Random Events In Our Lives

Pretty much every day of our lives here in Seoul is an adventure of some sort.  So, I often take one or two pictures of an event or adventure, but never get a chance to blog about them.  Here are some of those small adventures lumped into one blog post:

Art Exhibit~
I'm not a huge art person.  I like to visit an art gallery every once in a great while, but it is not something I would choose to do on a regular basis.  One day this summer, my friend asked me if I would like to go with her to the top of the 63 Building (the second tallest building in Seoul) and see a Mother of Pearl art exhibit.  Not one to pass up a new opportunity or a chance for some good fellowship I agreed to join her.

My friend and I in front of one of our favorite pieces.

I'm not a huge Mother of Pearl fan, but some it was really pretty and intricate.  We both picked out what we would decorate our house with.

Our view from the top, unfortunately it was a little bit smoggy that day so we couldn't see as much as we would have liked.

Wax Museum~
While we were walking around the 63 Building we saw that there was a wax museum there as well.  Actually, there are quite a few different things in the 63 Building-an aquarium, IMAX theater, a ton of restaurants, a small mall, a conference center and banquet halls.  The wax museum really caught our attention and we decided to invite another friend and make it a girls day out.

A wax cake

A Korean Emperor

It was a little gross looking at the very realistic eyeballs and teeth.

Some tourists ready to check out the museum.  They looked very real, even up close.

President Obama.  Some of the figures were really good, some not so good.  President Obama and Tiger Woods looked exactly the same except for their clothing.

This man looked very happy that my friend was sitting next to him.

Some of the scenes were pretty random.  This was the Last Supper.

Jesus

The man that created Chupa Chups Lollipops.  I guess this is what he looked like.  Chupa Chups are really popular over here.

Michael Jackson before he got freaky looking.  It was a pretty good representation of him.

Elvis...didn't really look very much like him at all.

We visited right around Halloween and they had a whole section that was a haunted house.  I really do not like haunted houses.  We got in there and I freaked (started screaming hysterically) out and we quickly left.

Ichiro Suzuki

Batman

Spider man.  The super heroes looked really realistic.

The Koreans really have a thing about dressing up bears and taking pictures of them.  There was an entire section of the museum that was nothing but pictures of dressed up bears and actual dressed up bears.  There were a ton of them.  I only took a few pictures.  Some of them were a bit freaky looking.  I don't get it.

Like I said, I just don't get the attraction.

Legally Blond movie poster with a bear

Wonder Bear

Harry Potter Teddy Bear

No wax museum would be complete without an Albert Einstein.

Taylor's Teacher~

Taylor's first grade teacher (from when we lived in Ft. Leonard Wood) came to Seoul for a visit recently.  Her mother was originally from Korea she wanted to visit some of her relatives.  We were able to meet up with her for a few hours one afternoon.  It was fun to get caught up.

Sleepovers~

 The girls, especially Taylor, are reaching an age where they like to have their friends over to play and sleep over.  One evening when Russ was gone on a trip we had her 2 best friends over for dinner, a lot of giggling and a fun sleep over. 

They dressed up and danced to Gangnam Style for a really long time.  I finally told them the song was driving me nuts and to turn it off.

Breakfast In Bed~

One day, for no reason at all while Russ was traveling, the girls surprised me with breakfast in bed.  I think God gives us small moments of encouragement when we need them most to help us get through the rough times.  This was a moment of encouragement for me.  It was a small act but it showed me that they loved me in a big way.

Christmas Morning~

We attend the chapel here on base as our church.  This is the first time in our military careers that we have ever attended the chapel.  They have many wonderful programs that we are able to participate in as a family.  On Christmas morning at 5:30 am they got a group of people together to distribute hot chocolate and donuts to the people on base that had to work on Christmas day.  Russ and I like to do things around Christmas that take the focus off ourselves and put it on those around us.  So we signed up to go.  Our friend Chino was staying with us on Christmas so he got roped into this small adventure as well.  It was FREEZING cold and snowy here on Christmas, but we took donuts to the gate guards and to all the hospital workers.  It was a very good adventure for all of us.

We took a few quick pictures with the Christmas decorations before we headed out.  The girls were not to thrilled to have to pose and smile at 5:30 am on Christmas morning but they were good sports.

The girls and Chino very tired and waiting to get going.

Chino and Russ mixing hot chocolate for the kids to take to the gate guards.

Lucy handing out her hot chocolate and donuts.

Our small group of volunteers.

Suit and Tie~

Russ always looks so handsome in a suit and tie.  With the job he is currently working in he is required to wear one once in a while when he travels.  He took a picture of himself and sent it to me from a recent trip he was on.   He is probably going to cringe when he reads this and sees that I included this picture, but his mom and sister will appreciate this one as well. 

Matchy-Matchy~
When a Korean couple first starts dating they will often match clothing, all the way down to their shoes.  Russ and I will often snicker at the young love and comment on their matchy-matchy outfits.  For Christmas I bought Russ a Korean Marine Corps t-shirt and I thought it was cool so I bought one for myself as well.  We decided on a day we were going to stay home (trust me, we did not go out in public like this) that we would both wear them.  Pretty corny, I know.

Popeye's Chicken~

 Popeye's Chicken is really popular over here in Korea.  I'm not a big fan of it in America and I'm not a big fan of it in Korea, therefore up until a few weeks ago I had not eaten there during our time in Korea so far.  One afternoon, while Uncle Joe was visiting us, we were up in northern Seoul in an area that does not see many foreigners.  We were looking for a good place to eat to allow Uncle Joe to experience some of the awesome Korean food we love so much.  We had passed a Popeye's on our search, but were not interested...until we came upon this outside of a restaurant:

Yes, it is real and yes, at least parts of it will be eaten.

  After seeing that, Popeye's didn't sound too bad at all so we turned around and this was what we ate for lunch that day:

Not the authentic meal we had hoped for, but after seeing "the head" Uncle Joe was on board for some chicken and fries.

Standing Coffee~
As you have seen from my previous posts, coffee shops are huge in Korea.  I once read somewhere that there are over 10,000 in Seoul alone.  So finding one that sticks out as a good one is a pretty rare thing.  Standing Coffee is a pretty rare thing.  Their coffee is the best around and the best part is they are located right next to base.  The men that make it are all in dress shirts and ties and they have the coffee making process down to an exact science.  This little coffee stand is famous all over Seoul and there is pretty much always a long line.  There are just 2 very beat up little chairs, hence the name Standing Coffee.  One of their specialties is a lemonade that they freshly squeeze and add a sweetener that turns the whole drink a greenish blue.  It is the most delicious lemonade I have ever drank.  Russ and I love get get a coffee or lemonade at Standing Coffee.

My friends and I went down for a drink one day after we had lunch out together.

 Blue Lemonade

That is all I will do for now.  I have more small adventures I will blog about like this again soon.  Like I said, pretty much every day is an adventure of some sort in the Pound Family.