Momoko and other updates

I am writing this with our newest addition to the family sitting on my lap.  Momoko, an adopted dog, has been to the vet today to get a checkup and grooming done.  Because they had to shave her completely (and really clean out her ears), she's a little traumatized and refuses to leave my lap.  But more on that in a minute.

First, some updates!

Ok, so Adam and I are moving back to the US for around a year.  We will arrive in Michigan around May 1st-2ndish.  After a trip to MI we will move down to Alabama where we will live and go to school.  We are attending an alternative program at West Florida University where we will receive our teaching licenses and all credit hours (12) towards a Masters degree at WFU.  After we receive that we will look into International jobs (or teaching on military bases abroad) as we aren't quite ready to stop being expats.  So we look forward to seeing everyone in a few months!

Because our original plan was different, and involved a lot more travelling after my contract, we were going to wait to adopt a puppy after we arrived in the States.  But then plans changed and we heard about Momoko (or Choco as her foster family called her).

We thought she was under a year old but apparently she's 1-2 years of age.  So she should be fully grown.  She also was terribly matted.  So, today she went and got a shave (poor thing, in the middle of winter, but it was so bad they were afraid it was already going to cut her skin and they couldn't wait any longer).  Now her mommy spoiled her with loads of jumpers and sweaters to wear inside and out. :D

Here are some cute pics of our little used-to-be-scruffball.

The last picture shows how scruffy she used to be.  Now hopefully her hair will grow out nice and smooth.  :D 

Shoes!

I found the cutest pair of shoes this weekend!  Now, I am as tall as Adam. ;)  Perfect shoes to go with my dress for the wedding dinner in a few weeks!  Now I just have to find accessories.... :D

Let the countdown begin....

I only have two more weeks of teaching and then ONE week of vacation!

Which means... 18 more days until Japan!!!!!

Weekend with Adam

I had a great weekend with Adam.  We were able to plan some more and make some more decisions.  We also picked up our rings.  While I hate to post something like this on a public place, I have been receiving messages asking to see the ring.  It will be easier to post it in one place, so here it is. :)

Of course I love it. :)  And the band is twisted with the little diamonds on the side.  Then, the wedding band also has the little diamonds and fits into it.  It's really pretty as a set.

Things have been super busy here.  Only one more week of work and then a 2 week vacation, though! I can hardly wait.  I definitely need it.  

Planning

This past weekend Adam and I got a lot of planning done for our Japan trip.  I'm getting super excited to go! These next few months will be busy--I am glad I get a 2 week vacation in two weeks!

A month (exactly) after the two week vacation, Adam and I will go to Japan for four days.

Then a month and a week after that will be our wedding.  A month after that will be the holiday season starting with Thanksgiving...

Every month for the rest of this year has something!  Things should die down a little after the New Year though.  At least it's all exciting and fun things to plan for. :) 

Successful Saturday

Adam and I had a busy day ahead of us today but were were able to check a few items off our list of things to do and to talk about.  Which means that hopefully we'll have some answers to some of the questions we have been getting.

1.  Are you getting married in Korea or America?
     We're getting married in Korea.  Then, when our contracts are up (at some point in 2014) we'll head home and have celebrations with our friends and families.  We'll keep you updated about this when it is closer to the date.  As of right now we don't know when exactly we'll be home as it'll depend on a few things that will be decided within the next few months.

2.  When are you getting married?
     So, Adam and I both want a fall wedding.  However, with our future in mind we want to be married before next fall (I'll get to why in another question) so that we can move on to the next job (abroad--sorry guys, not heading back to live in the States any time soon!).  So, we decided today that our wedding date will be October 26th, 2013.  Yep.  In a few short months.  Since we're having such a simple wedding here it's definitely more than feasible to do!  We decided to have a small ceremony in a park here.  It sounds simply lovely. :)

3.  What are you doing next?
    We haven't decided what exactly we're doing next.  My contract ends in May and Adam's ends in August.  After visiting home we'll head back abroad with a married couple job within Korea or another country.  We will do some more research about what the best options for us will be.

Other than that being discussed today we also went ring shopping!  We were able to get all three rings. :)  They're being sized right now but I'll be sure to post some pictures soon.

Now I just need to find an awesome dress that will go well with a fall wedding.  :) Exciting and busy months ahead for both of us! 

101 posts...

This is my 101st post! And mom says I never update... ;)

This post is a mini update/answering the questions I have been receiving a million times.

Here goes...

I am officially staying in Korea for another year.  I signed the contract a ...week, two weeks? ago (I have no sense of time anymore) and will start my new year on April 29th and end it on April 30th, 2014.  Or, something along those lines.

I don't know when I will be home.  No seriously, I have no idea.  And no, I don't know when I'll know.

Also, no one here is concerned about North Korea.  No one is stockpiling kimchi and rice.  The supermarkets are full.  In fact, I haven't heard a single Korean talking about it.  Not in over a year.  So.  Stop worrying please.  We all know how the media likes to blow everything out of proportion! :)

That being said, I am also on the list that the embassy contacts in case something ever does happen. This means I'll be the first to know when and where and how to get out of the country.  So again, no worries.

And finally, I am soooo much safer here, even if the country is still technically at war, than I was during my years at EMU. ;)


Ok, so now that that mini update is though with answering all of your pressing questions.

100th Post!

Since the number 100 is important in Korea (100 days after a child is born, 100 day anniversary, etc.) I have been saving this 100th post for something extra special.

Just kidding.  I just never remember/never have anything to write in here.  ;)

But! Never fear (mom), the long-awaited journal update is here.

This blog shall be about the adventure Adam and I had during the previous weekend.

It was a holiday weekend in celebration of Seollal; Lunar New Year.  Since we had a long weekend (and it was cold) we decided to try out Lotte World, which is the largest indoor amusement park in the world.

The day started off with a rocky start when I led us the wrong direction on the subway (I know, I know...) but I quickly caught my mistake and we turned around at the next stop.  A stop later a group of three little kids sat down across from us, with one holding an enormous tub of popcorn. They were all munching away happily and enjoying their holiday weekend when the lady sitting next to Adam loudly said something to them and then snatched the popcorn from the little boy's hands.  At first I thought it was his mother or something but I quickly realized that it wasn't! Some lady just stole popcorn from these three little kids!   The looks on their faces, the poor things...

The men with the children calmed the boys down but the little girl (also the youngest) didn't understand why her popcorn was gone and kept asking for it and crying.  The two boys tried to make her happy and succeeded in making her laugh a few times but she would quickly remember that her popcorn was gone and start crying again.  Eventually she had to "take a walk" to calm down.  I felt so bad for them.

Meanwhile, I also felt bad for the lady who took the popcorn.  She was clearly homeless (and probably very hungry) and probably had mental issues since she was shaking her finger at the popcorn and muttering to it.  Thankfully our stop came quickly after that so we were able to get off and transfer.

You never quite know what you're going to get when on a Seoul Subway...

Once we arrived at our destination the day was pretty great! Since it is such a huge holiday weekend we knew that either the place would be relatively dead (for something happening in Seoul, that is) or jammed full.  Thankfully it was pretty empty! This meant that we were able to ride on all the rides that our hearts desired!  You know me and my love of roller coasters....so that meant ALL of them!

This was Adam's first time riding a roller coaster (he had me eat crab and I had him ride a roller coaster--not exactly a fair trade off but ...) and he did extremely well and took to it quickly!  We rode the good rides twice, our favorite ride three times, and a few of the other ones only once.  There was even one that went upside down which is always exciting for an indoor amusement park! We only rode that once though since it was so hard on the head.

Adam convinced me to go into the House of Terror or something like that.  It lived up to its name.  I was terrified throughout the entire thing!! It was fun but I am a little too jumpy in places like that... ;-)  (Adam: "You jump on these roller coasters like they're nothing but a little haunted house terrifies you...")

We also rode on this giant loop.  It's just this big loop that the cars go around (think the huge swing ship only it keeps swinging until it has enough momentum to continue).  All day we would look over to see if it was running and only saw it go around occasionally.  The ride was open--it just didn't run very often because no one was on it.  This told us that it was either a really lame ride or just terrifying.

After eating dinner (because we're idiots) we decided that now was the time to try out this ride.  So, we went and immediately found a seat since there was absolutely no line for it.  The moment we sat down I knew this was a bad idea.  And poor Adam, he was still getting used to the whole ride thing and I dragged him on this one...

The ride started and it was the scariest 2 minutes of my entire life.  At one point the worker asked Adam and I if we were ok on one of the loops around, probably because of the looks on our faces.  The moment it stopped I think every one stumbled off as quickly as our dizzy bodies would allow us.    

But despite the one awful ride, all in all it was a great day! It was nice to be warm, indoors, and active.  We rode rides for 9 hours straight!  It was made even better by there not being crazy long rides since everyone was at home or out of town for the holiday.  Now I have been to the two main amusement parks in Korea and I almost think I like Lotte World a little better for the sole fact that it's indoors.  The rides were just as fun in their own way and there was definitely plenty to see and entertain ourselves with.  I don't think it could have been any more perfect of a day. :)