The Hanes Take California

Staying Updated...

2011-12-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from this Fall…

Thank you, Tess, for taking this lovely picture!

Evie is into wearing bows right now.

Loving the Christmas tree!

Vernal Falls in Yosemite

Family pic at the Vernal Falls bridge

Getting ready to rock Yosemite! Yeah!

Waiting for the Yosemite Valley shuttle.

Take me fishing, Daddy.

A trip to the pumpkin patch.

Evie liked rocks more than pumpkins. Oh well!

Letting Daddy pet the horse at the pumpkin patch.

And those were our adventures!

Around and About

2011-10-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

I mentioned previously that Michael was trying to decide whether there were job opportunities with the National Park Service that would also be conducive to having a family life, and the general consensus between the two of us was, "not now, and we need to make some money." So in one of the quicker big decisions that we've ever made, we decided to seize an opportunity that came our way and buy a small business. The story went this way:

As Michael was perusing job postings, he came across an ad that a pool cleaning business was for sale--13 pools, translating to 1-2 days of work per week, and the price was right. "You know," I said," That's not a bad deal. You work 1-2 days each week and bring in the same amount of money you made working 5 days a week, we cut our childcare costs, have the potential to grow it, and pay ourselves back in a year." Something to think about. Upon contacting the seller, we came to learn that it was our friend who owned a pool cleaning business, trying to get ride of a few contracts since he had so many. Our friend promised Michael he'd help him learn how to do the work, both the pool part of it, and the business part of it. Who could turn that down? We didn't! So we now own Pure Hydro Pool Service, and my husband the pool boy can come sweep your pool and clean your pump any time. Now, the contracts Michael bought haven't paid us yet--that's coming in about a month, so we'll see how this all shakes down, but so far, the start-up cost has been low, and I think it's far less dangerous than looking for crazy people on drugs out in the wilderness. But that's just me.

And Evie has been up to being her sweet self. I went to a giant consignment sale not long ago, and while I had left to just buy her some clothes, she became very attached to the toy in the picture below, so I bought it. I still feel super indulgent, but she continues to put in many hours and miles pounding the pavement with her little letter carrier, so I think the joy was worth my $7.50. Here she is pictured in her dad's hat, all business.

Summer Draws to a Close

2011-09-17T17:03:00.001-07:00

We had an interesting summer this year, as we found ourselves choosing to dive into a season of transition. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Michael quit his job at the Work Training Center here in Chico and set out in June to explore new options. When he took that job, we promised each other that it would not be a long-term solution for a number of reasons, namely that the wage was low and the work was excruciatingly boring. But life gets comfortable, and soon two years had gone by. Multiple job applications and rejections later (the unemployment rate in Chico hovers around 13% and close to 25% in surrounding areas), we decided to "just do it" and try something new. So National Park Ranger Academy became the theme of the summer, and although it was challenging, we are still contemplating the viability of such work for our family. It would require Michael to be away from us for days, weeks, or months at a time. It's dangerous work, too, and we're not really excited about that. So we are thinking about that kind of work as an option and looking at other, more local and less dangerous options as well. More on that later.

But after having been apart for the summer, we decided we needed some fun in our lives before we got down to business, so we went up to Anacortes for a week to get some cooler weather and refreshment...

I pushed us all to play tourist and get out on a ferry boat. We had amazing weather, and I got to capture this amazing image of Mount Baker hovering in a blanket of fog above Orcas Island.

Perhaps Evie should have been more impressed by the beauty. What a scowl. The best part about this ferry trip were the wild orca whales we saw from the ferry. Wow, what a show. The captain slowed waaay down so we could watch them swim, play, and jump in the water.

She did like the birds on the piling, though. She was pretty excited to watch them strut around and fight with each other.

Evie learned to walk this summer, toward the middle of July. Here she is practicing and enjoying herself immensely.

We took a day trip up to Mount Lassen on our 7th anniversary. There was so much snow! Our trip there last summer looked so much different just because there was virtually no snow at all. It was a wild and wet winter for Northern California, but the reservoirs are full for the first time in many years.

Here we are, posing in our nerdy hats in front of Broke-off Mountain!

Seven years of marriage--pretty cool!

Smokey the Who?

2011-07-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. We've either done something really dumb or really great.

I've had a lot of conversations with people lately about taking risks, which has perhaps helped me deal with the risk that our family recently took this summer. Generally, I prefer a quiet life in which I can enjoy my friends and family and have a reasonably good prediction of the near future. Why I prefer this type of life, I don't know, because I have rarely enjoyed such a luxury. Truth be told, do any of us truly get to enjoy such a luxury? I have learned in my teenage and adult years that when I am faced with a choice that presents itself as scary or unsettling, I should probably lean into that challenge and just do it. Those choices have typically resulted in being the most rewarding. What's the saying? With great risk comes great reward, I believe it is.

It so happens that I married a risk junkie, and that has probably been one of the best things for me. Because of him, I've:

climbed steep mountain peaks (he doesn't think this is a big deal--poo on him)
furthered my education
frolicked amongst 1.5-ton elephant seals
moved to a foreign country
stood up to old men in a foreign country
ridden a scooter in a foreign country
flown down a country highway in China at midnight to who-knows-where in a taxi driven by a crazy Chinese guy who was passing cars with oncoming traffic staring us in the face
eaten sushi, seaweed, jellyfish, and crab innards

So it should be no surprise to me that after several years of butting our heads against the job market, that we've decided to take another risk and side-step this lovely economy and hope to inject Michael into it another way. This summer, he is attending Ranger Academy to become a Law Enforcement Officer in our national parks. He quit his job and is spending the summer learning how to arrest people, shoot guns, take people down, and "employ tactical driving techniques," i.e. drive big trucks like they do on TV. Sounds like a fun summer camp for grown-ups, huh? We are hoping that despite the fact that he quit his job (gulp), this new set of skills will place him on a path that may allow him a career that moves somewhere and doesn't rot his brain. So far, even though we are spending the weekdays apart, he is feeling optimistic about his career for the first time in years and is really enjoying what he's learning. That's certainly something for a wife to be grateful for!

So pray for us; for Michael's ongoing safety and for the unfolding of the path ahead.

Here's a photo of Michael and Evie. They miss each other when they are apart but have a blast when they're back together. :-) Evie and I escaped the heat of Chico and met Michael in Marin for a weekend on the beach. It was so much fun. And speaking of Evelyn, I will proudly brag that she is standing by herself for long periods of time and threatening to walk sometime when we aren't looking.

Trip to Los Angeles

2011-06-24T20:48:00.001-07:00

Our Trip to Disneyland

When I anticipate thinking back on this trip in the years to come, I imagine that National Lampoon's Vacation will come to mind as they braved the harrowing obstacles they encountered on their cursed way to Wallyworld. Evie and I encountered our own obstacles as we joined my in-laws on a trip to Disneyland and Venice Beach. She and I drove down to Vacaville to ride with Michael's parents on our drive down there. I had the joy of cleaning poop (not mine!) out of our car about 10 minutes into our trip. Then I did it again the next day. Then the day after that, all of Michael's family fell sick, and as they rolled in bed moaning on Friday night, it was up to Evie and me to make our own fun. We were good for a couple of hours before I began to go nuts.

However, we did make it to Disneyland, as well as to the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica. The majority of the trip was great fun, but upset stomachs, vomit, and poor appetites peppered our trip throughout. My brother-in-law and I bonded in a new way when I pulled the car over for him on the busy L.A. I-5 freeway to allow him to hurl out the side of the car.

Here are pictures from the true beginning of our trip (at least in my book). We all went to Disneyland together on Sunday, 3 days into our vacation.

Her classic expression of excitement: "Yaaaay!" as she observed all the kids milling around.

Not sure what she thought of the carousel. She didn't end up liking it very much.

Evie loved her great-uncle, Jimmy. It was the second time she had met him, but she went right to him and wanted him to hold her. He works for Disneyland on the "It's a Small World" ride. He really gave us the hook up; we didn't have to wait in line at all, all day. Thank you, thank you!

The adults also had fun in Disneyland. Here we were in a very (!!) short line for the haunted mansion.

Grandpa Jack became Evie's new buddy. I did not have to hold her much during our trip because she always asked for him. :-)

Evie's ready to go swimming after our first day at Disneyland, a few hours before the vomit hit the toilet.

Evie and I on some caterpillar ride. We were both bored on that one.

Our hotel must have gotten their cribs on discount from Eastern Europe. Very glad I brought my own blankets for her. I always lean toward bringing less gear, but I think I'm gradually learning the bringing your own crib is just better all around. No judgment, please!

More photos to come, as things begin to look up for National Hanes Summer Vacation.

1st Birthday!

2011-06-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

We had a 1st birthday celebration for Evie at our house. The weather couldn't have been more perfect; 75 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze. We barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs, enjoyed our friends, and celebrated our first year with Evie.

Evie got to have a banana bread cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Since bananas are hands-down her favorite food, I thought this was a healthy and appropriate first cake for her.

Everyone else got devils food cupcakes with chocolate sour cream frosting. Yum!

Evie likes to be in the middle of anything involving food, and we discovered it was a little tricky keeping her feet out of the candle flame. Quick song, blow out the candle, get on with the eating part.

"Come on, guys! I could totally eat that spread! One little cupcake is nothing. Keep it coming!"

Happy birthday, my sweet, friendly, enthusiastic, outgoing baby. We definitely think you are a wonderful addition to our lives. We're grateful that God chose you for us (and the rest of the world) out of all the possibilities.

10 Months, 11 Months...

2011-06-05T20:33:00.001-07:00

Evelyn is growing fast; in fact she just turned one in real time. But I have not uploaded those photos, and there is a birthday party coming up, so I will save all those photos for another blog entry. To risk being incredibly cliche, it is amazing how fast Evie has grown, and how delightful it has been to have her in our lives. This little girl has a personality that is larger than life, and it's actually very hard to catch her in the camera because she is always moving and always talking, which makes for blurry pictures.

Here are some reasons why we love her:

She loves to wave her arms in the air and say, "Yaaaay!"
She loves to snuggle, as much as possible.
She is friendly, and there are only about 2 people she doesn't really seem to like…sorry Mr. Chiropractor…
She sleeps through the night now.
She knows what she wants and has figured out how to ask for it; lots of signing and pointing.
She dances to music whenever it comes on.
She smiles and laughs, loves to play games, and is generally loving, fun-loving, and people-loving.
She likes to ride on your shoulders, and she NEVER holds on. Never. She prefers to wave her arms in the air and bounce up and down.

Eyes that melt into black liquid, begging you to love her. More. Now.

First Easter. I didn't actually think she'd be able to tear the wrappers off the candy that the Easter obviously brought for Eryn and Michael.

I'm going to brag a little; I carried Evie 6 out of our 10-mile hike. I was very sore the next day. She's not that light.

A wild time at Stinson Beach. Evie just LOVED the wind.

Recent Projects

2011-04-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

One year for Christmas, my mom presented me with a knitting basket and needles, announcing that we were going to learn (at least I was--she was going to relearn) to knit. I felt a bit dubious about this idea but over the years have come to love knitting. I find it relaxing and satisfying. My friend knit an absolutely scrumptious sweater for Evie last year, and I decided that my fall project would be to knit the same sweater for my friend's baby, due in February. I was very proud of my handiwork and now have the confidence to tackle the more daunting task of knitting myself a sweater.

Here is the "Duck Soup" sweater pattern manifesting itself for yet another sweet baby:

I also had to learn to crochet so I could make that little flower. When I chose the yarn, I could not find a decent color in the yarn I wanted, so I went with this great blue color. But my friend had a girl, so the sweater needed a little feminine touch.

Being a Good Baby

2011-04-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

It's been with a grain of salt that I've fielded the many questions asked my about my baby's development. Actually, it's only ever been two questions, which I imagine most parents hear when they have an infant:

Is she walking yet?

How does she sleep? (as in, does she sleep through the night?)

When my infant was younger, both those questions were so laughable that that's exactly what I did! But the older my baby gets, the more appropriate to her development these questions become, and now the right answers (yes to both) seem almost reflective of my parenting skills. I was lamenting to my sister about a couple we met at church who said that they had successfully employed the "cry it out" method to get their 6-month-old son to sleep through the night in his crib. They both looked so bright-eyed and alert that I knew it had to be true. My sister wisely offered the perspective that they were probably either lying or exaggerating. I love her.

But truly, it has been so interesting to see the looks on people's faces when I admit to them that I've let my baby sleep in my bed with me as a means to get more sleep. The majority of the time, reactions seem to register on a Likhert scale of 1. (pity--for being so indulgent) to 5. (horror--we're going to roll over her and kill her accidentally). I've always had to remind people that sleeping with your young baby can be far more practical than marching down the hallway two or three times a night, thus becoming much more awake and getting even less sleep.

My real question is this: Why is it that a baby's ability to sleep through the night in his or her own crib is the hallmark, the pinnacle, the zenith of being a good baby and a good parent?

Here is some perspective for you. I work with families who have children with autism. Here are some things their babies and young children often do not do:

make prolonged, purposeful, intentional eye contact
engage in back-and-forth social exchanges, such as smile games, peek-a-boo, bang-bang on the table
snuggle up to mommy's face and stare into her eyes for long periods of time
intentionally babble at mommy or daddy
look for their parents in a large room
demand to be given attention constantly
show stuff to their parents

(Massive disclaimer--your child does not have autism if he or she does not do one or all of these things some of the time. Consider it a point of concern if all of these problems exist together over time…)

I am simply grateful to have a healthy, robust baby who does

all the above things and much, much more. She is the favorite at the church nursery because she spends the whole hour laughing at all the other babies. She can take over an entire room with her larger than life personality. She laughs with us and at us and is so fun to be around. Now, I can teach her to sleep in her own crib (actually, we're already there, for the most part). I can be patient while she learns to sleep through the night. But she's already a great baby, and it's not because she sleeps well. I would be quite heartbroken to see her lack in the areas above. I have happily sacrificed my sleep, knowing that my daughter is ridiculously social. I am far happier to see how social and well-developing she is than to be able to brag that I am well-rested.

So, no. She doesn't consistently sleep through the night. This is developmentally appropriate.

And, no. She doesn't walk yet. She's only 10 months old. Also developmentally appropriate.

She awesome anyway! And her mom and dad are raising her well!

Nine Months

2011-03-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Evie has been busy in her ninth month! She can crawl, pull herself up, fall off of things (she has no respect for heights), say mama and dada if she cares, wave, and has enjoyed her first cold and ear infection. She loves to follow her mama around the house, unload things, scatter things, bang things, and sing. She is always ready with a smile, and is generally very fun. It's my opinion that she is an adrenaline junkie like her dad, but time will tell…

She's also quite beautiful, as you can see:

"Where are my bananas?"

Just to set the record straight that she is not ALWAYS happy.

But she is often happy.

Sweet thing.

It's only just begun!

What Have You Been Doing, Evie?

2011-03-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

Evie was entertaining herself while I was doing my hair:

I really don't think she felt bad. This is called drama-queen.

That's more like it. Be proud of your accomplishments, honey.

Things other than Baby Evie

2011-03-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

Although Evie is a lovely and vibrant part of our lives, we have been up to other things lately. We do try to maintain a balanced life!

In work…

I enjoy my job a lot. I work for a non-profit company that serves families with children with developmental delays. My particular focus is kids on the Autism Spectrum, ages 3-5. I began managing this program a year and a half ago, first by overseeing social playgroups for these kids. We provided and staffed groups of 3-6 kids, all with autism, which provided structured play and social opportunities for them. The kids can encounter other children in a structured, predictable environment while staff help them to work on their particular challenges in having autism. 6 months ago, when I returned to work, we expanded this service to going in-home. As in, we now have a person who visits the family and works with the family and the child to make their own particular family life more accessible to their child. We help the child with autism play with a sibling, eat at the table, help with chores, etc… This has been very challenging and exciting to organize and supervise, and I'm having a blast. God has really provided an amazing job for me that challenges me and allows me to still take care of Evie for a large portion of the day.

Michael is still working with adults with disabilities, helping them to find real employment opportunities in the community. Although this is a noble job, he continues to seek work that is more interesting to him. Currently he's going through a long (although almost finished) application process for the State Parks, in hopes of becoming a CA State Park Ranger. The odds are really stacked (when have job opportunities ever been easy in our adult lives?--never!!), but we're hopeful--yet still preparing to think about something else for him if this doesn't work out. A living wage would be a good start.

In home…

We've been hosting a Korean exchange student this winter. He's been here about 6 weeks and may or may not stay on with us for another 6. He's been pretty pleasant to have around, and the whole endeavor has also provided us with extra cash, something that's always helpful!

We also (when I say we, I mean mostly Michael) undertook the re-flooring of the kitchen and entryway. This has been a MAJOR process, which began in September and concluded in January. Basically, he ripped up the old floor, laid a new subfloor, and then tiled the whole thing. Not easy. We now understand why tiling is expensive--it's not the materials, it's the labor. Cha-ching! However, it looks great and is a big improvement from yellow vinyl flooring and fake stone in the entryway. Here are some pics, although I'll post the finished product in a later posting. I know--how cruel!

Laying the hardibacker (cement board)--very heavy stuff!

mortar it down, then nail it down…

Laying out the tile on top of the hardibacker…

Entryway, experiencing new freedom from nasty black and white fake stone.

Evie, participating in the sanding of the grout, so we could clean it and seal it…then done! At long last!

I am also enjoying participating in our church choir, which performs every Sunday, as well as does a couple of special performances throughout the year. Michael has been doing a little fishing and snowboarding, and may be launching a new project with some friends that involves a cow. We'll see. More on that later.

And Evie? She comes along for the ride, and since she can crawl and pull herself up now, we're trying to stay one step ahead of any potential near-death experiences for her. Whew! Good stuff…God stuff!

Cutie Pie

2011-03-02T20:30:00.000-08:00

Evie gets around. She's about 6 -7 months old in these pictures.

Evie with Grandpa Joe for his birthday. We went to Aunt Jeannie's house in Santa Rosa. She is 7.5 months old and he is 91.

He loves her very much.

Evie and Uncle Greg at Upper Bidwell Park in Chico. She's his buddy.

(7.5 months)

Evie and Daddy (January '11)

Daddy and Evie tiling the floor together.

(6.5 months)

Miss Evelyn is doing a lot these days; it's a bit hard to keep track of it all, but I need to write all this down somewhere.

-constant babbling, squealing, screaming, yelling, laughing

-very intentional yelling at her mother

-eats solid food (broccoli is a new favorite)

-plays with toys

-likes to read a book with Mama or Daddy

-crawling as of 3/2

-loves people games like peek-a-boo and catch

-is generally quite wonderful!

The Baby Gourmet

2011-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

I decided before I had children that I would make my own baby food--really, it's just mashing up the good food that those of us with teeth are enjoying. But I'm finding it to be fun and fulfilling, knowing that I'm giving my baby wholesome, healthy, and fresh food, just like I like to eat!

Some of my favorite recipes/combinations so far have been:

-bananas with…

avocado, homemade no-sugar applesauce, or carrots

-applesauce and carrots

-chicken broth with carrots

-potatoes, spinach, carrots, and broth

-yams and butter

-egg yolk with sea salt

And one of Evie's favorite (but not too frequent) treats is pizza sauce! Go figure...

I've followed some recommendations to delay introducing grains, legumes, honey, and dairy until she is at least one year old, but in the meantime, food has been fun and tasty! She is a Hanes through and through and loves her food!

Oh wait, that's cardboard. Well, she likes that, too.

Highlights of Fall--Thanksgiving

2011-01-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Anacortes this year--a trip we were very excited for. The weather was pretty crazy this year--snow, sunshine, rain…all in 8 days! Michael and I tried to keep our visit relaxed while still getting around to see our friends and family.

Any visit to Anacortes warrants a trip to Rosario Beach.

Eryn and Baby Evie on Rosario Head.

Nana and Grandpa on a walk to Heart Lake.

note: my mom has had that sweatshirt for at least 15 years.

Evie loves dogs. She giggled at Tristan's dog Dakota for about 30 minutes. Dakota was very gracious and gentle as she allowed Evie to pet her ears and pull her hair. Dakota is just a bit smaller than an elephant, and I was very impressed with how well Tristan has raised her. There's not many people's dogs I would trust with a little baby, but Tristan is one of them.

Daddy showing Evie one of his favorite spots in Anacortes.

Just Because She's Cute

2010-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

I started back to work the middle of August and have been frightfully distracted with managing my time and sanity between work and family. As you may have noticed, the volume of pictures has gone down significantly. But I have not abandoned the photos altogether, so it's just a matter of getting caught up!

Fairly unconcerned that I set her in her chair on the front porch while her dad and

I did yard work.

Seriously, I am one chill baby.

Chillin' on the front porch wears me out.

Who can resist my cuteness?

(Evie, right around her 3-month mark…)

Our National Park Next Door

2010-10-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park is a mere

1.5 hours from Chico (which is an average distance for anything of interest outside of Chico). We were experiencing the itch to get out of town and opted for a place that was yet unexplored by us. What a great find! Mount Lassen is not heavily trafficked, and the scenery is really interesting. Take a look…

Lassen Peak

Lassen Nat'l Park, looking east.

Mount Tehama, now known as Broke-off Mountain.

A ja-zillion years ago, Mount Tehama blew its top off and scattered volcanic rock all over Northern California. Anywhere you go in the Chico area, you can see evidence of this ancient event. Broke-off Mountain is now a great hike (on my list) and is said to provide great views.

The focus of our trip was the Bumpass Hell trail, which led down to a concentration of fumaroles (holes in the volcanic landscape from which gas and vapor escape). A boardwalk allowed us to walk amongst the bubbling pools of mud, while sulfur seared our nostrils.

Evie is enjoying a little break from the Ergo.

Steam and mud; a little too hot for swimming.

We highly recommend a trip to this National Park, and we'd be quite happy to be your novice tour guides the next time you come to visit our area.

Half Dome

2010-09-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

I encouraged Michael to mark his 30th year with something he's always wanted to do: hike Half Dome in Yosemite. It was a little bit more difficult to coordinate this trip than either of us had anticipated…the National Park is now limiting the number of people who can go up to the top of the face to 300 per day, which means that each climber needs to purchase a ticket. Way back in April when we started looking, the first available tickets were for August 6th. I suppose I have to appreciate them wanting to keep hoards of people off of a 3000-ft. precipice, but a 4-month delay was pretty crazy! We also learned that if a person wants to stay overnight in the Yosemite area during the high season, whether it be in a campsite or in a hotel, it is impossible. So, we had some coordination to make happen. Michael's climbing team were his sister, dad, and friend Matt. They all left at 3:00 a.m. in order to drive into the park and be on the trail by 6:00 a.m. A grueling 15 hours later, they were finished. I watched them limp back in the house at 11:00 p.m. Long day though it was, the experience was pretty spectacular, and the photos were the proof.

Beginning of the trek; I'm seeing lots of energy here!

Good to know.

What did he get himself into?

The ants going up the side of that rock are people.

Views from the top…

This is how they got up and down the dome.

I (Eryn) had really wanted to go on this hike, but didn't think I was up to it this summer. Now I'm not sure if I'm up to it at all, after looking at these pictures. Well, you know what they say, "never say never."

Summer Highlights

2010-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

We've had a pretty fun summer; not only because we had a baby. In August, we traveled down to Modesto for a double-hitter: Michael's assent of Half Dome in Yosemite and the celebration of my 30th birthday. Here I am getting ready to blow out my candles--instead of 30 candles, they are in the formation of the number 30; easier on the smoke alarm, I suppose. It was a really fun day; all the Half Dome hikers were kind of sore and subdued, but we all enjoyed cooling off in the pool and grilling hamburgers.

This must have been a somewhat cool part of the morning, since Evie is wearing pants and socks. She is looking miserable because I put a hat on her.

Fast forward. Evie is 12 weeks old in this picture and is beginning to discover the world around her. We discovered something wonderful; toys will occupy her for a minute or two. There is a lot one can accomplish in a minute or two:

-a couple bites of a meal

-a trip to the bathroom

-getting dressed or blow-drying hair

-switching out the laundry

-stretching out the neck and shoulder muscles

Here she is staring at and talking to her toy; deep concentration is happening here.

"Not sure what I think about the laundry basket…"

Here are some of Evie's milestones we have been noticing as she finishes out month #3…

-increase in the variety of sounds she vocalizes: deep gurgles and rumbles all the way to high-pitched squeals

-conversations with whoever wants to talk baby talk with her

-imitation of the sounds that her conversation partner is making

-lots of smiling, especially at Daddy, who is currently her new love interest

-discovery of her hands; she stares at them intensely, somewhat surprised that they have appeared in front of her face

-discovery of her feet; she hasn't figured out how to grab them yet, but she stares hard, as though wondering what those things do

-new interest in novel objects

-ability to track people and objects with her signature gaze

-height and weight! At 2 months, she was 11 pounds, 6 ounces and 23.75". I KNOW she's grown since then.

Made in Chico; I love it.

2010-07-20T06:48:00.003-07:00

This is a lovely product that I was given by Michael's co-workers. Known as the Moby Wrap, I might also term it the Baby Whisperer. Most times, I can put Evie into this when she is restless, or even screaming, and she will calm down quickly and go to sleep. Her first nap of the day is usually taken in the Moby while I do things like eat, make the bed, clean up after myself, or other basic life functions. It is awesome, and I recommend this product to anyone getting ready to have a baby. When the baby gets older, you can tie him or her to your hip, back, or they can face forward in front--up to 35 pounds! They're not even paying me to say this!

Just seconds earlier, she was crying and carrying on. Now she is about to fall asleep. Amazing.

And now we can move on with our day. ...It's like being pregnant all over again, except now I can use my stomach muscles.

Happy 6th Anniversary to Us!

2010-07-20T06:16:00.007-07:00

Evie turned six weeks old last Thursday. Thankfully, I am finding that the time is not rushing by like a freight train; we are enjoying how the weeks meander along. I am trying to take advantage of all the time, since I will have to return to work in August and will have to endure a few hours away from her at a time. Tell me, how could anyone want to leave that sweet face behind, even for a few short (or long) hours each day?

Just to be clear, in this photo Evie is not sitting unassisted. However, she is supporting her own head.

At six weeks old, Evie:

-smiles at mom and dad a lot

-makes lots of intentional and unintentional coos and vocalizations

-picks out mom's voice when she hears it and turns her head to search me out

-can be calmed when she hears mom's voice

-loves to sit on our laps and make faces and noises at us

-likes to make bubbles, whether she means to or not

It was our 6th anniversary last weekend, so we celebrated by escaping the heat of Chico and heading out to Mendocino for a weekend in Fort Bragg. Note that I am wearing jeans and a fleece; it was deliciously cool, and the air was fresh, clean, and full of oxygen! We are about to take Evie on her first "hike," in Van Damme State Park, although I am really not up to hiking yet. It was a level walk through the woods. ;-)

We actually had to put clothes on her.

Saturday was foggy, but we were not complaining. I haven't seen an overcast day since the day Evie was born. We enjoyed our little hike, sat at the beach for a bit, had lunch, and went back to our B&B for a nap. Then out to dinner at a restaurant that served great food! Michael enjoyed a really great beer (I took a sip or two) that was brewed in Anderson Valley, CA--I recommend their beer! Our food was all organic, local, and delicious, and the baby did not fuss much. The train in the picture is one of Fort Bragg's main attractions, the Skunk Train, which takes passengers on a 3-hour tour through the redwood forests. We didn't embark on that journey; we just took our hike through the redwoods instead.

This picture needs no explanation.

Evie's first ocean sighting. She is very excited, can't you see?

Happy 6th anniversary to us! A weekend away was a great way to celebrate!

Official Welcome to the Hanes Family

2010-06-30T11:20:00.003-07:00

Michael's mom and sister put together a beautiful baby shower for Evie last weekend. I was a little worried that Evie would cry and fuss throughout her party, but she exceeded my expectations and received her admirers with grace and poise. We really appreciated all the effort that Helen and Julie put into this shower; we had a great time and felt very honored.

She'll probably kill me for posting this picture, but I think it captures the essence of Cristina; she's even got camera in hand!

Uncle Greg and Auntie Julie, as they have been newly named.

Some long-time friends of the Hanes family came; pictured here are Dell and Jerry.

Other long-time friends: Ron's arm, Yvonne, and Neil talking with Grandma.

Half of the food table!

Yummy cake!

Evie receiving her first red envelopes. She loves having Great-Grandma Joe hold her.

If I'd thought to get Michael in here, we would have had 4 generations! Evie is pictured with Great-Grandpa and Grandma Joe and Grandma Hanes.

Pretty ladies--Julie and Cristina.

Thanks again, family and friends! What a lovely shower!

One Very Busy Month!

2010-06-30T10:45:00.006-07:00

Aside from having a baby (no big deal), we've been very busy here! We've had lots of visitors, which has been really fun. Now we are getting to figure out our new pattern of life with a little baby in our midst. It's fun, and we're not even too tired… (yawn). Here are a few of the people who came to visit.

Grandpa Alan came to visit. Evie allows many people to hold her with very little protest.

She will be 4 weeks old tomorrow, but she has been practicing holding her head up for 3 weeks. She moves a lot, too, hence the blurry picture.

Who are you looking at?

…Jennie! Our very special friends whom we met in S. Korea came to see us during their trip through California. Such a special visit. We thank them for driving from L.A. to Chico just to see us. Eryn had a little cry when they left (not to mention that she is still a little cracked out on hormones…)

We dubbed Ernie the Baby Whisperer, since Evie was always very content to be held by him--no fussing! (p.s. I don't know why this text is underlined; blogger-style, I can't fix it.)

All those visitors wore them out.

A few things Evie has learned to do in month 1:

-make cooing noises

-hold her head up

-suck her thumb

-roll from her back to her side, as well as from her side to her back

-sleep 4-5.5 hours at a stretch at night

-look around at everything

-some smiles

-stare at people with great intent

There! Now I've written it down in at least one place!

Welcome baby Evie!

2010-06-09T13:44:00.005-07:00

Evelyn "Evie" Claire Hanes

Born June 3rd

20.5 inches long, 9.5 pounds

Just a few seconds old.

There's the proof: 9.5 pounds, 27 hours of labor, 1 awesome epidural.

She likes to stare us down...

…and suck her thumb, all in just a few days of life.

Looking forward to many more days to come!

Baby Room--Just One Thing Missing

2010-05-12T09:35:00.004-07:00

After quite a bit of assembly and painting, the baby room is complete, for the most part. As I come across art, pictures, and a better direction for gender, this will become a bit more personalized, but for now, I am quite pleased.

My sister made the crib bumper for me--one more reason why she is awesome.

Dresser that I repainted--it went from faded pink to white and I updated the knobs.

This quilt used to be mine when I was a baby--I pulled it out of a box and it's in great condition. Kind of fun to bring it out for a second round.

Anyway, Baby is due anytime, and we are ready! Woo-hoo!

A New Adventure in Butte County

2010-05-12T08:57:00.004-07:00

All I've been hearing about this spring is Table Mountain, Table Mountain, Table Mountain, so I set my mind to visiting this place before what it is most famous for this time of year--wildflowers--disappeared. Table Mountain is a very large mesa that sits just south of Chico. The landscape here is really interesting because it is dotted with buttes (hence the name Butte County) that soon turn into the Sierra Nevada foothills. Table Mountain rises up in the middle of all these smaller buttes and is quite impressive. It turned out to be a fun little afternoon jaunt. For the sake of photography, I wish we'd gone a few hours later--maybe right before sunset--but I hope you will enjoy the photos anyway.

We got to walk right in amongst the cows. I think they're used to having lots of people up there. There were quite a few people picnicking, strolling, and flying kites.

And this is me--well, my shadow. I saw a picture of my very slim self from last summer and and am really looking forward to returning to that territory...

Last Sights of the Ocean for Awhile

2010-05-12T08:32:00.005-07:00

Several weeks ago, we took a drive out to the coast at my insistence. Despite the funky B&B we stayed at, it was a great trip, full of great food, walking on the beach, seeing the redwoods, and breathing some of that excellent coastal air.

We landed ourselves in Muir Woods National Forest during National Park week, which meant we got in for free. Yeah! If only we'd been going to Yosemite, we would have saved $20. Not that I'm complaining; I had never been to Muir Woods, and the trees did not disappoint.

Light filtering through the trees. The weather was perfect--mid 70's with a gentle breeze.

Only the fanciest of cameras can attempt to do these trees any justice. Mine cannot.

Michael, giving us a little perspective; although he might say he skews the results, as he is so huge himself. ;-)

From Muir Woods, we headed to our destination: Stinson Beach, which requires a somewhat harrowing drive along Hwy 1. The view is amazing at all times.

This is how I spent my afternoon.

What makes Stinson Beach so great is that it is a very long stretch of uninterrupted sandy beach. I wouldn't really give their accommodations or restaurants any rave reviews, but it is such a fun beach to play at, and it's not far from great hiking and views on Mount Tamalpais or a trip into San Francisco. We did neither of those things, but you can. I told Michael that all I wanted to do was chill at the ocean and stay in a place that was a short walk from the ocean. So that's what we did. And it was great.

Everyone's Favorite: Personal Anecdotes

2010-05-05T07:31:00.004-07:00

I am a fan of any good story. As someone who has always listed reading as one of my top three hobbies, I really enjoy a well-told, well-placed story; fact or fiction, personal or general. BUT, as I have previously mentioned, pregnancy seems to invite those whose social intelligence has never formed or has been stripped away, which inevitably leads to a story that is not well-told nor well-placed, and is, quite unfortunately, personal in the worst way. After one of these assaults on her day, the poor pregnant woman is left hanging on to her scruples by a thin thread after having been lambasted by a cascade of unsolicited personal information supplied by the story teller, who is often a complete or nearly complete stranger. And lest I fail to mention the crux of many of these personal anecdotes, they often center on a physical experience. Allow me to share some of the "best" ones…oh how I wish I could award prizes to these people, but I don't really want to encourage the behavior.

Get ready. If at any time, you need to take a break and go rip out your eyeballs, that's okay; I understand.

Ahem.

From one of the moms of my kiddo-clients:

"I thought pregnancy was WONDERFUL. (Eyes roll back in her head) All my senses were heightened SO MUCH (uh-oh). I loved food--couldn't get enough! And I was SO horny! Wow! (long pause) …Anyway, really, I just loved being pregnant! I hope you're enjoying yourself, too."

From a new friend:

"Just make sure you're wearing close-toed shoes in the delivery room…yeah, that was gross."

From a co-worker:

"I was so huge at the end it was unbelievable. I had this weird tumor on one side of my abdomen (rule of thumb: just don't tell people about your weird tumors unless you're SURE they want to know), the baby was on the other side, and I was so BLOATED I literally got stuck on the couch one day and couldn't get out of it."

From the random lady at the post office (this one gets first prize in my book):

Let me preface this scene: I was buying some stamps, and since it had been a bit warm lately, my fingers were a bit too water-logged to fit my wedding ring that day, so I was wearing it around my neck. The postal worker noticed and proceeded thusly…

"Oh honey, are your fingers swollen?" (Red flags are shooting up everywhere--this conversation needs to get shut down!)

"Oh, just a little bit," I responded in an uninterested fashion. I'm hoping my lack of eye contact will send her in a socially appropriate direction.

"Well, when I was pregnant (oh crap, here we go…), EVERYTHING was swollen!"

"Hm," I said, rummaging through my purse, still avoiding eye contact, making signs to leave.

"Even," and here she leans in, lowering her voice to a loud, conspiratorial whisper, "Even my vagina!"

At this point, I said something vaguely polite and about-faced, leaving that wretched woman's presence as quickly as I could. I knew that it was futile to try and rip off my ears because the story had been seared immediately into my long-term memory, and the only way to be relieved from the experience would be to have a brain transplant. So now, I'm just sharing the story with everyone. It's therapy, really.

So what is the lesson in all of this? I'm sure you will glean some personal lessons of your own, but if I may impose these thoughts on you:

1. Don't assume that everyone wants to hear your story. Choose your audience WISELY.

2. Unless you already know you are in a safe place, avoid stories that involve bodily functions.

3. Use your story to build someone up, which does not usually mean telling your own worst experience to help that person feel better.

And those stories and more have been part of the humorous and unforgettable side of this pregnancy, certainly leaving an indelible mark on my life story.

The Journey Continues: The Guarantees of Parenthood, Brought to you by the Experts

2010-04-28T14:34:00.004-07:00

One of my favorite comments that I have received en force has been the one that begins with, "just wait until…" usually followed with some kind of eye roll, a shrill cackle, and a scenario that no one in her right mind would look forward to.

The conversation usually begins with me saying something pleasant about my life which I am currently enjoying, such as, "It was so nice to take a walk in the lovely weather we had yesterday," to which the experienced parent who is listening replies, "Just wait! You'll never have one of those again after you have that baby!"

"How did we accumulate so much laundry after having been gone for only two days?"

--Just wait! You'll die under your piles of laundry after that baby comes!

--That was a great dinner; did you make everything yourself?

"Yes, I did, thanks!"

--Just wait! You'll only eat out of boxes after you have that baby! Kids don't eat anything, and you won't have time to cook anyway!

There is also the "You'll Never Do That Again After that Baby Comes" or "That'll Be You Soon!" comments that need little to no "pleasant comment set-up" from naive little me.

--Go out to dinner a couple more times because YOU'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN AFTER THAT BABY COMES!

--Enjoy that iced tea because YOU'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN AFTER THAT BABY COMES!

--Yeah, brush your hair now while you can because YOU'LL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN AFTER THAT BABY COMES!

and

--See that screaming kid over there? Ha, ha! THAT'LL BE YOU SOON!!!

--See that kid telling his mom "no"? Ha, ha! THAT'LL BE YOU SOON!

--See that little girl blowing her diaper out in the middle of the grocery store? Ha, ha! THAT'LL BE YOU SOON!

I started telling people that I would begin charging money for such comments so I could go out to coffee, or more likely, with the high volume of commentary, one of those nice dinners I'll never get to enjoy again after THAT BABY comes. Funny how the comments began to fade away.

At any rate, while the forewarnings have been informative, may everyone note that they have been being stored in the large vault of Black Hole so that I can be free to figure out what I will "just wait" for, never do again, and what "I will be soon" on my own. Think back to middle school here, people: you need a Positive Mental Attitude and you should Say Nice Things to Other People.

Positive twists would not be hard to put on these statements. Try these out for size:

"Just wait! It is so cool when your baby smiles at you."

You know that agonizingly quiet evening you had the other night when you just wished you had someone to do something fun with? You'll never do that again after that baby comes--you'll always have a great little companion with you!

See that lady holding that little kid in her lap while he plays with her hair? That'll be you soon!

See? That's much better!

3 Weeks to Go--Reflections on the Journey

2010-04-26T08:18:00.004-07:00

Life changes, important stages, and rites of passage can be a very exciting time in the human journey. The fun part about them is that, although these episodes are specific to individuals, they often involve a host of excited and interested supporting actors and extras who truly make the experience unforgettable. Graduations, novel trips, and my wedding all held these essential elements in common, and pregnancy is proving to be true as well. In fact, it may even take the cake.

Before I go on, I do not wish the reader to think that I haven't enjoyed the experience of being pregnant or have resented it in any way. However, like with all things that are utterly indescribable until experienced, it has been a time of excitement, anticipation, confusion, exasperation, discomfort, and great outpourings of love. Quite the mix of emotion and experience!

That being said, let's get to the fun stuff. I have found that babies, without a doubt, break down social barriers that exist between people. Likewise, pregnancy seems to break down social filters and basic etiquette with equal force. There seems to be a code that makes it okay to ask questions of pregnant women that a socially conscious person on the most basic level would NEVER ask someone in any other condition. I have been entertained and often in a state of consternation at the questions I commonly get that are completely devoid of social convention. Here are a few "gems" that I have received:

-Wow, you look great! (so far, so good) How much weight have you gained?

-Are you taking care of your teeth?

-Do you have any food cravings? If so, what?

-You don't have any cravings? That's so strange!

-Have you gotten hemorrhoids?

-Are your feet all swollen yet?

-Have you been constipated?

-What about indigestion? I hated that!

-What's your blood pressure these days?

Can you imagine if you asked these questions of someone at a class reunion or dinner party--perhaps of a person who had undergone significant physical changes? I hope we would all agree that such a barrage of inquiry would be considered rude. Yet, when asked of the pregnant woman, a cluster of people gather around the unfortunate mother in rapt attention, anxious to hear her responses. And believe me, it does not go over that well when the question is returned to the person who posed it. In fact, it is met with a large degree of confusion. You can see the wheels turning in the socially-challenged person's head: Why on earth would she be asking me about swollen feet? Of course my feet aren't swollen! ...Sigh.

Then there are other comments that I've categorized thusly:

-Death Threats

-"Just Waits"

-Personal Anecdotes

Death Threats are those comments that are meant to warn the pregnant mother against certain foods, behaviors, and exposures that may endanger herself or her baby. They are, without a doubt, well-intentioned, but when compounded into an eight- or nine-month period of time they can become a bit over the top. And I would imagine that they do not end with pregnancy. For example:

-Don't lift that! You'll hurt yourself! (object in question cannot possibly weigh more than 5 pounds)

-Have you heard that eating _______ can cause you to go into early labor? (usually you are chewing on the item in question)

-You aren't gardening, are you? You can get toxemia from cat poop!

-You know that there are some pressure points that can cause you to go into early labor, don't you? (yes, but if you don't mind, just rub a little harder under my shoulder blade…ahhh yes, that's the ticket.)

And my personal favorite, since my blood sugar has been slightly elevated from time to time during the last 4 weeks:

-Well, you know that women who have high blood sugar during pregnancy have a 60% higher chance of developing Type II Diabetes within the next 5-8 years, especially considering your family history. (my weight has never fluctuated more than 10 pounds in 10 years, I'm active, eat well, and have absolutely NO diabetes in my family.)

Basically, the Death Threats all seem to boil down to: If you do such and such, you'll kill yourself and your baby. So just go lay on the couch! And don't gain too much weight! And don't eat that! And don't touch that! Be CAREFUL!!!

In further installments, I'll cover "Just Waits" and Personal Anecdotes, but right now, my garden, basically full of cat poop, calls to me. Thus, I must drag my swollen-footed, gingivitis-ridden, PICA-plagued body out there and dead-head my flowers and plant some veggies. May you and I both live to see another day! By the way, how is your diarrhea these days?

Happy 30th, Michael!

2010-04-02T20:15:00.008-07:00

It's hard to surprise Michael, but we managed to pull it off by having his family come up for the weekend. He was pretty sure that none of them really cared that much about it being his 30th birthday, but when we walked into the pub and they were all there, he was pretty excited.

Sierra Nevada Brewing company even gave him a free brownie…

Long-time family friend Cristina came, too, along with sister Julie and brother-in-law Greg.

The cake is blazing!

Fun times!

It wasn't a super fancy weekend, but it was fun to get together as a family, eat great food, and bum around Chico. We enjoyed a beautiful day on Sunday, strolling through Bidwell Park and getting iced tea at my favorite place for it, the T-Bar. (In fact, if you can't find me at home this summer, I may very well be there during happy hour sipping tea for half off…)

10 Weeks and Counting

2010-03-09T21:39:00.002-08:00

Well, there has truly not been much to report, but for the record, we are now on the countdown from 10 weeks (ish). One must always add the "ish" since there is very little one can do to make the baby come out when we determine it should, especially if it's related to me! So 10 weeks. Ish!

Baby Pics

2010-01-06T17:40:00.007-08:00

We got to see pictures of the baby for the first time today…a preview, if you will. I have tried to choose the most "distinguishable" photos for your interpretive enjoyment.

Feet--I think they are crossed. :-)

Face is on the left side.

Again, face on the left side, hands are up by the face.

The next time you see pictures, I will have taken them myself! 20 weeks to go!

Yes, it's been awhile...

2009-12-11T08:33:00.006-08:00

We've had a lovely Fall this year, fairly calm, yet punctuated with interesting weekends and events.

For example, we met our friend Matt in San Francisco and went camping at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, a place of wonderful memories for Michael. He spent two summers working there as a park aide, and the redwood trees and ocean hold a special place in his heart. We try and visit every once in awhile. Here we are standing in front of the Pioneer Tree. I honestly could not see the top of it.

Matt and Michael standing in front of the tree. The camera lens cooperated a bit better, and it is at least in better focus.

One of our projects of great satisfaction was to to replace the carpet in the two living rooms in this house. Michael and I installed the first room together. Enjoy them in reverse order! Above: the finished product, minus a few furniture pieces we've got on order.

3 1/2 rows from the finish line!

The carpet! Bye bye.

We took a little adventure and stayed overnight in a hostel near Drake's Bay near San Francisco. This is the beach we walked to from the hostel. A lovely day!

I like this photo, but I do not know that man or his dog. :-)

And if you see any photos of me, you're also getting a sneak preview of Baby Hanes, as we are having a baby in May! If you are lucky, I may post belly shots, but no guarantees; I'm not too into publishing ALL my business. We'll see... ;-)

Birthday Surprise!

2009-09-18T16:18:00.003-07:00

Michael organized a great surprise for my birthday back in August. He flew my friend Tristan down to Chico, AND we spent the weekend in San Francisco all together! How fun was it to have my good friend come to see me and go to such a great city.

Laundry hanging out to dry in Chinatown

I like this guy.

Beautiful city!

Chinatown

A fisherman at Stinson Beach.

We spent the morning at the top of Mount Tamalpais and then down at the bottom of the mountain on Stinson Beach.

Tristan and I have been friends since baby swim.

Beautiful San Francisco Bay

The Best Way to Spend Saturday

2009-09-18T16:03:00.003-07:00

Chico really has the best weekly farmer's market I've ever been to. When I'm there, I just want to buy everything!

I don't think words can add much more to how cool this market is, but come to Chico and check it out!

Salmon Hole and Castle Crags--A Weekend Outdoors

2009-08-22T16:16:00.004-07:00

We had a few friends stop through Chico on their ways north or south through California, so it was really nice to have a few visitors to liven things up here. Our friend, Bill, and his kids and niece stayed a night with us, and we enjoyed a fun day swimming and hiking with all of them.

We had to take them to one of the best places in Chico (in our opinion), Salmon Hole. An awesome place to swim, it takes a short little hike down the cliff to this clean, calm, and most important, COOL place to swim. Michael and I love it!

Salmon Hole

After we finished swimming, we got our visitors loaded up in their car, and we followed them up I-5 to a great state park called Castle Crags. A 5-mile round-trip hike took us up to the Crag pinnacles that the park is named for. As you can see from this picture, Michael was feeling more adventurous than a mere 5-mile hike. Which trail do you think he took?

Don't you think Michael could be related to them?

Mount Shasta

View from almost the top

And here's some proof that I was on this hike, too. :-)

Dallas! Time to Cowboy Up!

2009-08-22T14:35:00.006-07:00

Alright, it's been quite awhile since I updated the old blog, so here's some of what we've done this summer...

Our good friends, Ernie and Jennie, got married in Dallas at the end of June. We flew out to Texas to see them get married, and aside from the intense heat and humidity, had a great time. Ernie and Jennie are good friends of ours who we met in South Korea, and they became extended family to us in many ways. Naturally, we miss them a lot, now that we are on opposite sides of the world. Congratulations again, you guys!

Michael, Eryn, Jennie, Ernie, Dr. Terry Casino (our old pastor from Korea--he's Filipino, though, not Korean). Note that Michael's shirt is wet from sweat, not a spilled drink. Aside from attending weddings, sweating was our number two activity of the weekend.

Our short stay afforded us minimal sight-seeing, but we did go to Forth Worth to see the Stockyards, which was the end of the line when it came to the old cattle drives. In the picture above, you can see a genuine long-horned cow.

So that was Dallas, but the summer's activities aren't over yet, so stay tuned!

Feather Falls

2009-06-20T14:09:00.003-07:00

We have been hearing about the famous Feather Falls for quite some time, since we have been in Chico, so we took advantage of a cool, late spring day and tackled the 9-mile hike to see it. What a lovely hike! A wide, mostly level trail meandered through pines, Douglas Fir, and the occasional redwood tree. A creek kept things even cooler and provided a nice background noise. Even though the hike was pretty long, we didn't feel exhausted, which made it very pleasant.

Feather Falls is the 4th tallest waterfall in California, so it was quite impressive. Enjoy the pictures, and if you're ever in Chico to visit us, we'll have to make time for this great hike!

For much of our hike, we got a view of this beautiful creek.

And here are the falls! I think they're about 400 feet high!

Luckily, a nice observation deck had been built, since there were lots of signs warning hikers of the danger of death, should they do something stupid. We were able to get a great view and stay quite alive. :-)

A Visual Tour

2009-06-01T14:04:00.006-07:00

Since living in Chico, we've taken lots of opportunities to go hiking and explore the natural areas around where we live. One of my favorite places is out east of town (10 minutes from our house) called Bidwell Park. There's lots of trails, swimming holes, a creek, and these interesting, narrow canyons called slot canyons. I hope you enjoy the scenery!

My apologies on the sideways photo... In this picture is Big Chico Creek.

Big Chico Creek from the bottom of the canyon.

Upper Bidwell Park

One Sunday afternoon, we took a drive into the Sierra Nevada foothills and discovered Paradise Lake. We were able to walk around one side of it. We enjoyed the piney woods and even saw a grouse!

In other news, Michael and I are both employed full time now! We were not expecting to have jobs so soon into our transition here, and we are very pleased and grateful to have regular income in a town that has a 12% unemployment rate. This is yet another reminder of how fully we can trust God to look after us. So, we are settling into life here and enjoying it.

We've had and will have a few out of town guests, which have been bright spots in our lives. We got to lend a night's sleep to one of our good friends we met in Korea, and next month, we'll have a few more visitors pass through. I'm just glad that our friends don't forget us, even though we moved away from them. We always miss them and are happy when they can come visit. It's extra special because it's so far.

So, that's it for now! The pictures and stories aren't so exotic anymore, but I've had a few requests to keep this blog up, so I will, just not so frequently. :-)

At Home in California

2009-05-06T08:06:00.005-07:00

We have made our final move to Chico, CA! Chico is in Northern CA, about 1 hour south of Redding and 2 hours north of Sacramento. We sit right up against the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, so although we are not in the mountains, we can take a 30 minute drive and enjoy a taste of the alpine. I find it quite beautiful here. I've been able to experiment with our SLR film camera, so at some point when I get the photos developed and scanned, you can see some of the pretty sights of the place we live.

Some of the things we've enjoyed about Chico so far are Bidwell Park, which consists of a huge trans-city park and bike path, as well as Upper Bidwell Park, which has hiking trails, swimming holes, and a great creek for wading. We ride bikes around town, hike, and visit the weekly farmers market (which is huge!). I've put in a vegetable garden, which amazes me because it had to be done in April. In Washington, that's hard to do. I remember planting lettuce in April and having to cover it a few nights so it wouldn't freeze! Here, I would have been behind if I waited any longer.

We're also looking for work pretty vigilantly. The teaching scene in California is sad and dismal, so both of us are branching out into the more "diversified" portions of our resumes. We've both managed to pick up some part time work (I am subbing and Michael is working with kids with disabilities), but we haven't abandoned the search for something full time!

We're beginning to meet a few people here, too. It's the first time in a long time that I have moved somewhere and not known a soul. It's kind of boring! We need to make some friends so we can focus some of our energy on something other than ourselves. :-)

So here are a few pictures of our house (we are borrowing it from Grandma, since she's been relocated to my mom's house). We're busy moving our stuff into it and reorganizing it.

Home sweet home!

Ahhh, Hawaii. And it's only the beginning...

2009-03-09T23:43:00.004-07:00

And finally, the moment Michael and I have been waiting for... Kaua'i. Since we are experiencing jet lag, our first morning was an early one, but I was excited to get some great light for these photos of the beach. We've been here 2 days, and both of them have been equally wonderful.

The beach, a 5 minute walk from our condo.

Poipu beach, known for being sunny. No complaints!

Michael is very happy.

Later in the day, we took a drive to Waimea Canyon. The second biggest canyon in the Pacific--#1 is the Grand Canyon. We enjoyed the blue, blue ocean and the golden fields as we drove.

An amazing waterfall that we hiked to. I found the view was better from across the canyon because when we hiked to the top of it, I couldn't actually see the waterfall, just hear it.

It's warm, the air is clean and sweet, and we're not in winter clothes. Whoo-hoo!

Waimea Canyon

More to come!

Last Days in Korea

2009-03-09T23:22:00.007-07:00

The last days before we left Korea, we decided to leave our apartment early and stay with our friend, Ernie. We were able to sleep in, relax, take some walks, and spend time with our friends. They gave us a little goodbye party. On Saturday, we were genuinely sad to leave them. We'll miss our friends in Korea a lot.

Jimmy Kim and Sarah Ahn were our Korean mom and dad (not replacing our real parents by any means!). They've always taken time to help us, show us the best parts of Korea, and have been the warmest, most welcoming, friendliest Koreans we met. It was hard to say goodbye, and here's a picture of us before we had to say goodbye for the last time. :-(

Here I am already feeling relaxed on one of our favorite hikes. In the summer, this little valley is green and alive with beautiful fields of rice, corn, and various greens. I like it even in winter.

This lady had arranged her turnips in an amazing cylinder. I don't like turnips, but this arrangement tempted me to buy some!

I've never been to a country in which I've seen cabbage and garlic in such copious amounts. Earlier this year, this truck was equally full of garlic. Koreans are quite healthy--I wonder why!

Ernie has a great view of a middle school, so we got to watch a few P.E. classes go on throughout the day. They look so cute in their purple uniforms.

Huge school, huh? There are 5 stories.

An interesting art park that Michael visited.

Chinatown in Korea

2009-03-09T22:57:00.008-07:00

Michael and I had two opportunities to visit two different Chinatowns that are in Korea. We really enjoyed these two trips--we got to eat good food and see some different sights than we usually saw in Seoul.

Sarah Ahn and me at the Ansan Museum of Modern Art (part of our Chinatown day).

This bamboo and steel sculpture was called "The Family." You can see how big it was with me in the foreground.

The meat market! In Korea, when a new company or big endeavor is begun, the participants will order and cook a pig. It's especially good luck if the pig head is smiling like this one.

We hadn't ever seen a wooden chopping block for meat before.

Fresh produce market. The town we visited, Ansan, is an industrial town, and we were pleased to see that the prices were a lot lower there than in Seoul because people simply can't afford higher prices. You can see that the coconuts are 2000 won, now about $1.60.

On a different day, we went to a town called Incheon (pronounced Inchon). During the Korean war, the Chinese and the North Korean armies had nearly succeeded in taking over the whole Korean peninsula. General MacArthur and his armies executed a brave and risky landing in Incheon, while their battleships shot mortars into Seoul, successfully driving the Northern armies back up north. Here is the harbor today.

When we visited Incheon, it was Lunar New Year. Here is a table full of food prepared for the family's ancestors.

Red lanterns were strung everywhere. Red is a color symbolizing good luck.

The End of a Chapter--turn the page!

2009-03-01T04:36:00.004-08:00

I began this blog when Michael and I began our adventure in Korea about 15 months ago. We are now eagerly awaiting our return to the States (which happens in 6 days) and the beginning of a new phase in life. We've come to learn a few things about ourselves and life in the past year and a bit, and we often shake our heads, still surprised that we went to Korea at all. "How did we get here?" we often ask each other. But we've never regretted our decision, even though many of you have heard us groan and gnash our teeth over certain aspects of our lives here.

I'm still deciding what to do with this blog when we come home. I may continue it or I may not. Blogs still verge on being uncomfortably close to a narcissism I don't really want in my life. However, should I discontinue it, I will still find a way to update the family and other loved ones with photos and anecdotes.

Anyway, after we refresh ourselves in Hawaii :-

) we'll be home for fun times and visiting, so get ready, friends! Don't be too busy!

Stay tuned for a few more pictures, and then I'll see you in the flesh. Yay!

China still remains the highlight of our time in Asia. We just loved it there...

Snow!

2009-01-26T02:02:00.006-08:00

After all the hype about snow across the US and especially in the Pacific NW, this little snowfall isn't much to brag about, but we woke up on our first day of the long weekend to an impressive snow flurry. It's snowed off and on all weekend, and it's been just beautiful! The winter here has been sunny and very cold, but we've had very little snow, so it was fun to enjoy the beauty. It also slowed down the general public, which is a nice change from their usual frantic, frenetic way of life.

Michael and I walk along this waterway to work everyday. The stepping stones are designed for people to be able to cross the river. It's exciting when the river is flowing fast.

Fun times!

Wrapping it Up

2009-01-25T23:07:00.008-08:00

To those with whom we talk regularly, you probably know as well as we do that our time in Korea will be coming to its completion in 5 weeks. Wow! I just realized that I need to get camera crazy as we are out and about for the last portion of our time here. Here are some pics of a day trip we took when we went to the East Sea (or Sea of Japan, depending on your perspective...).

It was a beautiful day. Clear, blue skies and the temperature was milder and less biting than the dry, freezing temperatures we'd been enduring in Seoul.

I've never seen a real one of these fish before--what is it? A blowfish or puffer fish. I'm not really sure. They were kind of nifty.

Michael and Jimmy, daring the waves to get bigger. The waves were about 15 feet high, often higher. I loved watching them crash into the beach!

Watch out, here comes a big one!

An absolutely gorgeous day! We enjoyed some great seafood and were able to see a nationally famous fish market. It abounded with dried fish products, which I didn't really enjoy, but it was interesting, and we got to see many sea creatures that I would have never thought of eating. :-)

Interesting Tidbits

2009-01-23T23:01:00.004-08:00

Cultural and language exchange is always interesting. Here's a quick post to entertain you...

A conversation with my boss

(now my boss is enough material for a book, so I won't go into that, but you may get a taste of my daily, hourly need to rip out my hair when you read this)

Boss: Ah, Eryn, some parents...some parents in your class have a little problem. They think your class is too loose. Yes, it's too loose.

Me: Hm. I'm confused. What does "too loose" mean?

Boss: Ah! Yes! I mean, of course, not tight.

This is when, mentally, I either retreat to my happy place or run screaming.

Fan Death

This is a widely accepted urban myth that a fan, when running in a non-ventilated room (i.e no window open) will push or suck oxygen away from the breather thereby eventually killing him or her. All fans in Korea have timers just in case you should unwittingly fall asleep and fail to supervise your fan. I am not kidding.

More poorly translated t-shirts!

My favorite crime against English occurred when Michael and I saw a couple walking down the street with matching jackets that read on the back, "SPECIAL EDUCATION 08."

Enough said!

Reruns

2009-01-04T00:42:00.005-08:00

During our vacation, we went to the Korean National Museum, which was a really interesting trip, made even better because it was free. :-) The museum was huge, so we did not finish it the first time, and we took the opportunity the other day to go and finish it. I remembered to take a few photos this time.Here is the main exhibit area. The exhibits are off to the right and left of this central corridor.

The main entrance to the museum has a panoramic view of Seoul, as you can see. Michael and I both agree that one of the exhibits in this museum is in the architecture itself.

This is an example of Chinese art. This horse was apparently made between the years 400 and 900. We thought he looked cool.

Cool horse #2

This is a crown worn by Korean royalty. In "recent" history, Korea was ruled by three different kingdoms: the Joseon, Baekjae, and the Shilla. This is a crown from the Shilla kingdom. Gold, of course!

This odd clay thing is no fallacy--it is the real deal: a tomb. Any man would die to be buried in this thing!

And here is the tallest pagoda in Korea (I think... my facts are getting muddled). Anyway, it is really tall. I apologize for the fact that I am blurry.

We have really enjoyed this museum. We got to learn a lot about the cultural and economic exchanges between China, Korea, Japan, and all the other Asian nations over the past several thousand years. It makes me wish I had learned more about Asian history in school. It's really ancient! We have nothing like it.

In other news, if you can believe it, Michael and I will be finished with our contracts in a mere 8 weeks. A big "Hallelujah!" is usually my reaction every time I think about this fact. That, and a big, goofy smile. We are so excited to get back home. Korea has been very challenging for us, but in the end, there has been far more good than bad that has resulted from our decision to embark on this journey. Michael and I have now something unique in the present economy: opportunity.

Our general plan is to move to California. I know this will cause weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth for some of you, but we believe that although the economy is less than ideal, the Bay Area or Sacramento area will offer us a lot of good choices (and good weather). Other specifics are in process, but we've got some exciting ideas in motion, and are really optimistic about 2009, despite the challenges of moving, settling, and looking for jobs.

We hope that 2009 is going well for you far and that no one has screwed up this year only 4 days into it. :-) Just kidding. Happy New Year!

International Christmas

2009-01-03T18:41:00.004-08:00

We thought we'd be a bit bummed this Christmas, as we spent it away from our families, but it was such a unique experience that we didn't really have the opportunity to feel too lonely. On Christmas day, we went over to the home of our friends, Jimmy and Sarah, for Christmas dinner. A few people we had not met before were there, as well a girl named Dong Jun, who is a teacher from China living here in Korea. We met her on Thanksgiving. Here are my co-worker Allie, me, Dong Jun, and Sarah.

Dong Jun brought the ingredients to make home-made dumplings for part of our dinner. Here are some of them, made by many of us who were at the party.

Show this picture to Grandma Joe! This is Michael rolling out the skins for the dumplings. It was fun to make the dumplings because Chinese dumplings are a tradition in Michael's family on Christmas day.

Dong Jun and Michael rolling out the dough. She made the dough and the filling from scratch. They were really good!

We also met some girls from South Africa at our dinner. They were really fun to talk to and get acquainted with, and they brought some traditional South African food. So it really was an international Christmas. We had people for dinner from Korea, China, South Africa, and America. We had a great time!

A Charlie Brown Christmas...

2008-12-24T15:33:00.004-08:00

We decided to go out under the cover of night and get ourselves a Christmas tree branch. This truly looks like the tree in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." We welcome this little bit of greenery into our house, however, and we're enjoying the Christmas season.

Look, Ben, it drinks beer!

Almost the finished product...

Here it is! Our little Christmas tree! Not the best one I've ever had, but it will do... (actually, I kind of feel like a college student, when you go out to your campus, chop something, and come back and decorate it slightly tackily so that you can feel like you're in the Christmas spirit...)

But we are in the Christmas spirit, and we're having a good Christmas in spite of our distance.

Merry Christmas!

Korea National Museum

2008-12-24T15:17:00.003-08:00

We've been on vacation this week, which has been blissful, restful, wonderful, choose your own word that means the same thing and add it here: _____________. We had originally set out to take another cool trip, but the exchange rate has affected our financial goals, so we're staying home, resting, and taking some great day trips. We have definitely enjoyed ourselves!

Here are some photos we took when we went to the Korea National Museum. We only got through the first floor because it was so huge, but we learned a lot about Korean history, too.

Walkway up to the entrance. Did I mention that admission was FREE??

This museum's architecture is famous, I think. It was hard to capture with my camera.

When we looked through the picture "window" of the courtyard, we had a clear view of Seoul Tower.

Guess who? The sign says "choon gong," but I don't know what that means.

Main entrance to the museum. Wow!

This was a really fun trip. Normally admission is 2000 won, but today it was free, and we got an education in Korean history from 8000, BC to the present day. They have a very long history, as you can see!

Thanksgiving '08

2008-12-07T00:54:00.005-08:00

We spent another Thanksgiving holiday in Korea, so this year, my friend Jennie and I undertook a traditional meal, complete with turkey! Here is our handiwork. You can see our hardworking legs in the background. Our bird was truly yummy, and I recommend a brine for all of you who might tackle such a feat for Christmas.

Our menu: turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green salad, maple-glazed carrots, cranberry jelly, babaganoush (Lebanese contribution), pumpkin pie with home-made whipped cream, and home-made flan. Wonderful!

Jimmy and Sarah were our hosts, so we insisted that he do the honors and carve the bird.

Caught in mid-something.

Our friend Tyrone on the left, and an old classmate of mine, Gary, on the right.

This is the crowd, pre-feast. We were grateful to have such a good Thanksgiving gathering. Even when you're away from your family, getting people together around the table is something special.

Crab Anyone?

2008-11-14T16:40:00.007-08:00

We took a trip to our friend's house in the countryside, and had the chance to go to the coast and eat crab. Lots of crab. These ladies below became our lunch. And yes, I said ladies. Here it is not illegal to catch and eat female crabs. The Koreans really like to eat the eggs and gunk guts of the crab. No thank you.

This harbor reminded us a bit of Anacortes.

Along the harbor was a road that had a lot of street vendors selling fish and shellfish.

All in all, a fun trip! It was great to see the water again, get out of the city, and rest a bit. A highlight of our month.

DMZ Tour

2008-10-26T05:23:00.005-07:00

We had the opportunity to take an organized tour to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which is an area that buffers the border between North and South Korea. This was a really interesting trip, and we learned a lot of new facts about the 20th century history of the Korean peninsula.

A few fast facts:

1. Korea has been occupied by several major world powers. Prior to WWII, it was occupied by Japan. After the Allied forces defeated Japan, the northern half of the Korean peninsula became occupied by the Soviets, while the southern half was occupied by the United States.

2. The Korean war began because the Soviet Union sought to expand its power into Eastern Asia via the Korean peninsula. Soviet-backed North Korea invaded South Korea and pushed coalition forces (US, South Korean, and several other contributing countries) all the way down to Busan, Korea's southernmost major city. General MacArthur helped turn this situation around, and the Northern forces were driven back up near the Chinese border. Then the Chinese sent 1,000,000 soldiers in to aid the North, and the Southern troops were driven back to the point which we now acknowledge as the border between the two countries.

3. The DMZ is an area 2 km north and 2 km south of the border. The countries agreed to cease fire and step back 2 km from the Line of Demarcation (the border) as a way to keep the peace. It's full of land mines, but because it is rarely bothered by human interference, it is also a sanctuary for wildlife. We saw hundreds of birds flying through this area when were there. It was quite beautiful.

So there's your quick history lesson. Now on to some pictures...

South Korea greatly wants reunification, according to our guide. They have big dreams to create a railway that would stretch from Busan in the south, all the way to the other end of Korea, into China, and eventually to the Atlantic ocean after it's passed all the way through Europe. This picture shows its humble beginnings.

This is Dorasan, the northernmost train station in South Korea. It does not actually run to Pyeongyang. Yet.

In the early 1970's a North Korean defector informed South Korea that the North was constructing underground tunnels for the purpose of invasion. This tunnel that we visited was the third of 4 tunnels that were found (although most people think there are more). We descended 350 meters on this little Disneyland tram and got to walk around inside the actual tunnel.

This is known as the Bridge of No Return. POW's were released at this point and were allowed to choose whether they wanted to return to the North. After they crossed, there was no returning, hence the name.

The white posts in the background are the actual Line of Demarcation. One side is North, the other is South. The posts are exactly 1 meter high and 10 meters apart.

This is the Joint Security Area. The blue buildings in front of the South Korean soldiers are meeting rooms, which are guarded inside and out. There is a theoretical line down the center of the conference table, too.

He is on guard. All guards are always ready to fight (see his fists). Also all guards in the JSA must have a black belt in Taekwondo at minimum.

Truly, this was a very interesting trip. Wouldn't say it was exactly fun, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Here and There, Around and About

2008-10-26T05:13:00.004-07:00

Earlier in the summer, our scooter broke down, and while we were waiting for the opportunity to take it to the repair shop, we began walking to work. I have fallen in love with this time in my day; about 2 miles each way. It's a nice way to gear up for the day, as well as wind down at the end of the day. Plus, Michael and I have both become healthier and thinner as a result. Woo-hoo! Here are a few photos from our daily walk.

This alley is full of restaurant that all cook the SAME kind of food. They're not doing too well; no one is ever in them, but curiously, I think it has nothing to do with the fact that they all sell the same thing. I think location has more to do with it.

Lights! Recently, the city installed lights on this bridge; they glow yellow and have blue accents. It's very bright and neat to look at.

Fall morning. Lovely!

This commute beats my old, 45-minute commute on I-5 any day. I'll take it, rain or shine.

---

School Days

2008-10-26T05:00:00.003-07:00

We've done a few fun things at our school lately. Here are a few photos from our totally appropriate field trip--taking kindergartners to the museum of modern art. Sigh. They had fun at lunch time!

Crazy camera man made us sit here for about 10 pictures. Ahhhh! This one is pretty decent: the Kids' College Kindergarten.

Gotta wonder what was on his finger... I just loved his koala hat, and so did he!

Michael's class--this is so typical of them. Each kid is doing what he or she always does.

Here's my group!

Michael's class--again, typical.

Sometimes I can't believe how much our students have learned in the last 8 months. My students went from basic reading skills to writing multiple sentences and reading almost anything! Wow! It's been fun to see their progress, and I'm proud of them.

What's in a Name?

2008-10-17T15:19:00.003-07:00

As I've often mentioned, Asia is full of interesting takes on English, and today I shall discuss cars. The well-known brands, Kia and Hyundai do a pretty good job giving poetic names to the models of their cars: Sonata, Chairman, Rio, Santa Fe. But I ran across some lesser-known models that they don't sell in the States.

My new favorite: I think it's made by Hyundai... the Korando "Mantosser." A very appropriate name for a car in this culture, since the vehicle-pedestrian relationship is based solely on who is bigger on the road--and you know who that is. If I could only get behind the wheel!

Another good one I saw yesterday: A van known as the Cool Saloon. Who would not want to hang out in that thing?

At about $7.00/gallon here, who wants to be idling in traffic? That is why I love Korea's public transit system!

Our Favorite Vehicle

2008-09-29T05:50:00.003-07:00

Well, we've talked a lot about this scooter (sometimes known as the Beast), but it is definitely one of the "funnest" things we've enjoyed here. We're planning on getting one when we come back to the USA, especially with all we've been hearing about the price of gas.

See how tough he looks? And notice, the fake bullet hole on the side of the scooter. I ask you, what could make you feel more like a man? (I really have no idea, since a man isn't writing this...)

The Beginnings of Fall

2008-09-28T00:41:00.003-07:00

At last! The cool weather and beautiful colors of fall are beginning to appear. We enjoyed a perfect hike today and can sense in every way that fall is fast approaching. I finally need a light coat!

Here's Michael, handsome as ever!

And me, posing for the REI or L.L. Bean catalogues.

Self portrait--not bad!

Acorns are dropping from the trees all around us, and the squirrels are having a hey-day.

Grammar Queen Rules

2008-09-05T06:03:00.004-07:00

Over the years, I have often been the target of gentle ridicule regarding my attention to Proper English Grammar. Although those arrows stung a bit at times, I held my ground, even when I did not fully understand my own reasons for such steadfastness. Perhaps it is because most Americans only speak one language fluently (English) and also because perhaps we take it for granted that it will always be there for us. I caution you, English will always be there (unless we all have to learn Chinese someday instead), but it might not be there in a form that can be communicated.

Case in point: The Poorly Translated Korean Message Shirt

I cannot get enough of these. Poor Korean women probably think I am fascinated by their chests, but what really peaks my fascination is the abysmal English they advertise all over themselves. I could not resist buying a shirt for the following message it sported:

*Hello!!!Mouse*

in your carears

you will meat

many people.

All are signillcant

They desaeve you allantion

(half image of Mickey Mouse at bottom)

An "A" in code-breaking if you can figure out what this message truly means. I have my guesses.

That's all for now. But may you gain new appreciation in the future for some of the English language's more proficient writers. ;-)

A Changing of Seasons

2008-08-29T23:43:00.004-07:00

Michael and I hit an important mental milestone last week--halfway through our year in Korea! It may sound like we are counting, but we are! But halfway seems to be a rallying point for me, an "I can do it" point in time. Thus, every month is a re-invigorated countdown, and we're excited to finish our contracts here and come home to family and country.

Another great thing about this time of the year is the relief from the hot weather. July and August brought hot, humid days and nights that began early in the morning and brought little relief at night. Finally, the breeze is cool and the nights are, too. It makes such a big difference in daily life!

So, things continue here in constant change and Korean chaos, but the great thing is, we'll see you in 5 1/2 months!

Here's a photo I took that I'm a little proud of...

More China

2008-08-24T05:15:00.006-07:00

I have been a bit remiss in posting photos from our trip. It's taken awhile to sort through the really good ones, as I want to bring you only the best. :-) Enjoy the 2nd installment of the wonderful trip we took!

We took a stroll through the rural countryside. This is a little village about 5 minutes out from our hotel. To reiterate the heat factor--it is barely 8:00 a.m. and Michael has his shirt off.

A lady on her way to market. We saw many people carrying loads in this fashion, and I couldn't resist a photo of such a lovely moment.

Another farming village. Rice paddies ready for harvest are visible in the foreground.

A fishing raft. The guy who used this was spear fishing, so he'd motor out to the middle of the river, put on his snorkel gear and catch a few fish. He and his friends were grilling them on the beach a few feet away from us.

Yangshuo marketplace

Bamboo rafts floating/motoring down the Li River. We rode a smaller version of these twice. Cost was about $7 for a 40 minute ride. Just lovely!

A raft captain.

The foreigner-focused part of the Yangshuo market

Sunset from our hotel...

Yangshou, China--at last!

2008-08-09T15:59:00.005-07:00

Ta-daaa! Here are SOME of the pictures we took while in Yangshou. It was very difficult to resist taking pictures of the mountains, so I didn't, and there are lots and lots of shots of the scenery. I'll try to explain as we go along. So, without further adieu, here is Day #1 of our trip to Yangshou, China.

We were able to rent bikes for just under $3 a day, so the first day we were feeling vigorous and enthusiastic, despite the intense heat, and we rented bikes and took off to see the countryside. We found ourselves following the bikes to a park called Moon Hill, which is quite famous in the area. You'll see a picture of it below. We hiked it (mid-day), but the views from the top were definitely worth it.
As I mentioned, it was very hot. You cannot quite appreciate in this picture that my shirt was wet with the sweat that constantly dripped off my body at all times of the day. My face is quite red, too.

Here is Moon Hill. We took a rest under the dome in the middle and then proceeded to the top.
At last, the bottom! And thinking about cool rivers to swim, cold water to drink, a cold shower... I should mention the water ladies. The touristy areas were full of farm ladies, and Moon Hill was no exception. They take with them coolers of cold water and juice and follow the hikers around asking them to buy cold water. They follow you up the mountain at a distance of about 3-5 feet and then hang out with you at the top. It is 5 yuan at the bottom of the hill for a bottle of water, and as we found out, 10 yuan at the top. They look sweet, but they will try to swindle you at every turn!

After a refreshing swim in the Li River, we enjoyed sitting on our hotel terrace, enjoying the last light of the day. The stars later were also pretty incredible, as we never get to see them in Seoul because of light and air pollution.
And because blogger loads all pictures backwards, here is the sunrise and view from our hotel balcony. I was so excited to wake up and see this view every morning.

We are awaiting our breakfast. It was so wonderful to eat all meals outside (except when we were inside, cowering from the heat, but that was only a few occasions). Our room was directly behind us and up on the second floor.

This is only phase #1 of photos. Don't despair, there are many more. We absolutely loved this trip. We found the locals to be friendly and helpful, the scenery was lovely, and the whole trip was fun and restful. It's hard to ask for better.

Off To See More of the World...

2008-07-27T19:02:00.004-07:00

Well, friends, today we are heading off to Guilin, China, known as the "pearl" of China. It's been touted from many sources as one of China's most beautiful places. Naturally, in our life-long quest to see as many beautiful places as possible, we are off to take a look. I know that pictures have been a bit scarce lately, but that is only to prepare you all for the imminent deluge that you are on the verge of experiencing. So look out! We'll see you next week online and hopefully you can get a taste of what we hope will be a fantastic trip.

Here's a little teaser for you. I didn't take this one, but this is what it's supposed to look like:

Happy 4th Anniversary!

2008-07-20T15:27:00.003-07:00

Michael and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on Thursday, July 17. For those of you who attended our wedding, I hope you aren't too disappointed with the outcome, for here we are...dignified, mature, and sage, modeling the coordinated love T-shirt gift from some friends.

Since our T-shirts are so Korean, we had to model Korean style, with lots of energy and happiness, and of course, sporting the Peace sign, or whatever two fingers in a V means here. I wasn't quite ready for this shot.

And there you have it! 4 years under our belts--woot, woot!

Nothing in Particular

2008-07-08T15:25:00.003-07:00

Well friends and loyal fans, I have been feeling twinges of guilt for not having posted anything of great interest lately, but nothing of great interest has really occurred lately.

It is very hot right now; humid and in the 80's and 90's, which makes me feel like I am trapped in a sauna all the time.

I feel like I am in the midst of an uphill climb that is nearing its peak--the peak being our half-way marker in Korea. For so long, we considered just throwing the towel in and coming home in August, but since then have decided that working our contract and sticking it out would be better. God really seems to want us in Korea, so I will stay. In the meantime, I'm learning:

1. Be content where you are. There are always imaginary things to look forward to, but reality is here, so enjoy it as it is gifted to you.

2. God's already gone before us into the next phase of life, so don't worry about that either. It will come together!

3. Be patient...

Next Thursday, July 17, Michael and I will be celebrating our 4th anniversary! It's a bit hard to believe that we've been together for the last 7 years and married for 4, but we really have. We learn new things about each other and life together all the time, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

And, just so no one forgets, my birthday is also quickly approaching. Since we live a bit further away, packages take time... :-)

I will try to take some pictures and post something interesting soon.

Crowds

2008-06-22T02:23:00.007-07:00

Some of you may be aware of where Michael and I lived before we came to Korea. Here is a picture of my old yard and newly-turned vegetable garden. Note the absence of people. I'm sure it was cold that day, but relatively quiet and, of course, beautiful.

Below I will contrast for you the population density. It did not take any special trips or special occasions for me to encounter humanity in such dense proportions. This is daily life, although the majority of these pictures were taken on weekends.

The street outside our apartment building. The intersection is often clogged because drivers inch their way into the intersection hoping to force the light to turn green by being closer to it. Buses and taxis also believe they are King of the Road and therefore above mere things like red lights. On Friday nights there is sometimes a traffic director at this intersection.

The subway station

A guided tour

Seoul

And have I mentioned that the sense of personal space is quite different? When you walk through these crowds, you are subject to being bumped, checked, brushed, or pushed. The only people who will say "excuse me" for such offenses are Westerners. :-) So the fun part is that you stick your elbows out, put your head down, and pretend that no one is around. Bump, check, brush, and push to your heart's content. No one minds except the Westerners.

War of the Worlds, 2008

2008-06-16T04:54:00.003-07:00

Some of you might have heard on the "World News" portion of your evening news that there have been many candlelight protests going on in Seoul regarding the importation of U.S. beef to Korea. This has been an interesting craze that has been developing over the months, and many of us Americans sort of twitch our lips in a half smile when Koreans get upset over this issue.

Here's the story: About 5 years ago, a case of Mad Cow disease was detected in a cow that was imported to the US from Alberta (I think--I do remember when it happened). Because of this, the US froze its exports of beef for 5 years until the problem was sufficiently dealt with. The 5 year halt on export has now been lifted, and the US has been trying to broker a deal with Korea: beef for electronics.

Well, the Koreans are furious because they are convinced (and I am not kidding) that they are more susceptible to Mad Cow disease that white people and that they will all die from this miserable and obviously rampant disease. Their protests in the streets of Seoul are numbering around 80,000 people. 80,000+ people who truly believe that Mad Cow taints most US beef at the present time. All of this seems to be in complete disregard for the fact that there is Avian Flu and apparently Foot and Mouth Disease in their own country. They will not die of either of the latter before they die of Mad Cow.

I liken this frenzy to a time that I know nothing about--when people panicked because they thought aliens truly had invaded Earth because they heard a fictional story on the radio. This does not seem all that different. May we all learn a lesson in all of this--please base your mass protests on fact, or at least some semblance of a fact, before you look stupid to the entire world.

A Trip to the Countryside

2008-06-15T04:31:00.009-07:00

Many of you are familiar with our Korean friends, Jimmy and Sarah, who have been great friends and helped make our experience in Korea enjoyable and memorable. We appreciate them so much because they allow us to see parts of Korea that would otherwise be inaccessible to us.

Case in point: Yesan. Jimmy works as an executive for a major steel company called Posco. He is currently in charge of a steel-cutting plant in a small town called Yesan, about 2 hours south of Seoul. He has an apartment there, as he spends several days down there during the work week. The wonderful thing about this place is that he often invites friends to join him and his wife there on the weekends, and we get to enjoy hiking, small town/countryside diversion from the city, and their famous hotspring. I've included some pictures of the time we spent there last weekend.

My favorite part of this trip with train ride we got to take. For about $8.00, we took a 1.5 hour train ride. The seats almost fully reclined, and Michael discovered a massage chair that really made the trip for him. :-)

Ahh, one of the quintessential icons of Asia--the terraced rice paddy. They are very lovely and peaceful to see.

We climbed this mountain. When we got to the top, Jimmy asked some folks with way was best to go back down to the bottom and they sent us the wrong direction. So we went down the mountain the wrong way and had to go all the way back up and then down the correct side. We climbed that dumb thing twice.

At the top--the first time.

Surf and Turf, Part II

2008-05-20T05:19:00.004-07:00

Our weekend of hiking first began by going to the beach--a real treat for both Michael and me. I didn't expect to get to see the ocean, so we were both very excited.

...Here is an interesting note that is not beach-related. As we left the province that we live in, our car was sprayed and sanitized at the toll booth. Why? you ask. Well, avian flu is currently in Seoul. In fact, it's in most of Korea, so health officials are spraying everything that could possibly have a virus on it with strong chemical disinfectants. If our fertility hasn't been ruined by the water, this ought to do the job.

Anyway, back to the beach. Here is a great example of some of the lovely coastline we got to enjoy. The body of water you're looking at is the "East Sea" if you're Korean, or the "Sea of Japan" if you're Japanese. The weather was great. We spent Saturday afternoon laying in the sand.

Michael and I are always looking for the perfect opportunity to show Calvin Klein what hot and lucrative models we could be for them.

Boats for rent.

Ah, now here is a piece of Korean history that is still alive in the 21st century. Michael is holding what we would all know from science class as a butterfly larva. The noteworthy thing here is that he is going to eat the butterfly larva. Back during the Korean War (and most likely before, when the Japanese were starving them), there was very little food. The Koreans found themselves eating things like insects to ward off starvation. But this delicacy has remained, and you can buy cup-fulls of these things from any street vendor. They are disgusting.

It was a good day. I definitely belong by the ocean.

Surf and Turf, Part I

2008-05-12T15:34:00.005-07:00

We had an excellent opportunity to visit a very well-known national park in Korea, known as Seorak National Park. Pronounce: Sor-ahk. We were gone for a long weekend, and it was quite honestly one of the best times I've had in Korea yet. Seoraksan is located near the East Sea (or Sea of Japan, depending on your nationality--Korea or Japan), so we were extremely fortunate to be able to stay with some friends of friends who lived about a 10-minute's walk from the ocean.

Seorak Nat'l Park is about as popular as Yosemite, and the crowds reminded me of Yosemite (and here I am only imagining) in high season, perhaps on the 4th of July. It was crawling with people, but the natural beauty helped me to filter them out. As you see our pictures, I'll explain along the way!

View from the top. I was told that this peak is about one kilometer tall. A kid told me that, so it is open for interpretation.

This is the biggest Buddha I've ever seen. He was several storied high. There was a large temple area at the base of the mountain, and many people were there to worship, especially because this was the weekend that Buddha's birthday is celebrated.

A dry riverbed.

This is a view from about 3/4 of the way up the mountain. At this point, we were hiking up a metal staircase/ladder, which had 2-way human traffic on it. If you fell, you would suffer a serious injury. In fact, they built this staircase up the rock face that you can see a few pictures down.

Me and our friend Jimmy, relaxing on the top.

This is Seorak Mountain. We went to the top of this thing. In fact, if you look closely, in the middle of the rock face is a shadow, and it was through that crevice that the staircase went.

Worshippers in front of the Buddha. We have learned that if you want to find natural beauty, look for a temple, and you'll find a nice place to hike.

Well, that's it for now, but there is more coming, so stay tuned!

Parks and Pets

2008-05-03T04:01:00.006-07:00

We discovered a great park a short scoot away. Yuldong Park is huge and has lots of walking trails, bungee jumping, an outdoor amphitheater, lake, etc. In the picture below, you can see a guy attached to the end of the bungee rope. Pretty entertaining to watch! Don't worry, there's a lake beneath him.

sculpture park and maybe some kind of cemetery temple

outdoor artwork

a lovely day for lazing under a tree with a good book

the hostas are out, and I love them!

bleeding heart

a wonderful, green garden

The following pictures are of Michael and his short-term pet, Hal. Short-term because we are going to eat him soon. Michael enjoyed netting Hal at the supermarket and letting him flop around in the bag on the way home. Hal is apparently a very small halibut, and I look forward to enjoying him with a nice dill sauce.

mmmmm. Hal....

Glorious Identity Crisis: Vehicle or Pedestrian?

2008-05-02T03:02:00.002-07:00

The glorious thing about scooters is their versatility. You are both vehicle and pedestrian, which gives the driver lots of decision-making power on the road.

For example, you encounter a red light. If you were only limited to the road, of course you would have to stop. But on a scooter, you can sidle over to the sidewalk and cross at the crosswalk. After that, you are on your merry way again, minus the traffic.

What this usually inspires in my husband is a complete disregard for traffic signals at all. We stop at the light, squiggle between the cars up to the front of the line, and when the intersection is relatively empty, off he goes.

I recently heard through the grapevine that South Korea has achieved a "third-world" rating in the category of traffic. It's congested, the drivers are irresponsible and erratic, and the pollution from cars is awful! It makes for an exciting scooter ride each morning and evening.

However, the very best thing about the scooter, especially in this day and age of over-sized and unnecessarily large gas-guzzlers is, you guessed it, the fuel efficiency. In two weeks, we have paid a total of $4 for gas, using the scooter almost every day. That' s in a country where gas is $6 a gallon! Don't be shy people, buy this cute little machine and enjoy times of zooming, weaving, sneaking, holding on tight to your loved one, and best of all, saving $$!

Springtime Activities

2008-04-13T01:18:00.005-07:00

On a particularly warm spring day, we enjoyed a great time in the park. We took the time to be one with the locals and strip off the shoes and socks and run around in the fountains. Go Michael!

Another shot of us actually together with one of our arms NOT extended taking the "self-portrait."

Me in front of public art.

This was a temple entrance that we saw when on a hike on Cheongye Mountain (chon-gay). We had to get up at 5:30 to get started at 7:00 a.m. All this to avoid the literal herds of people coming at 9:00.

"I woke up at 5:30 and hiked to the top of a mountain."

Three mountain men.

In the afternoon, we went into Seoul to get first glimpses of the cherry blossoms. It's definitely helping the look of things here! Welcome, spring!

Seoul, seen from Namsan Tower, a landmark of the city.

Namsan Tower!

A Few Recent Adventures

2008-04-11T19:10:00.006-07:00

We got to take a tour of a historic fortress called Hwasong Fortress. I wanted to tell everyone that we visited the Great Wall of China, but I didn't think that would fly with most intelligent people.

Enjoy the pictures!

The king's pond with a lookout post in the background.

This is a pulley that was used to move the heavy stones that comprise the entire fortress.
So we were forced into this photo by the zealous Korean tour guide. She insisted on not 1 but 3 photos with these kind and tolerant guard guys.

A demonstration of ancient Korean fighting style.

A giant statue of Buddha (we think) that overlooks the city of Suwon.

Lately, the weather has been warming up, and we're moving into the wet summer season. Summer is hot, wet, and extremely humid, so this is the best time of the year, weather-wise. We're enjoying the cherry blossoms and new leaves coming out. Yay for springtime!

The Makings of a Great Literacy Program

2008-03-25T15:59:00.004-07:00

Please note the student writing sample below. After being given the prompt, "I like to eat ____," my student was enthusiastic about writing a sentence that said, "I like to eat an extremely big pumpkin." Not bad for a 6-year -old ELL (English Language Learner) student! But, he got sidetracked. Had to get up and go to the bathroom (I'm pretty sure it was a #2), and when he came back, he had to hurry to finish. As you can see below, this was the result.

I wrote the word "pumpkin" in his personal dictionary for further reference.

Daily Life

2008-03-15T02:04:00.005-07:00

Here are some images from our daily life. We have some friends coming and some going right now, so we're in a double transition!

This is our church that we attended in the fall and have been back to since we returned to Korea.

Left to Right: Pastor Casino, Jennie, Ernie, Pastor Moon, Guy I don't know

Some of our good friends here: Ernie and Jennie

Candid. :-)

Sunset in Bundang. The lovely color is due to what Michael calls "particulate matter" in the atmosphere, aka smog.

We found a hiking haven. We think we can be happy now!

Korean cemetery

These are my students. As you can see, birthdays are a big deal, due to the size of the banner. The lady on the right is my boss, Jennifer.

My students again. This is about as still as I can keep them. 2 seconds later they were wiggling! To quote a veteran kindergarten teacher, "They're lucky they're cute!"

Hand-washing saves lives--and so do gloves!

2008-03-12T03:39:00.002-07:00

Michael and I visited a public "health" clinic for our mandatory health screening, as the capstone to our visas. It was simple: a urine drug test and a blood HIV test. But let me back up...

I distinctly remember my 6th-grade teacher telling us in a DARE class that he would always insist his needles be opened right in front of him to make sure that they were clean. For some reason this story has always stuck in my mind, and as we walked into the clinic, I told Michael that we needed to insist on getting a clean needle. We didn't realize that we would have to insist that the blood-drawing lady put on gloves!

But it was indeed that way. We watched her draw blood from other patients, gloveless, so when it came Michael's turn, he asked her to wear gloves. She went to wash her hands. "No, gloves, please. It's for you--for your safety!" he said. A confused look followed. He gestured the donning of gloves. With a sigh and a huff, she went to fetch some gloves, as though her time were being wasted. She came back, not with surgical gloves, but with food service gloves. Sigh.

My turn came, and did she change her gloves? No, she did not. I vowed that I would seize her personal bank account if I contracted HIV. Not likely, but we were both surprised that in a developed country such as Korea, basic hygiene like gloves would be ignored. "Unbelievable!" We said as we left. "Unbelievable!"

New Temporary Home

2008-03-03T02:33:00.004-08:00

Thurday night ended up being the last night we had to sleep in what we affectionately now call the "Bordello;" i.e. Korean motel. We have inherited the apartment that belonged to the teachers we replaced at Kids' College, and as they moved out Friday night, we moved in. What a blessed change!

I took a few pictures, but please forgive the backlighting.

Here you have the entrance hallway. Cabinets and storage make up the entire left wall, bathroom is on the right.

Kitchen!

Here's the living room; it's a straight shot in from the doorway. We inherited all the furniture you see.

Here's the loft that we use as a bedroom. The staircase comes up to the left of the bed. Behind where I was standing is a desk and lamp. You can't quite stand up in the loft, but it's a fun place to sleep!

The little staircase that goes up to the loft. To the left is the kitchen and behind me is the living room.

And of course, how could I leave out the bathroom? No bidet on the toilet, so I suppose we'll always have to use toilet paper. ...We all have some sacrifices to make...sigh...

So that's the tour of our apartment! It's small, but I find it very comfortable. Unfortunately, we can't settle here because the man who owns the apartment no longer wants to rent it to foreigners (no prejudices, of course!), so we will move down to the 2nd floor in two weeks. The apartment will look exactly the same, but we'll have to haul all that stuff down there.

We Have Returned!

2008-02-27T01:05:00.002-08:00

On Saturday, the 23rd, we left Washington to resume our adventures in Korea. After a 13-hour travel ordeal, we arrived in Seoul on Sunday, the 24th. By the time we hit the sack Sunday night, we had officially been up for 24 hours. Korea is 17 hours ahead of Pacific time, so we gained a day as we traveled. Traveling that far west is basically an endless day.

This week, we're staying in a Korean motel as we wait for the other teachers to move out of our apartment. It is quite the experience. Apparently, Korea really doesn't have hotels the same way the US does. Thus, we are staying in a type of love motel. It is a skanky, brothel-esque, pay-by-the-hour operation, and earplugs have definitely helped at night. Use your imagination, and you have our living quarters for the week. We are really looking forward to moving into our apartment!

Today we visited our school and met some of our students. There's a lot to sort through and prepare for next week when we begin teaching. It's certainly a happy place that cares about its students. I think everyone there feels taken care of. We'll be working hard, but it will be good work to be doing. Once we get settled this weekend, I'll put up some pictures. See you soon!

The Sun Was Shining, But Don't be Fooled!

2008-02-17T18:38:00.008-08:00

After a few weeks in California, we went up to Washington to visit the other half of our family. Washington has become a place to which many Californians like to move to get more house for their money, but I will say to them all: the winters really are as bad as you have heard. We've been here three weeks, and it it has been sunny 3 days in total. All the rest of the days it has been not only overcast, but rainy. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real, I tell you!

Anyway, the best thing about Washington have been our friends and family. It's been so refreshing to see the friends and family members we love so much! Enjoy the beautiful pictures of Washington; there's a reason why it's green!

We went down to Seattle to get our Korean visas; here is the famous Seattle Monorail.

A frozen Heart Lake with the mist rolling in on Mount Erie

More mist on Mount Erie

My step-dad, Ben, and our dog, Chelsey--she's the best dog in the world!

Hello, there.

This was taken on the third sunny day of our stay. Mount Baker is in the background; Fidalgo Bay in the foreground.

Pictures of the countryside near my parents' house. I was also experimenting with some "door photos."

The plan now is to leave Washington and head to Korea on the 24th of February, so all our loyal fans will be able to resume their vicarious cultural experience at that time.

You've Gotta See These!

2008-01-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

We went to Ano Nuevo State Park in Santa Cruz and had a unique opportunity to see elephant seals during breeding season. They come to this beach by the hundreds (we saw more than 700 seals) to give birth, breed, and go back to sea. Just to help you appreciate how big these animals are, here are a few fast facts:
~full grown males can be up to 15 feet long and can weigh 5,000 pounds
~babies are born at about 70 pounds, and in 4 weeks grow to be almost 300 pounds
~one male "owns" a harem of females and must be prepared to defend his position at all times against others that might want to challenge him. In other words, they fight a lot!

We got to come within 25 feet of these guys, so it was pretty interesting.

This is a young male. He has nothing to do because he's not old enough or big enough to fight off another male for the rights to all the sex, I mean, breeding.

Mama and newborn baby.

They know how to live--lay around on the sand and sleep.

This guy is just letting others know that he is boss and owns all the women.

Here is another young male who doesn't stand a chance, but is wishing he did.

We highly recommend this tour if you're ever down in Santa Cruz in January. We learned a lot and got to see some really interesting wildlife!

Plans--Tentatively

2008-01-26T14:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we've done a bit of traveling around in the last few weeks, but we are on the last leg of our US travels, assuming that all goes as intended. So now we find ourselves in NW Washington, with our Korean work visa process in Step 2 of about 4. What's the plan, you might ask.

Overall, the plan is to be issued a Korean work visa in time to return to Korea by mid-February. At the end of February, we'll begin work at a Kindergarten school, which is a one-year contract. We'll be replacing some friends of ours who have been working there for 2 years, as they are ready to move back to the States.

While we wait for those details to fall into place, we're visiting friends and family in Washington. Hopefully, we'll see many of you soon!

Amazing California

2008-01-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our time in California. The weather here is hovering around 55 degrees. We've been to the ocean, Point Reyes Lighthouse, and some parks around Vacaville. It's been awesome!

Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes Lighthouse
I LOVE THE OCEAN!!!!

Merry Christmas from California!

2007-12-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the infrequent updates of late! We've had a fairly eventful December, the events of which have landed us in California for a few weeks. Keeping in mind that this blog is an Internet publication, I'll refrain from the details, but the bottom line is that we ended our contracts at the school that we worked for this fall and have entered into a new contract at another school (still in Korea). Because there's a bit of a time lapse before we begin our new contract, we decided to come back to the States for Christmas (and just in time!), and we'll be here for the month of January.

It has been so great to be back in California! We arrived on Thursday the 20th, after an uneventful flight across the ocean. We got to stop over in Japan on our way here, so now I can say that I've been to Japan, too, although the airport hardly counts. Our flight from Korea to Japan was especially comfortable. We flew in the upper deck of a 747--a totally new experience! The plane was already huge, and it felt even huger (thanks, great English, I know) being on the top deck of a plane. Our connecting flight to San Francisco was more cramped, so we were grateful to get off the plane after 8 hours. I'm still working on the finesse to get upgraded to business class...I tried, but no luck this time.

We've been enjoying sunny California so far. Don't worry, Washington people, we'll be up that way after the holidays to pay a visit. We plan to return to Korea sometime in February. So that's the Hanes update. I'll post pictures if I can get it together! We'll see most of you soon!

Thanksgiving and First Snow!

2007-11-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Despite being away from our families, we had a great Thanksgiving. We celebrated with some new friends we met a couple of weeks ago, as well as with some people who were new to us. When everyone is away from home, you know that you just need to take them in so all can celebrate. We were particularly blessed because one person who ate with us was a "friend of a friend." We'd never met him, and I know that he felt welcome because he told the guy who brought him that we were "the nicest people he'd ever met." I believe that Jesus worked through us this weekend to show this man Christ's hospitality. That's worth being in Korea to me!

Take a look below at the meal we accomplished with two stove burners and a toaster oven! Pictured are two new friends: Jennie (L) and Maritza (R).
Here are some visions of the first snow in Anyang. It's averaging about 25 degrees at night and 40 in the daytime. This snowstorm arrived with thunder and lightning, too!
Below: you can see where the market food comes from! This man is loading cabbages on to his wheelbarrow.

This is a family gravesite. You can see these all over the hillsides when you hike through the woods.

That's all! Thanks for the phone calls and packages we've received. It's a special feeling to feel "thought of." We love you!

Some Technical Difficulties + Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T02:10:00.001-08:00

We've had problems with our internet this past week, so if you haven't heard from us yet, it's because we've basically had no internet. We're working on getting that remedied, but the sense of time is a little different here, so I never expect things in the time they'd be done in the US. "This week," was the estimate for when the internet guys would come, and it's Friday tomorrow. We'll see!

Also, happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home. I miss not being able to have a family celebration this year. However, we're gathering some of our new friends here to celebrate, so we'll have a bit of Thanksgiving spirit here this year. But it's not the same as family, and we miss you!

We've had a first snow here, and I will post pictures when the internet guys have come. Snow (at least this week) has been accompanied by some pretty violent weather. Michael and I found ourselves in the middle of a lightning/hail/snow storm the other night. Lightning came again when it snowed the other day. It made us notice that all the highrises around us (including ours) have several lightning rods on them!

More to come when our bandwidth increases, and Happy Thanksgiving again!

Beautiful Fall!

2007-11-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

We are having a beautiful fall! Enjoy the fall pictures on Gwanak Mountain.Sorry, this one is sideways...

Open market. The vegetables are always really clean and already prepared. They're beautiful!

These are some of the farm ladies.

An outdoor workout center. These things are all over the place, especially in city parks.

Fall Colors and Daily Life

2007-11-13T16:42:00.000-08:00

Fall is here! We've really been enjoying the fall colors, all the leaves piling up on the ground, and the cold weather. For a city, it's quite beautiful. Enjoy!

The little dot in the picture is a baby stroller--occupied by a baby. We sat here for about 5 minutes wondering where this child's mother was. Turns out she was taking laps around the park while he took a nap! We had to go out to lunch with our boss yesterday, and this time it was to Korean/Japanese food. A lot raw fish, let me tell you! This plate here has live octopus in it. I could see them actually squirming around like worms in a bait can. The last time I saw this kind of eating, it was on the "Strange Foods" show by National Geographic! I did not try it, but Michael did. He merely tried a tentacle, and it "stuck to the the roof of [his] mouth!" I took a short video on our camera, and I'll work on getting that uploaded soon!