Why Can't Life Be One Big Birthday?

Last Saturday was my friend Amanda's birthday! It was a fantastical day of girlie activities, yummy food, and watching Korea's World Cup game...see for youself:

First, we got an actual, real, just-like-home cupcake. YUM! I haven't had a cupcake since...(when you can't complete that sentence you know it's been too long). It was an adorable little place called Life is Just a Cup of Cake. In fact, it may have been the most dainty, delightful little shop of sugary goodness that I've ever stepped foot in.


Mmmmmmm.













Then, we saw the coolest little dog in the world. In case you didn't know, I plan to own a pug someday because I think they're the funniest, cutest dogs on earth. This little guy was no exception.

Then, we got a manicure and got our hair done!

Then, we got wine and talked about how pretty our nails and hair looked.










Then, we ate over-priced Greek food! (But we didn't notice because the company was good and the wine was a-flowin')!











Then, we went to a pub and watched Korea play Uruguay in the World Cup (which they lost, but our mood was too great to be dampered). Go Red Devils! Mary Soo rocked the red horns.












I wish every day was a birthday.

Together

I've been battling through 'open class' all week, which is the Korean name for 'parents get to sit in on their kid's classes and tell the school what they're unsatisfied with.' In my mind, I like to call these days...'Carolyn gets to analyze parenting skills and figure out the reason behind the terrible-ness in my least favorite kids.' Seriously, when the worst kid in the school's mom is video-taping her kid scream in other kids faces and try to swallow his egg shaker and then goes ahead smiling and calls him 'special,' you stop blaming the kid.

In more uplifting news, Ali and I celebrated 2 years of together-ness last week. Two years ago on June 15th, Ali landed at the Seoul airport and, after not seeing each other since our one day romance in Beijing 4 months earlier, we officially fell in love. (Insert 'awwwww' from the audience...) I have to say, it feels like a lot longer than 2 years. I guess that's what happens when you've lived in 3 different countries. But it's been the best 2 years of my life! This picture was taken one of the first days Ali and I were together in Korea 2 years ago. Don't we look like 2 people who had just fallen in love? (Insert another 'awwwwwww'...)




And finally, 2 of our best friends here in Korea--Jason and Natalie--are leaving for home this Friday. It feels like it's been a non-stop 'good-bye' party for weeks (so tired!), but we will definitely miss them after they've gone. This is the problem with living in such a transitional place--nobody stays!

Where's Carolyn

Half Marathon #2: Check! The rain quit right when the race was about to start, which made for a muggy, hot, sticky run...but I finished! I even managed to shave off 6 minutes from my last half. My time was 2 hours and 55 seconds. I was the only foreigner out of at least 200 people at the race and one of 2 girls that ran the half. Talk about feeling like a minority. I felt like Waldo. You know, like in Where's Waldo.









Everybody lined up for back rubs before the race started. Nobody wanted to give the white girl a back rub, so I stood amongst them all feeling awkward and getting stared at.













Just a blonde girls and a whole bunch of Koreans...















Wohooo!!! This old guy finally included me in the back rubbing session.


















Off we go!











And 2 hours later, I came in for my final lap!













Crossing the finish line at 2 hours and 55 seconds!
















I even got a medal! Right after this picture, I got stung by a bee on my thumb. My first ever bee sting. I definitely had a harder time dealing with that than the 21 kilometers I had just run. Bee stings HURT.













Favorite part of the race: a few miles in, some old Korean dude wanted to be my running buddy. At least that's what I gathered because he came up running next to me and I translated the words "together" and "same" in his conversation with me. We ran together for most of the race. After all these years of running solo, who knew it would take an old Korean guy to make me realize a running buddy isn't so bad after all.

See the entire album by clicking here.

Running in the Rain

This is the forecast for my second half marathon this Sunday. A few days ago, it was supposed to be 87 degrees and sunny. I'm not sure what's worse. Potential-passing-out-weather or a torrential downpour and the possibility of getting struck by lightening. I guess I'll find out what it feels like to run 13.1 miles soaking wet!

Here's the trail I'm running! It starts at the tip of Ilsan, goes to the Han River, and then back around again. Maybe I'll get washed away into the river. Ha!

Wish me luck!!!

Say CHEESE

A couple of weeks ago, we ventured on another field trip. This one was an hour and a half away, tucked away in the country side. What did we do? We made CHEESE! It was super cool. (I was as excited as the kids.) I didn't think enough Koreans ate cheese to make a cheese-making business worthwhile. Apparently it is.

My weekend was packed of fantasticness. Friday night, we had a girls night out, which included dinner on an outdoor patio that felt like we were in Italy, margaritas, drinks in a bag, hookah, and of course...dancing! I'm gonna miss my girls when they all start trickling back home. :(
















Just two girls from Iowa who found themselves in Korea...










Then on Sunday, Ali and I went to the War Memorial Museum. Ali had to ride / try / shoot / climb on every single war item. I waited patiently like a good person-who-gets-bored-at-museums ought. No but seriously, it was a really cool exhibit.





























This is the symbol of the Korean War. It's a younger brother and older brother fighting on two different sides who see each other in the middle of battle and embrace in love, forgiveness, and sorrow.



























P.S. For those of you interested in a cyst update...IT POPPED!!!! It was quite possibly the funnest most exhilarating popping session of my life. I'll spare you the details...no I won't! It oozed out like yolk from a cracked egg. Seriously, there was a lot of disgusting crap in that bad boy.

I've got this thing on my face...

I think it's a cyst. I've had it for over a year. It suddenly grew on my face below my left ear, but for most of the time that it's inhabited on my face, it's just been this painless lump that refuses to leave. No biggy. Then last week it lashed out and became this huge, bright red, painful thing sticking out of my face. It was like a whole other body part had suddenly been attached under my ear. Anyway, I went to the doctor yesterday, had a VERY EXPENSIVE 2 minute ultra sound to make sure it wasn't connected to my saliva glands (it wasn't), and then had a needle prodded into it and a bunch of disgusting puss pulled out. (Insert vomit face here.) Surgery may be inevitable, but the doc is trying to calm the beast with syringes and pills first to see if we can avoid a scar. The lump will not get the best of me or my face!