Catching You Up

- Last Tuesday, I got food poisoning and spent the day alternating between puking, having diarrhea, and laying in bed. No fun.
- Then, I spent the rest of the week feeling weak and tired.
- Last weekend I went to the World Passion Conference and saw Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. It was great to hear some amazing worship music after a year of struggling through not so amazing worship music.
- I can't wait to come home and worship at The Grove. I think it will make me so joyful that I'll have to sing at the top of my lungs and dance like a crazy woman. Sorry for those of you who might have to witness this.
- I got to hang out with my friend Natalie all weekend. She is awesome and has been such a blessing in my life in the past few months. Then, I had to say goodbye. Who knows when I'll see her again.
- The goodbyes have begun. I'm sad to say goodbye but so excited to come home.
- This week of work has been the busiest week thus far. I'm so ready to be finished with the long work days and time spent away from Dusty.
- Today, I had 3 BOYS in one of my classes with the English names, Sally, Holly, Kate and Amy!?!? Poor things.
- One time earlier this year, I had a boy with the English name, Gondom!?!?
- Last night, I spent three hours at the climbing gym. At the end of my workout, I did 27 pull-ups (with assistance). I'm gonna have Popeye arms!
- I'm finally feeling like I've figured out balance in my life again. I've met the coolest people in the past few months. Just in time to come home and readjust.
- I have so much to do in the next two weeks to prepare to come home. Better go.

One Life

This past month has been a whirlwind! This is the first full day I have spent at home in quite a long time. Actually, the plan was to go climbing today... but I just needed a day of rest at home more than anything else. I just looked back at my planner and realized that the last 5 weekends have been spent away from home. I've been to both ends of this country, hung out with some really awesome people, and climbed some really big rocks. And I've managed to somehow keep my day job. Sheesh! No wonder I'm tired and the house is a wreck. And suddenly, we only have two more weeks until our first year in Korea is finished and it's time to go back to America. How time flies when you're busy having fun, living life to its fullest.

It's finally starting to sink in that my life is about to completely change again. I'm going to have to say goodbye to all the amazing friends that I've made here. The predictability of my daily life that I've grown so accustomed to in the last year will come to an abrupt end as I hop on a plane to come home. I will once again be homeless and in transition. This seems to be a recurring trend in my life. But this time, I welcome the change. I'm no longer as afraid of not knowing what the future holds. I've learned to be okay with feeling a little insecure, a little uncomfortable. I've done it so many times before. Only this time, I get to return to something familiar. I get to see friends and family. I get to love on my precious dog, Legend. I get to take an extended 4ish month vacation with no set plans. I get to serve the people in my life who love me most and show them how much I love and appreciate them. I have the opportunity to be fully present with them, without competing distractions. What an amazing opportunity of a lifetime! I can hardly wait!

These times of transition seem to be when I learn the most about myself. It's when I feel most alive in my life. I can't just rely on my own plans. I can't be organized, efficient, and practical. I can't depend on my methodical routine to get me through the day. Instead, I'm faced with a lot of unknowns. I get to rely on God and watch in amazement as he lays down a path before me. This is when my faith and trust in God are most strengthened and refined. I develop patience, flexibility, and adaptability.

I'm especially looking forward to seeing how my experiences here have changed my perspective on things at home. I know I've grown. I know I've changed. I know I'll see things with new eyes. I wonder what it will feel like, look like. There will be one major decision to make when we're home... whether or not to return for another year in South Korea or stay in America and start putting down some roots. It's a BIG decision. One I know I won't be able to make until I'm home. Right now I'm leaning towards returning for one more year. I can't imagine not coming back here. I already know I will miss it here when I'm home. I will miss my dear friends, the simple lifestyle, the idiosyncrasy of Korea. I will miss the kids that I teach. Oh, how I have come to adore them. They have managed to sneak their way into a soft spot in my heart. But my reason for wanting to come back to Korea stretches beyond that. It's fairly simple and straightforward. I don't feel ready to live in America.

I know it probably sounds strange to most people who already live there. Living in America is relatively easy. Good. Comfortable. Why would you want to live anywhere else? Well, precisely for those same reasons. I'm not sure I want that life, though it's incredibly tempting. But it's because it's tempting that I don't feel quite ready to come home yet. I know that America offers more than a good, easy, comfortable life. I'm blessed with the freedom to choose whatever lifestyle I want. But there are cultural norms and expectations. Being a married woman at the age of 29 in America, the supposed next step for me would be to buy a house with my husband, fill it with some stuff, have some kids and a dog, and work at a career to help maintain that lifestyle. Now, I'm not opposed to any of these things. In fact, the more time that goes on, the more I think I will want some of these things for myself. Just not yet. I want to make these decisions intentionally and deliberately, not simply because it's what everyone else does and expects me to conform to. After all, you only get one life. I want to use mine wisely. I don't feel ready for those things yet. It may be more appealing to me in the future but right now the thought of it feels stifling and mundane. I think I'd rather continue on my tradition of following the road less traveled. I want to live without those things now so that I can focus my time and energy elsewhere. Right now, my heart's desire is to see more of the world, meet more people, hear more stories, climb more rocks, continue living simply, and try to remain unattached to material wealth, all the while growing closer to God and growing more into the woman He created me to be. Now, ask me in four months and everything could be completely different. All that is certain is that I will be walking with God. Ah, the beauty and mystery that come with surrendering your life to Christ.

Fun at Seoraksan

So we went to Seoraksan national park last weekend and it was a blast. We got to climb 2 and a quarter days in a row. The quarter counts because I did one climb on Sunday morning. It was a really fun climb so I count it. The first day was by far the best though. We did a multi-pitch route that I don't know the name of. It was very fun, a little bit scary, and a little bit hairy sometimes too (read: potential for long falls, climbing through trees, etc.). Here are some pictures to help describe our experience.
We got to the park on Friday morning, nervous that we wouldn't be able to camp, but still with enough hope that we carried a large styrofoam cooler up the 1 mile hike with us on the trail. We didn't really have a choice because it had all our dinner in it for the second night. Our friends Mark and Jenny had been there once before so we had no trouble finding the good camp site. And let me emphasize good because this ended up being the first time we have gone camping in Korea and not either been woken up by a late night train coming through at 5am or some shouting Koreans drunk on Soju nearby. This place was perfect. It was so dark at night that my eyes never adjusted to it. There was a stream of cold water running near that we used to keep things cool and to drink from (eventually when we ran out of water).
So once we unpacked on Friday and got setup to climb, we hiked up a hundred meters and were there. The weather was a crisp 75 degrees in the sun with a breeze. Perfect climbing weather. We got started late in the morning, going up 4 pitches to about 300+ feet/100 meters, topping out a few minutes behind our friends who had been on the climb next to us. The climbing itself had been amazing, all different styles, a mix of traditional style and sport bolts. This was fun because I don't usually climb much where I have to place gear. But there were 20-30 foot run outs between bolts, so it was necessary.
Rebs struggled a little bit with the height of it all, feeling very elevated and exposed while belaying on the rock. Before this time, we had only done up to 3 pitches of multi-pitch climbing, so this was a big step for her. But she managed to keep breathing and we made it to the top together. It was such an accomplishing feeling to have done it with her. It made me really proud of her. I told her that her "hot factor" went up that day because she became a serious multi-pitch climber.
We finished late in the afternoon, around 5pm, and headed down to our campsite. We were starving and dehydrated because we hadn't brought any water or food with us on the climb. So we snacked, then made a campfire (also our first in Korea) and had dinner. We had some great, sincere conversations around the fire for a couple hours, killing time until we decided it was late enough to go to bed. We were exhausted and I slept like a baby.
There's more, but that's enough of a story for now. So if you rock climb, and you ever make it to Korea, you should definitely consider climbing in Seoraksan.

Why I Need Climbing Right Now

The sport of rock climbing has been an integral part of my life since my Freshman year of college in 2001. I loved it from the beginning and became obsessed with it for some time, probably to the point of being annoying sometimes. I would talk about it passionately to strangers to try to get them into it as well. Climbing was also a pre-requisite for any potential future spouse while I was in college. I knew that if my wife didn't have the same passion for the thing I spent as much time as possible doing, there would be trouble. Rebs happens to love rock climbing.

But this entry isn't about my history of rock climbing. It's about how climbing has come back around in my life to provide a new sense of purpose for me. Being in Korea has become difficult at times in many ways. Being in a big, loud clty of 12 million, with no right of personal space can really start to bug anyone who wasn't raised in a big city. And the one thing in particular that has been getting to me is homesickness. I have found myself thinking about and spending excessive time planning what Rebs and I will be doing when we go home. For a while, I was daydreaming alot about what it would be like, who we'd talk to and what we'd talk about, what we'd eat -- basically all the things I have been missing. That only made me miss home even more and not really want to be in the situation I am in. In short, wishing for home was only making my present life suck.

This is where climbing comes in. Rebs and I have been privileged to find a climbing gym that is within a 15 minute walk from where we live. We usually train there twice a week, and then go out on real rock for the weekend. It has generally been our routine, but a few months ago, we started getting off track. Rebs started working ridiculous hours for summer camp, and I hurt my finger by jamming it into a kid in the dark in a haunted house. The owner of the gym, Mr. Cheung, who is a great motivator when I'm training in the gym, was also in Pakistan on an expedition during this time. So we started to slack off bit by bit. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I realized much of what I had gained over the winter and spring had gone away.

Two weeks ago, with the combination of homesickness and the realization of how unsatisfied I was with my climbing skills, I decided I needed to get back on track with climbing. I needed climbing to help take my mind off the things back home I've been missing. I need climbing to help lift my spirits, give me something to work towards, something that is pure and clean and good for me. I feel like climbing, in the right context, can be just that.

Last week, we went to Ganhyeon, the sport climbing crag of our choice thus far in Korea. It's relatively close and the climbing is all sport, from easy up to moderately difficult. I climbed poorly, which pushed me over the edge of mediocrity. I decided to go on a caffeine fast to help me in my training. If you didn't know, caffeine is toxic. If you had too much of it at once, it could kill you (though it would have to be alot). I didn't realize how many of my snacky foods had chocolate in them. So all last week, my diet changed drastically. And every time I craved coffee or chocolate or something similar, it reminded me why I was doing it, spurring me on to train hard. It kept me focused on my goal, which was to climb this 5.11d called "Honeymoon". I told myself that I wouldn't have any caffeine until I successfully redpointed (lead the climb without sitting or falling on the rope).

Well this weekend, Rebs and I went again to Ganhyeon. Today was our second day of climbing and I was determined to give "Honeymoon" my best. We warmed up early, before the sun hit the rock so it would still be cool. Rebs tried her problem first, but had to take a sit, so I took a turn on Honeymoon and I got it. It was a really ugly climb. Much of the way through, I was surprised that I was still holding on to the rock because my arms were so tired. I was constantly showing my "Elvis leg" as the Koreans call it, which is where your legs shake uncontrollably. But somehow I managed to get to the top. This is the hardest grade I have ever climbed. It's just so rewarding of a feeling when you accomplish a goal. And it's great at taking my mind off the difficult things in life. Here's a picture of me working on Honeymoon a few months ago.

Now... what are you working towards? What's your goal?

a random list of things

1. I haven't posted a blog in a really long time.
2. Dusty and I just watched the movie "Once". It was really good. We just downloaded the soundtrack too.
3. I'm starting to feel like myself again after several months of feeling like I was about to go crazy at any moment.
4. Work has slowed down a lot. Finally.
5. I'm getting lots of time to catch up on my sleep.
6. I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It's pretty good.
7. I've decided to wait to get my counselor's license until we come home permanently. I feel at peace with this decision.
8. We camped Friday night and climbed all day Saturday. It was fun.
9. I woke up with sore arms this morning.
10. I slept in while Dusty made eggs, blueberry waffles, and bacon. Then he woke me up and we ate together in bed. Yum!
11. Nowadays, I spend lots of my time reading, climbing, running, and hanging out with my favorite person (Dusty).
12. Yesterday, I was gently reminded that technically, we live in a war zone.
13. We saw about 10 military helicopters fly overhead, twice. Weird. You never know when the North will decide to attack. Kind of keeps me on my guard more than when I'm in the States.
14. I will be home the evening of October 30th. I can't wait!

That is all. Bye.

Happy Anniversary

Well, today is Rebs' and my 2nd year Anniversary. Happy Day! Last year we went climbing and camping at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch for 2 days and a night, then had a really nice stay in a hotel in Eureka Springs that's well over 100 years old, a view overlooking the city, and a jacuuzi to sit in while we watch.
This year, we'll be having a Korean Anniversary. I don't really know what that means, but it doesn't matter. We're still a team, no matter where we are. I think we'll be going to eat in Itaewon to whatever our appetites desire. I feel like getting some uninterrupted time alone is more precious here than anything else right now. It's pretty amazing how hard that can be to get sometimes.
I thought you all might enjoy celebrating a little bit with us. So here are a few pictures of us in our favorite moments since being married. Enjoy: