I am Thankful

Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I have learned to truly appreciate being restful. I hope that doesn't come off sounding too lazy because I am definitely still busy. It's just a different kind of busy. A restful busyness, if that's possible. Over the past few weeks, I have hardly climbed at all... and I have loved every minute of it. I don't think that I'll never want to climb again, but I think I had partly forgotten what else there was to do in life that was satisfying. And my lack of aptitude or creativity made the art of climbing much less satisfying for me also.

I was lying in bed last night, just realizing all the blessings I have to be thankful for. I feel like God has blessed me so much lately. I don't think that He blessed me any less 3 weeks ago, but I've just been noticing those blessings more lately. Sort of a stop-and-smell-the-roses kind of attitude.

I have an apartment set up in a way that is easily livable and comfortable. Rebs and I each have our chores that we claim to make living for ourselves and the other person easier. We each have our own flaws and strengths. But in it all, we strive for an unconditional love, one that is unchanging even if we're angry. We have a little basil plant that brings us joy to see how much it grows towards the light on a sunny day. We feel blessed by our Creator when we get to be in the Creation, like when we soak the sun into our skin on the beach under a cloudless sky. I feel blessed in the fact that I can talk to my close friends and family on Skype at the push of a button, even though I'm (literally) on the other side of the world. I feel blessed to have a body that can carry me 10+ miles of running in that Creation that I mentioned earlier. And I feel blessed to experience the warmth and the gentle beat of my wife's heart against my chest as she sleeps.
Thank You.

Gonna Miss These Faces

For the past six months since we've been in Korea, Dusty and I have been working in the children's program at our university as part of our teaching responsibilities. Today was our last day with them. Next week marks the first of the fall semester which means we switch over to a new schedule with different assigned responsibilities and will no longer be teaching them. Other professors will be taking over our classes. I have to say, I'm really going to miss them. I have spent so many hours teaching these kids and have really gotten attached to them. Each class has become like a little family in which I've gotten to be Momma Bear. I've really grown to love this role. It's been amazing getting to love and care for them for a few hours each week. It's like magic watching them learn and grow. It happens so fast! They are so adorable and really funny. Kids are kids no matter what language they speak or culture they grow up in. My youngest and favorite class started with me in level one phonics. I taught them the English alphabet and now they are reading full sentences. It's been so rewarding to see their progress and watch them slowly become more comfortable with me. My time with them has been precious. I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to be their teacher.

Doing What's Natural

I've realized a few weeks ago that something needed to change. I've been pursuing rock climbing (with a fervent passion at times) over the past 7 years. Ever since I finished the swim season of my senior year of college, I've done rock climbing pretty full on. It's an interesting sport if you think about it. There's no field of competition. You go to a place and climb up the wall. Some walls are short, some are big. The goal is generally to get to the top. So what's the point, right? I think it's only something that can be understood once you've tried rock climbing. A few points to think about though: conquering fears, artistic feeling, good for the body, can't do it alone.

So back to my point. I've rock climbed off and on for about 7 years, mostly "on" for the last 3. My mentality has always been about training for climbing, trying to get stronger, better. I find that I have more fun if I am. It gives me purpose when my life's purpose is lacking a bit. But living here in Gangneung has provided a bit of a challenge for me. Since we moved here last February, I've had difficulty training on a regular basis. There is an artificial wall in the city that we have been going to (in the prime of our focus) twice a week, and then climbing on the weekends. But time has shown that I'm not getting any better. There are lots of reasons, but the main one is that I lack the motivation. And in a sport where there is no competitive edge, the motivation must come from internally.

I'm switching gears for the next couple of months. As of 2 weeks ago, I have been training for the Chuncheon Marathon. This will be my first ever full marathon. I had a near encounter back in college when i whimsically decided to join my girlfriend, sister, and friend on their half marathon race, only to be coerced while running by the friend who was running the full 26.2 miles to join her. I made it about 19 miles before my body locked up into the tightest cramping I have ever experienced. And believe me, it was a full-body-cramp! I stretched and walked for the next mile, but as soon as I started to run, my body would lock up again. So when I saw my brother-in-law's Bronco parked at the roadside, I was elated and ready to quit. After all, I was surprised I had even made it that far. And I wasn't allowed to cross the finish line anyway since I wasn't registered. All of this was good quitting motivation at the time, so I did.

Well, that's the last memory I have of any marathon or training for a marathon. It wasn't pretty, and I really don't want to have to experience the full body cramp again. So this will be my first time to actually train on a regular basis. I can't say that I've ever done that before, and so far, I'm really enjoying most of it. It's refreshing to get up early and be on the road by 7:30am like I did this morning. There's a peace and a freshness about the air. And the rest of the day, you can say, "At least I accomplished that run this morning." It just makes you feel good.

This week's long run was 8 miles. I did it pretty slow, not knowing what to expect from my body after mile 6. It tightened up a little, but overall, I was in good shape. My goal is to increase my mileage by 2-3 miles per week in my long runs, while trying to maintain a certain number of total miles for the week. I've researched the Runner's World web page for helpful running, cross training, and injury prevention tips. I can't say it's motivation is much different. I'm not really doing this for anyone but myself. I don't expect to get a medal (though my prideful side would love to). It could be because I've always been involved in some kind of sport for as long as I can remember. I like setting goals, putting in the work, and seeing achievement on the other side. There is a rewarding feeling that comes with the accomplishment.

If any of you reading this have run your own marathon and would like to give helpful tips, feel free to comment. I appreciate any support and you can look for pictures after October 25th.

Oh, back to school!

I've got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight. It's hard to believe summer is already winding down. University classes start a week from Monday. We've taken a little blogging hiatus over the summer so I'll do my best to briefly update you.

With the exception of the last week in July and first week in August, we've spent this summer teaching the children's program which means we've gotten to love on and have our patience tested by little cutie-patootie Korean kids M-TH from 4-6pm for the past 8 weeks. We've both mostly enjoyed them. The last week in July we were assigned to teach a week of summer camp for elementary students. It meant 12+ hours a day of non-stop, high energy teaching and playing with kids. It was a blast but super exhausting. However, this camp paid us quite a bit extra on top of our salary so we were happy to do it. I had the best group of kids I could've asked for. Besides those minimal work responsibilities, we've had the rest of the summer off. The week following summer camp my mom came to visit. We had a great time with her as well and did our best to make her feel comfortable and show her as much as possible. Seeing her experience everything here for the first time really made me realize how far we've come in adjusting to the culture and learning the language.

It's been a fairly quiet summer for us which I've been very thankful for. After a super busy spring semester of moving back to Korea, starting a new job as a first-time professor, being assigned to a heavy load of teaching hours, and enduring another nasty flu/cold that seemed to linger for a good 6 weeks, I was ready for a breather. Since it rains here oh, 78 days out of 90 in the summer (slight exaggeration), Dusty and I have mostly taken a break from rock climbing and have focused our time on other interests. We've caught up on any sleep deficits and are now in sleep surplus. We're recharged and ready for another full semester of teaching.


We've both done lots of reading this summer. We do lots of exchanging and borrowing with friends here. I've recently read The Good Earth and The Shack. They are both great reads (thanks Jenna and Natalie). Dusty is currently into about 5 books and magazines. He's also notorious for stealing whatever I happen to be reading. We've watched lots of movies and TV shows. So far we've covered 3 seasons of the Cosby Show and are now starting the Wonder Years. Good shows. We've gotten really creative in the kitchen. Tonight I made some tikka masala for the first time (an indian dish). Thanks mom for the spices and recipe. Dusty's learned to make some killer banana bread and blueberry muffins and he downed my peach crisp like there was no tomorrow. Dusty has started running in preparation for a marathon in October. He still hasn't registered and is waiting to get a few more weeks of training under his belt to see how his legs are holding up. We are both starting to run a lot more. We've also been riding our bikes a lot this summer. It's a great way to get around town. The beach is always a popular destination for us when the sun is shining. However, I'm not super fond of tourist season here. The beaches are crowded and the lifeguards won't let you swim out very far. I got spoiled this spring and early summer and have become a little possessive of 'my' beaches. Other than that we've really enjoyed the time we've spent together just talking, planning, dreaming, and being goofy.

In store for us fall semester:
- Hopefully a little bit lighter class load
- Hopefully we'll be auditing a Korean class
- Hopefully I'll be volunteering some time at an orphanage
It's all in still in the works.

In store for us this winter:
- we plan to spend about 2 months of our winter vacation traveling through Southeast Asia.
- first stop: volunteering at the Bamboo School; a refugee camp, orphanage, and school for Burmese refugees of the Karen tribe. Located in Thailand just east of the border with Burma (Myanmar). We'll be there for Christmas.
- second stop: a 2 week cruise. starts in Singapore and will make stops at various locations in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
- third stop: Railay and Tonsai for some climbing and beach time.
- fourth stop: Chiang Mai for some climbing and sight seeing.