January in Korea = COLD.

Every time I have heard someone describe the winters in Korea they would always say that I have to experience it to know what they mean by "bone chilling cold". It is the type of cold that will creep into any layer of clothing and attach itself to your body no matter how hard you try to keep it out! Which is why today I am sitting happily inside our warm apartment typing this blog :)

Over this past weekend I have learned that water which is spraying from a faucet in the laundry room in every direction can in fact freeze in less than an hour. I spent all yesterday listening to icicles falling from the ceiling in our defrosting laundry room because somehow our Korean rigged washing machine hose decided to break loose. It was such a lovely thing to wake up to, especially because we just thought the noise was our neighbors taking a loud shower. :X

Luckily we had a friend of Zak's over this weekend who is Korean and he helped us accomplish all the things we have had trouble doing due to the language barrier. We managed to fix our washer in the right way this time, so hopefully we wont have any more water explosions. Joe (aka Zak's friend) also helped Zak get his Korean Immigration card which allows us to buy things online, since most Korean websites request a foreign ID number to purchase items like movie tickets, train tickets, pizza, etc. Joe also informed us of the great "bundle" deals Korea has for internet/cable/phone but we needed a Korean bank account to take advantage of the deal since they need direct deposit, so we signed up with the bank right downstairs in our building (how convenient!) So now we have digital cable with movie packages, high speed internet, and an internet phone all for a whopping 45,000KRW (about $40) woo hoo! 

Here is a photo of Joe, Zak and Pip when we were out looking for parts to hook up the washing machine:

Last night a bunch of friends and Zak's co-workers headed up to Seoul to enjoy some great Mexican food at On the Border. It was definitely worth the trip and the margaritas were aweeeeesome!

Here is one of me all bundled up in the negative degree weather outside of Seoul Station:

And the night ended with a yummy Soju Bowl:

So all is great in Korea-land, we are enjoying the fact that we don't have to move anytime soon.. considering we have moved every 6 months for the past 3 years. But I am definitely ready for it to warm up around here!!!

I will leave you with some awesome cell phone pictures that I uploaded that have been taken at various moments in the past 6 months:

Trying on some native wear at the Korean/American Friendship Festival

Some more shots of the Korean/American Friendship Festival

Crazy Crepes! I think this had tiramisu and ice cream in it

I was taking advantage of Zak while he was still recovering from his surgeries he he

This was some sort of Korean American Idol contest at the I'Park Mall in Seoul

Thanks for reading!!! xxx

Ringing in 2011!!

It is already the new year here in South Korea, and as I sit here watching the Times Square NYE bash I figured I would share some photos from our New Years Eve!! This year Zak and I decided to make a hat and jacket with EL (electroluminescent) wire and go out with our friends to celebrate! This wire is similar to the wire used in the outfits of the new movie "Tron". Its pretty neat, and lasts quite a long time. We got a lot of "DUDE YOUR JACKET IS AWESOME!!!!1111" and "ITS TRON" by people who were enjoying their NYE as well ;) The Korean women were the most interested in what we were wearing though and thought it was so neat!

Hold please- Times Square countdown...

And Happy New Year to the East Coast!

Ok on to the pictures:

Myself and some friends.. doing what everyone does best here in Korea-land... drinking!

Zak's NYE Jacket! It flashed between blue and red!

And a NYE Kiss!!! <3

******** HAPPY 2011 TO EVERYONE ACROSS THE WORLD! *********

Happy Holidays from the Moreland's!

So this past week Zak and I decided to embark on a mission... it was tough.. ups and downs.. cracks and crashes, hot moments, sticky moments.. you name it we went through it.

The mission sounded easy, but let me tell you.. making a ginger bread house from scratch is far from it. LOL

So here it is,

MISSION: GINGER BREAD HOUSE

There you have it, the 2010 Moreland Gingerbread house!!

And a picture of our festive living room...

Happy Holidays!! Thanks for reading xxx

Birthday Shenanigans!

So another birthday has passed for myself, now that I am 22 (or the deuce deuce as Zak calls it) and have successfully had a hang over on most weekends while 21.. it has dawned on me that well... I am 22 now. What do 22 year olds do? Must I sophisticate my wine palette? No more tequila shots?!

This is the first birthday that I have had that didn't include a countdown.. it just kind of came and went. Does this mean that I am getting *gasp* OLD? But no matter how old I get I can count on one thing, and that is being able to spend it with my husband.. whether he is in the same country as me or not, he always makes my birthday's memorable.

On my birthday weekend this year we decided to use some of our million billion gazillion Hilton points and book a room at the Millennium Hilton in Seoul. When we got to the Hilton I was so amazed with all of their beautiful holiday arrangements! This hotel was 5 stars in my book. After checking in and heading up to our room, we put the Dom Perignon on some ice and made our way to the executive lounge where we were greeted with appetizers and drinks, free of charge! (It pays to be a Diamond member!!!)

 Me in our hotel room! :)

After many lovely drinks in the lounge and hours of gazing out the window looking at beautiful Seoul Tower, it was time for dinner! The Millenium Hilton had about 5 restaurants, this place was more like a resort. We chose a wonderful French restaurant to eat at, where I had a serving of Monkfish, and Zak had Korea's version of Kobe Beef. We snapped a photo by the beautiful tree after dinner:

After dinner we went back to pop open our bottle of champagne!! I (understandably) after already enjoying happy hour and wine with dinner.. hit the pillow after only a glass! Here are some pictures:

(The only picture I got of Zak, and of coarse he is always goofin off! lol)

So onto the next day, my actual birthday. We set out to find the duty free shop hoping to get some items tax free since we are foreigners.. but apparently you have to have a plane ticket back home to actually receive the items because they are shipped to your gate before you board the plane. Hmph. So feeling a bit let down after that discovery we walked to the main level of this huge mall, only to find the exact store we tried to buy from up stairs right next to us! YAY! Only this time we had to pay taxes and the prices were jacked up from the products being imported.. but all is well because I am now the proud owner of a new set of black onyx earrings and toggle bracelet from Tiffany & Co. I told you my husband is the best didn't I?!

We walked around Apgujeong did a little more shopping, then went out to eat at TGI Friday's. Disappointedly there were no potato skins or fried green beans on the menu. :( The TGI Friday's in the states is definitely much better than what is offered in Korea. We did pass by an "On the Border" Mexican restaurant that landed in Korea, so we will have to try that one out soon and see if it is comparable to the one in the states. 

Zak at TGI Friday's

So there you have it, my birthday in a nutshell. I had an awesome time, and am really thankful for being able to spend it with Zak. I am one lucky girl to have such a loving husband.

Thanks for reading!

PS> Here is a picture of Zak getting kicked in the face by Kung Fu Panda!

Holiday season in South Korea!

Its that time of year again and I am more excited than usual about it this year!!! Just being able to be together, have a nice home, and live in such an awesome country. This has definitely been a great year for us.. excluding Zak's time in the hospital..!

Thanksgiving was spent with friends, and although North Korea tried to ruin it, our plans worked out and we had a great time. I have been wanting to put up the tree since..um.. the beginning of November but Zak made me hold off until after Thanksgiving and im glad he did. Often times people forget about Thanksgiving and move right into Christmas. So the day after Thanksgiving our tree went up!!! :) We haven't had it up in two years and every time I look at it I get such a warm feeling inside.

So lets rewind a bit to the weekend before Thanksgiving. We met up with our friends in Seoul and shopped till we dropped! Myeongdong is a whole shopping district with everything from shoe stores, clothing stores (even stores like H&M, Forever 21, and Zara!) By far my favorite part was discovering that they had a Lush store. I have never been happier to set my eyes on bath bombs and body wash! :) By about 4pm Myeongdong gets VERY crowded, when exiting a store you are in heel to toe walking.. its like black friday madness every day of the week!!

Here are some pictures we captured along the way!

Zak decided to try on some native wear...

(By far the funniest picture of Zak that I have!! Every time I look at it, it makes me laugh!)

And then came the arcade.. Korean arcades are far better than American! 

And of coarse.. Zak has to beat my high score ;)

The mall has a beautiful Christmas display outside, Koreans LOVE the holidays just as much as I do!!!!! 

So in all we have had a great week, still pretty busy learning the Korean language.. distinguishing between the "proper" way and the "known" way to speak. 

On another note.. our dog Pip is still a a crazy nut. She was spayed about a month ago and is slowly coming out of her "mothering" stage. We have put away most of her toys for now because she just protects them to much and I can tell she is unhappy feeling like she has to watch over them. I don't know where she found my cat ear headband from Halloween.. but she did.. and its fuzzy.. so naturally she thought it was her baby..

I hope you have a great week! We are spending next weekend at the Hilton Millennium in Seoul for my birthday, I am so looking forward to it and will take plenty of picture to share! 

Thanks for reading xxx

Finding the Beach in Korea!

I have been missing the water lately, and living on a peninsula I knew the beach couldn't be that far away! Zak and I found a strip of national beaches about an hour or so away, and with Pip in tow we headed out. The drive was not bad on the way there, but it is easy to want to drive fast on Korean highways and they have strategically placed speed detectors along the roads. So without a handy GPS that locates all the radars for us, we continuously speed up and slow down when I yell "CHECK YO' SPEED!" You see, in Korea no one really follows traffic laws, they are just a guide.. so if you drive slow you will get rear ended or get stuck behind the man driving a plow while everyone else is overtaking you... needless to say the purchase of a GPS is in our near future. :)

Upon arriving to where our directions landed us, we quickly deduced that we were in some sort of a fisherman's wharf/ boat dock.. not the beach! But we did walk out on the sea wall and get a beautiful view!

(Click to enlarge panoramic)

After leaving the first stop we drove a bit further north and the road ended at the beautiful Cheongpodae Beach. It was so cold out by the sea, I think in the low 40s with a nice wind chill! Pip was very confused as to what she was stepping on and decided to lick the sand to get a closer investigation... hmm not so tasty?? Here are some pictures from the beach!

I will definitely be visiting this beach again once the weather warms up!!! On our way home we thought all was swell, until we hit the dreaded traffic. Our 1 1/2 hour drive turned into 4 hours of stop and go! It was terrible, but we did get a few laughs when we saw vendors set up all along the route selling beer and food! 

Next week is Thanksgiving!!! YUMMMMO! Hope everyone enjoys their week!

PS. Want a custom coat like Pip's for your pup? Visit WarmWags , I highly recommend them for big dogs or small! 

Celebrating Zak's Birthday!

So this past Monday my wonderful husband turned 26! I am so thankful that he is healthy and we are enjoying our life, every time a birthday rolls around you can't help but think what you were doing this time last year. We were living in Pennsylvania in Keith and Julia's basement and Zak was getting ready to unexpectedly head to Afghanistan for the first time as a civilian. I remember thinking and wondering if we were ever going to make it out to Korea, and the thought of it just seemed surreal. And now, here we are in Korea! Most people I have met do not like it here in Korea, but Zak and I had a choice to come and we don't regret that choice at all. I grew up knowing that there was more to the world than the 48 contiguous states (and the other two.. as well) lol. I am so happy to share my love of traveling with someone who enjoys it just as much as I do. My grandma told me that when you look back on life you don't want to think "We should have done that" but rather "Maybe we shouldn't have done that!" ha ha. If anyone reading this blog ever has an opportunity to travel and experience a world outside of your own, I would definitely take that opportunity and enjoy it. Don't waste your time worrying about what if's, just do it!

Now on to Zak's Birthday... ! For a few weeks now Zak has been wanting to try making a quiche, and what better time to dirty up the kitchen than your birthday. We now call this, the birthday quiche:

It was filled with egg, cheese, potato, bacon and onions! YUM!

Later on in the evening I surprised Zak with an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins! I love the Korean Baskin Robbins so much more than the ones in the states. They get very creative with their flavors and cakes!

The Panda cake was too cool to pass up!

So in all I think Zak had a pretty delicious birthday! Now we are getting ready for the holiday's and the weather is definitely starting to cool down here on the peninsula! Thanks for reading! :)