Engagement Session - Diversifying the Hanbok

Photo by David Tran, 8 Degrees Inc.

I should start this post by saying that Ryan and I were not initially planning to do engagement photos, but... I got lucky at a work gala silent auction and happened to win an e-session with David Tran of 8 Degrees Inc. I'm SO glad we did!

The Sticks: Bringing Korean Food to the Country

The Sticks!

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've posted here! Life happens fast. Ha! It's been an incredible year for many reasons, but I am just going to pick up where we left off. I had asked my family over a year ago if Ryan could come to Virginia with us, which meant MANY things. The high-level summary of that statement meant that Ryan would be meeting and spending a week with my extended family, going to Grandma's house and sharing in all my childhood memories, and leaving NYC to spend a WEEK in the country! So much can be said about the conversations that ensued and the unspoken thoughts and memories that were created, but I'm just going to share the highlights here...as I'm still processing much of the other stuff anyway. It truly was a TON of FUN! To give a bit more context, Ryan (Mr. Urbanite in the flesh) has never spent so much vacation time in an area such as this. After what became a 10-hour drive into the night (supposed to be 8) from NYC complete with a gorgeous lightning show, we knew we had made it when Ryan slammed on the breaks to stop for the cutest FAMILY of deer (yes, mom and 2 children) taking their sweet time to cross the ridiculous, nausea-inducing, winding roads.

The Secret Garden Parallel

I recently finished the K-drama (Korean drama) Secret Garden...and I can't stop thinking about it. Anyone who has spoken to me within the last 2-3 weeks, about anything other than professional matters, probably has heard me mention my ridiculous fascination with this. I am not really one to get hooked on shows and the like. Just to give you a clear picture, I have been living in my apartment for over 2 years now, with the opportunity to have cable for FREE (or included in the rent I already pay anyway). I love FREE, but I have yet to actually set it up. It's just not a priority for me. Furthermore, I tend to pretty much rule out movies and shows if I have to read subtitles while watching. I am a lazy viewer, and I'm quite content with that. However, Secret Garden had me ignoring all of my set ways. I can't even say that I learned that much more of the Korean language while watching because I was so wrapped up in the storyline itself. Ryan keeps telling me that I have fallen for the scripted K-drama formula used to hook its viewers (contributing to Hallyu, the global phenomena). But, I quickly shoot that down. Due to the aforementioned reasons, I refuse to believe that I have been suckered into the trap placed by the K-drama powers that be. How could I be hooked on any TV series, much less one where I have to read subtitles? I embarrassingly stayed up until 6 am one night watching episode after episode. Those who know me know that I don't like to mess with my sleep. I am a FIRM believer in proper sleep hygiene so staying up to watch Secret Garden until 6 in the morning scares even me a little bit. What does this drama have on me?