First, let's set parameters. I had a brand new, pristine passport to take with me. At 56, I had never been out of the US, except for flying over Canada to get to and from Alaska a few times. I used to wonder, every time I went, what would happen if we had to emergency land in Canada and I had no passport...I'm probably the only person you know who thinks about such things. I realize now that if we had to emergency land in Canada, I probably would have been dead on impact and there wouldn't be a rush to put me in jail at that point.
So, with that cheery intro, let's go! There is no short route from SW Nebraska to Osan, South Korea. I started with a 4 1/2 hour drive to Denver and flew to Salt Lake City (where there was no new baby yet), then to San Francisco. From there, I took the 11 1/2 hour flight over the ocean to Tokyo. I was surprised to see that we went all the way up the coast, along Alaska and Siberia! Didn't sleep much...it was daylight all the way. Caught my last flight to Seoul, and finally, it was dark when Sariah picked me up at the airport and drove me another hour to her house.
The first thing I noticed, when I got outside, was that I could see the air. I had wondered why I had seen so many natives in Tokyo with surgical masks on. I was to learn that about half of the Koreans wear them, as well. Nasty.
After a decent night's sleep, our first activity was to go hiking. Sariah's condo is at the base of a mountain that sports a well-developed hiking trail. She hooked me up with a 30 pound twin, plus gear, and expected that after the trip with no sleep, I would be just fine trekking straight up the mountain! Thanks for the confidence in your old ma, Sai. I told her she had to take this photo of me with the first aid station on the mountain, just in case.
Sariah had volunteered to provide 10 vases of roses for the officer's wives luncheon. So, we needed to go to Seoul to the flower market. You want flowers, this is the place to shop.
We spent three hours there, if I remember properly, and didn't even begin to make it through the whole thing. What a fantasy land!
Ellie had fun travelling along with Grandma, checking out the beautiful buds.
Here is half of our finished product. We purchased 100 roses, plus filler. Each needed to be individually trimmed and arranged. Lots of work, but very fun.
Here is one of the vases Sariah purchased for me:
Another treat in Korea is the bakeries. This is a typical cake selection. We took home a panda, and, while I thought it very desireable, the kids didn't thnk it was sweet enough. Koreans seem to use lots less sugar than Americans, and exercise lots more. Perhaps thier crime is low because they feel good!
This is a little boy that Sariah sometimes watches. I just had to have a photo of them together to prove that she was living in Korea.
Korean put lots of pride in their new architecture. Right down to the sidewalks. There are running pads (don't know what else to call them) down the centers of the walks for the joggers. And, this is a sample of the decorative edgings. Quite impressive. Especially with the cute grandkids.
Here's the parting shot. Even with bulgogi, ballet lessons, basketball practice, yoga class, spinning class (I did share burial preference information with Sariah during this class, just in case), swimming, a Korean taxi ride and many other events, this is what is was all about...family. Thank you, Sariah and Adam, for giving me the means and the reason to take my first international trip.On to Utah. And, the blessing of the fifth grandchild, Kennedy.
Here she is in her blessing gown, held by her "GranDee." She is a beautiful little girl.
Looks just like her grandma, don't you think? She is a very fortunate baby girl, with parents who adore her and lots of loving family and friends...oh, and family dog.
OK, London and grandchild #6 is coming next, but I need to get the photos lined up, so hold your breath!
