Thredbo Thanksgiving Getaway

This is the second year in a row that I have spent Thanksgiving outside of The United States. Last year's was spent in Australia somewhere between Brisbane and Rainbow Beach and my thanksgiving meal consisted of a Turkey Sandwich from Subway and a bottle of Cranberry-Apple Juice. That's all I could find at a rest stop! I made sure this year was different!

I went with my good friends Amanda and Lia down to Thredbo in the Snowy Mountains, about a 6 hour drive from Sydney. Thredbo is a small village ski resort set within Kosciuszko National Park in NSW. We stayed at Amanda's parents lodge and had a relaxing and much needed break from Sydney. On Thursday, we did a 5km mountain hike and Lia saw snow for the first time! We didn't make it up to the top of Mt Kosciuszko, a 12km roundtrip hike, we saved that for next time!

We got back around 5pm, lit the fire (it was 42ºF outside,) poured some wine and started to prepare for our Thanksgiving feast. We all worked so well in the kitchen and produced one of the yummiest meals I've ever had! We had Garlic, Sage & Rosemary Turkey cooked to perfection with Veggies (carrots, celery, onions), homemade from scratch onion & herb stuffing, Sweet Potato Wedges, Garlicky Green Beans, and Sweet Corn!! Everything was so delicious and we ate like Queens! I had a lot to be thankful for this year!! What a lovely holiday!!

Cheers!! Happy Thanksgiving!!

GRAND OPENING of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SINGAPORE

On Friday, there was a fabulous Red Carpet event with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, a parade of a chefs, a concert by Kimberly Caldwell (Season 2 American Idol contestant, who was really good) and a spread of themed food from all the lands at Universal Studios Singapore! It was a fantastic event, albeit bloody hot and humid, but you can't tell looking at the photos! Did I mention Shayne and I were VIPs!?

Shayne and I were dressed to the nines. (He got SO many compliments on his choice of shirt!)

A few celebrities, such as Paula Abdul and Jet Li, turned out to place their hands in "gold"

The Food was so good, especially the desserts!

Kimberly Caldwell performing

Shayne and I never pass up a photo-op!

Then, Saturday morning there was a delicious breakfast, a spectacular parade of characters from all the lands and an awkward moment between Paula Abdul and Beetlejuice.

Shayne and I waiting for the Opening Ceremony to begin

Hollywood

Jurassic Park

Madagascar

Paula and Beetlejuice!

Singapore Dancing Cranes

Singapore Dancing Cranes - Water & Light Show. It is a multimedia moving art installation with choreographed animatronic cranes built over the sea.

A Little Singapore Getaway (pt 2)

I was in Singapore for roughly 5 days and those days consisted of sight-seeing, eating A LOT of different foods, exploring a theme park that was all too familiar, spending as much quality time with Shayne as possible during a jam-packed weekend, all while coping with intense humidity!

Shayne took me to a Hawker Centre, an open-air complex with many stalls that sell inexpensive food. (We tried an assortment of things...all delicious!)

Shayne tells a tale that this becomes a bar at night?!

One of MANY shopping malls

AHHH!!! It's Attack of the Durian Fruit!!!

Hindu temple

Chinese Temple

Chinatown

Our last meal was at JUMBO Seafood, where we ate Pepper Crab (yum!)

Marina Bay Sands Resort (night)

A Little Singapore Getaway (pt 1)

When one of your best friends asks, "Will you be my 'Plus-One' for the Grand Opening of Universal Studios Singapore?"...the only appropriate response is, "Tell me when and where, and I'll be there!" On May 25th, I departed Sydney and flew 8 hours to the small island country of Singapore. Here are some fun facts about Singapore:

•The English name of Singapore means, "Lion City"

•Singapore is the world's fourth leading financial centre

•Singapore's port is one of the five busiest ports in the world

•Singapore has no true distinctive seasons and is 1º North of the Equator

And here is a bit of my exploring:

City Skyline

Singapore Cable Cars (I did not go on this)

Marina Bay Sands Resort (day)

Sentosa Island and Singapore's mascot, The Merlion

The Fullerton Hotel

Beautiful statues all over the city. I love this one of boys jumping into the Singapore River

Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay (and a river cruise boat)

View of River Walk on the Singapore River

The Famous Raffles Hotel

Sipping on a Singapore Sling

Shayne enjoying the view