South Korea

Andrew traveled to Seoul, South Korea at the beginning of October for work.  While he was only there for a few days, he really enjoyed the opportunity and took lots of pictures.  Here are the sites he saw:

Seoul Tower at night

one of the ancient palaces in Seoul

looking at the Seoul gate from inside the palace courtyard

the Imperial Guard in traditional dress

entrance to Inner Courtyards

where the King had his office

architecture of the palace

King's main throne

ceiling in the palace

King's secondary office throne

King's living quarters

building for formal entertainment

Korean traditional dress

Seoul gate from outside

Seoul gate from outside

statue of the King that invented the Korean language

the King also invented a planetary tracker

King also invented a sundial ad calendar

famous Korean admiral

the admiral developed the first iron warship in the late 1500's

view from mountain where tower is located

360 degree view from Seoul Tower

360 degree view from Seoul Tower at night

New Job

I started working at Michael's this week and I LOVE it!  I've never done retail before, but I am actually really enjoying it.  (Don't worry, I still love teaching, but it is really nice working with adults...)  Right now I'm just a seasonal cashier (that's how they were able to hire me, since I've already arranged to be out of town for Thanksgiving and Christmas), but hopefully once that's over, I'll be able to stay on as a regular employee.  I am having fun learning how to be a cashier.  I know it sounds silly, but I think most people probably worked retail in some form or fashion while they were in either high school or college.  I, however, never had that opportunity so I feel like I'm getting to do it now.  =)  Prior to this, the only jobs I've worked have been daycare or school, so this is totally new to me! 
As many of you know, I've really struggled finding work up here in Connecticut.   Back in September, I finally decided to let go of my pride and apply for anything.  I started applying to any retail place that I enjoyed shopping at (discounts, people!) - Barnes and Noble, Target, Michaels, etc.  Nothing really ever came of it and I accepted a part time Team Leader position with the company I tutored with last spring.  Then, while Andrew was in South Korea, Michael's called me and left a message asking me to come in for an interview if I was still interested.  I seriously considered not calling them back, seeing as how I already had a job to fill some of my time.  The more I thought about it, I decided that there was no harm in at least going in and checking it out.  So, I called them back and scheduled an interview for the next day.  I went in and we immediately started talking about my availability (I'd only put M-F 8-3 because I'd need afternoons for tutoring, and I didn't really fancy working nights and weekends - that's my time with Andrew.).  I told them I was willing to be a little flexible if they could work with me, which they seemed willing to do.  Then, things took a turn for the worse.  I said, "I don't know if this is a deal-breaker or not, but I already have plans to be away for both Thanksgiving and Christmas."  She replied with, "Well . . . yes, that kind of is a deal-breaker."  So I said, "Thank you for your time." and I shook her hand and left.  I was out in my car plugging in my GPS for home when I heard a tap tap tap on my window.  I looked up and she was standing there.  She said that actually she needed seasonal cashiers and they could work with the availability I'd put down and it would be fine for me to be gone for both Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Well, when that happened I felt like I'd be foolish to say no.  I truly felt like God was saying, "Here you go, Sarah.  I've worked it all out for you.  You just have to say yes."  So I did.  I eagerly said I was definitely interested and, after they ran a background check, I started work there this past Monday. 
I was intimidated at first.  I'd never worked in retail before, so I was kind of nervous.  I always feel that way (as I think most of us do) when I'm starting something new.  But, my fears quickly subsided.  Everyone was really friendly and very helpful.  True, there is a lot to remember, but I think I'm doing a decent job keeping up and eventually it'll be second nature - just like teaching was.  At least, that's what I'm hoping.  =)  And I am SO THANKFUL to have this job (as well as the tutoring job).  God is truly amazing and this job is a blessing.

The Big 3-0

On September 4, 2010, Andrew turned thirty.  Turning thirty seems like it would be a huge (and for some people traumatic) ordeal.  I have to say, Andrew handled it really well.  I like to tease him about being thirty and how old he is now (especially since I'm only 28), but honestly, he takes it really well.  Maybe it's not such a big deal for guys.  I don't know.  I will say that I have observed the fact that as men age they look distinguished and sexy, whereas when women age - sorry girls - we just look old!  It is so unfair! 


Andrew's parents were here visiting for his birthday, so we had a really nice time.  The night before his birthday was a Friday so we stayed up late playing Speed Scrabble and Mexican Train.  At midnight, Andrew said, "It's technically my birthday now . . . can I open my presents?"  I found it so funny that he was so eager to celebrate his birthday!  I'm one to wait as long as possible to draw out the excitement and suspense.  Clearly, Andrew is not!  Anyway, he opened his presents and then we went to bed.

getting ready

opening more presents

a new jacket

 
On the day of his birthday, we spent the day in Hartford touring the Mark Twain house and the Harriet Beecher Stowe house. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

Mark Twain House

For dinner, we went to Southern Que (a Carolina barbecue place some friends introduced us to) and then had cake.  He wanted cake from a bakery here that we've found so, no, I did not make that beautiful cake you see pictured above.  I did, however, add thirty candles to it and made him blow them out!  (And can I just say, thirty candles creates A LOT of heat!!)  Anyway, that's how we spent Andrew's thirtieth birthday and I think he had a really good time . . . Maybe turning thirty isn't so traumatic after all.  Guess I'll find out in 2 years . . . I'll let you know how that goes! ;o)

Dot Dot Dot

Did I mention that there would be a lot of randomness in my posts?  Well, consider yourself warned!  This could possibly be one of the most random things I've thought of yet, but as I was trying to fall asleep last night I was composing this blog in my head, so I figured if I'm going to go to all of that trouble and postpone sleep, maybe I should just go on, put it in a blog, and get it out of my head!  So, here we go . . .

I think that the ellipsis is quite possibly my favorite form of punctuation.  I definitely overuse them.  Just about anything I write will contain an ellipsis in it somewhere (just look at the end of the previous paragraph!).  According to wikipedia, an ellipsis is "a row of three periods or full stops" and I LOVE them.  I think the appeal for me is that an ellipsis leaves things more open-ended.  It's more like a long pause with the ability to come back to that conversation later, whereas a period has such a sense of finality to it.  A period means that it's the end of that statement and now you must move on.  An ellipsis allows for more elaboration . . . it's like the speaker is just taking a deep breath before delving deeper into the conversation.  For me, an ellipsis allows me to gather my thoughts and expound on an idea.  I guess you could maybe compare it to "um" in a conversation, but it looks so much more intelligent that "um" sounds - at least it does to me!  I like the way an ellipsis creates a more fluid thought.  Periods tend to chop things up more than I like.  I don't like my thoughts "finely chopped".

Finally, as I was attempting to drift off to sleep last night, I thought to myself - why would anyone want to read a blog about a form of punctuation that I really enjoy?  My answer - they wouldn't.  So, in an attempt to make this more interesting, I began to think about how an ellipsis could apply to life.  This is what I came up with . . .

Many people who don't know Christ probably view death as a period (assuming they look at life by way of punctuation).  It is final.  Life is over.  End of story.  However, we as Christians get to look at death as an ellipsis . . . it's just a brief pause as we move from the life we knew to the life that's more amazing than we ever could have imagined.  Our story continues . . . and, really, if we think about it . . . death is only the beginning of that story.  There you have it . . . my insight into the ellipsis . . . and now maybe I'll be able to fall asleep tonight . . . dot dot dot.

Fall in New England

I have come to the realization, after living in New England for one year and experiencing all of the seasons, that Fall is my favorite season.  It is absolutely beautiful here.  I love how Fall looks; I love how Fall sounds; I love how Fall smells; I love how Fall tastes; and I love how Fall feels.  Let me explain . . .

Fall in New England looks beautiful.  There are so many colors here that, sadly, we did not see in Texas.  The leaves here change to reds, oranges, and yellows.  The red leaves are my favorites because you don't really see those in Texas. 

The Fall sounds I am referring to are the sounds of the wind blowing the leaves in the trees.  I love the rustling sound the dying leaves make when the wind tickles them. 

Fall smells . . . generally speaking, the Fall smells I refer to are linked with food, but not always!  Pies baking, candles burning, or the smell of people starting to use their fireplaces that lingers in the air when you first step outside.  I am a big fan of the Fall smells.

Did you know that Fall tasted?  I didn't until I really thought about it, but Fall has so many great tastes - pumpkin, apples (and of course all of the pies that go along with those particular flavors), squash, even chili.  Granted, in Texas you may not be making chili in the Fall . . . but up here it turns cooler sooner so a big pot of chili is perfect to warm you up.

And finally, Fall feels cool.  It's the perfect weather - comfortably cool during the day and quite chilly at night when the sun goes down.  Perfect weather for jeans and long sleeves!  Completely different from Texas where the "cool" weather doesn't come until November or so (if you're lucky!). 

All of these things have led me to one conclusion - I Love Fall in New England, and I'm so glad it's here!   

Tanner loves it too!