2006 Nanaletter to all :)

We STILL do not know what is happening with Bryan's new job, however, yesterday we learned that we will have to move at the end of August 2007 - either back to the US or another condo here. The owners of the condo will either sell this place 'as is' or keep it and renovate -- they still do not know, but it requires us to move :( The weather here continues to be monsoon season, with daily and sometimes all day rain. Great and exciting thunder and lightening, too!
My mom, 91, is preparing to move,selling her place next door to me in Vancouver, WA, and moving to Richland, WA, by Amanda, into an assisted-living facility that she likes very much. It's a 2-BR apartment, but smaller than her house and easier to manage. Her home, where she has lived since 1995 has become too much for her to care for by herself. This new place will be a wonderful rest for her, and she will be able to make new friends and do things, like play cribbage. :) And Mandy and Blake are only about 5 blocks from her - to see her almost everyday. Of course, mom will not be limited to staying inside her place - she can, of course, get out and travel about whenever she wants - according to how strong she feels.
Sarah, our youngest, who was married last September, just announced a new baby, due in August 2007 - that makes 6 for Nana and Papa :) And George has announced his upcoming wedding, also in August 2007. Hope I can make both events next summer without a huge hassle. Emily, Carlos and 2 girls just left their visit to Singapore (all of December). Next to come will be Mandy and Blake for the Chinese New Year in February 2007, then Tim, Livvy and 2 boys sometime in the Spring (or possibly next Christmas). George & Lynnette and Sarah & Marlon will also get a chance to come here before we move back to the US.
Bryan is negotiating for a new job here in Singapore, leaving his current job in January 2007 - it will give us more income and more benefits. But it has been in various legal departments since August - it's frustrating having to wait to know what we will be doing next month! Working for Maccine has been a wonderful chance for him, and it has expanded his job skills. He also has made many more international connections in his field. The new job will extend our stay in Singapore another three years, and then we will definitely move back to the US in February 2010. I've been away too long and missed some family stuff ... like seeing them!! :) Of course, I can, and do, fly home, but it's long, expensive and hard on me and definitely not my favorite way to spend 24 hours!!
The Church here in Singapore is growing and in January 2007, will dedicate a brand new, 4 story Stake Center, with 2 chapels/cultural halls and room for 4 wards. It is a beautiful building and I'm excited to 'move in'. We've been attending church in a beautiful, old house that was converted for church use, but it is far away and takes 20 minutes by taxi - the newly built Stake Center is around the corner from us, and we can walk. Very nice! If you've seen pictures of the new Hong Kong Stake Center, this one is very similar, though smaller. Our Temple district continues to be in Hong Kong (3-1/2 hours flight) but we also fly to Manila, Philippines (3 hours flight). They are both beautiful and the cities are exciting. Another Temple I have attended is in Perth, Australia, one of the new smaller temples (6-1/2 hour flight). Those are the three that are closest to us... needless to say, I miss Portland, Oregon! Singapore has 1 stake: 8 wards and 1 branch (in Malaysia) and they are busting! To get a Temple here, which the Church is working towards, we will need 2 stakes - it can be done :)
The Asian area continues to have lots of natural disasters, in the form of typhoons (hurricanes), flooding and earthquakes, but we are not affected by them here in Singapore. It is a tiny island-nation that is protected by surrounding nations in the South China Sea at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula.
Living in Singapore is so much fun - I've made good friends with people from Sweden, China, Japan, Zimbabwe, Australia, Korea, India, Scotland, Canada, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, South Africa, New Zealand and of course, the US. Where else would you be able to do that so easily? I will never get used to the heat/humidity, but with every where being air conditioned, it's quite tolerable. I do miss driving my own car, but it's extremely expensive, and taxis are so easy and cheap. They also have excellent subway and bus systems. Life is easy here, but it is very expensive for food, housing and books. For example, we pay S$3000.00/mo for our 4 BR apartment - and that's the cheap one! Houses here are more than S$20,000.00/mo!! NO KIDDING! and rent is going up! For 4 small bags of groceries, you can easily spend S$200.00. The exchange rate varies daily, but usually hovers around US$1 = S$1.49-1.70 (average is about S$1.55). Often, US Expats (people who are citizens of one country that live in another country) get a US package/deal where housing and car is provided, but for us that is not the case - we work for a Singapore company and get paid in Sing$$ and pay taxes in both countries. Families with small children usually hire a live-in helper - we hire a housekeeper once a week. Generally the helpers are from the Philippines, and poor, and they send most of their wages back to their families. Singapore is -- hot, humid, friendly, clean, safe, beautiful, easy and travel is generally cheap -- come for a visit sometime!
I hope this finds you happy, healthy, safe and warm, and with blessings heaped upon you! This year has had it's challenges and it's blessings. God has been kind to us. We love you all and would love to have you send us an email, a letter, a note, a blog, a comment on this blog. May you have a wonderful New Year -
love, Laurie :), Mama :) :), Nana :) :) :)