KCC 2014

We have made a promise to the kids that no matter where are in the world we will make sure they get to Korean Culture Camp, a promise that so far we have managed to keep.
The kids love this week more than anything else and when they get to camp they have a blast. They have even said they'd trade Christmas and their brithdays if they could go to camp every day of the year. Pretty impressive endorsement! There are a few hundred people involved and this year the number was close to 500. The camp is made up of K-6th graders, teen helpers, volunteers and a dedicated kitchen staff of which Tom has become immersed.










This year was a bit different as we were also trying to get several moving home items accomplished, like kids physicals, gymnastic and Taekwondo try-outs, meeting with our contractor at the house as well as a battery of test for Jimmy to determine which electives and regular classes he would be in, it was to say the least tiring.





The week started off we a super fun birthday/lunch with Grandpa & Grandma Murphy and a trip to the park. The kids love going on the zip line that Grandpa introduced them to a couple of years ago, however this year due to size constraints, Jimmy was unable to participate (ie: his knees hit the ground). No worries however as he had just purchased a new guitar and with the help of Grandmas phone and a wifi connection he was able to figure out which note which each string was and then proceeded to tune the guitar and has been playing non-stop ever since!











The trip was full of constant motion going to camp, visiting friends and family. Every night we had dinner with a different group and shared stories and caught up with everyone's busy lives, we also missed seeing several of our friends and family as there is only so much time, the good news is that we are moving back so we can catch up then. What is a visit back home without sleepovers, events flowing from one to the other and generally wearing ones self out with all the fun!











The main event however was KCC and participating in the camp and all the activities that it has to offer. The camp starts each day at 9:30, we however needed to arrive at 9:00 due to Tom being in the kitchen. We also had the good fortune each day to bring Lesia our 4th kid for the week, to camp with us and her and Kay kept up a constant banter about the cute teen helpers! The kids participated in traditional Korean Dance, folk songs, and their favorite class, self esteem, they think it rocks.

No vacation is complete without a vacation within a vacation and so we spent the night at Wade and Angela's celebrating Angela's birthday, the number does not matter, but it is getting close to one that does, enough said! Kay taught Angela the correct way to do a back round off and how to present to the judges. Her parents made dinner, appy's and even provided fireworks to round out the evening.

The evenings were spent with friends and enjoying great food, company and generally just hanging out. The kids got to see a bunch of old friends and they all are excited to move back and restart their school careers in the Hopkins school district. The final Sunday afternoon was spent with The Orvedahl's, sort of like how Madonna, Beyoncé, J-Lo go by one name so goes The Orvedahl's,  a super fun high energy great family. The kids swam, we caught up with Doug & Jennifer who were celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary! In all the commotion and playing there usually comes a defining moment that sums up the whole day and while the kids were playing Hide and Seek, Sean snuck into the kitchen and grabbed a juice box out of the fridge, we asked him what they were doing and explained that while the rest of the kids were playing hide and seek he was sitting on the couch drinking his juice box playing hide and relax!

It was a great primer for the move home more to come...