No Place like home.... for a wedding!

There will be so many pictures from the wedding, we'll keep this short and sweet to capture the jist for you and posterity.

It was so great to be home in Edwardsville for our wedding. We got in 7 days before the ceremony and spent the first night with family. We spent the next day at a pumpkin patch, and the first half of the week finalizing things for the big day.

On thursday, the bride and groom went their separate ways for bachelor/bachelorette (aka stag/hen) nights. Adam's boys took him around town and Kate's girls took her around t

oo with both groups even having a chance meeting at a St Louis bar. Anyway, thanks to all for a great night, which won't be covered in many pictures... ;)

On Friday, Adam's parent's hosted a great rehearsal dinner at their home with wonderful food from the Camouflage Chef, Lee Conway, and good times had by all.

Saturday was the big day, and went smoother than could have been expected. Michelle Huesgen took AMAZING pictures which have been sneaked on her blog: http://untamedheartphotography.com/blog

Still, it is worth a sneak peak here:

The wedding at Eden Church was

beautiful, and the reception at Sunset Hills CC was elegant yet incredibly fun and dance-rific. Thanks to DJ Jack from Nigh Magic Entertainment for a great time!

Finally, Adam's parents had family over for Wally's famous pizzas on Sunday morning before Kate's parents threw a great bonfire on the Heepke Farm.

After all of that we had to say goodbye to friends and family for a fairytale week of wedding and fun which we will never forget.

Thanks so much to our parents, friends, and family, who made it so special for us all!!!!

Can't wait to update you on Italia!!!

High Tea- Just Kathy and Me

I experienced my first High Tea this afternoon with my good friend, Kathy. We met Kathy and her husband, Mike, when we first moved to Singapore though Adam's work. He and Mike work in a similar field and we struck up a friendship almost immediately. They are genuinely great people and have generously watched Bella for us many times. She loves them and they have a pretty good time with her too. =)

Kathy invited me for a girly afternoon before Adam and I head home to get hitched.

We started with pedicures, a first for Kathy, and ended with a high tea, a first for me.

A chic pool view, comfy chairs and pianist set the scene for Tea at the Goodwood Park Hotel's L'Espresso. A buffet of savory and sweet treats offered something to satisfy any palate. The savory treats turned out to be my favorite as each bite offered a unique combination of flavors. My egg finger sandwich was packed a big truffle flavor and a salami sandwich was complimented with a brie center. Yum-0! There was even a little caviar.

After letting our stomachs take a short break we headed back to conquer the deserts (so much for a pre-wedding diet!). Each sweet treat looked like a little work of art. The bread pudding and blueberry scone were delightful and a tiny jar of chocolate/coffee flavors surprised me with some pop rocks in it. I was so full that I didn't even try the chocolate fountain...there is always next time.

Three hours later we left stuffed to the brim and content after an day of girlie chats.

p.s. Moms we are going here when you visit!

Universal Studios, Singapore

Our lives have been jam packed the past few months with wedding planning, but we finally had a blog-worthy adventure this past weekend.

Sentosa, the small island on the southern tip of Singapore is now home to Resorts World which includes Universal Studios. We weren't sure what to expect as the park is still in a period of "soft opening" as it has been for several months. The soft opening period means that all of the attractions are not open yet and while we would have loved to experience the Madagascar and Sci-Fi City areas, the rest of the park did not disappoint.

I've never been to Universal in the U.S. so I wasn't sure what to expect. With a Jurassic Park-loving boy with me, we went straight to The Lost World area of the park and road the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure.

As we waited in line many guests were preparing themselves with ponchos....but

this is Singapore- a refreshing spritz of water would be welcome right? This was more of a giant splash that soaks you and the ride was awesome! (My dress was so wet that I had to borrow Adam's belt to keep it up.) I found that all of the Universal rides had an element of surprise that made each one very exciting. You'd think that a rafting ride you would just float down the river but it was much more...I won't ruin the surprise ending but in the souvenir picture that the park took during the ride, I am hiding in fear.

Ancient Egypt provided one of the best rides I've been on. The Revenge of the Mummy is a roller coaster that is mostly in the dark...so exhilarating! The path that leads you to the ride is quite long so that you feel that you are in an Egyptian tomb. They had an actor hiding around one of the corners that scared the poo out of me and gave all of us a good laugh. We spent the afternoon with two of our friends and we all walked like an Egyptian with one of the actors.

Far Far Away, the Shrek-themed area, was very cute and home to a giant castle where a 3D show, including moving seats, took center stage. The area also had a small roller coaster.

Other areas of the park included Hollywood, New York and Water World. While Water World provided a good live show, Hollywood and New York could use some work.

Sadly the GIANT roller coaster was not up yet...we'll have to check out the progress of the park in a year or so.

All in all, we had a great time letting out our inner child.

Wine, Cheese, and F-16s!

It was another busy weekend of wedding planning, but we managed to fit in some fun with our friends at Siu's Wine and Cheese Party. (We had a blast, but more on that later). To prepare for the party, Adam decided to make a family recipie baked brie in puff pastry. However, having recently tried a similar dish with sweet pecans, Adam decided to spice up the traditional cheese and berry-preserve dish.

After scouring the Singapore supermarket for all the ingredients: brie cheese, raspberry preserve, and a puff pastry, Adam was at a loss to find pecans. (must be an american thing). So, as a last resort, he bought a box of pecan granola cereal, determined to pick out the pecans for his culinary masterpiece.



Back at home the oven was warm, and the pecan-sorting began. I swear, they only included 2 dozen pecans in the whole box, but it was enough. After sifting through cups of granola, Adam had enough pecans to start cooking them in a little butter, and brown sugar.



Enter the F-16s... August 9th is Singapore's National Day Parade, and dress rehearsals have already started for the airshow. And some rehearsals they were. Over the sizzle of carmelizing brown sugar came the ROAR of jet engines shaking our apartment. Out our balcony window that overlooks downtown, 5 F-16s were screaming towards us and flew right over our apartment! Apartently the exit corridor for the airshow goes right over us!




So back to cooking my pecanse, but this time we got the camera ready. Then a Chinook helicopter bearing the Singapore flag flew over the skyline, and I finally got to take some pictures. THEN, an F-15 came screaming around the city weaving between the buildings. We managed to catch a video of that.






Finally, the Helicopters and the F-16s flew together over our apartment in a well-coordinated display. I managed to capture a video of that too... But thats when we smelled the unmistakable aroma of burnt sugar... My fascination with planes had cost me the pecans... Tragedy in the kitchen....



So while I was running back to the kitchen assessing the damage of the pecans and gettting the black goo out of the pan, the F-16s made one final after-burner charge over our apartment so quickly, that I was only able to capture their smoke trail disappearing over our roof....



Alas, the the culinary fiasco caused me not to get that prize picture, and the Baked Brie had to go without Pecans, but Siu and our friends still enjoyed it, and the wine and cheese party was fun for all.

The aftermath...

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day!

Sweet Home Chicago

It is July 2010, and Kate and Adam are back in Singapore after a whirlwind trip to Chicago and Edwardsville, IL. We were home as Kate was the Maid of Honor in Sarah and Justin's Wedding in downtown Chicago.

Kate spent the first weekend in Chicago for Sarah's shower and bachelorette party (hen night). For the sake of all involved, those pictures won't make the blog. :) Kate made it home on Father's Day, and there was much rejoicing.

Adam went on to Edwardsville to see his family for that first weekend before he went to Philly for meetings. Adam learned that his dad can still best him in a round of golf.

After some much needed family

time and Adam's time in Philly, Kate and Adam made it back

up to Chicago for Sarah and Justin's wedding. They had a beautiful ceremony and reception at Fulton's on the River. Good times were had by all!

On Sunday, Adam's mom threw a very nice shower in Lockport. We're very glad Kate's Mom, Grandma, and Aunt could meet Adam's family.

On Monday, Kate and her family toured chicago while Adam and his Mom and Dad continued their own exploration of Chicago.

Adam's first culinary adventure was at the infamous Billy Goat Tavern known less for its double "cheeseborger" than its history. So the story goes, the owner of the Billy Goat was denied entry to the 1945 Cubs World Series because he wanted to bring in his pet goat. The Cubs lost that series, and many blamed the "curse of the billy goat." The Cubs have yet to win a World Series since. How could Adam pass up a chance to eat at a place that has caused so many Cubs fans so much misery? :)

Adam and Kate's family met up at a great little place on Michigan Avenue called the Purple Pig: Cheese, Swine, and Wine. Needless to say, we had a little of each! That was the last stop before Kate's family went back to Edwardsville. Adam and Kate were off to the airport the next morning...

It was so great to see everyone, and get a little travel adventure in the US for once. Until next time,

Adam and Kate

Bella's World

So our blog wouldn't be complete without a Bella update because who couldn't use some more cuteness in their life? So here's some pictures/videos to make you smile. =)

Bella's 2010

by Bella G.

A few months ago mommy and daddy took me to a doggie fair. Don't you think I need this carrier? It's hot in Singapore. I can't be expected to walk everywhere! Alas, Daddy said no!

BUT Mommy did get me a pretty dress. I don't get to dress up often as Daddy thinks I look silly.

Though Daddy does approve of this hat that I wore to a hat party.

Then I got to meet great Aunt Beth and Uncle Marco. They brought me a GIANT bone! As you can see I wasn't too sure about it at first. But almost 3 months later I'm still working on that bone. I will conquer it!

We also went for a picnic. There were these tiny furry things that smelled pretty tasty, but I just chased them around. I got the feeling mommy would be mad at me if I ate one.

That's pretty much the highlights of my 2010, other than a few trips to the dog park, some walks meeting other dogs and a crazy adventure with Daddy while Mommy was gone...oh yeah, I love to help clean up the house too!

Love,

Bella

p.s. Come visit me!!