Slight setback: paperwork

Well, it seems Sara and I won't be leaving town in the middle of October - paperwork woes have pushed us back to January... a little disappointing, but a good thing is worth waiting for!

Moving to South Korea

Well, Sara and I have made the decision to move to South Korea together. The timeline is as follows:

• Portland has been feeling a little stagnant and the two of us are ready to move on.
  
• Sara is a very good teacher of English as a foreign language, making her employable worldwide.
• In a notably uncharacteristic move, I take a back seat in the planning department and decide to follow Sara to wherever she feels she could get the best job.
  
• Sara has been hired on by the University of California: Riverside extension in South Korea teaching English.
  
• My employer of almost four years is very supportive. I'll continue to work for SeQuential part time, telecommuting, and find part time work in Korea (for a work visa).

Sara's contract is for one year, with a possible one year extension. We'll see what adventures we have - everyone I talk to that has spent time in South Korea loves the country, from the people to the landscape to the food!

San Juan Islands

Sara and I recently were recently on holiday - up to Port Townsend for a wedding (congrats Phil and Miriam) and then up to the San Juan Islands for a Kayaking trip.

Notable moments on the trip:

• Sara meeting my mother for the first time, as well as a large number of cousins. It all went well, of course!
  
• The kayaking was a surprise - I managed to keep the three day long, guided trip a secret from Sara until on San Juan Island, outside a grocery store, our future guide spotted us. She knew two people from Portland were meeting the group on their bikes, so she came up and asked us, "Are you two kayaking tomorrow?" I stammered for a few moments and then, reluctantly, said "yes".
  
• Our guide made up for it later by bringing along a gorilla suit to the remote island on which we camped. After dark one night I donned the gorilla suit and, chocolate cake in hand (care of the dutch oven), sneaked up on the group and yelled "SURPRISE!"

Here are a few photos from the trip:

Our bikes and tent.

Our campground from the water.

Sunset on the island.


Paddling.



A lavender farm on San Juan Island - the best smelling place ever.


Bikes lashed to the ferry.