myretroperspective

Dear Amber,   thanks so much for taking me to learn cupcake decorating for my birthday! Even though I'm pretty sure the owner was giggling so much because, well, let's face it. Frosting decorations just are not my forte (hint, all the pretty perfect ones in the picture above belong to Amber).  Dear Seoul, you're my favorite city in Korea by far. I'm so glad we get to spend the weekend, hanging out with friends, shopping, and of course getting our fill of Mexican food. I can taste the guacamole now...  Dear Crystal,  I hope you're enjoying your little Philippine getaway but I'm ready for you to get back so we can have a blogger meet up this weekend! I can't wait for you to show me the ropes in Seoul for vintage shopping! We all know that you're the best at it.  Dear Hubs, I'm so glad I married someone who gets worried about me if I'm too quiet. Which we all know doesn't happen very often.  Oh and stayed tuned because I have some big news com...

We could all use a little relaxation right? I'll admit, I don't lead a super stressful life here in Korea. I work part-time, have great students and have a pretty darn good support system. So where does the stress come in? Mostly from missing out on events back home or from me...just being inside my head too much (it happens quite often). Everyone has their different stresses in life but we all have one thing in common, we want to get rid of it! So this month I have joined an awesome group on blogging ladies to giveaway one 'wellness package' that is sure to reduce some of that pesky unneeded stress. What are you most looking forward to winning? //Yoga Mat//EOS Lip Balm//Happiness Project//Portable Tea Infuser Tumbler// //1,000 Places to See//Origins Calming Candle//Twinnings Green Tea// I'd like to thank my wonderful June sponsors for donating to this giveaway! Be sure to stop by their blogs and introduce yourselves. // Postcards from Rachel // A Fabulous Life in ...

Maybe it's because I keep listening to a couple songs by the band the Head and the Heart (the lyrics of "Rivers and Roads" and "Ghosts" combine to reflect my current mantra) or maybe it's because every week there's a goodbye party for someone else. It feels like all of our friends are getting ready to leave. Ok, not all of our friends by any stretch, but some key friends, and obviously people who have been here from the start of our time in Shenyang. Yes, it's only been 6 months but rhythms were established quickly and people who define my idea of our community here are heading out over the next few months. This is our first "summer transfer season" in the Foreign Service, and I don't think I like it. It's not just consulate people leaving either. Half the women in my painting class move home to the states before the end of this month. Thankfully friends from our informal American church fellowship group are only home for the sum...

Back in 1966, Chandler Robbins began the North American Breeding Bird Survey.  The results of the BBS are valuable in evaluating the increasing and decreasing range of bird populations which can be a key point to bird conservation.  That first year, there were only 600 official routes mainly starting in Maryland and the surrounding area.  Presently, there are about 3700 active routes throughout the US and Canada. Each route is exactly 24.5 miles long, and remains the same year after year so population trends can be studied.  The BBS is one of those great citizen scientist projects that birders can get involved in to help insure the continued existence of our avian community.  Cooperators (me) begin the driving route exactly one half hour before sunrise at stop one.  (That’s why I had to get up shortly after 3 a.m. so I could take Emma out, eat breakfast, pack the truck with equipment, and get to the starting point 15 miles away on back roads by exactly 5:...

We got a flat tire. In the middle of no where. In a third world country. Most people would panic and trust me, I had my times that I wanted to, but thank goodness the people in the Philippines are some of the nicest I've ever met. Oh! And most speak perfect English. I'm pretty sure my 'almost' freak out would have most definitely turned into a full blown freak out if we were in a country where we didn't speak the same language. Just another one of those times that are truly unpredictable in traveling and you have no option but to sit back, laugh, and wait as your tire gets fixed. So first things first. Let's start from the beginning. We woke up at the crack of dawn...ok, it was more like 6am but I'm pretty sure on vacation that can be considered before the crack of dawn. We woke up to the sound of pouring down rain on our little bungalow and immediately felt our hearts sink. Our plan for the day was to take our rented motorbike on the two hour trip to the to...

I was up and out early again today to do my atlas-ing of the Booth Lake block.  I don’t just randomly drive around hoping to see birds.  There is some method to this madness.  Nature has a biological clock just like we do.  I’ve pretty much established what birds are present on each of the blocks, but now I have to find proof of their breeding.  The easiest ways to do this is to see a species building a nest, carrying food for young in their beaks, or finding recently fledged young ones.  It all depends on the calendar.                                                                           ...

Just a little something to cure your wanderlust for the week. via “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” –Bill Bryson