Return to BWCA

What better way to feel back at home than a trip to Northern Minnesota! We returned to a favorite site (we call it Shadow Rock) in the Boundary Waters, joined by friends Jose & Laura Souto. Afternoon naps and handfuls of blueberries helped us get over our jetlag. Click on the photo for more...

From BWCA 2010

Welcome Minnesota!

We all returned to Saint Paul, Minnesota on the 30th of July 2010, no worse for the wear. The cats were especially pleased to be home and outdoors once again. Susan and Mike headed straight to Punch pizza.

From Hello Minnesota

Farewell Singapore!

A very big thank you to all of our friends and coworkers for the touching goodbyes, and thanks to you, Singapore, for letting us stay with you for the past few years. It has been a wonderful and adventurous time for us, and we leave with loads of great memories. Click on photo for more departure week photos...

From Farewell Singapore

one last beach holiday

With our days in Asia coming to an end, we spent a few days of R & R on Nikoi Island (Indonesia), a couple hours by boat from Singapore. The ocean, pool and beach houses were perfect for reading, napping, and bringing back childhood memories of watching Gilligan's Island.

From Nikoi Island 2010

A weekend in Krabi, Thailand

Jen Scanlon flew in from Switzerland for a quick holiday sans children. She and Susan enjoyed four days of spa treatments and sunsets with cocktails in nearby Krabi. Mike joined for a couple of relaxing days as well. If you aren't already jealous, click the photo for more...

From Krabi June 2010

A weekend in Laos

They say that Laos has some of the friendliest people you could imagine, and after a weekend in Luang Prabang, we tend to agree. We saw and did plenty in our short trip, but would love to go back and see more. Click on the photo for a quick tour...

From Laos May 2010

Easter weekend in Margaret River Australia

Margaret River is a beautiful wine region just south of Perth. We had fantastic weather and enjoyed the coastline, the wineries, Mike's favorites brewery, sighting kangaroos and dolphins. All in all a very nice Easter weekend.

A weekend in Myanmar (Burma)

We spent last weekend in Myanmar, or what the US still calls Burma. We went there to see the village of Bagan which is quite impressive due to the thousands of temples. But equally impressive are the people of Burma - so very friendly and welcoming. The girl on the right can converse in 8 languages as a result of selling postcards to tourists! Click on the photo for more...

Glorious Sydney

Susan was in Sydney for work and Mike came down for about 24 hours - but well worth it! We spent all our time on our near the water.

Domo arigato, Japan!

We met the Wedls in Japan over Chinese New Year (and Valentine's Day) for some skiing, hot springs, traditional Japanese inns, ramen, teppenyaki and karaoke in typical Japanese style.

Cheers!

We had a nice and quiet New Year's Eve, complete with fireworks at midnight (we have a view of Singapore's fireworks from one of our rooms).

London

Susan went to London for a work trip in early December, just when her parents were leaving. Even though it was a very quick trip, she stayed with Rani and got to spend a bit of time with Rani and Ariana. Jen also came over from Switzerland for a day of Christmas shopping in the city - a great way to catch up and get in the Christmas spirit! Click on photo for more.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles & Tigers!

Susan's mom and dad came for a visit in late November. After a couple days to acclimate to this time zone and eat a quickie-Thanksgiving meal, we flew off to India to see the "Golden Triangle" and spend a couple days at a tiger reserve. Click the photo for more pics.



We've also posted a quick video clip of one of the tiger sightings


Her parents also did their own side trip to Kuala Lumpur. It was great having them in Asia again!

Mike is 40!

The Patels were very generous to offer their rooftop patio for Mike's birthday gathering. Happy 40th Mike!

five days in Northern Thailand

We timed our trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand with the annual Loi Krathong festival, during which thousands of paper hot-air balloons are launched into the night sky.

Click on each of the photos for more...



So inspired, we also launched ourselves into a hot-air balloon.



We found the elephants to be quite hospitable...



and the tigers too!



The chicken pad thai was so good, we had to find out how to cook it for ourselves. And of course we found some time for rest & relaxation too.

a night out in Geylang

The Geylang neighborhood of Singapore is known for offering the best of local cuisine, as well as hosting it's best known red-light district. We went out with friends June & David who led us to some good eats. It all tasted great, especially with cold Tiger beer, with the exception of the durian! Click on the noodles for more photos from our night out.

birthday girl

A milestone birthday for Susan deserves some chocolate cake and champagne!

A Trip to Bhutan

We took a trip to the Kingdom of Bhutan (in the foothills of the Himalayas between India and Tibet), and what an amazing place it is! The country measures its success not by GDP but by GNH (Gross National Happiness). Their traditions have remained the same for hundreds of years. Click on the photo to get a better feel of a country with only one runway and not a single traffic light!

Cargill Friends to Singapore

A workshop brought Cargill friends Rani, Cindy, Tracy, Damon to Singapore. It was so fun to have them here for even a short while. Click on photo for more.

Minnesota Home Leave

We had a great time seeing family and friends in Minnesota, as short as it was. Most of our time was spent up North, either at the cabin:



or in BWCA with Mike's family (click on photo for more):



and just one full weekend in White Bear (click on photo for more):

48 hours in Koh Samui

We spent another quick get-away weekend in Koh Samui Thailand. Click on photo for more.

48 hours in Phuket

Just a quick little trip to the island of Phuket in Thailand. Click on the photo for more.

another tri

Mike takes the boat over to Indonesia for another triathlon.

Currently in Minnesota...

Mike is back in Minnesota this week to do his semi-annual hospital service at United. Susan will join him for the weekend since she has some meetings the following week. It's been 9 months since Mike was last in Minnesota, so it's a great time to catch up with friends! Click on the photo for more...

London & Geneva in April

The day after Easter Susan went to London for a couple weeks' work, which not only gave her time to see some good friends in the London office (and stay with Rani and her family), but she also scored with glorious London weather for a change. During the weekend she visited Jen, Antony and Ryan in Lausanne, Switzerland ~ more gorgeous weather and fun time to visit just days before the twins are due! Click on the photo for more...

Easter 2009

We had the 3rd annual Easter brunch at our condo, including some fun and games for the kids, and a fabulous spread with everyone contributing. Click on the photo for more...

Minneapolis in April

Susan was in Minneapolis for a week at the end of March / early April. It was a busy schedule, but still had a chance to see Julie, Mary, Renee (Jeff) and their twins! Click on the photo for more...

Vespa day

Mike and I recently bought a little Vespa with which to scoot around Singapore. It can be a lot easier to buzz about than a car, but not so great when caught in the pouring rain - I speak from experience! On a recent Saturday we had a gorgeous day and took the Vespa to the modish area of Duxton Hill.

Recent visitors

We were so thrilled when Angie came to visit from Germany - the Blueberry sisters reunited! How wonderful to have a week with Angie. We also welcomed Tracy and Cliff for a couple nights on their way to Vietnam, and the Spence boys for a pizza night. Click on the photo for more.

Thaipusam

Last night Mike and I, with Rob and Micah, went to see the Thaipusam Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community. It's an annual ritual for the birthday of Lord Murugan whereby devotees implore help from the god by enduring the physical burden of body piercing (thanks Wikipedia). The activities are now banned in all countries except Singapore and Malaysia. Let me just say that it isn't for the faint of heart. Check out the photos and the video.

Sri Lanka

Mike and I went to Sri Lanka over the Chinese New Year holiday. It was a quick trip but we managed to visit a couple places including the old fort town Galle and the beach areas just south of there. We had a great tuk tuk driver who took us around the area and invited us to meet his family. They live in a "tsunami house", that was built from tsunami disaster relief funds. Click on photo for more.

Hong Kong

Mike and I met up with Jen, Antony, Ryan and a couple Scanlon TBDs in Hong Kong for a long weekend. We had fabulous weather (we appreciated the coolness) and great time catching up!

Pangkor Laut Malaysia

In early December we had a long weekend due to the Hari Raya Haji Muslim holiday. We decided to road trip it up to Malaysia. We made it to Kuala Lumpur on Friday night and then another few hours north on Saturday morning to catch a ferry to Pangkor Laut. We had two very relaxing days at the island spa resort. We have both been working long days lately and really needed the R&R. ahhhhhh. Unfortunately the long trip home wasn't so relaxing, especially since it took more than 2 hours to get through Malaysia immigration (we should have figured a Muslim holiday in a Muslim country - nobody working!) Click on the photo for more.

Thanksgiving 2008

Great turkey with Spence and Adams Families. Click on the photos for more.

Cargill's Dinner and Dance

Every year Cargill puts on a big holiday Dinner and Dance. This year's party was very early (even before Thanksgiving). It was obviously a costume party - Mike and I were finalists but unfortunately didn't get the big prize. Click on the photo for more.

Jack & Mary visit Singapore

We were so excited that Jack and Mary came to visit! They spent a few days in Singapore and then moved on to Australia and New Zealand before spending another five days with us - just in time for Mike's birthday. It was so nice having them here. Click on the photo for more.

A Sunday Morning

Just thought we'd share with you a lazy Sunday morning we had today. We made crepes for the first time (thanks to Bob for the crepe pan, and Mary & Jon for the recipe and demos!). It was fun, and they were yum! Sport & Zoe enjoyed a little hunting, Singapore style. Click the photo for more.

palawan, philipines

Taking advantage of living in Southeast Asia, we took a quick trip to a fantastical area in the Philippines called Palawan. Click on the photo for images from a great trip with our friends Rob & Christina...

year number one

On Sept 30 Mike and I are celebrating our 1st anniversary! Unfortunately I was back in the U.S. for work, so I made another little video for Mike to look back on the last 20+ years (for those who were asking me to post the video I did for the wedding - it was too long, so I cut out about 20 minutes!), and I added a few photos from our first married year. What a year it's been. I am so very lucky to be married to my perfect match!

girls just wanna have fun

While in Minnesota for a work trip in September, I was fortunate enough to spend a getaway weekend for a great weekend with some Cargill friends. Click on the photo to see more from our fun trip to Grand Rapids...

Esher England

I had to leave my hubby again and went to London for a few days work. The biggest benefit being that I could visit my dear friend Rani and her family. She also works for Cargill. They live in an absolutely adorable village called Esher - could this be a sweeter house and how quintessential - a Mini! Thanks Rani for having me.

One weekend in Bangkok

A colleague, mentor and friend from Cargill came to Singapore for the last time before she retires in September. For years we've been wanting to do a little excursion together, and it finally happened. We went to Bangkok for the weekend, which just so happened to be the same weekend that protestors stormed the Prime Minister's office resulting in a Thai state of emergency! While we barely noticed in Bangkok, Nancy did have to cancel her next leg in Phuket - better safe than sorry. Here's wishing Nancy a happy retirement!

back home

I think the cats may have been a bit bored while we were away...

BBQ @ WBL

Yet another great day as friends and offspring joined us for a barbecue at Susan's parent's White Bear Lake home. Sorry Matt & Becca, no pictures of you. Click for more...

congratulations Julie & Rob!

If there is anyone that could pull off a spectacular wedding in less time (six weeks) than we did (eight weeks), it would be Susan's sister, Julie (with a little help from her mom, right Rob?). Congratulations! Consider coming to Singapore for a second honeymoon...