Wrapping Up 2009

The day after Christmas to carry on the tradition started last year, we set out for our favorite Bulgo gi House, Sam Il's. Imagine our confusion when we arrived and were met with the following sign:

Dear Sam Il's-

Will I ever dine in your fine restaurant again? It remains unclear to me.

Yours truly,
Annee

We ended up at another Bulgo gi house. But It wasn't the same. A day or so later, we decided it was time for Darin to stick his feet in the fishy water. Nothing says "Happy New Year" like having fish eat your feet:

I remain now the photographer for this activity. That's my preferred way of participating, thank you very much.

Did I mention that Ruby and Jane got an Easy Bake Over for Christmas? If you saw that one coming, I'm not surprised. It seemed inevitable that one of those would find it's way to our house.

Let me just say, you haven't really known a good time until you've Easy Baked with these little Ladies. And let me also add that there is really nothing "easy" about it. NOTHING. I think we've sampled everything now, at least once. I feel round two coming on very soon.

New Years Eve found us playing games with some friends until late at night, and eating breakfast around 10pm. But midnight was not going to happen for us, so we loaded the kids up and came back home. After getting the girls tucked away in bed, and dreaming of a quiet night of reminiscing with the Major, the boys somehow talked their parents into getting to stay up until midnight. And though I wasn't 100% in the mood for it, I caved in upon remembering my own first time staying up until midnight on New Year Eve, and remembering how for a kid it actually feels like, something. So at midnight I shoved them out on the balcony with loud tools, and made them make a lot of noise.

It may have been 12:03 am when they were in bed. But at least I cannot be called a Kill Joy!

The next afternoon, after we went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeakquel (to which the Major declared that he had just wasted precisely 1.5 hours of his life, and wanted a refund), we were back home in time to celebrate the New Year on the West Coast of the US with our traditional cheese fondue.



And after about an hour of resting and making room for dessert, we gathered AGAIN for the second course of our two course meal, the CHOCOLATE!

I think it was during the second course that the Major and I began our discussions as to how we can get thinner in 2010. I think the first idea on our list was the elimination of all things dipped in chocolate. It's a 'one time a year event' to be sure!!

And just when I was patting myself on the back for a Christmas Vacation well spent, while getting the boys backpacks out of the front closet, and checking the lunch menu on Sunday night, I was awoken VERY early Monday morning with the news that Osan was blanketed in newly fallen snow, and school seemed unlikely. I wasn't sure I had the strength to endure it, but the children sure felt the hand of Providence in their lives. School was canceled instantly for the next TWO DAYS!!






And to be honest, here I sit at 2 in the afternoon still in my pajamas, perhaps I wasn't actually ready for real life to resume either. Perhaps two more days of Christmas Vacation hasn't been the worst thing ever to happen to me? Sometimes your own resilience will surprise you when put to the test. Sometimes.

So that's the wrap up. Maybe I'll go get dressed now??