Zoo, Fernbank Tour

I told you Christina, Nari, Stephen, Charlie and Lena would be able to do more touring on their CityPass.  Today they saw Zoo Atlanta and Fernbank Museum of Natural History.  They added something intersting to today's adventure.  They took a taxi between the Zoo and the Museum, and then they took a bus and the Marta train to Dunwoody Station to meet me, so they got a taste of public transportation in Atlanta. In Korea, kids from an early age take mass transit to school.  And middle and high schoolers use taxi's, buses, and trains pretty often for shopping and recreation and getting together with friends.  So when they come to the U.S., they feel handicapped and overly dependent on adults having to drive them around if they are to go anywhere.  It's hard for them to get used to.  We have trains and buses here, but they are not nearly as numerous or as convenient as in places where the population is more dense.    

CNN, GA Aquarium, Coke Tour

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and everyone was out of school, so we helped them put together a downtown tour. I wanted to go, but I had a cold so I just played taxi driver that day. Thanks to our grown-up niece, Christina, who played the role of guardian, the kids were able to go and have a good time. They bought a CityPass and saw three places today: CNN Headquarters, The Georgia Aquarium, and The World of Coca-Cola.  They have a week to use the pass, so they'll try to use their CityPass one more time.  Looks like fun, doesn't it!

Stephen's Birthday

Stephen turned 15 today! Yes, if you are counting, that is another birthday. We had 4 birthdays in one week at our house! Duk-Sun's birthday was on the 7th, but she volunteered to wait until February 14th to celebrate her birthday. Back to Stephen. He's coming right along. Stephen has impressed his teachers (and us) with his amazing progress at school. He's making better grades than you would expect for such a short time here. He must like his science teacher a lot because he's making A's in her class. He is mild-mannered and has a great sense of humor, and a contagious smile.

Christina and Hannah

Here is Christina, Duk-Sun's niece with Hannah at Kennesaw State University.  Christina and Hannah are cousins, and Hannah is actually Christina's daughter Nari's Aunt, even though Hannah is actually 6 months younger.  This is because Duk-Sun is the last born child of 9 and she and I were blessed with children late in our life.  Christina will take several classes which last for 2 months. 

Hannah's 6th Birthday

Our little girl, Hannah is growing so fast! She turned 6 today!  She is crazy about horses and so she wanted a cowgirl hat and boots for her birthday, which we got her.  Actually, she wants a horse really bad, but that's a little out of our budget, so she was happy to get the cowgirl gear.  She is a Roy Rogers fan, and she's saving her money to buy her own horse someday.  We love you, Hannah!

 

Charlie's Birthday

Charlie (Gyeongmin) Kim has been here such a short time and he already had a birthday.  He turned 16 today!  Charlie is adjusting well to life in the Spillers' home.  He has a ways to go with language learning, but he seems dedicated and serious enough to accomplish whatever goals he makes for himself.   We are happy to have Charlie with us.

 

New Years at Red Top Mountain State Park

We just had to get out of the house. The winter whether keeps you shut in so much, we got out for some much needed fresh air and...sunshine? More like liquid sunshine. Still, the temperature was mild and we had a great time. It being Sunday, I took my iPod (I have Bibles in there.) and we had a devotion at the park. It was a long walk, but it was so good to exercise!