Reflections: 2 YEARS

Can you believe it has been 2 full years already since we (well, more accurately, I - Michael has a few weeks on me) landed in Singapore?! True story guys. It's actually been a little longer than two years, but between moving apartments and my other writing commitments, it has taken me longer than I wanted to post this. 

Life is funny in the way that things can simultaniously feel like they were a lifetime ago and just a minute ago - and these past two years have been just that. So, loyal LGE followers, I present to you a year in review of some of our favorite photos and trips, as well as a few thoughts and tid-bits. 

Sydney, AUS - Nov 2014

Things we're loving :

Waiheke Island, NZ - Nov 2014

Our home. As I just mentioned we recently moved into a new apartment. It's a big undertaking getting the new space feeling like home (even though it's just across the street from our old place), but we are loving all the outdoor space and open kitchen. We have grilled out almost every evening, making Michael very, very happy.  

Bintan, Indonesia - Dec 2014

Friends. We finally feel like we are building a great group of friends out here. There are so many cool and interesting people in Singapore and we are lucky to be building such a neat network of people. 

Hanoi, Vietnam - Feb 2015

Healthcare. Especially with a baby on the way, we are so lucky to have such convenient, high quality healthcare available here. There are a lot of little things in Singapore that are mind-bogglingly difficult (i.e. ordering delivery food, making dinner reservations and grocery shopping), but the big things like doctors visits, taxes, government documents and air travel are shockingly easy. It's a strange, strange world out here sometimes. 

China Beach, Vietnam - Feb 2015

Things we miss :

Hoi An, Vietnam - Feb 2015 

Family & Friends. Obvi. This year we were so lucky to have hosted both of our families out here in Singapore. It made the 365 days without a trip home much more bearable. The Duvall + Fitz crew, the Duvall girls, my sister, and my parents all made the long journey over to see us and we loved every second. Oh, and a special guest appearance by the O'Dennys as well. 

Beijing, China - March 2015

Fall. I know, I know, white girls love fall, but it's such a wonderful time in the Midwest. In KC especially, the weather is changing, it's peak BBQ season and the Chiefs, Royals and Kansas Basketball are all three magically colliding during this enchanting time. FOMO. 

Beijing, China - March 2015

Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell, Chipotle and Taco Bell. 

Beijing, China - March 2015

Local things we say : 

Singapore - March 2015

Keen, faulty, actually and basically (said in Singapore accent ;), 'how are ya going?', pax, dodgy and alight are some of this years additions. 

Singapore - March 2015

Goals for the year :

Bali, Indonesia - March 2015

Make the most of it! With time flying by at such a rapid rate we want to be sure to live in the moment and make the most of our time out here. I'm sure it will be over before we know it. #NoRegrets 

Tea Trails, Sri Lanka - April 2015

Travel. Trips we still want to take include Japan and a more extended journey throughout Australia and New Zealand.  

Tea Trails, Sri Lanka - April 2015

Expand our circle. We hope to continue to branch out and expand our circle. Plus, I need some mommy friends :)

The Maldives - April 2015

The Maldives - April 2015

Accomplishments :

The Maldives - April 2015

This year I not only changed jobs, but career paths in general. It wasn't always easy and it took many months, but with the love and support of my wonderful husband, family and friends, some very influential books, great photography instructors and a few publications that gave me a chance, I am  so happy to finally be doing something I love. We shall see where my current writing endeavor leads me.  

Singapore - May 2015

Michael continues to thrive at the office, so he would likely say his biggest personal accomplishment  this year is seeing the Rolling Stones live in concert not once, but twice during the same tour :-P

Koh Samui, Thailand - May 2015

Koh Samui, Thailand - May 2015

Favorite Destination : 

Margaret River, AUS - July 2015

We have been so blessed to have been on many wonderful adventures these past couple years, but our time in the Tea Trails of Sri Lanka has been our favorite spot to date. Our time in Margaret River comes in at a very close second. If you ever find yourself on this side of the world, those are the two places, thus far, that have made my heart, soul, stomach and camera the most happy. 

Margaret River, AUS - July 2015

Favorite Experience :

Margaret River, AUS - July 2015

Our favorite day this past year was likely our motorcycle side-car journey in Beijing. The cold fresh air, cruising the Chinese countryside and sharing a bottle a wine at the top of the Great Wall was a day I will never forget.   

Margaret River, AUS - July 2015

What's next? 

Singapore - Aug 2015

Making room for baby! In what will surely be the biggest change in our life, we are thrilled to be welcoming our first child here in Singapore. It will be a crazy, wonderful time and we cannot wait. We are already half way there :)

Singapore SG 50 Celebration - Aug 2015

At this time we are looking to make a move back to the States sometime in the summer/fall of 2016 - soon! Just as we are finally getting settled and comfortable amiright. The exact timing and destination of our next move is not yet set, but we are hoping to be as close to our families as possible while still aligning with Michael's career path.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia - Aug 2015

Questions : 

Angkor Wat, Cambodia - Aug 2015

What ever happened to the laser beam sounding cross walks I wrote about back in week one? I swear I haven't heard one since. What's the point of sweeping the sidewalk so often? Will there ever be a cure for geckos inside the house? What does ERP, AYE, ECP, CTC and the million other street acronyms stand for? Why are the light switches on the outside of the bathroom? Will I ever be brave enough to try durian? Who wants to franchise a Singapore Chipotle with me? Who decided that in Singapore the term 'getting high' actually means getting drunk?!

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Aug 2015

In Summary : 

Little India, Singapore - Sept 2015

Overall, even with so many big changes, this past year has felt more like cruise control as compared to the roller coaster of life as a first year expat. More and more often we have days where we stop in our tracks and make note of how much we love Singapore and the life we have built out here. It's not always easy, and there are many days that make you want to pull your hair out, but we are so thankful and happy to be living this life and enjoying this experience. 

Singapore - Baby Bump back at 17 weeks

Thanks y'all for all your love and support. We love and miss you all every day. Cheers to the next year and many wonderful adventures to come! Lots and lots of love. 

XO,

CD

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The Weekender: Formula 1

Hey guys! Hope everyone is doing well and gearing up for fall. It is fall back in the States right? My only taste of the changing seasons comes from the 12hr delayed football games we get a glimpse of on the weekends. 

The highlight of our weekend here was checking out the Singapore GP Formula 1 race. If you recall, we attended the event last year and were keen to check it out again. There are only a few times a year when Singapore really puts on a show and everyone comes out to have a good time. A quick recap below: 

Being the F1 neophytes we are, we opted for the walk about tickets - meaning we just strolled the area with friends and watched the race from a variety of viewing platforms enjoying the food, beverage and entertainment. We actually attended the preliminary event on Saturday so it wasn't as completely nuts as the Sunday night finals. 

Mike D, super fan :-P

Gearing up for Maroon 5 in the Padang (I may or may not have become a born-again Adam Levine fan by the end of the night). 

Just like animals, animals, like animals-maaaaaaals. PS - it. was. so. hot. that. night. Sweaty Adam. 

Another fun year at the races. 

Sunday afternoon was spent brunching at Open Farm Community - an amazing new farm to table concept in Singapore - and furniture shopping in nearby Dempsey. We had a very productive, very old married couple afternoon. 

I highly recommend checking out OFC. Good food, good atmosphere. YUM.  

I only include this random photo because I thought it was hilarious. Never in my life have I seen a scarecrow construction worker. 

That's all for the weekend folks!

Additionally, here are a couple quick life updates to share: 

1. We are moving apartments next week. Our lease is coming to an end (it's been 2 years already!) and we had the opportunity to sub-lease from some friends of ours who are relocating back to the States. We have been obsessed with the building for as long as we can remember so we are totally stoked. The return of the fratio!

2. We went to the doctor this week to find out the gender of Baby Duvall but he/she was not in the mood to cooperate. Either way, the baby is healthy, growing, moving around like crazy and has some seriously long legs :) The wait continues... 

3. I am about a decade late to the party, but I am in deep to One Tree Hill. If anyone wants to talk about the Season 2 Haley/Nathan saga, please email me. 

 Okay, take care y'all. Love and miss. 

XO,

CD

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The Weekender

Howdy all! Checking in with a quick recap of our weekend. We didn't do anything particularly exciting, but I promised my family I would keep up with the recaps of regular life here in Singapore :)

We kicked off the weekend with a stroll around the Arab quarter and a leisurely dinner at The Beast, Singapore's resident Southern cuisine establishment. Talk about a strange anomaly. 

This past weekend was actually a long weekend due to polling day on Friday, but we both worked from home all day. In Singapore, polling day is a holiday and it's absolutely mandatory for all citizens to vote. The only exceptions are something like if you are in jail or giving birth. 

The US should really give everyone the day off of work to vote, or at least if you can prove you voted. Can you imagine all the amazing election parties?! How do we make this happen?

At The Beast you will find a full bourbon bar, chicken and waffles and live music - a recipe for a good ole' fried, American time. 

Saturday afternoon Michael was off to a basketball game while I was off tasting a new local cafe for my writing gig - rough life I know.  

In local news, we have been battling some serious haze the last few days. The PSI level has reached 250, which is pretty darn bad. We are lucky here in Singapore to typically not have to worry about air pollution, but about this time every year 'the haze' rolls in from neighboring Indonesia due to crop burning, making for a not-so-pleasant couple of weeks.  

Cheesy baby bump mirror pic. 16 weeks today :)

Sunday the full day was spent brunching and watching rugby with some mates and later relaxing at home with a pizza and some Homeland. (Don't worry we haven't converted to rugby fans, we still spent all Sunday morning, beginning in the early hours, watching Saturday night college football). 

All in all it was a fun, social, busy weekend. Now, if only the haze would get better instead of worse, I can exercise outside and open the doors and windows again. 

This can't be good for you... 

Cheers to a great week everyone. Michael and I both have busy weeks coming up, but we are looking forward to checking out Formula 1 this coming weekend. It should be a good time!

XO,

CD

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