Wipeout!

I don't know if you have ever seen the show Wipeout, but if you haven't I would really recommend watching it before reading any further. 

http://abc.go.com/shows/wipeout/

Because today we LIVED Wipeout, in all it's splashy, loss of body control glory... although, without the punching wall.

This course is set up in Bong-mu park, in the lake by our house.  Yup, the same one that I run around each morning.  And I have been looking at this set-up longingly each day. 
 

So basically there are all of these floaties out in the lake, tethered to the shore and to each other in one long floaty, undulating course.  And if that isn't hard enough, it is wet.  And slippery. 

And WICKED fun! 

Part of the W25,000 entrance fee also pays for one boat ride each.  Here are the kids and Mr. Jolly, the grade 3 teacher.

And here I am with the big kids. 

Our boat guy was crazy, and whooped us all over the lake.

How do I always get roped into going on these things?  Oh yeah, it is because I volunteer to go :)  Hey, someone has to be a little crazy!

So FUN!  Also, behind us you can see the new apartments they are building.  When we left last June, they were just starting these.  Hopefully next year we'll be living in one of them.

It is hard to tell from the picture what I am doing, but can you sort of see the three floatie gray rectangles?  Well they are about the size of couch cushions, and there are 9 of them tied together.  The point is to run across all 9 without falling in. 

I can only get to 4.

This one is like two floating trampolines with the long blue tube connecting them.  Again, the point is to run across, without falling in.  Keep your eye on the guy in the life vest...

Whoops! 

We spent four hours playing on these crazy things, and by the end we had just about lost control of our limbs.  It is really tiring trying to haul yourself up out of the water all day, and eventually you just beach yourself like a whale and wait to be pushed back in.

On the walk home the kids used these- they are air jet shoe cleaners- to dry themselves off. 

R-man is double fist blow drying his shorts. 

And a good time was had by all! 

 

Hi All!  We are back in Korea, but I wanted to share this last picture that I took in the US, at Stop and Shop in Bedford.
You can see a bit of HomeGoods in the background.  I had a last minute craving for French Onion dip, and so Gary was nice enough to humor me and run in to get some.  So I had time to watch this lady park.  In the van access.  Twice.  She actually backed out once, and I thought that she was scooting her car into the correct spot, but no, she just straightened out her car.  And then looked around to see her spot, got her green bags, and left.  I am sure she was thinking, What are they gonna do? 

We had been to the Yousu World Expo in June, with the summer school students, but I couldn't put pictures on there, because they were all pictures of students.  This time, it was just all us teachers and families, so anything they do is fair game... These are the cute welcome ladies.

The Expo has this huge display called, can you guess???

The Big O.  No joke, that is what it is called. 
The theme of the expo is saving our seas, so maybe O for ocean?  or Odom?  

There were also these three ladies on tall bendy poles.  They did all this cool swaying and they would push each other back and forth.  It looked really fun, but they wouldn't let us try.

There was also this big puppet thing that was operated by a crane.  Now, if you saw a show titled The Big Man show, wouldn't you think it was this guy? 

So did we. And we waited for about 15 minutes for the show to start, but... nothing.  So instead we got in line to go into the Posco building, an exhibition put on by one of the steel companies in Korea.

Inside the exhibition was this huge circular room, and if you stood in the center you made a light shadow on the wall.  This is R-Man.

Then there was a crazy movie with this really big bubbly guy, and he melted into butterflies, and they turned into fish... I know, just like a Dead show... 



and then out came this big guy dancing, it was HILARIOUS!

R-man, Pooks, and their new friend...

The World Expo was really an amazing experience, and if you ever get to go, I would recommend it.

We were special guests at the USA pavilion, which meant we could cut the line.... OK, that was actually better than it sounds, the line was over an hour wait.  Our video was beautiful, and had images from lots of places in the US. 

Our fabulous teachers and families.

After the USA pavilion and lunch we headed over to the China pavilion, where we were NOT special guests, and had to wait about 70 minutes.  Luckily we had great company to talk to.  As we neared the end of the line we met this friendly guy, who's name is not Bob.  However, the initials for his security company are B.O.B.  so we called him BOB.  He was super friendly and let the kids stand in the A/C gushing out of the building. 

And this is Bob's friend, Bob.  They wound up calling over the China photographer who took about 50 pictures of the kids, and is probably telling everyone in China about those crazy Americans who call everyone Bob. 

Because the Expo was ending in three days the place was packed.  So we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked, but we did get to the kids place, again, and it was just as much fun.

The first room of the kids pavilion is a room filled with flour, which you are supposed to sprinkle on the floor and draw cute little bunnies and butterflies in.  Unless you are US.  Some got more into it than others...

Making a flour angel.

Doing barrel rolls...

Wicked FUN!

The next room is grain.  Don't ask me how the Koreans come up with this stuff.  I mean, who thinks... hmmmm... let's get a big room, fill it with grain, and let kids in.  And why didn't WE think of it?

because it is really fun to play in, and a great way to end the day.

Tomorrow we start year 3 of DIS, and we are so happy and thrilled to be here.  This place is amazing, and if you are ever in the neighborhood, please drop in and say, HI!"  You don't even have to call first!

xoxoxo 

PS, please remind RGP that it is Oktoberfest time!  :)  xoxoxo







Summer of Love 2012

Finally finished with our trip home.  We started our summer trip, which started in NH for the 4th of July, and the kids summer party.  These things and the week we spent in NH went by in a whirlwind, so we thought we were going to head down to FL to relax a bit by the beach.  Instead we got a three hour tour (a three hour tour....the weather started getting rough.... ), thanks to Uncle Jay and some nasty weather on his only day off.  Why does that happen?  I think it is Gary's fault.  We were planning to take the boat out and get some scallops, instead we got rain burn.  However, we did get to visit this FL state park, where we tried to find shelter from the lightning.  Thanks Jay, because ANYONE can take a boat trip in sunny weather, but it takes someone really special to go out in thunderstorms! 

The next day we decide to try scalloping from shore, because on a clear and sunny 90 degree day Uncle Jay had to work.  We lose our shoes in the muck on the way to the bay, so we brave it barefoot.

Is that a scallop?  Nope.

Is that a scallop?  Nope.

We wound up finding zero scallops, and had to go out and eat that night.  Maybe next year.

Next day, banana boating with the cousins. 

Time for some serious fishing from the pier.

Everybody caught some.  Although R-man said that he was done fishing because, "those fish have learned."

You know you have been gone a long time when stuff from home starts to look foreign.  So here is the piggly wiggly, a grocery store where we ran to get some supplies.  The first time we came here was the day of the fishing storm and, of course, the power was out.  You would think that might hamper business, but surprisingly it didn't.  Today, however was bright and sunny.

Perfect pirate weather.  Unfortunately, no one knew who this pirate was, or why he was outside of the store.

Big Iced Honey Buns, made by Sweet Bunz.  Now that is FUNNY!

Still not into these.

This is a mason jar with a screw top, hot glued to a glass stem.

I want to be right fancy :)

Look how wide the aisles are! 

Para sailing! R-man and Jay.

See 'em up there?

Pooks, Hannah and Gary.

Love this tourist stuff!

The date on my camera is off (it must be on Korean time) because this was my birthday lunch.  Bub's was on Man vs. Food

http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/man-v-food/episodes/indianapolis

and Adam ate the Big Ugly burger.  Of course when WE do a food challenge it is as TheOdom4! 

The Big Ugly Burger, and David's Big Dog (which we persuaded him to get, and then ate half of :)  Did we beat the challenge?  YUP!

I had to add this picture of the hotel pool rules, not for the rules, but for the numbering/lettering.  They go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, G, H.  Which would be fine, but G is the 7th letter of the alphabet.  DUH!

David and Sarah's wedding.  I am sure he will be posting tons more pictures, and mine didn't come out great.  Just know it was beautiful and WICKED FUN!

Last couple of days in NH... got to see some Fisher Cats Baseball.

Two New England greats:  Hood and Sam Adams.

And of course, the third annual jump off the dock photo.  It was a great way to end our summer trip.  Tomorrow we head back to Korea for another year. 

Not to get all teary eyed or anything, but I want to thank everyone for helping to make our summer amazing.  We make the memories that keep us going for another year when we are home.  We all look forward to the things we do with YOU, the 4th of July (and completely legal fireworks), ouzu shots at the kids party, golf-carting,  swimming at the El Governor and getting smoothies, trying on glasses,  trampolining (and resulting sprains and swelling), Nerf gun wars, Goldenrod's, drinking Octoberfest in August, talking, laughing, spending time together, and of course, jumping in the lake.  So THANKS!  Because this was definitely a summer of LOVE! xoxoxoxo