Palawan, Philippines | 2 of 3

After spending 12 days in the Philippines, I finally saw the beach on the second to last day. I didn't have a chance to go in the water, but at least I saw it. It was basically a 30 minute pit stop on the way to the Underground River.

Beaches in the Philippines are really beautiful. I've lived near a beach my entire life and the beaches in Palawan were unlike anything I've ever seen. I think it was the rustic and natural beauty that made it feel that way. There weren't any huge buildings or heaps of people, just us and the island. It was idyllic and a wonderful way to finally see the natural beauty of the Philippines.

Palawan 1 of 3

Wandering Wednesday | Florida Road Trip 2009: 2 of 3

The second part of our road trip took us to Orlando, where we visited one of our favorite couples, Ryan and Lauren. This was before they were married and were still in college. My golly, how times have changed. I can't believe how time flies.

As soon as we arrived, they took us to Rebounderz. It's this amazing indoor trampoline arena, an entire room full of trampolines. I was shocked that I was exhausted and only after 10 minutes. It was still fun watching Markus fulfill one of his lifelong dreams of being Spiderman.

We spent Easter weekend with them that year and they took us to one of the best farmer's markets I've ever visited. We bought handmade pasta for our Easter lunch and sampled many delicious treats. It was so nice to spend the holiday with them, since they're so very dear to us.

We ended our time in Orlando at Medieval Times. It was a first for both Markus and I. It was cheesy, but it was the epitome of a roadside attraction. I actually really enjoyed it. It was fun wearing fake crowns and eating with my hands whilst cheering on knights who fought to the death. It was perfect. 

Florida Road Trip 1 of 3

Chatsworth House | Derbyshire, England 3 of 5

The gardens of Chatsworth House were more than I thought possible and just kept going. When you thought you had seen it all, there was more.  After seeing the typical English garden, there was an area of looming trees, rock formations and exotic flowers. It was like an expedition to another part of the world. It's amazing that someone could own such an elegant home, perfect manicured gardens and a vast forested area. The English nobility really live a charmed life. 

It's like having my own

Mr. Darcy

. Maybe, I live a charmed life as well. 

Chatsworth House 1 of 5

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Chatsworth House 2 of 5

Instagrammin' | August 2012

Sometimes, I don't have a chance to whip out the DSLR and take a photo. Thank goodness my iPod is always easily accessible. I have quite a collection of photos on Instagram and thought that it would be nice to share some of the highlights from each month. I didn't want to start with the beginning of this year, that would be ridiculous. So, I decided August would be the best place to start, especially since it was the month that we went to the UK.

1. Markus and I on our way to England. That day we took seven different modes of transportation and recapped all seven in a series of photos. This was the second photo and when we still looked refreshed and excited.
2. Our first meal in England with James and Ari was oatcakes. They were freaking delicious, a cross between a pancake and a crepe. We stuffed them full of bangers and bacon. 
3. Homemade syrup sponge pudding and custard and a beautiful English garden. It doesn't get more British than this. 
4. Markus probably reading Game of Thrones on his Kindle in the English garden. 

5. I found Anthropolgie in Edinburgh! I haven't been in one for an entire year. Of course, I wanted to buy everything but bought nothing. 
6. The beautiful streets of Edinburgh. I could have walked those streets forever. 
7. The Lake District was like being in a painting. It was unreal. 
8. Being a true Muggle and hanging out at the Ministry of Magic at the Harry Potter Studio Tour. 

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Halloween at the Busan English Library

I love Halloween. It's one of the greatest holidays. What other days can you pretend to be someone else and get free candy? It's amazing. When we first came to Korea, I was so shocked to learn that they do not celebrate Halloween. It makes sense why they don't, but it's still so sad that the kids don't have an opportunity to enjoy the festivities.

My co-teacher asked me to plan a Halloween Day Event for our students and I didn't hold back. I went all out. I wanted the kids to have a good time, but I also wanted to be able to enjoy Halloween too. If I can't drink pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin ale, I'm gonna plan an awesome event. 

We couldn't decorate the entire library, even though that would've been awesome. They gave us this little section in the front, but hey, it's still something. I loved walking in the morning and seeing the Little Halloween corner.

There are three native English teachers at the library including me. Kelly and Doug are also from America. It's nice to have my fellow countrymen working in such close proximity. We decided to dress up as literary characters, since we work at a library. So you see before you, Max from Where the Wild Things Are, Mr. Fox from Fantastic Mr. Fox and D'artagnan from The Three Musketeers. Even though we thought they were well-known characters,  the kids had no idea who we were.

A few students came in costumes and the overall theme was witches and wizards. I think that's the only costume that they sold, to be honest. If they didn't come in costume, we set up three stations to help them get in the Halloween spirit. At the first station, they created their own paper plate mask. At the second station they made spider hats. Finally, at the third station, they had their faces painted by Kelly and Markus. They also colored and created Halloween bags for trick or treating.

I had a great time and I think the kids did too. They were so cute with their little masks and spider hats. They were also surprisingly well behaved. Maybe they were overwhelmed with all the fun that they were having that they held it all inside. Either way, it was a Halloween to remember.