Surgery in Singapore

I've had arthritis in my big toe for years and found out earlier this year that it would require surgery.  Not an easy prospect when you live in a country where you definitely don't want to have elective surgery.  I was either going to spend my Christmas in Houston on the couch after surgery or have it done in Singapore.  After meeting the the surgeon in Singapore, I was really pleased and loved the idea of flying home in 90 minutes.  The only initial problem was that I needed to stay in country for a week following the surgery, but once I got the family and household sorted for my absence, it turned out to be a huge blessing.

I waited until the fun events were over in Jakarta and Matt and I flew out the day after Melbourne Cup.  We were surprised to find Christmas had already arrived on Orchard Road!

My surgery was at 5pm, so I had the morning to do some grocery shopping and get one last meal in before fasting began at 11am.

Perfect timing to get ready for Thanksgiving with all the goodies we can't buy in Indonesia.

Finally, it was time for me to check in.  I found it ironic that I walked myself to the hospital for my foot surgery.  I was happy to have it done at Gleneagles because it was my third time to go in for surgery there and I was so comfortable with everything.

One last look at my foot intact! I skinned it two weeks before in a pool and my poor toe hadn't healed, but it didn't affect the incision at all.  The ugly streaking on the joint was a result of inflammation.

I was bummed that the single rooms were full and I had to double up, but it turned out I had a wonderful roommate who was quiet and almost nonexistent.  I considered asking for the Gleneagles suite.

Once I was checked in and passed my ECG, I had nothing to do but (try to) relax and wait until they were ready for me.  Matt was working from the hotel room and joined me around 4pm.

Finally, it was time to go!

Everything went really well and it took just over an hour to remove a lot of excess bone and hopefully get mobility back in my toe.  I had a wonderful nap during that time.

Dr. Wong was very surprised to find a cartilage ball loose in my joint and told me that was probably really contributing to the pain.  So happy to have that gone!

They got me back in my room just in time for dinner and I was thrilled to get some mushroom soup and char kway teow.  It was delicious! Or maybe I was just really hungry.

My foot was bandaged tightly to prevent bleeding and my toe was completely immobilized.  I was still scared to get out of bed on this foot, though.

 I spent one night at Gleneagles and moved the next day to my home for a week.  It was a bright, happy room and thankfully pretty cozy so I could get everywhere in just a few steps.  Matt went home to meet the boys after school and spend the weekend with them and our maid Tina took wonderful care of them in my absence.  No one went hungry!

I got a wonderful surprise from my friend Andrea and these flowers brought me joy all through the week!

I spent most of my days with my foot propped up, reading or napping or watching Netflix.  Lots of texting and facetime as well! My chair by the window was great for sunshine and a view.

Once the tight dressing came off, I was pretty happy with my foot.  The dressing really kept the swelling down, except for my toes, and bruising was minimal.  The scary part was that I had to start moving my foot and bending my toe throughout the day.

I ate lots of room service and plenty of meals in the lounge.  My room was at the very end of the hall so I got plenty of walking practice going back and forth to the elevator.  I had a lovely clunky walking shoe to keep my foot protected but it was still slow going.

My schedule pretty much centered around food.  If I ate a late breakfast, I could have high tea for lunch!

Even though I wasn't familiar with the Robertson Quay area, it was nice being in an old home and spending time in Singapore.

A week later, the kids had a day off of school so Matt brought the boys back with him and I was thrilled to see all of them!  They took the early flight so we had time to go the electric kart track before lunch.

This guy couldn't wait to get behind the wheel.

We enjoyed some pepper crab and chili crab, then I had my last doctor visit and the guys all got dental cleanings.  It was a very efficient day!

On our way home Saturday, we made an important stop at the airport.

We had to go to Jewel Changi to find the Subway and I was pretty excited to see it after having watched a documentary on its creation.  The indoor waterfall is amazing and the hundreds of trees inside feel like a forest.

I had a pretty great driver around the airport!

Thankful for my ugly shoe to keep my foot protected.

A quick flight to Jakarta and a really long wheelchair ride to immigration, and we were on our way home.  I was so happy to be back and recovering well.

Melbourne Cup Brunch

Melbourne Cup is one of my favorite days in Jakarta.  Lots of ladies dress up and slap something big and colorful on their heads and have a really fun brunch together.

This year was at the Ritz Carlton and the new venue was pretty but the outdoor mingling was quite hot first thing in the morning.

The sunlight made for pretty pictures, though!  Norma and I were laughing because we had already sweat through our spanx.

Another lady captured a candid shot outside and I love how big my fascinator looks!

We're a little inseperable!

About this point in the morning, I realized I was missing an earring.  The sweet staff looked high and low and couldn't find it.  Problem was solved when I got home and found the other earring on my dresser...I forgot to put it on!

We moved indoors (with A/C!!) and enjoyed a lovely brunch.

Katie and I had lots of fun together at the table.

Finally, the big race!  I had 3 horses and none of them were even close.

Then it's always time for pictures and dancing with the lovely ladies.

The pretty ladies in white!   

I organized two tables for a total of 20 women and we were trying to get a picture of all of us together, but somehow had a few extras? I met some of the ladies for the first time that day and we had a pretty wonderful group.

Andrea is never the shy one and she won best fascinator again for her amazing butterfly headpiece.  It fit her colorful personality perfectly!

Me, Pam, Andrea, Jenny, Norma, Jill, and Paula

After the music stopped at 2pm, we couldn't pass up the invitation to do a little singing at Happy Puppy.

It was a pretty fun way to wrap up a great day!

Bali Weekend

We called a Kirkham holiday and let the kids skip school on a Friday for a quick Bali weekend.  We left after school on Thursday and arrived late so that we could enjoy our entire Friday. The waves were good so we headed straight to Kuta for some surfing.

The volcanoes in the distance were pretty visible that morning.

I chose a book and a chair and Alex initially wanted to play in the sand but finally decided to get a surfboard himself and head out.

The waves were coming in really slow sets so for the first time the boys paddled out on their own and caught their own waves.  It was a really perfect day for them.  Matt had a nice wave himself.

I could hear Ben every time he caught a wave because his "woohoohooooo" was so loud!

He stayed out until his arms were jelly!

All my surfer boys...

The Intercontinental is our favorite place and we always have to enjoy at least one high tea.

Alex's favorite pool

And my favorite spot! It's no longer the sunset bar, but it's still my happy place to end the day.

The boys may be older but they still can't resist the beach.  They loved the river that formed at low tide.

Ben's favorite is definitely the breakfast and the big plate of bacon he always eats.

I always have to get my picture by the dragon!

Ben has grown since our first visit 2 years ago!

At high tide, the kids and I had a blast body surfing the waves on Jimbaron.

Lunch by the pool is always a treat.  Non-alcoholic drinks are free all day so we try every type of mocktail they offer.

It's hard to beat the massages in Indonesia.  A new place opened up across the street and we thoroughly enjoyed our hour-long foot massages!  It would be my last one before foot surgery so I soaked it in.

On Sunday, we took the 2pm flight home, which meant we could still have lunch poolside with one last frozen watermelon.  Such a great weekend to unwind and relax together!