v. Precious.

Happy Holidays :)

I was doing so well, going to bed at 11pm, but this morning my clock decided it didn't like its place on the wall, or my wine glass for that matter, and came crashing into my dreams at 3am. 어땋게. It's now 4:30 and I still can't sleep, so, blog post!

[holiday]

... was so good. My parents gave me a plane ticket home so that I was able to spend Christmas with the family. We haven't been on a fam vacay in a while, but for whatever reason, I just knew it was going to be a good time. We went on a roadtrip to NC and visited relatives on the way home. I saw some friends for just one day, but all vocabulary aside, it rocked.

[work]

... was so fun today. I really ached for my kids so as soon as they walked in I seriously wanted to explode I was that happy. There was one moment with Rex, the smallest yet most fluent. As soon as he walked in I was all 'Ahhh!' and so he replied with, 'Ahhh!' It was pretty amazing.

Unfortunately, I'm already tired (blast..) even after having such a restful break, but I'm leaving end of February so every moment is precious. I've been saying precious a lot lately. Love it.

Rex ㅋㅋ

[love]

... I get easily moved by the tiniest of events and my heart always feels like it's going to burst. It's mostly because I've come to realize how small I will be no matter what I accomplish yet how blessed I have been for most of my life. It's been a lonely road, but I've come to accept that Love is the call on my life and I always want it to flow out. I watched a movie on the plane called 'The Romantics' and there was something said that rung a heartstring: "This is imperative: To inspire and be inspired." May Love be the center of this inspiration. So, hello 2011~ 기분이 좋아~ :)

Welp, I'm off. Probably going to stalk some of you on Facebook and then read about some guy named Samuel. 잘자~ :)

iv. 'I just want to die'

I realized while I was talking with a friend today

that I say that 'I want to die' a LOT.

To clarify, I don't actually want to die,

it's just that when something is too overwhelmingly amazing,

or cute?

it feels like I'm having a heart attack

or that I'm about to explode

from overexposure to cuteness

and I'd just rather die.

For example: Ah, Meghan,

this baby owl is nuzzling my arm and I just want to die.

In other (more relevant) news,

one of my students, Erica, was sick for weeks

so my 4 year olds made her a card.

It's amazing what they're capable of :)

And to tie all of this nonsense in:

My students are so cute I want to dieeee.

iii. New title. New goals.

After 선영's wedding~

1] This past weekend was my first experience singing at a wedding and this will sound weird to people not in Korea, but for my second Korean wedding, it was surprisingly lovely. Being a typical Korean wedding, some of the unfortunate expectations were fulfilled, but it was... I don't know how to explain it in a blog.. just really good. Skype or call to know more :) I'm very thankful to 선영 for asking me to sing and totally in debt to Brett Chesney for playing piano so beautifully (and so last minute!).

2] Before recently, I was really preoccupied with thoughts of being unfulfilled. I had the opportunities to do such great things when I first got to Korea that I got greedy and wanted more. I had all these grand accomplishments in mind but for the wrong reasons. And I didn't even realize the mindset that I was developing. And even worse, I had let people affect my ambitions and allowed my joy to be robbed. But, I'm so so so thankful for grace and love that is always so present and evident in my life. I thank God that anything, absolutely EVERYTHING is redeemable. And that life is beautiful.

3] I changed the title of my blog because of some important realizations that I made. I will always invite people into my life, but I've come to believe that my friends' involvement with me in Korea is not about something to be invited to. Korea is no longer an event that has happened and will finish. It is part of my road less travelled that is never ending and always changing. And blah blah blah I guess you'll have to keep reading to find out what happensss

Ok! Enough for now. Bye, and happy Movember!

ii. Wow.

So, I work a lot and I work hard, but it's been worth it after I've completely fallen for my kids. I teach 14 four year old Korean cuties and it's been SUCH a joy. I laugh every single day and sometimes they do such adorable things that I just want to die. Can you tell from my gushing that I just love them??

One great thing about my job is we'll do different trips or activities which are actually pretty interesting. We've had pajama day, cooking days, field trips, and holiday parties. Almost everything I do with my class is stressful since they're so young and there's so many of them, but we manage and always have a great time. Here are some pics of my babies that make my Monday-Fridays go by so fast...

:)

LXXXVI. The Road

Thanks to my darling Eileen (and after my brother's recommendation), I was able to read The Road and just finished it. It was a good day to read it too. The sky was gray and cloudy for most of the day, a heavy rain dropping sporadically. When I arrived home after work, I opened the windows to let the perfect breeze cool down my apartment. Then, with a sandwich in one hand and book in another, I curled up and began reading. How you read a book is so important, right? Anyways, it was perfect.

So, on to the book...

I thought it was fantastic. It's definitely the ultimate men's coming of age book, with McCarthy's candid, cut-throat style of writing and the two main characters being a father and son. Some people thought it was slow, but I loved how he explained the details of living. It was like a post-apocalyptic Robinson Crusoe. I could sense a deeper thread than just two individuals trudging through the wasteland, but since I just finished it, I can't judge yet what I think it was or meant. All I know is that it made me think about the weight of life and how fragile but at the same time resilient it is. Especially since I find myself in a foreign country, my own wasteland of sorts, fighting for life, I connected with the characters and really did see them as heros. They maintained their integrity and morality, though the world seemed to abandon everything. Any of you living in a city will agree that once someone is rude to you, it's so easy to be rude back. I guess this book inspires me to overcome the "eye-for-an-eye" mentality. At least, I hope it does...

My co-worker, Madigan, just started reading it. I need her to hurry so we can discuss the ending :]