Lindsey & Khara's Visit

Last Sunday I made an airport run in the middle of the night, ready for a week filled with fun & girl time. Lindsey & Khara surprised me in November by purchasing tickets to the Little Red Dot and I couldn't have been more excited for their visit. While it was their spring break, I still had to work each day, but we still managed to pack in all the sights and attractions in Singapore.

Here are some highlights from their week here...

Her first morning here and we were out for a run. I have MISSED having this girl on my right! 

After a few hours at the pool, we headed out for a late breakfast along the marina.  

Next stop was Chinatown! We found foot reflexology and the Fish Spa :) 

Getting Linds into the fish was PRICELESS!

We met up with Adam for dinner who took us to a few local places - a Hawker for dumplings & Satay Street for beef and chicken satay. Yum!

Checking out the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

It was wonderful having them here for the every-day-type-of-things, like reading bedtime stories with the kids.  

On Monday the girls spent more time at the pool, explored Chinatown more and a lovely Italian dinner up the street. 

Tuesday was a day at our school. They saw about 4 different teachers and lessons...here's Lindsey during Unit of Inquiry with my class. :)

Dinner in Little India... 

And drinks in Clarke Quay

Wednesday night's dinner was our favorite place - Din Tai Fung! 

Adam giving lesson to the girls on how to eat dim sum "correctly"... ha!

A lovely dessert date with Lindsey and my friend Lucida 

Thursday was Arab Street...one of my faves here. The girls loved it as well and of course, some shopping was done! 

After Arab St, we met Jill & Tanya for drinks at the rooftop bar at the Marina Bay Sands. Beautiful views from 57 floors up! 

The famous infinity pool is just past the bar...

Cheers to GREAT friends & family - I LOVED having the two worlds come together! :)

Back on the waterfront for dinner

We were waaaayyyy up there 

Jill & Tanya - love those two!

So happy!

And that brings us to Thursday night. What a treat to come home each night from work and spend the evenings with those two. The weather was perfect and they were able to get some pool time every morning. I know Lindsey loved her morning coffee by the pool. :) There are many ways in which our lives here are like a vacation. Being able to be poolside year-round is just one of them. 

Low Crime doesn't mean No Crime

Oh Singapore...

I've mentioned before that whenever there is a crime in an area, a sign goes up to alert all citizens. Here was one I saw walking home today...

While an "outrage of modesty" (whatever that means) is no laughing matter, these signs certainly do make me laugh. Can you imagine if this happened in the US?? There would be signs covering a city! Ha!

Wishing weekends didn't go so fast...

I love my job. But if I could work two days a week and play five days a week, I'd be just fine with that!

Yesterday I spent the morning coffee hopping with Tanya. I looooved a little place we found tucked away. Wonderful lattes and yummy strawberry tiramisu. So good! (During this, Adam played tennis with a friend. Shockingly enough, he has no pictures to prove it :)

The Tiramisu Hero - so cute!

Saturday afternoon we gave Stand-Up Paddle Boarding a try with seven friends. We had SO MUCH fun! Lots of laughs, several falls (mostly by the guys), and sore muscles. The weather was gorgeous and the water was just the right amount of choppy. Wishing we had more pictures, but obviously we left the camera behind. Hoping to do it again soon. 

And....Sunday brought RAIN!!! While rainy days here may seem like a given, we actually haven't had rain in about three months. I just read that this February was the driest Singapore has had since 1869. Incredible! I was quickly reminded what Singapore rain is like, as my clothes became completely soaked after walking a few blocks WITH an umbrella. I can put aside my frustrations, as I know how much it was needed. Everything around here is brown and dry :( 

I'm still holding out for the thunderstorms I know and love! While the rain was a welcome sight today, I'd love for it to make it's way out for our final round of visitors arriving next weekend. I am SO excited to see Lindsey & Khara!! 

Monkeys & Mexican Food

We loved having Vicki here! It was a little bittersweet, as it was her last visit to Singapore. I know she's enjoyed her three trips over here, but she said she was very ready to have us only 3 hours away. Ha!

On Saturday we went for a hike in Mac Ritchie Reservoir. Within our first 10 steps, we saw 3 monkeys. The rest of the hike was quiet until the end where at least a dozen of them were playing around, in and out of a creek. From afar, I was reminded how cool it is to see those furry creatures in their habitat. Close up, I eye contact and sprinted past them. We did the 'tree top walk' which is a long bridge suspended in air by trees. Overall, I think we hiked at least 8 miles.

On her last night we had a nice Mexican dinner in Clarke Quay. We loved every minute of her time here and look forward to our shortest time apart - now through June! 

Nanny's Date Days

This week has been filled with 'date days' for Nanny.

Monday was High Tea with me...

Tuesday was pancakes with Drew at Slappy Cakes, then swimming and playing back at home...

Wednesday was walking around the marina, lunch & the Singapore Flyer with Adam...

And today was Universal Studios with Luke...

We hope she has enjoyed her dates as much as we have! Tomorrow ALL 4 Mitchell's will be back at school and Nanny will help out Tanya (Miss V) in art. I can't believe how quickly this week has gone! 

And the Award Goes to...

Singapore! Most expensive city in the world...

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-26412821