My how the tables have turned! As most know, the entire time Josiah + I were engaged + early married (aka until like 5 months ago), I worked at the Aveda Institute Provo, a cosmetology school.

I love Aveda, I love the institute, + I love the people, so basically I loved my job. Sort of. It was kind of a love/loathe relationship. I was the school’s admissions scout/recruiter + in charge of all incoming students + anyone interested in attending cosmetology or esthetics school. Basically the position is a beautiful concoction of public relations, marketing, cheerleading, life coaching + most of all- SALES. It required me to wear heels, black clothes, lipstick, + most importantly a perky smile while also maintaing a HIGH level of energy, connection, positivity, + professionalism. With a cool wardrobe, trendy haircuts, amazing co-workers, + lots of caffeine, what could possibly be wrong with this job?? Not much actually, it was fantastic.. besides the skeptical mommas, the competition of a million other hair schools, + of course, the benchmarks to succeed. It was a dream job that became a reality, + with reality comes work! So I worked + worked + worked.. + I loved it 94.6% of the time. If you ask Josiah what this period of our lives shall be called, he would name it the black HIPPIE HELL where the devil wears Aveda (+ yes, he ALWAYS made comparisons of our life to the movie The Devil Wears Prada).

On my phone at home…

 On my phone on my honeymoon…

On my phone at a friend’s wedding…

That was the problem… I loved my job, so I put all I had into it.. aka barely any time for Joe. Of course Josiah was happy that I was pursuing a career, supporting us, + that I ultimately loved what I did, but it was hard for him.. for both of us actually. He had 2 breezy semesters of school left + was working a cushy 20 hour a week job which gave him not only more time than me, but more importantly, a lot less pressure + anxiety to worry about 24/7. Many times he felt like he was the only one putting forth effort in our relationship + I could care less. I would then get aggravated like, “hello I worked 12+ hours today + I still have a few emails to send out.. I’m exhausted, hungry (because I would forget to eat the entire day..minus the taco bell hot sauce and/or some scraps a coworker would give me after running into the office like a rabid dog that had been beaten + starved), + my brain is fried from talking all day. I have no clean black clothes to wear tomorrow (which was always a lie since I owned every black article of clothing from H&M + Forever 21) + you want me to cook dinner with you because that sounds like a fun date? Or go see a movie + then talk about it?? ARE YOU SERIOUS?? Don’t you know I love you? Can we be content with that?” I just wanted some peace, food of any kind, + to have my back rubbed while I tweaked on instagram + texted a few last ‘work related’ messages to detox from the day. I would get irritated thinking, ‘What do you do all day?? Why do I need to feel guilty for not helping with dinner or folding the clothes when you have so many free hours during the day? Do you understand how hard I work? Ya, it looks like I’m just having fun + posting on social media all day because that’s MY JOB! I am working so hard for YOU! For US! Why wouldn’t you be so proud of your hard working girlfriend/fiancé/wife/boo thang?? What.. do you expect me to be at your beck + call with a smile + hot dinner waiting?  Are you some kind of sexist, traditional, misogynist?!?!’ (okay okay.. I knew Joe was not a misogynist- he married me, duh. And I knew he was proud + only had good intentions, but I could get a bit hysterical + defensive after no sleep + too much caffeine) And in Joe’s frustrated mind he thought something like this, ‘You told me you would be home 2 hours ago + I tried to make dinner but now it’s cold.. I waited to eat until you got home, so now i’m grumpy + pissed. What could possibly be that important?? You were just hanging out with Tiff weren’t you?!! Why do you like your boss more than me? I’m busy too ya know, THANKS FOR ASKING!!! I JUST LOVE YOU AND WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU!’. (Note: we have never raised a voice to each other, the “!!!” are for emphasis only.. Joe wanted me to add that in fear that you all will think he is controlling + abusive. No, he is not. It’s probably the other way around if anything.. KIDDING!) But finally came the day where we left our old life behind, morphed into dirty gypsies, + traveled homeless, carless, + jobless for 9 weeks + then off to work Josiah went.

I didn’t even spend time putting makeup on… Like I said, dirty hippie status.

It was a fun, carefree few months; spending every minute together acting like the goofy kids that we really are. That time was good for our relationship to say the least, + good for our souls to look at the big picture again. As his training in Texas quickly flew by, I was busy filling out every bit of paperwork needed to become an unofficial member of the Army, as well as start the process of command sponsorship to be allowed to come to Korea with Joe… And trust me, that process alone kept me pretty busy. Since having arrived + settled into our new home here in Korea, Josiah has been working non-stop. From what we have heard (+ now seen with our own eyes), Korea is a very unique duty station that requires more hours clocked + more effort put in than your average base/fort/camp. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that it is sort of like combining a big, normal base back in the states with a non-combat deployment. You have the simple day-to-day tasks that you would have in somewhere like Colorado mixed with the crazy, ‘We Fight Tonight‘ mentality where everyone must prepare for imminent danger.. which hey, North Korea is like right here.. probably getting their nukes ready right now, so I get it. But man.. Joe works.. like a lot. 5am-7am he gets up + works out (you go glenn coco!) 7am-9am he comes home, showers, eats breakfasts + gets my sleepy bum up. 9am-6,7,8pm?? he works, then comes home + sometimes works some more. I remember my mom telling me awhile back that soon the tables would turn + I would be the one with all the free time while Josiah worked, + how wonderful it will be that BOTH of us have gained a much deeper appreciation for the roles that we play. As per usual, my mother was right!  The past few weeks have definitely been an adjustment for me. At times I feel I will go insane without a job.. or something meaningful to keep me busy, + other times I am thrilled to wake up with the sun + munch cereal in my pjs while listening to music + mopping the floor. I have however, become slightly addicted to meal planning + trying new recipes while cutting out most, if not all, sugar from our diet. I seriously get excited chopping veggies up + testing new spices/flavors out (I realize this sounds lame + maybe I do need a real job haha but I think a passion for cooking is in my DNA). I have also started doing yoga daily + am in the process of starting a photography program (I bought a nice camera a year ago, it’s time I learn to use it). As my life continues to transition into this next phase, I will always smile as I remember + appreciate the wonderful (and challenging!) times I had at Aveda, they helped morph me into the person I am today + taught me so many crucial lessons I needed. And until I get back into that sparkly, FUN world, I am excited to be the best support I can be to my hardworking G.I. Joe, after all, I know what it’s like to want to come home to a hot meal + a back rub. 🙂 (BTW, Josiah has shocked me multiple times by apologizing and literally commenting, “I feel like I work at Aveda.. Except I wear camo and I don’t like everyone I work with.”)

Okay so what was the point of that long drawn out story?? Josiah had a four day weekend so we took advantage of the freedom + headed to Seoul. And by head to Seoul I mean drive in our little hooptie all through out one of the biggest cities in the world, all the while dodging MANY crazy Korean drivers. We do have the option to take public transportation up there, but figured since we hadn’t really used public trans yet, we didn’t want to get confused or lost. Plus we wanted to get real comfortable driving in this country + thought, why not just dive right in? Besides not understanding which lane to get in for the tole booth + barely missing some potentially terrible accidents, we made it unscathed. So Joe has this really fabulous sister named Tanya, (the kind you brag to other people about to make you sound cool) who has a swanky job at the W Hotel in Union Square NYC (see i’m totally bragging). Tanya is also extremely sweet + has the ability to hook us up with amazing hotel deals all over the world (best family perks ever y’all!). So we booked our killer hotel reservation in none other than the trendy Gangnam district of Seoul. Yah, like Gangnam Style.

The hotel was like WOAH. It wasn’t some big fancy resort hotel, it was expensive COOL. Like the unspoken cool. Everything was sleek, modern, + had just enough of an Asian touch to remind us that  we were in Korea. The urban design was perfectly trendy to the point it made me feel like I wasn’t cool enough step foot inside, but the staff was warm + kind enough to remind us that we were, shockingly, cool enough to be guests there. Enjoy the pics below. Joe + I were in heaven.

Selfie nation over here! 

Killerrr view

As far as Gangnam goes, I highly encourage everyone to translate the lyrics to the song + enjoy. The song, I feel, is decently accurate of what it is like. There is a line that talks about a girl enjoying a cup of coffee + boy do they like their coffee. Every single block had at least one coffee shop whether it was an American brand, English brand, Korean, etc. Gangnam definitely had that hipster vibe with people walking around covered in an air of sophistication that softly screamed, “I’m too cool to care” + “Ya i’m a dude + my shoes were $350 but I still don’t care”. And let’s just talk about the men… I mean, BEST DRESSED DUDES IN THE WORLD. There I said it. Take that Milan. They take slim fit + double breasted to the next level. And their hair. Way better than mine. While the ladies wore sleek + perfectly tailored everything, they don’t compare to the men in my opinion. Despite the video, everyone we saw was pretty conservative + neutral.. very androgynous in fact. The guys are a bit more feminine, while the gals stick to simple clean lines that don’t promote their curves (maybe it’s the lack of curves?). Even one of the lines in the song-

“A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that”

So I guess that explains it ha. And unlike the video we did not see hardly ANY color (besides the buildings/signs). People love neutrals here. So my lavender/silver hair definitely stood out like sore thumb in the sea of black + brown. While we were in Gangnam (+ the rest of Seoul) we really just explored. We didn’t have a serious agenda so we took our time checking out the streets and eating like 7 meals a day ha. Enjoy some of the pics!

Because there’s always, always traffic!

This one’s for you Lisa Kipp!

Street food noms…

fish shaped treat? It was like a fried, sweet, black bean filled..pastry? Whatever it was, it was GOOD.

So the Coex is one of the biggest, nicest shopping malls in the country..it was like walking through the airport.

Didn’t see that one coming.. but okay, sure. Beer + sushi always go together, silly me! 

Wanna feel like a fat @$$? Try on clothes in Asia. Joe is now a size large.

But this jacket tho.. I WAS OBSESSED.

I mean, it was only $375…

Hubba hubba..

Accidental blue steel.. I mean he’s a natural at the whole modeling thing.

After wondering around Gangnam we ventured to the other side of the river close to Yongsan (the Army base) + began exploring Itaewon market. There were lots of different food choices from around the world + many stands selling cheap Korean trinkets + souvenirs. Off the main road there were shops upon shops ranging from expensive boutiques to sketchy black market retailers. We had fun eating even more street food + again, just wondering about. There were (+ are) TONS of mangy cats all over Korea that just sulk in the alleys + dumpsters, BUT we found out there is a trend in korea called Cat Cafes. I know what you’re thinking, no, they don’t eat the furry creatures at these cafes (probably because they’ve all got the mange!). Since most people in Korea don’t have pets (it’s apartment living throughout the entire country guys) there are these cafes where a feline lover can go + literally just hang out with a bunch of cats. You pay a small cover fee, take your shoes off, + play, pet, feed, watch, or do what ever you do with a bunch of cats for an hour or so. I can’t get over this phenomenon. I mean, WHAT?!? Since i’m genuinely intrigued, I have talked Joe into going to a cat cafe next time, partly so I can get a better grasp on how all this works + partly because I think it will end up being a hilarious story with funny pics. Until then, feast your eyes upon all of our feasting we did while at Itaewon.

We ordered using hand signals. But I could eat the pickled ginger + mandu (korean dumplings) ALL day long.

Okay so it may not look like it in this pic, but my chopstick skills have gone from newb/novice(aka struggling) to apprentice level. Joe has been ever so patient + has only been embarrassed of me a few times.. (sorry not sorry I grew up in the south)

#thestruggleisreal

Korean speaking Turks…

My new dream scoot. I was about 4 seconds close to jumping on with the Korean who owned it.

Getting educated on Lush products.. Korean style! 

Tiniest alley award.

Seems legit…

Cray cray up in here

Like I said the trip had no structured agenda + we knew we would be frequently visiting Seoul, so our trip honestly just consisted of relaxing, exploring, + eating! Overall our favorite food was the street food in Gangnam (sooo good) + our best shopping happened to be the sketchy alley way shops at Itaewon. Next time we definitely want to hit the Korean War Museum + the Seoul Tower that overlooks the entire city. Until then i’ll be wondering around my local Korean market trying to figure out what everything is + we’ll just be taking hilarious selfies while riding the bus back and forth to downtown Pyeongtaek. You’re welcome.

Peace!

xoxo, V