This little package of happiness arrived all the way from Turkey with love.
Turkish delights, Turkish tea, Turkish pottery, and a Turkish coffeepot…
Oh my stars!
could anything be more magical?
I think not.
We love and miss you guys!
thank you, thank you!
Get settled in soon, you’ve got anxious visitors.
This week I received a message from a dear friend that said she was getting a biopsy done, and may have breast cancer. Immediately my heart sank…. I couldn’t believe the words as I read them slowly out loud to myself.
…Really?! She’s so young!! This has to be some sick joke! There is no way!!…. Endless things racing and spinning through my head.
On top of it all I felt helpless and so scared for her.
There are no real words to truly comfort a loved one under those circumstances. The anxiety that eats them waiting for that call, those biopsy results, the words “no cancer”. Of course, I responded immediately with the power of prayer, strength, good vibes, and happy thoughts.
This morning I awoke to the most amazing news, I found out that her results read that she did NOT have cancer! Praise The Lord!
As I sipped my morning coffee in our quiet empty apartment I couldn’t help but to realize that you never, ever, know what lies ahead. Life is so terribly short. You have to appreciate the family and friends that you have right now. Cherish every day and moment with them. Like it or not, these scary and tough real life moments in life will make you stronger, and also make you realize that you need to live each day to the fullest. Why do we stay angry? hold grudges? or live in regret? We’ve got to make the most of our lives while we are here!
I decided to share the Cosmo field near our place with this post because it certainly calls for a celebratory cheers! Just look at them! Aren’t these wild gals beautiful?
Whoa! It’s not hard to see that I am running a week behind…again… EEK! I feel like we just try to squeeze every drop out of what is left of summer! It doesn’t stick around to long here so I feel uber guilty if we don’t get out in the evenings after work, and that is preciously what we have been doing.
Anywho, without delay I’ll get to it with the Labor Day fun!
I joined Mr. B on the east coast of Korea where he and a group of friends planned a weekend of diving. I have decided and told Mr. B that when we retire we will live on the beach or at most a block away from the beach. I couldn’t ignore my huge heart singing out relocation, to the ocean, the sand, the sounds… it just calms and soothes whatever your current mood or state of mind is and seriously, if the weather wasn’t being the biggest show off too! Not so hot with a slight autumn chill in the air. It was the most welcomed break and I took advantage of every minute it had to offer by catching up on my Kinfolk Magazine, sunning my pale leggies, strolling leisurely along the beach line. AH! Oh and then the drive home up, over and through the lush green mountains. I never imagined Korea to have the mountains that it has.
Here’s a tip…If you ever make a trip to Korea, do yourself a favor and get outside of Seoul, or whatever touristy city you choose to see the countryside and mountains too. You won’t regret it.
Eek! Can you believe I almost forgot to post about Kelsey and I’s Sip and paint class in Seoul last weekend? Or, as my Uncle described it, gulp and drip. Ha ha ha! You may also know the class as paint and pour, or corks and canvas.
Before I get into that, we started off our morning with an early lunch at the Bakers Table in Itaewon. We grabbed panini’s and soup. It was perfect….well except for my genius idea to have soup. Folks, it was at least 90 degrees out. I have no idea what I was thinking. Perhaps I was excited because I heard pumpkin? Yep, they got me with sweet pumpkin soup.
But really, we had a blast! Kelsey signed us both up as a birthday gift, what a sweetheart she is! We had been talking about the sip and paint class she did in the states with penguins and the fun that she had. I hadn’t taken a class yet, but really wanted to try one out. Luckily, Art & Seoul started to offer a variety of classes to take and Kelsey jumped right on it. That gal! I’m telling you!
The idea is that you get together with a group of friends for a relaxing class of sipping, painting and creating! You bring your own alcohol, tag the bottle with your name, you can bring snacks, but there were some light refreshments to nibble on too.
We were immediately greeted by the lovely host, directed to find our canvas where our paint brushes, paint and smock were. We had a super upbeat and informative instructor that guided us through our masterpiece step by step at the perfect pace. Our instructor was patient and fun! I think Kelsey and I asked for black pain about a zillion times and thankfully she didn’t seem to mind one bit. After all I guess she knew going into instructing us that we we’d be a group of tipsy armature artist.
Half of the class painted Buddha, the other half painted cherry blossoms. We pre-selected Buddha. The colors and creations that I got to see come out on everyone’s canvas was the best part to me. When I was there painting the memory of my grandparents telling me about my dad and I coloring when I was little popped into my head. They asked how I did with staying in the lines on my picture and at the time my Dad say, “Well there is room for improvement.” Dad, hopefully I got a little better with my color technique.
Cheers to many more classes!
The past weekend and week were just gorgeous! You know the kind. We did a little exploring around Seoul with the sisters and we’re absolutely diggin’ it! Straight kicking it cousin style. Ha Ha! I’m sure missing these ladies since they have left, I know Kelsey is too.
We treated ourselves twice to Wood & Brick. You guys, this place is just the most sweetest, charming place. Gah! I feel like so many places now pale in comparison. We also had the pleasure of meeting the owners and it only added to my love of this place. They had such a passion for their food, bakery and customers. The best part was they just re-opened the newly remodeled bakery.
Eek! Oh, I almost forgot, french macarons! You know I’ve made it my mission to search them out everywhere we live. Wouldn’t you know that Wood & Brick not only has macarons, but they have delightful ice-cream sandwich macarons too! Think flavors like banana, camel, mango, and green tea.
Ohh and then there was this cake. I celebrated part of my birthday during the week. Yes, you read the last sentence correctly. Part. The rest of the birthday festivities will be this weekend. Stay tuned.
Mr. B and Kelsey whipped up the cake of my choice. Earl grey with a lavender buttercream frosting. It was a silly mess in our kitchen but full of big laughs and memories I’ll never ever forget. Thank you guys!
^ Kelsey after they realized the lavender did not need to be pulverized. Oops.
Ps: These flowers are killing it too. One from Mr. B and the other from my talented friend Sunny. Swoon. I’d love to keep my house full of fresh-cut flowers year round if I could!
I love when the sky looks like cotton candy or a beautiful water painting. That was the view from our place of Friday evening. It just begged to be captured for beautiful memories in the future.
So, Mr. B’s other cousins, Kelsey’s sisters, made it to Seoul to visit and travel around with Kelsey before she departs South Korea. They asked me if I’d like to meet up with them on Saturday morning and swing by the flower market at the Express bus terminal, and grab brunch. Unfortunately, the flower market was a bust. I think it has to do with it being so darn hot here. It was a shame they couldn’t see what we did from our last trip in the Spring. Nonetheless there were still some beautiful flowers. (I didn’t photograph).
After we left the flower market, we headed to Dean & Deluca. I’m so infatuated with this place. Each time I go I find myself wanting to learn more about seasoning salts, oils, and whatever else grabs my attention and mind. I picked up wild porcini sea salt and pumpkin butter. To say I was pretty excited is quite the understatement.
Two of us had the summer seasonal ricotta salad, one had tiramisu French toast, and the other the ricotta banana pancakes. The food just doesn’t disappoint! (Again, sorry no photographs)
From brunch we headed to Yeouido island only a few short stops away. We walked through the park taking in all the green, but keeping an eye on the really dark large storm clouds that looked like they were creeping in.
Do you see the gourds that are growing from the top and hanging down? We all joked about it falling on someone, but seriously all jokes aside, that would hurt if you didn’t expect something like that to fall on you. Eek!
From the park we crossed the road and went to the waterfront. Kelsey and I really enjoy the last time we sat with our feet dipped in the cool water. At that time it was really relaxed with minimal people…this time hardly any elbow room. Check out all the tents and children! When we walked under the bridge all you could see were tents upon tents. It looked like we were on some hippy compound, I was digging the vibe. Eventually we settled on a place and relaxed. This really is one of my favorite spots of the city. I love watching the people at the park, looking at the talk buildings across the way, and watching the Seoul boat tour putter up and down the river.
Addresses:
Express Bus Terminal: Lines 3, 7, 9.
Gangnam Flower Market: Exit 1 of the express bus terminal train station, the building next to the Shinsegae Department Store and the Bus Terminal. Go into the bus terminal, turn right and look for the escalators, go up to second floor.
Shinsegae Department (Gangnam) store B1, 19-3, Banpodong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
Dean and Deluca: Located on the basement food-court in Shinsegae Department.
Website : http://www.deandeluca.co.kr
Yeouido Park
120, Yeouigongwon-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 영등포구 여의공원로 120 (여의도동)
Until a few night ago, I wasn’t aware of what a Virtual Blog Tour was. That is until Ms. Miia from Pearlspotting extended an invitation to take part one. Of course I gladly accepted!
So what is a Virtual Blog Tour? Each week on Monday the blog post is posted answering questions about the bloggers creativity and inspiration process. At the end of the post that blogger then introducing the next blogger for the following Monday to answer the same questions and then introduce another blogger, and so on. The end goal is connecting bloggers and building a bigger blog community together.
is a project that asks each participant to compose a one-time post to be published on a specific Monday. Its purpose is to introduce different bloggers through a series of questions about the creative process and what inspires us to do what we do. The same set of questions will introduce a blogger to another blogger’s readers, as well as the wider blogging community.
1. What am I working on?
Seeing the world! I’m chomping at the bit to get my passport pages filled with all sorts of exciting destinations. I know my husband is reading this and is in complete shock! Just kidding, trust me…this man knows I am ready to flop that suitcase onto our bed, throw in the bare necessities and be on my way, anytime and travel anywhere.
I remember quite often when I was little girl spinning a globe with my eyes closed, letting my finger glide across the countries and oceans, letting it come to a stop and seeing where my finger landed. Of course at that point I’d start planning out my fairytale life. You know summer cottage castle in Ireland, main cottage home in Paris, etc. It was addicting then and never ever did I think it would stick within my soul into adulthood.
I’m incredibly blessed to have married a man who is just as passionate about traveling, or at the very least, passionate to show me the world. Experiencing new cultures, tasting new foods, meeting and making new friends, it’s what makes me tick and he knows it. Thanks Mr. B.
Where to next? That’s a great question! The possibilities are endless and you will just have to stay tuned and travel along with us via Instagram, Facebook, or the Blog. (Don’t mind the shameless plug).
2. How does my work differ from others in it’s genre?
I’d like to say that I’ve got some mind-blowing work here, but we’re really just a rather typical couple that enjoys a normal expat life between the US and South Korea. You won’t find any sort of grumbling and life might come off darn near perfect when you read the blog post. That’s because life is perfect! Kidding again, we’ve all got those cloudy days or weeks, gosh dare I say months even? Yep, we are human too, but I choose to keep my style light and cheery with a strong emphasis on lifestyle and travel. Just as my blog style, I adore reading upbeat travel and lifestyle blogs too. Often my blogger buddies are expats in Europe or surrounding areas. (Thanks Miia from Pearlspotting).
3. Why do I write/create what I do?
When I dropped the bomb on my dear family and friends that I was moving not only out-of-state, but also to another country, I knew I needed to create a method to share our daily life with them all to know that we were okay not living in a hut in the middle of a rice paddy (Not that I wouldn’t enjoy that too). Blogging was a perfect solution! My biggest fans are my grandparents. They are regulars and have told me that thanks to the blog they can tell the difference when identifying Asians. This might seem little, but it HUGE! (We’re from a very small town in Pennsylvania, let’s just say cultural diversity isn’t the biggest thing going on there).
I also blog to encourage anyone like us from a small town to jump outside of their comfort zones and experience new places. What’s stopping you, besides yourself?! Get out and go! Remember one life, it’s short, make the most of it!
4. How does your writing creative process work?
I really try to be consistent with my blogging. There are times that I skip a weekend or weeknight and need a break, but typically my OCD gets the best of me and I get on with blogging. I find blogging and writing to be very therapeutic and release all of the tangled thoughts inside my head. It reminds me of journaling and that’s something I really enjoyed throughout my life.
My blog post are from various adventures in restaurant and cafe hopping, cooking, photography, life and travel. I just write whatever I’m up to at the moment and what I think my family and friends might enjoy experiencing along with me too.
I spoke a ton about traveling on my virtual blog tour, I think I used the word travel about ten times. Eek! Ah well, that’s the definition of true obsession passion, right? Continuing right along with the topic of travel, It gives me pleasure to introduce Ms. Valerie of To & Fromage.
To & Fromage is a blog that I found myself so intrigued with, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to share with the rest of you as well. Each time I visit the stylish little blog, the photos pull me in and made me long to visit each destination. Ms. Valerie lives with her husband and together they share their adventures in food, style and travel. I know without a doubt that you will love To & Fromage as much as I do. Happy exploring!
Keeping with the same mantra, determined to squeeze every ounce of summer out of the season, I met up with Kelsey in Seoul early Saturday morning. Of course it was drizzling on again, off again. You know the rain that makes you feeling like someone is constantly misting you? Yep, that was the type. We had umbrellas so we didn’t let it spoil our plans or fun.
We started out by treating ourselves with a pedicure. We both struggled not to fall asleep in the chairs and thought maybe, just maybe, this should have been the final stop of our adventure? LOL! (I know what you are thinking right about now…life is hard,right?)
With our freshly painted tootsies, we headed to an area near Insadong that I wanted to share with Kelsey. I adore the Bukchon Village area, it has lots of sparkle and tons of areas for her to snap photos of the city.
The first stop was at Brick and Wood. This is a ridiculously charming brunch, lunch or dinner spot! I stumbled upon the place the last time that I took a quiet saunter with Mary while in the area. I had only went into the bakery last time and knew just from that I needed to get back to enjoy the restaurant too.
The space is rustic yet has a fun modern flair with its old wooden floors and it’s open, airy, exposed brick and concrete walls. The kitchen is out in the open and made us feel like they were preparing private dishes just for us. I love nothing more than to take a peek on how chefs are preparing dishes and the techniques they are using.
We hit the Bukchon Hanok Village area at a perfect time! The rain kept the large crowds tamed. We strolled casually all over, checking out tiny little boutiques, stopping to smell flowers, making friends with two handsome pups and their British owner, admiring the views, people watching, and of course enjoying green tea potbingsu at the Café Terrace.
(See the couple below?) They were the sweetest couple attempting to take a selfie under the we are young graffiti, so we offered to take the photo for them. They were so pleased with the offer they insisted on taking our photo too! Kelsey and I were swooning over the couples cuteness because we could tell they were just newly dating.
Saved some of the best for last. Yum! Green tea and watermelon who would have thought?
Addresses:
Brick & Wood Restaurant & Bakery
Locations and website here.
Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을)
Check out more here.
You must excuse me for the lack of post from last weekend. The majority of our July has been spent staying outside until the last very last second possible, or until the rain moves in. We are in monsoon season here in S.Korea so getting out and about when the sun is shining is imperative if you are trying to squeeze every ounce of “clear” sky out of the dwindling summer.
We trekked slowly up the base of Soyosan to marvel at the lush green trees. Soyosan is prime people watching too! During the hot season’s Korean’s often lounge and cool themselves in the trickling streams that come off the base of the mountain. You never know what you might see or get invited to join.
Don’t worry we’ve been properly hydrating with lemon water and practically turning into rabbits nibbling on all of our vegetable greens. (Beats turning on the oven in the humidity and heat).
I have a new Korean friendship blossoming and we enjoyed a really nice dinner together at a unique little restaurant near both of our homes. We dined on duck and a soup made of perilla leaves.
Not familiar with perilla leaves? Don’t worry it is most likely because it grows in Korea, China, Nepal and India. It’s a flavor I really cannot explain. The taste is quite pungent and has a nutty peppery taste to it. It is a herb that is often referred to a wild sesame. I was told that this heart-shaped leaf is a Korean staple and you can find it almost year round served in Korean homes. Plus it gets better! Of course it has healing components to it as well. If you are feeling tired, suffer from frequent headaches, need some anti-inflammatory relief, detoxify fish poisoning, combats morning sickness. WHOA! Talk about a marvelous little leaf!
and here is where I let you all down…. can you believe I ate the soup before I took a photo to share with all of you? Oops… trust me.. it would have just been a photo of a bowl of soup.
Kelsey stayed over too! She came sharing her newest sweets with us. What a sweetie!
We hopped on an AM train into Seoul and ran about in the on again off again rain to a vegan bakery called PLANT owned and operated by the sweetest girl, Mipa. Enjoyed a peanut Thai bowl and grilled chickpea sandwich. Both incredibly sumptuous and we shared one anther’s lunch family style. We are family after all! We then went to Maybell Bakery where I introduced Kelsey to a fabulous European bakery with freshly baked focaccia, baguette, croissants. I think it’s safe to say she’s in heaven.
We got home and felt like “grilling” hot dogs. I whipped up a vegan macaroni salad and she grilled the dogs. We were quite the little team in the kitchen if I do say so myself.
Howbeit it wasn’t as exciting of an update, it’s summer folks! Get off the Internet and GET OUTSIDE!
Places to go:
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (Candy Apples)
Addresses in Korea here
PLANT (Vegan Bakery)
Check out Facebook site here.
Maybell Bakery (European bakery-But hey make me a deal and don’t buy up all the bread before I get there)
737-2 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
South Korea
02-792-5561
Soyosan (Local Mountain / park)
Check out more here.
You guys, my Amaryllis belladonna bloomed again over night! Check it out! I’m like a giddy child on Christmas when I wake up rub my sleepy eyes these past mornings and roll out to the living room and see this happy little guy in all it’s glory! I stopped by Cafe Jerry’s to see how hers was doing too…not to shabby, not to shabby. Little thing in life we cherish.
This morning I woke up and knew I wanted to do something special for Kelsey, let’s just say life hasn’t given her forgiving fourways lately. For those of you not in Korea, I know you’re wondering what this silly gal is rambling on about, so I’ll share. In S. Korea while driving if you cut someone off, make a left turn from the right lane of traffic, or do any other really outlandish driving, it’s absolutely okay! Why? Because all you need to do is hit the forgiving fourways (hazards), all is instantly made right again and all parties drive on. Oh Korea.
Anywho, when life gives you lemons make Rachael Ray’s lemon ricotta pancakes! Throw in a side of turkey bacon, fresh berries and a refreshing bubbly raspberry lemonade. Mmmmhmmm! Got your attention? Thought so. This recipe was used recently by a friend for a birthday breakfast celebration with rave reviews. Those reviews were spot on! Happy belated birthday Kara!
Oh, it doesn’t hurt when the coffee barista, Mr. B, comes right to your home and makes you a perfect caramel machattio to sip on while your whipping up your lemony goodness.
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Taken directly from Rachael Ray’s Recipe Here
Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup self-rising flour
4 tablespoons lemon zest
3 cups ricotta
5 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks, flour, 3 tbsp. zest, 2 cups ricotta and 3 tbsp. sugar. In another large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; fold into batter. On griddle, cook pancakes in butter over medium until golden, 3 minutes per side. In medium bowl, whisk remaining ricotta and sugar. Top pancakes with ricotta mixture and remaining zest.
