Even though I'm not in a strange country, I can still have adventures, right? Well I have, so there! Believe me when I tell you I've made that plane ticket as worth the money as possible! And boy, it's been so nice to be around some of my friends and family. Here is a brief synopsis of some adventures I've had while in the states.
1. My dad and I traveled to the fabulous land of Paradox to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Hayes. They didn't know I was coming so my dad went inside and said he brought something for them but it was too heavy for him to carry himself (is that a fat joke, dad?? ;) ) and that they had to come help him bring it in. What a surprise!!! I was so happy to see them! My grandma squealed with joy and if I'm not mistaken (don't tell him I told you) I think my grandpa might have been experiencing some sort of allergies in his eyes ;). While there, we re-caulked some windows, re-did some stairs on the porch, sprayed noxious weeds, and of course, rode 4-wheelers and had an overall grand time! Just take a look at the view of Paradox valley.
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Look great after a long day
and hours of dancing! ;) |
2. From Colorado, I traveled back through Utah and then up to Boise, ID for the wedding of one of my very dear friends Emily. With the help of Emily's cousins, I was able to make it in time for the bachelorette party which was a blast! It was so nice to be able to see my 3 best friends from high school Kaitlyn, Jessie, and Emily. This was the first time we had all been together again since high school so it was a very special occasion. Other festivities included decorating, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding ceremony and reception (of course), and lots and lots of pictures, sweet words, and tears. It was a beautiful ceremony full of sincerity, love, and joy. Congratulations again to Emily and Joe!
3. After the wedding it was time to head to Montana to be with my family (thanks Kaitlyn's family for helping to get me part way there). Although we have fun every day here, I'll just share a few highlights. My mom, dad, mom's boss, and I went on a hike at Crystal Lake to see some ice caves. The hike was 11 miles all together and even though Trevor and I walk everywhere in Korea, I was completely exhausted and even sore the next day. The ice caves were pretty cool (in more than one way ;) ) and it was a pretty hike the whole way around.
4. Sydney and her fiance Jensen came from Rexburg and we had a bridal shower in Lewistown that evening and then headed to Billings the next day for Sydney to be able to go through the temple for the first time. It was a pretty neat experience as this was the first time I was able to go through the temple with a loved one who was going for their first time ever. I really wish my sweet husband could have been there because every time I'm in the temple I think of our wedding more than a year ago. After attending the temple, we went to lunch at Red Robin (YUMMM!) which has been a favorite of Trevor's and mine. Once again, I wished my husband was here because he is one person who appreciates Red Robin maybe even more than I do. Sorry babe you couldn't come!
5. As per usual, I had to cause mischief with my "twin" Ashley. And to prove how much people think we look alike, let me tell you a story. I was at church one Sunday with my parents (Ashley wasn't able to attend because of work constraints) and I was sitting next to my mom during one of the lessons. At the beginning of the meeting, the teenagers join the adults for some announcements. During the announcements, a lady who knows my mom and sisters fairly well came and sat next to me. Shortly after, they dismissed the teenagers to go to their separate class and when I didn't leave, the lady next to me asked me surprisingly if I had graduated. I laughed, understanding the mistake she had made and explained that I was Ashley's older sister. We both laughed and so did my family when I told them what happened. Anyways, it's been fun to spend some time with Ashley while I've been here :D.
To come we still have Sydney and Jensen's wedding, more shenanigans with sista shrub Lindsay, and a dreaded flight back to Korea (not dreaded because I have to be back in Korea but because it is soooooooooo looooooooooonnngggg!!!) I really really really can't wait to see Trevor again. I have missed him so much!
On a side note, with all the wedding this that and the other I've been involved in, I was reminded of my wedding last year. I want to thank again everyone who was so helpful with my wedding. I know it took a lot of work and sometimes I can be pretty passive so a lot of you made decisions for me (sorry!). Thanks Kelsey and Kylie for working so hard on the decorations I was absolutely floored to see the reception space and how amazing it looked. Thanks Kelley for helping out so much with the planning and providing so many resources and making endless trips and doing favors so we didn't have to break the bank! Thanks to my mom Terri for making batches and batches of goodies and bringing them all the way to St. George with you and for handling most of the rsvp details. Thanks Mimi for the beautiful backyard and Julie for the fabulous cake. I'm grateful to Emily for making a long trip just to see me, it was the least I could do to return the favor for your wedding :). I know many more people helped especially everyone in our immediate family and I don't mean to exclude anyone but I really really appreciate everything everyone did to make for a stress free wedding day. I know sometimes I'm not good at thank-you's just because of my shy nature but I really am grateful for all of my family members both the ones I've had since birth and the ones I've gained since.
Whether in the States or here in Korea, I make sure to have fun wherever I am! There has been a noticeable change to Ulsan while I was away. It took about 10 minutes after getting off the airplane in Seoul to feel the difference. It was especially noticeable while in line waiting to get through customs. It was so hot and humid it made waiting tick by even slower than usual! When I left, it was summer, and it had been getting hot, but within the month I was gone there was quite a dramatic change. It reminds me of the frog in a boiling pot of water concept. If I would have been there all of August I might not have noticed so much of a change. 
After lunch, we finally got to the flea market where there was a line of people and a spinning wheel and magnetic darts. Each person got the chance to hit a dart on the spinning wheel and win a prize. It was so exciting! Trevor got a coupon for $1 off a drink at a nearby cafe and I got something that Trevor translated as a "rocket box". We had to go to the information desk at the flea market to find out what my prize was. The lady at the spinning wheel seemed quite excited for me when I landed on "rocket box" so I was even more excited! What "rocket box" meant was there was a box of a bunch of papers that would indicate what prize you would get at the information desk. I got a bar of soap. YAYyyyyyyy....... My bar of soap for a prize was just about as exciting as the flea market in it's entirety. There were 10-15 booths set up all together and there wasn't anything that caught either of our attention. We ended our trip getting $1 off of a milkshake and headed home.
