AMERICA!

The morning finally came for me to fly back to America!  For whatever reason, everytime Aaron and I take a taxi to the airport, we end up cluthing each others hands in fear of dying before ever making it there.  We have the worst luck with crazy taxi drivers! We made it to the airport, safe and sound, YAY!

We didn’t have time to take our traditional tickets picture in the airport, so we had to settle for this one on the plane instead!

First stop was TOKYO! Luckily though, we didn’t have a super long layover! 1 hour after arriving in Tokyo, we were already standing in line to board our next plane to Detroit… a 12 hour flight!

I always look forward to long flights because I can always just sit back, relax, and watch TV or movies on my in-seat entertainment center for 10 hours! But, you can image my disappointment when I sat down and saw this…

NO in-seat entertainment! BIG FAIL Delta! Big Fail!

So, with that said; 4 meals…

...3 snacks... multiple diet cokes… and 17 hours later, we finally arrived in Asheville, NC! 

Aaron‘s family was excitedly awaiting our arrival at the airport!

Even Cash, Aaron’s dog, was allowed in the airport to come to welcome us home! Perks of a small town airport, I guess!

Aaron’s Dad: Keith, Aaron, Aaron’s mom: Pegg, Aaron’s sister: Ali, and Keith's wife: Kaye…. and of course Cash doggie!

Of all the times I’ve travelled, I have NEVER had an airline lose my bags... UNTIL TODAY! Yep, I arrived in Asheville and my suitcase was still in Detroit! Again, BIG FAIL DELTA!  I gave them Aaron’s grandmother’s address and it was hopefully going to be delivered tonight, but it’s 9:30pm now, and no suitcase!

We stopped by the darling condo (which is right in the darling downtown area, in walking distance to Aaron's aunt and grandmother's places) that a family friend had lent Aaron, Pegg and I for the week.  We dropped our stuff, freshened up and headed out to My Father’s Pizza in downtown Black Mountain for dinner with Keith, Kaye, Pegg, Ali, Aaron’s aunt Sherry Beth, and his grandmother Mammy!

It was so nice to have so many family members all together to welcome us home to the US! And the amazing pizza didn’t hurt either!

 

  After dinner, we stopped by Aaron’s grandma: Gran’s house to visit with her for a bit before heading back to the condo with Pegg and Ali to meet Aaron’s best friends Sam and Bill. The 5 of us sat and chatted for a while, catching up and eating delicious homemade fudge and cheese! YUM!

It’s amazing that we’re still awake, considering we’ve been awake for 27 hours straight now! Actually, scratch that. I just looked over at Aaron and he’s dead asleep on the comfy chair in the living room! Haha. Now that this has been written and my first day home has been properly documented I’m heading to bed!

Craig and Maddie!

My friend and neighbor, Craig, has his friend Maddie visiting from America for the week!  LUCKY!  So, last night, Aaron and I had planned to take them to our favorite 갈메기살 (pork) restaurant on "the meat street" in Nampodong, but Aaron got really sick, so he stayed home and I played tour guide instead!  This street is lined with amazing pork and beef restaurants!

...but this little hidden gem is my absolute favorite!

We ordered 갈메기살 (pronounced Galmegisal) and feasted on the delicious beef, which is cooked right at our table!

Craig and Maddie!

If you come to Busan, you have to try 호떡 (pronounced hoht duk).  Craig was really excited to introduce Maddie to these delicious Korean delicacies! 

 

mmmmm.  What food, drenched and fried in a vat of butter, isn't absolutely delicious?!

  

Then we walked through Nampodong to see all the Christmas decorations and lights that have been set up on the main street...

...and had out picture taken next to one of the many "Merry Christmas photo spots." 

We had so much fun!  Just wish A could have been there to enjoy all the festivities! :)

tis the season!

Last week, I made a power point presentation for my 3rd - 6th grade classes and taught about Christmas in America.  I ended up having lots of teachers come sit in the back to watch my classes and learn about how we do things in America during this time of year!  Even my Principal and Vice Principal came to listen.  It was fun to see their shocked at seeing pictures like these:

All of the adult's excitement and positive reactions to Christmas in America got me thinking... craft thinking that is!  I decided I would make special handmade Christmas gifts for the 6 teachers who I have tea with every morning.  They've never owned a stocking or tasted Christmas sugar cookies!  So, last Thursday I got to work and crafted all weekend long to make these fun gifts!

I saw this idea on Pinterest and KNEW I had to try it!  After days of searching, I finally found a store that sold tiles... it was a toilet store!  haha  Once I found the tiles, I chose a picture and had 6 copies made.  Then I cut the pictures to fit the tile and mod podged them on.  Then I bought clear coating spray paint and sprayed to seal them!  They're not perfect, but the teachers loved them and thought they were so special!  They had never seen tile picture coasters and all begged me to teach them how to make them!

 I couldn't just give them coasters, so I went shopping and found 6 adorable red and white patterned coffee mugs for $2.00 each to go with the coasters!  SCORE!  But, then the cups looked bare, so I spent all day Sunday making all different types and shapes of sugar cookies, white chocolate dipped oreos with crushed candy cane pieces, sugar cookies mixed with a vanilla oreo (YUM!), chocolate dipped pretzels, and sugar cookies topped with chocolate chips and red sugar sprinkles (made by mixing red dye and sugar!) to put inside the cups! 

On Friday, one of the teachers I have tea time with saw the stocking I made for Aaron last year and went crazy about it!  So, I decided to make handmade Christmas stockings too!  I went to a nearby market and bought a plaid scarf for $1.00, used a broken faux pearl necklace that I had laying around as decoration, and some left over ribbon in my craft box to top it off.  I sewed and decorated each of the 6 a little different from the other!  Then I free handed the names with a bottle of glue and wrote over it (after it had dried) with a gold paint marker!  I had to work with what I could find!  

  

 I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited to give my teacher friends their handmade Christmas gifts!  I packed them in this picnic basket and carried them all the way to work!  The look on their faces when I handed them their gifts, and their excitement and appreciation made all the time and effort that went into these COMPLETELY worth it!  

Merry Christmas everyone!

the G/Jill's craft night!

My bestie Gill is back in Korea (hallelujah!) so she came over last night for some Christmas craft time!

I'm a neat and tidy person, but when crafting, all of those OCD instincts get thrown out the window!  Looking at a room full of colored paper scraps, glue guns, ribbons, jewels, sharpie markers, paint markers and sewing supplies is a sure way to bring a smile to this girls face! 

Having Gill and Aaron amidst all of that just makes it that much better! 

Aaron, being the gem that he is, bought 2 delicious pizzas for the three of us! :)

Aaron didn't craft with us.  Instead, he sat nearby working on his photography website and quizing Gill on her knowledge of American states!  She's from South Africa, but named all 50 states!  Granted, it took over 2 hours, with lots of hints from the two of us, but she did it!  AMAZING! 

The G/Jills together again!

I love this picture!  We've never looked more like sisters!

Gill hand sewed a darling Christmas stocking for herself and I worked on my Christmas gifts for the 6 teachers who I have teatime with every morning after our 1st class of the day.  I've been working on them all week and can't wait for them to see tomorrow!  (Blog to come!) 

Thanks for lunch!

Once again, Emo graciously invited Aaron and I to lunch with her at a fantastic "gogi" (pork) restaurant!  As a divorcee and mother of a grown son living hours north of Busan, we think she's taken to us because we consistently come to sit and visit with her and play with Serry (her dog).  She has outpoured her motherly instincts upon us, and we have gladly accepted with open arms!  It's nice to be taken care of sometimes. :) 

 Traditionally, the youngest person at the table is in charge of cooking the meat, but she gladly did all of the cooking for us!  So sweet!  She may have just thought we would ruin it if we tried! haha

This is what 2 very full, happy, and blessed Americans look like after being treated to lunch

by their neighborhood shop owner in Korea!

Happy Saturday!