Bday 2011

So, as many of you know I had a bday on May 18th. Jesse, being the amazing husband that he is, planned a wonderful day out and about in Singapore. We started the afternoon off getting picked up in an English style taxi cab(we have never taken one of these, they are very special and rare), and we were off to an undisclosed location. Jesse did a really great job of surprising me, I had absolutely NO idea where we were going. We went to the harborfront and got tickets to the chalet that transported us to the top of a hill called Mount Faber. Mount Faber is a high point of Singapore with beautiful views and 4 restaurants. This is also a prime wedding location in Singapore. It's really beautiful. From there we got back on the Chalet and rode over to Sentosa Island and wandered around there a bit. After this was all done we decided to go to my favorite restaurant called Wild Honey where I got a chocolate birthday cupcake as an after dinner birthday treat. Our day was a little shorter because of a Wednesday night class we are taking but overall it was a beautiful, fun time!!

Pulau Ubin

Pulau Ubin is a short ferry ride from the Singapore mainland and only costs $2.50 to get there and $2.50 to get back. Some folks compare going to this island to Singapore in the 60's. Lots of bikes, hardly any concrete structures and friendly locals. We ate a delicious lunch and then toured the island on bikes. Jesse and I got a tandem, which was AMAZING, and Brian got a regular bike. On our bike ride Jesse and I had such a great time and at one point we were peddling so hard that the chain fell off. That didn't put a damper on our day, we still had a really great time.

My Welcome Home

As I arrived at the airport I whirled through customs and had my bags within a record 22 minutes. I couldn't believe it! Jesse wasn't even at the airport to greet me because I was so fast. After waiting a few minutes he greeted me with a large bouquet of beautiful flowers after one long month of being away. The day he picked me up I went back to work with him and got adjusted and then came home and slept for 15 hours straight. That'll combat some jetlag!! The next day was Friday, Jesse's day off so we went around the city, to the botanical gardens (of course), where so many plants are blooming differently than we have ever seen before. There is so much new life there every time we go it never ceases to amaze!! Then we went to a place called P.S. Cafe for dinner on Dempsey Hill and had an amazing meal. After our meal we found a bar that has an outdoor patio and on the patio is a cute white swing so while I had an iced tea and Jesse had a beer we sat and enjoyed the beautiful night swinging on a swing. It was very romantic and a perfect way to ease back into our Singapore lifestyle.

Colorado

On my way home (to Singapore) I stopped off in Colorado for a few days to spend some time with Joe, Ben, Angelie, Jeff and Petra. I took the train from Galesburg, IL to Denver, CO where Joe picked me up from the station. Colorado was a really fun time as always with crazy weather, beautiful hikes, great shopping, delicious food and great company. It's always great to see family. Also, Brady Gibbs was in town so Ben took Brady and I for a drive through the countryside to see the fire damage that was caused the previous year. It's very crazy how and where the fire hit and to imagine all of the new life that will grow because it.

Trip Home cont.

I spent a lot of time in Davenport hanging out with Wyatt, now 3.5 years old. He is such a smart little guy and I love every minute I get to spend with him. We did a lot of shopping, playing and we even got to go to the park a couple days.

Mom and Cody also threw Jesse and I a baby shower. It was a fun shower and people from all over came to celebrate the upcoming birth of our first baby. My aunts all drove from at least 4 hours away, Anne flew all the way from Cali, and friends from Dport came as well. It makes me feel so special and grateful that everyone as excited as we are about our little arrival. Some of the things she already has are LOTS of blankets, clothes and two little stuffed Giraffes. I think she already really LOVES Giraffes. The picture of the tower with the giraffe on top is a blanket cake. That includes on the bottom layer, 3 handmade blankets from mom, the second layer was onesies and oufits and the topper was one of the stuffed giraffes and along the outside were pinned socks. It was a really creative idea! I guess I know where I get my craftiness from!

Trip Home

As some of you know I just spent the past month in the U.S.of A. I had a really great time and am grateful I got to spend so much time with friends and family. Just wanted to take the time and THANK everyone who made my trip so special. I first spent some time in Minnesota with the Hanson side of the family (Kelli and Bruce, Jesse's mom and stepdad). Kelli threw Jesse, baby and I a wonderful baby shower with delicious food, one of Esther's famous cakes, Ben Timm from Colorado, Aunt Rene and tons of other people. I had a really great time!

Then I headed south to the Illowa area spending time with my dad, sister, nephew, brother, sister's b.f., friends Damel, Craig, Holly, Jay, Sam and Ivy, and Keith, CArolyn and Taylor. My dad made me delicious food EVERY night I was at home and we watched movies, ate ice cream and relaxed a lot! It is always so relaxing and refreshing to go "home." I sleep best at my dad's house and probably always will. Cody, Don and I went to two Quad City Mallard's ice hockey games which they won. It was fun to experience something that my sister and her boyfriend do pretty regularly together. Do they even have ice hockey in Singapore?? I wonder.