Five Years Ago: Of Road-trips and Proposals

The week following Melissa's graduation from the University of Wyoming, Mike and Melissa loaded up the Dodge Neon and hit the road for Southern Utah. Always up for beautiful scenery, fresh air, dreamy hikes and adventures the couple was eager to celebrate the upcoming summer vacation and Melissa's life as a college graduate (Mike was on a 5 year plan, engineering will do that to you).

The road trip began with Mike and Melissa passing through the snowy border of Wyoming and Colorado and eventually arriving in Southern Utah where they would spend a week exploring Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and the surrounding towns and outlying areas.

A couple days into their trip, on May 9th, 2007, Mike got a bit persistent that the couple take on Angel Falls. A trail in Zion National Park that promised a gorgeous view of the area and had a small reputation of killing hikers who missed their footing during the last stretch to the main outcropping.  In an oddly whiny and pitiful mood, Melissa agreed but huffed and puffed her way up the trail nervous she would soon be a statistic in Zion National Park's brochures.

Fortunately, the couple made it to a large outcropping and rather than chance their way to the very top opted to stop for a bit of a photo shoot showcasing dives off the cliff piggy-back rides, the Lewis and Clark pose and a few others.

Five Years Ago:Of Dating and the L-Word

Since their first date a couple months back in mid-February, the Harrington duo as we now know them would have spent the past few months dating and awkwardly letting their friends and family know that they were in a serious relationship. As many may know, Mike and Melissa had a relatively quick dating era since they'd previously worked together at a summer camp and traveled in a third world nation together, they figured they more or less understood the others strengths and weaknesses and general character. Not to mention, Melissa's gut instinct had kicked in and convinced her that Mike Harrington would become the man of her life and sweep her off to far away lands...such as South Korea.

But, before all of that played out, dating progressed. And typical to the dating scene, M'n'M spent many nights watching movies, grabbing bites to eat or simply studying across from one another. However, a few dating moments (or more accurately, moments from the months of dating) stand out and bring forth warm and pleasant memories of days long ago.

Early in the dating lives of M'n'M the couple made their way to Ten Sleep, WY for a Cabin Spring Break Extravaganza. Beginning with a stop over in Wheatland, WY to celebrate Easter with Melissa's parents, grandparents and three of many-soon-to-be-cabin- spring-break friends (Caylee, Jordan and Andrew), the day included receiving stuffed bunnies from Melissa's grandma and hiding plastic Easter eggs for grandparents to find.

With the holiday celebration concluded, M'n'M and friends continued onward to the Harrington Cabin which lies just 5 miles outside of Ten Sleep, WY (home of the great, Nowoodstock Festival). For the week that followed, M'n'M enjoyed the company of various friends coming and going, home cooked meals, snowshoeing adventures, dumpster diving behind thrift stores and plate-licking good Pi Phi (grasshopper pie). If M'n'M weren't sure of their feelings for each other before this March 2007 Spring Break outing, then by the end of the break they were well convinced that not only did they fancy one another's company, but they found that the potential in-laws were equally agreeable individuals.

As the spring semester of 2007 progressed, M'n'M's love began to blossom as things in the spring do. Between study and movie dates at Mike's shared apartment with his sister Katie and

A Very Belated Valentine's Tradition

For four years of Valentine's Days as a Mr. and Mrs., Mike and Melissa have consistently opted to dine in rather than out. While dining in is not particularly rare for the couple, cooking together is indeed, rare. The reasons for this center around a) Melissa's love for cooking and being in the kitchen and b) Melissa's love for cooking and being in the kitchen and c) Melissa's slight inability, especially in the early days of marriage, to keep her mouth shut regarding others strange kitchen and cooking habits...aka, a lack of grace and gratitude.

However, a few years of marriage have toned down Melissa's critical nature but not released her from her love of cooking, so it remains, Valentine's Day is always a sure bet for a meal, cooked together by M'n'M.

Unfortunately, or fortunately considering the circumstances, Valentine's Day required a delay this year. On the actual 14th of February, the couple was enjoying a visit from friends and fiery red dalk-galbi. Shortly after the holiday, the couple enjoyed a vacation in Vietnam. Upon returning, they were soaking up time with yet more friends and finally began a new semester and new routine which wasn't ready for couple cooking until a few weeks in, and that, dear readers is why Valentine's day was belated.

Therefore, on the eve of March 25th, the couple set out to prepare and enjoy the Valentine's tradition which began with soft, Black Forest Cheese courtesy of Time World Galleria, crackers and Crab Apple Wine courtesy of August Vacations at Home and Prairie Berry Winery of South Dakota.

Read more and discover the menu...

Purposeful Dining in Vietnam: Sozo Cafe

Having earlier enjoyed the Lonely Planet recommendation of Houng Lai Restaurant for the days lunch, Mike and Melissa were eager to check out another Ho Chi Minh City dining option.  Sozo Cafe was described as a place to get doughy cinnamon rolls while once again serving disadvantaged families from the area.  Knowing that they'd be setting out early the next morning for a Mekong River Tour, the Harrington duo decided that a late night iced choco and bubble tea were just the thing to end a good day, not to mention a doughy, homemade cinnamon roll would make the morning bus trip that much sweeter and easier to handle.

Quite near their hotel and in the heart of the backpacker's quarter, Pham Ngu Lao on the main street Bui Vien, Sozo Cafe can be found with an inviting case of muffins, brownies, cinnamon rolls, cookies and much more.

Interestingly, when reading through the menu at Sozo cafe, one quickly learns that the cafe started as nothing more than a street-cart offering home-made cookies to foreigners and has now blossomed into a multi-story cafe with more than just cookies!

In addition to the sweet treats and coffee drinks, Sozo offers a few handmade braclets, necklaces and earrings made by another set of Vietnamese people, most of whom are blind or disabled. A great way to pick up some gifts or souvenirs and make sure you're giving back to the community.

Purposeful Dining in Vietnam: Huong Lai Restaurant

Perhaps it goes without saying that one of Melissa's greatest joys comes in the form of either food preparation or food consumption. While visiting foreign lands, it is always the goal of the Mrs. to find something great and incredibly tasty to feast upon.

Additionally important to the Harrington duo is spending their money in as wise, compassionate and sustainable ways as possible. Therefore, when the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring Guide Book highlights a restaurant as not only serving "beautifully presented traditional Vietnamese food" but also as a restaurant where all staff "are from disadvantaged families or former street children", you can bet your money that the Harrington's will set out in search of said restaurant.

Having toured Notre Dame Cathedral and the near by Central Post Office, the couple made their way Ly Tu Trong St. and began searching for a sign that would notify them of their arrival at Huong Lai Restaurant. Before long, the sign was spotted and the couple was ascending the wooden staircase into an incredibly quaint and cozy second floor restaurant of dark wooden tables, brick accents and white walls.

Wait staff spoke adequate English and were happy to recommend the Chili Lemongrass Pork and Fish Sauce Chicken both of which were bursting with flavor and absolutely delightful on this February afternoon in Ho Chi Minh City. Always ready to try something sweet, the couple then finished the meal with Che (a traditional sweet bean soup) and Homemade Longan Ice Cream

If you find yourself in Ho Chi Minh City, wanting to eat a delicious and purposeful meal for around $5US, Huong Lai Restuarant is an exceedingly fine choice.

Five Years Ago: Of First Dates

A couple months ago we shared the story of falling, in the love that is. But that was just the feeling part of things, the part that encourages a couple to pursue further hanging out, generally under the umbrella of just friends so that days and nights can be spent wondering at the possibilities and fearing that these butterflies will soon be buried by a broken heart. Fortunately for Mike and Melissa the butterflies were left to flutter as the man Harrington took to seeking out a creative and expressive way to assure the lady that he was indeed interested in pursuing a relationship.

Taking the advice of a good, wise and mutual friend (David Atwood), the man Harrington opted to send letters suggestive of upcoming joys and dates that Melissa would soon enjoy but each signed 'Future Melissa' AND written in distinctly different writing than any of the previous days notes or any writing Melissa had from the man himself.

Convinced it was Mike, but swayed to suspect a creeper by some sorority sisters, the week of mysterious letters continued, leaving Melissa feeling eager, anxious, excited and a touch nervous. On the final day, just a few day's after Valentine's Day, Melissa received a note from her 'future self' which included a line much in this fashion:

Tonight, I enjoyed an evening of stargazing after meeting a ridiculously good-looking man under the sun of the science building.

Sincerely,

Future Melissa

Just in case future Melissa wasn't as trustworthy as present Melissa's sisters and gut instincts, Melissa headed out with a couple sorority sisters to the science building where she saw none other than the man Harrington waiting to accompany her to the University of Wyoming Planetarium which would highlight not only various constellations, but also provide a rollicking good laser show.

So it was, under a starry night that the man and woman we now know as Mr. and Mrs. Harrington admitted to themselves and the 'world' that they were ready to proclaim a relationship status and move beyond awkward friend to, awkward couple (some things never change).

Five Years Ago: Of Falling

Five Years Ago on the 23rd of December, Mike and Melissa sat with a group of four friends hoping the weather would clear and they could board their plane for Southeast Asia. The semester leading up to this point had the crew researching politics, culture, economy and the environment of Southeast Asia, as well as the skills necessary for conducting ethnographic research.

As a group there were mixed feelings about being so far from home for the upcoming holiday mixed with great anticipation at exploring an unknown land and meeting her people. As an individual, Melissa was facing feelings of a different, unexpected sort. Having sworn off men for her entire college career, she was surprised to find herself crushing on the "quiet guy". Having spent the previous summer working alongside this humble soul in the beautiful mountain space that was HR Wilderness Camp she knew the depth of his kindness, quiet wittiness and ability to tackle mountain-man-esque activities with a vengeance, however she was surprised to feel her heart quickly falling for Mike Harrington.

Having made it out of Denver regardless of extreme winter weather conditions and safely landing on the opposite side of the globe the whole crew set out to discovering the lay of the land and the hearts of the people with packs on their backs. Days of trekking through villages, meeting village chiefs, monks and loads of children did little to distract Melissa from the ever growing desire to catch the eye of one particular gent.

The trip took shape with a number of memorable episodes including a night at "Spider" monastery, joyfully sung Christmas carols from the mouths of children, avocado smoothies, Buddha-filled caves, traditional foot massages and the expressive faces of so many beautiful people.

As the trip came to a close and Mike and Melissa spent some last moments with the tour guide and his wife, Melissa confidently claimed that her college singleness would take her well into her adulthood. With a knowing look in his eyes, the guide made eye contact through the rear-view mirror where only Mike and Melissa sat as the rest of the team went by taxi and spoke a set of prophetic words while glancing between the two "Or maybe not."

When asked about falling in love, Mike is often unsure of an exact moment. Melissa however knows that each day of that fateful trip during the winter holiday of 2006-07 had her falling more and more in love with one quiet, humble, god-fearing soul.

It wouldn't take long before those feelings came spilling out in all their raw honesty...but that dear readers, is a story for next time.

Five Years Ago: A Series

Mid-July 2008 the Harrington's began making their mark on the world wide web via 'blog', first with their introduction quickly followed by a piece on CouchSurfing, the more exciting aspect of thier lives at the time.

The Harrington Times has since captured numerous CouchSurfing stories, memory-making with family and friends, epic Road Trips, World Tours with a World Cup Game thrown in, followed by life in Korea, nights at the norae-bang, and falling in love with a dog among many other stories and memories.  However, a series of stories have not yet been told in this place.  Those are the stories of falling in love, of engagement and of marriage.

In September the Harrington's celebrated their fourth complete year of marriage (with friends and as a family) and entered year number five.  That means, five years ago, a lot of things were in motion for Mike and Melissa to become The Harringtons.  Therefore, we at The Harrington Times have deemed it a worthy journalistic pursuit to record and relay the story of the Mr. and Mrs. whom ensure this blogspot remains active and alive.

So, with the backdrop set, stay tuned for the first 'love story' which began just about Five Years Ago.

The Problem with Distance

...is that life keeps moving forward on both sides of the globe.  Not only does life move forward, but life (or lives) also end.  Unfortunately, this isn't a new phenomena for the Harrington's.  They've said their fair share of 'good-byes' from 6,000 miles away in the 15 months they've lived in South Korea. They've shed their tears, grieved and mourned, yearned for home, questioned the choice to remain at this distance and wished they weren't forced to carry on as if nothing happened so quickly after such significant loses.

The day after Thanksgiving (Korea time), the Harrington's took in the news of perhaps the most tragic of all the loses they've suffered while living abroad.  Thanksgiving morning, a young, lively, opinionated but kind-hearted, would-do-anything-for-anybody gentleman passed from this life to the afterlife.  The boyfriend of Melissa's dearest sister, an eager host and companion during the Harrington's arrival in Denver, trip to Cheyenne, shenanigans in South Dakota and return to Denver during thier August 2011 trip, Ryan left an admirable and favorable image, one greater than he may ever know.

Hearts are breaking, attempting to heal, mourning and grieving in Denver, Colorado. Hearts are breaking throughout the United States and on the otherside of the globe in ways that are unexplainable.

If you have prayers or positive thoughts to share, send them toward the multitude of friends and family who loved and continue to love Ryan, and please, add an extra dose for Melissa's dear sister because that's what Melissa needs from her community.

A Private Anniversary of Sorts: Daecheong Lake, Daejeon

Having enjoyed their anniversary in the company of students, new friends and established friends, the Harrington's deemed it necessary and acceptable to set an evening aside for themselves. The couple loaded up the car with their faithful side-kick Lady Annyeong and a picnic dinner before making their way outside of Daejeon to Daecheong Lake.

The two enjoyed a simple pesto pasta, hard boiled eggs and home-made ginger ale on the lake shore before taking some time to explore this particular nook of the lake and capture a few 'family photos' while the lighting was perfect. The exploration of the lake shore not only offered serene scenery and opportune photo shots, exploration also included a healthy dose of adventure, particularly for the Lady and the Mrs.

Assuming walking along the edge of the lake would provide the easiest route to meet up with the man for continued exploration Melissa soon found herself carrying a dog and facing a tree that effectively prevented her from continuing along the lake shore. Hardly phased, Melissa opted to go around the tree and continue on...however, in a country such as Korea where the forest floors and mountains are actually quite thick with vegetation, this proved a difficult and formidable task. Within minutes, angry vines were lashing out at both Lady and Melissa, preventing the ascension to higher ground. When vines weren't grabbing clothes and hair, cobwebs were in the waiting ready to stick to increasingly sweaty skin. A close look at one of these webs inhabitants resulted in a shriek and quick escape back to the lake shore where the Lady and the Mrs. chose to back track completely before finally arriving in the presence of their beloved Man.

Together, as a family, free from vines and spiders in their hair, the trio explored some safer ground, captured a few family photos (that's correct, the photos are post vine wrestling!) and made their way into town to enjoy an evening of video games (for Mike) and wine-sipping (for Melissa) with a couple of friends.

And so began the fifth year of marriage.

Celebrating Anniversary #4 in Community

As the new contract years have begun for Mike and Melissa Harrington with Melissa at a new school a few new friendships have presented themselves for the taking. Now at Samcheon Elementary School Melissa has had the great pleasure of meeting a variety of Korean teachers with excellent English. One such Korean has recently married and ultimately is one of the first 'perfect' Korean couple matches for the Harrington duo, Anxious to do dinner together and bring their husbands face-to-face as well, Hyeon-hui and Melissa set a dinner date for Wednesday September 7th, the day of M&M Harrington's 4th year wedding anniversary.

So it was, on the night of the 7th, the Harrington's made their way by taxi to MBC, a Korean broadcasting company to pick up Hyeon-hui's husband Hok-chol and make their way to a Korean restaurant that specializes in Bamboo Rice. However, prior to the main event of rice steamed in a reed of bamboo the couples enjoyed a wide array of Korean and Fusion side-dishes including squid ink jap-chae (absolutely amazing!), raw fish, kimchi, cheesy corn, pork, salad, spicy squid and octopus, baked fish and much more. Additionally, the couple enjoyed conversations about food, sports, Korean military service, love, life and happiness.

Following this full and enjoyable dining experience the Harrington's headed home and enjoyed a bit of Korean wine with their semi-permanent-at-the-time Sofa Sleeper, Aaron.



All things considered, for the Harrington's this manner of celebrating a wedding anniversary was entirely enjoyable. Continually amazed by the blessings of friendships they enjoy and the community of friends and family that so faithfully support their marital union, the couple couldn't be more content to welcome in the 5th year building new friendships and enjoying an established one...not to mention, the coming Korean holiday of Chuseok would guarantee the couple a few opportunities to celebrate their relationship in more intimate and personal settings.