Heart and Seoul

"I shall make that trip.  I shall go to Korea." ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

As I am finishing (read: STARTING) my laundry for my California trip and thinking about the best way to pack for a conference and erratic California temperatures without taking my whole closet, I have found myself reminiscing about other journeys I have taken.  I have had the opportunity to traverse the US several times, I have traveled from practically one end of Canada to another by train, I have even tolerated a jaunt to France (never again), but no trek I have ever taken compares to the one I took in October 2007.

In October 2007, we got a call from our adoption agency in Colorado that our agency in Korea had finalized, submitted and had received approval on all the paperwork it took to bring our son, Spidey, home.  In a matter of hours, we dropped off our kids and dog with friends and hopped a flight to Seoul, South Korea.

It drove me crazy when we got to Korea, because we could only see our son twice before we could get on a plane to bring him home.  That means just TWO 45 minute visits, on two different days....and we were in Korea for EIGHT days!  What do you do for the other 6 days?  Well, we distracted ourselves with a lot of sightseeing.  And in the course of those trips, we met a lot of fantastic people!

Going to Korea to bring Spidey home was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  But besides the enormous blessing of my son, there was this incredible vacation that Kahuna and I got to experience.  Korea is the most fabulous place I have been.  I would go back in a heartbeat!  We had an amazing time, met amazing people, saw amazing things and were just...well...amazed the whole time we were there!  I HIGHLY encourage everyone to consider taking a trip there.

Korean National Treasure:  The North Gate (before it burned down)

Still need convincing?  Here are some of the top observations I made while there in 2007...(added notes from today in red)


1. Seoul REALLY reminds me of San Francisco....only A LOT bigger!
2. My husband no longer stands out in the crowd.....thereby making it a lot harder to keep track of him. If your spouse is Asian...consider bringing neon clothes for them.
3. Bibimbop is manna from Heaven! Everyone should try it. I ate it EVERY single day we were in Korea and now know how to make it at home!  I even have the stone bowls in which to prepare it!
4. Korea smells different than the US. It smells like garlic with a little underscent of cabbage. Yummy!
5. Everyone uses mass transit, all the time, all day long, everywhere you go......it is crowded.
6. Cleanest subways I have ever seen!   
7. Aussies are VERY fun to hang out with!! If you are traveling to Korea, I hope some are here to share time with.  There were a lot of Australians in Korea when we were there and we had a wonderful time hanging out with them...which leads me to believe somewhere in my future is a vacation in the Land Down Under.
8. I have yet to see one letter of graffiti anywhere!!!
9. Everyone is dressed like they are going to church.  I felt underdressed everywhere we went...but I was assured that the Koreans understood that we "are just Americans"?!!
10. Knee socks and high heels....together.....BIG fashion here!  And somehow they pulled it off magnificently!
11. Favorite accessory in Korea.....Ipod. (some things seem to be similar with the US!)
12. If you stop and look confused, people will try to help you.  The people in Korea were SO nice and willing to talk with you and help in any way!  This was a huge plus, considering how my trip to France was the ABSOLUTE, complete opposite.  Did I mention I am never, ever, ever going back to France?
13. Kimchi pancakes....also manna from Heaven! Gotta have it!  Glad I had them, they ended up being Spidey's favorite dish (still is).
14. Soju is extremely overrated. Pass.  Definitely pass.
15. Hyundais are pretty good looking cars.  Though, it was kind of hard to tell for sure when they came  speeding AT you at 70 mph!
16. Samsung makes everything...electronics, cars, ships, the list goes on and on.
17. In 1975, most houses in Korea still had thatched rooves!
18. I have not seen one homeless person yet.
19. Instant coffee tastes better the more caffeine withdrawal you go through!
20. We love Seoul!!! It is beautiful, the people are wonderful, the guests at the guest house where we are staying are so much fun and we are so thankful for the opportunity to be here!  I want to go back so badly!

Sometimes, I wonder if Korea was all a dream.  Spidey has been with us so long and is such a Yuen, that I can hardly remember that there was a time he wasn't with us.  I wonder if I have such an attachment to Korea because of the reason I was there.  I know that has to be part of it.  But, while reading over this list that I made 6 years ago, I remember that it wasn't just Spidey.  Korea is beautiful and the people are wonderful.  In some ways, it WAS a dream...a lovely one.  And one I can't wait to relive one day.

SPIDEY!!!  Wasn't he cute????

Because I went there and because I had such a connection to Seoul and the people there, I can't help but be extremely saddened by the escalating tension between North Korea and South Korea.  I continue to pray for both nations and for peace of mind for the South Koreans especially.  Please join me.

And while I am praying for them, I will be digging out all my bermuda shorts and washing everything else so I can go to California.  So...pray for me, too.  I hate laundry.

Gotta Mosey!

Airport Antics

"Travel is only glamorous in retrospect." ~ Paul Theroux

I am a couple of days short of four weeks until Butterfly and I leave for California.  As I prepare to fly back to my home state, I have had to think a lot about packing.  Usually, we drive and I have lots of room for multiple suitcases and ice chests for two days' worth of snacks.  Now that Butterfly and I are traveling by plane, I am having to plan much more strategically.  This planning is beginning to spill over into the other areas of my trip.

Part of the time we are in California, we will be working.  The rest of the time is leisure time with friends and family to enjoy Butterfly's new life as a college grad.  So, I want to make sure we make the most of our time.  I don't want to get sick.  I don't want to miss my flight.  I don't want any travel disasters to overtake us.  Therefore, I have been researching all kinds of things to avoid when I travel so that my trip remains productive, orderly and enjoyable.

According to BootsNAll, the #1 travel pitfall  to avoid is an area prone to natural disasters.  Ummmm...did I mention we are going to CALIFORNIA?

San Francisco Bay Bridge following the Loma Prieta Earthquake 1989

The Great Quake of 1908

Bet your state doesn't even HAVE an Earthquake Authority!

This is what my whole child looked like.  DUCK and COVER!

California has approximately 37,000 earthquakes a year!  Roughly 10,000 of them occur in Southern California, where they are well deserved.  But the rest happen in the other parts of the state.  We will be in Northern California where some of those other TWENTY SEVEN THOUSAND quakes shake it!  Fat chance on avoiding natural disasters!

The next pitfall to avoid says, Readers Digest, is being seated next to a drunk passenger on your flight.  During a recent international flight, a man drank a whole bottle of duty-free alcohol and became unruly and out of control.  Ya think?  The flight attendants took care of the situation with a roll of duct tape. Yes, they strapped him to his seat with duct tape to the point that he was unable to break free! This must be why Magellan's  travel goods site sells travel size duct tape - just in case the stewardesses need help. Think my neighbors will mind if I practice on their cat?

Another travel nightmare to try to circumvent is losing your luggage.  I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that my bags will be lost.  I am coming from a state dumb enough to legalize recreational marijuana use to a state that desperately WANTS legalized recreational pot.  You know some of those guys are gonna take off with my bag in hopes for a little Rocky Mountain High.  Won't they be sorry when they find out I am not that kind of girl!  Sorry enough to ditch my luggage, I bet!  I am thinking that this suitcase might make those airport guys stay away from my bag.  I like it in green.  What do you think?

Of course my biggest travel woe to be concerned with is the one that I have spent countless childhood hours being asked to solve already:  "A 555 mile, 5 hour plane trip was flown at two speeds.  For the first part of the trip, the plane flew at 105 mph.  Then a tailwind picked up and the plane flew the rest of the way at 115 mph.  For how long did the plane fly at each speed?"   This travel anxiety provided courtesy of  Purple Math.  Fortunately, all those years of word problems in school helped me with this answer.

Solution:  Who cares?  As long as I am ON the plane!

See you on the ground. Right now, I

Gotta Mosey

Round and Round and Round We Go!

"Give me liberty, or give me a Roundabout!" ~ Patrick Henry {revised}

I realized as I posted last week about the numerous road trips that I would like to take, I neglected to mention some very important pieces of advice to consider when planning a car trip.  There are several to keep in mind so that you can make the most of your travels .  But one Road Trip Rule stands head and shoulders above the rest!  And I implore you to take it to heart when you are planning your outing.

I became aware of this travel pitfall when I traveled to the "First in Flight" state....North Carolina. There they seem to have forgotten that we won the Revolution and are free from the tyrannical rule of the English Crown. It appears to me that they  need a firm reminder that we won our independence and no longer need to appease the king (never mind the fact that England doesn't even HAVE a king right now!)!

I was in North Carolina with friends for a conference when all the trouble began.  We had flown out (which tells you my frame of mind already, given how I detest flying), and then rented a car to make the daily shuttle from our hotel to the conference and back again.  Maybe it was the fact that the van was Japanese. Or maybe it was because our GPS was an Australian mate named, 'Lee'. In any case, things began to take a turn for the worse. And a turn. And a turn. And a turn......

Oh, sure, it started out innocently enough. We even stopped at the American institution, Wal*Mart to replenish our water supply. But, it was hard to feel very red, white and blue, when your driving guide announces in an Aussie accent that you have arrived at "W-Al Mort Sipper Cent-ear". From there, things just got worse. I even saw Miley Cyrus in a British Union Jack shirt! Isn’t she an American COUNTRY singer! I even tend to suspect that she may not know exactly where England is! Freedom people! We fought and died for it! I don't love country music, by any means, but those people usually bleed stars and stripes!

After we got our water, which, by the way, was bottled by Nestle, a SWISS company for goodness sakes.....we hopped back in our Toyota van and sidled up to 'Lee' as he led us through the back country to our hotel. (all the while passing restaurants like, The Olive Garden and Outback.....whatever happened to McDonald's? Oh! They are probably Scottish! Okay....getting off the soapbox now).

Please don’t misunderstand…I LOVE the melting pot that we are. I love that we have Australian GPS', Japanese cars (and sushi!!), Italian pizza and pasta, and Chinese husbands. Normally, I would never complain about our inclusive American culture. I almost always feel very blessed by it. BUT....there is one thing I cannot stand. It is a European import that I will NEVER embrace.

And I got STUCK on it that night in North Carolina. Oh yeah....you know it.....

The dreaded roundabout.

I hate them.


I was driving the van, to give my friend a break. We kind of had a deal. One drives and one navigates (and our kids constantly assist from the very, very back of the van!). So, there we were driving on the back roads. There isn't much to this part of North Carolina. Mayberry is no stretch of the imagination.....neither are their roads. Straight shots. Until.......

In the middle of God's Country, all of the sudden we come to a ROUNDABOUT! You know....those ridiculous traffic obstacle courses. One minute we are looking at hillbilly haven, and the next minute we are dropped on to the epitome of a traffic circus, the roundabout.

I am not sure exactly how many times we actually went around the roundabout, but it was a lot! Every time we would get to the other side of the roundabout, 5 different fingers would point in 5 different directions yelling at me to try to get off the roundabout. But, there was no escape. Round and round we went. Again and again. Over and over. I am pretty sure it wasn't me who started crying first....but by the time we finally got off, we all had tears running down our face!

And that was when I realized it. Roundabouts are an English plot. To distract the "Colonists" and lead them into fits of insanity. Sooner or later, we will all be stuck on a roundabout with Lobster-back troops marching in and then you will hear me screaming at the tops of my lungs.....

THE BRITISH ARE COMING! THE BRITISH ARE COMING!

Until then, I 

Gotta Mosey!

Perfecting the Art of Family Travel

Robert Louis Stevenson said, "To travel hopefully is better than to arrive."  There are no truer words for the family that travels together!  Nothing gives you hope like taking two parents and all the kids you can muster on a trip.  Whether it be by car, rail, air, or foot, when you add more than one person to your itinerary - especially if they are under 18 -  hope becomes the biggest concern of our journey.

We hope:

*we make it there safely
*we make it there sanely
*we don't lose anything
*we don't lose anyone
*we don't miss our flight
*there is a gas station coming soon
*that we don't have to listen to Taylor Swift one more time on this trek, or surely heads will roll!

With so many details hanging precariously in the balance, it is easy to see why hope is the key component when practicing the art of Family Travel.  And make no mistake, it IS an art form.

Over the years, my husband and I have had opportunity to traverse this country with many children in tow.  It wasn't always easy, and almost always involved bribes and candy.  But, I can say with great confidence now, that I actually enjoy travels with my family.  Especially road trips!  Nothing delights me more than all seven of us packing into Ol' Sundance (our Party Car, as it is affectionately known) and going off to places previously unexplored.  That being said, it wasn't always so.  I have had years to develop this art form.  A lot of you may not have the years our family had to refine your travels.  That is why I am writing this blog.  I hope that you will be inspired to experience new locales, avoid travel pitfalls and thoroughly enjoy your journey by learning from our family's mistakes struggles adventures!

I am looking forward to wandering with you, but right now, I

Gotta Mosey