Siem Reap

Five days after landing back in Singapore from Seattle, Wade and I took off to Siem Reap (yeah, mom of the year).   We had booked this trip with Bangkok friends a while ago and it was not refundable.   The goal was the Siem Reap 1/2 marathon.  

With the travel before and Singapore haze months before, my training was not the ideal.  I was going to finish the 13.2 miles, but it was not going to be pretty or for time.   Wade was running the 10k.

Siem Reap is one of the Wonders of the World.  It truly is an amazing place and I am so happy that Wade and I were able to see some of the temples and see how wonderful it is.   As we walked through, all I could think about what it was like in its glory day.   It must have been beautiful.

The time not running was spent eating great food, cheap massages and shopping.   Cambodia reminded me a lot Thailand.  There was street food and similarities in what was being sold in the markets.  There was also an area with a good nightlife, but not as crazy as Bangkok.

I miss tuk tuks. 

The race course. 

Day before race we went and looked at the main temples.

The race:

Early morning start to beat the heat.

Cambodian cheerleaders.

My running partner Darcy.

Quick stop for a picture while on the run.

Wade and I finished.  Not my best time, but I did finish.  2:19.

Caroline once again beat us all. 

Banyan tree temples:  These temples were left untouched for years.   Banyan trees grew in and around them.  Loved this place.

Seattle Thanksgiving

I made a last minute, unplanned trip to Seattle for family stuff.   Even though it was not great reasons to come, the timing was perfect and I was able to enjoy family traditions that I have not been able to take part in for years.   It was a fast, busy, seven days of family and some friend time.

I landed early in the morning and got to see the sun rise with Mt. Rainer. 

During the week I was able to shop for Xmas gifts and had to bring back an extra unplanned bag full of goodies.  I considered it Xmas in a suitcase.   I loved the cool and crisp Northwest air and really feeling the holiday spirit.  It made me miss home even more.

For Thanksgiving, I got to enjoy Kyle's famous fried turkey. 

Merica!

My godmother gave me and Derek their Apple Cup tickets.  I don't even know how long it has been since I was last at a Coug game.  Not the best to witness, but happy to have gone.

Great view on a great day for football. 

Halloween 2015

This was the year of the "boat driver" and witch...then boat driver turned superman.   We kept the celebrating as simple as we could with school celebrations, pre-trick-or-treating a couple days before, and passing out candy at a friends house on the night of the 31st.   We also dug into the costume bucket and managed to get Cecile dressed up!

It is so nice to have a touch of Americana here in Singapore.

Trick-or-treating round 1.

This year I ordered costumes online and shopped them to the States when we were there in the summer.

Very Martha.  The food table in Liam's classroom. 

Liam making  popcorn hand at a craft table. 

I love working at the same school as the kids.  It makes it so simple to come to events.  

The kids with neighbors on the 31st.   Our neighborhood get CRAZY with thousands of people.  We went early to beat the crowds.

A little rain didn't stop us.   Cecile in her outfit.

The start of the crowds. 

Passing out candy at a friends house. 

Some of the costumes people were wearing out.  All I can think was how HOT they must be.  

Blanche from the Ranch

Blanche Sweet Carpenter

July 24, 1920 ~ October 26, 2015

Blanche Sweet Carpenter ("Blanche from the Ranch") passed away October 26th at the age of 95. She was born July 24th, 1920. Her parents were Shelby and ReBecca Sweet of Butte, Montana. Blanche spent her childhood summers at the family home, Flying Cloud Ranch, in Wise River, Montana. She attended two years at Roosevelt High School in Seattle, two years at Stephens College in Columbia Mo., and graduated from the University of Washington in 1942 where she was an Alpha Phi.

Blanche met her husband, Ted, at the University of Washington. They were married 64 years before Ted passed away in 2006. They raised their three children in Bellevue and enjoyed their hobbies of golf, bridge, and travel. Ted and Blanche belonged to the Brae Burn Golf Club for over 20 years. Blanche was very active in P.E.O. and the Women's University Club. Blanche and Ted moved to Silver Glen Retirement home in 2001. They attended every Husky game possible, and always enjoyed tailgating in the UW parking lot.

Blanche is survived by her children, Shelby and Steve Brough of La Quinta, CA, Ted Jr. and Barbara Carpenter of Port Angeles, WA, Helen and Fred White of Kirkland, WA, her sister and brother-in-law, Jackie and Hugh Minor of Everett, WA, her sister-in-law, Billie Carpenter of Everett, WA, and many nieces and nephews. Also surviving Blanche are her grandchildren, Zack and Emily Brough (Alice) of Petaluma, CA, Josh and Harini Brough (Jaya) of San Francisco, CA, ReBecca and Kyle Looney (Shelby, Macie, Campbell) of Kenmore, WA, Karli and Wade Koning ( Amelia, Liam) presently in Singapore, Derek and Kaitlin White (Hadley, Adalyn) of Bothell, WA. 

The family would like to thank Sheila and Edison Navaluna and all the wonderful caregivers at Peace of Mind Adult Family Home. There will be a reception in her honor at The Big Fish Restaurant in Bellevue from 2:00-3:30 pm Saturday, November 21st .

Garden by the Bay

I have been to Gardens by the Bay a number of times, but never in the gardens.   Gardens and fun never really went together for me.  I was wrong.   They were amazing.  The kids also loved them.  They consist of a splash-park (we have been there before) and two domes.   One dome has a huge tower to show the rainforest ecosystem.  We all learned a lot and had to face a fear of heights walking around the tower.   

Gardens by the Bay is definitely a place I will be bringing guest back too.  

The picture doesn't show it well, but I am taking it through a waterfall.

The kids playing in the splash park.

The Children's Garden. 

Jimbaran Beach

I think I have found my happy place.  It is at the InterContinental on Jimbaran Beach, Bali.

We stayed in two rooms on the Club side.  For a little more (worth it), you get club rights, free breakfast, and happy hour.  The kids also got access to the kid's club where they got lunch, dinner, and activities.  They loved it so much, that we got ditched...a lot.

We woke up each day to a beautiful beach and 3 main pool areas.   We camped out by mainly by the surf shack and even rented some boards.  The room was also top notch, with plenty of room.  

Our highlight of the stay was a night at the beach with a BBQ dinner and my mom letting a lantern go.   She saw people releasing them and decided she needed to do it too in honor of my Gma.   She wrote a not on the tissue and said a prayer.  The lantern slowly drifted into the dark sky, until we couldn't see it anymore.  Two days later my Gma passed.  It was a great way for us to say good-bye.

Where we camped out daily.

Nightly happy hour.  Three hours of free drinks and light snacks. 

Lantern release.

There it goes. 

Bodyboarding. 

The beach was clean and never busy.

Ubud

My mom came during our fall break.   I wasn't going to waste all the time in Singapore, so I booked us a trip to Bali.  I have been to other part of Indonesia, but never the island of Bali.    We decided on seeing Ubud and the beach while we were there.

I didn't know what to expect of Ubud.  I was happily surprised and could have spent all our time there.   I completely fell in love with the highly recommended guesthouse we booked.  It was a perfect location and setting.  It is also connected with the cooking school featured in the book Eat, Pray, Love.  We ate breakfast and dinner there.  Amazing!

During our time in Ubud we did a lot of shopping and walking.  The poor kids were troopers with the miles logged.   We also made a trip to Monkey Forest.  Most people know I am not a fan of monkeys.  They are not nice animals.  I was worried about going, but somehow convinced myself.   It turned out alright, but we were all on edge.  Especially watching stupid people tease them and letting them on them!  We just shuffled fast through the paths and made it out unharmed.

One our way to the beach we had our drive take us through the Bali rice terraces.  It was worth it.  They are beautiful!   It was a dry to a lack of rain, but they were still very green.  I wish we would have taken the time to walk around them and not just a drive-by

The door to our room.  The room was the bottom floor of one of the houses.  It had a front sitting porch with eating area that over looked a garden.  It was also right next to the pool. 

Guesthouse pool. 

This one is a baby.  The big ones are the worse. 

Monkey Temple.

My little monkeys

Rice terraces. 

You can go down into them and walk around,