Sad Times

I've finally left South Korea, and am feeling oh-so-blue about it. Our year there flew by, and I was completely unprepared to leave.

That's not to say I'm unhappy to be back in the US, visiting family, prepping for my brother's wedding this weekend, and catching up with friends. All these things are great - but there is a melancholy little part of my brain reminding me that I might NEVER BE IN SOUTH KOREA, EVER AGAIN, and that's just really too sad to think about.

My long-suffering husband stayed behind to finish up paperwork and supervise the pack. This is something he has informed me will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever happen again. The stress of prepping the house and watching the movers shove all our possessions into a wooden crate was just too much for him. I will admit that when I heard his martyred "I was up at 3AM WASHING DISHES and taking things off the walls", I'd have had a little more sympathy if I didn't have the consolation of knowing that I left him with a clean kitchen and only four things on the walls (two were posters - easy peasy).

On a side note: Jetlag + pregnancy = AWESOME. I was already getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and now I just stay awake for HOURS. It is AMAZING.

Not.

Is It Just Me?

Or does anyone else spend their evenings listening to classical music while reading "A Short History of Rudeness" aloud to their developing baby?

Also, it's NEVER too early to learn good etiquette.

How To Use A Toilet

Jeju

I can't recommend it highly enough. It's pretty rightly called "the Hawaii of Korea" - at least I assume it's pretty rightly called that - I can't exactly confirm the sentiment, having never actually been to the Hawaii of the United States (that's Hawaii, in case you were wondering).

After a glorious long weekend of hiking in a sundress and flipflops because I'm stupid (also, my feet were a little too swollen to stuff into my sneakers after the flight), getting a pretty magnificent sunburn, and just generally checking out one of the New Seven Natural Wonders of the World, it's good to be home.

Side note - the next time I'm on an airplane, it will be to the US - weird.

What I Missed: The Great Photo Recap

We took the most crowded subway ride ever.

We saw fireworks. They were awesome.

There was a lantern festival.

It snowed.

A lot.

Christmas came.

We went skiing. I spent more time laying down than I did standing up.

We saw North Korea.

North Korea saw us.

Brandon practiced his archery.

We went to the Cherry Blossom Festival. It rained.

We hiked. A lot.

We went to China. It was dirty. 

And that's what you've missed!

Stay tuned for another one of these...next year?

What I Missed: Visitors

We had three! Yay, people like us.

First there was Hannah:

Then Sara:

And our last visitor - Dani:

Best Blogger Ever!

Our time at Osan is winding down, and I am the worst blogger ever. I went from "I'm going to post every day!" to "once a week is good enough", and now am at the "well, every five-and-a-half months is better than nothing at all" point.

Life is good. So good that I forgot all about my blog.

South Korea has been a crazy amazing adventure, and we've loved every minute. The people are friendly (And honest! Unlike in China! Which is another story for another day!), the food is delicious (with a few notable exceptions), the scenery is gorgeous, and the transportation is cheap, cheap, cheap.

Seriously, if you are going to ever visit ONE Asian country, go to Korea. Not China. Definitely not China.

If we weren't moving to another really cool place (England!), I'd be way more devastated about leaving South Korea. I'm still pretty distraught, but visions of antique bookcases and wrought iron prams are dancing in my head and softening the blow.

Tomorrow we head to Jeju Island for the long weekend, and I will attempt to update at least a couple more times before I have to change my blog name from "We Live In A Castle" to "We Live Near A Castle".

Feast Your Eyes On Trickery

I heart the Trickeye Museum.

Trashed

This looks like quite the party spot.

Things That Make Me Happy

Anne of Green Gables with Korean subtitles.

Dumpkin

You know what happens when you stuff a duck inside of a pumpkin and cook it for five hours?

Pure Bliss. 

The Hallelujah Chorus IN YOUR MOUTH.

Ooooh la la

Chamel! Straight from Itary!

#thegoodstuff #definitelynotafake

Nazi Free since '93

In South Korea, this means Buddhists, not Nazis.

Even though I know what it means, it still startles me every time a jewelry clerk

 tries to sell me a swastika necklace.

Things That Are Creepy

This motion-activated robot girl who bows and tries to sell you chicken when you walk by.

Creepy, I tell you.

Please?

Can I have this for Christmas?

Heart/Pizza Full of Love

Our favorite exotic Korean pizza place likes the ladies, and isn't afraid to say so.

If you need any remodelring done, I know a place. . .

It's ok little bear, I miss my cheese too.

More Cute Animals, Begging To Be Eaten

I tell you what - if any South Koreans travel to the US, they will be mightily confused by Chickfila.

A COW asking us to eat CHICKEN? 

WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?!?!

Shame On Me

For neglecting you, my precious little bloggy blog.

My husband has been a computer hog the last few weeks, and even though I am home alone all day, I will blame him for using it two hours every evening.