I’m sure summer is in full swing back in the Valley, and rest assured it feels like time is flying through our summer here in Daegu, too.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, it is definitely rainy season, as we get a few days of rain each week. The rain actually bailed me out this past weekend.
Tara and I had scheduled a lasagna night for this past weekend for a group of our friends. We planned it for Saturday night and we were going to bake it in the apartment and then go outside for dinner. Unfortunately, because of an anti-terrorism exercise the week prior, our softball playoffs were moved to Saturday. So, I was left hoping for rain and I got it. The lasagna night got moved inside and, despite being slightly cramped, was a success. The softball tournament had a similar result.
We had gone through the regular season of the softball tournament unbeaten, so to get to the playoffs and lose, well, that would be too New England Patriot-like for us. However, we ran into troubles when we played the military police team in the semi-finals. The score was 0-0 going into the fifth inning, and 4-4 going into the sixth inning (we play seven innings). However, we came up with eight runs in the seventh and managed to get the win. That game must have served as a wake-up call and we stomped on the signal battalion for the championship. Now we will play in the Area IV championship, with the top two teams to go to the 8th Army, Korea-wide championship.
While that was pretty exciting, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the news on the homefront. Ethan is now taking steps, with assistance. As long as he’s got hands to hold onto, he can walk around the apartment and is getting pretty good at it. He’s a strong little bugger and may start going on his own soon. On a related note, he still shows no interest in crawling.
One another home note, Tara will be starting a new job on Monday. She was offered a position as the family readiness assistant for the 35th Air Defense Artillery Battalion on Camp Carroll. It’s a General Schedule 5 position, so it’s a large promotion and a raise. She’s excited to start on a new challenge.
Well, that’s about it for now. We’re hoping to enjoy some fireworks on post for the Fourth of July and we’re hoping you enjoy a safe holiday while celebrating our great nation. So, until next time, take care and God bless.

SGT. JAMES SHAPPELL can be contacted at 19th SC(E) Unit 15015, Box 696, APO, AP 96218 or  james.shappell@us.army.mil