Joanna Gaines recently got to give her family a proper taste of her heritage, and it couldn't have been more special.
While the star's home base is Waco, Texas, and she was born and raised in Kansas, she is Korean-American, born to an American dad, Jerry Stevens, and a South Korean mom, Nan Stevens, who emigrated from Seoul, South Korea in 1972.
After years of dreaming and planning to finally have a family trip to her mother's home country, the moment finally came true, and she opened up about the special trip with her followers.
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Joanna took to Instagram to share a glimpse of the special vacation, posting a video montage from the family's time in Seoul. Aptly set to The Cranberries' 1993 hit "Dreams," the video shares clips of the family's time abroad.
Though the Gaines' usually opt to keep their five children – Drake, 18, Ella Rose, 16, Duke, 14, Emmie Kay, 12, and Crew, four – out of the spotlight, the video sees glimpses of them greeting their Korean family members, partaking in traditional activities, donning traditional Korean garb, and visiting various beautiful monuments and structures.
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"For years, my mother has talked about taking her three daughters to Seoul, Korea when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom," she wrote as the post's caption.
She added: "And for years, that's all it was – a dream we'd talk about in that 'maybe, someday' way we all do when something feels just a little out of reach."
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As it finally came true, she wrote: "But this year, we decided to finally book it, and we convinced 24 members of our family to come with us to visit the place where my mom grew up."
© InstagramJoanna noted: "We met family we've only ever seen pictures of. We saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom. We walked the same streets my mother did as a young girl, and then again as a young woman with my dad's hand in hers."
She concluded: "In a lot of ways, this trip felt like coming home. Somehow, connecting with my mom's past made my own story feel more complete. Feeling grateful for every moment this trip gave us."
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