My heart in Gwangju

My heart is full that my parents are a train ride away. A hop, skip and jump away in comparison to the 14-hour plane ride, 12-13 hour time difference, 6,000+ miles distance that were between us before. 

I cherish every moment, the mundane and the momentous. 

Here are moments from this past trip to Gwangju: 

Friday morning hike with mama

Noodles, I love you so.

marketplace

This trip was filled with walks with my mama, lush greenery, fresh air, new sites and food. We ended our visit with another dinner and a movie- samgaetang & Whiplash. 

Gwangju, we'll come back soon!

HBD, Tim!

I was once asked to recall my earliest memory. I believe mine is of when I was 3.5 years old.  I remember walking into the hospital with my dad to see my mom and meet my younger brother for the first time. To say the birth of my brother, Tim was a life-changing event is an understatement. 

Since then, he has been my arch nemesis, my sidekick, my buddy and first best friend, my personal assistant. I've dedicated an ode to my brother (read here) but today is his birthday so he deserves another shout out: 

Friday Favorites

Every evening this week was eventful. This week was one of those delicious weeks imbued with deep rest and inspiration peppered with spontaneous conversations full of the power of connection, hope for the future, synergistic vibes. 

This weekend, we have a day trip planned and a movie outing. Happy Friday! Cheers!

Unfiltered light + vanilla mint chai

A foggy day in Gwangju

Food for thought.

Beauty in the brambles

Calligraphy and life: "Progress, not perfection" 

D's 100 day celebration

Since moving here, I've got to thinking a lot about friendship- it's a wonderful thing, a gift, a treasure to be held and cherished. I've been thinking about my friendships, near and far. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" for those friends that are far away. (And I'm thankful for technology- social media, FaceTime, Kakao). And those nearby, I am thankful for their company, their presence, the day-to-day things, the buffet dinners, the conversations over coffee, the lounging and watching basketball games. 

Our lovely friends, S & I recently had a beautiful baby boy D. He can stare you down like a boss, his eyebrow game is strong, and he's full of smiles and giggles and rolls. Friends nearby got together to celebrate this precious life. 

In the usual "S. I. G. Y" fashion, we kicked off the celebration with a buffet - shabu shabu! 

After stuffing our faces with food (evidence clearly indicated from the photo above), we headed over to S & I's place for cake, ice cream and the Warriors game. A fabulous ending to a fabulous evening. 

I made party hats for the festivities and tortured Baby D and my friends with them. 

Dear D, 

Happy 100 days! You bring us all so much joy and you are so precious to us. And thank you for always being such a good sport so that Uncle Y and Aunt G can hang out with your mommy and daddy! We love you!

Leather and Florals

On a sunny Sunday, I decided to pull together an outfit incorporating my first dress of the year. It was peak cherry blossom season and I was feeling the florals. There was a crisp breeze in the air so I paired this black floral dress with a black leather jacket and black leather booties. To be quite honest, I'm a jeans and a t-shirt kinda gal, at heart. And this outfit was out of my usual realm but I attempted to channel an edgier, "rocker chick" look. 

I'm going to embrace these warm spring days because sooner or later, the heat of summer will quickly approach, followed by weeks of torrential rain during monsoon season. Yes, I will embrace the present.

Jacket: Zara, Dress: TJ Maxx, Booties: DSW, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Hat: Flea Market