tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15178511947460897642024-03-13T16:03:24.024+09:00The Adventures of Rebs & DustyWe aspire to live our lives in colorRebshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275939994555569171noreply@blogger.comBlogger138125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-242685678804860812013-03-23T23:24:00.000+09:002013-03-23T23:24:17.669+09:00One Year Later<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In books and movies, often times the story will fast forward to a new time frame, with my title captioned over the screen. Usually this is notifying the viewer that there wasn't anything of enough significance to show or talk about in detail. That's kind of how I see our lives right now. <div>
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Exactly 13 months ago today, Rebs and I flew into Denver. I feel like someone hit the pause button on our lives once we arrived, because the transition stage of relocating has been moving v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. After a short stint in Colorado, we settled ourselves into a cabin on the Illinois River. Why there? Two reasons: 1) it was close to my school, where I did a 6-month EMT program in Tahlequah. 2) rent was cheap (owned by my parents). But along with the romantic ideas of living in a cabin with some land and river access, there also comes the not-so-often-talked-about differences from city life.</div>
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1. Isolation - Our nearest neighbors live a half mile away from us. And though they are a very sweet, older couple, there is only so much we seem to have in common. Most people out there enjoy their privacy, and take pleasure in not seeing another soul other than family members in a day. Personally, I have always enjoyed a more communal lifestyle, where families live near each other, sharing what they have. In my mind, it can make life much easier for everyone. (See Acts 42)</div>
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2. Distance - The second cousin of isolation, this means that everything you want to do is far away. In Korea, we lived in a neighborhood, where there was a laundromat, bakery, ATM, grocery store, running trail, church, park, daycare, and several restaurants within a 5 minute walk from our house. At the cabin, if we need to buy milk or eggs, we have to drive about 8 miles for a price-gouging gas station, or 15 minutes for regularly priced groceries. Usually, we'll plan our week around going into Siloam Springs for groceries, on the same day we go into town for other things. This means, whenever we go anywhere, our vehicles are packed full of trash, recycling, grocery bags, climbing gear, dog, running clothes, and the list goes on. Basically, whenever we leave, we make it count. It just means that days in town are busy.</div>
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3. Entertainment - (or the lack thereof) We chose not to afford television when we moved home. The cables to the cabin had been stripped when it was left vacant for several years, and the mess of rewiring everything wasn't something I was willing to take on. You might think we could just watch shows on the internet, but our satellite internet provider (satellite is the only option out here) regulates your usage, restricting us down to 10 gigabytes per month, unless you want to pay double for another 5 Gig. If that doesn't seem too bad, consider that anytime you stream music or watch a video on youtube or Netflix, you're usage is adding up quickly. A 2 hour HD movie is typically about 2 gig by itself. So that limits us.</div>
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So we had to get creative. One thing we have plenty of is land, and fertile land at that. So I started a garden last year, for the first time since I was a child. It was fun, but in a mellow, meditative sort of way. It was also hard, because in trying not to use pesticides or fertilizers, many of my plants got devoured by animals and bugs who seem to love organic vegetables as much as we do. I continue to pick the brain of my mother-in-law who is a Master Gardener, and enjoys the garden as much, if not more than I do.</div>
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We also built a climbing wall in the barn on the property. If you know me at all, you know that climbing is, and will likely always be, a lifetime passion. So not having any gym, and the closest climbable rock being 45 minutes away, we decided to build our own gym. Thanks to the knowledge and experience of my brother-in-law Cass, we were able to get the wall completed in just about 4 days worth of work over a few weeks. I have slowly been collecting climbing holds since then, putting up a new route about once every couple weeks. </div>
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Somehow, I seem to have gotten off the main subject, telling you all about minor details, but avoiding the big picture. So let me zoom out and refocus. We moved back from South Korea because we wanted to start careers and a family. I went back to school to get an EMT license so I could be a firefighter. Rebs started pursuing her counseling license and working for an agency. After 6 months of no work, she got a great job and is taking her licensure exam in June. I got my EMT license last December, and will start as a fire fighter for Siloam Springs on April 8th. One of the stipulations of employment is that we live within the city limits, so we will be house shopping around Siloam Springs in the next few months. If anyone has any good leads, send them our way :).</div>
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It's been hard starting over, back in school, feeling like the old guy. I'll be starting as a 31-year-old fireman, whereas most guys get started ten years earlier. But I am so thankful for the time Rebs and I had to learn and grow on our own in Korea, away from what was comfortable and familiar. I would never take away that experience. I am so thankful for this life, and for the opportunity to start this new chapter.</div>
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Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-44660250335295618562012-02-17T16:32:00.007+09:002012-02-17T18:18:30.066+09:00"So, what's next for you guys???"We've been getting this question a lot lately; so much so that I thought I'd attempt to write a formal response.<br /><br />First of all, it's not an easy question to answer. It's really impossible to get things lined up and planned out when you're still living on the other side of the world. Often this simple, innocent question isn't met with an easy, straightforward answer. But, here is what we do know. <br /><br />We're flying to Denver (via San Francisco) next Wednesday February 22nd. We fly out of Incheon at 6:15pm and arrive in Denver at 7:00pm the same day. This will literally be one of the longest days of our lives and will likely feel like a slow form of torture. In reality we will be traveling for 24+ hours next Wednesday. As long as everything goes according to plan, we will have our pup (Epic) in tow.<br /><br />We plan to be in Denver for a week or so. During this time we plan to visit my dad, stepmom, brother, and some friends, buy a Honda CRV, get car insurance, get our hairs cut, get a massage (with my leftover gift certificate from Christmas last year), and adjust to the time change. Then we'll be on our way. We will possibly make a few stops in Kansas to visit some of my relatives (aunts, uncles, cousins) and old college roomies/teammates but I suppose this will depend on our timeline. Then we'll be Tulsa bound. We plan to spend a few days with Dusty's parents, reunite with our other pup (Legend), and hopefully get to see a few friends. Our next stop will be in Siloam Springs to see Brandi (Dusty's sister) and family. We hope to spend a few days with them and also visit some friends there. Next we'll head over to Fayetteville, AR to reunite with my mom and hopefully see some more friends. Then we'll probably head up to Rogers to visit with my grandparents.<br /><br />After all that's said and done, we'll be able to focus more on moving and getting settled into our living space. We'll rent a moving van and load up everything out of our storage unit in Springdale. Then we'll make the trek out to the 'cabin in the woods down by the river', literally. A few years ago Dusty's parents bought a couple of cabins on 60 acres of land. The land is located about 1/2 way between Siloam Springs and Tahlequah and sits right on the Illinois River. They bought the property with a vision of retiring out there someday or just having them as a vacation getaway for family and friends. They've spent a lot of time and money over the past 2 years fixing them up and making them comfortable. Dusty's parents have been so gracious in offering to let us live there while we get ourselves settled into living in the States again. <br /><br />We're hoping to start moving into the cabins sometime mid-March and will spend the next month or so figuring out our lives, looking for jobs, applying for counseling licensure (for me), getting enrolled in school (for Dusty), and possibly buying a 2nd vehicle if necessary. We're hoping to get a lot accomplished during this time and will hopefully learn a lot more about what the future holds for us after this. Among other things, we plan to help Dusty's parents with work projects around the cabins and on the land, build a climbing wall in the 'barn', plant a garden, and make a 2 mile running loop around the property. Dusty wants to learn how to hunt, possibly find work as a helping hand for the dairy/turkey farmer across the street, and in general find ways to live a greener more sustainable existence. I am planning to continue brushing up on all my counseling materials. I'll also be doing some crafty projects with my mom, help Dusty's parents with some of the interior decorating, continue training for the Hogeye 1/2 marathon, enjoy running, swimming, and playing with my two precious pups, and continue experimenting with cooking/baking from scratch using more plant-based foods and natural/organic ingredients. <br /><br />During this time we're also hoping to reconnect more intimately with friends and family (especially our niece and nephews) and hopefully start making some new friends. We might also do a bit of church inspecting and examining to see if we find somewhere that feels like home. Otherwise, we're open to starting out our own gathering of likeminded peeps. Of course, we'll always be looking to take advantage of the nicer days to go climbing at Lincoln Lake and possibly make a trip or two out to the Buffalo for some more focused climbing. Needless to say, we will be BUSY!!!<br /><br />Come April 14th we'll head over to Fayetteville for the weekend. I'll be running in the Hogeye 1/2 marathon on Sunday morning and then we'll hop in the car with our pups and drive 12 hours to Red River Gorge, Kentucky for a week of serious climbing. We are renting a cabin with 8 other people (several of which are friends from Korea). We're marking this week as the end of our transition phase back home and the beginning of our everyday life in America. When we return home from this trip our goal is to get down to serious business. Hopefully by this time I will have secured myself a counseling job and will be approved to start seeing clients. Dusty will be starting school at Cherokee Nation. He's going for his EMT/Paramedics certifications in hopes of becoming a firefighter. On the side, one or both of us may be working for Challenge Quest leading various ropes/challenge courses and Canopy Tours guiding zip-line tours. However, none of this has been solidified. It's all still in the works.<br /><br />This is really as far as we've come. We continue to have big dreams and goals for our future which drive us to continue pursuing our passions in life, but ultimately God determines where we go, who we build relationships with, and how we spend our days. We're okay just knowing the next step or two and living out the adventure one day at a time.Rebshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275939994555569171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-68533669884348246092012-02-16T17:31:00.015+09:002012-02-16T18:24:38.763+09:00A Short Story (Part 4)By the end of their first year in Korea, they had seen so many new things, and had so many new ways of looking at life...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqilCRuvi8fKJ_Way9G5i8Hw4IAw7u24uRElbhHRLfG8Ww47GppG65R2AMCwImwN9vMgdK-10nezHJoGanJelfJh2c1fz-bNdqh60lG58X7iAfduYUYiMEugmQRHZsR4DGrVjTWSBz_dE/s1600/IMG_0360.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqilCRuvi8fKJ_Way9G5i8Hw4IAw7u24uRElbhHRLfG8Ww47GppG65R2AMCwImwN9vMgdK-10nezHJoGanJelfJh2c1fz-bNdqh60lG58X7iAfduYUYiMEugmQRHZsR4DGrVjTWSBz_dE/s320/IMG_0360.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709650420049889602" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2uU6DO2EfNpNhzvicwsAXyP3k-VPuuaHDclMt0sWRgNII5K9a8wx5rEHqJOuF96dh3WGl4Dm4onzaqp_s3xrSq0g860uyUD-RhRiPIotEB4YdvYvzpfVCIcxjjia7pMaYbjx3dNKP3s/s1600/IMG_1936.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2uU6DO2EfNpNhzvicwsAXyP3k-VPuuaHDclMt0sWRgNII5K9a8wx5rEHqJOuF96dh3WGl4Dm4onzaqp_s3xrSq0g860uyUD-RhRiPIotEB4YdvYvzpfVCIcxjjia7pMaYbjx3dNKP3s/s320/IMG_1936.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709650414965520866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNaqzYKshCiXePgZwtiIWZ9Vewkj5TtUPu0Ff0ARms2aLHuLviDC2hHuurnwhRKte1-FfCwGdi2pbY2iLgGSLRTBrz6omnx6INQ_SgiLvmXyS-qyn5fNnYDf9GTellzcXyi2-3YWxeNc/s1600/IMG_1481.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNaqzYKshCiXePgZwtiIWZ9Vewkj5TtUPu0Ff0ARms2aLHuLviDC2hHuurnwhRKte1-FfCwGdi2pbY2iLgGSLRTBrz6omnx6INQ_SgiLvmXyS-qyn5fNnYDf9GTellzcXyi2-3YWxeNc/s320/IMG_1481.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709650416218240018" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They longed for something familiar...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84nRZxa4VxRaJOlbZ_9ALk77XTZ7gtgJuZa9Ogf3-uQcCIaKYhy95pwUpmkIxrPPDPVdqeVc3aK7tZXbDvfk6dMrd9F6RMixUE3d0iNfRTYxY9fq4XaR_mC774LiyEhbXNaLYC_AoQKI/s1600/IMG_1588.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84nRZxa4VxRaJOlbZ_9ALk77XTZ7gtgJuZa9Ogf3-uQcCIaKYhy95pwUpmkIxrPPDPVdqeVc3aK7tZXbDvfk6dMrd9F6RMixUE3d0iNfRTYxY9fq4XaR_mC774LiyEhbXNaLYC_AoQKI/s320/IMG_1588.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709652246581122722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO92v-V00PuTGCBDzqBdHCSCO4lvOKbq5AiUIKJ5pcen1n2Gq3fL2ZuZGd7luivjLUAKwg2oJ7516e_Qu9dsrg_YZip5wN1kn7nS81BZCrnOkIaBPwDlfZaeP7nGG1V_d0i8IjOPh7aqU/s1600/IMG_2383.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO92v-V00PuTGCBDzqBdHCSCO4lvOKbq5AiUIKJ5pcen1n2Gq3fL2ZuZGd7luivjLUAKwg2oJ7516e_Qu9dsrg_YZip5wN1kn7nS81BZCrnOkIaBPwDlfZaeP7nGG1V_d0i8IjOPh7aqU/s320/IMG_2383.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709652245956169426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwQTATCvVHh1LeSgkCQq_aX4dZ-52Mi-qaZ2RGHE430OHUPaSWEDQjtzZHI6MZGeqVUFmYTI8CP4WwZpDbs2_cwQfMQNQ67wmFQoQXaA8Lh1H1PyPraI5cayPDGdrX6wM3WES1eKqxR8/s1600/IMG_1548.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwQTATCvVHh1LeSgkCQq_aX4dZ-52Mi-qaZ2RGHE430OHUPaSWEDQjtzZHI6MZGeqVUFmYTI8CP4WwZpDbs2_cwQfMQNQ67wmFQoQXaA8Lh1H1PyPraI5cayPDGdrX6wM3WES1eKqxR8/s320/IMG_1548.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709652241778364386" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They longed to see old friends and family. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPx8cX_lwHOAzrWQz6-5Kli5oJkimn5o2Du8NW4scBOb-SpBaAjczaIPss5sbfQdCS12PkhDio0njsioUfc6HcYkCtBug2cojQD6cIMUsU7UowLQDyUlVm5u-jD7tP4W1CCZZnw4MRes/s1600/IMG_2349.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPx8cX_lwHOAzrWQz6-5Kli5oJkimn5o2Du8NW4scBOb-SpBaAjczaIPss5sbfQdCS12PkhDio0njsioUfc6HcYkCtBug2cojQD6cIMUsU7UowLQDyUlVm5u-jD7tP4W1CCZZnw4MRes/s320/IMG_2349.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709660896587657010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWfmO2536H6aSLhhNTA7UND23jrON5dUgZWNJal_B3yX-w4IoPYUVfBWqnByljg0CvF-f_IViqoe3VIh9JOwZz1rgdvHuM5BLIN3C6w4WRwEj3MF41JgxWtAa0GZL5Jqk9DccgDZX1Ro/s1600/l_f699099f922f109b841d4b5da91e3177.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWfmO2536H6aSLhhNTA7UND23jrON5dUgZWNJal_B3yX-w4IoPYUVfBWqnByljg0CvF-f_IViqoe3VIh9JOwZz1rgdvHuM5BLIN3C6w4WRwEj3MF41JgxWtAa0GZL5Jqk9DccgDZX1Ro/s320/l_f699099f922f109b841d4b5da91e3177.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709660893262093138" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFFPNNwQLUGmEcFAmCIGNvcMMOWTywBEHr8H2K1yDfGgBsNkEjZMV999YvsQWjdhwdTu2RU-9UR4TqCq15pTaB93xDsCJy5h2h0Nsu_1SrTwgNfEetC7QqBcW-ADI1en-vd17RGCSlIE/s1600/HarrisFam.xmas07.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhFFPNNwQLUGmEcFAmCIGNvcMMOWTywBEHr8H2K1yDfGgBsNkEjZMV999YvsQWjdhwdTu2RU-9UR4TqCq15pTaB93xDsCJy5h2h0Nsu_1SrTwgNfEetC7QqBcW-ADI1en-vd17RGCSlIE/s320/HarrisFam.xmas07.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709655398014902114" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzg4aOhbCBRKLb1fsPkdbK9-cl49b44XEbZJrvwzDWMCsUghevQc89wv0mPgvCaQDjUPXOhY_cC7W0uucVGrnKAk3FLK2hHzPixDBIXZUWtBkvkBHDaOWGeWdXYZRzsRyXhIl0rrjl2Y/s1600/DJ+BILL-0008.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzg4aOhbCBRKLb1fsPkdbK9-cl49b44XEbZJrvwzDWMCsUghevQc89wv0mPgvCaQDjUPXOhY_cC7W0uucVGrnKAk3FLK2hHzPixDBIXZUWtBkvkBHDaOWGeWdXYZRzsRyXhIl0rrjl2Y/s320/DJ+BILL-0008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709656037295271522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7L_KjGbVfTPU5JRTdKdjGeseWlScjxvYwZHYnRZ7Nqy1bgTdHwgtbf82midTTItr4sZAJE3zv7G7YUlU9K3OVTCQAsAN1bGJo7vTch0LeC_WVPPM9A5iGST1FO-9xqPFRoAhQY8Jhs4/s1600/dad.jude.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7L_KjGbVfTPU5JRTdKdjGeseWlScjxvYwZHYnRZ7Nqy1bgTdHwgtbf82midTTItr4sZAJE3zv7G7YUlU9K3OVTCQAsAN1bGJo7vTch0LeC_WVPPM9A5iGST1FO-9xqPFRoAhQY8Jhs4/s320/dad.jude.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709656037804098594" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So they went home.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNs04Aaye02r9SLry5RhOhKtlSetYw8UAo_sXXsHLCAsHw1VOnUAtGJJ_M1WYs8KHXdYeu-mxOk2a8MT1WkPIo-cMhVFWF7GZ4cKpG75lbicC01VwNa45wv00DSvvZEzKE4MBMk_ePzE/s1600/college+roomies+2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKNs04Aaye02r9SLry5RhOhKtlSetYw8UAo_sXXsHLCAsHw1VOnUAtGJJ_M1WYs8KHXdYeu-mxOk2a8MT1WkPIo-cMhVFWF7GZ4cKpG75lbicC01VwNa45wv00DSvvZEzKE4MBMk_ePzE/s320/college+roomies+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709654906408956834" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1MwBs_EhfPFuOffNfEZCwiN_RqNVQVBX9zalb_EdC8yFEju6ZYaq1z-igTEipFrgY3bwD4zoyNl9IZKTQKFIzI1jGQe3TUPggsDBcZAIdgZADG1GJorXs0aSiZnYkGflRR-KLmm2fLc/s1600/tims+camera+11-23-080024.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1MwBs_EhfPFuOffNfEZCwiN_RqNVQVBX9zalb_EdC8yFEju6ZYaq1z-igTEipFrgY3bwD4zoyNl9IZKTQKFIzI1jGQe3TUPggsDBcZAIdgZADG1GJorXs0aSiZnYkGflRR-KLmm2fLc/s320/tims+camera+11-23-080024.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709654900267283906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYpgAhPiB0lj9x_HLxkq0Nd0aeGkzEonUvG8CVy51AipFni5JP2uCn3GLY8Q6VmCiJikyFiAgRP3Y2_h_xTbkFmpRYet-ALG7CDx6nT8lTJTVyQjfDtZK3qkMfq_muA0RLhY1edx3xf4/s1600/tims+camera+11-23-080009.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYpgAhPiB0lj9x_HLxkq0Nd0aeGkzEonUvG8CVy51AipFni5JP2uCn3GLY8Q6VmCiJikyFiAgRP3Y2_h_xTbkFmpRYet-ALG7CDx6nT8lTJTVyQjfDtZK3qkMfq_muA0RLhY1edx3xf4/s320/tims+camera+11-23-080009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709654893085633474" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQAwy4vaGuCGBTPViIObqzinPhodsjn9pw-BvT6Rlg8wZyuPFnad-Utrfl0FOcF_HM4QCblY5bip_Uct_Enb1KXn-we-Mn3LZuCxyF70nn5Fo7frdPGdIWecYvhLU-egj3RSQqzobGmA/s1600/IMG_1181.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQAwy4vaGuCGBTPViIObqzinPhodsjn9pw-BvT6Rlg8wZyuPFnad-Utrfl0FOcF_HM4QCblY5bip_Uct_Enb1KXn-we-Mn3LZuCxyF70nn5Fo7frdPGdIWecYvhLU-egj3RSQqzobGmA/s320/IMG_1181.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709656832262115986" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4XUCZXA3X-JbhMCr5sqCuazB0_B6-vF5cjc25-JPiV6xiBJXkIOGiUffxjgNYs5LEpMMIMDpz8YZpLt633SY8S_m4Alp1l9-yq37Na0m8GkN7n9041ZbQXSoQlcEc6a35M_VnNdZiiY/s1600/IMG_1213.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_4XUCZXA3X-JbhMCr5sqCuazB0_B6-vF5cjc25-JPiV6xiBJXkIOGiUffxjgNYs5LEpMMIMDpz8YZpLt633SY8S_m4Alp1l9-yq37Na0m8GkN7n9041ZbQXSoQlcEc6a35M_VnNdZiiY/s320/IMG_1213.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709657880404733666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5FjkTCAusO5rCXdd_I7mLnbU0mtvSuOwWAxzJ_FK_NWhib2KdZ_wUuHByQMcTGrYyF8SehhA-3IoYt6KiF-n7kOiFN1Ispvt9pPt8ddR6nIkHwtzSyDL4GlwdQqfN-QSWpYLLX_JnTk/s1600/IMG_1207.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5FjkTCAusO5rCXdd_I7mLnbU0mtvSuOwWAxzJ_FK_NWhib2KdZ_wUuHByQMcTGrYyF8SehhA-3IoYt6KiF-n7kOiFN1Ispvt9pPt8ddR6nIkHwtzSyDL4GlwdQqfN-QSWpYLLX_JnTk/s320/IMG_1207.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709657876412948706" /></a>Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-30192583690482320192012-02-13T11:05:00.018+09:002012-02-16T18:32:05.690+09:00A Short Story (Part 3)One activity the couple enjoyed together was rock climbing. They found that Korea was full of mountains for them to hike and climb, and enjoy with friends.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAD9jPy0salh3Qyacc_rs0i7mF5qjek9EgWcsmLrCgyu4nrg9e_WZVJK6YKPEOZV2t1K-_znMeKogeOpEUupP7XSYOFDFMvmZE1QZih1r-LisLHfr2T1fmP8v5fRy8L_gMKNXo0k2Cqz8/s1600/IMG_1668.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAD9jPy0salh3Qyacc_rs0i7mF5qjek9EgWcsmLrCgyu4nrg9e_WZVJK6YKPEOZV2t1K-_znMeKogeOpEUupP7XSYOFDFMvmZE1QZih1r-LisLHfr2T1fmP8v5fRy8L_gMKNXo0k2Cqz8/s320/IMG_1668.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708446747817288818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGaoIix6_HJ_AImVYaWk0KQvkM-wlSUYmDiWh4ZAu9l7gGqs8Y4dzVFbY0s8svLvmabfe_bxIGvVW0j-t9Qn4wCZtxJnMQ-exbcBGHZUV303kCL7PzqaLUyMHbDrLdnf0g7FUVjCf9qs/s1600/IMG_2224.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGaoIix6_HJ_AImVYaWk0KQvkM-wlSUYmDiWh4ZAu9l7gGqs8Y4dzVFbY0s8svLvmabfe_bxIGvVW0j-t9Qn4wCZtxJnMQ-exbcBGHZUV303kCL7PzqaLUyMHbDrLdnf0g7FUVjCf9qs/s320/IMG_2224.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708446743942079922" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnDo9hOjwJaBclS7qmPqiIdUmwqV39xxgtCnv330dh9jdGS71t3bmk-z7Y_gAUvIVH7ApBE7sctGerFPZsDQp1ewpieWfeH5V9zfDvjGIGXuv8M2rDBamH73B-NQCz76GmZe78e0KFmk/s1600/DSC_3661.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnDo9hOjwJaBclS7qmPqiIdUmwqV39xxgtCnv330dh9jdGS71t3bmk-z7Y_gAUvIVH7ApBE7sctGerFPZsDQp1ewpieWfeH5V9zfDvjGIGXuv8M2rDBamH73B-NQCz76GmZe78e0KFmk/s320/DSC_3661.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708446741539353234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnmhiqwnofjOuX_LTGLVhZfHtlsxoGdYqe-QMHQezEvZNmZRRZiTBExC-1ue-QvoOp-SXI9qO5g0SnSCmeP1XCs21KkE4xYPkHjyc8w5CYmCKzFtytsCKfkddkmgjXkAjeCYK38aTOik/s1600/DSC_3746.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnmhiqwnofjOuX_LTGLVhZfHtlsxoGdYqe-QMHQezEvZNmZRRZiTBExC-1ue-QvoOp-SXI9qO5g0SnSCmeP1XCs21KkE4xYPkHjyc8w5CYmCKzFtytsCKfkddkmgjXkAjeCYK38aTOik/s320/DSC_3746.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708446741700621234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjnbJIDX7rAhocSpM3DHdc33_fXUdi6ZV7r307BjE6Y7zDA2ATqvzCKV2SmdM1gu7GOFIml75B-pW1rN_pivZf_y4RYGp4QblrO-YKzK876jnC6JoG6_sD9QWEcu2XZAV4HlSALwF6PE/s1600/IMG_0600.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjnbJIDX7rAhocSpM3DHdc33_fXUdi6ZV7r307BjE6Y7zDA2ATqvzCKV2SmdM1gu7GOFIml75B-pW1rN_pivZf_y4RYGp4QblrO-YKzK876jnC6JoG6_sD9QWEcu2XZAV4HlSALwF6PE/s320/IMG_0600.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708445348587045362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ_nV0iL1ONMcc-fxW9XkHMAliS2HNiRptEB7CjabhwvakCPaPgwbQZsrYRHwhAySEkwqWUABd3WoMVNMo_wZG-hwWX8IBuRvEpisvPprk_G4MPk67TonOOdYWUpdRsGSpl7EPYrJG9M/s1600/IMG_0682.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ_nV0iL1ONMcc-fxW9XkHMAliS2HNiRptEB7CjabhwvakCPaPgwbQZsrYRHwhAySEkwqWUABd3WoMVNMo_wZG-hwWX8IBuRvEpisvPprk_G4MPk67TonOOdYWUpdRsGSpl7EPYrJG9M/s320/IMG_0682.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708445343418715778" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7qY-6BYZbSrP54SxCjIBBbdoSdIAT9xHCGxQwjE1K5pOCsalbWn-KHREgOJ1Hbdc3L14PQmNP-kJyKsymIvEIZv7XZihYSTQPXJan8S5DG2vSprZyzYlbIjWqDcwa0J5vjzNwIlI3Fg/s1600/IMG_0793.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7qY-6BYZbSrP54SxCjIBBbdoSdIAT9xHCGxQwjE1K5pOCsalbWn-KHREgOJ1Hbdc3L14PQmNP-kJyKsymIvEIZv7XZihYSTQPXJan8S5DG2vSprZyzYlbIjWqDcwa0J5vjzNwIlI3Fg/s320/IMG_0793.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708445343283344466" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20zE9d8WgfZcN1JZHLW0Ru4LEmsn33qVdj-S2E4PnS3IcYZqz3Fhac9MQlW3KaCoc6txVWsiUHWMCUhtnxYUkfAAchyphenhyphenj14v9J8Va-P-z1VU3zww2GjO1cdsj-7r5DdqWaBnuV8umabHM/s1600/IMG_0985.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi20zE9d8WgfZcN1JZHLW0Ru4LEmsn33qVdj-S2E4PnS3IcYZqz3Fhac9MQlW3KaCoc6txVWsiUHWMCUhtnxYUkfAAchyphenhyphenj14v9J8Va-P-z1VU3zww2GjO1cdsj-7r5DdqWaBnuV8umabHM/s320/IMG_0985.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708445338172357234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmW6w9ScQj9p4Me3cY-9LOyXsRaqM0gcWvIdwdumPUDJyuW70_cVbrTyqQ7ooVAJdbQPl9cWogucUSAHTsRvuaCF_7BNk6ji7N13meVT8UWXiZBxekq57VUceux8ASn-Y5MqMCadAqm9o/s1600/%25C3%25AC%25C2%2582%25C2%25AC%25C3%25AC%25C2%25A7%25C2%2584+634.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmW6w9ScQj9p4Me3cY-9LOyXsRaqM0gcWvIdwdumPUDJyuW70_cVbrTyqQ7ooVAJdbQPl9cWogucUSAHTsRvuaCF_7BNk6ji7N13meVT8UWXiZBxekq57VUceux8ASn-Y5MqMCadAqm9o/s320/%25C3%25AC%25C2%2582%25C2%25AC%25C3%25AC%25C2%25A7%25C2%2584+634.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708445339043782418" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They did and saw so many things that year. It was beautiful, new, and exciting!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedjVhtYp0FN4ScHXJsOt8h4EYL4nNNSidN6MqmBrAVT-4LH__efPs1SBoi1gQFY3nsDG8R3iwRGV59MaO9oi_TgmfXmvr0Xvwu0nRSeibjPCDaJBLj1blEqI7ArJ4dIbD4XkbWkeo9BE/s1600/IMG_0465.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedjVhtYp0FN4ScHXJsOt8h4EYL4nNNSidN6MqmBrAVT-4LH__efPs1SBoi1gQFY3nsDG8R3iwRGV59MaO9oi_TgmfXmvr0Xvwu0nRSeibjPCDaJBLj1blEqI7ArJ4dIbD4XkbWkeo9BE/s320/IMG_0465.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708450102096791570" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRNeINsgf_x5mAbKjlLRdXEK41ZyOCu4AMp9pb4MLAPdg7ZJ9uBi3I-qY4GJGGgXwZf12rZ5kYiKx9KJH1Xla1fkT8f2iRf7JdR7jWykw9J60hM932xbwk-KuYx0UNnPmRxkE50MD8Ms/s1600/IMG_0413.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRNeINsgf_x5mAbKjlLRdXEK41ZyOCu4AMp9pb4MLAPdg7ZJ9uBi3I-qY4GJGGgXwZf12rZ5kYiKx9KJH1Xla1fkT8f2iRf7JdR7jWykw9J60hM932xbwk-KuYx0UNnPmRxkE50MD8Ms/s320/IMG_0413.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708450095768388994" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WfX6B_l47KUAnixzsCqcCqVPFjmkw7I2G9tKxFlDMwS14TAOzwkfI6ErQVfsKN_F6VjDTVFtnhhaeyVGR9YeMdmJeN1wtljCdb4ASKhOqJKmO5QnvnOG1TSr883QjT2U__w5CqHnHKM/s1600/IMG_0314.jpg"><img style="float:left; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKW_GRav_UYxlWpkCHNZXveYx3oSyylTOQErLApMxVi94i_AuoSGvkN4p_5yP9M66btbGpCLFFMF0yjSoq9wkFyi7SF7zHVo98YjYyvj_z1CdaiA03BLyp08OOahSiim8GM2LaVOkmoSQ/s320/IMG_0484.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708460211831016706" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They got new ideas about EVERYTHING.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCU8kPzRv9kXayKNKDXOvd_1FZMpv0Vpf-hnGpD2DKRjLL3EJAwiMlZEefpTVYrUMRUaNuKgH2fPoT0BnbqSPTKnEZLhKq5O1sDACd7sfqgaRpn7EHakdS2hD2Hdrr4w9T3pcvEdpKL0Q/s1600/IMG_1510.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCU8kPzRv9kXayKNKDXOvd_1FZMpv0Vpf-hnGpD2DKRjLL3EJAwiMlZEefpTVYrUMRUaNuKgH2fPoT0BnbqSPTKnEZLhKq5O1sDACd7sfqgaRpn7EHakdS2hD2Hdrr4w9T3pcvEdpKL0Q/s320/IMG_1510.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708454212349942658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNsg_Gv2gm30JhC4AcBVulH0iiKXrRF-v6c6X4dYxfnzAftajRtKdqh8Dq-aI_ej9CyjeEQ03aYjRdzyfhB1A8rz_eh-OPX7ipw6owVZ0GhFt7TlHZqAgaE4X773FAQByIcTFWL1-PWc/s1600/IMG_1856.jpg"><img style="float:right; 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margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2w2m2snp-GQ7KhSdiVXkl3kY4Rn_jNdt9r12ucYv1k_9vjo6mWTQmmW4m6BJV7U60qec_Q4E5_Mcixj-znVQxACsTGOEMkLnjfRto2i_nBlL8LP11rlblv1GRDYKyS9SwmaeWRH9LoE/s320/IMG_0448.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708456488272789330" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhbYleONixNM-8Ql7Nv7NMHxeUbkjDUfQnYBsyM_H9__7apt5BP1Xv_EwafMORZVQzJm6xavc3LQo68peJBp0UcGUZCGP4_RC37Rw5G6E3v4trVC4iC3pkYR1fKWCMHVI6X-SpthlIaY/s1600/IMG_2333.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhbYleONixNM-8Ql7Nv7NMHxeUbkjDUfQnYBsyM_H9__7apt5BP1Xv_EwafMORZVQzJm6xavc3LQo68peJBp0UcGUZCGP4_RC37Rw5G6E3v4trVC4iC3pkYR1fKWCMHVI6X-SpthlIaY/s320/IMG_2333.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708456489339169730" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMOkt65V2KJGklLeFAW1jPu-2ELOpHb3fcCrkRpxnUJA1TSLB-6kbnb28sdWtBbjeLznoh3MoOnPvf6cN38yc6g2mZ490Iii70-9fFzxgpxbrTbXMKqX_spq7A0fmFsHmlEDLGbOMGGY/s1600/IMG_1402.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMOkt65V2KJGklLeFAW1jPu-2ELOpHb3fcCrkRpxnUJA1TSLB-6kbnb28sdWtBbjeLznoh3MoOnPvf6cN38yc6g2mZ490Iii70-9fFzxgpxbrTbXMKqX_spq7A0fmFsHmlEDLGbOMGGY/s320/IMG_1402.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708456489782239282" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhy_DD847hA2mDzVZIp-h-wJgUnUQRO525dRgsStB5wE9SKK6p1hYPl0fyO3WlmGkCAoLMkadOi_gVeHBRHCWWnfBrJC1VTYOueCG3JgWD-rfVy3twdyVrmetPnj0qmtyLNhQh1Lq_0o/s1600/IMG_0959.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhy_DD847hA2mDzVZIp-h-wJgUnUQRO525dRgsStB5wE9SKK6p1hYPl0fyO3WlmGkCAoLMkadOi_gVeHBRHCWWnfBrJC1VTYOueCG3JgWD-rfVy3twdyVrmetPnj0qmtyLNhQh1Lq_0o/s320/IMG_0959.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708457017884392642" /></a>Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-71115494738056396952012-02-08T16:54:00.004+09:002012-02-08T17:48:53.983+09:00SurrealFor the first time in awhile, I'm feeling happy, excited, and thankful! I always seem to get depressed around this time of year, this one has been no exception. It's cold, it's dark, it's windy, I'm basically unemployed, I haven't climbed outside in months, and I've entered into a massive state of transition in basically every aspect of my life. Our apartment is nearly empty, the kitchen has becoming a sad, barren place, there is no place to sit except the floor, and most of our belongings are either en route to America or have been given away. Over the past two months, our life in Korea has slowly and methodically been taken apart piece by piece. It's been a long, emotional process for me. But what is starting to emerge is hope and ambition for our future. <br /><br />The light at the end of this long, tedious tunnel of moving back to America is growing brighter each and every day. With it, I sense myself starting to come alive again. The end of a wonderfully thick chapter in my life is about to give way to a new one. I will miss my friends, my easy paycheck, and the uniqueness of our life here, but there is so much to look forward to in coming home. Best of all, we get to reunite with all our family and friends. As we continue to check things off our to-do list here, the burdensome tasks and anxious thoughts have started to fade away, allowing previously fuzzy dreams and possibilities to become tangible. Two weeks from today we'll hop on a plane bound for America with no plan to return to Korea. And we'll push 'play' on so many things that have been on 'pause' for several years. Now that is surreal!Rebshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275939994555569171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-12680539290724606942012-02-06T17:45:00.006+09:002012-02-06T17:56:32.276+09:00Current State of LivingWhat I've been up to today:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnfhDumYrICdTYNWY3O08Dd8fB99AMsybHE-MCg7BCj3S0hM-6yKipOyzY0jtWwsjaO12gvbzk9OHAFo9Z0dqdJe1qhoNwCrZaRZxAuLi0xbnvyqVyyODitdft4_Q4G-OLVQGEFstBwA/s1600/DSC_0258.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnfhDumYrICdTYNWY3O08Dd8fB99AMsybHE-MCg7BCj3S0hM-6yKipOyzY0jtWwsjaO12gvbzk9OHAFo9Z0dqdJe1qhoNwCrZaRZxAuLi0xbnvyqVyyODitdft4_Q4G-OLVQGEFstBwA/s320/DSC_0258.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705942871714132866" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE-jgLgAoACGcanJa7MP4SAVpaiyGsNlni_fz6Qm9nnKT8UQc4zzKOozhhzOX4KAZTIAA8Q1ezkLtCUqAVtOdAIkcWvzkpUoCkW2ZN13q-hcyCfYaPhEcvfcGLQMqWoJZjAoPJ-_BQ9g/s1600/DSC_0257.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRE-jgLgAoACGcanJa7MP4SAVpaiyGsNlni_fz6Qm9nnKT8UQc4zzKOozhhzOX4KAZTIAA8Q1ezkLtCUqAVtOdAIkcWvzkpUoCkW2ZN13q-hcyCfYaPhEcvfcGLQMqWoJZjAoPJ-_BQ9g/s320/DSC_0257.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705942866640461426" /></a><br /><br />What Dusty and Epic have been up to:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfvDkVWsMGBqq2mc2NIrSKmPs4quJXe5jtDj6X7oB6CFHTcjqxzTlxT-NGxGVjR9qetHLgYYe57WL3sbsRnys4gFMsIklPyFWLBwhS4SgcKqBat70mmKhBrEJgne6gkGPpmSXteWS8V0/s1600/DSC_0252.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfvDkVWsMGBqq2mc2NIrSKmPs4quJXe5jtDj6X7oB6CFHTcjqxzTlxT-NGxGVjR9qetHLgYYe57WL3sbsRnys4gFMsIklPyFWLBwhS4SgcKqBat70mmKhBrEJgne6gkGPpmSXteWS8V0/s320/DSC_0252.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705943614923870306" /></a>Rebshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275939994555569171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-45553629120586158212012-01-29T15:42:00.014+09:002012-02-13T11:04:26.081+09:00A Short Story (Part 2)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1N2akpH_dtyYl-IO8cmAwzXWBFx2O1EEro26_qU69dYfq065krHiJfuC9KoepSdjjEUXUdqcNTt5i0dD8jH5qHxW6z8OWW2PuWAlp3LKILVX8TrkGs8llBogzsoZl71LcQ3HA6eLGYw/s1600/IMG_1546.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 3200px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1N2akpH_dtyYl-IO8cmAwzXWBFx2O1EEro26_qU69dYfq065krHiJfuC9KoepSdjjEUXUdqcNTt5i0dD8jH5qHxW6z8OWW2PuWAlp3LKILVX8TrkGs8llBogzsoZl71LcQ3HA6eLGYw/s200/IMG_1546.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707503689888169906" /></a><br />At first, Korea felt really hard. Everything was much bigger and faster than where they had come from.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pwrvOGocvvlN7wcOisxkVpaCgmYNIBiJhzYdu5xey0fVVzNhT1m6PT2f1_JUIcZqk1jI-XJICg9-xiApu7cCOrXVrbDKb-7N3GP07SaqFXrkOJNjD7eTIJYz3rX7i1XWa04gfQ3jL8w/s1600/IMG_1178.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pwrvOGocvvlN7wcOisxkVpaCgmYNIBiJhzYdu5xey0fVVzNhT1m6PT2f1_JUIcZqk1jI-XJICg9-xiApu7cCOrXVrbDKb-7N3GP07SaqFXrkOJNjD7eTIJYz3rX7i1XWa04gfQ3jL8w/s200/IMG_1178.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707502359674136802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oSboGMLMhzSNZ4BxEFvPVS0tBYT_g66KHw55fKZjDnVLAjDdsdg870fAof0jvoGFsY12GgjsHABItCKafYbUPjR91_7tYb25Shx2BNdU8l0fncPuwlFYeUd5p0he6mm-Wavj4dSwCp0/s1600/IMG_1146.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oSboGMLMhzSNZ4BxEFvPVS0tBYT_g66KHw55fKZjDnVLAjDdsdg870fAof0jvoGFsY12GgjsHABItCKafYbUPjR91_7tYb25Shx2BNdU8l0fncPuwlFYeUd5p0he6mm-Wavj4dSwCp0/s200/IMG_1146.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707501939291597890" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Fortunately, they worked with many other foreigners who helped them. They made friends and didn't feel so lonely.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4ZgebeiEileTw-JeKAbg93gdXwNlS5VD_f56VjmCLxI-iQStBdNt8b4uN6mMZ6V_570-D644FI4LCwrEX-JkHOq7tQnu552D8u126Pnsdq0uBoeATSvt3dL8nfEyuBf19M3A4bzvhxQ/s1600/IMG_0325.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU4ZgebeiEileTw-JeKAbg93gdXwNlS5VD_f56VjmCLxI-iQStBdNt8b4uN6mMZ6V_570-D644FI4LCwrEX-JkHOq7tQnu552D8u126Pnsdq0uBoeATSvt3dL8nfEyuBf19M3A4bzvhxQ/s320/IMG_0325.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707508881974710194" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v-bRy5P0DFjY4I9q6vIMHbY2n2MX3bwcHh86toTfJnOFO9q1iwwXpioxbaxmYOZrYmIwfvpM_kWRSswFnl1UWYNql4XNZJ0VF8YL5FmX6-n1QRU-eYokkKpcSvs-DK_JO8r5JzAjVqA/s1600/IMG_1179.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8v-bRy5P0DFjY4I9q6vIMHbY2n2MX3bwcHh86toTfJnOFO9q1iwwXpioxbaxmYOZrYmIwfvpM_kWRSswFnl1UWYNql4XNZJ0VF8YL5FmX6-n1QRU-eYokkKpcSvs-DK_JO8r5JzAjVqA/s320/IMG_1179.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707508878895489218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksPgGE_5Wb2PBZg0C7denXVxhT_YApsdfBaJMquAUDaEUMeWlmZAiCiij4xjblQdnUOaJLpzHXXLS-5aO-L5Cjfa-idLS-Iy3sCQq8C9OZyz_NdvgnUSoV9pzUCi4PhM3L7gyCxryZ-M/s1600/IMG_2204.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksPgGE_5Wb2PBZg0C7denXVxhT_YApsdfBaJMquAUDaEUMeWlmZAiCiij4xjblQdnUOaJLpzHXXLS-5aO-L5Cjfa-idLS-Iy3sCQq8C9OZyz_NdvgnUSoV9pzUCi4PhM3L7gyCxryZ-M/s320/IMG_2204.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707508877264697842" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They worked with children that didn't speak the same language. They were supposed to teach them English, but found that much of their jobs required more entertainment than education, hence the term "edutainment".<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KdvRLKxHgBNiz4sl5zvwwmBDAAHFUGsv2E94tL1_z8k6mTXrw-M13PVdY3V0AP-tTBkiZKM5Yb4sB1i0LVGWuwaZ1g2fuEC42c893d0h5BgcOQiCnKbeedwar4312zKZsHjN5_SvXoM/s1600/IMG_1555.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KdvRLKxHgBNiz4sl5zvwwmBDAAHFUGsv2E94tL1_z8k6mTXrw-M13PVdY3V0AP-tTBkiZKM5Yb4sB1i0LVGWuwaZ1g2fuEC42c893d0h5BgcOQiCnKbeedwar4312zKZsHjN5_SvXoM/s200/IMG_1555.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707505429868030658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX5JLKK3640j8Q9T9uejE4ljtmzqQl67h0NFeVgoomfe19pavZ3rlDVuXei3cEmlm5LA_tUhRe36oJBemVOuJZR9FdR07spzxk_s67DFE2z4cNjEKloxYufeZ1VF_4w7iJLpqxdXzqhs/s1600/IMG_1419.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFX5JLKK3640j8Q9T9uejE4ljtmzqQl67h0NFeVgoomfe19pavZ3rlDVuXei3cEmlm5LA_tUhRe36oJBemVOuJZR9FdR07spzxk_s67DFE2z4cNjEKloxYufeZ1VF_4w7iJLpqxdXzqhs/s200/IMG_1419.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707505421248601714" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjAQbk3JHCbmFZw9aiPMukEYb6rKTZabnZMUNKvBooIlJQTqt3GFJLECzDa1MlZLAThB_V9r7k4nd1kXtyQgjCzilXO7JH_LVmCPplHNRjeaeD481brAoaY7oxZNOMQq8Q6quTc5b_qM/s1600/IMG_1410.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjAQbk3JHCbmFZw9aiPMukEYb6rKTZabnZMUNKvBooIlJQTqt3GFJLECzDa1MlZLAThB_V9r7k4nd1kXtyQgjCzilXO7JH_LVmCPplHNRjeaeD481brAoaY7oxZNOMQq8Q6quTc5b_qM/s200/IMG_1410.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707505414827427154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfVAaK5hmIuYqVEnut_Bo8WXBhYPBf55OAQEu3V7c_7lvk2nXnaR4LCV8GPmL8cTMehXJjPK_3Rbrp95DrRXBX7wW0azmYPsZkowLiTjHBxhoK1XQIPgF72PnAtlR8Ia2NFo_6x1EiEE/s1600/IMG_1412.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIfVAaK5hmIuYqVEnut_Bo8WXBhYPBf55OAQEu3V7c_7lvk2nXnaR4LCV8GPmL8cTMehXJjPK_3Rbrp95DrRXBX7wW0azmYPsZkowLiTjHBxhoK1XQIPgF72PnAtlR8Ia2NFo_6x1EiEE/s200/IMG_1412.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5707505415541430194" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XTXtZX2Hldg1yxlngcFBOdNeuVpH2z6MlEhupEFAmZ59qo9xq66oWXxdJ1eqLjY5FJYNjats9rHua1avO_KDma9XHT3Cp1DW6vMamZWw26T_psBKiIywbgADGrIN7KBuOqCktrSYzOw/s1600/IMG_1041.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XTXtZX2Hldg1yxlngcFBOdNeuVpH2z6MlEhupEFAmZ59qo9xq66oWXxdJ1eqLjY5FJYNjats9rHua1avO_KDma9XHT3Cp1DW6vMamZWw26T_psBKiIywbgADGrIN7KBuOqCktrSYzOw/s320/IMG_1041.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708435114554088706" /></a>Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-20161910407463717222012-01-29T12:38:00.042+09:002012-01-29T17:55:56.376+09:00A Short Story (Part1)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAxx7EFJzFZsGQ8443LBI2fBc_BLDzm5MZXB1iJNDdDMnrV0RTQ18r0IeikcvsGrOc3uEfmc6o0EzXxmesYEuBaK77eXHCvs5QlzRmhpBwpsU-_U8iTx6WSGrLKMz-Lp0uqKMDY1xDxQ/s1600/n157000938_30688050_3173.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMAxx7EFJzFZsGQ8443LBI2fBc_BLDzm5MZXB1iJNDdDMnrV0RTQ18r0IeikcvsGrOc3uEfmc6o0EzXxmesYEuBaK77eXHCvs5QlzRmhpBwpsU-_U8iTx6WSGrLKMz-Lp0uqKMDY1xDxQ/s200/n157000938_30688050_3173.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702915923582526162" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacx9YiY37W46iNelA3W1IpA9AVNojsMgGCd3OMl9hW75yaAVcMIwdpdsJAMIzmNq3fuw0BM15ZGfddbO-oOgf6b7MuYvtfzcEaL2NsToVfGkd5puf0GPpKFWoKAeXhiKNGUN-a95E6rw/s1600/IMG_1054.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacx9YiY37W46iNelA3W1IpA9AVNojsMgGCd3OMl9hW75yaAVcMIwdpdsJAMIzmNq3fuw0BM15ZGfddbO-oOgf6b7MuYvtfzcEaL2NsToVfGkd5puf0GPpKFWoKAeXhiKNGUN-a95E6rw/s320/IMG_1054.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702919888323605154" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXTOmGIZEvDGG2L7IuGJCkij1dvoYYGOtFBryJkgyMKcvoBjClPSZ0mPqzlVv8-HP9d0a2pHrw3BJZhHregMj3PAQT_YGcw6iHhJGWAAfWsOjzFYXmKgbNNapO5Ge9yz1H6XWMdgW4mQ/s1600/IMG_0915.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKXTOmGIZEvDGG2L7IuGJCkij1dvoYYGOtFBryJkgyMKcvoBjClPSZ0mPqzlVv8-HP9d0a2pHrw3BJZhHregMj3PAQT_YGcw6iHhJGWAAfWsOjzFYXmKgbNNapO5Ge9yz1H6XWMdgW4mQ/s200/IMG_0915.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702910082732303986" /></a><br />Once upon a time, there lived a boy and girl in Arkansas. They had a dog and a house on Blueberry Lane. The boy had a job and worked very hard and prospered. The girl was very smart and went to school. They both enjoyed rock climbing.<br /><br /><br /><br />They loved their life and everyone they shared it with, but something felt missing. So they took a trip around America in search of that missing something. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcHfEyfCuOMJIsUtbbky6tmZD-2rv3LWxZUITVkZc2Pd05N9TfKhX8jjGKSXoTTeZroWw4rUV3-813lnVgd2j_qyxv5iT_RtuSuafcAS5YeqzRJtzVoU2WZa_BzFkZ63ixRY14HKXNEc/s1600/IMG_0557.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcHfEyfCuOMJIsUtbbky6tmZD-2rv3LWxZUITVkZc2Pd05N9TfKhX8jjGKSXoTTeZroWw4rUV3-813lnVgd2j_qyxv5iT_RtuSuafcAS5YeqzRJtzVoU2WZa_BzFkZ63ixRY14HKXNEc/s320/IMG_0557.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702924164403718930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoGQVSWbr09XNi7OdBtrUSgMS_AI_ONqtHifP-twPub2585cuRxFG1yafPdzsHnl57hqX_Z8ZobVpH2DxY5IXdzC8PtI-yPqt1AfCfAebIUoHyYjGrZQ4ubYohxjC7w4oaokn7TL0IcA/s1600/IMG_0491.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoGQVSWbr09XNi7OdBtrUSgMS_AI_ONqtHifP-twPub2585cuRxFG1yafPdzsHnl57hqX_Z8ZobVpH2DxY5IXdzC8PtI-yPqt1AfCfAebIUoHyYjGrZQ4ubYohxjC7w4oaokn7TL0IcA/s320/IMG_0491.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702924156732054034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t41ZqktSn-RJhTEzvUg3buwV0e0ohdxzAtqDe4s5JWtvSY5HmNuHPmNCt62rqIOOLtMeEzkbyQYUl915pqAM5LFNT0j6arRj5ZauLezx1bRktUny5TZAe92sbgyXo78Ob7fgBfAcxDw/s1600/Rebs%2526Dusty.smithrock.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-t41ZqktSn-RJhTEzvUg3buwV0e0ohdxzAtqDe4s5JWtvSY5HmNuHPmNCt62rqIOOLtMeEzkbyQYUl915pqAM5LFNT0j6arRj5ZauLezx1bRktUny5TZAe92sbgyXo78Ob7fgBfAcxDw/s320/Rebs%2526Dusty.smithrock.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702922964136994578" /></a><br />The trip was really fun, but they didn't find what they were looking for. <br />Sometimes all you know is that you want life to be different.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSO27yfoDfuPtpdxXcsVK9-VWB0kM4Hh6cso_KS0ajRY1hh0MRC5hdjLh7BNYWeadVugKOd7BA5Mt1dvFazsfpqY5GuwoS2FHMtmcBWc8JrzEZ22IINWPyH56_PyCCq44cNuGqdEuToc/s1600/IMG_0722.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSO27yfoDfuPtpdxXcsVK9-VWB0kM4Hh6cso_KS0ajRY1hh0MRC5hdjLh7BNYWeadVugKOd7BA5Mt1dvFazsfpqY5GuwoS2FHMtmcBWc8JrzEZ22IINWPyH56_PyCCq44cNuGqdEuToc/s320/IMG_0722.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702930632988829490" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UQqfBvHSsDnF1zCeilV43uuxgnUWuPfEOV7UZ1HN1gmlgVC1oaGFdsqpT2DePRjVCyTrGL_MZu7dM6ghlkEB7N-_Y-BnjykltuUMR4AuhyphenhypheneFJNfYrYt0rSksSZIW1k_yRT7Oua8GVzI/s1600/IMG_0601.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UQqfBvHSsDnF1zCeilV43uuxgnUWuPfEOV7UZ1HN1gmlgVC1oaGFdsqpT2DePRjVCyTrGL_MZu7dM6ghlkEB7N-_Y-BnjykltuUMR4AuhyphenhypheneFJNfYrYt0rSksSZIW1k_yRT7Oua8GVzI/s320/IMG_0601.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702930624902450338" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRJeiGXnyHRa89P4mOB_OdQBtK4tPDyALdCmluLPrVQG-i38QMdUYUxWB5IrWQOgPQoP8XyKpTyJLVH0PrjptEBF7AYoylDUSRB7xzNEK6uCSMtKE5jguKjrSFmZr9Nnf-dPl8pIdLdo/s1600/IMG_0597.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCRJeiGXnyHRa89P4mOB_OdQBtK4tPDyALdCmluLPrVQG-i38QMdUYUxWB5IrWQOgPQoP8XyKpTyJLVH0PrjptEBF7AYoylDUSRB7xzNEK6uCSMtKE5jguKjrSFmZr9Nnf-dPl8pIdLdo/s200/IMG_0597.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702930147393269426" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Along the way, some bad things happened.<br /><br /><br /><br />The boy and girl decided to leave their familiar life and comfortable home on Blueberry Lane. They packed up everything they owned, left their dog with family...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqNe9PMSDBFJ-A_lWCKfqy3i03ZOaklcMhExiZr3oWJSWYKpRFcpy0ToejXijP6aU74l0WZxxz2mQB29aazGn5mJBkT7MNCBDUnhGKnYDZg3YY3lnI0i6wf9ieKn1vN36NSzId-DAUsY/s1600/IMG_1050.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqNe9PMSDBFJ-A_lWCKfqy3i03ZOaklcMhExiZr3oWJSWYKpRFcpy0ToejXijP6aU74l0WZxxz2mQB29aazGn5mJBkT7MNCBDUnhGKnYDZg3YY3lnI0i6wf9ieKn1vN36NSzId-DAUsY/s320/IMG_1050.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702935161294853170" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fvKVt2stW8ECztNMHD_Kr6Ndi6GEG1LSAp1jPLWs8BJNbTjNCMJxhR7oxtfON0Cly1_e0P9RDKcpUlPjWjB6CO_im53kjKz38SrqtJGUXLf0sl4LCzm2cEsG8yRDTMwya9IbOUVP958/s1600/IMG_1136.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fvKVt2stW8ECztNMHD_Kr6Ndi6GEG1LSAp1jPLWs8BJNbTjNCMJxhR7oxtfON0Cly1_e0P9RDKcpUlPjWjB6CO_im53kjKz38SrqtJGUXLf0sl4LCzm2cEsG8yRDTMwya9IbOUVP958/s320/IMG_1136.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702896536150573890" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBB-lx-qzIwd7RvszZAWiGTA576eYbjgK3EnVN2YTJhcptzlmFVWkAdG-X_knt1_4rdWRbam7XPDntDVQ3rqJxfC6-YuXyBxKHMoL8Ls4k72sOuDWM3LjUqdabnVS3iM1vZLAqPV9k4KA/s1600/IMG_0071.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBB-lx-qzIwd7RvszZAWiGTA576eYbjgK3EnVN2YTJhcptzlmFVWkAdG-X_knt1_4rdWRbam7XPDntDVQ3rqJxfC6-YuXyBxKHMoL8Ls4k72sOuDWM3LjUqdabnVS3iM1vZLAqPV9k4KA/s320/IMG_0071.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702927325489797458" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAdNLivpI7_cbc9WYIvJtyQCVT16THqCyg7nwRzmJHRd5qfOsW7Tzy_WppzGZ64UKLW6JeuntkjoClP1zwLDxL7aPcNPYXLsJXHfaEiodhmrs4ylQ3pCpUNUyvY-8OiS_yhGdxz15IS0/s1600/IMG_1088.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAdNLivpI7_cbc9WYIvJtyQCVT16THqCyg7nwRzmJHRd5qfOsW7Tzy_WppzGZ64UKLW6JeuntkjoClP1zwLDxL7aPcNPYXLsJXHfaEiodhmrs4ylQ3pCpUNUyvY-8OiS_yhGdxz15IS0/s320/IMG_1088.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702936784500107506" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLdldWKIv5MdvOspMhK3X-5ezLAsB1QBZT6dBwCIinaxFFenvzKIqRANHPFYb4KXITUYRWWcI4fABfNdtMJ4U3GHngK6JwjwLNOHdqNaCG4LRLJTn7B0Yu50-I7M_4fcmOaT3kRdFNxY/s1600/IMG_1080.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQLdldWKIv5MdvOspMhK3X-5ezLAsB1QBZT6dBwCIinaxFFenvzKIqRANHPFYb4KXITUYRWWcI4fABfNdtMJ4U3GHngK6JwjwLNOHdqNaCG4LRLJTn7B0Yu50-I7M_4fcmOaT3kRdFNxY/s320/IMG_1080.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702936787143036674" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlYMOHTzJ-p3WT8E3ZfdOPRDRrQoWNexhOXWPjGJ0H0Ux8RKjozrH63dfHbhLNSW-1abQXeDzE0OkbnRncrNTTbqX7XRqqsaYYC8gcTry2xwSwEoSIPwWd4cBDazE9e2ArTFqVcOzONU/s1600/IMG_1089.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlYMOHTzJ-p3WT8E3ZfdOPRDRrQoWNexhOXWPjGJ0H0Ux8RKjozrH63dfHbhLNSW-1abQXeDzE0OkbnRncrNTTbqX7XRqqsaYYC8gcTry2xwSwEoSIPwWd4cBDazE9e2ArTFqVcOzONU/s200/IMG_1089.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702937072178249538" /></a>and flew far away to a mystical place called South Korea.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-45554608405594934152011-12-05T09:22:00.006+09:002011-12-07T10:06:19.835+09:00Be Present<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4VWikO8Wif-UoFPMLZrLdNZFbDHzHa1Flp6vuu2CPWWjWe51irN_osEg7EZoP2TYKRnFKU4Z9JgLzY4SyITngbpqFeVHP_jdmxTgb9xuJW5j05yo9V7bIqMHQhjlzmX4ksruoq6_Tls/s1600/DSC_0175.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4VWikO8Wif-UoFPMLZrLdNZFbDHzHa1Flp6vuu2CPWWjWe51irN_osEg7EZoP2TYKRnFKU4Z9JgLzY4SyITngbpqFeVHP_jdmxTgb9xuJW5j05yo9V7bIqMHQhjlzmX4ksruoq6_Tls/s320/DSC_0175.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683184814409184354" /></a> As this chapter of our lives begins to close, we have been feeling all sorts of different emotions. Anger, excitement, anxiety, to name a few. I've noticed irregularity in my sleep. This morning, I woke up at 6:15 and was wide awake, long before the sun came up. That's not a normal thing. I chose to take that time to check a few random thoughts online, such as, how far is it to bike from Tulsa to Tahlequah? (about 80 miles) It's thoughts like these that keep me wound up. Somewhat pointless, I know. But the underlying theme is that I'm stressed.<br /><br /> I never thought that the thought of moving back to America would make me to feel this way. It was 5 years ago around this time that I was feeling the same kind of stress about moving to Korea. I had a million questions, not knowing what living on the other side of the world would look like. Fortunately, we had a great recruiter who was able to answer our questions and was continually reassuring us that it would be okay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJWvvW1lN7V4oFLFoB8ZBTqySqrWpWvz34cTI9VAoYExePUemhLMSHM1iTKrFdxwjPxTNqU_QLuxM1AknUg7cS14OZEa0IilHpjXuio6wBKtboB5CtYdgjjFtAjvt8dvDDNsxImUUc64/s1600/DSC_0182.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQJWvvW1lN7V4oFLFoB8ZBTqySqrWpWvz34cTI9VAoYExePUemhLMSHM1iTKrFdxwjPxTNqU_QLuxM1AknUg7cS14OZEa0IilHpjXuio6wBKtboB5CtYdgjjFtAjvt8dvDDNsxImUUc64/s200/DSC_0182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683185777100497090" /></a> Now, we are on the reverse side of it all. Yes, we know what we are returning to, but having lived in another culture for 4 years has truly changed me. One of my fears is that I will return and see old friends who think I am the same person they knew 4 years ago. I think I am to an extent, but have also had many life-changing experiences. My thinking is different, so to assume that I am the same is selling me short. I'm afraid once my friends realize I'm not the same, it may cause distance between us if we can't find a way to bridge that gap. If you're one of my friends back home and are reading this, my best recommendation to you is to do research on Korea in order to understand where I'm coming from (literally and figuratively). Think of good questions to ask, to show that you care more about me than just the fact that I'm in your life.<br /><br />Coming home has all sorts of different moods. We have experienced the excited, dreaming stage, where I think about living a life of solitude in a cabin in the woods. Sounds dreamy, doesn't it? But those romantic feelings are long past now, replaced by questions like, <span style="font-style:italic;">What am I going to do for work? Will I be able to live without internet for several months? Will my friends from America remember me, or better yet, will we be able to relate to each other?</span> And so it continues...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeToxO1XLk9agdn50sN5Ll_vtLwhLvjAjAhssM72iYyvvWQBT1oMh7OPMqV4YNoL1BjNi5dmvB7rrjGsQ94eQTmgUOWwbRz4yZEgqgggqmVnxAfQK6rTsgJa47gAbuuMkKWs3dS_YUPk/s1600/DSC_0183.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeToxO1XLk9agdn50sN5Ll_vtLwhLvjAjAhssM72iYyvvWQBT1oMh7OPMqV4YNoL1BjNi5dmvB7rrjGsQ94eQTmgUOWwbRz4yZEgqgggqmVnxAfQK6rTsgJa47gAbuuMkKWs3dS_YUPk/s400/DSC_0183.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683186303881318658" /></a> The one thing I do know and am able to control, is that I am here, now. What I mean is that I have the opportunity/challenge for the next 2 months to be present with the friends we have here in Korea. Daily, I have to remind myself of this. I never want to be waiting or wishing for another time, because God gave me this time to make the most with the people I'm around now. <br /> <br /> One great example of this was Thanksgiving. We have become fairly adaptive in our situation here, and are pretty resourceful when it comes to food. So for Thanksgiving, we had several of our closer climbing friends over to share in good company and food. Rebs and I took care of most of the cooking, which turned out to be a hit with our friends. We had chickens instead of turkey, but everything else was pretty much the same, only made from scratch because it's our only option here. Corn casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and homemade cranberry sauce. It was pretty fantastic (toot! toot!). All to be topped off with Rebs' homemade pumpkin pie! (Sorry, no picture. I think we were too excited to eat it.)<br /><br /> One thing I really appreciate here is that everyone is accepted. At our Thanksgiving, we had a couple military friends, a few English teachers, and a Russian grad-student. But in Korea, everything is "normal", meaning it doesn't matter if you're not from around here... because none of us are. We celebrate each others' differences and are usually open to learn from each other instead of segregate. Thank you to my Korean friends for that.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-21379680156412171192011-11-29T19:04:00.013+09:002011-11-29T22:46:45.431+09:00Hard copy checklistAs the time for us to move back home draws closer, my thoughts and emotions about our big, upcoming transition continue to grow in intensity. The past few weekends have been spent with many of my favorite people in Korea. I'm feeling fresh and filled up from all the amazing relationships I've gotten to relish in and build upon lately. I'm so fortunate and thankful for the life we've gotten to enjoy in Korea and I'm going to be really sad when I have to say goodbye to all the people and things that I love here. What an amazing 4-year journey it's been. <br /><br />At the same time, I look forward to the life that awaits us back home and I'm thankful for so many things that will come with that change. As one chapter closes another big adventure is set to begin. Loose ends are being tied and preparations are being made for the future. It's scary and exciting! I am constantly wondering and daydreaming about what God has in store for us next. At the same time, part of me is doubting His ability to top the chapter I'm finishing now. I want to revel in every last word that He's writing now and read it all slowly and carefully, so as to squeeze out and savor every last drop of enjoyment that's here for me. It's a strange place to be, on the brink of transformation. I remember feeling similarly before graduating high school, college, and getting married.<br /><br />Today, I went to the doctor to get refills on my monthly prescriptions for my thyroid, allergies, and asthma (talk about getting all the negative health genes in the family). I walked in (no appointment necessary), waited 5 minutes, talked to the doctor for 3 minutes (he always greets me warmly), paid the equivalent of $3, then walked across the street to the pharmacy, waited another 5 minutes for my medicine while drinking my complimentary vitamin C juice (by the pharmacist who also greets me warmly), paid another $15 for my 3 medications (that would run me about $200 back home), then was on my way. As I was sitting waiting for my prescriptions I started thinking how much I was going to miss the ease, simplicity, and affordability of the Korean healthcare system. This thought led to more thoughts about many of the things I'm going to miss in Korea. Suddenly I was sitting there all teary-eyed, painfully realizing (again) that leaving Korea is going to be hard. As time continues to tick down, this thought seems to surface often and is usually followed by increasing feelings of sadness. I know it's a perfectly normal emotion to be experiencing right before ending a chapter in life. As I sat there in the pharmacy with my sadness, I came up with a mental checklist of things I will either miss about Korea or be happy to leave behind. Without further adieu, here is a hard copy more for myself than anything else.<br /><br />Things I'm going to miss:<br />- my friends who are basically my family now, some of which I might never see again face to face.<br />- the diversity of friendships I have here. I literally have good friends from all corners of the earth.<br />- open-minded people. people who don't necessarily think the same way as me or share my spiritual faith but still respect me.<br />- my korean family at our climbing gym.<br />- a communal culture that values the common good over narrow self-interest, independence, and self-indulgence.<br />- living simply and easily within my means and not being too attached to my material possessions.<br />- my 20 hour/4 day work week (full-time pay).<br />- 4 months paid vacation a year. the time and means to travel extensively and experience new ways of life.<br />- having the free time to pursue my passions and discover new ones.<br />- as previously mentioned, efficient and affordable healthcare.<br />- the extensive and cheap public transportation system (bus, train, subway).<br />- the squishy, uber-flat, asphalt river trail just outside my house.<br />- fresh, local, seasonal, and affordable produce.<br />- the sweetest strawberries, juciest peaches, most fragrant purple grapes, crunchiest apples, and abundant persimmons.<br />- a farmers market that is open all day, everyday <br />- the wrinkled, old, hunched over ladies that sell the produce at said farmers market.<br />- the amazing vegetable gardens and grape vineyards along the river trail by my house.<br />- the endless hiking trails outside my front door.<br />- the dozen or so climbing areas within 1 1/2 hours drive.<br />- cheap acupuncture and alternative/oriental medicine.<br />- floor heat.<br />- $5 jimjilbangs. Sauna/spa like places that are oh, so relaxing yet affordable.<br />- really delicious, homemade kimchi.<br />- quick, cheap, healthy food options.<br />- squatty potties.<br /><br />Things I'm NOT going to miss:<br />- crazy, erratic drivers.<br />- ridiculously slow, incompetent drivers.<br />- scarcity of toilet paper and/or soap in restrooms (especially in restaurants).<br />- toilet paper dispensers at the front entrance of the restroom instead of the stall (what to do when one wipe just isn't enough).<br />- girls smoking in the bathrooms at school.<br />- boys smoking at the end of the hallways at school.<br />- the wafting sewage smells.<br />- old men hocking up loogies and spitting them all over the ground.<br />- dodging said loogies on the ground.<br />- old men peeing in public places in plain sight. <br />- old men getting drunk and obnoxious on soju.<br />- kimchi/soju breath (especially in the morning).<br />- people staring at me wherever I go.<br />- lack of personal space.<br />- our leaky roof<br />- the premium price placed on dairy products. <br />- the lack of cheese selection.<br />- the humidity in the summer.<br /><br />I suppose that's a good start. Living in Korea has really changed me. Of course I'm still the same; same inherent personality, temperament, spiritual foundation. But I've learned, grown, and yes, changed. I have new perspectives on nearly everything. I think more outside the box now. My biggest fear in coming home is that I'll fall right back into my old negative patterns of existence that I've worked so hard to extinguish. Patterns that my culture at home will tempt me to embrace. But I have high hopes for myself that what I've learned from this chapter will stick with me and I'll be able to go home and continue living out my life with purpose and intention. I hope to stand firm and not veer from the path I'm on. I've just gone to see the world, now maybe I can live up to my desire and be the change I want to see back home.Rebshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275939994555569171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-74437655719124317162011-10-25T12:06:00.003+09:002011-10-25T14:04:34.475+09:00FriendshipFriendships are rather complex, if you ask me. I haven't had too many friends that just "clicked" outright. This probably says more about me than the friends I have. Recently, I've been analyzing what makes a good friend. Here's my list so far. Feel free to contribute your own additions.<br />1. Have something in common: This could be as simple as a favorite color (if you're 5), movie genre, gas station (Quiktrip), job (if you enjoy it), sports, hobbies. Pretty much anything that you can talk about and share enthusiasm over. <br />2. Have matching communication: This is a more intricate detail, not easily described in words. Interrupting is a good example. Some people (person A) may interrupt others because they are so excited about the information they want to share. Other people (peron B) choose to wait to speak until there is a pause in the conversation. Neither is necessarily right or wrong, they're just different. But when person A and person B get together to chat, A might think B is uptight or rigid, while B thinks A is rude and doesn't let people think. Other examples: comfort with silence, eye contact, body language.<br />3. Similar levels of openness: This one is a doozy! Basically, both people need to feel like they can be themselves. It's this unspoken rule that you can only share so much about yourself before another shares the same. If the other person doesn't open up the way you did, then you wonder if you said too much. This is the same with giving advice. Many people have mentor friends without knowing it. That's when A is always going to B when they need advice. But B never goes to A in the same way. It's like a big brother or sister instead of an equal friend. When both people are able to open up, be themselves, ask questions, give and get answers, and receive acceptance in all this, then the friendship is genuine.<br />4. Shared sense of care: This one is all about not having an agenda. There are many ways to show another person you care about them, but the main point is that your friend knows you care about them. When you contact someone via one of today's various technologies (Facebook, email, phone, text, etc), how often do you contact that person without a reason? I think in today's day and age, it's easy to get so busy that we begin to only think about ourselves. How do <span style="font-style:italic;">I<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> get everything done <span style="font-style:italic;">I<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> need to today? When we are able to slow down and think about people that are important in our lives, our close friends are probably some of the first that come to mind. It's important to care for others, just as it is to feel cared for. This is why a "pointless" phone call or message can go so far. Being married, I know that "just because" gifts go much further than birthday gifts, or any other time gifts are expected. "Just because" means "I thought of you for no other reason than that I care for you." Love is not a fulfillment of an expectation; it is a pouring out of one's heart.<br />5. Have something to offer: This one sounds pretty simple, but many people go into friendships with the perspective of, "what can I get out of this?" In it's most raw form, this outlook is not a friendship; it's a business endeavor. Having something to offer means, you are willing to give of yourself because you care about the other person, no strings attached. It's very closely related to #4. Friendship goes against the grain of our society because it can't be measured in worth. You can't buy or sell a friendship. So in light of this, you have to be willing to give of yourself without expecting anything in return. Some might say, "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." But this perspective falls short. You will always be looking for ways to make things even. Yes, a friendships works best when it's equally yoked, but if the friendship itself is hinged on this point, it is not made to last. If you can learn to give without expecting in return, you have learned the greatest and toughest point. Unconditional love.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-63263201514772218432011-09-27T11:31:00.003+09:002011-09-27T12:07:56.599+09:00Intrinsic MotivationI watched a short webinar recently about finding your passions. It was done by this girl who is sort of a life coach and writes about that exact topic. I won't get into all the details, but one thing that stuck out to me was her definition and explanation of intrinsic versus extrinsic motivations. I think I already knew what they were, but never had them explained so concisely. Intrinsic motivation means you are motivated by the work itself, while extrinsic motivation is motivated by the outcome. <br /><br />An example: If you love your work as an artist, you may not be so much as interested in the final product of the painting you just made, as much as you are in the process it took to get there. Each brush stroke has meaning. All the thoughts come together to create the mural. Yes, you are satisfied with the piece of art you show to people. But it holds more meaning to you because of the process it took to get there, and you enjoyed every minute of it.<br /><br />In contrast, extrinsic motivations are incentives used to get to the end. You want to hurry and get it over with so you can move on to something different/better. More money is the obvious one. If you made a higher salary, do you think you will be happier? Extrinsic motivation thinks of the end. You want to sell as many products to make the most profit to make the company thrive to make the boss happy to get you a raise. Do you enjoy selling the product? Or are you trying to make a buck? Obviously, I am one-sided in my perspective, but I still participate in the incentives program.<br /><br />Today's culture seems to be fueled by extrinsic motivation, except for the occasional guilt trip by a superior that you should enjoy your job, which in turn can cause another extrinsic motivation to act happy to get your boss off your back. Working on commission is supposed to encourage the employee to sell more because the employee should be motivated to make more money. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5L_eBxDnFvlyqy_JTbVHmgf7GZvWLQDogbKuwk3HE12agz208DEp8lD0L8Zyl2MNLD94JjObobnu-BU3HCfm6ZLjzLX2z_Vfup1UzC4kdXYgVgHKGbI-RZ3pDugqAKk8s-q_5pFN-4c/s1600/DSC_4014_002.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE5L_eBxDnFvlyqy_JTbVHmgf7GZvWLQDogbKuwk3HE12agz208DEp8lD0L8Zyl2MNLD94JjObobnu-BU3HCfm6ZLjzLX2z_Vfup1UzC4kdXYgVgHKGbI-RZ3pDugqAKk8s-q_5pFN-4c/s320/DSC_4014_002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656863467516487746" /></a>Sports are another example. Every football team wants to win the Superbowl. But how many athletes love to practice? I believe it is those who embrace every aspect of the game, including the practice, the sweat, the team camaraderie that are intrinsically motivated. When I swam in college, it wasn't until my senior year that I became intrinsically motivated. I actually loved going to practice. I enjoyed the way my body sliced through the water after working my body into shape. The pain was worth it because I felt better, stronger, afterwards. Of course I was motivated to win, but I think it was the intrinsic motivation that drove me to swim my personal best at the end of the season. <br /><br /> I have been able to enjoy intrinsic motivation in my climbing as well. Many people know I climb, but I think few people (other than those who climb) understand why. From an outside perspective, I am not gaining anything. There is no prize at the end. For 95% of the people who climb, it is not an occupation. There's no money or fame involved. Ah, but these are extrinsic. Climbing is largely an intrinsic sport, something foreign to our society. Yes, some people climb to be the best, or at least better than "him" or "her". But I think the large majority does it because it is fun. The feeling of using your body, working through problematic sequences, soaking in the sunshine, being encouraged by your peers, groaning together when you fall. When the competition is removed, intrinsic motivation remains. And I love it. Why? Because of the process. I may climb 5.9 or 5.14d, but the process is the same nonetheless. We are meant to enjoy the process of getting to the top.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-72663374296820855282011-09-19T18:09:00.003+09:002011-09-19T18:41:32.650+09:00From Sweat to Sweatshirts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEP1BU2U9oi9BMfTHDwIUujed7vsYdnpzWsCY604_wGZ1tMfL6az-jENFSvK906xzVX8OosWZcNr_YTN_dSnkdJd0H_kibg1mPlzGMNZE57pfSDl_Dwqv0bIPUX0t6SpFUWxHctTUanE/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsEP1BU2U9oi9BMfTHDwIUujed7vsYdnpzWsCY604_wGZ1tMfL6az-jENFSvK906xzVX8OosWZcNr_YTN_dSnkdJd0H_kibg1mPlzGMNZE57pfSDl_Dwqv0bIPUX0t6SpFUWxHctTUanE/s400/DSC_0017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653999290923689074" /></a><br />Fall is here, or so it seems. Two days ago we had the air conditioning running for most of the day, but today Rebs had had a sweatshirt on for about half the day. Seasons in Korea are like that. And the funny thing to me is that the Koreans know exactly when it is. I remember having a conversation with our climbing gym owner a few years ago. We were making plans to go climbing a week or so later. He checked his calendar and then shook his head, saying, "No. Monsoon season." We asked him when it started and he told us in about a week. Sure enough, a week later it was pouring down buckets. Then we had about 2 weeks of normal conditions, though a bit humid. And then typhoon season came for 2 more weeks. Apparently the weather here is just as predictable as the driving-- meaning that initially it seems like total chaos. But after you've been driving in the country, you know exactly what's going to happen without the warning of a turn signal (an Asian sign of weakness).<br /><br />Rebs is elated. She was just wishing Fall to be here, and now it is. We have the next month lined up with climbing, camping, seeing old friends who are leaving the country. It is definitely the time to be outside. I was reminded recently that we ought to seek peace and joy in our lives. This weather makes it easy to do just that. <br /><br />It also happens to be apple and eggplant season right now. We eat our vegetables seasonally over here, picking them up cheap and fresh at the daily farmer's market in downtown Gyeongsan. You can get 3-5 eggplants for about $1, and i got about 15 apples for $3. It's great incentive for creativity and experimentation with new recipes. Rebs recently mastered her first attempt at baba ghanoush (aka eggplant hummus), while I currently have a crock pot of what will hopefully turn out to be some delicious apple butter. i make a point to save many of our glass bottles for this sort of occasion.<br /><br />A big thing going on back home is that my brother-in-law, Cass Harris, is trying to record and produce his first album via <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cassharris/cass-harris-first-album">Kickstarter</a>. I love this guy a lot and think he is a very talented musician and has something special to share with the world. His songs are soulful, not your run-of-the-mill anything. I highly recommend going and checking out what he's doing.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-38915943359702878602011-08-31T13:09:00.002+09:002011-08-31T13:21:28.645+09:00NewsYesterday morning, I made an important phone call. It was important because the results strongly affect what we'll be doing in the next 6 months. If you didn't know this already, Rebs and I are planning to move home to the United States. After 4 years of Korean living, we're ready to move on to the next chapter. Think babies, family, school, careers, none of which have we been pursuing very heavily while over here.
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<br />My phone call was to the Cherokee Nation EMS program based out of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I have been planning to take their EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) course for some time now, and possibly the Paramedic course thereafter. Specifically, I was calling to get dates in mind. Up until now, Rebs and I had been hoping to do some traveling over the winter, then head to the States for a 1-2 month road trip for climbing at a few places we have never been. This phone call changed all that. The EMT course starts early March, will last for 6 months, and then the Paramedic course starts just after the EMT course finishes.
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<br />My understanding is that if I want to take the Paramedic course, this is the best time to take it because it is only offered every 18 months, the duration of the course. And since the two are lined up next to each other, I wouldn't have to wait after my EMT course.
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<br />There are so many variables in the mix right now that I don't want to talk too much more about them until they are finalized. But I guess this was all to say that we'll be home sooner than you might have thought.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-32786138075763317582011-08-21T09:08:00.002+09:002011-08-21T09:29:15.803+09:00Home Sweet Home?As I look through the last of our photos from the trip, sitting here in my living in Korea, I know that our vacation is over. We still have a week, thankfully, to get prepared for the school semester and check things off our list like, "Pick up Epic". While sitting on a bus to transfer terminals in Narita (Tokyo, Japan), I noticed someone was touching my leg. No, not a creepy guy or an accidental bump by someone who says "excuse me", but a 10-year-old Korean boy, still wearing his neck pillow from the plane, oblivious that he is breaking my personal space. Why? Because there is no personal space in Korea, or Asia in general. He continues to bump my leg as we ride the bus. Welcome home.
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<br />As we got in our car last night, I sat in the driver seat feeling cramped, thinking how small our car feels after having driven a rental for a month. I feel like I'm sitting on a phone book. I go to start the car. Oh yeah, it's a stick shift. As we drive through the side street of our neighborhood, a car pulls out of an apartment complex and cuts me off, then continues to drive slowly. Your car is small, therefore you never have the right of way.
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<br />It is these small idiosyncrasies that remind me that I am home, back in the "land of the morning calm". But I find myself more irked by such things than I used to be. I always used to subscribe to the idea that we choose live and work in a country other than our own, therefore we subscribe to their rules and culture. But after nearly 4 years, I am growing tired of it. Friends we have here have talked about knowing when it's time to leave. You can just sense it in a person, this restlessness that grows in agitation over simple things that make no difference individually in the big picture. But it is the buildup of getting cut off, shouted at, or whatever happenings that leave a person feeling undignified--they become the straw that breaks the camel's back.
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<br /> And so it is with myself that I can sense my mood is different. My friends here are great, my work load light, the beauty of the mountains all around us. But I know it is time for us to move on. It will be a challenge this semester to stay positive, to focus on the good, and not to itch for the day we head back to the States. If you pray, please do so for me in this.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-27526158749002852542011-08-12T13:49:00.002+09:002011-08-12T13:58:37.738+09:00Yesterday was an adventure. It was our last climbing day in Skaha before heading back across the border to Oregon. We had gotten up early, hiked up to the Great White wall, and enjoyed a crap shoot of climbing with an early morning start (early at least by our standards). Our first two sport routes had turned out to be duds. Rebs has this tendency to find easier-looking routes that turn out to be extremely difficult, which is exactly what our “warm up” route turned out to be. We definitely got warm, and moved on to find another one that was better. My choice turned out to be a diagonally bolted one that remained awkward most of the way, then finished with some nice, slopey ledges (please read with sarcasm). Not exactly a great route either. I think Rebs actually called it the worst route she’d ever been on.
<br />So since our sport routes were turning out bad, we decided to try our hands at some traditional-style crack climbing. This is a relatively newer style of climbing for me, and especially for Rebs. I thought the route was phenomenal. A perfect seam that you could at least get finger tips into the whole way up with a couple pumpy spots to keep it exciting. But Rebs had a different experience. On any crack climbs I’ve put her on previously (quite a few here at Skaha over the past week or so), she’s managed to avoid using the crack and scramble her way up in some ridiculous fashion. But this time, she had to use it. Not to mention the exposure on the route. (It is at the top of a massive valley.) She worked her way up eventually, refusing to quit like the stubborn girl I love and adore. But the route was so long, she had to rappel twice, the first time to some anchors she couldn’t see from above. She did really well not to hyperventilate or pass out, but the anxiety left her exhausted. Yet, she still managed to have enough energy to belay me on a really cool route called “Test of the Ironman”, a very long and reachy route, hence the name. The sun was starting to hit the rock, so it was about time to move on.
<br />We had some lunch and then hiked down to another area to rest in the shade. After a bit of rest and some bee swatting, we looked at the guidebook and I pointed out two different options that looked good to me. We decided to go up and look at the first and then make a decision.
<br />The first route turned out to be two pitches, a runout, 4 bolt, 30 meter climb to a ledge, then an easy 5.9 trad route. Rebs said it looked good, so we decided to do it. Only when I was racking up did she point out that this was her first (voluntary) multi-pitch trad route.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8Yve3aVd9ERpPR8WXxfmkE6w3U4QJy0Kq5i8Dm59MnmbGlhGps0Hqn2LURSiFUH8wmlksm896bgHuc2fpY0ic_TmT1S-cP7C_y-Q4s9D17g0bVR1FtrlV_fdAKTFdWz9r0pcrr63mNI/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8Yve3aVd9ERpPR8WXxfmkE6w3U4QJy0Kq5i8Dm59MnmbGlhGps0Hqn2LURSiFUH8wmlksm896bgHuc2fpY0ic_TmT1S-cP7C_y-Q4s9D17g0bVR1FtrlV_fdAKTFdWz9r0pcrr63mNI/s400/DSC_0005.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639828412114268354" /></a>The top pitch turned out to be the gem of it all, with a little bit of perfect hand jamming that even Rebs enjoyed. She was about halfway up the route when she heard a distant rumbling and turned around to see a massive thunderhead moving in on our cloudless blue sky. She began climbing more quickly while I did my best to stay quiet and let her enjoy the route, although my mind kept flashing back to the WFR couse (Wilderness First Responder) I’d taken in college and all the information and statistics they’d given us, essentially saying that on a rock face, attached to a bolt and a rope is the last place you want to be when a thunderstorm hits. I also thought about how a few days earlier, we had decided to take our rain fly off the tent since we were in such a dry climate and wanted to cool things down faster.
<br />Fortunately, Rebs had no hiccups and made it back to the belay station shortly, from which we rappelled again to the ground. A beautiful route, just a little rushed. We scurried to pack up our gear then, speed hiked/jogged our way back to the parking lot. The huge blue-grey cloud loomed just East of us as we drove the 15 minutes back to our campsite. Like angry bees, we zipped around and got the tarp back on the tent and all our junk off the picnic table in a matter of minutes. The cloud was rising over the rock nearest to us when we decided not to stick around for the showers, but to head into town for a few errands to prep for the long drive to Oregon the next day.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMs28HRHeWSxmokqsVdmzQGyW1nku4KIiOI4mU29yiwkpEZtixJI1l3P_TG62kgQOUI_kdZ6G2Lf46yeKt-zUbjrST486ZqtW4s81LD9y9D1ryvkOXasM1AX5ugC8pprkxERtEq96rTpM/s1600/DSC_0009.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMs28HRHeWSxmokqsVdmzQGyW1nku4KIiOI4mU29yiwkpEZtixJI1l3P_TG62kgQOUI_kdZ6G2Lf46yeKt-zUbjrST486ZqtW4s81LD9y9D1ryvkOXasM1AX5ugC8pprkxERtEq96rTpM/s320/DSC_0009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639829240230987314" /></a>In town, the streets were already wet, as if we had just missed the downpour. We could see the rain and lightning just North of us a few miles. I pumped gas as it sprinkled rain, my first shower of any kind in a few days. Meanwhile, Rebs went next-door and found a restaurant attached to a hotel that has free wifi, so we split a sampler appetizer for dinner and checked email. Upon our return to the campsite, our wonderful host Dale said he’d sat at his picnic table working a crossword while the storm rolled through. He said he counted ten drops. All that work for nothing! But we saw it as a sign that we were meant to be done because we got all our errands done, the camp mostly packed up in 5 minutes, and still had time for a beer and good conversation with Dale and “Gloria”. It was a great end to this part of our journey. We will never forget you Skaha.
<br />Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-75219627203986152552011-08-11T11:37:00.008+09:002011-08-12T13:48:55.302+09:00Home-Bodied Travelers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSNmxrNJ7jCn3HiomV-loaTdzFsFtYdNaFwXEB0mOY8cqtOtFETa0uyYADSV_tPAknHFAtpRQvue6M33F2LgM1raD4DaeINkrusbJsGVyDdKBlxS5AEkkn3_EkjhXX307A-3aOcRt1Q8/s1600/DSC_0025.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxSNmxrNJ7jCn3HiomV-loaTdzFsFtYdNaFwXEB0mOY8cqtOtFETa0uyYADSV_tPAknHFAtpRQvue6M33F2LgM1raD4DaeINkrusbJsGVyDdKBlxS5AEkkn3_EkjhXX307A-3aOcRt1Q8/s320/DSC_0025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639423899200398562" /></a>
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNeH3VkYQq9Kgaf3wWgJWfPBEAVb5EHjSzOvB9eZCoHuz0nXl95kJCBr8czurJPVsnJqQD10g6cFK0wa_ZuSTMbfMlA0BQHaqooHNtOJotauG2-FbDrxCGDNJ5Uot1j6AliLfLY0R7NQ/s1600/DSC_0023.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNeH3VkYQq9Kgaf3wWgJWfPBEAVb5EHjSzOvB9eZCoHuz0nXl95kJCBr8czurJPVsnJqQD10g6cFK0wa_ZuSTMbfMlA0BQHaqooHNtOJotauG2-FbDrxCGDNJ5Uot1j6AliLfLY0R7NQ/s320/DSC_0023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639423896345899938" /></a>Is there such a thing? That is exactly what we are. We like to travel around and see different places, but we don’t particularly like the constant packing, unpacking, and reorganizing of it all. That’s why we decided to stay in Skaha. Last night we kept debating on whether to go to Squamish in the morning. We even played “Rock, Paper, Scissors” (the way Koreans solve all their problems) and ended up with Squamish as the winner. But after some more discussion later, we decided to stay right where we are until heading down to meet up with Bob and Connie, giving us about 4 more days including today.
<br />Here are a few reasons why:
<br />1) We want more time to climb. Skaha has over 1000 routes, enough to go months without ever getting on the same route twice. We’ve found all different styles from slabby, positive climbs to juggy overhangs, sport, trad, runout, and over-bolted. You definitely can’t say Skaha’s “not my style” of climbing because it’s all-encompassing. And now that we’ve been up there a few days, we’re getting a good feel for the area, which makes it easy to get where we want and not get lost anymore.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatvBiLwBG6UaNp5Syhyphenhyphen8ZHW0wMZElqXjbK9wdsE6VO3mQc2my3DnPe03cmkDUCYCO1ZwG3xJKU3iYkjxkVl5An5b7Z6keB8vULpLBSAJoHAshUlCO7u1bDbcSTFq8t2AIeFwyqrRRV2M/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgatvBiLwBG6UaNp5Syhyphenhyphen8ZHW0wMZElqXjbK9wdsE6VO3mQc2my3DnPe03cmkDUCYCO1ZwG3xJKU3iYkjxkVl5An5b7Z6keB8vULpLBSAJoHAshUlCO7u1bDbcSTFq8t2AIeFwyqrRRV2M/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639825777202990306" /></a>2) You can’t beat this campsite. Seriously! I know I’ve already raved about it in previous posts, but it’s perfect. Not crowded, clean toilets, great hosts who are friendly and like to chat, but are great for giving you your privacy too. The view is spectacular. We’re right on the water, which is the perfect temperature for the now hot summer days. And at nights, it cools down to the mid 60s—perfect for snuggling into your sleeping bag.
<br />3) We don’t like being rushed. If there was one statement to summarize our goals and motivations, that would be it. If we were to go to Squamish, we felt like we’d get there, have time to look around, and then have to leave before ever getting a good feel for the place. I hate feeling like a tourist. I know that going on vacation required some degree of tourism, but I feel I can minimize those feelings if I spend enough time somewhere. You get to know some of the locals and the secret hot spots, etc. and it really helps. I feel like there is so much more to gain from such an experience versus driving through, staying for a day, and taking a few photos along the way. Sure, it might make for some nice photography, but it’s just a photo. To me, the photo becomes so much richer when there are memories attached.
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC1w1yeOl9VoIhOEdAFJoLocV0Z2a7alAVuKy2qnv55X-cEYfsa4q_n2DzspA5VqJ380_5-n7-IAeL-xeakpZ7k8xUATw7aiIOI0ASnDbAzcHg9urKcM63mrX5wYkViJeBtVTXHqKf8k/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqC1w1yeOl9VoIhOEdAFJoLocV0Z2a7alAVuKy2qnv55X-cEYfsa4q_n2DzspA5VqJ380_5-n7-IAeL-xeakpZ7k8xUATw7aiIOI0ASnDbAzcHg9urKcM63mrX5wYkViJeBtVTXHqKf8k/s400/DSC_0050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639826468551359442" /></a>4) It saves us money. This trip hasn’t exactly been on a shoestring, so: driving ($1.32/liter) + 2 ferry rides = lots’o’cash. I’m sure we could afford it, but I guess the bottom line is that we’ll get more out of our experience.
<br />There are also plenty of things to do on our rest days here. Today, we shopped and did laundry in the morning, then took the afternoon to find me a new pair of flip flops. We walked downtown some. Rebs got coffee; I got ice cream. The peach festival was going on, so we walked through it. It felt like a fair without the animals or rides. Basically a lot of tasty, very greasy food and a stage. Nothing was going on at that time, so we headed on to the movies, a great way to avoid the afternoon heat. After the movie, we headed back here and opted for a very light dinner of watermelon and veggies with hummus after having gorged ourselves on popcorn and pop only an hour before. Now here we lay in the tent, waiting for the air to cool, watching the moon set low beyond the mountain pass across the lake. In tomorrow lies the hope of some more good climbing or bathing in the lake, soaking up the sun, reading books, or visit one of the many wineries in the area. We have no real plan. But sometimes, the best plan is not having one.
<br />Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-65471248054851588512011-08-05T10:12:00.004+09:002011-08-21T09:48:51.081+09:00Lost & Found - Part 2We're still at the campsite with no electricity and haven't made the time to trek into town until now. I'm writing from the public library here in Penticton. Our original plan to continue on to Squamish got delayed by a day of sickness and the sheer awesomeness of this place. We're heading back to the rock tomorrow for one more day before heading to Squamish.
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<br />So... back to the story. We found a campsite and made ourselves at home. Lakeside, in the shade, fire pit, tent spot ON the lake--literally it's about 3 steps from our door. We haven't had rain since we set up the tent, but a few splatters of bird poop. Yeah, so it's pretty much the best campsite you could imagine. And the campground hosts are funny. Dale and Hannah (though Rebs finds 'Gloria' a more suitable name for her) are wonderful, keeping unwanted loiterers out, checking up on you every now and then. They're both semi-retired, I would guess in their early to mid 60s, have a camper and everything imaginable to go with it because they're here for 3 months. They get pretty upset when people try to use our site to get access to the water. We don't really mind that much, but they sure do.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc78YgBikj_sTUbRMktZH2ZLRwtx2NAsDZz1MENfM9yAX-M32S3jXVE4yjnKEdPK52qFs_PvgzuNGbBqnzbV1HPQSDxL6W4Ws1a5JWeMmOHkA5zHIbb7GjWT5c3otcE4wr2vqCunOA3vY/s1600/DSC_0031.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc78YgBikj_sTUbRMktZH2ZLRwtx2NAsDZz1MENfM9yAX-M32S3jXVE4yjnKEdPK52qFs_PvgzuNGbBqnzbV1HPQSDxL6W4Ws1a5JWeMmOHkA5zHIbb7GjWT5c3otcE4wr2vqCunOA3vY/s200/DSC_0031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643104692666659154" /></a>Some fun facts: I've swam across the lake twice now, though the reeds are getting a bit tall now that the water level has gone down a few inches. There is a wonderful ice cream parlor we frequent often named "Tickleberry's". Rebs likes to say the name over and over. Our bodies are very tan. We lay on our spare air mattress in the water, using a piece of rope as a sort of lasso for the mattress and making an anchor to a rock. I successfully finished <span style="font-style:italic;">Born to Run</span> in about a week. Very good book. We got lost... sort of... hiking out of the park one day.
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<br />It all started as a regular morning hiking in to climb. Rebs found what appeared to be a good area in the guidebook, but was about as far away as you can get from the parking lot. So we said we'd hike in and then work our way back. But the problem was, we couldn't find the trail that led there, at least not all the way. We'd go one way, then back another, unable to decipher where we were on the map. Eventually, Rebs found the right trail and we made it out there. Had the whole place to ourselves, that's for sure. By the time we got set up for our first climb of the day, it had already been over 2 hours. We got 2 routes in before stopping for lunch. Reassessing the day and our expectations, we decided to follow the trail around (it's a loop) to take a look at some of the areas we hadn't seen already. We made our way around and spent a couple hours hiking and looking at rock and setting up the hammock to rest for a bit.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpaVjdBLtPxraGDKHp2yoH8r-bvdp_EbHz3UitRnV0BQcvKyqnXK6pYyrYyh5xTZkF-Dd_3WrrfV6Y52mLXjgGonnMaM8sidDFYu1Mui_0smJLc9BaIC6uI2jswcL7J0Uqb1TmzeZlD8/s1600/IMG_4540.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBpaVjdBLtPxraGDKHp2yoH8r-bvdp_EbHz3UitRnV0BQcvKyqnXK6pYyrYyh5xTZkF-Dd_3WrrfV6Y52mLXjgGonnMaM8sidDFYu1Mui_0smJLc9BaIC6uI2jswcL7J0Uqb1TmzeZlD8/s400/IMG_4540.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643103873131089218" /></a>When we decided to hike out was when it happened. There happen to be all these meandering side trails that go off in different directions all the time, I'm assuming are shortcuts to different cliffs because there is climbing all over the place. So if you don't know where you're going, it can get a little...interesting? So we took a wrong turn. No big deal. At least we were on a trail... which led to another trail... which led into some bramble bushes. And did I mention that it was getting later now, maybe 6:00. Rebs began to panic because we weren't seeing trail signs. We couldn't figure out where we were on the map, so therefore we must be lost, right? In my opinion, we weren't lost, only misplaced for the moment. (This is what I often tell Rebs when I can't find something) Lost is when something is gone for good. We were definitely not lost.
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<br />Soon, we began seeing trail signs, and an outhouse. After another 45 minutes, we were safe and sound at the car. No broken sandals this time, though we were both wearing flip flops, having not expected to hike a total of 5+ miles that day. That's what we estimated once we made it to the parking lot. We slept soundly that night, let me assure you.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-54232604470771115602011-08-01T06:02:00.002+09:002011-08-01T06:11:39.394+09:00Lost & Found<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaE46ouqU_yBmGRBaJhgOFR0PNt03kUqMfwkjnJEUF8sieWFPHnEKclXVdx4fGz4cwLzxPg4EkpNMtdYjsScX57FFrwi8OqUZiwdl6DHNr3OW4XUFZQYrge46GUHhPpEJT3-n4Yd7KDMw/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaE46ouqU_yBmGRBaJhgOFR0PNt03kUqMfwkjnJEUF8sieWFPHnEKclXVdx4fGz4cwLzxPg4EkpNMtdYjsScX57FFrwi8OqUZiwdl6DHNr3OW4XUFZQYrge46GUHhPpEJT3-n4Yd7KDMw/s400/DSC_0050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635625917795913810" /></a><br />Good morning from Penticton, British Columbia. The arid climate is wonderful—cool nights and mornings with warm, mostly sunny days. We left Leavenworth last Monday. That morning, we were awakened by thunder in the distance (is it 2 seconds for every mile?), and the rain followed shortly. Our rain fly worked well, so we stayed dry, then skipped breakfast and scrambled to get the tent down without getting too wet. We ended up at a little breakfast café called O’Grady’s where we ate, got lots of coffee refills, chatted with my dad on Skype, and uploaded pictures before I got jittery and was ready to go. The place itself was really beautiful, with a mostly finished wood interior, a gift shop attached through a hallway, and an organic garden out back, where they grow many of their herbs and produce fresh. They do tours on Saturdays at 4pm, if anyone reading ever makes it out this way. Rebs and I have dreamt about opening our own coffee shop someday. We both agreed that O’Grady’s would be a good place to model it after.<br />So as the rain continued to pour, we headed North toward Canada. After a brief stop to discard some peaches (you can’t bring produce across the border), we made our way into Canada, found a tourist information center and a map, then headed up to Penticton. First on our agenda was to see the climbing area, so we followed the road signs of a rock climber up a newly paved road to a newly paved parking lot. The climbing was a hike in, so we chose not to do it in the rain. Fortunately, there happened to be youth group of some sort just getting out of their vans. Fortuitous. We asked their leader where we might find a climbing shop and he directed us to a running store because he said there wasn’t any climbing shop in Penticton (hard to believe with over 1000 maintained routes in the park). So we headed down into Penticton to find the store, which happened to close around 4:30. We were an hour too late, but there was a bookstore next door, which happens to sell copies of the local guidebook. Yay! <br />Guidebook? Check! Place to stay? Hmm… It was still lightly raining and the thought of camping in the rain didn’t sound like fun, so we decided to go across the street and use the local coffee shop’s wireless to find a place to stay. Rebs did a bit of research and found a nice B&B that overlooks the city. Barb and Gary are two lovely people, (and quite resourceful too) having switched from the internet server business about 10 years ago and never looked back. We nestled into the Ruby Room for the night with some Domino’s Pizza, and what do you know, Rebs’ favorite show, “The Bachelorette”, happened to be on TV. I actually had to go wash my feet in the tub before dinner because I partially stained the bedspread with my dirty feet.<br />The next morning, we woke up late to sunshine and a beautiful breakfast on the back patio, refreshed and ready for climbing. Barb suggested we get out early to find a good camp site because the upcoming weekend was a holiday, meaning there’d be lots of people with the same idea as us: camp and enjoy the beautiful weather. So we headed to Okanaga Falls Provincial Campsite, but were about 3 minutes too late, pulling in right behind the car that took the last site. The Parks and Rec lady was kind enough to send us on to another site of similar quality about 10 minutes down the road. When we pulled into Vaseaux Lake, it looked like we might run into the same problem. As we were driving by, I had my window down and heard the lady in charge holler, “You girls might try site #9 at the end there. I think there is a couple just leaving.” (Apparently, I looked too much like a girl with my long hair). That site happened to be the best one of the whole lot, right on the lakeside with a spot for our tent nestled down by the water and away from the highway. Our prayer had been answered!<br /><br />To be continued…Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-38489398044503346692011-07-26T02:17:00.003+09:002011-07-26T02:28:51.115+09:00Written from in front of a campfire<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHWrLfGWXSQnRyPFr4rYodMRxbm7oOijZmyJJwzCNSB-8tYevD4D1pqDW1yqJkKojkHR4znKfUAsq-Y3jAj1S_m4JyaA9WRZ9JGl2vINisYcPA-wb8uNBLWZetMccChamtvIStus0mrs/s1600/DSC_0453.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHWrLfGWXSQnRyPFr4rYodMRxbm7oOijZmyJJwzCNSB-8tYevD4D1pqDW1yqJkKojkHR4znKfUAsq-Y3jAj1S_m4JyaA9WRZ9JGl2vINisYcPA-wb8uNBLWZetMccChamtvIStus0mrs/s320/DSC_0453.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633342377463048930" /></a>This has been a long time coming. Rebs and I have been in the U.S. for about a month now and the past two days have been our first alone together. Don’t get me wrong—we love spending time with other people. That’s probably part of the problem. But we also love spending time just the two of us. That is what these three weeks are for us. We’re climbing and camping around Western North America alone… as a family. <br />I am currently writing this (though it may be posted a few days later) from Site #21 of the 8-Mile Campground in Leavenworth, Washington. I have a citronella candle to my right and a blazing campfire to my left with my hot wife repeating, “You put the lime in the coconut…” as she makes herself a s’more. I sip my Californian “Red Velvet Cupcake” wine from a coffee mug because we have no cups or glasses. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjKRgCAEenyAQnmu6BYeqRULBD92azJVU8ZTIGKVu_aNqvGLINjVCsnPSbhBIAtqxElTDEUiSJfrdTbuetSbvvPva98-jWLoepNSm4z-joj5iUoagmsBYdeyAHkVC3RTMv5VtgpinGl8/s1600/DSC_0447.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjKRgCAEenyAQnmu6BYeqRULBD92azJVU8ZTIGKVu_aNqvGLINjVCsnPSbhBIAtqxElTDEUiSJfrdTbuetSbvvPva98-jWLoepNSm4z-joj5iUoagmsBYdeyAHkVC3RTMv5VtgpinGl8/s320/DSC_0447.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633341808062915554" /></a>Out here, life is simple. If I listen closely, I can hear the rush of the river in the distance past the other campsites, the pops ofthe fire and sparks. The evergreens surrounding our campsite make it so dark that even with time, your eyes won’t adjust to the dark. Life is beautiful.<br />Although, it hasn’t been this way entirely. Yesterday seemed to be Rebs’ unlucky day. What happened, you ask? Well, I popped the air mattress with a hot pot while bringing breakfast in bed to Rebs. While I was retrieving duct tape from our neighbors, the screw fell off the lid that Rebs was washing… into the firepit full of ashes (Don’t worry, we found it.). After getting out and hiking up to a climb that seemed good for us to do, I proceeded to climb up, but knocked off a large rock that I didn’t notice. Rebs was kind of on a ledge and couldn’t move. In her words, “I almost died.” She likes to embellish things sometimes. Then, after I finished climbing up, she followed as usual to join me at the top of the pitch. But then she had , let’s say, some URGENT needs to get down, and nearly disposed of them on the rappel down. Later in the day, as we packed up to hike down the mountain from climbing, Rebs set her full pack down briefly on what she thought was stable ground, only to see it roll in slow motion down the mountain. Luckily, after about 10-12 tumbles, it stopped against a rock and we were able to retrieve it. Then on our way down she had forgotten to wear her Chacos and instead was wearing her favorite flip-flops. One of them couldn’t quite hack it and the strap broke, so she hiked a quarter mile downhill in one flip flop. <br />We got back to camp in one piece and enjoyed a delicious dinner of turkey brats and chili with a beer. This relaxed us so much that we fell asleep in the hammock until I woke up from the cold at 11:00. When we moved to the tent, our dreams of a soft bed and uninterrupted sleep slowly deflated with the air mattress. It turns out that duct tape isn’t completely air proof. <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstUMKem7iZyZwsnlAswSG7ruvT_ed8Qg8y_3wR8G5yT_-sFBgXr1vrhoxqzLFWMJ7wVGpViLMZbTUgsrBz8l22sIcrFcehF2PbT-LKCcm207j6i1S9PT4u995uF-UjdW2tAhS-sjj8bA/s1600/DSC_0454.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstUMKem7iZyZwsnlAswSG7ruvT_ed8Qg8y_3wR8G5yT_-sFBgXr1vrhoxqzLFWMJ7wVGpViLMZbTUgsrBz8l22sIcrFcehF2PbT-LKCcm207j6i1S9PT4u995uF-UjdW2tAhS-sjj8bA/s400/DSC_0454.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633343127866927682" /></a>Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-73169094403988535452011-07-09T01:06:00.003+09:002011-07-09T01:26:36.149+09:00An Adventurous MindsetCurrently, I am writing this from the basement of a friend's communal house in Ballard, a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. At the moment, we have no phone or computer because 1)our phones only work in Korea, and 2)our computer is being repaired by the Mac Store. That second reason is why I won't be able to post any pictures about our adventures. But I would have you know that we got a new digital camera for this trip and have already tried it out some, so I hope to post some good pictures when we get our computer back after the wedding. <br /><br />For those of you who don't know, we're on vacation. You can read my previous blog to find out where. I've found a new love for Seattle this time around. The last time I was here was about 5 years ago when Rebs and I came for a visit. This is where she grew up. She had been so excited to show me around her old stomping ground, sharing memories of growing up. But for whatever reason, I was in a funk and didn't really want to be in Seattle, so that put a damper on the whole trip. But this time has been amazing. We have only had two full days in Seattle but it feels like so much longer because we have done so much! I'll have to share more on this once we get out pictures uploaded.<br /><br />One thing I contribute to this trips awesomeness is the right mindset. I find that lately I have been letting go of expectations. Sure, I have goals. We have a few things we need to get done while we're here, an occasional appointment like the one I had for my computer. But all in all, we're not forcing ourselves into a box. I understand that when you're working on a tight schedule, sometimes you have to be that way. But I feel like vacation is a time when it's best to just let things happen. <br /><br />How does this work? For me, I have things I know I want to get done during the day, but I don't hold too tightly to any of them. I leave room for opportunity. If someone suggests we go to an art show downtown (such as last night), I just go with it. Being open is the key. Don't let your plans be so rigid that you miss out on some awesome opportunities. I don't know everything that's going to happen in the next month, but that's part of the excitement about it. The adventure of not knowing it all.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-62379674947575120922011-06-09T11:33:00.003+09:002011-06-09T12:25:19.033+09:00Summer PlansThe school semester is winding down here in the suburbs of Daegu as the temperature rises. We have yet to turn on our air conditioning out of respect for the ghastly electric bill we received last July and August. So far, the evenings and mornings have been cool, which is perfect for sleeping with the windows open. But the time is near, I can sense it.<br /><br /> This summer will be one of many firsts for us. It will be the first time we go back to the United States, but don't visit Arkansas or Oklahoma, the place we will likely call home again in a year. It will be the first time either of us have spent much time in Canada. And it will be my first time to travel 5000 miles for a wedding.<br />When we found out Josh was getting married, we altered our plans for a European trip (which may have broken the bank) and decided to make the most of a trip to Prince Edward Island, off the Eastern coast of Canada. For all you "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD-b8fbbVew">Anne of Green Gables</a>" fans, that is where the movie was filmed. It is supposed to be beautiful in the summer and should be a gorgeous wedding.<br /><br /> To get from Korea to PEI, we will travel: from Busan to Tokyo, Tokyo to LA, LA to Seattle, Seattle to Chicago, Chicago to Providence, from which we will drive up the East coast. It will be an immense adventure. Then after the wedding, we'll head back to Seattle for a few errands before embarking on a month-long road trip around Washington, British Columbia, and Oregon. We plan to climb at Vantage, which also happens to be very near the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gorge_Amphitheatre">Gorge</a> (outdoor concert venue), so if there are any good shows at that time, we may have to go. Then, on to Skaha in BC. It's supposed to have some of the best sport climbing around. And then on to <a href="http://squamishclimbing.com/">Squamish</a>. Squamish is a bit mystical in my mind. I have seen several climbing films based in Squamish, but have never been there. I have only been to Canada once for a swim meet, where I got a good view of the Simon Fraser campus and swimming pool, but not much else. So there is newness all around. Also, Squamish is notorious for its trad climbing. <br /><br /> Rebs and I have a love/hate relationship with traditional climbing. I love it and she hates it. Maybe hate is too simple of a word. It scares her. If you're not familiar with "trad", it means placing your own protection (usually into a crack), usually in the form of a <a href="http://wiki.ece.cmu.edu/ddl/index.php/Active_climbing_cam">cam</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Climbing_nut_in_use.jpg">nut</a>. If you fall, you hope that the piece of gear you placed catches in the rock. I'm sure my mother will have some "concerns" with this brief description, but there is much more science to it. Yes, there is risk, but it is calculated. And what is life without risk?<br /><br /> After we get the climbing bug out of our system, we will head to the coast in Oregon, where Rebecca grew up taking camping vacations at <a href="http://www.neahkahnie.net/manzanitabeach.htm">Manzanita</a>. We'll actually be staying with some extended family at their guest cottage, just to relax and soak up the sun for a bit before getting back into the working life of Korea, and the job of getting rid of 4 years' worth of accumulation.<br /><br /> That's our summer plan and it will be here before we know it. We're really excited, and we might even get a <a href="http://d5100review.com/">nice camera </a>to document everything along the way. Then hopefully I won't have to type so much because my pictures can do all the talking. ;)Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-19919250357092960322011-05-25T18:17:00.004+09:002011-05-25T18:29:52.112+09:00Really!?!?One thing I will miss about teaching English in Korea is the funny comments my kids make. By kids I mean college students. Today, I was told by one of my students, who goes by the name 'Hollywood' that I looked like an elf. The conversation went something like this...<br /><br />Hollywood - Teacher, today you have 'elf style'<br />Me - What?<br />Hollywood - Elf. You know? E-L-F! Your hair today is 'elf style'<br />Me - Hmm... okay.<br />Hollywood - (Gets up and draws a picture of an elf on the whiteboard) Teacher is 'elf style'.<br />Me - (Laughing) Yes, I understand. Okay, thank you Hollywood.<br /><br />I've attached a few photos of my hair-do today. What do you think? Did I invent a new style? Though it wasn't exactly the look I was going for, the true reason I did my hair like this today was because I was too rushed to get a shower in before work and didn't want my hair to look greasy. Next time I am in a rush, I think I'll probably just opt for a simple ponytail.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QGuusoVqpoc1p-hlfqCRiPyOTk75IMoyYcQLjfjwyLK7NOBuaPNELYpnlSv-TLRIC264x0UhyphenhyphenVykeLXSEb7Z_vTM8FD56Hv8D16DEe1btCsb7cDbcTGIIuHUapQaNG2CbiBpAdtjdjY/s1600/Photo+on+2011-05-25+at+18.10.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QGuusoVqpoc1p-hlfqCRiPyOTk75IMoyYcQLjfjwyLK7NOBuaPNELYpnlSv-TLRIC264x0UhyphenhyphenVykeLXSEb7Z_vTM8FD56Hv8D16DEe1btCsb7cDbcTGIIuHUapQaNG2CbiBpAdtjdjY/s320/Photo+on+2011-05-25+at+18.10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610583036150057362" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71e6OfmMRWkSgY6vpwtW5zrLFJHTCAvDv-veD74Ft-nTJ0ZROLPH00DeMerDMlMeMD9ViJcA2-XAXzbuEHyOLDGg03W91RyYh08l8PcC-ps1Phi9HVL0vphufWEHRHVgPmF7QNS8tGCk/s1600/Photo+on+2011-05-25+at+18.08.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71e6OfmMRWkSgY6vpwtW5zrLFJHTCAvDv-veD74Ft-nTJ0ZROLPH00DeMerDMlMeMD9ViJcA2-XAXzbuEHyOLDGg03W91RyYh08l8PcC-ps1Phi9HVL0vphufWEHRHVgPmF7QNS8tGCk/s320/Photo+on+2011-05-25+at+18.08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610583029491092082" /></a>Rebshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02275939994555569171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-50764762329820805642011-04-13T08:36:00.006+09:002011-06-09T11:38:54.257+09:00To Do NothingHave you ever made it a goal to do nothing? It's more challenging for some than others. If you asked me a few years ago how often I tried to do nothing, I don't think I could have said ever. I always wanted to be going and doing stuff. I liked being challenged and experiencing new things, which I still do today, only with more balance. In college one semester, I was taking 18 hours of classes, working 10 hours of work study, swimming for the swim team 2 hours a day, lifting weights every other day, being an R.A., and trying to get a rock climbing wall pushed through the bureaucracy of our school. All this just to see how much I could push myself. One afternoon before swim practice, I was working on a 10-page paper when my computer froze and I lost 2 pages. I didn't have time to rewrite it and I had to go to practice. There was this sinking feeling of despair, like I couldn't keep up. I told my coach (who happened to be my sister) what had happened. She knew me well and saw how distressed I was and told me to take the day off. I sat on the pool deck and cried for about 10 minutes, then fell asleep there on the concrete deck for 45 minutes. I was empty. I had reached the breaking point.<br /><br />From that experience, I know what it feels like to be too busy. I also think being married has helped me to slow down a bit. Just to enjoy life sometimes. That's sort of where I am in life right now. it's a continual process because this world keeps pushing us to keep up with the latest and greatest, increasing our efficiency and flexibility, seeing how much we can cram into the day. <br /><br />This year is a year of nothing for me. Recently in one of my classes (I teach ESL at a college for Korean students), we were working on telling the date. One girl said "two thousand ten", and for a split second I had to think about it. No wait, it's 2011. This year is our first year to do the same thing as last year. We're living at the same place, working the same job, doing pretty much the same thing as we did the year before. When I think about it, my old self wants to jump in and tell me I'm not making any progress. But in truth, I'm happy with my life. This will be the first year since we've been married that we didn't have to pack up and move. Moving is great for not being attached to your stuff, but it's not exactly fun.<br /><br /> I still feel like I'm growing and changing. Family has become a much higher priority to me, so sometimes Rebs and I will stay home on a weekend, or skip a workout to just be. Someone once told me that you don't have to always be efficient because God is perfectly efficient on His own. I like that. it takes the pressure off. Go at the pace you feel comfortable with.Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517851194746089764.post-88199911999873840162011-04-05T09:30:00.002+09:002011-04-05T10:02:42.436+09:00Homemade Lowfat Granola BarsI've been cooking and baking a lot lately. It's sort of been my creative outlet since we've been back in Korea. I enjoy the challenge of finding the right ingredients in a foreign country, translating Fahrenheit to Celsius, and just making it all work. So far, I've made strawberry jam, applesauce, cranberry applesauce, beans and rice, hummus, and my latest, this granola bar recipe. Rebs and I have been trying to eat really healthy since we've been back. One of the tricks I've found is always having something healthy readily available. So instead of grabbing a bag of chips when you feel like snacking, you can grab something more healthy and more convenient (because we haven't been keeping chips in the house).<br />Rebs said these granola bars were the best she's ever had!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTz15CLIZopybWA55Q9ETsOxRUQ7QkGVAvywPATpJfk_0Pajbokmp3Mc_sLUEkCgbSa2zbHx2jYBKFkGwF9heEkROAqaxDzuGeKUAffF8celHH7pUUIj3Qr-uVCVxwcFplehWUunenLSg/s1600/IMG_4172.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTz15CLIZopybWA55Q9ETsOxRUQ7QkGVAvywPATpJfk_0Pajbokmp3Mc_sLUEkCgbSa2zbHx2jYBKFkGwF9heEkROAqaxDzuGeKUAffF8celHH7pUUIj3Qr-uVCVxwcFplehWUunenLSg/s400/IMG_4172.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591898518873571938" /></a><br />So the recipe is as follows:<br />1 cup oatmeal (preferably not instant)<br />1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds<br />1 cup finely chopped raw almonds<br />1/2 cup ground flax seed or wheat germ<br />1/4 cup dark brown sugar or molasses<br />1/4 cup honey or maple syrup<br />1/4 cup agave syrup<br />1/4 cup sunflower or almond oil <br />1 tbsp butter (optional)<br />1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/4 cup raisins<br />3/4 cup dried cranberries<br /><br />Directions:<br />1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Mix dry ingredients (not including fruit or salt) in a large mixing bowl. Pour dry mixture onto the baking pan covered with aluminum foil, spread as thin as possible. Bake for 10-20 minutes, or until slightly browned.<br />2. While dry mix is baking, combine sugars and fat(s) in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir constantly until evenly mixed.<br />3. Combine everything together in the large mixing bowl. Grease aluminum foil in baking pan, Press mixture into baking pan. Pack solid. If you have another pan of the same size, place aluminum foil over top of mixture and use 2nd pan to press firm.<br />4. Bake for 25-35 minutes. Remove hot granola with aluminum foil onto a cutting board. Use a large knife to cut the granola into preferred sizes. (Remember, this recipe is lowfat, but still high in calories, so smaller is better.) Do not saw. Rather, press down firmly and separate. Let the granola cool, then store in an airtight container for up to one week out of the refrigerator. Or granola can be stored in the fridge for longer, (but is harder to chew when cold).Dustyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17995412625721774580noreply@blogger.com