San Francisco Adventure!

When our flight got changed and heard that we would have a 10 hour layover in San Francisco, we were so excited and immediately rented a car online and started planning where to go when we got there! FYI: Most of today's photo's were taken with Aaron's camera and I don't have a camera cord to load the photo's to my computer, so you're stuck with my randoms. :)

When we got to San Fran, we grabbed our luggage from the baggage claim... not without getting stopped by the search dogs though.  Darn banana! Then, within minutes we were in our little bright blue Ford Fusion and on our way to Alamo Park to see the Tanner's house (a reference for all you Full House people out there.)!

Then we drove over to the windiest (sp?) street in America, Lombard St.  I have fond childhood memories of my dad driving down this street in our big family van!  

Then, we drove over to Fisherman's Wharf for a little walk around the wharf and some dinner at a little restaurant behind these crab stands....

.... called Sabella and La Torre.

It was a charming little place with an old style feel... It wasn't till after we sat down that we realized it had been open since 1927!

SALMON!!  Salmon is almost impossible to get in Korea, unless you buy it frozen at COSTCO or pay an arm and a leg for it at the fish market (but even there, it's only available a couple months out of the year), so I was super excited about it!

... and Aaron's fish tacos were enough to feed a small family!  We're not used to these giant servings and only finished about 1/3 f our meals before loading them into to-go boxes and heading back to our car.

Aaron was dying to see the Golden Gate Bridge, so we headed over there and spent about an hour there, along the water.  *** pics are on Aaron's camera. :(  By 7:30pm, we knew it was time to head back to the airport, so we bid farewell to our San Francisco adventure and drove back.

When we got to the rental car garage and started unpacking the car, Aaron realized his laptop bag was missing!  We knew right away that our trunk had been broken into and his bag had been stolen. I tried to calm him down, but for a guy who has thousands of images and programs stored on his computer, this wasn't just your average laptop!  Then, about a minute later that he remembered his Korean E-2 Visa, credit card and debit card was in there too!  NNNOOOOO!  It gets worse! Then, I realized my laptop, Korean VISA, $300, and my social security card were stolen too!  Double NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!! It'd be an understatement to say that we were in panic mode!  There was NO time to file a police report and we had about 45 minutes to cancel A's credit and debit cards, notify Soc Sec that my card had been stolen, return the car, and check in for our flight!  Where do we even start?!!

I immediately called my mom and put her to work!  She's the most resourceful person I know, and within an hour, she had e-mailed me all the info I needed to get things handled!

UPDATE as of Wednesday, July 18th

***  Aaron's credit card and debit card have been cancelled.

*** I need a SS card to get married, but without a birth certificate, you can't apply for a replacement, so my dad went and got a copy from the office and overnighted it to me.  It arrived LAST NIGHT!  Whew!  I'm hoping they can expedite it, because it usually takes 10 days to process a new one! :(

   

*** We both need copies of our E-2 VISA's to be able to leave the US and fly back to Korea.  After calling the Korean embassy, they told us the ONLY WAY they can re-issue a copy is if we show up IN PERSON to their embassy in ATLANTA!  There's no other way! Uuuuggghhhhh... So, now we're gonna have to make a day trip of it and drive down to Atlanta.     

*** I bought a replacement laptop yesterday. :) 

BTW: When we returned the car, the rental car agent said that Ford trunk locks are really easy to pick!   LOVELY.  Wish we would have known that before we moved all of our important stuff to the trunk, so no one would see it through the windows.  

   

We're trying to be positive about this whole thing and take it in stride!  We'd like for our wedding and family to be our focus, NOT THIS ORDEAL, but we've gotta get stuff handled!  So, one day at a time! :)

Queen for the day!

Wow, what a day today has been!!!  Aaron's aunt Vicki purchased our flights back to America as our wedding gift and upgraded us to Business and First Class the whole way!  We literally felt like a king and queen today and have to share... It'll make you never wanna fly coach again.  We knew it was a once in a lifetime opp, so we soaked it in and enjoyed every last second of it!

When we arrived at the airport in Busan and checked in, it didn't matter that our suitcases were too heavy, because we were "priority" for the day! Even the lady at the desk spoke to us with an added bit of respect! :)  As she handed us our tickets, she reminded us that we were welcome to relax in the "Asiana Lounge on the second floor" if we'd like!

What?!  THE RICH PEOPLE LOUNGE?!!  ....US??  Jackpot!

So, there we were at the door to the lounge, practically giddy about getting to go inside and see what it was all about.

It was basically a really nice room with comfy tables and chairs and this area where everything was FREE! Score!  Take whatever you want!  Care for some liquor before your big flight... 

They've got that too!  LOL

I had myself a diet coke (surprise, surprise), and couldn't resist pouring it into this teeny tiny miniature goblet that I found on the counter!  Everything tastes better in cute glassware, right?!  

The tradition travel ticket pic.  Try saying that 5 times fast!

Our first flight actually wasn't first class, because it was a 30 minute flight up to Seoul, so there's nothing fun to tell about that part of the trip... When we arrived in Seoul however, the excitement began.  We headed to the gate where our flight to San Francisco was scheduled to depart from and asked if we could check in early.  The ladies working there said our flight had been cancelled, and that there wasn't another one leaving until the next day! Uuummmmm..... That's not gonna work for us... sorry!  Luckily, they were able to get us on a Singapore Airlines flight leaving that same day, in 3 hours! Perfect, we'll take it!

With three hours to watse, we did what any other "Asiana priority member" would do... we went to the lounge! And boy did this one blow the other one out of the water! 

In addition to a full array of food and drinks and about 100 comfy chairs, they had private rooms where you could sit in a massage chair, which sometimes I think are even better than the real deal!  

Yep, I could get used to waiting for my plane by sitting in a massage chair with my iphone and drink in my hand!

This place even had shower suites!  We didn't take advantage of those though...  Not because we don't like to be clean, but because we were fine and content lounging and snacking away on yummy treats and drinks!

At 5:30pm, we boarded our Singapore Airlines flight from Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco and made ourselves comfortable in the lap of luxury we call Business Class! Aaron had used www.seatguru.com to find out which seat was the best in the business class section, when we were re-booking our flight, and luckily it was available.  We had almost twice as much leg space as the other guys behind us!  (You should always check that website when you're picking your seats.)

The giant seats were amazing in themselves, but then tack on the impeccable service and it was over the top amazing!  It seriously felt like we had our own personal assistants... They even called me Ms. Anderson whenever they would ask if I'd like some fresh bread, a fresh glass of wine, some ice cream, a warm towel for my hands, an extra pillow, a chocolate, some fruit, a croissant, some cheese and crackers... My favorite though was when they asked if I'd love for them to help my convert my chair into a bed for the night... INTO A BED!!  What?!!  It was the never ending stream of food, service and comfort that will making flying coach terribly sad in the future.  

We've been utterly spoiled!

Dinner was a 4 course meal!  ...4 fancy courses, people!  First on the menu was veal cabobs.... not for everyone, but I happened to be a fan.

This guy was a fan too!

 Then, in between the cabobs and the next plate, I decided I'd order some hot chocolate, because heck, why not!? The drink menu was 4 pages long and I wanted to take advantage of it! :)  There were actually real chunks of chocolate in there.  Singapore Airlines DOES NOT disapoint!

Next was a salmon salad with caviar.   Salmon = great... Caviar = a snail. I can't do it!

 Then came my chicken and vegetables...

and Aaron's ribs!

All that while enjoying our choice of about 100 things to watch!  I would have been content staying here for a couple days!  It honestly felt a little like a cruise, where you're comfy, the service is awesome and the food never stops coming!

AAaaahhhh, my chair turned bed!  I could lay completely flat and straight and didn't touch my feet on the wall where my TV was. I slept 8 hours straight... like a baby...

 ... that is, until I was tapped on the shoulder and told that my pancake breakfast was ready!

I may, quite possibly have gained all the weight back, in one single flight, that I worked so hard to lose over the past 2 months!  Do I dare say it was worth it?!  

It was worth it!

THANK YOU VICKI!!!

Scrub scrub!

I woke up this morning early afternoon to a broken water heater!  Booo.  I think the rain may have caused the pilot light to burn out.  :( After calling the company to come fix it and finding out no one works on Sundays, I was presented with ONE option if I wanted to take a warm shower! ... The infamous JIM JIL BANG (public bath house).  Now, I haven't been to one in a long while, because while I love the idea of lounging in baths, getting massages, and feeling cleaner than usual, the awkwardness of being THE naked foreigner, with hundreds of curious Korean eyes watching your every move and judging every curve of your body seems to keep me from walking through the doors.  Today was different though, I had to go! 

So, I spent 3 hours at Haesoopia, a 6 story public bath house near my apartment, containing a gym, restaurant, sauna, bath floor for women and another for men, a nail salon, massage chairs, and a whole floor dedicated to yoga!  I spent about an hour lounging naked in the herbal pools while I waited my turn for an $18, hour long, "cucumber massage." I figured it had to be relaxing if cucumber and massage were in it's title. My turn finally came, and I jumped up on the massage table and was greeted by a 40-something year old Korean woman wearing only her bra and undies... which was more than I could say for myself - I was in my birthday suit!!   Let the awkwardness begin...

First step was a fabulous cucumber facial... I love this massage! Then, just as I was starting to feel relaxed and at ease... THE FULL BODY DEEP SCRUB began!  ...and when I say deep scrub, I mean DEEP SCRUB!!  She used what felt like the equivalent of sand paper and scrubbed like her life depended on it!  This lady didn't miss a crevice either... and then awkwardness commences!  By the end of the 40 minute sand paper scrub, my whole body was numb and red!  lol  Then, she rubbed globs of lemon scented butter oil ALL over and said I was finished!  Come again?!  I have crap all over me, and slippery crap at that!  So, I slid off the table and tried my best to get to the other side of the showers to wash it off without slipping and falling on my face!  As if being the ONLY naked blonde foreigner walking through the bathhouse was enough, I had to do it with butter all over my body!  Oy vey!

I spent the next 5 minutes getting the butter off and then the next hour paying 80 cents for 10 minutes in massage chairs and getting cozy in the river rock sauna room, where the floor is filled, a foot high, with smooth black river rocks!  Genius!  I'm home now, and proud to say I successfully endured an afternoon at the Jim Jil Bang without seeing any of my students (I would die!); the redness in my skin has subsided and my skin is softer than EVER!  I'd say that was a pretty successful day!

Wedding gifts!

I just got the funniest / sweetest message from one of the teachers at my school!

Congratulations on your wedding!!

So we (3rd, 4th grade teacher) want to give a present for you :-)

We think carefully. ' What will be a good present for Jill Anderson?'

1. a set of towel
2. a set of coffee cups
3. blender
4. pajamas
5. gift card
6. couple t-shirt ... etc.

Select the best one. ♥"

I'd be lying if I said I didn't really want to "select" # 6, just for the fun of it!  

Man, I love Korean wedding gifts! 

My Kind-a Bachelorette Party!

When my 4 sweet girlfriends from the other side of town told me they wanted to throw me a spa / girl day for my bachelorette, I knew they knew me well!  I'm not one for parading around town with penis headbands and half naked boys dancing and rubbing up against me, while I down shots of vodka to celebrate my upcoming nuptials!  That's just never been me, and I'm pretty sure Aaron's a fan of my toned down bachelorette party style!

So, the plan was for me to come to Gill's apartment at 2pm on Saturday and to dress comfy, but to bring something nice for later!  Easy enough!  :)  When I got there, Gill, Crystal, and Anne were all waiting for me, with a bed mat, pillows, and towels laid out on the floor, and a table full of every spa necessity...

...And 2 yummy plates full of delicious fresh fruit and chocolate ganash 

(which was the first time I'd ever tried it!  YUM)

Gill had even pre-made her own little concoction of a cocktail punch for all of us...

After lounging for a bit and catching up on the latest TV and real life gossip, they told me to get comfy and relax!  It's one thing to have spa services, it's another when you're OWN friends do it for you!  I felt soooo special! 

Crystal was the pedicure-ist extraordinaire...

... Not only did she paint my toenails with little pink hearts, because what better to paint the bride's toenails with than pink hearts, but she did an exfoliate and foot massage too!  Now that's REAL friendship right there.

 Gill studied cosmetology back in South Africa and is a really great make-up artists and hair stylist... What I didn't know though, was that she can do facial's too!  She did a fabulous mud mask on me and a facial massage!  I could get used to that!

Sam got there around 2:30pm...

She was late because she was baking these delicious orange and banana muffins! 

 Anne hung out on the couch, sipping her cocktail, while snapping some pictures of me getting pampered!

We had such a nice afternoon together at Gills... It was the perfect way to spend one of my last Saturday's as a single lady (well, not single, but not married!)

At about 6:00, the girls said it was time to get out of our comfy clothes and get ready for our night out!  Gill actually did ALL of our make-up, which was such a fun treat!

Anne and I were the first two ready for the night! :)  And yes, that is a tiara on my head!  They made me wear it so that people knew that something special was happening!  Most of the Koreans I saw just thought I was trying to be cutesy (talk about embarrassing) and all the foreigners kept wishing me happy birthday! 

We were out the door and in a taxi by 7pm, heading towards Gwangali Beach, where we had a fabulous dinner together, overlooking the famous Gwangan bridge and beach! 

After dinner, we took a walk down the street (which had been blocked off for street performers)... the girls kept jokingly telling me that they had organized the street to be shut down and for all the performers to be out for my bachelorette party!  I'm gullible, but not that gullible!  We stopped and gawked at an incredible Taekwondo show (previous blog), and waited until after the show to get some photos with them!

Check out that tough face!  I don't mess around!

Next stop was Thursday Party Gwangali and then Kyungsung for some after dinner fun!  Pretty nails!

This is a typical Anne and Crystal photo and shows their personalities perfectly!  They are a blast to have around and are always being silly and cracking jokes!  I think this was taken shortly after our table had been approached by some Australian guys and Anne was doing her best to shoo them away by talking with a VERY exaggerated lisp.

We were all dying!

I've known these four (except Sammy dear) for over 2 years now and I adore and love all of them to pieces!  Thank you so much for making me feel so special on Saturday and for pampering me, toasting to me, and just all around being fabulous friends! :)  

Love you 4!

See you when I'm a wife!

Black Belt

I've seen my fair share of elementary student Taekwondo shows living in Korea, but I've never seen a black belt performance, until Saturday! After dinner with 4 of my girlfriends, we walked the street along Gwangali Beach and stumbled upon a FREE Taekwondo show in the street! There were about 15 black belt university students (guys and girls) performing in front of about 200 passerby's. I felt like I couldn't lift my jaw off the floor! They were doing some pretty amazing things, like blind folded back flips while kicking an apple with their foot! I didn't even know that was possible, to burst an apple into pieces, without throwing it! Leave it to these kids! Enjoy the video of some of the highlights!  

Sorry it's sideways! I should know better... but i completely forgot when I was recording it! And the sound is terrible because I had to use a program to combine the videos and it ruined the sound. You get the picture. Enjoy, regardless! :)

Casino Night!

Last night, our friend's Adam and Ashley invited me and A to come with them on a lil' double date to the Casino on the 2nd floor of Lotte Hotel in Seomyeon.  I love this, considering we introduced them to the casino about a month ago and now they're hooked and inviting us to come!  We all decided to dress up and make it a fancy night, which gave me an excuse to wear my new MANGO dress that was 70% off!  Ahhh, yes!  $25 is much better than $100... and it also gave us an excuse to take a taxi there, instead of a bus or the subway.  (instagram photo)

We spent 4 hours together, playing at the roulette table, laughing, betting, cheering, and whining when we would lose our chips. Taking pictures is a SERIOUS NO NO inside the casino, so I had to secretly snap this one, with my iphone, from the dining room of the casino, where we ate FREE dinner. :)

Ash and I

Aaron didn't get the memo that we weren't showing that we were losers yet for this picture!

... but it's true, we all lost. :(  It's never fun to lose money, but that's kind of the chance you take when you walk through those doors!  Luckily, I only played with $45.00, and only lost $30, so it wasn't all that bad considering I played a game for 4 hours, and ordered whatever I wanted to drink for free, and had free dinner!  Gotta love the casino! 

Love it more when we're all winners, but whatever!  

As a side note, Ashley won $900 last time!  So, the little money she lost tonight was a wash!  Lucky girl!

Thanks for another great night together you three!