The Great Facial Hair Experiment

One thing I have always enjoyed about Danny is that he's got a little scruff on his face.  By design, I guess, I have always been someone who likes facial hair and luckily, Danny can have some pretty awesome facial hair!  Most Koreans can't really grow a beard or really any sort of facial "fashion" so often the kids are fascinated by Danny's beard.  The kids will occasionally hold up class for a while because each student wants to have their turn in touching his beard.  Since kids aren't used to facial hair, Danny and I decided to conduct an experiment to see what kids would think of not only Danny with a beard, but Danny with different kinds of facial hair each day!  Thus started the GREAT FACIAL HAIR EXPERIMENT (said with a booming voice and some sort of echo effect)!

Day One:  The Full Beard...

Kids didn't seem to mind all that facial hair so much, and it didn't hurt that some students were in love with him after the first 10 seconds.  Danny has that effect on 5th graders, I guess ; )  We were actually surprised though because often students will say, "Danny teacher, oh dirty face! Shave! Ewww!"  and that is basically a direct quote.

Day Two:  The Goatee...

I guess this one was not such a hit with some of the kids : )

Day Three:  The Moustache or as I like to call it "The Three Musketeer"...

I can't take anything he says seriously when he has a moustache, but I guess he can't really go wrong with these kids.  It's actually almost a daily occurrence for Danny to be called handsome by somebody so I think he will go through withdrawal when we go back to the States because no one is commenting on how good looking he is. (No one besides me of course ; )

Day Four:  The Usual... 

The last day Danny went back to "normal" and the kids seemed to still all favor the beard or goatee in the end.  Maybe it's because they were jealous of Danny's "fur" as they like to call it, or maybe they just don't know what to think about that little patch under his lips, but in the end Danny and I were both very surprised by the results of our experiment.  The U.S. has different terms for Danny's usual facial hair: the flavor saver, the soul patch, or a mouche (apparently), but we are pretty sure that there really isn't any term in Korean for this stylish facial hair choice.  I think actually it confuses people more then anything, but we like to keep the Koreans on their toes ; ) 

Now don't worry, you too can become a scientist like us by doing your own experiment, I just hope that you are a boy if you are going to explore the wonderful world of facial hair : ) And if anyone is reading this and wants to publish our findings in some sort of scientific journal, call my people and we'll make some sort of (profitable) arrangement.  Good times in Korea!

Colorado is Beautiful...as ALWAYS!

As you may know, Danny and I recently spent time at home in Colorado and we are happy to report that Colorado is still just as beautiful as it always was!  Danny and I hadn't been home for 1 and a 1/2 years so we wondered if the best state in the US (I'm not bias or anything) had changed as well since so much has changed in the people in our lives.  I already shared the amazing foods that we got to have while at home, but I want to share the other highlights of our trip.  Here's a Top 10 list (in no particular order) of the highlights of Colorado...



10. Seeing our family!  Being able to hug and talk to our family face to face instead of over Skype was priceless.  We have missed them so much and can't wait till we live within miles from them and not over 6,000 miles.



The Doerksen Family (minus a few)



The Wilson Family (minus one)



9.  Driving a car!  Danny and I only use public transportation in Korea, and although it is great, being able to just hop in a car and drive to your destination quickly was amazing.  We were worried that we had forgotten what it was like to drive, but after only one scare of Danny merging quite akwardly, it was like riding a bike.  Thanks, Grandpa Wilson, for the use of your Pilot... it's hard to go back to buses, trains, taxis and bikes after such a great time in that car!

Driving was a little nerve-racking at times :)

Danny also got to do a motorcycle ride with the Doerksen boys, which I know was one of his driving, or riding, highlights.  I'm sure they got in trouble, knowing those guys, but riding all through the Rocky Mountains, I'm sure, was pretty spectacular.

8.  Going to the Wilson Ranch!

Danny always makes fun of me when I talk about the Ranch because he says I talk it up so much that he feels like there should be unicorns running around and everything should be made of candy : )  There are no unicorns, but I do think it is my favorite place to be in all the world.  The Wilson Ranch sits on a cattle ranch in Gypsum, Colorado and I think it is just gorgeous.  You can just rest, relax, play outside, and watch the unicorns roam... haha, just kidding, they do have horses though!

7.  Spending time with three new babies!  Three babies were born while we've been in Korea so it was amazing to meet them for the first time.  Our neice, Lily, has the cutest smile and a rockin' mullet for a one year old.

Then there is our nephew Clark Kent who is one of the cutest kids who ever lived if I do say so myself.  And last there is our godson, Jude, who is the smiliest baby I have ever been around.  Since we aren't having kids anytime soon, it's nice to get my baby fix from all the cute little-ones running around.

6.  Going to a Colorado Rockies game!  There's nothing that says America like baseball and hotdogs and we got to enjoy both.  On September 11th we got to sit 6 rows from the field and soak up some sun while the Rockies won 4-1.  I even got on the jumbotron dancing, so I considered it a pretty awesome day!


5.  Seeing great friends!  I don't know what I was thinking because we didn't get pictures of all our friends, and we didn't even get to see all the people we wanted but seeing some friends was amazing.  Korea can feel a little lonely at times, but we had no feeling of that while we chillin' in Breckenridge or laughing hysterically or playin' cornhole!  Thanks friends for all the good times... we needed it!

 I was especially excited to see our friends, Daniel and Sarah, before they had their twin boys about two weeks later... congrats to the Byrds!

4.  Seeing some beautiful Colorado scenery!  I am really not joking when I say Colorado is the best state in the US and it's partially because of Garden of the Gods.  Colorado summers are next to heaven and being able to enjoy the outdoors without sweating like a crazy person is soooo nice.  I mean really, could it get any better than Colorado?

3.  Feeling the comfort of home!  Danny and I have both said that there is just something about America that has a sort of "comfort level" that we can't get in Korea.  Maybe it's being able to understand the language?  Maybe it's being able to see and sit on grass?  or Maybe its just because it's where we are supposed to be?  No matter what it is, I guess that's why we call it home : )

2.  Seeing the Stars and Stripes!  Call me patriotic, but live outside the US for a couple years and lets see if you appreciate Mrka even more.  It's just an awesome country, and so every time I saw a flag I just had to say, "God bless AMERICA!"

That's freedom, baby!

1.  Spending time with my travel buddy.  Oh yeah.

Our time in Colorado was just the pick-me-up we needed, and as usual I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else.  We really loved every minute of the trip, but because of how jam packed it all was, I think we may now need a vacation from our vacation.  Well, thanks Colorado for an amazing trip and see you in 5 months!

Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon, CO

We are a bit obsessed...

 As many of you know, Danny and I got to go to Colorado for a little over 2 weeks and it was AWESOME! We saw lots of friends and family and it truly was just what we needed!  I will get to all the amazing adventures we had next time, but for now I want to talk about something that we spent a lot of time doing in Colorado...EATING!  The food was the third thing on our list that we were looking forward to enjoying (after 1.Family, 2. Friends), and boy did we enjoy it! Can you guess how much weight we gained?  Let's see if you can guess the right amount after you see all the things we ate.

I first have to refresh you on what we usually eat.  Although I LOVE Korean food, I was smiling so big in this picture because I knew that I didn't have to eat rice for 2 weeks!  The whole way on the plane I was dreaming about pizza and hamburgers and hummus and all the amazing things I knew I was going to eat, and BOY did we EAT!

The start to our eating adventure was Texas Roadhouse.  We thought long and hard about where we would go as soon as we landed, and Texas Roadhouse with their rolls, and side dishes, and BEEF seemed like the right choice.  This may sound crazy to you, but Danny and I even went as far as looking the menu up online and memorizing our order so we wouldn't have to waste any time...get us our FOOD! We got chili cheese fries, a baby onion blossom, ribs, pulled pork, steak, beer, baked beans, and a big stomach ache from eating so much, but oh it was soooo worth it! Mmmmmm...

  Next we had Mexican food... margaritas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and my personal favorite... chile rellenos.

Then came the sandwiches, OH THE SANDWICHES!  I think that this is something I miss the most and Jimmy John's was a great place to go to get our sandwich fix.  Italian Vito sandwich on a fresh roll...heaven.

On to the next meal, my friends... and where did we go, you might ask!?  The burrito "promise land": Chipotle.  I seriously think it might have illegal if we didn't go to this Colorado staple because it is such a huge part of our day dreams.  

Danny and his friend Robb just stood and looked at the sign in a moment of silence ; ) It was such a moving moment for us all.  Fresh steamed tortilla filled with whatever you want!? Yes please, and may I have 2?!  Most Koreans have never had Mexican food so a proper burrito is basically out of the question and don't even get me started on the salsa, or lack of, situation we've got going on here! I just need you to understand that those of you who have the privilege of getting Chipotle whenever you want, that is not something to be taken for granted... it is truly a blessing, cherish it. (Single tear.)... Anyways, after that rant, basically all I'm trying to say, is it WAS AWESOME!

One lovely evening I got to enjoy a gyro and that took me to a new place.  I think we miss the variety and all the choices of types of food you can enjoy in America the most, and being able to go to an actual Greek restaurant was truly a treat.

Then came the feast of ALL feasts... The 2011 Seafood Soiree.  We started a tradition with some friends of ours to get together and make a seafood feast and we actually got to do it this year.  Two rules of the Soiree...1. No kids allowed. and 2.  Make a ridiculous amount of seafood... that's it.

 We grilled tuna steaks and crab legs, made a seafood boil, baked stuff scallops, and had things that we never get like good bread, asparagus, pesto, and good corn!  That was truly a meal that I won't forget.

Another unique meal was thanks to my sister and brother-in-law.  We went to a place that does classic American fare and got to try something I had never had before...  deep fried Oreos.  Although I have heard of their existence, are something that I had never partaken in and thanks to Abby and Albert, I got to try them!  It didn't hurt that we also got to have awesome Philly steak sandwiches, onion rings, and tater tots to go along with the sweet ending so I definitely counted that as another successful meal.

I'm pretty sure you are thinking by now, "Seriously, there's more?!"  And to that, I would ask you, "Do you know us at all!?"  Of course there's more!

We had hot dogs and beer at a Colorado Rockies game...

We had our favorite pizza in the world, Borriello Brothers: canadian bacon and red onion...

We ate Old Chicago's Italian nachos...

We ate amazing biscuits and gravy thanks to our friends Matt and Johanna...

And last, probably one of my absolute favorites... Five Guys Burgers and Fries...

Like I've said before, beef in Korea is CRAZY expensive so we rarely eat beef, let alone amazing burgers.  However, when we walked up to the counter and I saw literally 20 different choices I had to put on my burger, I just about broke down crying.  Basically I've decided that if anyone ever needed to buy me off, give me a Five Guys burger (oh and maybe some cajun fries) and I will basically do anything for you : )

Well, after all of that, I think you all have realized that Danny and I LOVE food, and our wonderful trip to Colorado allowed us to eat a lot of our favorites.  The final total of weight gained due to all that food was...drum roll...

Danny ~ 12 pounds

Katy ~ 6 pounds

... in 2 weeks...yikes

God invented food to be enjoyed, and I fully intend to do my duty and eat and enjoy life as much as possible!  I just hope all of you who live in America and have amazing foods at your disposal don't forget how lucky you are and do the same!  God bless America and we already miss you all!  See you in 5 months!