Resting High on the Mountain

AAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That would be our collective sigh from this past weekend.  After last week's "entertainment" and the frenzy that is Thanksgiving, we were in need of a break.

A few weeks ago, I booked us on the trip to Mt. Seorak and convinced some very sweet friends of ours, the McCulloch's, to go with us.  Up until late Thursday, I wasn't sure if we were going to go since the base was on alert status from the events from earlier in the week.  But lucky for us, we were released to go. 

Seorak is located on the northeast coast and is the third highest mountain in Korea.  This is the same mountain range Ronnie went hiking in back in October, and I have really been wanting to go myself as I had heard it was beautiful. 

So, after the craziness of Thanksgiving, we piled into a bus on Friday morning and headed for the mountains.  It took us about 3 hours by bus to get there, but it flew by.  The girls are finally able to entertain themselves for a few hours by coloring, reading and just looking out the window.  I was even able to catch a light cat nap because they were behaving so well. 

We were booked in the Sorak Tourist Hotel, which is within the national park and right at the base of Gwongeumseong.  The hotel was smaller but family owned, which made it very cozy.  This was our view from our hotel...

If looking at that while you're lying down in a comfy bed doesn't instantly relax you, there may not be any hope.  We dropped our bags, grabbed a quick bite, and off to the mountain we went. 

First up, the cable car and Gwongeumseong.  Legend has it that this castle was built by two men who wanted to protect their land peacefully.  The cable car ride was quick, but a little painful...  Sarah was a little scared of the height at first.  But it was well worth it.  The view was utterly fantastic - you could see the East Sea and most of the other peaks in the area.  Ronnie climbed to the top with the McCullochs and said it was even better up there.

Next was the Biryong Waterfall.  The girls had had their fill of hiking, so we went back to the hotel, while Ronnie pressed on with the group.  Biryong means flying dragon, and is kind of what the falls look like.  It was a nice hike through the bamboo forrest, then you get to Yukdam Falls, and press a little further to Biryong. 

After all the days events and some fantastic pizza, we settled into our hotel for a quiet night's rest.  Early the next morning, we woke up for our hike to Geumgang Cave.  Mother Nature surprised us with a gift: the first snow of the season.  It was beautiful to watch blow in down the valley, and luckily it was gone as quickly as it came. 

The girls and I hiked most of the way, but turned around at Biseondae because the hike was going to be mostly vertical from there.  We returned to get a snack at the hotel while Ronnie went on with the group.  The hike was pretty difficult, but the cave had a spectacular view and there was a small shrine inside. 

When they finally returned, it was time for us to head to Waterpia. Again, if this vacation couldn't have been more relaxing, then they send us to the land of hot tubs, massaging water jets, and dry saunas.  

Sunday morning brought us bright blue skies.  I took this picture from the roof of our hotel as the sun was rising.

I did a quick hike with the group up to Sinheungsa Temple, one of the Buddhist temples in the park.  Once we got back, we all loaded into the bus and headed for Naksan Temple, which is right on the East Sea.  The grounds were beautiful, although it was devistated by fire a few years ago.  The sea was beautiful against the bright blue sky and we had a fantastic view of Seoraksan. 

After a quick lunch, we headed back to the "real" world but quickly agreed that we must revisit this area before we leave next year.  

Giving Thanks

Where did this year go?   I can't believe it's already Thanksgiving.  This year, we celebrated with two fantastic groups: the 25th and the OSS.  

First up, we repeated the fantastic tradition that the 25th has: the Thunderbolt Feast.  Basically, we cook way too much food and invite the maintainers over to eat turkey dinner.  It is a great day of fellowship with the fine men and women who keep our pilots safe everyday.  This year, I just ate a light lunch, as we had another group to go celebrate with.

Ronnie has moved into a new job and is in charge of the Life Support office in the OSS.  It's another group of unsung heroes because these guys make sure that all of the aircrew equipment is up to safety standards.  And another group worthy of a semi-home cooked meal.  I wasn't able to do a full turkey dinner for them, but we made ham and most of the sides.  I don't think there was anyone who went hungry in that group...  for days. 

All in all Thanksgiving in Korea, part deux, was a success.  We were able to spend time with a group of people who probably don't think the pilots appreciate them (and most the time they don't)...  but hopefully, this one day let them know that we do appreciate what they do on a day in day out basis to keep daddy coming home safe and sound. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Flexing the Muscles

Living in a foreign country is a blessing in many ways.  There are life lessons and experiences you wouldn't have anywhere else.  But there are other things that you learn along the way that will stay with you the rest of your life. 

If you are like most Americans, and like I was before October 2009, the Korean War was something you studied in World History and was most likely sandwiched between WWII and Vietnam or the timeperiod that MASH was set in. 

But living here causes the war to come into a different perspective.  Because, technically speaking, the war is not over. 

Earlier this week, our friendly neighborhood psychopath decided to shell an island in the Yellow Sea.  The attack was completely unprovoked (from what I can tell on the unclassified newswaves) and unfortunately, several people lost their lives or were seriously injured.   

As with other major events in the world, you sit and wonder what is happening, what caused it to happen, and what can we do to make sure it doesn't happen again.  Fortunately for me, that is for people with far more experience to handle.  From what I can tell it's all about Jonger wanting his nukes, and the South saying fine, have your nukes, but you won't get any more rice.  Childish really, but then again, why would you expect anything rational to come out of a fruitcake. 

So I have checked our go bags, I have cash ready at my disposal, and I know where all my paperwork is...  just in case.  

TEAM WHATS-HIS FACE

I would say that this battle has been reduced to name calling, but since other unnamed individual isn't even uttering a sound, it's gone beyond that.  Fight's on.  I enjoy beating my wife, even better if it's for a good cause. 

As I'm sure you already know from her post, we're running the Seoul Marathon in March as a fund raiser for Knights of Heroes.  Throughout my career, I've had several friends leave wives and children behind. This is just one of many organizations that can make a difference for them.  So even if you choose to support the thorn in my side, I can live with that.  However, if you'd like to sponsor TEAM RALLY you can click the link here. -------------------------> KoH Fundraiser 

I put $750 as a goal before I knew Songtan Sally was going to turn this into a grudge match.  So my actual goal is what ever she raises plus $.01.  I'm fairly certain she'll win this one, as she is fairly certain that I'll beat her 1/2 marathon time in the full.  I guess each of us can use the other for motivation in their weaker area.  Sometimes it works out when you marry your opposite.

It's going to be a busy 17 weeks until the race as we are both begining our training programs.  Stay tuned for updates.

Week 1 Recap: Team Chris vs. Team What-His-Face

Week one of my half-marathon training is complete.  By day five, I wanted to kill something or someone; luckily, the next day was a day of rest which is what I needed.  I logged 5 miles this week, and most of it was jogging; I also logged two cross training days and one "walk" day.  Not bad for week one, and it's right where it needs to be to help me condition my legs for the miles ahead.  Week two will be interesting, as we have Turkey day and a trip to the East Coast ahead of us. 

This week was also a week of realizations...  like it is getting cold in Korea and I really don't have any cold weather running gear.  I don't want to train solely on the treadmill because that will kill me on race day.  I'll be shopping for some running tights and other layers this week. 

Another one is there is a slight possiblity that Ronnie will finish the full marathon before I finish the half.  Yes, I am that slow and he is that quick; and I'm okay with that.   I've decided that since I can't compete with him on the course, what I can do is hand him his ____ in fundraising.  This is the part where you can pitch in. 

Whether you decide to pull for Team Chris or that other guy who calls himself my husband yet shall remain nameless, please pull for this cause.  We are running for the Knights of Heroes.  More specifically, we're running to honor our friend Nick (About Nick) and the countless other warriors who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  We're running to help Caleb and all the other young men who will grow up without their father to give them a place where they can grow and realize they are not alone. My goal is simple: raise $1,000, the cost to send at least one young man to camp.

For more information on the Knights of Heroes, please click here. 

To donate to Team Chris, please click here.    To donate to team whatchyamacalit, well, I'm not sure where that link is...  :)

Lighting the Night

Recovering from this weekend doesn't do it.  With the Apple Festival on Saturday, you would think we would take it easy on Sunday right.   Nope.....

We headed to the Seoul Lantern Festival with some friends.  We did some quick research and found out that the festival is in the same part of town as the Blue House.  Since we haven't seen that yet and it was another pretty day in Korea, we hopped a train earlier than the Haugh's and Kaercher's.

This time, we even figured out how to take the rapid train and shaved 30 minutes off of our travel time.  After arriving at the station, we immediately found the location for the lantern festival and went about wandering the neighborhood.  

Chongwadae translates to "The house with blue tiles" and refers to the grounds as well as the building of  the Oval Office of President Lee.  The grounds are beautiful from what I see online, but I want to visit in the spring when the gardens are in bloom.  After walking up and saying, "yep, there's the Blue House," it was time to grab some dinner and meet our friends at the festival.  

The festival is different than the one we went to in the spring.  This one was along a walking path that lined the Cheonggyecheon.  It was crowded, but nice to walk along and enjoy the lanterns.  They had traditional lanterns, different lanterns from all over the world, ones depicting storybook characters, and lanterns celebrating Korean heritage.  What was great was I was able to get some good pictures this time since they weren't moving. 

After about an hour, we had enough of the cold and walking, so we headed to warm up in Holly's Coffee.  Apparantly, Holly has had time to become a coffee mogul here in Korea.  We enjoyed our coffee and treats and decided to hop the train back to Songtan, as it was getting late. 

The "Life"

Ronnie and I were able to enjoy a childless meal today and I was telling him this story that I'm about to share with you.  He immediately asked if I blogged it; obviously I haven't.  But first a little backstory:

We are a military family through and through.  Counting up, we've lived in five states and one country in our almost ten years of marriage (Ronnie has been in three more than I for training so that would make eight states for him).  Holly was born in North Carolina; Sarah in Texas.  I know more abbreviations than any one human should know.  And we have conversations that play out like this:  husband comes home and says we have orders to move to _________; wife says Awesome, I think so-and-so are there now.  Kids are uprooted from friends, activities, schools, and homes for a new unknown, but make new friends, take up new activities at their new home and school. 

Such is the life of a military family and the upbringing of military brats.  One that I lived growing up, albeit only slightly, and one that I'm asking my kids to live with Ronnie and I. 

There are things that happen when you're a military brat that you really don't think twice about.  It seems like second nature to us, but to others it would be odd.  We're already starting to talk to them about moving next summer, but we don't know where just yet.   We instantly stop in our tracks and stand at attention anytime the national anthem is played.  And then you have things like this that happen:

Sarah and I were heading to the commissary a few weeks ago.  I can't remember where Ronnie and Holly were, but they weren't in my car with us.   Anyway, we were driving by the O'Club when I noticed the street was blocked off and several Airmen in SWAT type gear.  I knew they were running some scenarios on base, but I hadn't seen any of them.  Then Sarah says, "Mommy, there's a boy with a gun over there."

I quickly whipped my head and saw what looked like a sniper lying in the bushes with his gun pointed at the building the SWAT-looking guys were around. 

I said, "Yes, he does have a gun, doesn't he Sarah?"

Sarah said, "What is he doing?"

I said, "Well, he's going to kill the bad guy."

Sarah said, "Okay.  Mommy, can we get some ice cream at the commissary?"

And just like that the conversation was over.   What child would just accept the explaination that a guy laying in the bushes with a gun pointed at our car was going to shoot a bad guy with no further questions?    Only the military brat is the best answer I can come up with. 

Curiosity Doesn't Always Kill the Cat.....

Like I posted earlier, fall has definitely come to Korea.  The mornings are getting more and more crisp, the leaves are now in full color, and the days are getting shorter.  A few weeks ago, I was picking up some apples at the market when it dawned on me...  there were apples at the market!  Generally speaking, freshness is of utmost importance to the markets and they don't carry anything that isn't in season. 

Later that night, in one of my daydream/random thought sessions, I was thinking that these apples have to be grown somewhere.  A few Google searches later landed me some information about apple farms and farm experiences.  After some more research I found out that there were farms in our immediate area, they offered apple picking, and they were going to have a festival!   SCORE!  

We set out Saturday morning for Yesan-gun, an area south of us, with lots of friends in tow.  A little while later, we arrived at our destination.  The orchards here don't look like what you would picture in your mind.  Then again, the apple business didn't start flourishing until the mid-80s (from what I could gather on Google). 

The festival was so much fun.  They had the Three Korean Tenors (and other entertainment), traditional Korean basket-making, and hands on apple activities.  The girls and I made pies, apple jam, and apple wine.  We watched them make fresh apple-infused sausage and then throw it on the grill to serve up.  We were treated to samples of apple wine and barbecue.  Last but not least, we headed for the orchard to pick our apples.  The day was just perfect and we had a fantastic time!

Starting Back at Day One....

Today is day one of my running plan.  I have lost a lot of my conditioning due to a lackadaisical approach to running the last few months.   So today is day one on a semi-conditioned 5K plan. 

What am I training for you ask...  The Seoul Marathon.  

I'm running the half marathon while Ronnie is training for the full.  And we're running for a good cause, The Knights of Heroes http://www.knightsofheroes.org/. This is a fantastic charity and one that hits close to home.  

Be looking for updates from the both of us over the next few months as we fundraise, replace shoes, and push me beyond my current mileage.

Falling Down

The leaves are that is, not me.  

After our quick hop to the States in September, our temperatures have continued to drop.  We've gotten below freezing already and morning frost is starting to be a daily occurance. 

Watching the leaves change is another reminder that I've been here a year already.  I was amazed at the color last year, and this year I'm getting to appreciate the subtleties.  Oaks versus maples, azaleas versus cherries still on the trees.   Here are my my favorites of what I've seen thus far. 

They look like butterflies to me

Yes I put a filter on this, but the bright red fruit on the otherwise sparce tree caught my eye

Sarah "The Don"

So Sarah fired Holly. Not sure what they were doing or what led up to it, but all I heard was, "Holly, you're fired." A little part of me wanted to go show Sarah the proper way to invite someone to find a new job, but Holly's response was "You can't fire me Sarah cause I'm not playing with you."


I have to say, even though I've seen that exchange before, but I've never laughed as hard as I did this time.

Ne?

In case ya'll were wondering, Korean's don't know or understand what a thingajigger is.  Guess they don't teach that word in the Engrish classes here.  Here's how I know...

I split lunch with a friend of mine today.  She went to get a drink while I waited for our order.  When our sandwich was ready, I knew we needed another plate or something so we could  half it.  So, I asked for another "sandwich thingajigger."

The poor guy just cocked his head to one side and said "Ne?"  That would be the equivalent of "huh?"  I held up our sandwich and said can I have another sandwich holder thing.  He then said oh and handed me one, kinda giggling and smiling at me. 

I guess he hasn't gotten to the southern part of his Engrish lessons.