Tag Archives: August

Scenes From My Birthday Week

My Birthday week involved:

All sorts of fun surprise gift packages in the mail,

pedicures with a dear friend,

Fab-o korean mushroom stew,

So many birthday message notifications on Facebook,

sushi with my love,

A new charm for my bracelet that I had been swooning after for months, (Thank you Beebs!)

Phone calls from my loved ones,

The infamous Snookie birthday card that talks,

the most fabulous work birthday celebration ever! TWO cakes, so naturally, yeah!

TONS of smiles and good laughs,

It was absolutely simple and perfect!

Thank you all again for all of the love and birthday wishes too.

AH! I am very blessed to have you all in my life.

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Love, one very lucky little lady!

 

Truly Wish the Summer Away

Happy Sunday!

It’s still raining on and off and the humidity is still a bit of a buzz kill,

But that’s not getting in the way of my last bit of summer Sundays.

Half of me is incredibly sad to see Summer go so quickly, but the other half is screaming bring on the Fall Season, NOW!

Ahh…imagine, no humidity, less crazy frizzy hair, cool nights without the fan or AC.

Even as I sit here with the fan pointed at me and my messy hair blowing all over the place, I just cannot bring myself to truly wish the summer away.

Just look at all the lush beautiful shades of green that summer brings to us here in Korea.

Today after church I met up with our good friends for lunch at the Yongsan Station. I had a wonderful time! I loved getting to catch up with them both and hear about their recent tropical diving vacation. They two of them looked so refreshed, calm, and cool. Vacations are such a wonderful treat for the mind, body, and soul. They seriously had the post vacation glow!

Unfortunately, Katya had to get scooting to grab the train to her class, so Luis and I decided on some desert…I’ll give you a hint.. starts with a -P- end’s with O-M-G my summer desert obsession.

POTBINGSU!

Come on folks, is there really any other choice.

Nope.. not to me that is.

 Complements of  Cold Stone Creamery.

This was pre-potbingsu taking flight, right Luis? HA-HA! *Wink,Wink*

Free Pass

There is just something about a rainy day that makes me think God is saying You can relax in sweatpants today….

Like a free pass…

Whatever the case,

I’ll take it!

Saturday was pretty relaxed and low-key for me (Mrs. B).  The rain came and went all day.

Not to draw attention to my alien toes… but, do you like the color of the toenails? I went with my dear friend and had a girls night. I let the young Korean girl who did them pick my color. I think its fun! I will have to blog about that entire experience soon.

I shared the quiet apartment with Miss Bean. Isn’t she just the cutest?

(Enter crazy cat lady section of the blog).

Mr. B went diving on the East Coast. Oh yes!  Like a proud little wife I have to congratulate him on his latest achievement on becoming certified as a Dive Master. You have no idea how hard this man has worked and studied to obtain this! I admire the drive and dedication he has, just one of the many reasons I love him so very much.

Okay, Okay… Enough of my mushy mushy.

I picked up a small gift that I wanted to give our friends tomorrow. I dawdled in the rain a bit to a Korean kitchen supply store near our place. I knew what I wanted in my mind, surprisingly I was able to find something fairly similar.

I got really crafty and used a paper Lotte Mart bag to wrap it up. Hey! reduce, reuse, recycle….oh no..it’s official… I’ve  been in Korea way to long.

How was your Saturday? Do you ever wrap gifts in crazy papers or materials?

Just curious… 

Air Conditioners and Fans

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For the past few weeks, everywhere you go, the air conditioners and fans have been cranked. South Korea, like much of the world, has been battling extreme summer temperatures.

Finally! When least expected…Some relief!

Today after work, we Bees joyful trekked through each room of our house to triumphantly open every window, as if to say, ‘woo-hoo! we’ve made it!” “Take that mother nature.”..well..for now.

How’s the weather where you are? Are you still trying to beat the heat?

All Things New On Saturday

Saturday I invited a good girlfriend to tag along to Seoul with me. The main purpose of the trip was to check out a newly established farmers market located right in the downtown area of Seoul. I was particularly excited because a few other bloggers mentioned the freshness, the organic quality, and how everything was sold direct by the farmer themselves. How awesome is that?

Per the directions we were following, we got off at the Palace. We arrived just at the change of Guards. We watched for a few minutes, snapped a few pictures and were off.

Well…we made it to the Farmers Market location at around 10:30AM, the market should have been open for at least 30 minutes already. I was so delighted that we had found the location. Easy! However, there were no vendors insight, the park was completely empty. I was disappointed, I think my girlfriend was too. Was there a Korean holiday today? Was the weather to hot? Did the market take a break? Eek! All these things were left unanswered and unknown. Perhaps next time? I have at least until October to check things out.

Fear not! The great thing about Seoul is there are just so many other things to let yourself get into. We were only a short walk away from Insadong. Insadong if you recall from past posts is such a fun, lively, little area. Always something new to see or experience too. To Insadong we decided!

We arrived with a mission in mind. FOOD! Oh, and postcards too. We walked a bit, Korean, Italian, street vendors stands, Indian. Indian! That really sounded like the best choice in the moment. WE were both so eager to check the place out, we almost forgot that we’d have to lift baby G and his stroller up the narrow staircase. Almost.

WHEW! We ladies worked up quite the appetite. First I’ve just have to mention how unfriendly South Korea is for handicap people as well as mothers of small children. Okay, okay.. Enough about that. We chalked the entire experience up to getting our workout on, cardio and step climbing!

Once we made our way to the top of the steps with baby in tow, we were greeted by a young Korean girl and made our way into the Cafe Little India.

The ambiance was really eclectic. We both decided on Marsala dishes with sides of rice and yoghurt sauce to top it all off. I went with Chicken and Mrs. p, shrimp.

Oh! Baby G playfully enjoyed his Indian chicken fried rice too.

So, ratings on the entire restaurant. Out of five stars we both agreed a three wold be most suitable. The dishes were good, however nothing to write home about. The service was good too, not over the top, but also not bad in the same breath. The price was a bit steep..but…this is Insadong, a very touristy section of Seoul. We know, we know.

After lunch we enjoyed making our way through the rest of Insadong.

Of course I had to make a special stop along the way for Patbingsu! MMMmm..I seriously cannot get enough of this stuff! Plus I wanted to let Mrs. P taste it for the first time too. I was so proud of her, lord knows she was defiantly unsure of this crazy mixture of things.

We came across more new things as we walked. These crazy looking things, almost the shape of a candy cane, they tasted like a cross between a churro and a sugar cookie, and they were filled with a vanilla ice cream. What a special we three were. Then we caught a glimpse of the other brave shoppers that decided they had to give iterate vet this was a shot too. What fun, we giggled like little school girls forever!

Speaking of new and crazy… I’ve seen these little pastry chocolate filled guys before when in Insadong. I was told they represent piles of landmines(use your imagination here folks). Korean friends, is that true?

We finished with Insadong, hopped back on the train, switched lines, got off at Myeongdong. Mrs. P had never seen Myeongdong yet. I was thrilled to at least get to show her around a bit and share something new too. I think she was blown away at all the people pushing their way through the mass crowds while shopping.

Whew! The heat, the lifting, the steps, the walking, and the train. These things just drain you. We were both ready for naps, it was after 4:00PM. We knew we needed to mosey our way back North towards home.

A little after 5PM we arrived home. Hugged Mrs. p, blew kisses back to baby G, the elevator doors closed I thought to myself at last…time to relax.

Wrong! Mr. B promptly reminded me that we were going to dinner since our Friday night plans fell apart. Ahhh…I completely forgot, not to mention just assumed we were staying in tonight.

7:30PM back walking down to catch the train South for the second time today. No biggie! I enjoy the train, plus I adore my thoughtful hubby. Oh and by the way sushi was involved too. He he he…

Mr. B wanted to celebrate my birthday ahead because it falls on a work weekday. Yes, yes, I know, Wicked and Sushi was my early birthday gift. Trust me when I say I reminded this man about 50 times this entire weekend. How did I ever get so lucky? Really folks?! Goodness.

We arrived in Uijeongbu, just in time too! Most restaurants don’t start getting crowded until later in the night for the dinner rush. This typically works well to our advantage because we are early eaters. Tonight was just an exception to the rule.

We never ate at Hanabi Sushi house. All we knew is we walked past it various times on the way to some other restaurant or plan and kept saying, I want to try that sometime. Plus it had a sushi track, looked clean, and usually looked busy.

I have to admit, not only was this sushi restaurant new to us, the concept of the sushi track was new to me as well. I was delighted once I quickly learned the concept. Each plate has a color, the menu tells you exactly what the plate could be, and how much the price of the plate is. Simple, right? Gah! All this time…intimidation, and for what? Who knows. The sushi was awesome! The rolls were delish! The service was right up there too. Oh yes! We Bees will be back.

Eeek! Check out the damaged we did! I think I’m growing gills as we speak!

After sushi we decided on dessert. Mr. B said my birthday, my pick. Typically I’m so go with the flow not caring where we go. Today I threw that right out the window. I was milking this! Ann House. Decided.

The very much willing and open to checking out Ann House, Mr. B, let me lead the way.

Oh boy… Where to begin?

Dear Ann House,

Thank you for completely throwing we Bees for a loop tonight. We really thought your cutesy, girly, pink, purple, flowery, and lace ambiance was going to be so sweet and innocent. However, you have shown us a completely different side. Open until 2AM, playing tunes with the lyrics “F*%$ that S!$&” and let’s not forget the song S^% on the beach followed up by Whitney Huston’s, “Will always love you”, heart spoons that look like a persons behind, a massive Patbingsu that included everything but the kitchen sink, i.e.- tomatoes, whipped cream, ice cream, corn flakes, chocolate covered pretzel sticks AKA: peppero sticks, red bean, shaved ice, chopped nuts, vanilla wafers, all topped off with a Ritz cracker and tiny drink umbrella. We really thought we were on an episode of the Jersey Shore at moments, LOL!

Thanks for the memories!

Sincerely, The Bees

Ps. Don’t you think I look like Alice in wonderland in that oversized chair? How about Mr. B showcasing his princess palace pride in our plush private booth? Too funny!

What’d a Saturday! What did you think of the Ann House’s Patbingsu? Would you try it?

Uijeongbu Summer Haze

Friday night.

Took the train to meet Mr. B for dinner….however the Seoul traffic decided otherwise. We Bees never made it to dinner. It happens! I sat back, sipped on a refreshing Iced Chai tea w/ soy at Starbucks, continue reading the ever hilarious Bossy Pants book, and look out on the bright lights twinkling in the Uijeongbu summer haze.

How was your Friday night? Was it a pretty chilled evening for you too?

Express Bus Terminal

I had an appointment in Seoul today.

Yes, the long train ride, the heat….meh…

But, there was a silver lining to this day…

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The Express Bus Terminal!

After my appointment, I knew I had a long trip back to D-town. I decided why not explore! Check out a place I’ve never been before.

I wandered around, the time completely got away from me.

It wasn’t until 3:00, that I realized just how big this place really was.

Hallway after hallway…

Vendor after vendor…

Truly a shoppers delight!

Plus…

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Treated myself you vanilla fro-yo with berry topping, and two heavenly divine vanilla and earl grey macaroons!

What? You know I’ve got quite the sweet tooth 😉

Happy middle of the week!

Monday Blues

Blue shoes that is..Yes, somehow this little lady walked out of the house this morning, got on the elevator, never really looking at the shoes I grabbed and put on my feet.

Needless to say, they were blue, (very blue) and I was wearing hunter green and black.

I didn’t see them until I hopped out of the car when Mr. B dropped me off at work in the morning. Goodness, my hand hit my mouth, I giggled, had to show Mr. B. All I got was a big smile and, “niceeee”.

Eek!! Just another manic Monday!

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Pork Shells, Libs, and Convertible Tops

Friday night we went out on the town for date night. We met up with some of our good friends, and their sweet baby boy. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at a newly discovered restaurant very close to our house.

We stumbled upon this place while on one of our weeknight walks downtown. We both said that we’d have to go back sometime and try the place out. Ohhh goodness folks, we were so glad we did!

The Korean ladies loved baby G to pieces, they fussed over him the entire time we were there. Anytime the adults were talking and looking away they would immediately gush all over him picking up his sunglasses that he’d drop onto the floor, removing any rice he might have stuck to himself, wiping his nose or face. It was so entertaining plus baby G milked it for all it was worth. What a little ham!

I can tell…you are curious and wondering what exactly a pork shell and lib is.

Well, I just cannot help myself, I just have to share with all of you how my sweet little Korean co-worker translated the menu for me. She was explaining each dish, doing a fantastic job too! She started to lose me towards the middle of the menu when she started to use the term lib and shell. I just wasn’t understanding what a shell  or lib could possibly be on a pig. After talking some more and using some gestures we realized that shell was skin to me and lib was really a rib. We giggled, it was just to cute!

Mr. B Getting schooled in the art of meat grilling. (again) HA-HA!

A success of a date night if i don’t say so myself. Three cheers for pork shell and libs 🙂

Saturday I buzzed solo. I was in dire need of some hair attention. I walked down to the train station, caught the train and headed towards Seoul at 7:15AM. The sun was already out, our Korean neighbors already had their peppers out drying in the morning sun. Whew… the month of August doesn’t mess around in Korea…hot….muggy… I just cannot remember being this hot last year here. Perhaps I don’t want to remember?

After my hair appointment I walked throughout Itaewon. I knew there were two places that I wanted to check out while it was nice and I had the time to dawdle. Life is just a cup of cake, and the High Street Deli. Luckily these two places were fairly close to one another and I wasn’t out in the heat that much.

Life is just a cup of cake, is the most darling little cupcakory that is nestled back in off of the hustle and bustle of Itaewon’s main street. The outside of the place was just so inviting with its birdcage and cottage like feel. Who wouldn’t want to get sucked into this place?!

Once I got inside my nose immediately picked up on the cupcake aroma in the air and my eyes instantly fixated on all of the beautiful little cupcakes lined neatly under the countertop glass. So many important decisions to make…mind you these are the most delicious life decisions I really don’t mind having to make.

Mmmm…Blueberry Cream Cheese, Earl Grey White Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Almond Macaron, Double Green Tea, Mango Mango, Original Vanilla, All About Chocolate, Carrot.
(5,000 won each).
I got there fairly early in the day so I had a chance to sit down, relax, and indulge in the cuteness of the cupcakory. The interior was just perfect in size. There were two tables where you could enjoy sip your tea and please your taste buds with your delectable sweets.
The service was great! The women behind the counter spoke excellent English and was really lovely all around.
The taste… YUM-O! I’m such a plain Jane sometimes. I was torn between the vanilla and the earl grey cupcake. I ended up with the vanilla. Divine! I had to take one for Mr. B too. I ordered a Red velvet, his favorite, to go. They packaged it up in a cute plastic cupcake container and on my way I went.

Next stop, High Street Deli. I knew I had to swing by this place because of Mipa! I wanted to support her awesome vegan baking business that she works so hard at. This little lady has serious talent! I ordered a veggie on wheat sandwich because the heat was starting to get to me and I figured something light would hold me over on the train ride back home.

What a fun little deli! It’s located on the second floor of the building on the main Itaewon drag. High Street Deli had lots of foreign goods, of course a bit more expensive than what I was used to when we live stateside and had access to a plethora of products. However the prices are not that outlandish, nice!
You can pick up jams, frozen goodies, can goods, coffee, teas, muesli, deli meats, an assortment of cheese, candy, wines, pastas, etc. check out their website if you are curious

While I was getting ready to leave I was paying and chatting with the Korean worker there. Of course the topic of the sun and heat made its way into the conversation. The man was very kind and said, “I hope that you have your sunblock on or a sunbrella”, you’ve got a convertible top going on there. Of course I had a nervous giggle not quite sure what to make of the convertible top comment. I scooted out the door and checked out my almost covered shoulders, Cotton-knit, knee-length sundress….Hmmmmphh.. he-he-he, convertible top 😉

Interesting in checking these two places out? Do it! They won’t disappoint, I promise!

For the restaurant in Dongducheon click here

For the Life is like a cup of cake location click here

For the High Street Location click here

Simple

I think it’s only human to long for simpler times, right?

You know, run the block until you literally cannot run anymore, swim until your lips are completely blue, teeth are chattering, and skin is all pruned, fill up on Swedish fish and peach rings before dinner knowing very well it may not end well for you.

Those were the days…

So where am I going with this blog post?

Well.. you see…I think that these complicated times call for simpler foods. I’m talking about the good old comforts of your childhood.

Yes! I don’t think I’ve had these little cheerful guys in about 5+ years.

I’m not completely sure how it happened.. all I remember is I was in the store, next thing what do you know, there is a can of SpaghettiOs in my basket! I couldn’t just shun them, and put them back on the shelf. At least they were the more adult choice, HA HA! (As adult as SpaghettiOs can be).

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Enjoying..

savoring every bite..

as if it were a dish of smoked duck.

Silly, right? I know! But what delight because…

Next thing I know, I’m at my grandparents’ house lying on the breezeway floor, watching my never-ending cartoons.

Sometimes your body knows exactly what you need.

Although, it may not be the most nutritious or best thing to eat, but in that very moment, it was exactly what my body needed.

YUM-O!