I hope you're not offended. It was just really funny!

Andrew: "You really do refuse to eat Chick-fil-A."

Me: "It's yucky for you!"
Andrew: "I ate it at 8pm. It was amazing."
Me: "Eww...that's so late. Can't you get a salad or something with chicken in it?"
Andrew: "What do I look like? A Chic-fa-gay!?"

Our First Korean REUNION

It seems as though this Autumn has brought forward a lot of "firsts" for me. And I sure am glad!

After one year of being separated, a bunch of the old crew from our days in Korea, made a trip out to Austin to reunite once again.

Dave flew in from Michigan.

Sohyun, Dave's girlfriend, flew in from South Korea.

Jon flew in from Washington, D.C.

Jenny drove in from New Braunsfels, Texas.

Jane drove in from San Antonio.

Andrew and I hosted.

To say we did a lot would be a lie. However we did eat a lot of Austin cuisine (food from the infamous food trucks, lots of Mexican, and even more of that good ol' Texan BBQ), drank a lot of alcohol, and picked up where we last left off in Korea - but this time, in AMERICA. We watched football, ate lunch in a small Texan town called Gruene, and even saw San Antonio and its' infamous landmark - the Alamo. Sohyun rode a mechanical bull, Jon bought a million shots, and we danced around taking silly pictures. At one point, there was even a rugby match in Andrew's room, a guitar session, and a sit-up/pull-up competition.

It was just like old times. The rest of the crew that couldn't make it or who are still living in Korea were sadly missed and thought about often. Cramming a full year apart into a single weekend was simply not enough time for catching up. But that just means we need to get together again, in a new place and with more faces. Glad we could pull it together. And for the record, I still hate saying goodbye...

sweet, sweet baby jesus

Yesterday I had the urge to listen to Christmas music.

...Its not even Halloween.

I'm hopeless.

My First Black and White Ball

Last Friday, I coordinated my first charity event for the non-profit organization, Texas Advocacy Project. When I was assigned this event at work, I knew nothing about the company. But I quickly learned that they did work I could relate to. Texas Advocacy Project provides women in Texas with free legal services to escape abusive relationships. Often times, women will not remove themselves or their children from such relationships because their husband is the "breadwinner", and if they leave, they fear they cannot support themselves or furthermore, fear more threats and receive continued abuse.

The Black and White Ball was a charity event to raise money for the foundation on behalf of the many victims it helps serve. I have recently learned that we collectively earned approximately $171,000 in only a few short hours. I would say for my first charity event, that is a fairly decent amount and I'm so honored to have been a part of it.

Participating in this benefit makes me feel even more proud of my own mother for being a survivor. Its nice to know there are people out their willing to help.

Austin City Limits Music Festival

Austin City Limits is an annual music festival put on by C3 Productions (the company who also coordinates Lollapalooza in Chicago). It is a three-day festival, located in Austin’s own Zilker Park, and host’s eight enormous stages. This year, I was one of 75,000 attendees and we were all there for the same reason: to listen to great MUSIC.

With a great line up on each stage and all artists performing simultaneously, it was rather overwhelming to choose which stage to be present at. But I took my trusty schedule and hopped around the festival solo on Day 1. I was able to skip out of work early on Friday to head over to the festival and catch some late afternoon shows. I saw the Black Keys (one of Andrew’s favorite bands), then half of the Band of Heathens, and Amos Lee at sunset. Finally, I was able to meet up with a co-worker and her friends to see Sonic Youth, one of the original grunge bands. After the show, we decided to leave the festival early and skip out on seeing Phish and The Strokes. So we headed on a long hike back to our cars so we would be rested for the next days’ festivities!

On Day 2 of the festival, Andrew was able to join me as I scored him a last minute discounted ticket from a friend. We started off seeing The Very Best, an amazing reggae band from South Africa, and then we hung around the same stage to see Gaslight Anthem. We took a break to eat some Salt Lick BBQ sandwiches and then off we went to another stage to see Manchester Orchestra. We finally met up with my friends after the Temper Trap show, where I accidentally ran into them. We decided to split up again, and Andrew and I headed to see Gogol Bordello, the very energetic gypsy punk band. After watching everyone dance around, we headed over to see Deadmau5, a famous DJ with an incredible light show who had recently appeared on the VMA’s on MTV. The crowd was full of fist pumpers and a lot of energy. Towards the end of the show, we found a spot and waited for Muse. They sounded incredible live, but Andrew and I decided to skip out a little early in order to beat the traffic. We still had Day 3 to attend!

The final day of the festival was beautiful. In fact every day of the festival was sunny and in the high 80s, the opposite of last year’s rainy, mud fest. We were finally able to meet up with my friends and carpool to the festival. I learned it is very hard to go to a festival with a group because everyone wants to see different shows. We ended up splitting up a lot from the group but we had fun nonetheless. We started off seeing Portugal. The Man, a band based out of Alaska who was really great. Then we saw Gayngs, a reggae/DJ type band who threw joints in the crowd, and then we were off to see The Constellations and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Andrew and I stopped and had another Salt Lick BBQ sandwich (sometimes you just can’t get enough) and we moved onward to catch the end of Yeasayer’s show. Afterwards, we went to see Rebelution (Andrew’s must see reggae band) and after we sawThe Flaming Lips, where the lead singer enclosed himself in a giant clear beach ball and floated over the crowd.

From there, we caught a little of the Norah Jones show and then it was EAGLES time. The Eagles were by far more amazing then I expected. I was really impressed with their musical talents and the fact that I knew every word to each song. We stayed until the bitter end and crept our way closer and closer to the stage. I totally recommend seeing them if you have the chance.

Now looking back, I would say I had a very eventful, musically jammed weekend, and a festival I’ll never forget. Who knew they would be so much fun and worth the hefty ticket price. You’re literally let loose on a few acres of land to dance, party, drink, eat, and be entertained from morning until night. Out of all the bands I saw (and as you can see, there were a lot) I could narrow my favorite down on each day.

Friday – Amos Lee by far. There is something so soothing about his voice and his sound. It just makes me melt.

Saturday – The Very Best. To be honest, there really wasn’t much to their show. It was basically a DJ, a lead vocalist singing over the tracks, and two dancers. But the energy was high, the sound was great, and I was having a good time.

Sunday – The Eagles. As I said before, there show was a blast. Between their incredible guitar skills and their soothing harmonious vocal blends, you couldn’t help but be sucked into the power of music!

I already can’t wait until next year! I already proposed that Andrew and I base our future vacations around music festivals all over the world. Needless to say, he didn’t put up a fight.

WILLKOMMEN

Ahhhh....Fall is here and along for the ride is Oktoberfest. Andrew and I headed down to my favorite little Texan town called Fredricksberg for the best annual Oktoberfest around. We had German food, German beer, sifted through German crafts, and were entertained by German bands and Czech dancers.

This was by far, one of our best dates ever together. The weather was beautiful, we were both in good spirits, and it was October - one of the best months of the year. You best believe we will make it down next year! Maybe someday we'll actually make it to Germany for the real Oktoberfest!

Music at Hills Cafe

The end of summer is officially here.

This past Wednesday, the 98.1 KVET Summer Concert Series showcased Texas star Kevin Fowler as their final performance. After a summer long series, the Hills Cafe has hosted hundreds of rising local stars, free of cost, every Wednesday night under the big oak tree. This annual series brings in music enthusiasts of all kinds and from all walks of life. So whether you come to Hills Cafe to listen to great music, eat the tasty comfort food, drink a few tall boys, or meet up with your friends, you won't leave disappointed.

Once Andrew and I learned that we could no longer experience the free music that we had become accustomed to week after week, we raced out of work and headed down to Hills as fast as we could. The show turned out greater than I had ever imagined and Kevin Fowler managed to pack in a full house.

Although I can't remember his name, I did make a new friend. He insisted on calling me his little sister all night. This was fine by me because if someone got in my way, my cowboy friend was always there to take care of business. Sometimes when you're in a crowd of people that big, it's good to have a somebody around to help you out. In my case, I had not only a big brother but a big brother cowboy. This is yet another reason why I have come to love Texas.

So, I am sad to report that there will be no more free summer concerts at Hills Cafe in Austin, Texas this year. But I am excited for next year's series to begin. Thanks Hills for helping me move one step closer to becoming an Austinite.

I couldn't resist but to post this Andrew quote:

Cassandra: "Do you wanna go to the grocery store with me?"

Andrew: "No, I'm watching Oprah."

What our friends had to say after I posted it on Facebook:
September 13 at 5:37pm

Susan Sturm, Devon Lee, Sarah Neville, Shannon Mitchell, and Austin Miller like this

Jee Yeon: oh Andrew

Andrew Miller: ‎#1. It was the first show of her last season.
B. After 25 years of being on the air, I owe her at least one show.
#3. I was stuck to the television because she was going to give the audience a secret "prize." How can you walk away from an Oprah secret prize?
Paul Simon also played a very touching song to Oprah. It was special.

Cassandra: oh i just love the way you count

New Hobbies are F-U-N

Since I am living with a Andrew, a guitar playing fool, I have found myself dabbling with the idea of playing again. At the ripe age of whatever you are as a sixth grader, I awoke one very glorious Christmas morning with a beautiful guitar under my tree. (Santa was extra good to me that year.) At the time, I happened to be a singing fool. I mean, I always was an entertainer. One could often find myself parading around the house as a toddler with a fluffy tutu skirt, ultra glam sunglasses, and a jump rope (the jump rope being the best part as I would sing into the handle as if it were a microphone and hold the long chord with my other hand, twirling about as I performed).

But this was different. I really wanted to be able to sing, play, and create my own songs. Little did I know that unlike my dazzling singing skills, I had no natural-born guitar talent. This was a wake up call.

After banging around endlessly on a guitar I had no idea how to play for an entire year, my amazing Aunt Kristina who always had that "can-do" attitude bought me guitar lessons. You could only imagine my excitement. Every week, I met my guitar instructor (who looked more like a guy seriously lost in the 80s) and we went over the basics. I learned how to play chords and notes of all kinds and from time to time, I would go home and perform recitals for my family. My biggest downfall came with practice. No one told me I would have to give up play time to learn how to play guitar. Unfortunately, the guitar didn't keep me interested enough to stay dedicated.

It wasn't long before I landed my very first roll in the school musical. I happened to play the enchanting Chinese immigrant (with a full solo) in a production titled "Freedom Bound", a musical about people from all over the world who moved to New York City to start a new life. With rehearsals falling on the same night as my guitar lessons, a choice had to be made. Being the busy bee that I was (and still am), I chose focusing my energy on singing.

Now, with a zillion years having passed by, I feel some sort of regret for not sticking with playing the guitar. But it just happens I still own one, a guitar my real dad gave me as a 16th birthday present. I haven't been able to let it go all of these years because it's the only thing he's ever given me. The vintage style Fender has given me new inspiration. And being in a grand city such as Austin, music capital of the world, I'm not looking back. Admittedly, I don't practice every day. But I would say that I give a good hour about 4 days a week. So far, I've managed to successfully learn one song written by Band Perry, titled "If I Die Young." And last night, I started teaching myself a song called "She's like Texas" written by a local Texan band called the Josh Abbott Band. Lucky for me, I've chosen two songs that incorporate the same chords. I happen to be getting really good at them!

Next on the list to master: playing AND singing at the same time. It's a lot harder than you think! Don't judge.

SWAMP PEOPLE

I probably would have never heard of this show if I wasn't dating a boy who was obsessed with the History Channel. I also wouldn't have known about this show if my boyfriend's family wasn't from Louisiana. But the truth is they are. And we are COMPLETELY addicted to the new show, SWAMP PEOPLE, aired every Sunday night at 9pm central.

I like to consider this show a crash course in Louisiana speak. Them "Good ol' boys," as the locals call them, really talk in an insanely fast mumble that is mixed with all things Cajun french. There is also no acting, just true honest, hard working people trying to make a living. Hunting alligators for them is not a sport, it's a way of living and its also a tradition that has been passed down for generations. And ya know, it's really no different than my family deer hunting in the north. I just think alligator hunting is a little more on the dangerous side. I could never see my dad hauling a dead "gatar" over a boat.

But in addition to the crazy talk, the astounding southern food is something to not pass by. Since living with Andrew, I've been exposed to a whole different style of cooking. I can't say that it's my favorite, however it is tasty for the most part. When it comes down to it, I guess I'm really just not a huge fan of all the butter and grease - and neither is my body at that! But after careful observation of Swamp People, I have found myself trying things like the infamous fried alligator on a stick. (And in case you were wondering, it was delicious.) Mrs. Bonnie (Andrew's mother) has also prepared a Texan version of Jambalaya and Crayfish Etouffee, both incredible meals.

So thank you Swamp People, for opening my eyes, teaching me the lingo, engaging me with Louisiana culture, and for filling my tummy.

And Mr. T-Roy, I think you're awfully swell. Don't ever change. (Please also tell Mr. Bruce Mitchell that I look forward to his bib-overalls with no shirt look every week. Thanks.)