Tagged

I've been tagged. I've seen this two ways, so if you don't have time for the 11 facts, you can just answer the 11 questions.

The Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post 11 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then 

create 11 new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag 4 people and link them on your post

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

11 Fun Facts:

1. I live in Korea.

2. My favorite season is spring, and one of my favorite parts about spring is looking forward to spring break (which I will not be doing this year. i.e. refer to fact 1. lol) But I also love spring because of the fresh air and cool weather. It reminds me how much I love hiking and playing outside.

3. I love playing board games and card games. Seriously, I could play for hours with friends and family. 

My little sister whilst playing some type of board game. lol

4. I love to sing and dance in front of the mirror. It's true. Just ask anyone who's ever lived with me. I don't have any pics of this, but I am sure there are several videos on Facebook. 

5. My favorite playlist on my iPod has the most random mix all the way from Dixie Chicks and Jo Dee Messina to NSYNC and Justin Bieber to Nelly and Chris Brown.

6. I love making my husband laugh.. like really laugh.. where he gets going and has a hard time stopping. Those of you who know him know what I mean. You see, he's the funny one in our marriage and we have different senses of humor, so I get really proud when he thinks I'm funny. :)

7. According to Teaven, I have random accents at random times (but sometimes it's not on purpose.) For example, I just asked him to think of something fun about me, and he asked why. To which I replied, "Because you're me husband." And so, this fact appeared.

8. The older I get, the more I act like my dad. I'm forgetful and make up my own songs. Good thing I love that man!

9. Whenever I watch really good hip-hop dancers, I secretly picture myself getting up and dancing with them. Let me tell you.. that will never happen because I'm a much better dancer in my head than in real life. I'll stick to the mirror, thanks. 

10. I'm great at telling people what to do, but I'm horrible at telling myself what to do (or rather following through with telling myself what to do)

11. One of my goals in life is to visit every national park in the U.S. I just gotta get Teaven on board!

My brother-in-law and niece with me at the Grand Canyon.

Now, 11 questions:1. If you could go on a vacation tomorrow, price not important, where would you go?

Without a doubt, I'd go to Italy. It has always been my dream place to visit. I will get there one day.

2. What ridiculous fashion style have you embraced at one point? (hair style, tube socks, bright eyeshadow... you know there was something!)

When I was in 5th grade, I stole my brother's basketball jerseys and wore them with baggy, black jeans. Oh yeah, I was way cool.

3. Sweet or salty snacks?

It really depends on the moment. Lately, I've been craving sweet things like crazy. I love to bake, and I miss it so much.

4. What was your favorite childhood movie?

Little Rascals. 

5. What is a food you could never give up?

Oh man, this is a tough one. Before I moved to Korea, I would immediately say Mexican food, and while that is probably true, it's not relevant to my current situation. As long as I live in Korea, I will never give up pizza. I love it.

6. Would you prefer to be inside or outside on your day off?

If the weather is sunny and warm, I would rather be outside. It's always around this time of the year when I look forward to going outside the most because the weather is finally warming up.

7. Do you have a favorite verse or Scripture passage?

Joshua 1:9- "Remember that I commanded you to be strong and brave. Do not be afraid because the Lord your god will be with you wherever you go."
8. Do you sing in the shower?

Most of the time. Especially if I have my iPod playing.

9. What is your ideal outfit for a date night?

Jeans and a really cute top. 

10. What are three things you hope to accomplish over the next 10 years?

Pay off all of our student loans, land teaching jobs in America, and travel

11. How have you seen God working in your life this past year?

He is teaching me a lot about my personal spiritual growth. It's hard for Teaven and I to be here without a Christian community around, but I can see that God is teaching us through it. We are learning to trust him more.

People I tag:

Carissa at A Table for Seven

Lauren at Sincerely Yours,

Robyn at Lessons I am Learning

Jill at Lord, Whatever You Ask

My questions for you:

1. What are two TV shows you must watch every week?

2. What is the song/artist most listened to on your iPod?

3. What are the top 3 places on your "must visit" list?

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?

5. What story does your family always tell about you?

6. If you could build your dream vacation house, would it be a mountain house or beach (or other)?

 7. What is the furthest you've ever been from home?

8. Are you a morning person or a night person?

9. Are you a talker or a listener?

10. Are you country or city?

11. What is something that never fails to make you laugh?

2011 Recap

January:

Teaven and I rang in the new year with his mom and step-dad. We went to downtown Oklahoma City, ate at Toby Keith's and watched the ball drop. It was an awesome experience, and I can't wait to do it again!

February:

Not much happened this month, but I did have my last Mother/Daughter weekend at Burt Hall. My lovely mother-in-law was able to join me.

March:

Teaven and I were able to go to Camp Eagle for a service project. It was my first time ever going, and I really loved to see God work in adults and teenagers as they willingly gave their time to serve others. I loved every minute of it and hope to go back someday. At the end of the month, Teaven and I were able to go on our first weekend retreat together with our pre-marital counseling group. It was such a sweet time to learn more about each other and spend time with other Godly couples.

April:

My 21st birthday. My bridal shower. My final RA banquet. Sweet times.

May:

Graduation... finally!

June:

This is the month of months right here. Teaven was able to go with his youth group to Camp Eagle the week before our wedding. I am so happy he was able to do this because it's apparent this is God's calling on his life, and he loved every minute of it. 

Then, of course, you have our wedding, which was freaking amazing!

The end of June was filled with spending as much time as possible with our friends and family, including a trip to Sea World, before our big move.

July:

The big move to South Korea. We packed our bags, said our tearful goodbyes and hopped on a plane, trusting God with every step we took.

August:

Teaven's 23rd birthday. Our first experience at a norabong (singing room). Our first touristy trip to Seoul. A free trip to Japan thanks to us needing to get our work visas. One more stamp on the passport!

The beach in Fukuoka, Japan

September:

Chungju Martial Arts Festival. First Korean baseball game.

Funny that he's wearing the same shirt, but this did not happen on the same day.

October:

Enter Sader, the wonderful new addition to our family. He's hyper and cuddly and we love him so much. Pumpkin carving with our friends, Jamie and Brian. Followed by we a school Halloween party, which was a lot of fun.

November:

Peppero Day! One of the greatest holidays I've celebrated here. lol. 

My first time actually seeing leaves change colors for fall.

And our first Thanksgiving away from our families.

December:

At On the Border after seeing The Nutcracker. Delish.

First time at the ballet.. The Nutcracker. 

Work Christmas party, exchanging secret santa gifts.

Six Months...Are You Serious?

January marked our sixth month in Korea. I can't believe it has already been half a year since we've been here. Time goes by so quickly here. It's crazy. We love it here and are truly enjoying our lives right now. God has been so faithful.

Being at the half way point, it's now time to start making decisions about the next step in our journey. At this point, we're looking into all our options and waiting for God to point us in the right direction. As we are praying for our next step, we ask that you pray with us. Pray that God's desires for us will be prevalent to us as we seek him first.

"Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request." 1 Chronicles 4:10

Unsatisfied with your height?

Well, my students are. This past week, I had some of my classes write an essay about 3 goals they want to accomplish in 2012. About 75% of them said they want to grow taller (not really something they can control). So, I'm here today to tell you what they plan to do to grow. Some are ridiculous, and I couldn't help laughing as I was grading the essays.

1. Exercise everyday
2. Jump rope ( my favorite.. I guess to jump to you're desired height and hope it works. Lol)
3. Drink lots of milk, even if you do t like it.
4. Eat more fruits and vegetables
5. Go o bed at 10p.m. instead of 11p.m.

These are the ones I can remember. So, if you're hoping to get taller this year, let me know if any of these work for you.

Thanksgiving in Korea

It's already December, and I haven't even told you about our Thanksgiving. I really have no excuse other than the fact that the cold, dark weather has made me lethargic.

Our actual Thanksgiving Day was quite uneventful since we had to go to work. I went to a local bakery and bought a walnut pie, the closest I thought we'd get to a pecan pie. I brought it to school and shared it with our coworkers. They didn't really understand why I was going around handing out pie to everyone, but it still made it feel a little more like Thanksgiving. Since we had to work, we decided we would really celebrate on Saturday with a home-cooked meal and Christmas decorations.

We went to E-mart and bought as many Christmas decorations as we could find. It was so fun to be able to decide how we were going to decorate our little home. I was pleasantly surprised with how much we were able to get, considering I thought there wouldn't be many Christmasy things when we moved to Korea. They don't celebrate it as big as Americans do, but the windows of businesses have lights and trees. Christmas music can be heard from several coffee shops and stores. It definitely helps it feel more at home.

Anyways, Teaven made dinner, while I went back to E-mart to exchange the Christmas lights we had just bought. I was nervous as I approached the counter and tried to explain to them that the lights didn't work. Thankfully, it was much easier than I expected. They didn't even need to see my receipt! To this day I am still amazed at how trusting Koreans are. I think America could learn a thing or two.

The dinner was delicious. Steak, corn and broccoli.

Ashlee's box got here just in time for us to decorate for Christmas! 

A Day in the Life of an ESL Teacher

I can't believe it's December already. I have been wanting to write so many blogs, but I just haven't done it yet. So, today I will start.

I've been wanting to tell you all some things that my students say that make me laugh so hard, so I've been keeping a little post it that I take with me to each class. It says things like "A nightengale's sister is a night club." Or some of the students telling me that Teaven had a friend who was an alien. Or one of my favorites, I came into class, and my students asked me if I knew that Teaven had another wife in America. I could see their little smirks. They were trying so hard not to laugh, so I played along. Apparently, her name is Sally. haha. However, last week, I had an experience that tops everything on that little post it.

My 7 o'clock class is filled with middle school boys who act just like middle school boys. Towards the end of class, one of those boys says, "Teacher, do you and Teaven teacher kiss?"
I replied, "What?" and since I wanted that to end quickly, I said, "Of course, we're married."
Much to my surprise, the next question out of his mouth, "You and Teaven teacher deep kiss?"
So, I tried to avoid answering that question by pretending I didn't know what he was talking about. "What? What's a deep kiss?"
Then, all the other boys entered the conversation by sticking their tongues out and wiggling them around, and I heard many responses like, "You know, when you swallow their tongue." or "When the tongues are fighting."I was laughing very hard, and as they started to persist, I felt that dreaded heat coming into my cheeks. In my head, I begged the heat to stop, but before I knew it, I heard "Teacher, you're red! Your ears are red!" If you have ever blushed before, you should know what happens when someone points it out, it gets even redder. I told them that the only reason I was getting redder is because they were talking about it. We were all laughing, but I think I learned my lesson. Ignore dumb questions and keep with the lesson. lol

Pepero Day

I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, "what is Pepero?" Or if you're anything like my mother, you assume it's the Korean word for "veteran"since you all were celebrating that wonderful holiday around the same time. No, Pepero is a chocolate or strawberry covered wafer stick. In America, we call them "Pockey." Yes, Korea has a holiday dedicated completely to this delicious snack, and the students love it (as do I). So, Friday before work, Teaven and I walked across the street to the supermarket and stocked up on boxes of pepero to give out to our students. From what I understand, the person who looks most like a pepero is supposed to give it to everyone else. I assume that means whoever is the tallest and skinniest. Even though we didn't fit this category, we still bought pepero for our students, and it was so fun to receive it from them as well. The moment the students arrived at school, I began to hear, "Teacher, give me pepero. Teacher, pepero please." And so it began... and did not end until the last student walked out the door. So fun.

This is all the pepero I received. I was the selfish one who kept all of mine for this picture. Teaven gave all of his away by the end of the day.

The strawberry flavor is by far my favorite.