Spontaneous Journey

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Greetings to my interested friends. Let us start with the definition of: spon·ta·ne·ous/spänˈtānēəs/

Adjective Performed or occurring without premeditation or external stimulus: "spontaneous applause".

(of a person) Having a natural, and uninhibited manner

Residing here in S. Korea I am happy to say that there are far to many moments to count where I live my life in a natural state and uninhibited manner. Adventures present themselves far beyond my imagination that bring aha moments for sure. Let's get moving to some good stuff that you may or may not also find intriguing.

On day 3 of living in our new home Mr. T proposed his desire to host a small Welcome to Pyeongtaek in our home. Wallah within 2 days the fun gathering became a reality. We had the pleasure of having 10 staff members join us whom live in this area. Mr. Logical (whom is so named this by his beautiful wife), Mr. Sunshine and Ms. Energizer Bunny (whom I so named for blogging purposes) brought us traditional Korean gifts to welcome us into our home. The gifts consisted of a huge pack of toilet paper, a large box of laundry detergent, beautiful plant and a bottle of wine. The YWMC (Young Womens Club) brought us Korean steamed brown eggs, homemade pasta and pecan pie. Mr. Gentle Spirit brought a mouth watering chocolate cake. Mr & Mrs. Newlywed graced us with great wine. I am so appreciative to Mrs. Newlywed for assisting me in making the tasty appetizers. It was a fun evening.

Funny Blerb: 1) on the day of the party, Mrs. Newlywed & I enjoyed visiting the PX & Commissary. As we were both not to familiar with the base area. We began with lunch (Subway...yummy!), then made some purchases in the PX nearby, then onto our next intended destination of the Commissary for perishables. Both of us were not yet aware where the commissary was in relation to the PX so we jump into the base taxi with our bags in tow. The driver begins asking, "Where are you going?" I state the Commisary and he then laughs pointing to the right. Without hesitation he then puts the taxi in reverse. While backing up and giggling he shares, "You can walk thru the PX and the Commissary is located just outside the back door. We quickly disembark from our taxi, giggling all the while. From the military guys expressions sitting there I am thinking they thought we got kicked out.

As part of my spontaneous decisions, I decided a month ago to get Mr. T away from work somewhat by planning a surprise trip for him. Due to my lack of Korean communications his assistant so graciously helped me to plan this adventure to the Sun Cruise Resort located in JeongDongJin-Ri, GangNeung-City, GangWon-Do, Korea. The night after our party we began the journey to this fabulous place. It is amazing to see the beauty of lush mountains embraced by the seaside. The structural design of the hotel is intriguing. Everything about the place gives one the impression of sailing in the ocean. They do have the sounds of the ship at sea, however, the waves and natural rhythm are all that is missing. It was fun to walk through various ri's (towns) in the area. So much to see and explore. Happy to report that Mr. T did approve time sheets and did respond to some work emails, but all in all he was able to keep it somewhat limited over the weekend. Our final day ended by absorbing the sunshine, relaxing in the sand, enjoying the breeze and the waves. Another great find for sure.

Had fun visiting Seoul this week for a day of brief shopping and pampering. I do miss the hustle and bustle of this exciting city. Country life is going to take some adjusting to. Based on history, just about the time I am adjusted another fascinating journey will begin. At the DHL beauty salon in Seoul Una created another amazing hair style after pampering me with a hot oil treatment. I have created a FB album called Una Stylist. Relating to spontaneity I am excited for her to do something different each time I visit. It was also great to enjoy my prepaid massage visit at Eco Spa. Oh my these are literally to die for ladies. My hair & body are now so very spoiled. Between working out beyond my expectations, massages and hair treatments I feel self-invigorated. I am beginning to believe this is a season (no matter how brief) in my life to embrace some personal moments just for me. For those whom know me best might be thinking 'this is so out of character' as I tend to always be the one placing all others needs before my own. My desire is to not feel guilty, but to embrace this time.

Funny Blerb#2: Decided to dress up in my black sun dress for the trip to Seoul. My working out is creating for me to loose inches (yippee) and I am happy to report my slips now attempt to slide off the hips. With this particular black dress it required for me to wear my black slip. I am thinking, oh well I can just pull it up as needed Well let me just say to my lady friends, "if it does not fit, do not attempt to wear it". I found myself in and out of subways, walking down sidewalks, and in and out of taxis. As you would guess I quickly discovered that this was a really bad decision. Here I am trying to juggle bags and pull up a silk slip which now has a mind of its own to disengage from my body. As we are catching the elevator upon our return from Seoul Mr. T begins laughing as' my slip has now revealed its silky shine as it is slipping far below the hem of my dress. I began laughing hysterically and now wonder at how many other people I brought to giggles through my silky slip revelation.

Today was the Korean Memorial Day. Mr. T's office had the day off, however, he chose to work so he missed out on the fun adventure of eating and picking cherries with me. Our realtor arranged this and joined me here in a local orchard. I had the pleasure of meeting the owner's and family from what they call the 'Star Farm'. It is a beautiful place of which once grew peaches. In Korean the owner proceeded to share that it is very rare for Koreans to have the opportunity to pick cherries due to the lack of orchards. This particular orchard allows 100 guests at a time with a 30 minute time limit for enjoying eating and picking. For 20,000KRW you are provided a container a bit smaller than quart size to fill and take with you. They offer only 13 visit openings per year, so I really am thankful and blessed that I was included to partake. I must say that I filled my container so full that the lid would not close, so my friend and I had to quickly eat cherries so that I could squeeze it shut. I had the honor to take photos with the owners. In the U.S. these are called Royal Anne cherries, here they call them Japanese cherries. This really brought back wonderful memories of picking fresh fruits in the orchards of Grand Junction as a child. Another amazing day here in the countryside.

I so feel like a kid at heart that desires to embrace more of all that I come in contact with. It truly is about being spontaneous and enjoying our journey along the way.

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