Update

Hey guys! Just a little note here to say that I haven't completely forgotten you or this blog. I'm actually working on a redesign because I'm not Wonju Wife anymore and my mourning period is so close to over. I hope to have the new blog up and running (same spot, just new name and look) by the beginning of October! So I'm spending a lot of time watching tutorials on HTML and CSS and being creative on paper instead of on the Internet.

I never made an official announcement here, but I'm pregnant. I'm 14 weeks and counting. My due date is March 7th. I'm assuming most of you know this because I made a huge announcement on my YouTube channel titled My Big Secret and I also announced our pregnancy on Facebook. So, that's another reason I haven't been active here. I had an awful first trimester with all-day sickness and constant nausea. I feel better this trimester, but it has come to include severe day-long tension headaches and more morning sickness than I care to discuss here. Still waiting for that honeymoon period to start! Anyway, I'm sorry to have been absent for so very long and to have teased you with the first of our Santiago trip and not done anymore. But I think it's time for a change. And instead of rushing the change this time, I'm going to do it right.

Stay tuned for the reveal of all things new on October 3rd! Can't wait to get back to blogging. Oh, how I've missed you. 

The Rapidity is Exhilarating. And Scary.

May 31: Land in Korea. Travel to mom-in-law's house to reunite with my kitters. Mention before going to bed to the husband that we should look at apartments soon. 

June 1: Get up at 7:00 am. Husband is super duper on top of making appointments with realty offices in Seoul. See 5 apartments¹ in Gwanghamun. See 3 apartments in Gangdong. Have 8 pm appointment to see an apartment in Mapo. Go to 8 pm appointment and love the place. It's bigger than most, has a view of the river, and enough room for our queen size bed and both our desks. We put a teeny tiny deposit of $100 down so he won't show it to anyone else. 

June 2: Go back to apartment. Double check it. We're still in love. 6 minute walk from subway station. Sign papers. We have an apartment. The guy asks us when we want to move in. Kenny says, "June 10th."

June 3: Load up the kitters and head back to our mansion² in Wonju. Repeat to one another over and over, "Gosh, a week left here." "Wow, that was so fast!" 

It was completely unexpected. I thought I'd spend a last summer in Wonju. But hey, the new apartment has air conditioning and this one doesn't. So, I have a week to pack! And that's what's happened since I've been back. I'll slowly be going through pictures and journal entries and telling you about all our adventures in Frankfurt, on the Camino, in Barcelona, and in France. 

Feels so nice to be back.

¹So basically we looked at one room places. They’re generally called officetels in Korea, but I don’t like the look of the word and I don’t like typing it either.

²Obviously since we’re downsizing to a one room studio type place, this two-bedroom apartment with it’s many doors and corners feels huge. 

As you can see, I haven't completely given up on the good old blog yet. This is too much a part of who I am now, and also too much of what I talk about! I've made some changes and there are more to come.

The end of last week was pretty crazy. Kenny's grandmother finally passed away early Wednesday morning. So we drove to Seoul in the morning and participated in the three day visitation and then burial on Friday. I learned a lot. It was interesting. I also got to meet a lot of Kenny's family. They were all so kind to me, many of them were sweet despite the language barrier, and a whole heck of a lot of them can speak English. I really felt as though I was part of this family. It was a sad, but wonderful experience all at the same time.

It's back to work today, but there's a light at the end of the week because Friday is Buddha's birthday. Woot for a three-day weekend road trip with friends!

Anyway, thanks for sticking around. I'm back.

No More Procrastinating

So, I was going to wait until I could post properly, like when I'm all settled and have things to say. But then I realized if I did that, there would never be another post on my blog again! So here we are. First post from Korea again. It was so exciting coming back here for me and I didn't really expect it to feel so great. Walking through my old neighborhood and eating at old restaurants had the same vibe it does when I return to the States and go to my favorite places. Korea really has become another home for me, which is good since I'm kind of stuck here for a while!
We went to Wonju on Tuesday and stayed with one of Kenny's good friends, SuYoung. She just had a baby six months ago and he is the cutest thing, with the obligatory XL Korean head that is completely flat in the back. And he is happy! He never full out cried while we were there, only whined a bit during the night and never for more than a few seconds. The last time Kenny stayed with a baby was during his time in NY before we left. And that was NOT a happy baby. I was afraid he'd be against having kids FOREVER after that. But Dong Myung was a beautiful baby, smiling and laughing all the time and sweet even when he was tired. Not that I'm ready to have kids now, or even soon, but I'd like him to at least be open to the possibility. AND, I kept saying I wanted to name our baby Ready. Not in English, in Korean. In Korean is sounds like June Bee. And I love it. But I do concede it would be a bit ridiculous if our kid's name meant ready and she would probably get heck for it at school. But at Yonsei ELP (my new employer, WOOT) there is a student named JuBi. And it's perfect! It has all the sounds I love, and maybe sometimes I'll still call my kid JunBi just for the heck of it. So, baby fever flare up there for a minute.
Anyhow, Wonju. Yes. It's beautiful. It's in mountain country, so the husband is thrilled. My job is SO MUCH BETTER. It's a bonified English department they've got going on with every teacher having their own classroom. In the teacher's lounge, every teacher has their own desk and computer. It's extremely organized, perhaps a bit micromanaged, but hey. I'm appreciating the micromanagment after the zero management at Haba. It's definitely paperwork heavy, but that will keep me on task and focused. I really want to be a better teacher, and I think this job will help me become one. All my coworkers I've met so far have been so kind and generous.
Our apartment freaking rocks. The master bedroom is a little small for our queen sized bed, but we'll make it work. Having the second bedroom cum study is so exciting and fun for us. And I'll finally have a place to put all my books. We have a bathtub (have I mentioned how rare and awesome it is to have a bathtub?) and a nice size veranda that stretches the length of the apartment. The building is set back off the road and surrounded by forest, so the noise is negligent at this point. We're on the 7th floor, which is in the middle of the building and means cooler summers and warmer winters. No airconditioner, but fans were in the bedroom and living room and it was really comfortable. So we might end up buying one if sleep is impossible, but we'll try going without first.
The only negative I've found so far is that our apartment is a good half hour's taxi ride away. There are buses, which I assume will take a bit longer. I was looking forward to walking to work, but that looks like an impossibility at this point. Having my mornings free is working out well, since we're waking up at 6 am consistently now. Things seem pretty good, and there's a possibility that the school will hire Kenny as well! So, we're on the right track for having the same schedule anyway.
Well, new chapter of my life begins officially on Saturday- Moving Day! And I will be instated as The Wonju Wife! And settle into a routine and start writing here more regularly.
Dearest Readers, I think about you more than is appropriate and find myself talking about the Internet in Real Life, which is SO against the rules and makes Kenny say, "Is this a real friend we're talking about or some person you met online?" Ah, well. He can judge all he wants because he just doesn' t know how awesome you are!
Later lovies!

The Big Return

Hello dear ones! Man, have I missed you. I have been thinking about blogging, trying to catch up on my Google reader, and also coming up with some new ideas for ChubbO Chubbington because, ladies and gents, I am now a whopping 135 pounds and feel confident slapping a big ChubbO NoMo stamp across The Belly! So, this blog (along with being terribly ill and not eating well for about a month, plus hiking 4-5 hours a day in the mountains) has been good for me. Don't worry, I will still post gratuitous pictures of me stuffing my face. I have plenty from the honeymoon. But since I've started a new phase in my life, I feel the blog needs a new phase as well. Just as we progressed from anger (Rage in the A.M.) to self-motivation/deprecation/humor (ChubbO Chubbington) it is now time to move on once more. To progress, if you will. And to be honest, I'm not sure what I shall progress to. Or towards. But the blog is “A-Changin'” so brace yourself.

I am thrilled to be resting at home, spending time with my family, introducing the HubbO to all the ways we Southerners have figured to fry things (we're eating lunch at a place today that has fried corn on the cob) and of course getting him addicted to Sweet Tea. We are running every other day now, trying to get ready for a few races this summer, something I'd like to continue when we return to Korea.

Things you can go ahead and look forward to:
Mushy Marriage Stuff: including but not limited to pictures from the wedding and a video for those who were unable to attend, as well as status updates on our upcoming reception in the States.
Life of Anonymous Celebrity: International Style
Honeymoon Highlights: posts that recount our adventures, including a few excerpts from my daily journal while we traveled.
What the Crap Wednesday Flashbacks: Nepalese and Indian Editions
Mucho Mucho Photo Content of course
Dear India: letters to this baffling country as I continue to process my experiences there

Yeah, I know you're all making out with your computer screens in anticipation of all this good stuff I'm promising. It feels good to be back, lovelies. Good to be back. I have missed you and you wouldn't believe the amount of times I mention you!

Love,
ChubbO NoMo (hopefully for keeps this time!)