What a gorgeous day to arrive in Korea!

We landed at about 7am this morning after a 13 hour flight to a beautiful sunny day, with a blue sky, and icy cold. Couldn't have been more gorgeous weather. After haggling at the airport for a few minutes with taxi drivers I was able to get one that agreed to drive us an hour to Suwon for 100,000w. Thankfully he drove like Mario Andretti and it seemed we were home in no time. Even with all it oddities, Korea is still very nice. I went around to all the local shopkeepers this morning and said anyahaseo, and told them I had been abroad for two months and not dead. :-) One gave me a chocolate bar to welcome me back and and elderly man in the park raised his cane and yelled he was so happy to see the three of us walking there...or at least I took it as him being happy, could have been that he was crying at the sight of us again, but I don't think so. ;-/ One thing I really appreciate about Korea when I arrive here each time is that everyone is so neatly dressed - a person just does NOT see slovenly dressed people, whether they are young...or old. This morning when I was walking around the park I was watching a group of young boys walking in their karate uniforms, and some other older people walking in their hiking uniforms - sure Koreans seem to have uniforms or styles of dress for many things, but the upside of that is that they always really neat and well put together. Anyways, tonight I was out with Brenda to do a little shopping for the fridge. I COULD NOT believe one item though...I bought a bottle of wine in Mexico for $5, and that exact same bottle was on the shelf here tonight for $16!

Anyways, I am looking forward to being in front of the class on Monday. I am teaching a course this year that will help the boys to create high tech animation movies, and then we will have a film festival "contest" in the Fall and select a winner. Should be lots of fun. :-)

Well, I am off to the meeting at the Kingdom Hall tomorrow to see what all of the brothers and sisters have been up to. I will share all the interesting tidbits with you all later.

Okay, love to everyone,
d :-)

*ps. now that I can recharge my camera...forgot the plug adapter when I went to America, I will take more pics and post them for you.

Catching our Plane today!

Well, this morning we got up at 4am and started driving to LAX. We planned for a 3.5 hour drive due to rush hour traffic but got here in two. :-) Now we are at Motel 6 by the airport until the plane takes off. This winter vacation was excellent. I feel like I did A LOT. I was able to get my truck, and it is just perfect for towing my unit, and for fitting lots of people in for meetings and ministry work. It is a four door Chevy Silverado, and I figure it will last a long time. Secondly, we were down in Mexico for a month. That was just absolutely excellent. Even though I had many good times down there, meeting the congregation, working in service, etc., the best thing that came out of it is that little Pearl survived her attack. She is mending well now. She still has weakness in one of her back legs but in a couple months am thinking she will be back to normal - running and jumping like always. Anyways, tonight we are on the plane and tomorrow will be getting back into our life in Korea after an hour taxi ride to Suwon. I attached a picture of me and Anastasia and Alexandra. Real sweeties. :-) I wanted to include one of all the kids with me but somehow all the pictures were blurry with swirly heads, and double lines. :-(

Okay must run - want to walk the legs off my furries before plane time.

Love ya, d :-)

Started my packing today. Leaving next Wednesday.

I thought I would get a head start on my packing instead of throwing everything in madly at the last minute like usual. I was at Marshalls and Ross's this week buying up some last minute clothing so that I look a bit fresh for the kids next Monday. I have done pretty good with the bargains. Got a bunch of blouses for about $6 a piece. I told mom I can usually do pretty good buying the things that no one else wants because they are too frilly or have some wierd design to them...somehow they seem to fit me well, and look good...so what can I say. :-) ...just blessed to have "unique" taste. :-)

The Desert has been really cold compared to Mexico. I have been wearing my down coat in the mornings. The park we are staying in this year is really great, and I think I will use them again. It is called Cathedral Palms RV resort and there are equestrian trails that weave for miles through the edges of the golf courses. It is absolutely wonderful for walking Harvey and Pearl.

Okay, well I will keep everyone posted on our flight back and will write beforehand if I get another internet connection. Unfortunately the park's connection can be a bit spotty at times.

Love, d :-)

We're On The Road Again...And the Green River Killer's Cousin

First, yesterday we left Mazatlan for our trip home - mom and dad to Canada, and me to Korea. We stopped in Hermosilla again and had another wonderful night at the San Sebastian. We learned that blah blah 7pm in Spanish from the Restaurant Lady doesn't mean, "the buffet ends at 7pm", but rather "the buffet dinner food is brought out at 7pm". ;-( The restaurant waiters must have thought we were crazy. When they told us this we rushed to the counter and filled our plates with the food there thinking it was all going to be taken away in just a few short minutes and ate like maniacs...only to find that when 7pm arrived the rotated all the food and all the steaming hot dishes were brought out. :-/ They and us had a good laugh when we all figured out what had happened. So regardless of us eating the old cold food, the meal was still delicious. I guess some Spanish lessons may be in order. :-)

So here we are in Phoenix, and tonight I got such an interesting compliment. Now I have to admit, my hair was a bit dishevelled and I wasn't wearing lipstick, so maybe that is where the confusion stemmed from...but after checking into our hotel tonight I decided to walk to the convenience store a few blocks away to do some a little shopping with Harvey and Pearl in their buggy (otherwise known as the smuggle-mobile). Anyways, it is black out with no street lights and I am wearing track pants, a t-shirt, and a sweater walking at a good pace, when suddenly behind me I see this big black suburban type truck turn on its lights and start slowly coming up behind me. As he is rolling along side me he rolls down the window and asks "how are you?" Not liking the look of the situation I used my 'take no prisoners all business no fun' voice - those of you that know me well, or work with me, know which one that is, and said, "fine thank you, how can I help you tonight?" - basically steely eyes no teeth expression on my face. He tried to pursue the question again, but I said I was very busy and could not talk. So looking a little unsure where to go with the conversation, he proceeds to say that he was out looking for homeless people that he could give food to. He then bid goodbye and took off. WHATEVER, I got the distinct impression he was looking for a woman for who knows what...just had that creepy feeling about him. Anyways, it is just a reminder that we really need to be careful when walking after dark...and too, always make sure your hair is combed and your lipstick is on so you are not mistaken for a homeless person. ;-)

Okay, off to bed now...more driving tomorrow.
Love, d

Some RVing Information

For those of you thinking of driving to Mexico in an RV, I thought I would tell you that I have visited several of the parks and they are very nice. With all utilities included they all run between $400 and $465 per month - discounts if you stay 3 months or longer. Even though I had a wonderful time staying in a condo this year, next year I will be driving my unit down and staying in the San Bartolo Park. There are others from the congregation in there, (as well as the Fernando Park) and it is quite nice with grass and flowers, etc. Also it is one block from the beach and downtown so a person can park their rig and it is easy to get to the meetings, or walk down the beach for exercise in the mornings, or walk to the huge MEGA, Soriana or Sam's Club Stores.

For anyone wondering...

about Joe and Colleen Way, I thought I would throw in this pic that I took on the boardwalk this week. They look really good. Good explorers too as they seem to know how to get everywhere. Anyways, life in Mexico seems to really agree with them. :-)

El Quelite

I thought I had to show you all some really creative homes and decorating from this town I went to today. I loved the brightness of everything, the landscaping ideas, and even the bathrooms in the restaurant we ate at. Mike told me I HAD to see the men's urinal which is how I got this pic. And the women's bathroom had such a creative tap set with the two trumpets and the keys that had to turn to make the water flow. Great ideas.

Amazingly Beautiful Architecture

Today we wandered around the old town of Mazatlan. Here, many of the buildings date from the mid 1800s. The window designs are beautiful, along with the wrought-iron guards on the outside of them. If a person appreciates architecture, or art, this is definitely an area of town to check out. There is also a very quaint art gallery in the area too - specializing in nudes. I like sensuous pictures, but not gratuitous nudity called art. I felt some of it fell into the latter category, and really felt like there were only two pictures I truly liked...and they weren't even part of the main collection...nor nudes. :-/ Anyways, it is a lovely part of town overall, and the buildings overlook the ocean, where a person can sit and watch people surf....or just people watch along the boardwalk.