WarriorOne

I have recently joined the team of an amazing non-profit organization, WarriorOne.

Their mission is simple:

To provide accessible and exceptional training and programming in the modalities of yoga and mindfulness to the United States military community with the intention of increasing resiliency, mission effectiveness, life balance, and joy. 

I am so honored to be a part of a cause that is seeking to benefit our military community in a positive way. So far we have 2 satellite locations, Osan Air Base, and joint base Lewis-McChord in Arizona. This year, our goal is to open 10 more satellite locations, and to train new Ambassadors to support our model. We just finished our first campaign, which provided us the fee to send in our official 501(c)3 paperwork (yay!), as well as much needed supplies for classes. We ran out of yoga mats last week at Osan!

I’d love  for you to connect with us on on Facebook, @WarriorOne, and through our website. We are in the middle of our 2016 Mindfulness Challenge, and I’d love for you to participate. Let me know your thoughts! It is definitely a work in progress.

 

 

Exploring Vietnam

I can’t believe that we have lived in S. Korea for 6 months already! It is a beautiful country, and we are blessed to be a part of a strong community, which definitely is a positive aspect of our journey.

At the end of August, we traveled to Vietnam for vacation. It was an incredible trip! We immersed ourselves in the culture (it’s very hard not to), and had an enjoyable week.  We spent 1 day in the capitol of Vietnam, Hanoi. Then travelled by bus (pass the Dramamine) to Halong Bay. We stayed overnight there, then came back to Hanoi to finish out the day. We then flew south to Hue for a few days.

Here are a few “Ah-Ha” moments I learned about Vietnam:

• They serve Pho at all hours of the day, and it is especially delightful for breakfast.
• The French occupied the country until the 1950’s and left their mark on architecture, pastries, and coffee.
• It is a socialist country.
• The Vietnamese people are very proud of their history, and culture.
• Their roadways are shared by tour busses, vans, cars, and mopeds, and bikes. It is absolute chaos, with an added jay walker every few seconds, and magically (to my horror), it works.
• Food and beer are cheap! Cheap, cheap, like dinner for 2 with drinks was $11!!!
• The conversion of dollar to dong is roughly $1 to 20,000. Yep.

A temple to worship and incense burning honoring the gods at Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi, Vietnam.

I found a blend that is chocolatey, velvety smooth, and buttery. I’m sure I should have bargained more, but it was $20 for 2 pounds.

Street dining. Pop a squat on a plastic stool, and get ready to have the best meal of your life. They used a seasoning of key limes and lemon pepper that was divine! This was the $11 meal 🙂

A street vendor selling fresh produce. Who needs crossfit?

We took a 3 hour bus ride to Halong Bay, where we spent the night on one of these beauties. We went kayaking, swimming, and we ate like kings.

Halong Bay, absolutely stunning! Calm waters with over 1,600 islands.

Thien Cun Cave, only discovered an opened to the public since 1908. This is a view of the bay after viewing the cave and finally breaking free for fresh air.

The pictures below are from our time in Hue, which is in the southern region of Vietnam. We spent a full day (at least 6 hours) walking to, from, and around the Imperial Palace on our own. The next day, we hired a driver, a guide, and an air conditioned car. We visited 2 tombs, in 2 hours, only spent $60. We learned WAY more in that time than we did the day before on our own. I highly recommend this route for exploring.

The Imperial Palace in Hue, Vietnam. This used to be the capital until it was moved to Hanoi in 1976.

The Imperial Palace is massive. It’s also known as the Imperial City, and Purple Forbidden City was occupied from 1808-1968.

Tomb of Minh Mang, the 2nd Emperor of Vietnam. His tomb is all about order, tradition, and respect. Every aspect of the design was carefully thought out, and intentional.

Emperor Ming Mang’s tomb was open because it was his birthday, a tradition they only do once a year. They also allowed free visits to all the tombs in honor of the celebration, but that does not apply to foreigners.

This last tomb was my favorite of what we visited. The style is very different, and much more modern comparatively speaking.  This tomb was constructed in 1920, and took 11 years to complete. It has European influences, and is made primarily of concrete.

The lighter color is the original color of the tomb. The black is the effect of water over the years.

Two Vietnam children enjoying a snack on the Emperor’s tombstone.

    

The Pilgrim Village we stayed at in Hue was absolutely fabulous! We needed to rest our swollen feet after climbing all those stairs, and sweating buckets each day. The customer service, room design, and services offered are outstanding!

The main pool at the Pilgrimage Village.

A Visit To The Land Of Bliss

I had the opportunity to travel home to Texas to visit friends and family. I consider it by the grace of God that I was somehow upgraded to Business Class on my 12 hour flight home- thanks American Airlines! I decided although the price of the ticket is steep, it’s worth it to me to fly directly home. I have the unfortunate skill to never sleep on planes, and I must say I had no problem sleeping in biz class 🙂

My mother picked me up from the airport, and after a quick stop and In & Out (bliss!), we went to my brother’s house to surprise my niece. She thought I was arriving the next day, and frankly, so did I. That International Dateline gets me every time. When I got home for the evening, I was tickled to see that my niece surprised me too, this was on my bed!

Some of the highlights of my trip included:

Family dinners, a trip to Target and Marshall’s, several stops to Whole Foods, a movie and brunch with family, a trip to Austin to visit my amazing in-laws and sister in-law, the most delicious steak from Del Frisco’s Grill, a hair appointment at Mouton’s Salon, lots of sleepovers with my niece and nephew, and lots of friend dates with the girls I do life with, and swimming! Oh, and macaron’s from Bisous Bisous!

Busan Beach Trip

We traveled on a bullet train to get down to Busan for a long weekend over July 4th. It was a lot of fun and there was a big group of us. It was one of those weekend destined to be epic, before if even began. It started with 53 friends renting out an entire car on the bullet train, and the LPA dragging a bar onto the train. The poor conductor could not understand why we were so loud. One thing to help you understand the Korean culture, is that they are typically very quiet. There is often no talking on buses, subways, or trains. They were probably horrified when they saw us board the train. Although, the cars are soundproof- so you could see it looked like utter chaos, but could not hear it.

It was “chilly” all weekend, in that it was cloudy, windy, and in the mid 70’s. RB thought it was perfect of course, and I was wearing a cover up and cardi the entire time. We set up a volleyball net, and played games all day. Some super-mom’s brought tents and snacks for everyone to enjoy. We lit of fireworks- and then in standard passive aggressive S. Korean culture we heard a message in English over the speakers to “please not use fireworks”.

We went to a Shellfish BBQ restaurant called Cheongsapo Suminine- and it was amazing. It was little drive away from the tourist area we were staying- an absolutely beautiful area of Busan. They had little tents set up with gravel floor (basically the beach) and these classic tables with burners in the middle. Nothing was in English (why should it be), we used Google Translate to pick out scallops, eel, and some other medley. This meal was amazing. So fresh, grilled or steamed with butter and devoured on the spot. It was also great to break away from the large group for a “quieter” meal. Ugh, that’s such an old person statement. We made our way back to the tourist area, with a stop at a Craft Brewery place, and then a speakeasy, before enjoying more fireworks on the beach! It was a fun weekend away.

The most delicious scallops ever.  

A New College Experience

Do you ever wish you had a “do-over” for college? I think back to college, and who I am now, and I am like an entirely new woman (PTL). I am also watching Thomas Crown starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts; which may have something to do with all of the pondering 🙂 I have never lived on an actual military base before, so this entire experience is all new to me. I have an ongoing list in my head of how living on a base is exactly like college. Here are a few:

– Dorms (some unlucky servicemen actually live in dorms for an entire year). And yes, they are as gross as you think they are.

– Mess Hall (to feed the unlucky servicemen who live in said dorms).

– A box for your mail.

– Rations. Similar to a meal card in that you are allowed a certain amount per month.

– Curfew. Don’t try and test this one, the consequences are harsh.

– You need your ID card to go anywhere.

– A food court. It’s awesome to have some of the comforts of home readily available, especially when you are feeling a little homesick.

– Fraternities. Kidding, sort of. Call it team spirit or camaraderie if you must, but we love our people. We will wear our team colors everyday, show up to every event, and scream the loudest.

We found these while exploring last weekend!

Please know that we love living here, and we are very thankful to have all the comforts of home despite living so far away from what we have grown accustomed to. There are so many awesome things I want to share with you, but I’ve got to pace myself. I want to give each topic it’s own post, so that I will have ample opportunity to share with you. Have you ever lived in a country aside from the U.S.? What do you miss most about it? Share in the comments below!

Stay tuned for a list about how S. Korea is just like no place I have ever lived before.

Settling In

Still smiling after 15 hours of travel!

We have already been in our new city for a month, and in our new home for a week! Wahoo! It’s nice to have “unpacked” for the last time! When we first arrived, we spent 2 nights in a hotel, before moving to a temporary living facility, which I was thankful for, because it actually had a kitchen. We were there for 3 weeks before our apartment was ready. I even was able to cook a pork tenderloin in a convection microwave- which I think is pretty impressive! We also, just purchased a car! It’s amazing what you can live without. We have walked everywhere, and it’s been great!

I am surprised just how much I like South Korea. I thought for sure there would be a curve where I would dislike while trying to get my bearings/ adjust to a new culture/ language/ food. There is just so much to explore, there is no reason to dislike it. So far, I am in love with all of the cafes, and thai/ sushi places. Also the nail salons are inexpensive, and they do an amazing job. $6 for a brow wax? Heck yes!

The community here is fantastic! I have heard before that a “fighter squadron” is different from other squadrons, and it really is true! Our sponsor met us at the airport, took us to our hotel, brought us groceries, and gave us a tour to make sure we kind of new our way around. It was so awesome. By the end of the week, just based on events going on, and people being outgoing, I had made quite a few friends. I do think I am in a weird place, because we are children-less yet in our 30’s. I know that my liver and body can not keep up with the 26 year olds, yet we can go out without having to arrange for a sitter.

I can definitely see the Lord’s provision throughout this journey. Nothing has really gone as planned, yet everything turned out just fine.

The Cherry Blossoms, aren’t they beautiful?

T Minus 56 Days!

T Minus 56 days until our big move! We are officially headed out of the United States on April 7th.

In our period of transition, I am living with my mother in Texas, while RB is in training in Arizona. Let me tell you, being apart from his is tough. Fortunately, we are able to see each other about every 2 weeks. Some of the other guys that are in training, aren’t able to see their spouses at all. Can you imagine? I am definitely thankful and grateful that we are able to visit each other.

(Deco Bracelets in Pink or Coral)

I decided to close up shop for The Glam Revival. There are many factors involved, one being the Air Force will not ship goods sold commercially; and two, if someone does order something from me, it will take approximately 3 weeks to be delivered. That stinks. I wouldn’t want to wait that long for anything. So, I am hosting little clearance sales at friend’s houses to move the inventory. What I don’t sell, I will donate. Either to a church or a women’s shelter. It seems fitting to part with it, in that way. I love sharing beauty with others, and that’s an easy way to do it. When a woman feels pretty, it’s just the best. It can turn your whole day around.

(The Daniel clan Escaped this weekend in Nashville, with 17 minutes to spare! From left to right: Laura, Mark, RB, myself, Katy, Sarah, Tim)

Learning Curves

The website, The Glam Revival is up and running! It is a learning process for sure. I remember always being frustrated with a previous boss, because I felt like it took forever to move forward with something, or make a decision, and now I totally understand why! Representing your brand is a big undertaking. On the other hand, I now realize that is ok to make mistakes, and there is always room for improvement. Take my first product images as an example. I took all those images myself with my iPhone, and a light box that I created. My second round of images, are from a professional photographer, and they are a zillion times better! If you are looking for someone to “glam” up your business, I strongly encourage you to contact The Magnolia Tree Paperie. Not only is she an amazing calligrapher, she is a graphic designer, and an amazing photographer. Plus, she is a gem to work with. Check out the site here, and let me know what you think of the new images. Unfortunately, I’m not sure of the fate of The Glam Revival, as we just received are long awaited PCS orders. We are moving to Korea! That deserves a separate post entirely.

The Website Is Live!

My website, The Glam Revival, is up & running! I’m still working out a few kinks, but for the most part things look great. I am a perpetual planner, almost to a fault. I finally had to just press “publish” and go with it. As Lara Casey says, “Done is better than perfect”! So check it out, here. I would love to hear your thoughts! 

I created this business out of a passion I have. I L-O-V-E fashion. It makes me feel beautiful. I love dressing myself and others. Most importantly, I love sharing what I have with others. If you come over to my house, before we leave for dinner, or a show, you will most likely leave wearing something of mine. I just love to share what I have. I think when you feel confident in your look, that confidence exudes into all areas of your life. And there is nothing better than a confident, beautiful woman. 

The pieces I offer, are a reflection of my personal style. They are glamorous, and affordable. Mix them in with your favorite pieces, and have fun with your look! 

If you feel as good as you look, then I’ve shared my heart with you. 

 

View From The Top

 

This weekend we traveled to Austin for an Engagement Party. My main squeeze flew us down in his 1952 Cesna, which is pretty suave if you ask me. Unfortunately, I suffered from a bit of anxiety this week about the ride. Let’s call it 3 sleepless nights, to be exact. Just the thought of the rickety old plane transporting us from the Falls & back made me slightly ill. After several “Come to Jesus” meetings with myself in the wee hours of the night, I decided to TRUST GOD- in this case, was easier said than done. Which of course got me thinking, because you know I’m already awake. How is this different than any other circumstance? Sure the answer seems immediate- I am putting my life in His hands, but how is that different than any other situation. Instead of your life, it’s your character, reputation, pride, faults, insecurities, and on and on. When you decide to be a follower of Christ, you trust God in all situations. He is capable of handling it all- hello, he created the universe! It was a great weekend, with 2 uneventful flights. “Any landing is a good landing”, my main squeeze says, and he’s absolutely right! It’s the same with God. He asks you to do something. You may barely keep your head above water, or crash just after taking off, but the act of faith- in leaving the ground is what He’s looking for. Do you have the faith to move? 

And look at these beautiful clouds! It’s something not many others got to enjoy at 8,500 feet today. I’m thankful for the view, and for the smooth landing! 

 

One more pic for you. This plane is tiny! I did bring snacks though (Starburst, Reese’s, Mountain Dew & San Pelligrino), and it didn’t cost $24, like you would expect on a normal flight 😉 I figured I could provide some use to the trip aside from holding the ipad in my lap- which was our navigation system!