Take Your Dog to Work Day

On Tuesday I got to take Eddie to work!
Every morning the kindergarteners get to do some sort of show and tell. Sometimes they get to bring in an actual toy but most of the time is is an oportunity for them to draw, write and speak about a topic. The teachers usually take a turn to show the students how to fill out the poster and speak in front of a group.

This time around our topic was "My favorite animal". It is no secret at BIS that my favorite animal is a dog and my favorite dog is Eddie!

When I found out it was my turn was going to be Tuesday I convinced Joe to bring Eddie to work!
Eddie is a great dog. He has been a good listener and we have trained him to do a few tricks. But Eddie is only 2 and half. He gets really excited around little kids, but he loves kids.
In Korea, it is not common for families to have pet dogs yet. And if families have dogs they are toy poodles or tea cup Yorkies.
Eddie is about 18 lbs. and is considered a "large" dog in Korea.

Joe and I were both nervous but hopeful.The plan was for Joe to hold onto Eddie in my classroom while I went to the gym and talked to the kids.

 

I showed the kids my poster and talked to them about what Eddie.

 I told the kids that Eddie didn't like big voices and that they all had to sit quietly and not shout at Eddie or he would be scared and bark.I showed them how to touch a dog and how you say hello and to let Eddie smell their hands before they touched him. 

The kids did great and so did Eddie! 

 

This is Clara, she was the cutest! This is the first dog she has got to see up close. She squealed with excitement  when it was her turn to pet Eddie. You should have seen her face, it was priceless!

I LOVE this picture. Poor Eddie is over it!

 

Look at my sweet puppy! He did such a good job. He said hello to all of the kids that wanted to but some were too afraid to touch him. Eddie did some tricks and took a few laps around the gym. He was a very good little dog. He even danced for the kids!

Then we all said good bye and Joe took Eddie home.
At lunch time Eddie was passed out in his bed snoring with his tongue out. Visiting school must have really worn him out.

RDB Presentation

Every month each kindergarten class has to memorize a short book.  The homeroom teacher for each class is in charge of facilitating the memorization and creating some sort of presentation. Sometimes the kids do hand movements or take turns talking, occasionally the kids hold props and dance around.

May just happened to be the end of the first term for this group of kindergartners. Keep in mind that each student pays about $1,500 a month for the 4.5 hours a day they spend at BIS. Well, to celebrate the end of the first term the parents were invited to the RDB presentation. The kids learned a few extra songs and dances and of course most of the teachers put in a little more time on memorizing and choreographing the presentation of the RDB books.

Let's be honest these kids are cute enough it doesn't matter what they say or do, the parents will be impressed/happy.

Hands down my favorite part of the presentation was the moment the kids were all on stage and this happened......

It was like a scene from Modern Family or a 90's sitcom. That moment when the parents stopped watching/listening and were 100% focused on capturing the action on film. I swear I could see Apple stock rising when all of the iPhones came out.

This is my class, Earth.

 

 Matthew just got back from a trip to Florida with his family. He got to say the line, "My family goes on vacation in the USA!" As he pulled the American flag out of his pocket like a magic trick. He was SO proud. I made him promise to keep the flag safe, then I sent it home with him.

 Jun, Tony H. , Clara, Matthew and Alex

Not that I am biased but they were the best. :)

You can tell that I was standing to the right of the stage. They did a great job and I was a VERY proud teacher!

 Joe was the MC. He did a great job! Then at the end of the "show", Joe surprised the parents with a little Cha Cha Slide lesson. He is a great dancer. The kids LOVE it and some of the parents even danced.

Seriously, the cuteness is off the charts here!

Here they are!
Each of the kids got these silly awards. Joe had to read them aloud so that we could all hear. They were REALLY funny. Some of my personal favorites were; Most Likely to Speak in Class,  MVP of the Class, Loudest Voice and Best Questioner. Even better if you knew the kids these awards were ridiculous.

All said and done the kids did a great job. I am a very proud teacher and am even more proud of my handsome husband for leading the show.

Birthday Shenanigans

My birthday this year was probably the best ever! Turning 27 was great!

I've never been a big birthday person.My birthday is the 9th of May, and most of the time falls around Mother's Day. Growing up it was hard to plan birthday parties around Mother's Day weekend and softball games. When I got older and was in college it was the same thing. Most of my friends would be going home for the weekend of my birthday. I never really cared.

Well this year I was SO spoiled! It seems like my birthday lasted all month long.

My birthday month started off on May 5th. Leah and Josh generously offered to host a joint birthday party for our friend Seth and I. We planned for a fun outdoor BBQ.

When I woke up Joe surprised me with an early birthday present!

 Of course we talked about not exchanging gifts this year.....and he breaks our deal. But I love him for it! He told me he picked it out weeks ago when I was having a girls day. He went to the department store and smelled a ton of different perfumes and decided that this one was the best. I agree!

 Birthday Buddies!

In the early afternoon we headed over to Josh and Leah's. We ate, the guys played a pick up game of basketball with a bunch of Korean high schoolers and the ladies soaked up some sun.

Jenelle and I

Leah and I

I was spoiled with TONS of gifts from friends.

Jenelle's gift was American themed. Perfect for a girl that is homesick for 'Merica! She got me a pack of American flags, magazines, tanning lotion (yay! my poor white legs), some cute travel size toiletries that I can take to China in July and a candle.

Her card was wildly inappropriate and very funny!


Troy and Alicia know how to put the "happy" in happy birthday. They got me a bottle of Jose!

Myriam and James got me a broom! It sounds so weird but in Korea you can not find a human size broom. All of the brooms are so small, like a dustpan size broom. I end up with a sore back after I finish sweeping my tiny apartment.

Leah has become a pro at birthday bouquets! She collects a bunch of small goodies the recipient likes, for me it was candy, candles, Cheetoes... For Seth it was candy, a few cigars and few little bottles of liquor. Then she puts them together in this bouquet. I think these were the 3rd of 4th that she has made in Korea and they are getting better and better.
She also made me a "my stache" jar. Not only do I think that mustaches are really funny but I also have a secret collection of money that I call "my stache".

Long story short, I have been taking money out of Joe's wallet and putting it in my "stache". I have a secret pocket in my wallet and have been collecting for a rainy day. Leah made me this perfect new "stache" jar. I LOVE it! Such a perfect gift!
I love my friends!

Jenelle made a delicious white chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting and Leah made her famous key-lime cheese cake.

It was delicious! 

Joe surprised me with a bottle of my favorite adult beverage.....Patron!

I even ordered a birthday outfit online. I found this romper and I knew it was meant to be when the title said "Original 1985 Romper with tags". Hello!?! We were both born in the same year so I knew it would be the perfect addition to my birthday. 

I had also made some props for a photo booth we had at school. I brought them along just in case. And I am glad I did!

Have I mentioned how much I love my friends! We really have a good time together.

After some drinks, cake and some photo booth time we decided to pull out the Rock Band!

It was the best birthday ever!

This was just the beginning of the May birthday shenanigans..... to be continued.

Sugar Cereal

When I was a kid my mom was a stay at home mom. She was pretty serious about us making good eating choices for breakfast. She would make eggs and toast, oatmeal, maybe yogurt, or my personal favorite ham and cheese scramble. But we always ate breakfast!

On occasion my mom would serve us up a fresh bowl of cereal. Cheerios, Raisin Bran or maybe Kicks. On really special occasions we would have Basic 4, a health combination of bran flakes, almonds and dried fruit.  We ate serious cereal.

It's not like I never ate a bowl of Lucky Charms or Coco Puffs. They were just very rarely bought when I was a kid. So naturally when I grew up I never went through the college aged "cereal" phase. My roommates in college would kill a box of Lucky Charms in a few days. Cereal for every meal and dessert. 

Then I married Joe.
He LOVES cereal.

Joe is the kind of cereal eater that will down a box of Lucky Charms for dessert! That's right, after a full meal, Joe will eat 3 huge bowls of sugar cereal.

Needless to say I blame Joe for my addiction to Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I didn't even know this sugar masterpiece existed! It is the perfect dessert! Obviously it is great for breakfast and it has been known to cure a hangover.

While at Costco, Joe and I were cruising down the cereal aisle. Normally we can find oatmeal,  Cheerios, Special K, and a few Korean brand cereals. (think Kellogg's knock offs) All of a sudden I can not control myself and I literally shrieked with joy, slightly running/skipping down the aisle! Right in front of me is the biggest stack of Cinnamon Toast Crunch that I have ever seen! Not just the big boxes but a big double box! Two huge bags of delicious, cinnamon/sugar toasted squares!

As I grab for a box, hugging it with pride, a middle aged Korean man chimes in with;
"Looks like you hit the jack pot." said the middle aged Korean man.
"YES! This is my favorite cereal, and they NEVER have it here!" Me, placing my precious box of sugar, I mean cereal into our cart with a huge grin.

As I turn to walk away, the Korean man grabs a box of Cheerios that was in his cart and places them back on the shelf, and in its place he puts a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

I hope he enjoys his Cinnamon Toast Crunch as much as I do.

Thank you Pizza Hut....and my husband!

Joe and I knew moving to South Korea meant that we would have to make some sacrifices. It meant that we would miss birthdays, family, driving our own cars and Target. Ok...maybe I am being a bit dramatic. But I REALLY miss going to Target and picking up the few things we need and two dozen things we don't need. :)

I had mentioned a few times that I really missed crushed red pepper. I like to put in on my pizza, a little in my spaghetti sauce, add a pinch in my salad. I like to add a little spice to almost anything.

One night a few weeks ago Leah and I went into Seoul to shop and get pedicures with our friend Jenelle. All the while the guys decided to get together to drink beer, eat pizza and play video games.

As the story goes, Joe and Josh went to pick up some beer and pizza. While they were waiting for the pizza to be done, out of the corner of his eye, Joe saw that little station with napkins, little Parmesan  cheese packs and, you guessed it, crushed red pepper packs. He proceeded to fill a plastic grocery bag with every last pepper pack!

Sorry ladies he is taken. I. Love. My. Husband! He's the best.

I have been happily enjoying crushed red pepper thanks to my husband and Pizza Hut!