One Reason I Love Traveling

Since my recent trip to London I've come across a couple references to places I visited while there.  I love the feeling of knowing a place from memory and not just from pictures.  Last week I finished reading the latest Shopaholic book by Sophie Kinsella.  Somewhere in the middle of the book Becky Brandon finds herself walking to Piccadilly Circus.  I couldn't help but smile to myself as I was able to picture exactly what this looks like.

This morning I watched an episode of Doctor Who where the Doctor saves London from an alien attack (gotta love British Sci-Fi).  In the episode there is a scene that shows the Tower Bridge and then turns left to pan up to view the Tower of London.  Again as soon as I saw the Tower Bridge I immediately recognized it because I stood in that exact spot and saw that exact view.

These little things make me happy.  It makes me want to travel more and experience new things.

 

Welcome to the World, Little Nathan

My newest nephew was born last week and tonight was the first time I met him in person. Welcome Nathan Thomas!! Here he is 10 days old. All he did was sleep the entire time I held him. Nathan appears to be able to sleep through anything, and that's a good thing as he has 5 older siblings who can make a fair amount of noise.

He's so tiny. He's so precious.

His parents debated over his name for some time. I'm really glad they chose Nathan Thomas for a couple reasons. First both are family names, Nathan Thomas is the namesake for a number of great men in our family who he can look up to for examples. Plus, it's just a cool name.

Final Score
Nephews: 8
Nieces: 3

Burns 02

When my nephew turned 1 last year I made him a red jersey/ t-shirt.  Across the back it has his name (Burns) with his jersey number 01 (for his age).  I thought it turned out kinda cute.

This week I made version 2, now available in green.  

Many people have been asking about my big trip to Europe and I do plan on blogging about it.  I'm still collecting pictures from friends before I blog.  Oh, and I've just been busy too.  

My New Favorite

In less than one week I will be in Iceland.  I can hardly believe my European vacation is almost here and there's still so much to do to prepare for it!

In the meantime meet Jang Geun Suk, actor and singer.  I've seen Geun Suk play in 4 different roles now and each time he impresses me with his talents.  Please enjoy a song called Without Words sung by Jang Geun Suk for the soundtrack to You're Beautiful.  His voice alone makes me happy.

Men in the Background

Don’t worry, this post is not about a Korean Drama but it is inspired by one, actually two. This weekend I finished another Drama that I absolutely loved called You’re Beautiful. It has a similar feel to Boys Before Flowers which is another favorite of mine. Coincidently these are the two highest rated Korean Drama’s of all time (according to mysoju.com). The stories are different but they do share a common plot thread of a young guy and girl who slowly begin to fall for each other but have a rocky relationship full of hardships and (dare I say it?) drama. They are the hero and heroine of the story, the reason you watch until the end to make sure they end up together. In the meantime the guy’s best friend falls for the girl and is eventually forced to step aside. It is of this guy, the one in the background, that I wish to point out.

Meet Shinwoo. He is tall and handsome, quiet, pensive, understanding, selfless. He loves Minam and finds himself constantly by her side when she needs help. Minam finds great strength in her friendship with Shinwoo and often calls him “Hyung” meaning big brother.* Although he tries Shinwoo does not win the girl in the end.

Meet Jihoo. He is an introvert who thinks of others before himself. He is kind and loving. He has a quiet strength about him that each of his friends lean on. Jihoo loves Jandi. Through a series of events Jandi has things hard and is often brutally picked on, however each time Jihoo comes and saves the day. Jandi nicknames him her “fireman” since Jihoo is always putting out the fires to save her. Again Jihoo does not win the girl in the end.

Both Shinwoo and Jihoo discover what a treasure their girl is and long before the Hero of the story does. Both save the day countless times. Both provide a shoulder to cry on. Both step aside when the girl chooses to be with someone else. Both endure the pain of a broken heart alone.

So why do I point out these men? Because to me they are the true heroes of the story. They are the ones always there to save the heroine.

The overly dramatic love story of the hero and heroine make for great entertainment and it is why so many people love these shows. However in real life it’s the Shinwoo’s and Jihoo’s that I love and want to be with. They are the men that are kind and loving, thoughtful and understanding. Who wouldn’t want a man who is always there for you, always brightening your day? These are the things every girl says she wants but too often overlooks them and chooses the flashier option.

I wanted to point out the men in the background. These guys deserve to be noticed.

Thinking about my current set of close friends, specifically my male friends, it occurred to me that I would classify each one of them as one of these guys, the real heroes. They are good and honest men who deserve to be noticed. They aren’t necessarily the men that women swoon over, but they are the ones any heroine in her right mind would want to be with.

*A note to those who know a little Korean, Minam is a girl posing as her twin brother which will explain why she uses the name Hyung which is what a guy would call his big brother. As opposed to “oppa” which is what a girl would call her big brother.

KT Tunstall

Last night my friend Aaron text me wanting to know if I was free for a concert tonight. Hey, this is me we are talking about, I'm always available for live music.

Tonight we made our way to the Showbox Sodo after work to see KT Tunstall, who I did not know at all. The show turned out to be great! She's got a great voice and a lot of energy. Before the show I listened to one of her songs on the internet called Suddenly I See, this turned out to be the song she closed with, and probably my favorite I heard tonight. Check it out. Enjoy it. Then play it again.

New Ward, New Calling

Today marks a very big change in my life.  For most of my adult life I've attended a Singles Ward for church which allowed me to worship with others in my age range and station in life.  There are many good and bad things about a Singles Ward, but overall I've enjoyed it.  This is where I've met most of my friends.  There is an age limit for these sorts of things and I have passed that age.  Today was my official change to a Family Ward.

The change came slightly sooner than planned due to my choosing to accept a calling in this ward.  Today I was sustained as the Beehive Advisor.  For those who don't know this means I will be working with/ teaching the 12 and 13 year old girls.  As much as I do not want to be in a family ward I am looking forward to this calling.  The Young Women's program in the church is great, and I'm glad to help out.  I remember clearly the YW Leaders I had when I was this age and how they influenced me for good.  Now it's my turn to be an influence.

Attending church today was strange.  This is a very family oriented church, which is exactly how it should be.  But in my case I feel like I don't fit in as I do not have a family of my own.  For example I filled out an info sheet about myself for the Relief Society and I was able to skip about one third of the page of questions because they did not apply to me.  I have no husband or children or birthdays to share with them.  In the lesson we discussed personal prayer and scripture study, and then we discussed family prayer and scripture study.   Uh... these are the exact same thing to me.  My welcome packet from the RS included a list of young women available for babysitting.  Ha.  Yeah, I don't fit in.  Or rather I fit in better with the Young Women then I do the adults.

Don't get the wrong idea, it isn't all bad.  Everyone was super friendly and welcoming today.  I'm sure I'll make new friends in this ward.  They just won't be ones I hang out with on my Friday nights.  The most important thing about this change is that it's right.  That part has been made very clear to me right now.  It is not currently clear to me how I'll find a way to fit in a ward of families.  This is often the Lords way, to not show us everything now but require us to take a few steps of faith to find our way is lit.

Eyebrow Threading

My friend Stepper posted about Eyebrow Threading on her blog today.  Read it.  It's fascinating, and the best part is I just tried it and not only does it work, it works better than plucking (and it's a lot less painful!).
Thanks Stepper for doing the research for me!

Listing Happiness

I recently read a blog post which mentioned (in passing) doing a list post which she considers "the laziest kind of post that has ever been invented".  So I decided I should do one.  Or a couple.

Things That Made Me Happy Today

• Having no homework to do.
• Hearing my student who is taking the dreaded I.B. Math Methods 2 class from Shim is currently getting an A.
• Listening to Jun Be O.K. repeatedly in the car from my new T.max CD.
• Teasing and joking around with my li'l brudder Tommy.
• Reading and marking up my Rick Steve's London book while looking for things to do when I go in about a month.
• Watching the preview to Episode 15 of Playful Kiss which will air tomorrow.  (2 episodes left to finish the series!) 
• Getting an email from a friend suggesting I might be able to talk him into taking a Korean class with me.
• Driving my car.

Fat Lip

Tonight I earned myself a fat lip.

But I had myself some good fun despite the results.