37 00 N, 127 30 E:

The geographic location of South Korea. (according to the CIA Fact Book)

We've had a lot of snow this December. From what I hear, New York has too. I was curious about the similarities between our weather and that of my home state. I did some research and found out that Seoul is only 310 miles north of New York's latitude. This must be one reason why our weather seems to be so alike.

Anyway, I enjoy the seasons, except that I don't like to drive in Korea as it is (if you want to know why, ask me privately) and with the snow on the ground, it makes me even more nervous! Chris does most of the driving. I took a few pictures yesterday when it snowed. We got a few inches, but today the sun has melted most of it away.

From Adventures in Korea

p.s. ~*~* HAPPY NEW YEAR!! *~*~

'Twas the days after Christmas and all through the apartment...

Merry Christmas, everyone! Our First Christmas went off without a hitch! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve Dinner:

From Adventures in Korea

I made Chicken Florentine--chicken stuffed with a cream cheese, spinach mix-- and it was delicious (I smell a new tradition coming on). After dinner we watched Christmas movies and munched on caramel corn and muddy buddies from Aunt Kay. (mmmm.... we are rationing it so we can enjoying it as long as possible!)

In the morning we made lots of breakfast! Spinach quiche, sweet potato pancakes, pumpkin bread muffins.... you can imagine the sugar crash we experienced later that afternoon. We opened our gifts and enjoyed the quiet morning. One of the best things about Korea is the still, calm mornings. You never wake up to rushing winds, or harsh weather...that might come later in the day...but the mornings are always so quiet and still. This is the Land of the Morning Calm you know... ;) Oh, did I mention Chris gave me diamond earrings! They are beautiful! I wore them with my PJs all weekend! He also wrote me a beautiful poem in his hand made card. I am the luckiest!

From Adventures in Korea

I hope everyone had a happy healthy holiday! And remember, the reason for this season: God LOVED us so much, that he gave his ONLY son for US, so that we wouldn't perish but have eternal LIFE!" Happy Birthday, Jesus! ;)

Christmas Party

Here are a few pictures from the Battalion Christmas Party.

From Adventures in Korea

We had a great time! I love a chance to dress up and Chris looks so dapper in a suit! Each company did a skit for the soldiers and ours decided to dance to "Thriller" by MJ. The practice paid off and they were a hit! (See above for a few pictures) Chris free-styled the famous kick-pelvic thrust and the crowd went wild. haha. It was a fun night.

The holiday season has kept us very busy. I've had the opportunity to volunteer in many different areas. This weekend I will be baking tons more cookies to hand out to all of our unaccompanied soldiers living on Post. Chris and I are looking forward to next week when things calm down and we can relax and enjoy eachother's company.

Dish of the week:

Beef Bourguignon- (fancy for "beef stew") I cooked this recipe in the slow cooker and it turned out great! The meat was melting in my mouth. It calls for Red Wine, which you add an hour before serving, so the alcohol cooked off. I got a big thumbs up from Chris on this one!

Changdeokgung and Gyeongokgung Palace

Last week a friend and I went up to Seoul to visit a couple of Ancient Korean palaces. It was a great trip! A little history lesson for y'all:

ahem....

Both palaces were build in the early 1400s under the Joseon (pronounced Cho-sun) Dynasty. Both were destroyed in the late 1500s by the Japanese when they invaded. Changdeokgung is know for its "Secret Garden." It is considered one of Korea's finest examples of garden landscape design. Gyeongokgung is the largest of all the palaces and was the main home for the royal family.

Please enjoy a few pictures of this amazing day trip: (also, imagine how beautiful Changdeokgung's gardens will look in spring time...I've already planned to go back)

From Adventures in Korea

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Yesterday my husband bought a beautiful pre-lit Christmas tree!!!!!

I was very excited to hang ornaments and decorate for Christmas. Lately, I have had an abundance of creative juices flowing through me. I made a few ornaments and also painted a fire place for our stockings! Today, Chris and I decorated the tree and hung our stockings. I can't wait to fill the bottom with presents. :)

From Adventures in Korea

Turkey Day in Korea

It's been a while since I posted! I've been busy with all my volunteer work. Most recently I was elected Treasurer of PWOC! I was honored and I am very excited to being working with the PWOC board.

So....Thanksgiving. This was Chris and my first Thanksgiving together. We were excited to get to spend it with my friend Stefanie's family. Stefanie is also Chris' commander's wife. (did you follow? good)

First, Chris served at the DFac with the rest of the leadership team. The DFac is usually only for soldiers, but on Thanksgiving, they open up for family and Korean Nationals who work with the Battalion.

From Adventures in Korea

We had a great time. I had deep fried Turkey for the first time! It was yummy. After dinner we played board games for a few hours. Here in Korea, everyone is in the same situation: away from family for the holiday. So your friends and co-workers become your family.