Greetings from 2009!

2008 has officially departed from us here in Korea, and it's been quite an adventure so far. We just got back from the New Year's celebration at city hall here in Daejeon, and it was quite an event. They ring in the new year in a very literal sense...In the courtyard of City Hall, just beside where they had the stage set up, was a traditional-style building with a 20-FOOT BELL inside that they actually ring when the clock strikes midnight (and then several times afterward). Oh, and did I mention that there were THOUSANDS of people gathered around the area for the party and subsequent fireworks display. We arrived just 5 minutes before midnight, so we didn't get to see much of what was happening onstage, but we were positioned in VERY close vicinity to the fireworks site, which was AWESOME....except for the fact that the remnants of the exploded packages rained down on us as we attempted to take pictures. I'll post some pictures as soon as we get a chance to sort through the shots from the night...we took several hundred that need sorting.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass along a good old Happy New Year to everyone from us, and we pray that your 2009 holds as much adventure as ours promises to (just in your own special way).