How to do your hair....Singapore style

So, our first morning here in Singapore I do the usual shower and then proceed to do my hair. However, here in Singapore the only outlets are for shavers. Which DO NOT work with a curling iron or hair dryer no matter what type of converter you have, trust me. I realize that I will need to sit on the floor in front of the full length mirror and do my hair. I get the curling iron out and go to plug it in. I forgot I need a converter which is in the "adjoining" room. I go next door, realize I forgot the key to the luggage lock and go BACK to the other room to get luggage key but had forgot the room key. NO one but Grey is in the room and he has his ipod on so can't hear me ringing the bell. Currently I am locked outside of BOTH hotel rooms without keys to ANYTHING and I haven't even started on my hair. Grey finally answers the door, I get the luggage key, grab a room key and proceed to the other room WITH my curling iron because I really am getting mad right now and don't want my kids to see it. Plug all the converters into the curling iron and then into the wall socket. Sit and wait for a bit for the curling iron to warm up and me to cool down. Go to check my curling iron, should be nice and hot now, IT IS NOT HOT AT ALL! I forgot to turn on the outlet! Really irritated now, turn it all on make sure all things are still plugged in. Sit back down and the doorbell rings, hubby wants to know what is taking so long!!! OH MAN, did he get an earful! Finally get everything heated up and everyone out of the room. Sit on the floor and FINALLY get my hair done! Decide I can't wait to get to our house so I can do my hair like normal. COme to find out homes here are built only with a shaver in the bathroom because it is dangerous to have curling irons and hairdryers in the bathroom because of the water! However, they trust the men with the shavers? Seriously??!!?? UGH!!!!! So, I am currently on the look out for a cute vanity/makeup table/dressing table because I am NOT sitting on the floor for 2 years in order to do my hair. And later that first Saturday I ended up putting my hair up off my neck because it was just too damn hot!

Locals

I drove for the first time today. Sunday mornings are quieter around here and less traffic so Bob and I headed out to test my driving skills. Driving on the left side of the road isn't so hard but it isn't so easy either. It can be very confusing but there are plenty of arrows on the roads to help me figure it all out. So, we turn down a street close to our house and see this waiting for us....

there's a monkey on the right side of the road. Just sitting there. Bob had me stop so we could get a better picture of him. It looks like he's just watching traffic for me.

So we finish my driving lesson and go home to get the kids because they would LOVE this. Come to find out there was a whole family there!

as Grey said, our Utah house had deer and moose for wildlife and our Singapore house has Monkeys. Not quite our backyard but VERY close!

Future posts

Just a few things I want to remember to blog about. Feel free to choose or just deal with what I actually do blog about!
sheets
salamanders and other lizards
shopping
food
aircons
washer and dryer
kids schools
cleaning
maids
Furniture
bargaining
chicken rice
bolsters
parking
MRT
Nets
Banking
TV
slowness
fast paced
service
food courts
aunties
buses
advertising
loan furniture
handhelds
ice cream sandwhiches
sports cars
status
Floss

Okay, there is more that I can't think of unless I'm trying to go to sleep. But this is just the first week! Keep coming back. Things might slow down, and they might not.

I'm also adding
lime juice
chasing salamanders
bob's uturn
laundry room
mopping the floors
prayer rooms
festivals
school schedules
doing my hair
electricity
water heaters

Humpty dumpty Gnome style

So, one of my lovely sisters gave our family the traveling Husker Gnome to take on our adventure for awhile. Then we scrapbook what the Gnome Henry has done with us in Singapore and send the Gnome onto the next family member. It is a great way to keep in touch with other members and a fun way to showcase what we all do. Henry seemed to have an awesome time in DC.

We didn't take Henry with us onto the plane because we were worried about him being hollow and not getting through security. We ended up putting him in a suitcase with 4 ZhuZhu pets and they all rode in the luggage. He really wasn't that happy about it but we didn't get flagged as a terrorist either! Henry was so happy when we got to the Hotel and finally got him out of that suitcase. I guess the ZhuZhu pets get a little too crazy and can't keep quiet! He arrived in one piece and spent the last 2 days gettting over some jet lag and looking out our Hotel window. He seems to really like Singapore and thinks the humidity is just like being home on the cornfields.

This morning he was ready to venture out with us to Grey's new school and we put him into my big purse. Took a cab to the new school and opened up my purse to find that Henry needed urgent care! His legs had broke off! Clean break for the poor guy, and he is now in 2 pieces but we didn't have the needed supplies to fix him up. He continued to travel in my purse until we could get him the urgent care he needed. He is such a trooper and didn't complain ONCE.

Natalie and I took a bathroom trip and as I'm rummaging in this huge purse of mine for some hand sanitizer i come up with only ONE Henry shoe! Remember they were together at first with a nice clean break and now they are seperated. Henry is now in 3 pieces! I had been extra careful with my purse so I'm unsure of how this all happened! Poor guy still is doing a good job even if he is all in pieces!

As soon as we got back to the Hotel we fixed him right up. Nothing a little glue and some hot looking surgeos in shower caps can't handle! He is drying under the "heat" lamp right now and I think Jake slipped him some chocolate. THis time it seems all the kings men COULD put him back together again!

Come sail away...

Packers are here RIGHT NOW! They are packing up all the stuff that is going on the ship for us to use in Singapore. We won't see any of this for 7-9 weeks if it all goes well.

I am such an American. It has been a little hard deciding what all needs to go and what all we need to store for the next 2 years. I like my stuff. I like having it all near me whether I use it or not. I like knowing that JUST IN CASE I need it my stuff is somewhere in my house. Give me a minute and I can find it, or find something that I had forgot I even had!

I have done it, I have taken a house that started with almost 20,000 pounds (or 9072 kg, look at me being all Singaporean!) just 4 short years ago when we moved to Utah and have condensed it down to a little over 3000 pounds..wait for it..or 1361 kilograms! It wasn't easy and at some point I started thinking that if I don't need it for the next 2 years do I really need it at all? I do, I can't part with ALL My stuff!

I'm sad and I'm excited. We are getting so close to learning so many new and wonderful things. And having new things to drive us insane! Goodbye stuff, come sail away with me to a whole new adventure!

I think it's that time of the month

NO! not that time of the month! Silly people. It's that time to say goodbye to my friends and adopted family here in Utah. We leave in 2 weeks, flying out Sept. 30. So, I finally took some time today to get down to the school I use to work at and say good bye to the friends I had made there. I'm just not very good at goodbyes.
However, I did it. I try to make it a point in my life to let people know that they have touched my life and have made a difference. I don't think there was one person I worked with that I don't care about in some way but I do have my favorites! I have 2 adopted moms at that school. They made my days happy and gave me hugs when I wasn't happy. I know in my heart that these 2 women always have my best interests at heart and that they truly care about me. I'm so glad I made the time to go see them and let them know how I feel. Life is unpredictable and I wanted to make sure that these wonderful ladies knew that I loved them. Like I said, those things have become very important to me.

What I wasn't prepared for was that those 2 women told me that I also made a difference in their lives. ME, just a little nerdy nebraskan girl who is self conscious at times and has her foot in her mouth the rest of the time. When I started the job I knew I would make a difference in some of the kids I worked with but I never knew I'd make a differene with grown WOMEN. I found out I like this feeling. I see now why people dedicate their lives to helping others.

You often think that in order to make a difference it needs to be something in grand proportions. But in all honesty I think it is all the little things that add up. The hugs, the smiles, the how you do's the quick compliments. Whatever it is it can make a difference in someones life. And you know, the not even trying is the best part of making a difference I think. I was just myself, quirky in all my glory! I didn't pretend to be someone else or make apologies for who I am. I was me and they love me! That is a great feeling.

I think I have the best network of friends I have ever had in my life ad I am very grateful for all of them! So, if you are reading this and you consider yourself my friend then thank you. Thank you for making a difference in my life no matter how small or how big it mattered. 

I said it before it was just that time of the month to say THANK YOU! I love you all and am so glad that God has put me in your path to meet you and learn from you all.

My life is not my own

Ugh and double Ugh! I'm ready to be done and in Singapore. And then I'm ready to just stay here and say to hell with it! There are just too many people involved in my life! We have so many "experts" assigned to us that there are too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Information is getting messed up, paperwork is coming dangerously close to not getting done and I am stuck in the middle all confused and wondering WTF just happened! I keep reminding myself that it's getting closer and it will soon be OVER. That all of this is just part of the adventure but right now, I'm done adventuring. I want to sit in my own little corner where I KNOW what's going to happen and just RELAX! Maybe by Christmas? NO, I'm sure there will be something else. Bob and I seem to be excelling the more there is on our plate and usually that's not us. I'm just tired of it...I want my life back! I want to make the decisions and KNOW what I'm doing instead of making a wild guess and hoping for the best. Excuse me while I go kick and scream until I feel better, the candy hasn't been working.

The bad mommy award goes to ME!

All my kids started school today. They looked so nice and were all ready to go, even Jake who really doesn't like school too much but we keep working on it. We do the regular neighborhood breakfast and then walk down to the school. We didn't make it to the teacher meet and greet because we were in Nebraska and Singapore, so we find where the kids are lining up and say our goodbyes and goodlucks. They are just sooo excited. I leave Jake in  his line and go to pay lunches. I get a strange feeling that I need to check on my kids and I go to Nat's classroom first. They don't have her on "the list" even though it is posted outside with her name on it when we looked Tues. morning. So, they don't have a desk ready for her at all. Same thing with Jake and this kid gets very nervous when he is unsure about something. I did tell the school we were moving but they would be in classes the first month until we moved. So I don't know what happened. Seeing their faces when they found out they didn't have a desk or any of the cool new stuff all the other kids had just broke my heart. They both handled it well but I should have checked to make sure all was set with the classes. I just assumed since the class lists outside had their names on it that they were still enrolled, the DAY BEFORE school started. I hate seeing my kids feel left out and like they don't belong, this year is going to be hard on them enough without their mom dropping the balls and keeping life smooth for them. I ended up getting a banana split for lunch and a grape slush. I wish you didn't feel so bad for your kids sometimes, I'm sure they will come home from school all good but I'll carry this guilt for a few days. At least I know that they have desks waiting for them in Singapore. I SAW those ones!

To water or not to water

While we were gone these last 2 weeks we had a friends 16 year old daughter come and take care of our dogs so we didn't have to pay the kennel bill. Plus, we had watched their dogs twice so they kinda owed us. We get home last night after 13 hours of driving and I walk in to see dirty dishes in my sink! Now, I'm one of those people whose house is spic and span when I leave for any amount of vacation. I'm worried I will die and I do not want someone coming into my home and seeing how much of a pig I really am. So, finding dirty dishes in my sink was not one of the best things to come home to. On top of that the 3 plants that I have carefully nursed along the way and actually havent' killed yet are dead. Well, maybe not the cactus but it looks to be on it's last legs. Now, how lazy is it to put dirty dishes in my sink and not water the 3 plants that you see dying. I think it's just common sense, even at 16. Bob disagrees. I'm not saying she had to water all my plants just the ones where she obviously was looking! I've got the dishes done and all that now but it really did just tick me off last night!

Trendy toes

Before we left for our Nebraska and Singapore vacations I took Natalie to get a pedicure. We decided to do this new trend called trendy nails unlimited at the pedicure boutique. They are basically stickers you can put on your toes or fingernails to add some extra sassiness to your nails. Check them out here. I got the crowns for my toes and Natalie ended up getting just her big toes with the psychedelic nails. I loved them and think it is a cute idea. I think I'll get the zebras or plaid next. They are very addictive with all their different options. I'm not sure if I can get them in Singapore and I'll be wearing sandals ALOT more then I ever did in Utah.

When we went to Nebraska we also visited the Omaha zoo and I lost one of my stickers. I thought I'd have to do without the sticker for the remainder of our vacation. However, when I was out with my sisters doing our traditional pedicures I got it replaced! But not with stickers! The lady hand painted the crowns on my toe and you can't tell the difference! It's my little toe here  and it is an EXACT match. The ladies laughed so hard that I was putting stickers on my toes when all they had to do was paint it on. They really thought I was crazy. Then one of the ladies high fived my sister and said "Nebraska rules, we are better". It was hilarious. I know those ladies were making fun of me and my toes. AND then they ended up painting cute decorations on everyone elses toes.

Aren't we so cute? and mine are the only stickers!