Happy New Year!

Hello family! I first want to say that I think this is a wonderful idea and if it is as half as good as "theteamreed" I'm sure we will all be thoroughly entertained. I hope you all are doing well and are exited about the New Year! I am!

This year holds so many possibilities for me and Cullen. While I always try to live in the present and not let my imagination get too carried away contemplating and anticipating the future, I have to admit that I have a great deal of excitement built up for 2010! I love Korea and this experience has been life changing for me, but I am ready to move on. I'm sad to think that our travels will be coming to an end, at least for a little while, but I'm thrilled by the thought of being home.

The start of 2010 finds Cullen and I in a regular routine which we have grown accustomed to and are comfortable with at least for the time being. Our days are spent almost entirely with each other, which for some couples may be too much to handle, but we don't have any issues around this fact. I write this as I am thinking how nice it is to have the apartment to myself tonight while Cullen is at Jujitsu. Yes, this is the latest of the martial arts he has given a go since first arriving in Korea over two years ago. He goes every night and seems to really enjoy it. I have continued to do yoga and I LOVE it. It has truly been life changing for me, and if I don't get accepted into grad school school I am seriously considering signing up for an instructor's course in India. We are also both spending a great deal of time running as well. Besides exercise our time is consumed with teaching children why "No, I am. and Yes, I aren't." are not correct responses in English and that the word "fish" doesn't have a "P" in it. We also have a lot of downtime in Korea which I think I will miss the most about Korea. That time is spent reading, watching illegally downloaded material from the Internet (sorry :( but we get no English programming otherwise, drastic situations call for drastic measures) and playing Reed family classics such as Canasta and Phase 10. We just finished the "Dexter" series. I will say that the 1st season was almost too gory and disturbing to get through, but the 2nd season was "I can't get off the couch" good. At the moment I'm reading "The Shack." I know Becky read it about a year ago and if you haven't I really do recommend it. It addresses some of the most important universal lessons in my opinion regardless of your belief system. I try everyday to incorporate most of the themes of the book into my own life (don't do things ONLY out of obligation, accept yourself and what is, see beyond stereotypes, identify influences that work against your freedom to find truth, live to love and be loved, understand that true relationships will never involve a power struggle, identify the indwelling that connects you to all other living things and ultimately to GOD... to name just a few) but there are still a few concepts in the book that I just cannot accept for myself. I would love to have a book club discussion about it when I get home.

There will be a sad day soon in the Reed-Acheson household. Cullen will be selling his bike. It has been a great companion for him and I know he will miss it greatly.

On a brighter note Cullen bought two tickets to see 'The Killer's' live in Seoul in February. He has convinced me that this will be the greatest concert of our lives so we're both pretty excited. I'm also thrilled to have one more weekend in Seoul before we're out for good. It's an amazing city!

Other than that not much else to say. We're winding our days in Korea and starting to plan our next great adventure through China and then our next next great adventure home.

We love and miss you all dearly.

Here are a few shots from our trip to the Philippines.