been a hard day

Today has kinda been a difficult day. It has been sprinkled with some fun, laughter and excitement, but the prevailing feelings of the day (for me, at least) hasn't been the best.

I think the jet lag has finally caught up to me - after all, we just finished dinner on Tuesday evening and are getting ready for bed and all of Kentucky is just now starting their Tuesday! I think the adrenaline from yesterday kept my tank full but today I'm nearing empty.

Also, since I've already gone public with personal stomach issues, I see no reason not to reveal another culprit of the hard day - the Korean food has gotten the best of my tummy! :) Thankfully we came stocked up with pepto, so I've popped it today like candy!

What has made my day the toughest though is how much I'm missing my girls. It's hard to explain...I've been away from them before for periods longer than what we've gone now, but there's an intensity of missing them that comes from being on the other side of the world. Even as I type that, I feel sick about how far my precious girls are from me. I was able to Skpe them this morning and although it's amazing to see their sweet faces and hear those voices, it makes my heart sad. My Ellee was crying because she "wants Mommy and Daddy home now" and my Addie got choked up for her sister. Well of course Mimi and I were a mess after that! This whole experience also reminds me of the overwhelming joy that filled our hearts when our girls were born. Like I said yesterday, I'll never get over being a Mommy - I can't get enough of it!!

Tomorrow is an exciting day for us and we can't wait for it to arrive! Because we didn't get to see Sam at all today, we ventured out into the city and did the tourist thing. It would be the understatement of the year to say we stuck out - I'm sure we gave a few people some good laughs. I'll share just a few pictures from the day and let you in on a story or two that shows just how American we are! ( I'm sure Lee will make a great video for you to watch, too. Hasn't he been amazing with all the videos he's done??)

First we visited the Changdeokgung Palace...





This place looked like something right out of Kung-Fu Panda!!

Let me back up! First, we tried to figure out the subway in this tiny town of 10 million! We spent quite a bit of time in the sub stations today and wasted a little bit of money by riding the wrong way on a sub or getting off at the wrong station. Whew!

So after the palace, we found a place to eat lunch. I think eating has been one of the greatest challenges while we've been here. Afterall, this is mostly what we look at when making our meal plans...

We found a place that seemed safe enough and order some burgers. Apparently we ordered the "lunch set" and it came with appetizers. We had several bread and dip options and then a bowl of something we weren't sure of. It looked like some type of seafood. Because Lee is the braver of the two (and has a more stable stomach!) I told him to try it. As he tried to cut the mystery appetizer with his knife, I can only imagine what the onlookers were saying. Turns out...it was a wet hand wipe rolled up nicely to clean your hands with after the meal!!! This had me laughing hours after we left the restaurant.

Later we visited the Namdaemun Market...



One thing I know for sure...there's no one else I'd rather make a fool out of myself with than my hubby! We were talking this morning about how much we love experiencing new adventures together! And tomorrow we'll experience an adventure that will last forever...we'll have our son!

PS - I want to say a BIG thank you to everyone who has sent us messages, left comments and put things on Facebook for us to read. You will never know how encouraging it has been for us to hear of all the love and support from friends and family. Everyday, as soon as we are somewhere with an internet connection, we anxiously check everything and read all the comments to each other. It's been so amazing and we are humbled by all of you! May God get all the glory!

Off to bed now!! Tomorrow is sure to be a big day!!