Currently, I am watching the NBA Finals with my brother and my dad and we got to pondering, "Is this real life? Or are we dreaming?"
My life lately has been just that, a constant "Am I dreaming?" and wondering if I will wake up from it all: a season of learning and growth, a season of new relationships, a season of discovery, inspiration and creativity. Sometimes I have to fight the urge to think, "This is too good to be true" so that I can stay in the moment and embrace it.
I am looking forward to this weekend: quality time with family, good eats and a baseball game. What about you?
Wishing you a happy weekend! The name of the game for this week's Friday Favorites: tabletops.
After hearing a powerful message on embracing your season, it got me thinking about seasons in my life and got me wondering, "What season am I in now?" Whatever season it may be, I want to embrace it. Right here, right now.
Immediately following the message was a spontaneous "Carpe Diem" type of evening. Talk about prompt application of the message. Previously I had shared that I don't get along with this so-called Spontaneity but that evening got me better acquainted with said Spontaneity and I got to thinking, "Hey! I think I like you, Spontaneity!"
Dinner was 찜닭 (jjim dak), a medley of chicken, vegetables and glass noodles in a delicious sauce. As if that wasn't enough to fill us up, we walked over to get 팥빙수 (patbingsoo), Korean shaved ice with red bean. I had one of the strawberry kinds, accompanied by belly laughs and other antics. Y & I even got to share some funny stories from our dating season and we all had a good chuckle.
Beautiful K with our strawbery bingsoo
Just when I thought our evening was wrapping up... on our way home, we decided on an impromptu hike up Namsan. We stopped by our place for a speedy change of outfit and shoes and snuck in a quick Nat Geo (short for National Geographic) watching session with honeydew in between.
Namsan provided a change of pace, a change in scenery: fresh air and steep hills. We discovered a beetle on the way up, a lost iPhone on the way down, snapped photos at the "Geographical center of Seoul", pretended to be in "The Sound of Music" singing "I am sixteen, going on seventeen" at the gazebo and even got in a workout. K kept saying out loud, "I love my life!" and I couldn't help but think she took the words right out of my brain and my heart.
As we were about to part ways, I was talking about how hungry I was (I guess I had worked up quite an appetite after our very late-night hike up the mountain). Mid-parting-ways, we decided to reconvene and head to a convenience store with outdoor seating (Bravo, Korean convenience stores) and we indulged in a very-very-late-night feast. We were spontaneous to the very end.
Time seems to be flying by these days. I can't believe it is almost June and June means we're halfway through 2015!
This past week was amazing in every way. Y and I got to go to a retreat that felt like a conference and I found myself trying desperately to soak in every word. Every morsel of wisdom. My hand was writing vigorously to take down notes so that I could refer back to them and soak in them again.
This week was also special because my brother is here! Family reunions are always the best and all-the-more meaningful because it has been 5 years since all of us have been in Korea together. I'm looking forward to lots of good eats, laughs (it's always a good laugh with the brother) and adventures the upcoming weeks!
Happy Friday y'all!
Washi tape: comes in a variety of colors and patterns.
Thankful for @madebysonia for this and for calligraphy supplies set via the brother
A snippet from our wonderful anniversary. My forever date.
A snap from the retreat. One of the best parts of the retreat- indulging in these goodies with my girls, laughing until our stomachs hurt.
Nostalgia is a funny thing. How it suddenly startles you with a visit at the least expected times. How it brings with it memories you had long since pushed into places in your mind you had forgotten were there.
Several weeks ago, a friend took me to the Sadang area of Seoul and we explored a museum. The Seoul Museum of Art to be specific. As I walked around the museum, strolling from exhibit to exhibit, exhibits about recreating history and "When Collecting becomes Creating", I was brought back to my childhood growing up on-campus at Drew University. The building, creaky floors and stairways, light fixtures, hallways and all, reminded me of some of the buildings on Drew University's campus. I remembered how I used to walk around campus where my dad was studying and visiting the various school buildings. Even the smell of the museum brought me back to my early elementary years.
I loved the homey feel of the museum. I must admit that sometimes, I am overwhelmed at museums with stimulus-overload. Too many things to look at, too many things to listen to, too many places to go. But this museum felt like I was walking through the rooms of a home and I felt welcomed to explore at my own leisurely pace.
Afterwards, my friend J and I went to a cafe she visits often. We ordered iced hot chocolates (they were delicious) and we talked about this and that. She asked me to participate in an art project she is working on and I must admit, the perfectionist in me almost got the worst of me. More often than not, when I begin projects, I have visions in my mind of what I would like them to turn out like. But out of fear of not being able to execute them to my satisfaction, I quickly fold and throw my hands up saying, "Oh, I can't!" even before I start. But J put me on the spot and I decided to at least try. I repeated my mantra, "Progress, not perfection" and interestingly enough, progress was exactly what I focused on.
Thanks for allowing me to reflect on progress, not perfection, J. And more museum dates to come?
On May 21, 2011 the sun came out from hiding behind the shadows of heavy clouds and rain for a week. The sun came out announcing its return and peered through the curtains and blinds to wake me up early that morning. I checked my phone to see text messages from loving friends informing me about the forecast and I thanked God for blessing us with the weather. Today, too, though we find ourselves on the opposite side of the world from where it all began, I am thankful for the beautiful day to remind me of this day four years ago.
With each passing year, this occasion becomes something to truly celebrate (third anniversary post). Because let me be real for a second: marriage is no walk in the park. It's not always "rainbows and sunshines". But that's precisely why it's so worthy of celebration! We bask in sunshine because there is rain.
They say, "It's not about the destination but the journey" and marriage is exactly that, a journey, an adventure. And Y, I would not want to be on this journey with anyone other than you.
