New Things

I'm getting excited and sad as my time comes to an end in Korea.  I have spent about three years of my life here and never managed to eat dog.  I'm happy about that one, but the other day I tried chicken feet.  It wasn't too bad.  It was like eating spicy cartilage.  Every time something seems to be coming to an end with me, I think, "I must do everything I can before I go!"  I still need to do a few more sauna trips and bare it all with Korean women, as Uncle Shan says.  I've still never taken the ferry to Japan!!!  When am I doing that?? 

There's so much of the world to see and so little time.  Phillip's sister kind of put that into perspective for me.  She said that there are old people trips and young people trips.  The cruise to Alaska I wanted to include in our All Around America Adventure honeymoon is one of the old people trips (and expensive), so save it for when I'm old and decrepit.  It makes sense, but I'm still sad about not going.  I was even picturing us being surrounded by old people and we're all dancing with our significant others.  They're giving us worldly and knowledgeable advice about our future together then asking our plans and telling us how great we are, as old people do. 

But now there is just a black cloud over our future plans.  I'm excited about them and Phillip is as well, but we've recently gotten job offers from a university in Saudi Arabia.  When that country is mentioned in the West, so many negative things come to people's minds.  Granted, I haven't been there yet, but I've done enough research and met enough people from there to be excited at the job offer.  It's just people to share in the excitement are few and far between, and now at my wedding when family from all over the continental US are coming in, we will probably have to spend a great deal of time explaining ourselves or answering questions.  Geez...that's a downer.  I've thought about making an informative video to show family and friends, but I figure what's the point.  No matter where we live overseas I don't think they'll be happy.  Here there is the threat of North Korea, blah, blah, blah.  Some will not be happy until I am sitting and working in Mississippi.  If any of my family reads this, I'm sure you know which ones I'm talking about.  I love you all and appreciate all the support you give me whether you agree with my life decisions or not.   I know it's only because you love me.

Anyway, back to new and exciting, much happier things.  Phillip is about to finish his first semester of his masters.  The wedding is pretty much planned, just a few tiny details left to hammer out.  We intentionally picked a venue that would do the decorations for us.  Lovely!  We still have to get the wedding rings, but I think that's better put to when we are in the States.  That doesn't mean I can't look around for fun and to see what's available.  We have our flights home from Korea.  We leave on June 12th and arrive 40 minutes after we left.  Going back in time is always fun, just jet-lag isn't.  I'm mainly excited about the twelve days in Korea with no work!!!!  We'll be able to explore.  Maybe we'll get to take that ferry to Japan after all...

Spring Continued...

I took these last night on my bike ride home.  I get off at 10pm, so I just took some night photos of the flowers. 

Under a street lamp...

I'm loving the flowers at night.

Cherry Blossom at night...they're looking gorgeous.  The petals are starting to fall.  It looks like snow and they are all over the place.

Stress, Weddings, and Relief

Lately, I have been so busy looking for a job and planning a wedding.  Have you ever tried to plan a wedding in your hometown from the other side of the world??  I have and there is no helpful articles in Bride, etc.  There are tons on planning a destination wedding and on how to deal with relatives, but none on planning your wedding from overseas.  Maybe, I should lead the frontier of weddings planned this way and start writing articles to contribute to these magazines.  Nah...no one wants to read what I write anyway, except for Uncle Shan (*Shout Out*).

Anyway, the wedding plans are coming to an end, I hope.  Luckily, my mother has been a saint as far as running around to venues, but secretly I know she enjoys finally marrying off one of her daughters.  I'm happy I got the first wedding.  I don't know if she'll be so gung-ho with the next one, and with my slight disadvantage, that would be horrible.

Phillip and I are taking the summer off, which is a much needed relief, but that means finding a job with an August or September start.  I'm a ball of stress and Phillip is always calm and collected.  I had to pick the one profession where everyone is so laid back and last minute.  I'm a planner with a hint of OCD in certain moods.  I need to know I'll have a job in a few months!!!  I need it!!

So to avoid such stress, I've started sketching and this blog.  I pulled my camera out and dusted it off.  I'm going to remain calm and learn patience if it's the last thing I do.  Also, the weather is getting warmer.  That means more bike rides, more late nights sitting outside convenience stores, and I'm hoping some swimming soon and maybe a trip to some islands around Korea.

Romanticism at its Best

Yesterday, Phillip and I went on a romantic date, where we found surprisingly decent burritos in an underground food court.

Choi's Tacos & Burgers

You should check it's down the escalators across from Megabox near Omokgyo.  We will definitely be returning.    

Anniversaries/Spring in Seoul

Today is my mother's birthday and tax day in the States, which is the only reason Phillip and I are able to remember the day that he proposed.  Tomorrow it will be a year.  Yesterday, we went and hung out at the park where he forced me to go on a picnic last year on a Saturday, when I was in a seriously pouty mood.  He had to read so I played with my camera and attempted other artistic endeavors. 

The cherry blossoms are blooming...Spring is finally in Seoul.

 

I've been playing with the panoramic setting on my camera.  Where the swings are now is where Phillip proposed. 

It was a busy day in the park

Cute children everywhere!

The father and daughter ran in front of my picture, but I just love the expression that it captured on the father's face.

I think half the children in the park were terrified of that brown dog just running everywhere.

Tons of people where out collecting plants as well.  This mother was teaching her sons which plants are good to eat.  Many women were carrying bags of plant matter and gathering different weeds.  I think it's amazing that they can tell you what is edible that comes out of the sidewalk.

I also love the free work out equipment everywhere.  Ellipticals are so much fun!