Itsukushima, Japan | August 2013


After we visited Miyajima Shrine, we explored the sights around Itsukushima. It's such a lovely little island. I will say that it was quite packed since it was a school holiday. I was still able to capture many of my favorite places and without the crowds! There were so many people packed onto that little island, but it was still amazing and I enjoyed every minute.

Wandering Wednesday | Tennessee Road Trip | 2 of 3


On the second part of our Tennessee road trip, we drove to Pigeon Forge and to the Appalachian Mountains. These were the first mountains that I ever saw up close. Also, this was the first time I went hiking and I was very excited. I couldn't have thought of a better place, the Appalachian Mountains are beautiful.

Interesting side note, Markus and I are wearing strange looking neon t-shirts because my students were fundraising for a missions trip to Mexico. The spray painted Mexican themed designs onto t-shirts. At the time, it was all the rage. And now? I still stand behind my decision. I would do anything for my kids and if wearing a shirt while in the Appalachian mountains is a way to support them, I would do it again and again.



We drove up one of the mountain listening to soundtracks and rolled the windows down. Between the five of us, no one said a word. We were in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. We finally made it to the top of the mountain and parked.  We walked on a little trail to the very top. This was the first time I ever walked anywhere that steep and my legs were so confused. They didn't understand what was happening. It was quite an interesting experience.



While exploring, we found the Appalachian Trail and the boys were ecstatic. They managed to convince Victoria and I that we should hike the trail. When we started, it was great. I felt like a real explorer on my first mountain adventure. Then after about 20 minutes, I was done. My legs turned to jello. I was having trouble breathing. It wasn't a good look for me. Despite all that, I'm still really happy that my first mountain hiking experience was on the Appalachian Trail. How sweet is that?

Taejongdae | 2 of 2


During our visit to Taejongdae, we were able to fit in quite a bit. It was the perfect afternoon despite the weather conditions. On this particular day, it was really cold and windy. We went on a treacherous ferry tour around the island. Seriously, I thought we were going to sink. We kept flying through the air and landing hard on the water. At one time, I looked at the ferry captain and I must've looked terrified because he reassured me that we were okay.

Thankfully, we survived the ride on the death ferry and were able to climb up on the rocks and have lunch. We thought ahead and picked up fancy triangle kimbap at Lotte Department Store. We climbed up really high, found the perfect rock, shared our food and enjoyed the view. I've always wanted to go on a picnic and this was my first one! Couldn't have picked a better place to have my first picnic.

After Markus and I had lunch, we walked up the pathway toward the lighthouse. We walked down the stairs toward the ocean and the wind was so strong that it literally pushed me back. I thought I was in a hurricane, it was that intense. We muscled through it though and it was worth it. The rock formations aren't what I was expecting and were so massive and majestic. It was like exploring an alien planet. As I've said before, I absolutely love Taejongdae. Every time we go, I always find something new and something I've never seen before.




Wandering Wednesday | Tennessee Road Trip | 1 of 3


In the summer of 2009, Markus and I went on a second road trip. At the time, I was teaching middle school and high school students at a private Christian school. This school was very different from other schools. They encouraged the teachers and students to form healthy relationships. Teachers were seen as mentors and role models for the students. I know it sounds a bit strange when you're outside of the situation, but many of my old students still check in and catch up. Some even still ask for advice, so in all honesty I think it was a good thing. 

I explain all of this because in the summer of 2009, Markus and I went on a road trip with some of my students, Trevor, Jordan and Victoria. Victoria's grandmother owned an awesome cabin in Tennessee, so Victoria planned a trip with Trevor and Jordan. Through a strange course of events, Markus and I ended up going with them as well. Which was very fortunate.


Chattanooga, Tennessee
UFO House

We made a lot of great memories on that trip. One of my favorites was when we drove through the night from Florida to Chattanooga, Tennessee. We were all exhausted and tried to sleep in the car on the way. It was impossible. We went straight to Ruby Falls when we arrived in Chattanooga, but we were too early, around 4 am. We didn't check into a hotel over night because we were going straight to the cabin after Ruby Falls. 

So, we decided to camp out in the parking lot and sleep. All five of us tried to get comfortable and finally we all fell asleep. I remember waking up and only seeing four of us in the car, Trevor was missing. I was sitting in the driver's seat and looked in the side view mirror and saw Trevor's feet and legs on the ground. He was lying behind the car. I freaked and immediately jumped out to see what happened. When I finally reached him, I realized that he was just sleeping. We didn't run him over. A few minutes later, a security guard came over and told him he couldn't sleep on the ground in a parking lot. It was quite funny and we all couldn't stop laughing.



Another place we visited was Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee. I've always wanted to go to a plantation and added bonus, this one was supposedly haunted. The area around the plantation was the site of one of the bloodiest battles during the Civil War, The Battle of Franklin. The battle only lasted for five hours, but resulted in about 9,500 dead, wounded or missing soldiers. The actual plantation served as a hospital for the wounded and dying. When we toured the place we could still see blood stains in the floorboards. It was definitely eerie, but also very interesting learning about our history. 

The first part of our trip was a lot of fun. We stopped at random places we saw on the road. It was very reminiscent of our Florida road trip we took earlier in the year. We basically did whatever caught our eye. We were watching a lot of Supernatural then, so it was basically like were hunters on a weeklong hunt. We stopped at creepy caves in mountains, walked through deserted forests and visited haunted houses. It was great.  Though we never saw any ghosts, you bet your bottom if we did, we had gasoline and salt on hand. 

Taejongdae | 1 of 2


Taejongdae is my favorite place in Busan. It's this amazing little getaway within the city. Living in a place as busy and populated as Busan, you start to crave quiet and calm. The perfect place for this is Taejongdae. Every time I've gone, there have been heaps of people, but there is so much space that you can escape the crowds, find a little rock, have a picnic and revel in the beauty that surrounds you.