Birthday Good Times!

Guys! I'm 30!

                                             

Bye twenties, it's been real! Now it's time to be a THIRTY SOMETHING. I can't believe it, but I'm pretty pumped. It got off to a good start, and I think good things are in my future. I've had a very 30 life so far, I think.

For daytime activities yesterday, I went to the "pool" down by the river here in town with my friend that has 2 super cute kids with his Korean wife. She was working, so I offered to help with a pool outing. I should have taken a picture, but I had a handful of baby so I never got around to it. The "pool" is more of a wading pool type situation that is open to the public in the summer. It has a weird shape to it and the water comes up to my knees and is probably filthy. But, whatever, I'm up for anything! Not getting any younger!

So we get everyone suited up, load up the stroller, grab some afternoon Starbucks like all good Koreans do, and walk on over to the pool. Because it's summer, it's packed and there are tons of little kids there, all wearing a swim outfit. I think they're called rash guards? Most of them had on swim caps as well, you know, to reduce drag while swimming. Also, my friend and I were the ONLY adults there wearing bathing suits and were the only adults in the water. So, it was a little awkward, but we just put on our foreigner blinders as one does when pretending to be normal in Korea. We got some stares from the Korean moms but come on...who's really the weird one? You're at a pool in the middle of summer NOT in a swim suit. I was nice and cool, that's all I'm saying. Anyway, I sat in a little corner with the 7 month old baby and had a fabulous time splashing around and yelling at Korean children that got too rowdy. I like babies, especially cute ones, but I am not well versed in proper pool care for them. I guess my friend isn't either because we made some rookie mistakes. We didn't put her in a swim diaper so the regular diaper she was in swelled to an absurd size and literally exploded, which made for one unhappy baby. Oops! Once we got her calmed down, it was time to go and the other one, a 2 year old, was NOT having it. He had a freaking meltdown! Did not want to leave the pool and was not going to without a fight. I got put on stroller duty and happily walked away with the diaper-less baby.

Anyway, I felt like it was a pretty fitting outing for a 30th birthday and I actually had a fantastic time. For dinner, I went to my favorite, Korean bbq and it was, as always SUPER DELICIOUS. God, it's seriously the best food in the whole world. I would eat it every day if I weren't afraid my arteries would explode. After, I found out they now have orange, peach and pomegranate flavored soju, which made for a fun evening but a pretty harsh morning. So then, I was SUPER 30 and slept pretty much all day long today. Those all day hangovers are real, and they are vicious.

Oh! And on Sunday I had a lovely little party that SY planned, since he has to work until 10:30 during the week. We had the fancy Korean bbq (do you see a pattern here?) and a yummy cheesecake with candles and everything. Fancy means it's expensive meat but actually in a cheesy traditional, sit on the floor restaurant where you get serious meat sweats but keep eating anyway because it's so freaking delicious. I got some really nice, sweet presents and had a great time! I'm really happy I got to be here, in Korea, with my SY.

Also, I had super awesome birthday nails! 

So that was my 30th birthday. Diaper explosions, meat sweats, and peach soju. So Korean...I really needed some noreabang (karoke room) but since it was a weeknight, we will have to save it for another time.

Also, I share my birthday with a lot of cool people. Actually, it's kind of absurd how many people have my special day. I don't want to mert any more. It's me, a high school friend, a college friend, a Spoleto friend (when I interned there), a camper I once had in a cabin, a friend I met in Korea, the late great Jackie O, Korean actor Jo In Sung and singer of the fantastic "Kiss Me Thru the Phone," Soulja Boy. It's an ecletic list. I'm in good company, though.

Anyway, my vacation within a vacation within a vacation starts tomorrow! Headed down to Gyeongju tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be nice weather cause it was a stormin here today.

Dream big, people!