Road Trip!!! Our Arrival and First Week in Calgary

Our first week in Calgary was quite adventurous. You may have read in my last post that my Mom and I, along with Jaek and Chloe, drove from Houston all the way up to Calgary over 4 days stopping in Oklahoma City, Denver, Billings, and then into Calgary. It was a long drive of 9-10 hours each day with stops, but I am very thankful it was uneventful (no car problems, sickness, accidents, or issues at the border)

Zoo Crew all ready to go!

We left on Tuesday after the movers packed up our shipment from Houston of Stella's furniture and gifts and made it to Calgary on Friday around 5 pm. The movers had delivered everything on Thursday, so Kaes had been busy with a house full of boxes and where to put everything! The house is nice, but definitely doesn't have the amount of space we would like or need. I keep telling myself it is not forever and we can deal with it...also very thankful for a huge basement since that is where the majority of the boxes will be stored until our next move.

A very important pit stop ;)

After a busy first week, we decided we wanted to take a break and have some fun. Banff and Lake Louise are some of the most beautiful attractions in Alberta and are only 1.5 hours away from Calgary, so we took a short day trip there leaving early Saturday morning.

Lake Louise

Mom and I in front of Lake Louise - it is just breathtaking!

The Bow River that runs through Banff all the way to Calgary

I am still waiting for the next shipment to arrive and be delivered. The moving company says this Thursday and hopefully so. Mom will be here with me until Friday, so we will not have a whole lot of time to set up Stella's nursery.

I have my initial doctors appointment (32 weeks) here in Calgary on Friday and then Mom leaves that afternoon :( She has been such a huge help from the packing, moving, road trip with the zoo crew, all of the work getting the Calgary house in order and helping me prepare dinners to freeze for when Stella arrives. It has been a busy week, but I feel great about all the progress that has been made!

Thank you for all that you do! Love you Mom!!! XOXO

It's Official - We are {FINALLY} Moving!!!

Next stop....Calgary!!!

4 hours flying time from Houston to Calgary

We are so excited to finally be able to say we will be relocating to Calgary, Alberta, Canada this summer!!! I have waited {very} patiently for the day to finally come to say we can move out of Malaysia!!!

I firmly believe we will be in for a rude awakening with the very cold winters in Calgary as well as the cold temperatures throughout the year, but it could always be worse...it will definitely take some getting used to since we have lived in either Houston or the tropics our whole lives! Jaek and Chloe won't know what to think!!!

Kaes will have a new assignment in Calgary for 2-3 years initially. FMC Technologies bought a company called Pure Energy (now FMC Completions Services) and it is currently based in Calgary with U.S. headquarters in Denver. We are open to whatever timing is needed; just thrilled to be much closer to friends and family.

I'm planning to come back to Houston mid June while Kaes stays longer in KL to finish up his current assignment then come to Houston mid August. We would then go to Calgary to move into our house, hopefully receive our furniture, and start getting settled in. This also happens to be the most beautiful {and warmest} time of year. It will be perfect for us to ease into the frigid temperatures in winter. Kaes will likely start work in Calgary mid August which will give us {hopefully} about 6-7 weeks before the baby arrives in early/mid October.

My last days with FMC will be mid June before I head to Houston. I have been there 7 years and have had wonderful experiences in all 5 locations that we worked in. It will be bittersweet to leave, but as they say, when one door closes, another door will open.

A lot of changes are happening with our family that we are really excited to share and look forward to experiencing in a new country. It will be a busy next 5 months, but in the end, we know it will all work out for the best and we cannot wait to start a new adventure in a new country!

Happy New Year from Kuala Lumpur!!!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and very Happy New Year!!!

Our Christmas was spent anxiously awaiting the completion of work on our new house in KL. Christmas day was pretty quiet and we missed being home with family and friends, but were invited to spend Christmas dinner with some friends. Traditional dinner of turkey, ham, green bean casserole, dressing, and more desserts than you can imagine, made the day seem like we were at home.

After moving to KL almost two months earlier, we finally got to move in! The movers delivered and help unload all of our goods, and the feeling of sleeping back in our own bed was indescribable. Oh how we had missed it so much!

The pups were excited to explore their new yard and Jaek couldn't wait to jump into the refreshing pool to cool off. He loves to swim!

I have been travelling for the past 6 weeks to Singapore during the week and come home on the weekends. I have to say I am definitely ready to finally stay home and enjoy our home (as well as finish organizing and unpacking the rest of the boxes!!!) The house is in livable order, but needs a bit more attention in the office area and bedrooms. Unfortunately, our office desk top (made of glass) was shattered in the move, so we are waiting until a new desk comes in. Hopefully we will be able to get the office all sorted and looking more organized after, but for now, our makeshift desk will have to do.

Below are a few pictures (minus the photos of unfinished rooms) of the kitchen, dining, living room, lounge, and pool area.

The lounge area looking out to the patio and pool

The dining room looking out to the outdoor breakfast area and kitchen

The dry kitchen area

One of our first priorities to get the BBQ pit, smoker, patio furniture and pool area ready to have a pool party. We both worked very hard and were able to celebrate New Year's Day smoking some delicious pork ribs and grilling on the BBQ while sitting by the pool with friends. It was a great way to start out the New Year.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!! xoxo

The de Jong Family has relocated!

After spending 2 1/2 years in the beautiful city of Perth, it was time for us to make another move, this time to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We were fortunate that even under the circumstances of a last minute trip to Houston, the move went as well as it could have. Moving {especially internationally} with your house packed up and not having your goods for 2-3 months is never an easy task.

The dogs and I moved over and they went straight into quarantine. Luckily, they will only be in for 10 days, so it isn't terrible {originally there was no quarantine, but the Hendra virus set us back}. We are currently in a temporary apartment while I house hunt to find a permanent place. I am hopeful we will find our new home quickly so we can start to get settled.

Kaes and I {as well as the pups} enjoyed our time in Perth with the great weather and beautiful beaches, but are very excited to explore Malaysia and more of SE Asia. Leaving behind such great friends is always a struggle with each place we leave, but we are excited about new adventures to come!

It's Official - We are Moving!!!

Well the time has come once again for us to relocate to our next position. Our company has been very good to us over the past 3.5 years with new and exciting places to live and amazing opportunities for both of us. We have known about this potential move since June, but it was just finalized a few weeks ago, and Kaes' announcement was published to the region this week.

We will be relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. KL is just a short 3.5 hour drive to Singapore and on the Malaysia mainland that is bordered by Thailand to the north, and Singapore and Indonesia to the south. For those of that are unsure of where it is located, see the map below.

{click map for larger view}

Our very first overseas location was in Malaysia, but on the eastern side of the country in Miri, on the island of Borneo and close to the border of Brunei. I have pinpointed each location {A - KL and B - Miri} to see the distance between each city. 2.5 hours by flight separates the two from each other; similar to the distance between Houston and Denver.

Kaes officially starts his new position on October 1, which is a 2-year assignment, but it will take us a bit longer to relocate. Currently, there is a ban on importing horses and domestic animals from Australia to Malaysia {this is very unusual due to the strict quarantine process in Australia} due to the deadly Hendra virus {transmitted by fruit bats} that has killed 20 horses, a dog, and has infected humans. The ban on livestock and goats was just lifted a few weeks ago as they are the biggest exports for Australia and where Malaysia gets its main source of meat. Unfortunately, the virus is on the eastern side of Australia, over 2,000 miles away, but Malaysia is taking all precautions to ensure it is not transmitted to Malaysia.

What that means for us is a waiting game...the dogs and I will stay in Perth until the ban is lifted and Kaes will travel back and forth to KL. Hopefully the Malaysia and Australian governments can sort the issue quickly so this does not turn into a lengthy process. Once we get the green light, it will take 6 weeks by sea for all of our furniture to be transported from Perth to KL. I cannot say that I am ever excited to be packed up, wait for what seems like forever to finally get to sleep in your own bed again, then have to unpack and organize everything...it is quite the daunting task...

Perth's beautiful summer is quickly approaching, so I can't say that I am complaining {too} much!! It will be bittersweet to leave the beautiful beaches, river, and amazing weather that makes Perth such an enjoyable place, as well has the many friends that we have met, but we are excited about new opportunities in Malaysia as well as being closer to quick getaways in SE Asia.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures of our new city and home!!!

Almost Settled In

Well we have made our move to Australia and found our house. We moved into our permanent house on July 31st and had some temporary furniture delivered until our shipment makes it through customs. Fortunately enough, it made it to Perth within 7 days and we are just waiting on customs to clear it (Who knows how long that will take, but we are waiting patiently)

We found our house in Bicton and didn't realize how much we would love it! The weather has been amazing in Perth getting up into the mid to high 60's during the day and in the 30's in the morning. Kaes and I went on a long bike ride this weekend around the river, almost to the city and back. The view is breathtaking and the weather amazing. The Point Walter golf course is less than a mile from the house and also has tennis courts. Many people gather around Point Walter on the weekends for barbecues, picnics and skiing on the river.

Jaek and Chloe are in quarantine in Byford and as of today, only have 13 days left! Over half way through. They have met many new friends while there and the workers are very nice and friendly. They will both be very excited to move into their new home. The backyard is big enough for them to have plenty of running room and I am sure Jaek will love going for a swim in the pool :)

Here are a few pictures below


Front of the house


The kitchen and living room looking out onto the deck and backyard


Our new backyard


Chloe saying hello!


Jaek rolling on a lemon in the exercise yard at quarantine. Some things never change, no matter where they are!

Big News...

We are MOVING AGAIN!!!

We have been in Singapore since October 2008 and were just given the news a month ago that we would be relocating to Perth, Western Australia. Kaes was offered a position to build a base in Perth and run our Australia plant. Although it will be quite a complex job, we are fortunate for his wonderful opportunity. I will continue to work for my same boss in Singapore from Perth.
Below you can see where Perth is located relative to the other parts of Australia.

Keep checking back for pictures of our new home (once we find it!)

Getting Settled in Singapore

Well we finally got "most" of our boxes unpacked after receiving our shipment 2 weeks ago. I was very motivated to get them all unpacked and get rid of the boxes, but the momentum tends to dwindle after a few days of non-stop unpacking...Here are some updated pictures of our house with our furniture in it. We hosted our first dinner party at our house on November 9th and were very excited to have some old friends from Houston, currently living in China, to come and have dinner with us. Overall, everyone seemed to enjoy all the good food and wine. We will definitely be making this a reoccurance since it's much cheaper to invite friends over for dinner than to go out and eat/drink in Singapore. It starts to add up!!!

Updated House Pics

Here are some updated pictures of the house and our furniture. We received the 2nd sea shipment so we now have all of our stuff here.

Back in Miri as Mr and Mrs de Jong

Kim and I have been back in Miri for a couple of weeks now. We got our new rental car yesterday - Nissan X-Trail. Its brand new, has less than 100 miles on it, and is very nice. Here is a picture.

Kim is taking scuba lessons this week and will be certified on Sunday. We're excited since we'll be able to dive whenever we travel.
We're crossing our fingers that our air shipment gets delivered on Friday this week. The shipment includes most of Kim's clothes, our wedding gifts, and scuba gear we bought in Houston. Hopefully it arrives so we can use the scuba gear for dives this weekend.
Kim and I will likely go to KL next week (for seperate meetings) and are trying to take a long 3 or 4 day weekend somewhere like Phuket or Langkawi. This wil be our first trip! There will be plenty of pictures if we go somewhere ;-)

Our house in Miri

Click the following link to see a map of where we live. Can you find our house? Scroll over the boxes to see descriptions. HINT: We live very close to the ocean!

Once you find our place, zoom out on the map to see where we live in Malaysia and where we are relative to rest of South East Asia.

http://wikimapia.org/#lat=4.448763&lon=114.037485&z=14&l=0&m=a&v=2

Moving on Saturday, March 8th

I move into the house tomorrow, Saturday, March 8th. Owner is leaving a coach, dining room table, queen size bed, and two tvs in the house until our furniture arrives. Furniture is scheduled to arrive March 25th and will take 3-5 days to clear customs and get delivered to the house. I just need to buy some pillows, linens, towels, and misc things for the house. I'm pretty excited to be moving out of the Marriott.