Catching Up

It's the same every year no matter how hard I try to change it - the Holidays are a crazy time for both work and home.  This year was especially hectic with a much-anticipated trip to Disney World on Dec. 19th.

Let me take a few minutes to recap the past month or so.  Nov/Dec 2012.  

Thanksgiving Assembly

Thanksgiving is a good place to start.  This year, Thanksgiving was a BREEZE because Tae asked TJ (his Chef Partner at Du Jour Bakery) to make the turkey and stuffing.  So all I ended up making were the sides.  It's always a nice time for the girls when we have family over and they get showered by everyone's love and attention.  Lauren also participated in a lovely Thanksgiving Assembly at school where she rocked her songs.  Her love, passion and enjoyment of life in general is so evident in her performance video here.  I hope she never loses these amazing qualities.

Christmas Card Photo 2012

Next, Christmas!  This is the second year I did a photo Christmas card.  I always thought they were so cliche and impersonal.  But two years ago, I had a change of heart.  But I compromised.  I steered clear from traditional holiday pictures like those of children dressed in red Christmas sweaters in front of a Christmas tree for example.  I also personalized each card by handwriting a note on the back of each card.  One day, the girls decided to play dress-up (a very, very rare occurrence in our household) so I snapped a picture of them and decided this would be the perfect Christmas photo this year since we were going to Disney World for the Christmas break.  E is dressed as Aerial (The Little Mermaid) and L has on Cinderella's wedding dress. 

Then comes our first trip as a family to Disney World!  I have to say that throughout our trip, I don't know who had more fun - me or the girls!  I grew up going to tons of amusement parks (my dad was a huge fan) so some of my best childhood memories involve amusement parks.  I booked this vacation six months ago in June and made all dining reservations in June as well.  In my true fashion, I had our vacation organized in a spreadsheet.  We dedicated one park per day as to not get overwhelmed.  We did Magic Kingdom on our first day, next was Animal Kingdom, Day 3 was Hollywood Studios, the next day was Epcot, and our last day was spent at Magic Kingdom again.  I researched each theme park and came up with a list of "must do's."  We were ready to go!

We decided not to tell the girls about the trip and make it a surprise.  It was more for our sanity (we cannot stand, "Is it tomorrow?  When mommy?!?!?") and not necessarily to do this massive surprise for them.  I picked them up an hour early before dismissal on the last day of school before the holiday break Dec. 19 and took them home.  They were excited to see their suitcases packed!  We told them we were going on a plane to Florida.  Once we finally arrived in front of our hotel The Bay Lake Towers at The Contemporary Hotel (cab ride, bag drop line, security line, the flight, Magical Express) Tae and I decided the time was right to do the big reveal.  I got my camera ready to record their reaction and...it plopped!  When I announced that we were at Disney World, Lauren replied, "No we're not."  After a few more similar back-and-forths like this, I stopped my attempt to get that perfect reaction I anticipated for six months.  

Needless to say, we had an absolute BLAST.  They became princesses, experienced new rides and sights, slept late (!) and I suppose most importantly, spent 24-7 with their mom and dad.  I even got to go on one of my favorite rides of all time - The Tower of Terror - by myself while Tae stayed w/ L & E.  Lauren went on two pretty intense roller coasters with me.  One was Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and the second was Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom.  Space Mountain was a crazy experience because I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  Lauren and I bypassed the 90-minute wait with our fastpass.  When I finally got to the front, I asked the family behind me if they knew anything about this ride.  They said no, that it was their first time.  Then I asked the family in front of us.  The teenaged daughter said she knew and began to explain.  She looked at Lauren and told me, "She won't like it.  My brother is 7-years-old and he was crying when he left."  I told Lauren that we didn't have to do it, that we can just leave, etc but she told me that she wanted to do it!  I was so proud of her!!  The ride ended up being a four-person single-row spaceship ride so I couldn't even sit next to L.  But she sat up front, I sat behind her, and held her hand from start to finish.  I LOVED it.  Lauren looked like she saw a ghost after the ride.  When Tae asked, "Do you want to go on it again?"  She replied, "No."  Regardless of that final answer, I have a feeling Lauren will be my roller-coaster buddy.  


We left Disney World on Christmas day.  L & E weren't sad to leave because we told them Santa came last night and left presents for them and we had to get home ASAP to open them.  By the time we got home around 4 PM, our family was there with tons of presents under the tree.  It was a perfect vacation. 

Secret Santa 2012

Of course the Holidays wouldn't be complete without the Annual Secret Santa party that has become a deep-rooted tradition between my core group of friends, otherwise known as The Six Pack (Christina Pak, Pamela Han, Lillian Son, Lucie Cho and Ruth Kim).  Chris hosted Secret Santa 2012 and as usual was such a fun evening.  I was Pam's Secret Santa and Lil was mine.  With the addition of Ayla, we have eight lucky children who have now taken center stage.  Our loves.

New Years Day 2013

Finally, ringing in the New Year.  Happy 2013!  We took the girls and my mom to a Twilight New Years Eve dinner at the Club.  Then Tae and I stayed up to watch Times Square on TV as we have been doing since the arrival of our children!  On New Year's Day, my mother and brother came over to enjoy an amazingly delicious New Year's Korean feast which my mom cooked.  The girls put on their Korean dresses and did sae-bae.  So cute.  I wish my family, friends and colleagues the most amazing year yet.  Happy New Year!