Thankful Thursday

We find ourselves thankful for...

• Upcoming time off from work!
• 막걸리
• Motivation to learn
• Assigned seating at the movies

26th Celebrations!!

Christopher's 26th Birthday weekend began with a little b-day party at BIS.

We then headed up to the hills with Christina and her family  for a bit of camping.  Again, the camping wasn't the "get out into nature" camping we're used to back in the rockies, but it was nice to sleep in a tent and spend the days relaxing.

After some breakfast cake and a few rounds of Phase 10 we headed back to Seoul on Sunday afternoon (Chris' actual birthday).  He wanted to have dinner at one of his favorite restaurants here in Seoul - Everest.  We made the forty minute commute and enjoyed a wonderful summer evening filled with incredible food and tasty cream cheese ice-cream.

Happy Birthday Hubby XOXO

Thankful Thursday

This week we have been thankful for...

• Familial Co-workers
• Speedy Repairmen
• Craigslist Seoul
• Umbrellas
• Breaking Bad Dinners

Pack Together Again

No disrespect to any of the people we visited when we were back home in the states, but one thing we really looked forward to on our trip back was reuniting with our 4-legged k9 baby, Daphne.

When we first left for Korea back in March of last year we were very fearful that our dog, who would be (and still is) staying with Grandma and Grandpa Gilmore, would forget who we were in the comforts of her new home.  It was difficult to say good-bye and we hoped that our reunion would be full of bliss.

We honestly did believe Daphne couldn't possibly forget us, we've had her since she was 5 weeks old...


We knew she would recognize our scents once we got close enough, but we weren't sure what her reaction would be like.  Anybody who knows Daphne, knows that she is a total lover and will greet any stranger with warmth, compassion and kisses.

The second day in Denver we excitedly got in the car, phoned Grandma Gilmore and told her we were on our way.  She prepared the situation by sitting at the window with Daphne.  When we pulled up we saw the two of them staring longingly out the window.

It was a beautiful scene, Dee released Daphne through the front door and Lauren bolted from the car.  Daphne darted to the "stranger", but once she got one solid sniff it was quite a reunion.  The next 45 minutes were a conglomerate of panting, kissing, and wagging tails.  Anyone with a pet knows how sweet a pet reunion can be, even if the absence was only for 15 minutes.

Throughout the trip we were able to spend some quality time as a pack.

Our own experience is mirrored in this video, along with the belief that animals don't forget.

Korean Arboretum

In early June we had the pleasure of visiting the Korean Arboretum.  Located just a few minutes outside of Seoul, closed on the weekends, and requiring reservations it was unlikely we would have ever been able to visit this natural sanctuary.

Thankfully, we've become good friends with our Korean co-worker Christina.  She invited us to join her and her family (husband and two middle school-aged sons) on a trip to the Arboretum on June 2nd, which we had off of school because of the voting day holiday.

The Arboretum is situated in the Gwangneung forest, which surrounds a mausoleum for a king from the Joseon Dynasty.  The forest has been strictly managed to minimize human disturbance over the past 500 years.  The Arboretum has 15 specilaized plant gardens, a forest museum, a forest zoo, a herbarium and a seed bank.

After taking in all the beauty of this natural sight we headed down the road for a very traditional meal.

We feel so blessed for the opportunity to embrace so much culture and have others share  with us like they do.