UNITED STATES OF AMERICA... you are so sweet!
wow this home leave really took it out of us... it was so busy and jammed packed with seeing everyone plus thanksgiving... it was nice to be home but nicer to have our own place, our dog, and not being pulled in 20 million directions when we arrived back to singapore. i know! you think poor poor dunlaps... it is great to have so many people to see and that want to see us! the life of an expat is hard work!
HOUSTON!
our first stop every time home is to pappasitos mexican restaurant and then to little woodrows for happy hour! you know, important stuff first! we were lucky enough to stay with the bruce family for the first two days which allowed us to readjust to the time difference and to catch up with all our houston friends! in the first couple of days we were able to see so many people... i attended ashley moses baby shower and caught up with all my sorority sister. we even attended our friends farah & patrick armstrong's house warming party... they just moved back to katy from singapore. we miss them so so so much here!
so here is a run down of the whole trip...
ashley moses' baby showerme, dayna, jenn, leah, katie, caroline (back row)
lane, ashley, ginger, and amber
ashley invited me to her baby shower in houston which was absolutely lovely. i miss seeing these girls and being apart of their lives. ashley and rj are having a little girl (campbell- love it, it is a family name) and lane is pregnant with her second baby (lucy- i hope, also a family name).
SAN ANTONIO...
we spent a couple of days in houston just seeing friends then headed to san antonio to see dirk's family and highschool friends. in san antonio we were able to take in a spurs game and hangout with the sa crew. we were able to hangout with dirk's sister but unfortunately dirk's younger brother, zach, had just moved to san francisco.
dirk and lela (his sister)
the sa crew at stone werks
the mills, the dunlaps, the boreckels, the kripners, and the woltersdorfs
andy boerckel, ryan kripner, and dirk
COLLEGE STATION...
no trip home during football season would be complete without taking in an a&M football game and tailgating party. dirk and i took a break from seeing family and friends in san antonio and went to the baylor vs a&m game. we were also able to see the texas game too... that one didn't go so well.
nothing like a game of flip cup to know you are home in the u.s.aour friends in houston have season tickets to all the a&m games and put together this awesome tailgate. every tailgate is themed based on food. baylor was the annual fish fry... they have a big screen tv, margarita machines, kegerator with tap, and surround sound music system all under one huge white tent. they have a great setup and keep adding to it every year.
the fmc tailgate at the baylor game
we haven't been to the fmc tailgate in two years and let me tell you it is HUGE now! i couldn't believe how big it has gotten. dirk was able to meet up with some work friends but since most of our houston friends work for fmc, it isn't hard not to see everyone without even going into the office.
catherine hellehanging out with my cat on northgate... miss this girl very much! she came to the game without her boyfriend (bonham was in africa) just to hangout! i am thinking it was for me! hehe
BROTHER!
we went to college station to see the game but more importantly to see my brother dunk his aggie ring. he is finally getting closer to graduation with a major in industrial distribution-engineer field. he also got a puppy for his birthday from his girlfriend, kelly.
we went to college station to see the game but more importantly to see my brother dunk his aggie ring. he is finally getting closer to graduation with a major in industrial distribution-engineer field. he also got a puppy for his birthday from his girlfriend, kelly.
meet doobie & ryan
matt lewis was another friend that made the voyage to college station to hangout. i miss this guy so much! he and dirk kept me in stitches all weekend! everyone needs a matt lewis in their life :)
THE DUNK!
17 seconds... enough said.
17 seconds... enough said.
ryan & ring
proud sister
kelly & ryan
CONCAN...
ok... so back to san antonio and then onto uvalde, texas and concan, texas... are you tired yet? we were in the car SO much! we were able to see all of dirk's lovely extended family, help put up his grandmother's (jo bill & jo jo) christmas lights, plus finally make a walmart run. the river was beautiful at this time of year... i just love all the colors!
we looked into some property by the river as well... thinking of a river house that will help pay for itself by renting it out while we are in singapore... we will see.
we looked into some property by the river as well... thinking of a river house that will help pay for itself by renting it out while we are in singapore... we will see.
the inlaws
me, dirk, doug, and marge dunlap
dirk, me, chelsea, and ryan
PARTY IN THE u.s.a!
back to HOUSTON...
i got to meet up with some of my friends in houston. we of course all met at a mexican food restaurant and then went out for drinks. i am so proud of all my friends... we managed to break away from our hometowns and really start lives outside of our realm of comfort in katy. sarah is in tampa, florida doing her medical sales gig, ashley is in residency in charleston, north carolina, and beth is in houston finishing her optometrist schooling... love them to death and so glad we have been able to keep up with each other.
i remember mom telling me "the people you meet in highschool will be friends for life" then thought that possible until now.
me, sarah, beth, and ashley
dayna joined us for dinner as well
the gang- ashley's husband was still in north carolina doing his residency as well
back to COLLEGE STATION...
for thanksgiving we were able to take in the infamous texas vs a&m game. in the end the game didn't turn out in our favor but the first couple of minutes sure were exciting!
for thanksgiving we were able to take in the infamous texas vs a&m game. in the end the game didn't turn out in our favor but the first couple of minutes sure were exciting!
back to KATY...
quick lunch with a very special person! FARAH! miss her so much in singapore, but lucky that she lives very close to my parents so we will keep in touch :)
HOUSTON finally leaving...
michelle bruce, melissa lewis, me, catherine helle, and anne duermeyerthe last night we joined friends for dinner and drinks... i miss these girls very much! we are all connected through our significant others due to their friendships made in college. i love spending time with them.
bonham lienweber, cody reynolds, preston bruce, dirk dunlap, matt lewis, and phillip gayall the boys on the last night! some aren't in the picture (mitchell martin and kevin simpson) we were at a new bar on washington called taps.
funny thing... they all work for the same company in houston... that is how close these guys are.
HELLO SINGAPORE
this is what happens when you have a 14 hour time difference... you wake up to see the sun rise for a week.
at sentosa with otto.
this is what happens when you have a 14 hour time difference... you wake up to see the sun rise for a week.
at sentosa with otto.
we had a great trip but it really took it out of us. we were also able to see our wonderful neighbors... the only people that will actually come visit us besides family and dirk's friends that come to singapore due to work... which has happened fairly often to far... it is good to have friends that you work with :)
so ONE continent down... three to go!
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