From Toothpaste to Tiaras!

Welcome back, everyone!  Thanks for checking in on our family.  We have now been here 16 weeks.  WOW!  I can't believe how fast time is flying.  I was especially reminded of that fact this past week because I turned 35.  Its not really the number that bothers me, it is the feeling that I might miss something.  So, instead of dwelling on how many years have passed, I find myself just appreciating the very simple things in life.  And being in Korea, made my birthday one of the simplest, most fun, and AMAZING birthdays I have had.  So onto the adventures......

Just to backtrack a little, I found a couple of pics from Father's Day weekend that I had meant to include last week.  Of course, you don't need me to remind you, but I LOVE MY FAMILY!

love those smiles

looks just like his daddy

playing dress up in Great Grandma Mary's old house coat

just hanging out

I know you all know this already, but our little family is always up to some kind of shennanigans! We can't even walk through a parking lot without acting crazy!

superheroes

they are AWESOME!

let's jump on Daddy and see if he will catch us

monkey see, monkey do!

This week, I also had the pleasure of seeing one of my best friends, Erin Golicz.  We had not seen each other in quite some time.  She and her children finally made it to Korea and I am so excited that we get to hang out again.  Erin and I even got to hang out a while on my birthday when Dave and the kids kicked me out of the house for a while, but we will have to discuss the birthday in a little while. First I would like to address the LOST IN TRANSLATION part of Korea.  One day this week, I took Erin to the local dollar store and showed her around a little bit.  And on that little outing, I found one of the most appalling instances of how things are SOOOOO different here.  So enough chatter, here are a few examples of LOST IN TRANSLATION......Korea Style...(the one Erin and I saw is last for effect).

what is a billiard cushion club, exactly?

I'm Hair # ...... this is the name of a business

rules posted in an elevator about pets

no English explanation, but the middle cartoon is the weirdest

I think it may be a warning not to get drunk and pass out but I'm not so sure.

yes!  it is the Man to Man Academy....

I am afraid to ask what they are teaching there!

and finally, for all those times your mouth wasn't getting enough excitement....

ORIGIE brand toothpaste.....

comes in 5 different flavors

I also have a couple of pics of Korea that I have been meaning to show you guys.  Some things in Korea are very very very different than what we are used to.  I have included them for the sole purpose of sharing with you the kinds of things we see when we leave our apartment.

a glass house

grave site....Koreans bury their family members in mounds with tall monument posts

a construction warning sign....AGAIN with the cartoon characters
  

UNFORTUNATELY.....this is the norm

One thing I did enjoy about Korea this week is shopping for produce at the SM mart down the street (I believe someone I know accidently called it the S&M mart, but I won't name names on that one).  The produce is so fresh and some of it is extremely CHEAP.  I also saw a couple of things that I had not seen in US grocery stores before.

the zucchini costs me about $0.54 and ..

the GIANT carrots about $0.90

although they are not Vidalias, they were only $1.60

a little more expensive, but a GOLD Kiwi from New Zealand

I personally have never seen purple corn for sale to eat.

OK.... now on to my BDAY celebration.  I am so lucky to be loved by some many amazing people and each and every one of you helped to make my birthday special.  From facebook to skype to the mail, I felt loved and I thank you.  I am MOST grateful to my wonderful husband and children!  They threw me a traditional party complete with a birthday tiara, dinner out, karaoke, dancing, and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey!  So I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I did!

Darci picked the perfect tiara

dinner at Eat'aly

Dave told me it was okay to write the following caption....

I was trying to pin the tail on the REAL Donkey!

I finally made it to the right place!

think they had enough balloons?!?!?!

we should shuffle more often

balloon fighting

not the best quality pic, but you gotta love that face!

being serenaded by Darci was special

 

and Mitchell singing made it the BEST

my sweet girl

don't I look amazing with my new sunglasses and socks... Thank You Darci

my sweet boy

Thank You, Mitchell for my new luxurious bath mat

not so sure I should be thanking anyone for the cleaning products

my new desk lamp.....Thank You, Honey

cake from Paris Baguette... complete with confetti streamers

Well that's it everyone, I hope you enjoyed week 16 as much as I did.  I hope you all have a great week ahead and I'll talk to you next time.  Annyeonghi geyseyo!

Kitchen Dancing, A Carnival?, and A Car Ride

If you have been reading our blog, you know that we usually stay very busy and have lots to share with you.  This week we took a huge break from that.  I have a few things to share with you, but Dave and I needed a break from all of the coming and going. 

Recently, I have posted a few videos of the kids dancing and singing.  This week is no different because our family loves to sing and dance around the house......Dave included! 

maybe we should start our own air guitar band

And since it was Father's Day on Sunday, I cannot publish this blog without sharing with you guys how much of a WONDERFUL father Dave is!  He will go to many lengths to make them happy.  The giant fort in our living room that took 3+ hours of construction is PROOF!  It was as if he was preparing a carnival tent.  The kids got to "camp out" for two nights this weekend.  Mitchell even had his first sleep over when his friends, Raymond and Thomas, came over.  And since it took up our ENTIRE living room, we all got spend time in it when we watched "I Love Lucy" episodes! (Darci LOVES them, by the way)

under construction

STILL under construction

our carnival tent is finally finished!

with a jerry-rigged swiffer mop

On our way to the pool on Sunday, we decided to drive out of town for a little ways and check out the "Spontaneous Amusement Park" ..... yes, that is the name on the highway sign!  We certainly did not find what we were expecting.  Not that I should ever assume anything here, but I half expected to see a carnival or something.  It turned out to be the the Korean version of going to the river.  It was just a long, rocky creek bed with lots and lots of Korean people picnicking and watching their kid wade in the water.  I took the pics while driving so they are not the best quality.  Sorry.....

I also took a few pics of the gardens we passed along the way.  And for my family, I took a picture of an onion field here.  I grew up in the country where Vidalia Sweet Onions are grown, thousands and thousands of acres of onions, so I thought that these onion patches were interesting.  I also saw some corn grown in yet again, very small quantities.  Farming here takes place in any open space that is flat.  In the city, ANY vacant spot is used to grow vegetables.  And every inch of space is used, as evident in the picture below.

notice the corn plant right up to the sidewalk

And finally, I thought I would show you what its like to drive to main gate of Camp Hovey.  We have to drive through the village of Tokeri.  It is not anything like you could imagine, especially when you are used to army bases in the states.

So I'm off.....

to watch some "I Love Lucy" with the family.  Hope you enjoyed the blog.  Until next week......

annyeonghi geyseyo.