never ending to do lists, suitcases and peace. lots of peace.

A little trick that I learned while working with the stake camp director this summer was never ending to do lists.  It may seem rather obvious to those of you who are organized, but her method is the only thing keeping this "go with the flow" sort of gal alive.  It basically involves throwing up your brain into lists that live on notepads around my house.  I make the lists and when they are complete, those pages get ripped out, thrown away and sometimes burned.  (Ok.  I haven't burned any yet, but I am thinking it could be therapeutic)

In a few days, we take Rachel to school and then run off to Korea.  These to do lists are the only thing keeping me alive.  Yes, I still add the items that I've already completed just to make sure they still get the recognition of a checked box.  Yes, there are still plenty of items that don't get finished for several days.  The important part?  I am way more efficient and productive with the list than without the list.

a tiny Autumn and Rachel on our last trip to Korea. (DMZ)

Korea prep?  I got my international permit this week JUST in case I want to drive on Jeju island.  Driving is supposed to be fairly laid back on Jeju vs. on the mainland.  I found a swimsuit and shorts. I got 8 loads of laundry completed despite the fact that my washing machine is broken.  Again.  New nikes for the kids.  Organize the itinerary.  Make an itinerary notebook.  Debating, yet again, whether or not we should really stay with Chris' grandma or stay in an airbnb. (what if we kill her with stress?)  Find a camera backpack that is fabulous.  Sew a patch on said backpack to make it cuter.  Cut off more jeans and sew them up so the kids get shorts for free.  Gather school books.  Order more curriculum so it is waiting for our return.  Look for luggage. (everywhere. did I buy any?  of course not!)  Reserve a sim card in Korea.  Suspend at&t phone plan while in Korea.  Arrange insurance for Rachel.  Buy dog food.  Buy wart remover. 

Just typing that list makes me tired.  But here is the good part.  I had an accidental conversation with my sweet father this morning (I was aiming for mom, sorry dad!) that helped me refocus my efforts.  Yes, I still need to take care of some practicalities.  Folks, we can not buy clothes in Korea.  Too many curves.  But my dad gave me a very gentle and inspired reminder that there is work waiting for us in Korea.  There is family history waiting to be done there and we will be lead in all aspects of our trip as we have a willingness to help in this work.  Last time we went to Korea, it was in the miracle of the jokbo.  A jokbo is a book of one family's records.  The one that we found last time had 22 generations in it and brought us to Chris' 11th great grandfather (1587).   Chris' mom showed it to us the night before we left Daegu because she thought we "might" want to look at it.  I remember laying in bed that night brainstorming ways that I could possibly copy that information in the few hours that we had left before our morning train trip to Seoul.  I woke up with the idea to photograph the whole book, page by page.  I think there were about 1600 pages.  I wouldn't have had the memory cards to handle that project but a friend of mine had convinced me that I needed to video tape our trip.  Right before leaving Oregon, I purchased two 32 gb flash cards.  Those flash cards didn't hold much video but they did hold our digital images of that jokbo.  What will happen on this trip?  I am not sure.  I do know that there is a family history library in Daegu.  I figure they must know more about Korean Genealogy than I do. I also know that there are at least 4 more books that go with that jokbo at Wang Halmoni's house.  I'm not sure what is in them, but I can't wait to see.  (and maybe I will photograph those also!)  During my talk with the papa bear, I went from feeling pretty frantic to feeling peace.  It will all work out in beautiful ways that we can't even imagine.