Adventures in Korea

Thanks to Uncle David, Aunt Elena, and my Mom (they watched the kids) I was able to visit Danny at Osan AFB, Korea.  We toured, ate, and drank as much as we could in 6 short days. 

First I flew over Japan to get to Korea.

Then Danny and I took a day long tour in Seoul.  Forgive me for not writing down the names of all the places we went.  The first stop was to a temple. 

There was a celebration going on at the temple so the place was decorated with these lanterns.  It was really beautiful. 

We then watched the changing of the guard at a Palace.  Not sure if the facial hair was real or not.  We were also wondering who was guarding the palace while these guys changed command.

Here we are with some local people.

This pagoda was on the Palace grounds. 

Danny decided to get into costume before visiting a traditional upper class Korean house.  A class of people called the yangban lived in these houses that included separate quarters for men, women, and servants.

First, I had to put Danny to work in a traditional Korean carrier. 

Notice the hanging doors?  They were held up in the summer and brought down during the colder months.

You'll notice the openings near the bottom of the floor - they would build fires in here and this is how they would heat the floors.  I guess radiant floor heating has been around for centuries. 

I can't remember the name of the game but it's a traditional Korea game where sticks/spears are meant to be thrown into the small holes on that post.

For lunch we ate at a traditional Korean restaurant and toured some outdoor markets.  Our tour lasted until about 5pm at which we were exhausted.  More pictures will follow. 

Graduation Time

I know it's taken many more years than I expected but I finally graduated with my Bachelors in Political Science with a Minor in History.  I began this journey at the University of Alaska Southeast, transferred to the University of Alaska Anchorage, and finally finished at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.  I know that my family is happier with my nose not stuck in the book!  I couldn't have completed my degree without their loving support.  I also appreciate all the support from friends throughout the years.  Thank you all.

  The day before graduation was pedicure day and Phia got her first pedicure.  I had to include the shot because she's cute and she's actually looking at the camera.

Shawn Turns 8!!!

Shawn had a sleep over before his actual birthday and then an ice cream cake with Phia and I.  He had his heart set on a Pokemon game that included a Pokewalker.  Similar to a pedometer but more fun because the more you walk the more Pokemon you catch. 

Happy 6th Birthday Phia

Phia celebrated her 6th birthday at Chuck E Cheese with family and friends.  Aunt Elena was nice enough to get her a cake since we were running late in driving down from Fairbanks.  It's winter so it's to be expected.  I think it was the birthday she always wanted but as soon as Chuck E came out she was so shy. 

Happy Birthday my Phia. 

Winter Fun

I have been really bad about posting on here. I take lots of pictures I just never get around to posting them so I thought I'd take a minute this morning and load a few. We went to the Ice Park in North Pole last night for Girl Scouts. I only have pictures of Phia as I never could catch up with Shawn. Also, we had to make the customary visit to Santa to tell him what we wanted for Christmas.

Ice cave.

Bowl O'Phia

Fly By . . .

I went on the coolest ride yesterday in a KC-35 refueling plane with the Air National Guard. In early summer Danny signed me up for an incentive ride and yesterday was my day. We flew around for two hours over the Interior of Alaska from Fairbanks to Denali National Park. The first part of the ride involved watching the F-16's fuel up so we took turns lying on our stomachs in the back of the plane and watched the jets fuel up. After fueling up the pilot thought it would be neat for us to get a close up view of Denali or Mt. McKinley. We flew over the peak at 3,000 feet and then he made a 360 turn around the mountain. Denali is approximately 20,000 feet in height and the tallest peak in North America. Besides a crew of four there were about 11 of us passengers. We were seated for take off and landing but were able to walk around during the duration of the flight.

Sitting in the boom area getting ready to watch the F-16 refuel.

Sitting in the cockpit listening to the Captain speak.

We were so close to Mount McKinley.

Fall Photos

Notice the moose bone at the bottom of the photo??? Only in Alaska!

My Phia and her pose. Notice all the missing front teeth.

Had to throw this photo in.

My favorite kids. I love them.