The Weekender: Birthday 3-0

Greetings all! 

Just a quick weekend summary of our activities this past weekend. The highlight of the weekend was most certainly my birthday celebration - the big 3-0! EEK! The day was absolutely perfect, but definitely on the more low key side of things. If you can imagine, being 6 and a half months pregnant doesn't really scream 30th birthday rager ;)

 

We kicked off the weekend celebrations early with a lovely dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, BoCHINche, on Friday evening. It has become one of our favorite spots with its location just down the block, open fire kitchen and a to die for provaleta chesse dish that will change your life.

 

Saturday morning I was up early to attend a much anticipated Christmas wreath making class with the lovely and talented We Make Floral Magic. Going to a flower arranging course has been on my wish list for quite some time now, so I thought why not treat myself to some crafty fun on my bday.  

Two and a half hours flew by in a blink - I seriously could have stayed there all day it made me so happy. While I was thrilled with the outcome of my wreath and learned some great tips, I still plan on taking a more proper floral course. I feel like it's a good life skill to have, ya know? Classes are not that easy to come by here in Singapore.

Ta-da!

  

In true birthday fashion, I got to choose the cuisine and location for all of our weekend meals - including a Mexican place down the street that I love and Michael hates. What a good sport ;)

 

Thanks for the beautiful flowers mom and dad! <3

 

Come Sunday after candles, cake and presents it was time I pass the torch and attention over to Michael. 

For the third year in a row he ran in the Standard Chartered Half Marathon! You may recall that we did the race together the last two years (here and here), but in my current state I am semi-retired from the sport of running so Michael was on his own.

I cheered him on from the sidelines like a very proud wife. Michael did an awesome job considering the heat (90 degrees plus) and the fact he has been insanely busy at work and unable to properly train.  

Go, Michael, go!

The rest of the day was spent napping (for some reason I thought I earned a 2+ hr sleep as well), making dinner and recovering from a busy, joyous weekend.

Thanks to my wonderful, sweet husband and everyone for sending me so many birthday cards, texts, calls and notes on my special day. So much love. 

We leave for the States in 6 days and I'm no where ready! Tis' the season. 

XO,

CD 3.0

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Thanksgiving in Singapore

Greetings y'all! 

We had the most wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving here in Singapore last week. We certainly missed our families on what is arguably one of the best holidays of the year, but had a lovely time celebrating with friends in the Little Red Dot. 

Kicking things off on the actual Thanksgiving holiday, we hosted Michael's colleagues at our place for a casual American BBQ (we thrive at grilling, not full-blown Thanksgiving cuisine). 

We haven't made much use of our upstairs 'fratio', but with the semi-cooler weather that comes with the rainy season, it was the perfect evening to break it in.  

Grill-master Duvall :)

I unfortunately didn't get any photos from the gathering after the sun set, but we had a lovely evening eating good food, chatting and enjoying each others company. Humble brag: I like to boast that I am able to successfully host a dinner party without such modern necessities as a car, Costco membership and a dishwasher :-P

The rest of the weekend we were crazy busy bouncing between various activities, lunches and dinners. The highlight however was a proper Thanksgiving meal(!) on Saturday. This is sadly our third Thanksgiving away from home, so we were thrilled at the thought of turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie. 

A huge thanks to our lovely friends and hosts. Do you have any idea how hard it is to put on a classic Thanksgiving spread, complete with a turkey, here in Singapore?! It takes weeks of planning and sourcing and she, and everyone else who brought dishes, absolutely nailed it.  

Somehow Michael scored the honor of carving the turkey :)

Lovely group of ladies.

Cheese. 

We finished off the weekend by grilling (some more) and relaxing at home. We are definitely needing some extra rest before we head home for the holidays. And let me tell you, I'm really looking forward to some cooler temps. I spent this afternoon sweating in 91 degree heat while shopping for Christmas gifts. Oye. 

See y'all soon.

XO,

CD

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Weekend in Hong Kong

Hey all! 

Before things spiral out of control in the name of December, I wanted to provide a quick recap of our recent weekend in Hong Kong. 

Michael and I both love going to HK. Michael pretty much goes once a month for work, but it had been awhile since my last trip. It's such a crazy, buzzing city full of life and wild sights and sounds. It has a palpable energy not felt here in Singapore - it really reminds us of NYC (except, ya know, super Asian). 

The reason for the trip was a wedding of two friends of ours. They had previously gotten married in the Italian Apls, so the event in HK was more of a reception celebration. It was set at the beautiful Sheck O Country Club and the entire event was a beautiful celebration of love and friendship. 

A recap below: 

We stayed at The Pottinger, the most chic, charming boutique hotel ever. It's located in Central HK, just between Lan Kwai Fung and The Escalators - perfect for shopping, eating and wondering. (Side note: yes, I am carrying a bag full of Jenny Bakery cookies and yes, we waited in line for 35min to get them. I'll be writing a full review soon). 

The city was certainly not lacking in the Christmas decorations department. Even many of the downtown skyscrapers were totally covered in lights and decor.  

Stop for tacos, oops. The western food in HK is excellent, btw. 

A few outtakes for potential Christmas card photos. Michael, go stand over there! 

Are we done yet?

A couple pics from the wedding. 

After the celebration on Friday night we were invited to an intimate bunch on Saturday morning. We dined at Serge et Le Phoque which was out of this world insanely good. Highly, highly, highly recommend checking it out if you can.  

A stroll through the Wan Chai market after bunch. 

One final dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Posto Pubblico and that was a wrap on a lovely, exhausting, whirlwind weekend in HK. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving back home! I know we certainly have so much to be thankful for. We celebrated the holiday a bit with a casual BBQ at our place with Michael's office and we're headed to a proper feast on Saturday (no days off to celebrate here in Singapore!)

Only 2.5 more weeks until we are back Stateside! I hear the weather will be turning just in time for our arrival ;)

XO,

CD

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Babymoon: Koh Samui, Thailand

Hey guys! Don't think I forgot about you. All is well here in Singapore. The haze has finally lifted and things are progressing well with Baby D. Time is flying by like crazy, as it always does this time of year.   

The other weekend Michael and I took a much anticipated trip to the beautiful, sleepy island of Koh Samui, Thailand. With various obligations and plans from now until we return from our Christmas travels in the New Year (and I am no longer allowed to fly) we took advantage of one of our last free weekends and planned a little island get away - I suppose this trip qualified as our official 'babymoon.' 

Urban Dictionary defines a 'babymoon' as the following: Supplement to the honeymoon and baby shower. Mandatory vacation for both parents before the live birth of a child. Maybe a weekend, maybe a week. Requires the male end of conception to pay for all expenses out of his pocket. Travel, lodging, preferably at a seaside hotel, and gifts (to the mother to be, not the baby,) are an absolute necessity. Eases away the stress and woe of pregnancy. LOL

A photo recap below: 

This was our second trip to the island. We traveled to Samui back in May with the Duvall gals and loved it so much we decided to return. The flight is super short and the island has a much more laid back vibe than other places in Thailand we've visited. 

We stayed at the lovely Sixth Senses. We were even given a room upgrade because we were visiting during the low season. Woo! 

Michael most certainly enjoyed himself... :)

We pretty much spent the majority of our time hopping between our pool villa and the main pool, listening to tunes and playing the guitar, napping and hanging at the resort bar for cocktail/mocktail hour and a game of scrabble or jenga before dinner. Life is good. 

Outside of all that relaxing we did manage to head into town for a beautiful, local dinner on the beach.  

The popular Fisherman's Village is the perfect spot for strolling, light shopping and some fresh local cuisine. We treated ourselves to the best mango sticky rice of all time from a small cart on the street. There's nothing better.  

More snaps from around the pool. Michael was such a good sport - the wrath of taking unflattering photos of a pregnant woman in a swimsuit is no joke ;-)

MUAH! 

Having had a very successful journey into Fisherman's Village, we decided to venture out again to nearby Chaweng Beach. Spring breakers take note, this is where you want to be in Koh Samui! Tired pregnant ladies? Not so much. We took a long walk on the beach and had some laughs, but quickly scurried back to the sanctuary of our resort. Wow, are we getting old or what. 

Thanks again for the magical stay, Koh Samui. I have very found memories, photographs and about 85 mosquito bites to remember you by. 

Coming up: a quick weekend and wedding in Hong Kong, the big 3-0 and just a handful of short weeks before we journey home for the holidays! 

So much love. 

XO,

CD

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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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