more? I meant farrrrrrrrrr more. HL was then stuck between a rock and a hard place simply because he is an honest, loyal person almost to fault at times. We talked about this situation for months before he agreed to take the new job. It really should have been a no brainer because as I said it is farrrrrrrr better than what he has been offered over the last few years. HL turned in his 30 day notice yesterday. We are leaving Okpo, South Korea on or around February 20th. HL will travel home with us, stay for a month (give or take), and then go to Singapore to begin his new position as Assistant Rig Manager for a brand new oil ring being built right outside our window. This new company’s office is located in Singapore instead of Korea however HL will be visiting Okpo a lot as well. The new oil rig is scheduled to be completed around September of 2008. HL will then go on a 4 week rotation between Indonesia and our home in Louisiana and will eventually go to Australia. However, before that happens he will be away from Makinlee and I for about 7-8 months with only short visits in between. Sacrifice is the name of the game in the oil drilling industry but one day soon it will all be worth it.

There it is in a nutshell my friends. I wish this journey abroad would have treated me more kindly. I wish I would have had loads to share about Korea and our adventures here. It just wasn’t meant to be but I have no regrets and there are things I will miss. Most importantly being the ladies below.

They are the reason I’ve made it this far.

I will also miss things like Desperate Housewives Night (with friends above), dinner with HL at the Kon Tiki, the Foreigner’s Club and that entire community, Cathy & Bill, Bulgogi, the rocks on the floor rib place with Mandy, Dave, & the kiddos to name a few. It’s been an adventure with ups but mostly downs for us but I will leave here with fond memories and a few great friends for life.

This is the little girl I miss. The ruddy faced kiddo running barefoot in my grandpa’s backyard with her cousins. This was the happy child we were raising in that simple life. I miss her.