Janny's Birthday! 26 in the US but 27 in Korea

A Kiely family tradition is getting a Hostess Cupcake in your lunch box on your birthday. My mom sent Janny a couple in our last care package. Janny happens to share the same birthday with our co-worker Sara. We had a mini party after lunch today.
Janny's favorite student Mimi made her a birthday heart. She is one of the cutest girls in the world. Wish we could take her home or that you could meet her. She's even more cute in real life.
We went to Whoopee's for Janny's Birthday dinner. It proclaims to be an Irish Pub, but it only serves Italian food. It's perched on a hill and has a great view of the city. We first went there with our friend's Megan and Curtis who we miss tremendously.
From left to Right: Rany's husband, Rany, Eva, Arin, and the Birthday girl. These are some of our favorite people in Korea. Rany and Arin used to work at Wonderland, until they wised up and got out of there. They are currently studying for the rigorous public school exams so they can be teachers in the public school system. Eva still works at Wonderland- she's great.




Janny got some great presents: A raspberry rice wine set, cookies, and cards.
View from the restaurant- Woobang Tower
Rany and her husband

World Body Painting Festival

Kinda Cool- Kinda Weird

Korean Beaches- not Thailand but really nice

Today we went to Busan, a large coastal city in Korea. We plan on spending more time there- it's beautiful and full of life. These are some pictures from Haeundae Beach. I guess it gets pretty busy in the heat of the summer, but today wasn't too busy. Unlike us Westerners, most Koreans don't like being tan so they hide under the thousands of umbrellas. It was a different scene than Thailand with the absence of the leathered skin Swedes..



I don't know how we found such a large strip of open sand.

Been awhile..... vacationed in Thailand

Cooking Class: Thai food is good and now we can cook it....hopefully. After every questions asked, our instructor would say, "Same, same but different." What does that mean?



Some would say we rode scooters. I prefer saying motorcycles. Semantics.
Visit to Monkey Beach: They seem docile.... facade. I wish I had a video of this woman that got attacked. The little devil came close to ripping of her swimsuit. It would have been an instant You Tube sensation- oh well.

Janny had one goal for this trip- ride an elephant.... done and done.
Here's some random pictures. Thailand is not an ugly place.






Gotta love Europeans!

It's the little things....

Most apartments in Korea have roof top access. They serve as a place to grow plants, do laundry, and dry seed weed (I learned this the other day when I went up to dry our sheets and had to share the line with one of our neighbors.) We've started really enjoying going on the roof. It's quiet, calming and has a good view. I especially like going up on Saturday mornings because I usually see a handlful of older Korean ladies watering their plants or hanging clothes. One guy even has a dog run rooftop dog run.

Donna visits the Peninsula

Janny's mom visited Korea last week. We had a great time. It was so fun to see her. We got to show her all our favorite restaurants and sites. Donna is a great explorer as well. Everyday she would come home with some great story about who she had meet and what she had done. Donna loved Korea and Korea loved Donna. Here's some highlights:She's here!
We prepared her a Korean care package equipped with a Dust Storm protection mask, travel books, and maps.
Donna prepares for her first bite of Kimchi- it's a big moment in anybody's life.
I'm not kidding Donna made friends everywhere she went- instantly. These ladies saw us in a parking lot, gave us candy and tissues, and then started hugging Donna. Our friend Curtis is in the background giggling.

Donna strategically placing a coin on this rock for good luck.