Christmas is quickly approaching. I don’t know how we got here so fast this year, but I suppose I have to face reality and launch myself full-steam into the festivities: hello cheery music, Starbucks red cups, cute boots and scarves, and lots of homemade cookies! One of my absolute favorite things to do is buy Christmas presents. I know for some it can be a stressful time with so many personalities, tastes, and budgets to consider, but the mere challenge of it all gets me excited. Derik is obviously my choice person to shop for (duh), and I spend the entire year watching, listening, and waiting to find 'the perfect gift' for him. I’m usually a last-minute shopper even though I have the gift in my head months in advance, but this time ... Read More
Holiday Gift Guide for the Traveler and Expat
Well hello friends, and Merry Christmas! I hope you're enjoying the chaotic, joyous, holiday-filled weeks as we move on toward 2016 as I am! Derik and I been galavanting around in the good ol' US of A this holiday season, and have enjoyed reuniting with family and friends along the way. I don't know if you're like me, but I make a New Year's resolution every year to be good at buying gifts early…and it never happens. So here I sit, two weeks from Christmas, with a whole list of people to shop for. I actually enjoy getting creative gifts for others, so that's not my problem…If I'm honest with myself, I'm just a gigantic procrastinator. You know that girl in college who didn't have the 10-page paper started the night before it was ... Read More
Christmas
My favorite time of the year. I (for one) love the snow, bundling up all cozy like in front of the fire drinking hot chocolate, going out and chopping down a tree (thank you Korea for ruining that one, I had to go out and buy a plastic fake tree), making a bazillion Christmas cookies, and enjoying all the holiday parties. Yes, Christmas is good. My love for Christmas hasn't dwindled since we moved to a country that doesn't really celebrate it too much. It's more like: "Oh hey! It's Christmas, <smooooochhh> I love you." The end. I kind of feel like it's my mission to spread the holiday cheer. My students have been crafting snowmen, cutting out snowflakes, writing Santa letters, and singing 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' since Dec. ... Read More
Not Home for the Holidays
It’s been a while since I’ve actually been with my whole family for the holidays. The last time my immediate family got together in one place for Christmas was in 2008. Yes, 2008. That would have made me a fresh 20-year-old and barely a junior in college. You’ll understand a bit more of my story and about why that is if you read this post about home. Being honest with you, I have to tell you that it’s hard. When a person thinks about Thanksgiving or Christmas, they think: family, laughter, cuddles, warmth, and love. Not seeing my family at all in two years, let alone celebrate the holidays with them is a huge burden/let down/ depressant. I spend a lot of time moping around wishing that maybe just once life could be normal for the ... Read More
Thanksgiving: Through the Eyes of an Expat
I've always loved Thanksgiving. It's a time to get together with loved ones and reflect on all the blessings the year has given. Last Thanksgiving I wrote this post about the things I DIDN'T like about the holiday (the gluttony, selfishness, and inconsideration), and although I still firmly stand by what I wrote, I can't help but feel a little more homesick/sentimental about Thanksgiving this year. I only wish I could hand out with my family and friends; forget the turkey, shopping, and football. Derik and I spend another year as an expat couple abroad, learning to live independently, leaning on each other and God to get us through the silly (and more serious) struggles we face each day. Although we won't be participating in a ... Read More
This holiday we call the 4th of july
Happy July 4th to all my fellow American citizens! I'm spending my second 4th away from the good ol' US of A...and trying to communicate the significance of the holiday to my students. I have to admit my heart is heavy as I'll be going to bed tonight without stuffing my face with BBQ, fruit salads, and pies. Oh...and let's not forget the fireworks. I'm pretty much a pyro. I love fire so much...I've already mentioned once or twice about the burn scar on my hand left from melting plastic while playing in a fire when I was ten. I don't regret that scar. I also have a twin scar on my knee. Although I've been out of touch with the States for quite some time, I've done everything in my power to squeak in a little bit of fire-love every now ... Read More
Thanks for having a birthday buddha
It's been a few weeks, but you may remember our short road trip we took up north to visit Seoraksan National Park for buddha's birthday. I posted my favorite photos from the whole three day weekend trip here. I'm finally getting around to posting the rest of the photos. I've decided to work backwards from the end of our trip towards the beginning. Don't ask me why...89% of the things I do don't have a specific logic or reason (perfect example is why I am still up at 2:33am writing a blog post). I'm starting with the destination spot of our road trip (Seoraksan National Park). Seoraksan is probably one of the most breathtaking pieces of scenery I've seen in all of Korea. We barely tapped into the beauty of the park, due to being rained ... 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
5D
What goes down in the books as the most monumental Christmas present ever? The title would go to my husband, and that would be giving me a 5D Mark ii, complete with a 50mm (f 1.4) lens AND a 28-105mm lens. I've been drooling over this camera ever since my love affair with photography began in 2008. I'm definitely not claiming im a good photographer or skilled in any way, but I love it. It's my hobby. It's a challenge that always presents itself in new, refreshing ways. I hit the limit of what I could do with my trusty Canon Rebel (xsi) that I bought in 2009 and used for my first college photography class. That camera and I had seen a lot of things, traveled many countries, and definitely logged our time taking pictures. I hit the limit of ... Read More
