This coming weekend we are so excited to have Ethan and Sandra come visit us in Geoje! They are traveling all the way from Seosan; that's about a 6 hour bus trip. We have quite the weekend planned, full of xbox gaming (for the guys) and crafting (for the girls). We also managed to buy 32 Chinese sky lanterns to fly tomorrow night. Yes, you heard right. We thought that having a few dozen would make the beach trip that-much-more epic, and the pictures would be awesome. Yes, it's always about the pictures. We were able to order the sky lanterns online (at that cool site we use all the time called Gmarket) for 800 won, that's about $ 0.78. We ordered the 'assorted colors' pack, and are now the proud owners of pink, purple, blue, orange, ... Read More
Archives for February 2013
Osaka aquarium kaiyukan (part one)
The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was built in 1990, and remains one of the largest aquariums in the world. Of course, the marketing dept. claims it's the largest, but after a quick google search, I quickly proved them wrong. The aquarium does however hold an impressive 29,000 animals, including their featured whale shark and manta ray. Derik and I had the opportunity to visit the aquarium while we were in Osaka, Japan, and would highly recommend it to anyone. I'll give more details on our aquarium visit in the next post or two, but for now I'd like to wet your appetite with images from the jelly exhibit. Jellyfish have always been one of my favorite sea creatures; I could watch them swim around for hours. There's something so mesmerizing ... Read More
The time i went to north korea (DMZ)
You read right-North Korea. I remember talking with a coworker while living in Portland about a 'mysterious' tour to visit the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. He had been there in the 80's; not more than a month after a shooting incident happened in the JSA. He had told me it was one the most memorable trips he had ever been on, and would go again. I remember thinking that he must have been absolutely crazy, and there was no way I would put my life in danger just to see North Korea. I mean, who knows when some tourist would be crazy enough to run out across enemy lines and guns would be fired? Then I moved to South Korea. I know it sounds weird, but in the year that I've been living here I haven't actually heard that ... Read More
Weekly photo challenge: forward
This week Wordpress' photo challenge is to take a picture of something that defines the word 'forward' to you. Earlier this week D and I went to Japan to get his visa renewed. On our trip we stopped by Universal Studios in Osaka. I've never seen so many characters in one place. I could 'people watch' there all day. I managed to catch these girls toward the end of the day. Not only are they physically moving forward in this picture...but their fashion personifies the definition of 'fashion forward.' I absolutely love each and every girl in this picture, and it remains one of my favorites from the day. Stay tuned for more pics from Universal! ... Read More
A trip to the bamboo forest
A couple of Saturdays ago Amber, Kelly and I went to visit the Geoje Bamboo Theme Park. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised! There was a certain 'stillness' to the forest, and would be a great place to relax and take off stress. This bamboo forest was the first one that I've been to since our move to Asia, and I wasn't disappointed. Not only was it only 2,000 won to get in ($2.00), but it was a short 20 minute drive from my house. The walk through the forest takes about 40 minutes (at a leisurely pace) if you don't stop to eat lunch or go zip-lining. We decided to forgo the ropes course/zip-lining this time, due to the disappointed looks we would have gotten from our men once they found out what we ... Read More
Year one
Many of you may not have noticed, but we've officially been in Korea one year. I honestly didn't notice until I was asked on our one year anniversary...how long I had been in Korea. Thank you stranger for reminding me, or this blog post may not have happened. I guess this month also marks a year of blogging. I couldn't be more in love with my blog...thanks for reading it. I've actually been quite surprised and blessed with my readers. I originally just made the blog for my family and friends to read, but then 10,000 views later I realize that it may be (hopefully) benefitting others too! Thank you for your comments, suggestions, and emailed questions. One year. What can I say? It's gone way to fast. I am so thankful that my husband ... Read More
Be mine
I used to dislike Valentine's Day. I won't use the word hate, because it would take a lot to get me to actually hate something. I never celebrated Valentines Day in high school or college, I actually celebrated quite the opposite. I celebrated being single with some of my closest girl friends. We would get all dressed up and go out on the town, having a grand ol' time. I was the girl that would be randomly sitting in my dorm lounge when the flower guy would come in on the 14th of Feb. and ask me to deliver the flowers to room ___. I politely would accept, but it was not with a willing or happy heart. This didn't just happen once or twice either. I never celebrated Valentine's Day while dating either. I considered it to be a day in which ... Read More
French press lattes
I've always had a love for coffee. It wasn't until I moved to South Korea that I realized just how strong my love was. Before I knew it, I graduated from 'candy coffees' into sipping iced americanos in the summer. I supposed it's healthier for me. I never was into making coffee at home very much, but that was due to not having a coffee maker! Then, we met Jared and Amber. They're quite the coffee experts...growing up with only the best! They not only have a french press back home, but they have a drip coffee maker, AND an espresso machine! After hanging out multiple times, I've quickly adapted and became a part of their coffee drinking 'club.' Then, they bought me my own french press! I've never had one before, so I was quite excited to ... Read More
Weird Wednesday (02/13)
Tomorrow is one of the most romantic days of the year. Flowers, chocolates, hearts, and lace clutter the stores, begging you to buy something for your loved one. I was very pleasantly surprised that Valentine's Day is also celebrated in Korea. However, here it's known as the holiday where men buy things for their women...then White day comes along exactly one month later, and women are expected to return the favor to their guys! After living here a year, there is one thing that has caught my eye about this country. They take even the smallest reason to celebrate love. cutesy notepads, pencils, shirts, phone cases, ect...are all available here, applauding relationships. It's a HUGE deal if a couple (young or old) stays together 100 ... Read More
