myretroperspective

My plans for today included driving into Little Rock, AR, to visit the President Clinton Library and Museum, and the State Capitol Building.  When I got up in the morning, I just wasn’t in the mood for that.  It’s kind of like shopping for me.  I have to be in the mood for it.  The thought of driving around a state capitol and finding a parking place just wasn’t my cup of tea this morning.  I’m glad I didn’t go because it would have been a feeling of dread rather than excitement. Instead, I just enjoyed Maumelle COE Park for most of the day.  I did head out for a while to visit Pickle Gap and Toad Suck, AR, but even those two places left me flat.  It just wasn’t one of those days when I could get into touring. Since I have a more secluded site in the woods, Emma and I did take a walk down to the banks of the Arkansas River.  It was a beautiful day with temps in the low 80’s, and a nice gentle breeze blowing. I guess it was a good day t...

Just a little something to cure your wanderlust for the week. via “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson On another note. I found these little pictorials (information is always better when provided in picture fashion) on how to beat jet lag and tips for long flights. I love these tips and hopefully can use them next time we travel! all images found via Linking up with  Lisette ,  Rolled Up Pretty  and  Shanna

Today's R's 28th birthday- hooray! Honestly, I get more excited about it than he does, but hopefully the enthusiasm is infectious. We had a pancake breakfast celebration this morning before he set out for work with plans to celebrate with friends this evening and into the weekend.  Please wish him a happy birthday if you get the chance! I could go on but suffice it to say I am so thankful for this man in my life and all of the adventures we have every day! Here's a look back at a few of the adventures: this is one of R's favorite pictures of us in the middle-of-nowhere Sichuan province January 2010 Chiang Mai, Thailand-February 2010 September 5, 2010 North Carolina- May 2011 Antico Pizza- Atlanta, GA- October 2011 Bartlesville, Oklahoma- November 2012 Shenyang, China- January 2013 Happy Birthday R! Love you much!

275 miles might not seem much of a drive to some folks, but it wore me out.  I left Ajax, LA, a little before 9:00 this morning and headed for Arkansas.  It was good on I-49 to Shreveport, and then things got a little interesting as I got off of the interstate to take US 71 North.  After weaving around in Shreveport, 71 becomes a two lane highway that could use some repaving for a good portion of it.  I must say, it was a good test to see if the MCD shades were going to stay put or fall down.  Thankfully, they stayed put. Once I got into Arkansas, the roads became smooth four lanes with only one detour that had ‘Jack-in-the-Box’ rather frustrated.  He almost set a record for ‘recalculating’!  Once I reached I-30 East, both he and I heaved a sigh of relief.  I would have hit my ‘Easy Button’ had it been within reach. We sailed along for several more hours, and as I passed the exit for Hot Springs National Park, I couldn’t help but reminisce abo...

For our last adventure in Chiang Mai, we decided to follow a friends advice and take a motorbike ride around the mountains surrounding the city. Renting a motorbike in general was one of the best decisions we made during our stay in Chiang Mai. For just 200 baht a day (roughly $7.00) we could rent a motorbike, versus taking taxis or tuk tuks which often came in around the same price per day if not higher. The advantage of the motorbike was that we saved money and we also saved the hassle of having to track down transportation and then haggle with them about a fair price. Samoeng Loop We left early in the morning and planned to spend the whole day making our way around the Samoeng Loop and also making pit stops along the way at local attractions. Along the trip we: Saw elephants! Ok, this was my favorite moment by far. You know how much I love elephants . Well, when we were riding along, I looked over and spotted elephants from a distance. I may or may not have yelled in hubs ears that ...

Today I'm linking up with Belinda  and The Hemborg Wife for an Expat to Expat Q&A about my favorite season in my current residence of South Korea! Ok, a bit of my expat background: After getting married, hubs and I decided that we didn't want to settle down quite yet. So we found jobs teaching English overseas and the rest is history! We currently live on a small island on the very southern tip of South Korea but hubs and I are both originally from Tulsa, OK. We have lived here since February of 2011 and are planning for a few more years abroad! 1. What was your favorite season back home and is it the same now; why or why not? My favorite season back home was definitely spring and it's still the same here! We actually have very similar weather in Tulsa compared to where we live now in Korea and couldn't be happier about it. Very mild winters, humid summers but spring and fall are to die for.  2. Is there a place you would want to move to based solely on the weather...

I truly decided to relax this morning.  After making my bed, I stayed in my PJ’s until 11:00 in the morning.  It’s been decades since I’ve done that.  By noon, though, I’d had enough of that so I showered and headed out to do a little exploring. This is where I ended up.  I decided to visit the Oakland Plantation outside of Natchitoches.  Lots of plantations were located along the Cane River back in the day. It turned out that this was National Junior Ranger Day at this National Park.  There were quite a few youngsters moving around from exhibit to exhibit, but the crowds weren’t stifling.  I was there for the 1:00 tour of the Main House.  It was built in 1821.  It still retains most of its original heavy cypress timber construction and bousillage-filled walls.  Bousillage was a new word for me today.  It’s kind of like adobe, but uses Spanish moss in the mixture instead of straw.  It was used to insulate the walls....

I was up at the crack of dawn ready to head on my way from Premiere RV.  There were supposed to be just a few minor details to be taken care of before I left.  My plan was to head out a little before 9:00.  Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. It turns out that there were real issues with finding new windshield wipers for the rig.  Who would have guessed that?  Then there was the vacuuming out of the air from the reluctant to work dash air conditioner.  It had been worked on yesterday, but there was another process to do that took a while, and then there was a test drive to make sure everything was working.  I’m not complaining about the attention to detail at Billy Thibodeaux’s, but I was just anxious to be out of there.  It was noon before I could finally pull out.  I generally leave a place soon after rush hour because I tend to get drowsy driving in the afternoon.  Thank goodness, for some reason, I’d chosen a ...

Dear Hubs,  the other day when it was pouring down rain, you drove from across town just to pick me up and take me to class so I didn't have to walk in the rain. It's the small things that make me fall in love all over again.  Dear Sunshine,  so nice of you to finally join us. Stay a bit won't you?  Dear Zeke, you have this new habit of whenever hubs and I argue, you run from the other room and sit on my lap. This could either mean a) you're telling me I'm too loud and need to calm down or b) you're taking my side. I choose to believe the latter. Excuse the blurry photo. He likes to sit sideways in his basket and rock back & forth. Dear Jjimjilbang (Korean bath house), after avoiding you for two years, a few friends and I finally braved the awkwardness of being neked in front of a bunch of Koreans and went to the bath house. Best.thing.ever. (more details to come!) Dear Friend, I'm so excited that I actually get to use my fashion major this weekend!...