tea time….

This past weekend Nicole and I were invited for tea by our favorite shop owner Sunny. Sunny owns the “TYEN” boutique in Beonsun-dong which just celebrated its 1 year anniversary. 
Sunny’s Apartment site high up in one of the many high rise apartment building scattered about our neighborhood. The apartment was absolutely gorgeous and one of those places that has so many interesting things to look at that you almost feel bad gawking at it all. Sunny and her family are avid music fans which was made quite obvious as we passed the several hundred CD’s nicely displayed near the entryway. 
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Dsc 0303Sunny’s husband is somewhat of a hobbyist and one of those hobbies we were told is collecting handmade teapots from around the world. He literally had hundreds and each one was as intricate and interesting as the next. He was nice enough to be our tea bartender for the evening and offered to us a selection of various Chinese teas that each had a distinct, yet not overpowering flavor. 
Dsc 0310As you can see by the images, the tea was served on tree truck tables that were also a creation of Sunny’s husband. Sunny explained that the trunks are well over a thousand years old and before her husband could sand and treat them, they were dried out for 5 years in one of the factories they currently own in China that produces gums and candies. 
Sunny’s son’s were both a little shy which was to be expected with 2 Americans strolling around their home. Both the boys have their own study area and were very polite hosts the whole night. 
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Sunny allowed me to photo graph some of their home which she was very proud of and for good reason. The art, crystal, and marble walls were all quite impressive and a tribute to their hard work and success over the years. 
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We explained to Sunny as we sipped tea and chatted about life in Korea that we will miss the intimacy that is created in the Asian style of sitting on floor mats around a table drinking tea and eating rice cakes. We also will miss the opportunities to talk with people like Sunny who are so gracious and friendly. It was a very nice night and we were honored to have been invited into such a lovely home with such nice people. Thanks again Sunny!!
How do you build a life around adventure and travel?

Intentionally and incrementally. Most families who live this way did not leap from conventional to adventurous overnight. They built remote work capacity, paid down debt, tested longer trips, and had increasingly honest conversations about what they actually want from their lives. The leap feels bigger from outside than from inside.

What does an adventurous family lifestyle actually look like?

Different for every family. For some it is long-term travel. For others it is weekend adventures close to home. What connects them is intentionality about how time is spent and a preference for experiences over accumulation. The version that fits your family is the right one.

How do you balance adventure with stability for kids?

By finding stability within the adventure rather than treating them as opposites. Routines, rituals, and family rhythms travel with you. Familiar foods, bedtime routines, and predictable family dynamics provide stability even when the location changes. Kids need consistency in relationships more than consistency in geography.

What has travel taught your family?

That people are fundamentally similar across cultures in what they want for their families. That comfort zone is a smaller circle than it feels from inside. That the things worth having in life require effort and discomfort to get. And that time together doing hard interesting things is the most reliable source of family closeness.

How do you handle the pressure to live conventionally when you have chosen differently?

By getting clear on why you made the choices you made and returning to that clarity when the outside noise gets loud. Most families living unconventionally describe an initial period of explaining themselves that gradually gives way to just living the life. The explaining becomes less necessary as the results become visible.


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