56 days!

.... until Christmas! Some of you know us well and know the significance of our trip to Croatia over the holidays this year. We are both looking forward to the chance to take a step back and be rejuvenated in one another's presence. It has been a trying year but one full of blessings. Thank you to those of you who have stood by our sides. Thank you for encouraging us. For the random phone call or package here and there. We appreciate it more than we can ever express in words!

Here is a picture of Dubrovnik.

Did I mention it's only 56 days away?!

flood day 3

Downtown is buzzing with people trying to get a glimpse of it all, news crews reporting around the clock, photos being snapped, and people trying to be helpful if possible. Helicopters are circling from above, and generators are working overtime to pump water out.

One quarter of the annual rainfall for this area fell in just two days. May has quickly become a record breaking month. Nashville submitted paperwork today to request federal aid. Twenty-four hours after the rainfall stopped, the Cumberland finally crested last night and has started to recede...

The Country Music Hall of Fame is several streets in from the River...

An architecture firm that moved everything out in a hurry Monday... the building backs up to a lake now.

flood day two.

Normally there are not yachts and boats here, just the green roofed dock which would be about 60' lower, you can't even see it from the street view usually. Today, it's at street height.

These are four and five-story buildings. First Avenue, Second Avenue, and Broadway are all under water. The Hard Rock Cafe just completed a million dollar renovation, and it is under water; Big River Brewery is water logged, and several other businesses...

Sad day.

The Pinnacle Building, here on the right, has 20' of water in its basement parking garage.

The stench is half "fishy," half nasty rotting trash....

Downtown residents have no water. The water treatment facility for this area is submerged.... unfortunately, I am one of them...

"the flood of the century"

This is First Avenue, which is submerged now.....

This was at 3pm. Now it's up past the top 50' mark....

River Front Park. Where did it go?

View around 6pm from my flat...

Yesterday morning, a clap of thunder woke me up at 6am and it has been raining like crazy ever since. 36,000 people in Nashville have been out of power, they are encouraging water conservation since several of the water purification plants are down, several roads and bridges have collapsed, and multiple houses and businesses are under feet upon feet of water. The shelters are over capacity.

So far there has been about 2' of rainfall and it should continue through the night. We live on the 10th floor of an old building on a hill downtown, so we aren't in jeopardy of floating away. I did check on my car, which lives in an underground garage.... and it was still there. The Cumberland River is supposed to peak by midnight, but has already began spilling onto First and Broadway. There is a measurement pole that shows the level of the river over 50' now, even though the experts predicted 48' to be the maximum.

The National Guard is here, the military is flying around with helicopters rescuing residents from flooded homes, and the Mayor has asked for federal disaster relief.

I signed up to be a Red Cross volunteer, but am not sure I would be able to get anywhere to help. My cousin said chunks of asphalt are floating on the road, I mean, it is just unreal.

vanderbilt

I am excited to be enrolled at Vanderbilt for graduate school. I'll complete an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management in 2012. It is a full-time, two-year program in the heart of Nashville. Looking forward to jumping in to the academic world again, meeting people from different fields, and expanding my understanding of the world. Soon enough I'll be swamped with assignments. I have this idea that grad school may be ridiculously challenging, especially at first, but I am thrilled to have this opportunity, what a valuable learning experience.

nashvegas

So here I am, writing from my new urban flat in the heart of downtown Nashville. I feel that I often find myself in locations I never would have guessed. Like Nashville. It's been so fun to explore the city and see what adventures one can have here.

Prior to moving here, we heard numerous comments about how much we would LOVE our new home. I was somewhat skeptical. But as we have discovered areas around our new home, I'm happy to report that the comments are all true. It really is a great place with all sorts of things to do. Just eight months ago, in Korea, I remember talking with Matt about how much fun it would be to go to a show. Live music. We did find one great venue in Seoul that we went to a few times called Once in a Blue Moon. It was a swanky jazz club that drew our attention around the holidays because it was festive and just great entertainment. And now we happen to live in the live music capital of the world. I'm not exactly a country music fan, but there are a million other genres that are well-represented here.

We've noticed the quality of music everywhere here is top shelf. Even karaoke houses, for example, don't just let anyone sing. You have to try out! That's the kind of competition you're up against here - at a Karaoke bar, no less! Since every aspiring singer/songwriter spends at least some portion of their life here, the caliber of creativity and musicality is phenomenal. Even at churches that we've visited, the music isn't just a dude and a guitar, it's professional. Music to my ears. (Not to knock dudes with guitars... I mean, I can't play the guitar!)

One other interesting thing we have noticed is how every waiter, gas station attendant, grocery store cashier... are all highly qualified individuals. This probably means we've already met the next Jimi Hendrix. Speaking of musical talent... we found a guitar next to the trash chute in our building. Although the strings are missing, it's in mint condition and makes a nice addition our place. I may get it restrung or google how to do so, and take up the guitar. I'll let you know how it goes!

grad school

As many of you may know, I am applying to business school... an MBA would be a phenomenal compliment to my architecture and design background. Whatever God has for this next season of life, this application process has been helpful and provided insights as to where I am and where I want to be. I have several essays to write, in which I have to articulate my career goals and express in depth what I've learned and how I've grown through my experiences. Growth isn't always easy when you're in the middle, but looking back is incredible. If we could only remember this when life is rough huh?!

fabulous guests

My parents came down to see us for a couple weeks in October - so fun to have them out! It's amazing how spending time with my parents is a huge "aha" moment. I haven't seen them a ton during the past couple years, so when we do have time together I am reminded where my enthusiasm comes from, or why i think having appetizers every every night is normal. Like someone once quoted, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." So true. It truly was a delight to show them around and enjoy their company. We took them to Matt's graduation and grad ball, drove to the beautiful white sand beaches of Destin, had our fill of southern food, and spent some time in Atlanta, catching up with family friends. Thanks for coming, Mom and Dad!

alabama

We are settled into our place in home sweet Alabama and woa the culture shock is thick. Going from Seoul, South Korea (population 40 million, buzzing of mayhem 24/7) to Enterprise, Alabama (population 5,000 in the deep south).... has inevitably been a bit of a change. Although we are back in our native country, it has been an interesting transition. One thing that has been great is that we speak the native language here; can't even tell you how much simpler life is when you speak the language fluently.

Another thing we have noticed being in such a prosperous country.... "keeping up with the Jones." We miss the international lifestyle that was so temporary and involved nothing related to accumulating material things. But in the United States, the rat race is nuts. We had never noticed it before since it is so pervasive and normal here. Not that Korea isn't materialistic, quite the contrary, but not being a part of their culture, the things that lure them didn't lure us. The hot music there, the cool cars there, the things that they spent so much money on to keep up with their own culture were not temptations for us, because generally they aren't things that we could bring home with us, nor things that interested us.

We hope to embrace the international lifestyle again someday, but for now it's great to be home. My only complaint is that I am again small! I can't even reach the top shelves in my kitchen here! (That was never a problem in Korea!)

norway, the prettiest place on earth.

At the top of a rugged mountain pass in late April.  Because we were so far north, treeline was only at 3,000 feet.  You feel like you're on top of the world.

Stavengar, a posh little sea town on the western coast.  

The fjords.  Amazing.

Bergen. 

Oslo.

sweden

Stockholm was gorgeous.  We would love to live there for a season.  Design is vibrant and progressive.  The place just oozes of class and fashion.  And it's true, most of the Swedes are tall and beautiful blondes.  We stopped by an interior design exhibit and saw some really rad and unique ideas.  It was the most relaxed trade show I've ever been to, a reflexion of the laid back Swedish calm.  

 These teenagers were singing for their music class.  Phenomenal.  

Brand spankin' new....... just a wee step up from our $300 ride in Korea.

Gamla Stan, the Medieval island where Stockholm began.  It was doomed to be abandoned in the mid-twentieth century,  but some of the city planners and prominent local designers pushed to clean up what was then a filthy slum.  Today it's one of the coolest old world Medieval cities, full of quaint boutiques and cafes.  We visited during the week, and in this "Silicon Valley" of Europe, people were busy but it was refreshingly uncrowded.   

ta ta korea

we're on the final sprint of our two years in seoul.  we can't believe it's coming to a close.  it's been a good experience...... full of both challenges and blessings.  we've had such great friends here, they've made this season in seoul a hundred times better.  whether drinking coffee or playing paintball, seeing the cirque du soleil performance or running a 10k, traveling together or going to a sauna house, they've been our family here.  thank you to everyone who's been on this adventure with us!  we'll miss you.  

yip yip yip

see that chubby black one in the back looking the wrong direction?  that's the one.  

not for us.... my parents are the ones taking the plunge!

( i might try to steal him.)

spring! finally!!!

not for sale

One book we recently stumbled on - and highly recommend- is 

Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade-- and how We Can Fight it. 

David Batstone is a professor in the Bay area and gives lots of insights into the heart breaking realities of the global slave trade.  He explains through stories and statistics how it develops, is fed, and how we can help.   

He illustrated examples of other ordinary people who each followed a higher purpose, to help take a stand against the evil.  It's heart breaking for us.... how much more must it be for God, who can see all of it unfolding.  We are excited to be available to help this cause and be a voice for the voiceless.   

our $300 car

ridiculous, huh?!