심심해요...

Choonghwan doesn't return from Korea until Wednesday; I have cleaned and organized everything in sight, and now I am bored. Thought I would post a few photos from our most recent trip to Cheekwood. We've really enjoyed our membership, and if we decide to stay in Nashville, I know we will join again. But for now, all our plans are "up in the air," so to speak. It will be interesting to see what is revealed. Enjoy the pictures; we enjoyed taking them!

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens

Today, March 29th, 2008, marks the 5th anniversary of our wedding and our marriage.

The scenery at Cheekwood reminded us of our wedding day five years ago; especially the overcast weather that made for great pictures. We took lots of pictures with Mom and Dad as we walked all around the gardens. We've taken family to Cheekwood before, but have never enjoyed it as much as today- gardens are very enjoyable with a mother who knows so much about plants! Mom was pointing out every plant that she used in our wedding, and that also made it extremely meaningful. We had so much fun today that, instead of going out for a fancy anniversary dinner, we've decided to stay in and eat Ramen noodles! And we'll enjoy it just as much as we would anything else...

Enjoy the pictures. Aren't they gorgeous?!

He is Risen... Indeed!

It was great to come back from our cruise and stop by in Atlanta to celebrate Easter with everyone! Jana and Kane taught Mara Kate to complete the proclomation, "He is Risen!" by shouting, "Indeed!" God's gift of salvation in the death and resurrection of Jesus is the greatest life-changing miracle! We are also thankful for the blessings He has given us as a family!

Cruise!

For the celebration of our 5th anniversary we decided to do something we've never done before and take a cruise. It really was a wonderful time. We enjoyed simply relaxing and being together. We made the most of the fun on the boat and enjoyed the "excursions" to Cozumel and Yucatan. Great shopping, amazing food and fun sights to see. Below are some pictures from the Mayan ruins at Dzibilchaltun. I loved going back and forth between Spanish and Korean! (And yes, Choonghwan did get seasick the first day due to some rough weather, but he found his sealegs soon enough!) We would recommend this for anyone looking to relax, get away and explore a new place!

IDEA!

While packing for our upcoming cruise, I was trying to be super-organized. I had on my list to charge camera batteries, and as I was doing so, I had the following idea. Although I'm sure it's not an original, it was to me, and I just had to share. (My sister-in-law and I recently had a talk about blogging, and I think this is something she would do!)

Here's the idea: Write down your contact info and snap a picture of it. That way, if your camera gets lost and falls into the hands of an honest helpful soul, they can find your info while browsing through pictures trying to see if they recognize a face among the pictures. I know, I know, it may be unlikely that someone will actually do this, but that's what I did recently when I found a cell phone in a rainy Target parking lot. I called the last number dialed and eventually found the owner and returned the phone. Made me feel good. My results are below:

Annual Trip to Nashville

Kane and Jana have started a sweet tradition of trekking to Nashville for an annual visit. It's not always easy to schedule such fun road trips, especially when we are the farthest away of the other "family" choices in Knoxville and Birmingham. SO- we are very thankful for the time they took to travel and visit. We enjoyed relaxing with them in our home and took them to school, Cheekwood, the Pancake Pantry and even played on our apartment playground (the first time we'd done that in the two years we've been living here... funny what having a two year old around can do to change your viewpoint!) Of course we were sad to see them go, but looking forward to our upcoming stops in Atlanta to visit again!

I must be...

... the luckiest gal in the world! To come home after a looooong day at school and find my sweet husband making kim-bab!

Give Thanks

It's been a different school year this year, a lot of icky, but I have been learning to give thanks in the midst of such. Really, there is plenty to be thankful for as God is good.

One of the things I am most thankful for is family, and I am especially thankful for each opportunity we have to spend time together. Here are a few recent snapshots of our gatherings...

We took a detour through Birmingham so we could ride with Patch and Laren to Mara Kate's 2nd Birthday in Atlanta... Phew!

Choonghwan is a great uncle!

At the Varsity in Atlanta after the birthday party.

Mom and I travelled to Kingsport for Katy's first wedding shower.

Elmo shoes!

Mara Kate loves Christmas trees, and I was happy to help her make one at Fantasy of Trees.

BEACH BABY!

We always love our time at Garden City. This trip was especially great because ALL of the family was there, plus the Coffins, plus our niece, Yeon Soo... 14 of us in all! Everyone was in need of this vacation- Kane and Jana had just moved into a new apartment with the help of Patch and Laren. Laren is also studying for her nursing test and Patch is starting a new job. Dad had just returned from a business trip to NY and mom had been helping with weddings and hosting family. Choonghwan and I felt especially blessed to be able to relax after being on the go with his family the week before. God is truly to thank for such a wonderful time of family fellowship. May you all enjoy your summers and your families as well!

This is what it looked like all the time... a BIG crowd

of people and Mara Kate in the middle!

American Vacation

Choonghwan's brother's family has been visiting us this past week. It has been a wonderful, busy time for all! Choonghwan and I have been able to enjoy some Nashville sights that we haven't seen before. We took a dinner cruise on the General Jackson Showboat, toured the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Historic Lynchburg and visited the Belle Meade Plantation. We were also able to spend time in Knoxville and made a day trip to the cabin in Waynesville. The Choi's enjoyed lots of great deals at TJMaxx, Marshall's, JCPenney's, Dick's and WalMart. We also ate several great meals, and I enjoyed being able to cook for a crowd! Yeon Soo is staying with us for the next month and we expect to have more fun and excitement. Here are some pictures of a few of our journeys.

Waynesville Country Club

Size 80 pants at Men of Measure!

Mimi

No material thing can ever replace a loved one.

Since Mimi's passing last October, mom and her sisters have been sweet and generous to share a few things of hers with the "girls" in the family. Some of the items have great sentimental value to me. Some things I do not recognize as being Mimi's, but they have tremendous worth to me because I know they were hers. I have enjoyed incorporating some of these precious items into the rooms of my home; I think of Mimi each time I see them. How thankful I am for the time I spent and the memories I made with my lovely grandmother!

A fancy pickle jar that, as a child, I remember being on Mimi's buffet

A silver jewelry box that was kept in Mimi's bedroom. I used to "sneak" back there during family dinners and look at all of her jewelry. I still love jewelry boxes!

A jewelry box and a dish that Mom chose to give me for Easter. Jana and Laren each received treasures as well.

My name is Wayne, and I will be your server.

Adjusting to life in another country is not an easy task. I remember the feeling of homesickness while living in Korea, even though I knew it was where God wanted me to be at the time. It has been challenging for both of us to tackle life in America. I know Choonghwan wishes that he could speed up the process of learning the language and overcoming cultural differences. I am so proud of him. One of the hardest things for him has been finding employment that is satisfying. He recently quit a part-time job at FedEx that he picked up over the holidays. It just wasn't right for him.

He recently took it upon himself to apply at Cracker Barrel and was hired as a server. I have never seen him more tickled about a job! He has really worked hard to learn the American phrase-ology for taking orders and waiting on customers. God has once again blessed him with a friendly and helpful staff of co-workers, and we are both thankful for that grace. It is good for me to see joy in his heart, and to realize that it comes from his joy of serving others. I know that God will bless Choonghwan as his smile and enthusiasm blesses others while they enjoy their meals.

Engaged!

My littlest brother, Patch, recently got engaged to the love-of-his-life, Ms. Laren Lott, from Birmingham, Alabama. We are all looking forward to the wedding in August and are so happy for both of them!

The Barkers come to Nashville!

Choonghwan and I had the most delightful weekend with the Barkers just a few weeks ago. They took the time and energy to make a four hour drive from Atlanta to Nashville, and settled in with us on a Friday evening. Jana had "warned" me that it would feel like they were moving in with all of Mara Kate's baby gear... it did! Our apartment felt so empty when they packed it all up and left on Sunday.

We really had a good time doing new things in Nashville. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe and the Pancake Pantry. Mara Kate took her first ride on a carousel, and tried mandarin oranges for the first time. Our little apartment came alive with Mara Kate pushing her walker around and climbing all over the couch. It was fun to watch her be at ease, and also to watch Choonghwan enjoy and entertain her. It was also fun to call Tuie and let her know that Mara Kate was saying "BeBe"! (pronounced Dee-dee in Mara Kate language) It was equally as good to catch up with my little brother and his lovely bride. It has been such a blessing to have Jana as a sister-in-law. I was glad to finally open my home as they have been gracious on so many occasions to open their home to us!

Somehow, all of the pictures of Kane and Jana ended up on their camera... I promise, they really were here!

Mara Kate settled into her routine in BeBe and Choonghwan's apartment

Mara Kate all dolled up and ready to go out for the day!

Mara Kate likes to eat what she sees others eating... Choonghwan was good to share his caramel rice cakes! Aren't they a pair?!