South Korea Adventure!

I recently traveled to South Korea to visit my sister Carrie (who was due with her second baby), brother-in-law Joe, and almost 5 year old niece Carlie. Traveling to South Korea is about a 10-12 hour flight from the west coast. I flew out of San Francisco on United, but there was no little TV's which made the journey feel longer than it should have. But I spent most the time reading and got in a few naps. I arrived late Sunday night to Seoul and traveled by bus to Yongsan Army Post where the Bemi were staying. Luckily Carlie stayed up and was able to give me a HUGE hug upon my arrival. Carrie looked cute as ever with her big belly. So wonderful actually touching my sister and niece instead of looking through Skype. On Monday Carrie, Carlie and I went to a flower market. We actually walked into the auction side of it and saw people bidding on beautiful carts of orchids. We finally found our way to the actual market. At first we walked around flowers still in the dirt, then found a warehouse full of freshly cut flowers. There were rows and rows of colorful flowers from roses, to tulips, to daisies, to sunflowers, to lilies, to almost every flower you could imagine. It smelled wonderful in there (surprisingly, I note this because most of the smells I encountered were gross). Carlie got some pink roses to take back to the hotel with us. This was my first encounter with Korean driving and traffic. It is insane there! Cars and buses squeeze into tiny places and turn wherever they want to. Of course, this made me nauseated, but really, what doesn't:) Here are a few pictures from our flower market adventure:

Reading about Korean Agriculture.

Amazing orchids.

Part of the warehouse:

Flowers piled up:

Flower Market sign:



Moving on to our next adventure, we decided to take a bus tour of the city. It was a bus that you can hop on and off while it drives throughout the sights in Seoul. Again, not such a great idea for a jet lagged, nauseated person like me, but I survived without puking! I did have to make a quick exit a few times, but no vomitator for me. Anyway, the bus drove to Seoul Tower which is communication and observation tower on top of a mountain surrounded by beautiful trees and land. Carrie and Carlie had already been there, but we got off anyway, and enjoyed the amazing views and gorgeous fall trees. The colors where changing, leaves were falling, a breeze was in the air and it seemed to be the perfect fall day in Korea.
Sisters!

Carlie and I with Seoul in the background.

Tree Pose.

The view...

Carlie and me with Seoul Tower.


Next stop: Changdeok and Changgyeong Palaces. Both of these Palaces had a few acres of property with buildings, lakes, trees, and a lot of history. It was amazing to see these Palaces that were built in the 1300's still standing, well preserved but with high rises surrounding the outside of the grounds. Again, we all enjoyed a wonderful fall day touring these two properties and thoroughly enjoyed the sights.

In front of the Throne Room.

Beautiful structures.

Brilliant coloring.

A sneak peek through the old and into the new.

Prego Carrie and Carlie Jean

More structures.

What a juxtaposition of the old and new in South Korea.

Seoul Tower can be seen in the background.

Maps of the Palaces:

Map of our bus tour:


Next stop on our tour of the city: Namdaemun Market. It is located in the center of Seoul and is the largest traditional Korean market. That means that there are tons of people, tons of crap (oh, I mean, tons of clothing, shoes, toys, scarves, food...), and did I mention, tons of people? Koreans go there to get knock off goods at a wholesale price. It was crazy, all I could do was watch and make sure that I got out with my pregnant sister and my almost 5 year old niece. It was fun to walk around and I saw plenty of interesting food as well. Like dried squid, some flat fish on a stick and of course there was kimchi for all.





I got to hang out with Joe! His schedule opened up just after I got there and it was great to spend some time with him. One activity that Carlie and I did with him was flying little motorized airplanes. It was a blast and Carlie loved BigBlue:) Joe and I also played tag with Carlie at the park and we were able to give Carrie some time to herself.

Carlie posing with BigBlue

Carlie and I


Another adventure we went on was shopping in Myeongdong. There are lots of high end stores as well as Forever21 and H&M. We found a yummy Italian restaurant for lunch. Funny, eating Italian food in Korea:)






A few nights before Halloween, the base we were staying on had an early Trick-or-Treating event for the children. This was Carlie's first year of actual trick-or-treating and she dressed up as an angel. At this point Carrie had not popped and she was a real trooper with all the walking. Carlie did a great job and was very polite. It was a great evening and I am thankful I was able to spend this time with the Bemis Family. Here is a sweet picture of the angel:



While in Korea, I celebrated my 27th birthday. THe day consisted of decorating a haunted ginger bread house and playing outside in the beautiful weather. We went to the park, flew planes and enjoyed the sunshine. For dinner, the Bemi treated me to an incredible Italian dinner in Itaewon. While walking to the restaurant we encountered a Korean music festival and a fire. There was an entire building on fire and we could not believe the amount of people taking pictures and trying to get closer to the action. It was quite a sight to see. The food we ate was amazing and it was topped off with gelato!

Carlie and I with the finished product.


Carrie and Joe:

The drinkers:)

Gelato off the belly.


The biggest news of all, at 4:45am on Halloween morning, Tessa Jolie Bemis was born. Baby Tessa weighed 9 lbs 2oz. No joke! Once Carlie woke up, I got to tell her the big news and we headed over to the hospital. She was SOOOOO excited! Needless to say, Tessa was beautiful and quite the chunk-ster. It was a beautiful moment to watch as the Bemis Family of four experienced their first moments together.

The Big Sister outside of the hospital.

A very happy Big Sis!

Carrie and her girls:

A little lady bug and a big pumpkin for Halloween.


The day after Tessa's birth, Carrie and Joe checked out of the hospital and we all headed back home. Home being Osan, which is about 1.5 hours away from Seoul. We had to pack up the hotel and catch the bus, with a newborn! It was quite the adventure getting all the Bemi bags together and packing into a bus. But, it was so wonderful to get to their home! Although being in Seoul was fun and I got to see a lot of sights, it felt good to be in Carrie and Joe's home. They live in an apartment on the 14th floor. It is a really nice apartment. Joe cooked yummy nutella and strawberry french toast for dinner while Carrie settled in with Tessa. Carlie and I played with her dollhouse and enjoyed my last evening together.

New niece!


First car seat ride!


The morning of November 3rd, I had to say my good byes to the Bemis Bunch. I got in some last minute snuggles with Carlie and Tessa. I had a fantastic trip and I am so thankful I had the time to come out to Korea. Carlie has such a wonderful spirit. She is full of joy and loves life. Carrie and Joe set a great example of a couple still loving each other after 10 years of marriage and the love they have for their family. I feel blessed and grateful to have been a pseudo-Bemis for a few weeks!

Pumpkins!

Dave and I have not carved pumpkins since college, but I had the urge to get into the season. Fall is a beautiful time of year and I wanted to smell the scent of a fresh pumpkin being carved along with freshly toasted pumpkin seeds. The pumpkins were beautiful, but had very few seeds. I persevered through this set back and toasted them any way. For some reason, I seemed to be the only one really pumped about the seeds, so I think I enjoyed about 15 of the 20 seeds that got toasted.

Dave working on his scary cat.

I am a very serious carver:)

Finished product!

Very proud!



A few random landscape pictures...

Early morning with the moon right off our deck...


Beautiful fall evening in Berthoud...


Oh, and I leave for Korea in 3 days. No baby yet, but I am very excited to get there!

Run, run, run!!

This has nothing to do with the post, but it made you look at another picture of Asher! This time, helping me study. Such a smart kitty:)



This past weekend I ran my 4th half marathon and I finished with a time of 2:01 (much improved from 2:31, 2:10, & 2:07 times). Although I was aiming to finish under 2 hours, it was my best time yet so I am proud of that. I guess the elusive 2 hour mark with have to wait until my next race. Not sure when I will run again, but sometime in the Spring I'm sure I will get the urge. Dave had to work on race day so my parents and mother in law came out and supported! Thank you very much Mom, Dad, Beth and Dave (because I know it was hard for him not to cheer me on in person). Running is not the most exciting thing to watch, so any spectator is an awesome one!! Thanks for battling the cold weather and millions of blond runners that could have been me:)





On another note, I leave for South Korea in 8 days. I am flying there to meet my new niece (due any day now), help out my sister Carrie, spend time with my almost 5 year old niece Carlie and maybe see Joe when he isn't working. I am extremely excited to see everyone, travel to a new place and do it all on a break from school! I am blessed to have been given about a week and half off school and Carrie was able to talk me into traveling to Korea. Which truthfully didn't take that much work. I thoroughly enjoy traveling, encountering new cultures, and getting the opportunity to be there for a sister is a wonderful gift to give (to her and to me). I guess Carrie will owe me in the future since there is no telling where Dave and I will be once we have kids;) Ha, ha, ha, no but seriously, Carrie, Joe, Carlie, and new baby, you better prepare.

Late Celebration

Dave and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary about a week late due to our work schedules, but we were able to go have a nice dinner out downtown. Yes, we scooted there! We went to Rodizio Grill which is a Brazilian Steakhouse, but it was disappointing compared to a different one we have been to. Non-the-less, we enjoyed time together and celebrated another wonderful year together.

Family and Games...

In early August, my parents came to Denver and we went to watch a Colorado Rapids game (which is the professional soccer team here in Denver). It was a nice night outside and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.



This past Saturday we headed to Coors Field and were able to watch a Rockies game with Dave's parents. It was a beautiful day outside and it was wonderful to see his parents.

Four Years Ago...

I married my best friend, my biggest fan, my closest ally, my confidant, my everything. I am so thankful we met and started dating nearly 8 years ago. I never could have imagined being where we are today. I am so thankful for our health, our families, our careers, our kitty, and the wonderful times we spend together.

Happy Anniversary David Richard Finney Otten! I love you!

Right back at it...

Dave and I got to spent some great time together this past week. I had a break from school and he had a week off, so we took advantage (knowing full well, this won't happen again) and went away for the week. We headed to the western slope since we had never seen much of that side of the state. We camped outside of Telluride in Ridgway State Park. It was incredible! We hiked, fished, played in the river, visited Telluride, ate some delicious s'mores (with toasted coconut marshmallows), visited Ouray, drove to Crested Butte, rode a tandem cruiser (which was a highlight!), walked through 5 foot high wildflowers, drank a few beers, and just plain enjoyed hanging out with the one I love.

Dave and I have been together close to 8 years and will celebrate 4 years of marriage on the 25th of this month!! Wow, time really does fly! Never could I imagine being so incredibly blessed with such a great husband that I am able to enjoy being with so much. Time is valuable these days and this past week was a refresher that Dave and I needed!!





But, Monday morning we were right back at it. Dave has one more week left at the ICU at Rose Hospital and I have begun my first respiratory class. And this is how I was welcomed back to school...


Yes, that is 10 books! I may be a bit busy drowning in RT knowledge. But nonetheless, I am soooooo excited to start learning about respiratory care!