Subway Adventures

"One of these things is not like the others. . .one of these things just doesn't belong. . . "

Next home Adventures

Well. . we are still a few days away from getting all the official paperwork for WHEN we are leaving Korea (hint. . .looks like it will be about the same number of days as my age .. . :) but we do at least have the official paperwork for WHERE we are going.. .. 

We are super excited!!  Although, in the spirit of full disclosure for our potential future visitors, the part of CA where we are going actually looks a bit more like this. . . .

Whirlwind Months Adventures

Whew!  I don't even know where to start!  The past few months were some of the busiest we have had since moving to Korea.  But also some of the most fun!  Here is some pictures to catch you up on what we have been up to.

We got to welcome our 2nd and 3rd visitors:  Hub's parents!

It was a fast trip but we managed to cram  A LOT in.  Hubs and his dad hit up the Korean electronics market for some fun new lens additions to their cameras and Hubs's mom got a new camera too.  In other words there were MANY pictures taken during the trip and below is a good representation of what took place each evening after a day of sightseeing. :)

THEN we also got to welcome our 4th and 5th visitors:  my oldest brother and his beautiful wife!

Among other things they got to experience a Korean parade.  No. . not watching one (as we logically assumed we would be) but being IN one.  It was weird. . and confusing. . in other words , for us, what has come to mean a very authentic Korean experience!!

Being so far removed from family is hands down the hardest thing about living overseas so it was just SUCH a treat to have them all here.  We loved showing them the place that has been our home for the past few years and some of the many reasons we love it here!

The Army runs very much on a yearly cycle here so it has been interesting this second year as everything "repeats".  We are kind of in a constant state of  déjà vu.  Among other things, one of the repeats was the annual military ball.

Here is my favorite photo of the night for those who appreciate a good spontaneous photo bomb. :)

Another big repeat was "Gunnery" (Apache pilots here do it semiannually to qualify firing or in other words go blow things up).

Look closely and you you can see the smoke trail from the rocket leaving the helicopter!

Yesterday when we collapsed to catch our breath from all this fun, we realized  that we are almost done with the 2nd year of the Korea cycle!  And you know what that means?!?  It's almost MOVING TIME!!  Stay tuned for updates (and we promise we won't wait as long before posting again!!)

Cambodian Adventures Part III

The next day was the absolute highlight of our Cambodia trip and involved an all day trek through Angkor Wat.  "What is Angkor Wat? " some of you might ask.  Trust me that isn't a silly question because up until our move to Asia and our growing interest in Cambodia, my knowledge of it consisted mainly of its brief appearance in the movie Tomb Raider.  However as we discovered it deserves MUCH more notoriety than that.  We were blown away at these structures and the history found there.  I don't understand how this area isn't commonly mentioned in the same breath as the Pyramids or the Colosseum.

 Anyway, Angkor Wat is the common name for the Angkor Archaeological Park Complex located in Seim Reap, Cambodia.  It is a huge area of temples and giant tree forested areas that dates back to the 9th-15th century.  Although there was a lot of damage to the area due to some of Cambodia's recent tumultuous years  the ruins are still absolutely magnificent especially now that much is being done to restore them.  Our pictures simply cannot do it justice but here is a couple to give you an idea.  Don't worry next time we see you we will hold you hostage with a home movie slide show of all 762 pictures we took.  Just kidding!  We will cut it down to at least 400. :)

One of the temples popping out from behind the trees= breathtaking!!  Also, yes that is a wild monkey on the path!

And yes, that is Hubs feeding a wild monkey! 

I don't even know how to begin climbing this thing.

Probably the most widely recognized spot in the whole area thanks to the movie Tomb Raider.  Aren't those tree roots something else?!

Leave a boy unattended for a few minutes and next thing you know he has knocked down a temple wall. . .

 I think all this would be an amazing sight even if it was built in current times with all the modern day construction equipment, materials, and tools available.  It boggles my mind none of that was around when it was built.

The impressive part isn't even how big the temple looks in comparison to Hubs, it is that this is the 2nd or 3rd story up on the huge structure!!  They are so big it is almost impossible to capture them all in one shot.

If you look carefully at the stones above the arch opening there is a Buddha face looking down at the path towards the camera and one one either side as well.  

Little monks roaming around one of the active temples.

This place is awesome.  I wonder if I can just pick it up and take it home. . .. :)

Cambodian Adventures Part II

We spent the majority of the first day of our trip to Cambodian in Phnom Penh, the capital city.  We didn't have much time but we tried to make every minute count!


First stop was the National Museum which was filled with incredible artifacts, many of which were Buddha statues from varying time periods.  While Cambodia is a predominately Buddhist country they have had significant influence from Hinduism throughout the years.  We found we know remarkably little about either religion and it was interesting having a guide walk us through how to recognize some of the different types of Buddhas often distinguished by hand positioning or objects being held in their hands.  We couldn't take pictures inside the museum but here is a shot of it's beautiful architecture and courtyard.  The spiky curves on the roof were a reoccurring theme on many of the buildings and our guide told us they represented a dragon and symbolized protection.

Next step was the Royal Palace (don't you think that "The Kingdom of Cambodia" has such a perfect ring to it?!).  The King was out of town for a holiday so we didn't get go meet him (ha!) but we did tour a few of the public buildings and areas within his grounds. Here are shots of a temple and a former King's crypt in the Royal Palace area.

The pink flower on the Buddha statue's lap is from a special tree that produces beautiful new flower blooms each morning.  The flowers fall from the tree each day around 1 or 2 pm and then fresh ones bloom the next morning.  Our guide said these trees are considered to have religious significance and are usually found near temples and shrines.

And a close up!  So beautiful and fragrant!

Our last stop in Phenom Pen was a visit to the Genocide Museum.  As some of you may know Cambodia has a very tragic history of civil war in the late 1970s.  This museum was originally a children's middle school that was used as a prisoner camp and torture/interrogation area during this time.    

Over the past few months  we  have developed a real heart for the country and interest in it's history.  This time period is particularly heartbreaking and has resulted in many present day needs and ministry opportunities in Cambodia.  If you are interested in learning more about Cambodia's recent history, we recommend checking out the movie:  "The Killing Fields" and/or the book " First They Killed my Father". 

Cambodia Adventures Part I

Several weeks ago we went to Cambodia.  SUCH a beautiful and charming country.  We have tons of pictures and experiences to share.  But it has been a long day/week/month. . .. and we are short on creative energy to give you a full report.  So for now I'll leave you with a few of our favorite "statue imitation" outtakes.. . .

Hong Kong Adventures

This year was relativity big in regards to my birthday.  I hit the big "3" "0" this November!  Hubs went totally above and beyond with a trip to Hong Kong to celebrate!!  Not only that,  he surprised me with a cake ordered ahead waiting for me in the hotel room!

We spent a wonderful weekend in Hong Kong and I really wish I had more pictures to show you but alas our hands were so full of shopping bags the whole time we didn't get many photo ops!!  We did get a number of great bargains at the markets though so if you got a Christmas present from us this year there is a good chance it came from a Hong Kong market (we have a stash too so that goes for the next few years as well :)).


The food was great and the city was bustling and impressive.  We were very surprised at how familiar everything seemed.  We barely felt like we were in a foreign country at all with all the fluent English speakers and English signs posted everywhere!  The money exchange did take a little getting used to though since they also use the dollar but one of their dollars is worth almost 8 US dollars.  At first glance that can make price tags seem very shocking (" $17 for a cup of coffee?!?!?!!?  ARE YOU NUTS?!?!?!?! Oh. . wait. . never mind.  Sure, I'll take two").


One thing that did make a lasting impression was our ride across the island on one of the many double decker buses.  Can you say CRAZY!?!?!

Here is shot from the vantage point of the first row on the top level.  Some of the turns were downright terrifying.  . .and the whole left side of the road thing certainly didn't help!

Since a picture really can't give it a worthy description I thought this video clip borrowed from one of the Harry Potter movies might give you a better idea of the experience.  Granted their bus had three levels, but other than that it is pretty much right one.  I think our driver may have even used magic a few times to keep us from crashing.