Christmas 2012 Singapore

In Seattle I might have gone a little overboard by listening to the radio station that plays "all Christmas, all the time" music, non-stop for 3 weeks. I'm not going to say I was burnt out on Christmas because I think that is pretty much impossible for me...but I did struggle to get back into the spirit of things after arriving in tropical sunny Singapore.

My feeble attempt to add a little Christmas cheer to our apt.  

Exploring Orchard road and to see it all decked out with Christmas decorations and lights did help to rejuvenate my Christmas spirit.  It may be 85 degrees outside and oppressively humid, but Singapore sure goes ALL OUT for Christmas. 






A festive evening out for our last book club session for 2012, we read the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed (highly recommended).  Vicki hosted and prepared a fantastic Christmas feast for us all.


I just love the weird and slightly creepy looking Santa's and Elves that wander around the shopping centers to pose in photos with kids.  Yes, I was the only adult waiting in a line full of children to get my photo taken with Frosty and Santa!



Seattle - Moments to Cherish


Sometimes visiting our Seattle home can be crammed full of so many things to do and people we want to see that entire weeks fly by in a blur of activities.  But there are also moments that stand out as extra special where time mercifully seems to slow down and we are able to relax and enjoy quality time with the special people in our lives.


Brunch at Salty's on Alki with my parents on a beautiful clear and crisp fall day in Seattle.  The brunch was incredible (I ate no less than 6 large crab legs!) but spending time together laughing and chatting will always be an incredible memory for me.


Enjoying a long lazy dinner at Luc with friends who always have and always will play such an important role in our lives.

Dinner at Matt's in Redmond where Graham and I shared our first "official" oyster shooter together.


Dinner and Karaoke night at Ohana's.  Despite a fair amount of bragging earlier in the evening, none of us were actually brave enough to sing Karaoke after the first guy got up and sang a perfect rendition of Mario's - "Let me love you" which brought the house down.



(Blog-worthy) Santa photos with Sharon.  We met in Singapore 3 years ago and developed a weekly coffee date tradition. I have missed our long chats since they moved back to Seattle about a year ago.  Enjoying a coffee date in Seattle together along with a impromptu Santa photo was one of the highlights of the trip!

Seattle - High Point Hike

To say my Marine brother is physically fit is an understatement.  Kingsley, Mark and I planned a post Thanksgiving hike up the High Point Trail in Issaquah.  The hike alone (which is apx 6 miles with ALOT of elevation gain) was a challenge for Kingsley and I.  In our defense, Singapore is essentially flat so our hill climbing endurance is shocking!  


Mark, perhaps sensing we would be climbing at a slower pace took it up a notch with this mask that you can wear which alters the "altitude" you are at.  He set his to 10,000 ft and then proceeded to sprint up the mountain.  Kingsley and I climbed at a significantly slower rate. 



At the summit! 



Seattle - Baby Zeke and Mama Goetsch




Many people have asked where I learned to be so good with kids and babies.  I think the above video pretty much sums it up.  I had the most incredible role model - my mom!




Seattle - Thanksgiving


There is so much to be thankful for in 2012 - but for me, family is at the top of my list.

I am so thankful for time with my brother Mark who recently finished up his second deployment in Afghanistan. He is an incredible man and I am so very proud of him.

I am incredibly thankful for my parents who upon learning (way back in August) that we might be home for Thanksgiving, took it upon themselves to offer host Thanksgiving dinner for 14 of our family and friends. To have the chance to be surrounded by the most important people in our lives for Thanksgiving was such a special gift. Thanks Mom and Dad!




Josh and Shari couldnt be with us on Thanksgiving but we had a special (leftover) Thanksgiving dinner together the following evening. 


Seattle - Baby Jack

One of the best parts of visiting Seattle over Thanksgiving was meeting our Nephew Jack for the first time.  He is just the cutest little thing. 

Loves his Uncle Kingsley

 Not too impressed with me at first but I will win him over one way or another. I'm not above bribes!  




The Art of Fighting Without Fighting


Kids dancing Gangnam Style

This Gangnam style song has quickly taken over the world! I was just on iTunes this morning found out that it is currentlyTHE top song sold!

Kingsley and I were window shopping this weekend and came upon these cute little guys who were just too cute with an impressive mastery of the dance moves!


Coriander Leaf

Last week we joined a bunch of friends for a Thai cooking class at the Coriander Leaf Restaurant and cooking school in Singapore.  It was fantastic.


So many of our favorite Thai foods on the menu - pomello salad, Tom Yum soup, Green Curry.  We broke into randomly selected teams of 4 and were assigned several recipes.





I took on the task of making the pomello salad thinking it would be quick and easy. It actually turned out to be the most labor intensive time consuming dish on the menu.  Do you know how long it takes just to hand peel 4 pomellos?

A rare site...Kingsley in the kitchen doing something other than cleaning up after me (his specialty).





Best part of the evening was sitting down together to eat all of our recipes. It was seriously one of the best Thai meals I have ever had. I suspect knowing how much work went into making it all happen made everything much tastier.



Quick trim at the airport

I guess its good to be prepared for a little downtime while waiting for your next flight but its a little scary to think that he got that razor through security!


Kittens - Smash and Pico

We have another set of adorable kittens running around.  I got them when they were 3 weeks old which meant round-the-clock feedings every 3 hours for the first week and a half.  We have finally graduated from kitten formula to solid food and the night feeds are no longer required which is great.  I just love having these little guys around.

Little Miss Pico 

 Smash