Moving on up

For the last two days Cody and I have been working with Joanna, a realtor that works with Crown Relocation, to find a new home. Not that I'm complaining about where we are- The Swissotel is the bomb. We'll be here another week before moving into our new place!

Hotel Lobby

The Executive Club has great snacks! 

So grateful for this amazing opportunity- and a smart husband.

Joanna took us to see a few different apartment options here in Singapore. Mostly located in the Orchard Scotts area or District 9...makes me think of the Hunger Games. Every one that we saw was so beautiful! Bigger than I expected, but since I heard we were moving to Asia I think I've been imagining a matchbox!! 

We had lunch at Wee Nam Kee...Chicken Rice was delicious. 

Yesterday we also got our EZ-link cards set up. That's how we'll travel around since we won't have a car. The subway system and buses are all interconnected and very easy to use...kinda exciting! (Since they drive on the other side of the road, with the wheel on the right side of the car...I'm glad we're not even trying.)

Today we went to view several apartments at the building that we liked the most. The rental process here is very different than it is Stateside. You're typically renting from a landlord that is represented by their own agent. That agent and your agent, in our case Joanna, work out the lease details. It's a pretty high pressure situation and we, "made an offer" immediately after viewing one this morning. We won't know for a few days if it's been accepted, but we sure hope so!

The agents making a deal

We had lunch at Ikea after shopping for
new furniture...Cody found
ice cream.

As I'm typing Cody is researching churches so I'm sure we'll be visiting one this weekend! This evening we are going to meet with Quinn and Dawn, a couple that have given us lots of advice on moving to Singapore. They're also Aggies and we've been e-mailing with them for a few weeks. Should be fun, we're excited to make friends.

Love,

Christie & Cody

Singapore

Today was our first real day in our new city and Cody's company arranged for us to be given a private tour. This morning we were picked up by Susie and her driver; the car was freezing, but given how hot it is here it was really nice. (This is the "cool" time of year--LORD HELP US!!!)

They took us all over Singapore! Cody spent most of the time making notes on his phone so that we would remember all of what she said (Thankfully). We visited Chinatown, Little India, Arab Street, Hawker Stations, and the coast. Because Singapore is a blend of four major cultures (Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Thai) it felt like we were in several different countries all in a matter of a few hours.

 I can't get over how beautiful everything is. It's a combination of early colonial architecture, jungle vegetation, and new developments. I found that Susie's style of guiding was actually really interesting (I tend to get bored on tours). She took us into two of the major temples, both for the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. Singapore is religiously free, but it seems those two are more prominent. The opulence in both of those temples was incredible - two totally different styles: colors, deities, designs. Pretty soon we'll be finding our own church home! We're praying that God will lead us where we're supposed to be.

I am the year of the Tiger and Cody is the year of the Ox. We share a Buddha protector. Here we're at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.  



Women must cover their legs in the temples so here I am in a sarong.

Taking my shoes off and walking barefoot was a necessary evil in the temples. Hello Purell (Sanitizer). 

Sri Mariamman Temple in Chinatown

We ate lunch on Arab Street and had spicy Malay food. Coconut Soup with vegetables, Beef Rendang (spicy beef with lemongrass), Begedils (potato cakes), spicy prawns, and chicken with rice.

Post enjoyment of Indian Ginger Tea (Teh Halia -- in Malay) and Curry Puffs on Arab Street

We're already so in love with this place and are beyond thankful for the experience! 

XOXO-Christie & Cody

Living in Austin

Two years ago Cody and I moved to Austin, Texas. He started his career there with PMBHD, a public accounting firm, but after one year moved over to AMD. I started working with Boundless Network, first in sales support, then in recruiting. I loved working there and can easily say that some of my closest friends were people that I spent 9-5 with as well.

We first lived in an apartment in Westlake- a tiny place, but with beautiful hill country views. (Just down the road from my best friend too.) In October of 2011 we bought a house near Oltorf/35. The house was new, but in a developing community. We quickly learned to love eating the local cuisine... Super Burrito was a favorite...just trust me; it's awesome. We also liked being so close to downtown as my office was on 6th street it made for an easy commute and we were always close to the action.

Homebrews and Concerts. Boat Parties and Best Friends. Our sweet puppy Lauren. Kickball team and a new Place.

Over the 2 years that we spent in Austin, God answered a huge prayer. We found a church group at Austin Stone; a missional community full of new friends. We have been so blessed by these individuals and meeting with them has brought both of us closer to the Lord and challenged us in our marriage.

I know without a doubt that Austin was where we were supposed to be, but as many of you know we have a big relocation announcement....SINGAPORE!!!

I guess that means that we're on the road again.

Love,

Christie

Sweet Lauren

Boat Party

ACL 2011

MJTMKB Champions! 

New House

Snoop Dogg- We danced on Stage. 

Amazing Boundless Friends + Cody

My boss- Jason Black

Grace Girls in Fort Worth

Pi Phi Friends at a Fundraiser

Decorating our 360 Tree

Boundless Christmas Party

New Years Eve 2011

I got a new Cousin, Amanda, Love this girl!

Best Friend, Christina gets engaged...we go to Cabo! 

Gig 'Em Aggies

Too old for Chilifest?

My work friends are beautiful

Grace girls go to float the river- we all survived! 

Christie and Christina in Wine Country

Merry Christmas from The Cooks!

Hopefully you're reading our blog because you got our Christmas card in the mail this week! You may have noticed that our return address was a little different; big announcement-we're moving to Austin! We're really looking forward to exploring a new city together for the first time and couldn't be more excited that our new city is right in the middle of the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

For the past several months we've been packing, traveling, interviewing, etc. Finally, everything is in place for our big move. Our official date is January 5, 2011. Right before that we'll have our family Christmas celebrations and then we'll be in Denver celebrating New Years with some close friends!

Thank you for checking up on us! We'll try and update more from Austin than we did living in Houston; I have a feeling that learning a new city will provide us with lots of opportunities to do that. I've attached some pictures of what we've been up to over the last few months. Come back and I promise to show you all the highlights of our move!

Some New Treats!

Dish: Fish Tacos
From the kitchen of: Christie Cook

Ingredients:
2-4 white fish filets (Mahi Mahi)
2 Avocados
1/3 cup red onion-diced
1-2T Fresh cilantro
2 jalapeños (red or green)
4 limes
1 Blood orange
Minced garlic
Corn tortillas

Preparation:
Marinate fish with minced garlic, juice of 2 limes, and cilantro. Bake until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
Chop onion, cilantro, and jalapeño-combine. Cube avocado and mix in. Separate orange segments- mix in.
Serve with black beans and rice mixed with fresh cilantro.

Servings: 4 tacos per filet

 
Dish: Spinach Salad with Variations
From the kitchen of: Christie Cook

Ingredients:
Baby Spinach
2 pieces Turkey Bacon
2 Eggs-Hardboiled
¼c Toasted Almonds
1 Chicken Breast
Cheese: Blue, Feta, Cheddar, etc.
Red Onion- thinly sliced
Sliced Fruit: Pears, Green Apple, Oranges, or Strawberries.

Dressing:
3-5T Olive Oil
2T Fresh Lemon Juice
2T Mustard
1T Spicy Mustard
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:
Season Chicken breast with Salt & Pepper. Cook until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.
Combine Lemon juice, mustard, salt & pepper in a glass bowl. Whisk in Olive oil until dressing emulsifies.
In two large salad bowls divide the spinach and ½ of the dressing and chicken breast. Finish with desired toppings.
Toss immediately before serving to combine.

Servings: 2 bowls A perfect lunch!

This is long overdue.

I never thought I would have a hard time keeping up with this blog, but I so obviously do. Sorry. We're in the season of weddings and every time we go to one we're so happy that it isn't ours-they're so much more relaxing when you aren't the bride and groom. Most recently we were in Beaver Creek, Colorado, for Nick and Kristin's and I just have to say that it was so beautiful! They got married with the most incredible mountian scene behind them, and if Kristin wasn't so gorgeous everyone would have just stared at God's creation of a mountian. Anyway, we had a fantastic time and loved catching up with old friends that we don't get to see all that often!

Right before that wedding trip Cody and I spent the week in Washington, DC, and New York City to celebrate our six month wedding anniversary and Cody getting his CPA liscense. We were on top of the world! We also saw one of our favorite bands, Goldfrapp, who never tour in America, twice. I guess that makes us groupies. It was so fun to get to be on vacation with just each other and relax. AND right after that trip I got to spend the weekend with my best friends from highschool in the beautiful Fredericksburg, Texas! I seriously don't remember the last time I've laughed so hard. It was so good to see everyone and amazing to see how we're exactly the same.

I've been working with Betco for about 6 months now and I've even sold some buildings-Whoop! I'm still trying to figure out my goal in life...maybe it will magically appear to me soon, but for now it's great to have a job and make some money.

The OTHER thing that I've been doing for fun-is writing a cookbook. Ok, don't laugh! But it's so different to live with a guy and want to cook. I remember when I was in college, my fridge contained Diet Coke, Cheese and Crackers...and that was pretty much it. Apparently guys, or at least mine, like to eat 3 "square" meals a day. I've had so much fun making up things and changing recipies I've gotten from friends, family, and the food network. Cody has been a great sport about eating all of my creations. I've decided to post some on here, let me know what you think! Who knows, maybe I'm not the only new wife that's discovered the amazing eating capacity of their new husbands. Of course, Cody does have the Nickname, "Windjammer" from the buffet on our cruise that he enjoyed so very much. Bon Appetite!

Much love!

Christie

Dish: Healthy Eggs Benedict
From the kitchen of: Christie Cook
Ingredients:
Turkey Bacon
Orowheat sandwich thins
Spinach
4 eggs
Hollandaise Sauce:
3 egg yolks
2T butter-melted
1 ½ T fresh lemon juice
½ t salt
1/3 cup boiling water
½ t cayenne pepper

Preparation:
Cook turkey bacon, sauté spinach, and toast sandwich thins. Keep warm.
For the sauce: Set up a double boiler and whisk egg yolks together until they thicken. Add in boiling water one tablespoon at a time while continuing to whisk. Turn burner off. Add in lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt, and melted butter. Whisk together. Sauce will thicken.
In a large pan bring salted water to a boil. Add in the 4 eggs one at a time, poach for 3-5 minutes each.
Assemble: toast, spinach, turkey bacon, top with poached egg, and pour desired amount of sauce.
Servings: 2

Dish: Stuffed Burgers & Fries

From the kitchen of: Christie Cook
Ingredients:
Orowheat Sandwich thins
1lb extra lean ground beef
2 cloves of garlic-minced
2T Worcestershire sauce
3T Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Feta cheese
Optional Toppings:
Avocado, Cheese, Turkey Bacon, lettuce

Fries:
Red Potatoes-cut in to wedges
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:
Combine beef, garlic, Worcestershire, olive oil, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat large non-stick skillet. Divide beef in to 8 equal parts. Form small patties from the first four and make a small dent in the middle. Place 1-2T of feta cheese; place other patties on top and seal. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. Finish in a 350 degree oven until desired doneness. Toast bread and assemble.

Fries: Place potato wedges on a greased baking sheet. Cover in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat oven to highest setting (550) for about 30 minutes.

Servings: 4 ¼ pound burgers & 4-6 fries per potato

Brighter than Sunshine

So...what I thought would be a daily, maybe weekly blog has turned into a monthly-if I get around to it update. Sorry! We've been spending a lot of time hanging out with friends and continuing to explore Houston. Most recently, we've adopted somewhat of a "couples game night" between a group of friends. I insist that it should remain a secret...trying to fight the married and no crazy fun stereotype I guess. Anyway, it's been AWESOME...cooking steaks at friends houses and drinking wine, makes me glad to be a grown up.

On another note, I spent a few days at the beginning of this month in Vegas with my mom working the ISS trade show. I've started a new position as a BETCO, inc. sales representative and hopefully it works out. Vegas was great though, we saw the Beatle's Love cirque & Fab 4 shows, played some 21, and ate really good food!

We've had a lot of friends get engaged recently so we're looking forward to all of their weddings! Most recently Scott and Lindsey tied the knot; Chris and Nathan rode along with us and after the ceremony we made a quick Martini stop at Benjy's-great idea. The reception was really fun for us since we could dance together and see some old friends. Afterwards, the four of us made it a very late night at club drake-which I've dubbed, "Asia". Good times.

Speaking of International, I've been craving the use of my passport. Christina and I used to say that we know we had it made when we could use the word, Summer, as a verb. ie, "I can't wait to summer in Europe." With that in mind, I haven't been back to Europe since Cody and I went backpacking after graduation. Might be time to cash in some of those frequent flyer miles.

We've been trying to figure out where God want's us in Church. We started our life in Houston at Second Baptist and love it, but we're looking for a good young marrieds group and don't know if Second is where we should stay. Let us know if you have any suggestions!

Thanks for checking up on us. We're loving life and it's been so fun to be married! I'll try to write again, sooner this time! (The title is a song by Aqualung-enjoy)