As you all know I am behind on this blog.  Chuesok was actually 2 October. "Chuseok  is a major harvest festival and a three-day holiday in Korea celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Like many other harvest festivals, it is held around the Autumn Equinox. As a celebration of the good harvest, Koreans visit their ancestral hometowns and share a feast of Korean traditional food."  AKA, Korean Thanksgiving.  So, on Chuesok us and our American friends decided not to let the holiday pass without a feast, and since our Army (and other branches of the military that live here on Yongsan) have Chuseok off we had a big Chuesok celebration at 'blue park'!  Now granted it was not your 'traditional' Korean celebration, but we tried, we had songpyeong, yakimandu, bulgogi and a few other Korean dishes, but we also had chicken wings, bratwurst, burgers and more!   It was a great evening to celebrate with friends!
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Mike grilling up burgers, dogs and more!
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Some of the kids enjoying dinner!
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The evening is young!
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Me & my baby!
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My grilled chicken wings...recipe to come soon
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Don't ask.
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sweet Luke!
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Listening intensely, or at least pretending...
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The Airforce needs sippy cups! ;-)
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The kids decorated the playground...I have no idea who this Bob character is.
 
Street Food 10/09/2009
 
Thank you God for fall!  I never knew how much I loved fall, I mean come on, I grew up in Texas and God must think Texans don't deserve a fall or something, because even though they 'think' they have fall, they really don't.  I have never known fall like I know it here in Korea.  The first thing I notice about fall is  the cool crispness in the air that I love to wake up to,  soon after the  leaves changing colors and I’m not talking about the leaves going from green to brown.  I’m talking bright reds, yellows, and oranges!   I even enjoy it getting dark earlier. 

One of the things I will miss most about fall in Korea is Haddoek.  Oh Haddoek, I love you.  No, I haven't give Hubby away for a hot young thing named Haddoek,  Haddoek is street food that only comes out in fall and stays through winter, once spring hits and it starts to warm up Haddoek disappears again until the fall.  Haddoek is a Korean pancake made of flour, water sugar, yeast, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon. The batter is poured onto a hot, oiled griddle in rounds like this…
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Then she stuffs them with the cinnamon/brown sugar mixture and smashes them with that little thing.  (I need to get one of those 'little things')
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She cooks them until they are slightly brown, turns them over and cooks on the other side until slightly brown.
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Then she gives them to you in a little cardboard thing so you don't burn your fingers.  Even though I don't burn my fingers I always burn my tongue because I just cannot wait for it to cool before devouring every last drop then ordering another. They are like a sweet little dessert pancake with a cinnamon/brown sugar mixture that just oozes out of the center when you take a bite.  God how I love these things.  This day I ate 3. 
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I'm sure some you guys have noticed that I have not been posting new blogs each day like I once did.  Well, life gets crazy and I do my best to hold on just like the rest of you.  Some of you have called me 'superwoman', wich I appreciate, but want you to know, I am not anything of the sort. I fold the laundry (and lots of it I might add), clean the toilets, scrub the floors and cook dinner just like many of you out there reading my blog. Thanks for sticking with me through my days of not showing up here.   I'm going to TRY to be better & write at least once a day, although some days I may be be posting more (or less)  just to get caught up.  In the mean time....
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Fun Street 10/08/2009
 
In the last post I told you we happened upon 'fun street' well, here is a glimpse of 'fun street' for you.  Now mind you these sights are not uncommon here in Korea and this is just part of why I love it here so much. 

First off, it is not unusual to find motorcycles or cars parked or driving on the sidewalk.  This is a normal everyday part of life.
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I was afraid to ask what they do with these...I'm sure they are food.
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Rice cakes or fruit anyone?
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This was the first time I remember seeing fresh chicken since I have been here!  The woman in the picture is cutting up a chicken for her customer.  The buckets in the front are fresh chicken parts.
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How about some fish?
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Right next door to the fish you can find a nice pair of sweat pants for yourself.  When I saw these pants I thought they were taking about "Agent Orange", the Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War, but then I found out that back in the 80's there was a band named "Agent Orange", so I am not sure which one they are talking about here - most likely they are not sure which one they are talking about either.
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You can always find 'Konglish' wherever you go...
You say tomato, I say pomato?
I think the wires hanging down are a nice effect as well.
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That is haning meat you are looking at in the next picture.
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Kimchi, kimchi, it is good for you and me....
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Please step around the TV in the middle of the alley.
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What on God's green earth?  Do they really expect me to eat that?!
Tripe - Beef tripe is usually made from only the first three chambers of a cow's stomach.  I've tried it, but cannot get past what it is. YUCK, GAG, BARF. 
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How about some dried fish?  This lady was selling it out of her cart.
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Do you need shoe laces? This guy was dragging this bucket of shoe laces around selling them.
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Shoes are plentiful, but only if you have small feet!
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I'm not sure, but I think I love him.
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Oh my goodness, I almost forgot the woman selling tape. 
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This guy was working at a meat store.  Read his shirt.
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Now you might think I took these pictures over days or weeks, but no, this was all on one street, about 3 blocks long!
 
Dumpling Nazi 10/08/2009
 
The day Hubby and I went out to look for furniture we happened upon this really fun street.  While there, we noticed tons of people waiting in line, and very quietly I might add. It reminded us of the Sinfield episode with the 'Soup Nazi'.  You know the one.  First we passed this place up not knowing what they were selling, but Hubby mentioned he would like to get some of whatever it was just because of the line.  As we were leaving 'fun street' about an hour later there was still a very long line at this mysterious 'Soup Nazi' style place.  Hubby couldn't resist and even though he had no idea what he was getting in line for, he got  in line.
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the line...
Once we got a little closer we could see what it was....oh baby, fresh and steaming hot...
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DUMPLINGS!!!!!
I've had a few fresh steamed dumplings on the streets here, but none of them compared to these bad boys.  So, if you are ever out and about & you see this store.....
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RUN, don't walk to get your smokin' fresh dumplings!  We got both the spicy beef and the non spicy, both were equally delicious!  OH, and I forgot to mention, cheap!
 
I found this.... 09/25/2009
 
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...IN MY HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMGoodness...you can just imagine the comedy of errors that happened after I caught a glimpse of him in the mirror while I was locked in my *tiny* bathroom.

Right after I took this picture I stomped on him!
 
Bunco 09/23/2009
 
I haven't played BUNCO in years, so when I was ask if I wanted to be in the new neighborhood group that was just starting up, I jumped at the chance!  I LOVE Bunco and I have been meaning to start up a group myself, but it just never happened.  So, thank you TH for starting this group & hosting our first Bunco here in Korea! I had a ball! 

Now I'm sure some of you have played this new game, LCR, it goes along with Bunco, but I had never heard of it. To play, you need 3 single dollar bills.  If you have never played LCR you are missing out on a ton of fun!  Here we all are about to get our LCR on.....
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To play LCR, you have 3 dice.  Each side has a different letter or dot on it...it has an  L, for left, a R for right,  a C for center and  a dot - if you roll a dot you get to keep your dollar.  You play until you are out of dollars passing them L, C or R  the person with the last dollar wins the pot.
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And it comes down to two!!  (Check out M's face in the picture above, the girl in the pink on the left corner ;-)  T (the one in the brown) rolls a dot...next up, S rolls a C....
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Which means T won the pot!!!!!!!!!!!
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Boy 3 has had 4 birthdays, 3 of them have been Thomas the Train.  This boy gets more and more "Thomas crazed" each year.  This year when asking him what he wanted for his birthday he was very specific, "only choo-choo trains, I need (yes he said need) Diesel & the roundhouse".

This year I let Boy 3 pick the menu for his party, while at the commissary shopping he wanted me to take a picture of him in the 'soda' aisle, no, he didn't get soda for his party (I know, mean mom) but at least he got his picture with it, and isn't his little shopping cart cute? 
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Boy's 2 & 3 waiting impatiently for guest to arrive....
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The food Boy 3 picked out for his party.... (healthy, I know)
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Party fun!
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Making Tracks on their party bags.
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Making trains out of play-dough.
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Thomas puzzle fun!
Piñata’s are nearly impossible to find on the economy here in Korea, in fact I have NEVER seen one on the economy & I have looked.  The only place I have found them is at the PX (Post Exchange for you non-military types).  I tried to order a Thomas piñata from several website, none of which would ship to me.  So instead I bought a totem pole piñata, and then Hubby dressed it up as Percy.  I must admit, he did a fabulous job! 
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And it wouldn't be a party without a pinata!
One day before Boy 3's birthday party I was talking to Hubby and told him I thought I would just buy the cake for Boy 3's party because I was running low on time.  Boy 3 overheard this, looked at me with those big blue eyes, stuck out his bottom lip and said "No Mommy, you have to make my cake".  Needless to say, I made his birthday cake.
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Just after he blew out his candles.
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Me & my boy!
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And the candy trading begins!
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Boy 3 & his friends
 
I'm 4!! 09/08/2009
 
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"I'm 4 today, but in Korean I'm 5"! 

Those were the first words out of his mouth yesterday morning while he was having his GIANT chocolate chip cookie for breakfast.  Why do they want to grow up so fast?
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Boy 3 had a great birthday.  Birthday traditions in our house are a little different than most.  On your birthday you get whatever you want for breakfast, AND you get to do whatever you want all day long while the others (me) wait on you hand and foot.  You can't imagine the things I have served up in this house on birthday mornings.
 
Boy 3 decided he wanted a "PJ day".  You see, he opened his gifts first thing and couldn't bear to do anything other than play with his new 'roundhouse'.  Even when I ask if he would like us (his dad had the day off from work) to take him to Burger King for lunch his reply was "no, I want you (mom) to go pick it up and bring it to me". 

Happy Birthday little man!  I can't believe you are already 4!  (5 in Korean)
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