We're comin' to America!

Yay! The time has finally come... I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning for my long trip back home to Indiana. Adam has to work another week and a half and then he will be home too. I have layovers in Tokyo and Chicago, and if all goes well I should make it to Louisville on Thursday night. My layover in Chicago is 6hrs, which kind of stinks - but, I am meeting my old college roomie, Angie, at the airport to hang out and catch up :-) Can't wait! I'm also looking forward to the cold weather since it is summer all year long in Singapore. We can't wait to see all our family and friends over the holidays!!
Happy Birthday Dad!

Gold Class

Saturday night Adam and I had the most awesome movie theater experience! It is called the Gold Class theater. We watched the movie Four Christmases. While the movie was hilarious, the seats and service were amazing! Each person got their own recliner...soft and comfy, complete with a blanket. We opted for the full experience and ordered a 3 course meal. They served us throughout the movie, and the price for the food was cheap compared to eating out at a restaurant. I had mushroom soup, a cheeseburger and fries, and brownie a la mode. Adam had a caesar salad, hot wings (go figure!), and some chocolate/banana dessert. Yummy! You would think that being served throughout the movie would be disruptive, but the seats were so spread out with tons of room between rows, that you hardly noticed the servers. The total bill was about $110 US for everything...not your typical night at the movies, but definitely worth it!

So many blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We celebrated big-time over here. We invited all of Adam's co-workers over to our place and rented out the function room of our apartment complex. One of the other wives and I did all of the cooking and had a great time. (Ok, so Adam deep fried 2 turkeys.) I think the guys really appreciated it since they were away from home and their families this holiday. It sure beat rice for Thanksgiving dinner! We even introduced Thanksgiving to some of our friends from the UK.
We are so thankful to have the opportunity to live in Singapore and experience life on the other side of the world! We're looking forward to getting home for Christmas to spend time with family and friends.

Preparing the bird

the feast

Shirley's chocolate "rats"

That's a no go...

So we were not able to go to India. We had dinner with some friends from Singapore the night before our scheduled trip to India, and one of them asked us if we had our Indian Visas. Adam and I had heard nothing about this, so Adam checked into it the next day. Turns out, everyone entering and leaving India has to have a special Visa. For Americans, the process usually takes 5 days in Singapore. Seeing as how we found out the day our flight was supposed to leave, we high-tailed it to the High Commission of India here in Singapore and waited in line to beg if we could speed the process up a little:) Ok a lot! We only had 5 hrs until our flight left. We called every number we could find that we thought could help us, but same answer - it takes 5 days to process. Needless to say we were a little upset. Adam's company flies people all over the world on a daily basis. You would think that they would mention it to us, but I guess we were supposed to know that on our own. Luckily, I was able to get a refund for my plane ticket, which we had to buy. So, if anyone plans to go to India, you have to have an Indian Visa!!

Other exciting news...everyone is having babies! Congratulations to Mark & Rachel, Ryan & Jennifer, and Shelby & Eva. We can't wait to come home and see the little ones!

Off on another adventure...INDIA!

Tomorrow we are headed off to Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India. Adam has another class to attend and it is only offered a few times a year, and this is closer than the US. So, thanks Transocean for another vacation!! We leave tomorrow and will be back the 16th. We've been warned that it will be an eye-opening experience for us with the lifestyle and huge population. We'll take lots of pictures as always and update the blog when we return! Have a great week:)

Happy Halloween from Singapore!!

Halloween has come and gone on this side of the world. It was a fun one. Adam and I realized that since we have been together, we have never dressed up for Halloween! This year, the local shipyard rented out a boat for Adam's company and we had a Halloween dinner cruise around the harbor here in Singapore. We were really hoping to win "best costume," but maybe next year.

Our "cruise" ship

Inside the boat

Farewell

We took Mom and Brian to the airport yesterday morning, so they should be landing in Louisville as I write this. We had such a great time and are so thankful that they came to visit us! On their last evening in Singapore we went to a bar on the 70th floor of the Swissotel...the tallest in Singapore. Even though it was a cloudy day the view was amazing! After a couple of drinks, we had one last Chinese meal. Beginning the countdown until I return to Indiana for a month :) Only 6 1/2 weeks for anyone who cares!

Gettin' fancy before the hotel

Me and Momma on the 70th floor

Brian tried out driving on the left side of the road

10K run

Sunday was the Great Eastern Women's 10K race here in Singapore. I ran the race in just under 1h20min. Not particularly fast...but it was my first 10K. Much room for improvement, right? There were 10,000 women in the 5K and 10K races combined! My other races have been much smaller.
Other news...Mom and Brian are leaving tomorrow :( One more day of fun time with the family and shopping on Orchard Rd. On Friday, Adam and I are going on a Halloween cruise with his company. Just an evening of dinner and fun. Any ideas for costumes???

Ready to run

Starting line

Nearing the 8K point

Brian enjoys the famous ice cream sandwich

Visitors!

Well, Mom and Brian have made it to Singapore safely! They arrived late Saturday night and we have been having fun since! Adam is working and I am playing tour-guide. We have eaten local food, visited the Flyer, tried out the fish spa and been to Chinatown. Here are some pictures from our adventures so far:

Just off the plane

Fish spa

Fountain of wealth

A Taste of Home

Two weeks ago we were able to go home to Texas for a week. Adam had to attend a class in Houston. We had a great time seeing friends, eating Mexican food, and shopping at Target and Wal-Mart again!
Highlights of the trip:
- Seeing Jeff, Holly, Collin and Annalyn! We missed you guys!
- Hanging out with our friends from work.
- Eating Mexican food (twice) and hotwings (3 times!).
- Me going back to work for a couple of nights ( I know, but I missed it!)
- Seeing that our house was still standing (and Mallory is taking good care of it:)
- Going to the Army vs. Texas A&M football game ( too bad Army lost:( )
- Enjoying cool evenings/nights!
- Being able to call family/friends at normal hours instead of trying to time the 13hr difference just right.

Adam and Collin

Adam and Jeff


Me and my girls from work:)


Military Appreciation Day at the Army/A&M game


We had a long layover in South Korea and walked around Seoul for awhile...It's everywhere

Good news in Texas

We heard from Mallory, our renter, today and there is minimal damage at our house from Hurricane Ike. Part of our fence blew over and one of our small trees blew over. Luckily that is it!
We're looking forward to our time in Texas next week. Our friend Jeff is home from Iraq for his mid-tour leave. He was able to meet his 7 month old twins for the first time last week! We have made plans with him and his wife Holly to meet up for lunch when we get in town. Looking forward to seeing our friends:)
Have a great week and happy birthday to everyone who is a year older this week! Mom, Brooke, Ashley, Paula and Kit!!

Weekend Fun

Friday night we hosted a BBQ Bible Study at our place. Several couples from church came over and we showed them an American BBQ. Adam grilled burgers and chicken and everyone pitched in with other dishes. We had a great time and are meeting some amazing people!
After the BBQ, we moved inside and introduced them to the Nintendo Wii. We all had a blast:)

Adam and Elgin playing tennis on the Wii

Saturday, we went over to Sentosa again (small island directly across the harbor from Singapore and part of the country of Singapore). We walked along the beach, rode a ski lift up and rode the luge down the big hill. We also went up in the huge Merlion.

On the ski lift


Wayyy above the treetops

Getting ready to ride the luge

The giant Merlion

Keep Texas (and our home!) and Louisiana in your prayers as Hurricane Ike finishes its destruction on the area. We spoke with Mallory, our renter, yesterday and she had packed up all the yard furniture and headed north for the weekend. I know millions are without power in Houston and the news has been saying that it could be weeks to 2 months before all power is restored. I haven't talked to any of my friends in Houston yet, but we're hoping things at the hospital are going as smoothly as possible considering the circumstances. I know many of them are going to be at work for days; pray for their well-being and the awesome job they do! (Miss you guys:)
We will be coming back to the US next week. Yay! We have had these plans for a few weeks, but it is good timing to be able to go back home and check on the house. Adam will be attending a class for work. It will be good to get a little taste of home...and stock up on some much-missed American items (hot wings and country music on the radio!!!!)!

Bangkok, Thailand

Adam and I spent a long weekend in Bangkok, Thailand, and had a blast! It was such a cool trip. We got to see first class hotels and third world living all in the same day.
The 2hr flight there was so quick after flying all the way over here a few months ago! As we checked into our hotel, we learned the Thai way of greeting...folding your hands together and bowing - so cool! Our hotel was beautiful, and staff were there to wait on you hand and foot. One man even ran the elevators as his only job!
Since we were only going to be in Bangkok for a short time and we knew nothing about it, we booked some guided tours to make sure we saw the interesting sights of the city. On the first morning we took a boat ride down the river and into the canals. So many people live in these shacks built up on stilts right along the canals. Some even still use the river to wash their dishes...we have picture proof! At the end of the canal we stopped to check out a "zoo." It was kind of a sad place...run down and dirty. But we did get to hold a monkey and see snake fighting (2 of the 3 "must dos" on Adam's list!). After the river tour, our guide tried to smoothly talk us into buying at some of his favorite stores by telling us where we were going next was a "surprise." After stopping at the custom tailors and the sapphire jewelry store, we informed him that "surprise," we want to go back to the hotel - no more shopping for ridiculous items!
Next we took a taxi to one of the largest malls in Southeast Asia called Siam Paragon. It took 45mins in a cab, but only cost $7 US (approx 200 Baht). We quickly learned that traffic in Bangkok is TERRIBLE!
Friday evening we went to an original Muay Thai kickboxing fight (the 3rd "must do" on Adam's list), with VIP seats. During one of the fights, one fighter's shoulder dislocated twice and they just popped it back in right there in the ring! A few bloody noses and cuts to the face...Adam was happy we saw blood. After the fights we went to the huge Night Bazaar (night market) and shopped around for awhile. Adam tried some crocodile steak for dinner there as well. It was pretty good...tasted like tough chicken.
We spent Saturday morning on a temple tour. There are over 400 temples in Bangkok, mostly Buddhist; we saw three! All the architecture is so ornate and shiny.
That afternoon, we tried out the spa at our hotel. Adam got an original Thai massage...the lady was walking on his back! I opted for the gentler version, but parts of it were still painful!
On our last night, we went to a dinner theater show. The show depicted Thailand's history. The stage and props were amazing, as well as the costumes. The stage even had a "river" in it. It rained, people canoed through the water, and one man jumped in for a swim during the play. Very cool! Also, elephants are the symbol of Thailand, and in the middle of the play, 2 elephants were paraded through the aisle of the theater. How crazy is that? Before and after the show, the elephants were available to feed and ride.
All in all, it was an awesome weekend! So glad we went there!

2nd Largest Buddha in Thailand

Adam at the Lamborghini dealership in the mall

I can't believe I'm this close to an elephant!

What's the deal Singapore????

Ok, so if I go into another store and have to leave to find an ATM to pay with cash because they won't accept credit cards (after all my items are scanned and in bags!), I'm going to scream so loud that you all will hear me on the other side of the world!! Sorry for the tantrum, but really, what is the deal? I thought the world was trying to be more digitalized or whatever you call it. I can't even count the number of times this has happened to me. I guess I'm supposed to carry hundreds of dollars in cash on me so that I can pay for overpriced groceries...

On a happier note, Adam and I moved into our new apartment yesterday. For those of you who didn't know, we got evicted from our last place! Haha. Long story... We moved over here into a furnished apartment. A month into it, our landlord tells us that he is replacing all our furniture because the lady that leases the furniture wants it back for herself. Well, he replaced it all right. With his old college furniture. Ok, so it wasn't that terrible, but you would have to be a dwarf to use our coffee table. Adam was upset because it was of much lesser quality than the previous furniture, and the company was still paying the same price for it. He tried to get the landlord to replace some of it (for example, the "Japanese Queen sized bed" that Adam's feet hung off of), but the guy refused and told us that he would not renew the lease with us this October.
So, now we live right near the ocean in a furnished serviced apartment (which means we get a maid 3 days a week to change towels and do light cleaning). All in all it is a better deal:) Here are some pictures from our new place.

The pool is just a few steps off of our terrace:)

Other news...I have registered for a 10K race in October and am back into the running thing again.
We have found a church that we really like. It is huge (1200 members)! We met with the pastor this week and are going to be having bible study once a week with him. We met several other couples from church and joined them for lunch last week after the service. Next weekend we head to Bangkok, Thailand for a long weekend. It's so cool that it is only 2 1/2 hrs on a plane and we will be in Thailand.
We have also been watching a lot of the Olympics. Go team USA!

"Queen of the Lanes"

Yes, I was named "Queen of the Lanes" Friday night at a bowling tournament. Adam and I were on a team with two of his co-workers and bowled against other workers from the local shipyard where they build the oil rigs. Our team, the Transocean Tigers, did not win, but I sure won for highest score among females! Yep, I'm pretty proud of that shiny trophy:) I guess that one semester of bowling at IU came in handy.

Here are some other pics from our fun night out.

Adam warming up

Another STRIKE for the "Queen" :)

Kuala Lumpur

We had a fun trip to Malaysia. The coach bus we took was like flying first class. Plenty of room, dinner included, and TV screens in the seat in front of you to pick from movies and games to play.
Saturday, we spent the day seeing the highlights of the town. We went to the Petronas Twin Towers. We weren't able to go up the observation walk because they only give a limited number of tickets each day. We browsed the mall at the base of the towers, then headed to Central Market, a shopping complex of local vendors. We also visited their Times Square (basically just a big mall with an indoor amusement park) and the bird park. As we were walking to the Bird Park, a group of monkeys ran out in the street and we kind of followed them around for awhile. It was so cool to just see a bunch of monkeys running free in the city!
We both got massages at our hotel spa and went to dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse.
We hope to go back for another weekend to see more of the city. Apparently there is an elephant sanctuary and some caves tours that Adam wants to try out, but we didn't have time this weekend. The nice thing is that everything is much cheaper in KL than it is here in Singapore!

On the bus, ready to go!

Look at the monkeys!

Adam chasing the peacock at the bird park

Lunch at the Gasoline Cafe where you sit on the floor and eat