10 Years and Hours of Fun

We headed down to Gainesville Friday afternoon for Sunil's Medical School reunion at UF. Every Gator there had stories and laughter and good times to share. I really enjoyed meeting all of his old friends and their spouses and the new Dean.

Sohan was the star of the show and we jokingly predicted that he'd be at UF in 22 years attending Med School!


Reflecting on the yesteryears...

H is for Harshad Kaka

Teaching Saloni that H is for Harshad kaka

After eight years, Sunil and I and his parents were excited to welcome back his uncle (Kaka) and aunt (Kaki) to Jacksonville. Harshad kaka and Ami kaki live in Dallas and he is my father-in-law's younger brother. Let me just say that the Joshi brothers definitely share a love for laughter, food and good times.



















It was great staying up late on Saturday night to play cards and talk about life, retirement, work and raising family. It's funny how on nights like these, sleep finds a way to delay itself, no matter how tired you feel. Thank goodness for that!

Sunil's Mom and Ami kaka bonding over stories of cooking and motherhood

Some Days Don't Need Words

Do you ever find that some days just don't need words? That it's nice to pause, stare out the window and watch big puffy clouds pass by? That while there are dishes waiting to be washed, bills to pay, phone calls to make and on and on, there is beauty in that one quiet moment. Today I paused and found myself smiling at this great view. C'mon, I know it's making you smile too.

Mondays

always love them, but they seem so multiplied like dishes in the sink

like the shoes by the door that are old and stink,



mondays, mondays, too many lists and too less of this

quiet and peace and boredom i miss,



the counch invites, i reunite

gently i fall as sleep my name calls....

It's called Affogato Darling

I'm getting better at cooking more things out of my daily routine. I'm making it a point to try recipes I've collected in my recipe binders instead of just storing them. The rewards include more fresh foods, happy faces at the dinner table and watching your hubby and kids take second helpings. Not to mention increased confidence in the kitchen. It's such a great feeling! So this one is a real easy treat but feels like you're eating something out of a ritzy Italian cafe.

It's called Affogato and all you do is make your favorite hot coffee - I like mine instant (it's called Bru from the Indian store). Then find a beautiful bowl. It's important that what you eat out of is attractive and beautiful - it makes eating more pleasurable. Scoop some vanilla ice cream into the bowl and then pour the hot coffee (half and half optional) over the ice cream. Sit back. Find a window view and enjoy. Mmmm. Instant joy. Nigella style.

12 Years and Still Going

I remember the first time I met my friend Christiane. I was doing an internship with Robert McGraw Architects as part of my college requirements. She was from Germany and had a beautiful accent and an overall pleasant way about her. We became friends in an instant.

Over time, we have shared stories, laughed, cried, enjoyed numerous cups of coffee, dined, whined and have been there for each other through anything that life threw our way. I usually get a chance to see her when I visit my family in CA, but I didn't get to the last couple of times, so it was a real treat when I heard she was coming here. Since this was her first visit to Jacksonville, I could have easily crammed a lot of sightseeing in, but relaxing and catching up sounded much better.

She arrived Tuesday and we simply had the best time...just like all the times before. Seeing me as a mom made her laugh and seeing her reach so many career and personal goals in her life made me smile. Long distances between friends and family are never easy, but visits like these make up for all those lost days. She's on her way to Miami for a program through work and I can still hear her voice in the house...the way I first heard it 12 years ago.

A Weekend for All Seasons

Have you ever had a weekend where you were away from home but felt ever so closer to it? That's how most of our vacations are...we get away from the daily grind only to feel closer to the happiness that resides at home. So it was with much joy that last Friday came along. It was the first time Grandma (Daadi) and Grandpa (Daada) were going to spend an overnight adventure with Saloni and Sohan. Are you sitting for this one?

I dropped them at around 4:00pm and Sunil and I went over their typical habits and sleeping times and any other concerns parents would have of being away for the night. The funny part is that we couldn't wait to get to St. Augustine and Saloni couldn't wait for us to go. What a surprise! Sohan, of course, was in heaven with all the attention.

We checked into the Casa Monica - a gorgeous hotel dating back to the yesteryear's and placed perfectly among the shops and restaurants in this quaint city. We had stayed there pre-kids and diapers, so with those sweet memories, we strode right in. We picked our favorite restaurant Acapulco and enjoyed the water views from the balcony. The balmy breeze had the perfect touch of cool...such a perfect atmosphere. It was so nice to talk, laugh, and gaze at the views with no interruptions for bottle feedings or lil' bathroom trips. Of course, an hour into dinner, we called home and to our joy, all was fine. Whew!

Beautiful views from our room

Saturday we strolled to the coffee bar and had breakfast in the wraparound balcony downstairs. I only treat myself to egg and cheese croissants on special occasions and this sure was one! We just love St. Augustine. It may be the oldest city in America, but it's modern in its shops and eateries while still holding onto the history that so many flock here to discover. That's a hard combination to achieve.

Where else would you find a horse-drawn carriage outside your hotel room?

While Sunil had a committment to do an allergy talk for the Indo-American Medical Forum,I glued myself to my favorite magazines and enjoyed views from our room. After checking out, we felt so relaxed and peaceful. A feeling that hotels are great for providing. Getting back to Sunil's parents' house, they were in a sea of toys and crayons. But with a huge smile on his face, Daada didn't even want to part with the two cutie-pies. We couldn't stop thanking them for our lovely night out and more than that, for spending time with our tiny tots for whom we felt even more closer to while we were away.

The Novelty of Numbers

As a mom, I find the curiosity in children's stats interesting. No one hesitates in asking me the height, weight, age or size of my kids. I have yet to meet a mom that feels shy about her kids' stats...after all, 80% of our conversations are about our offsprings.

Yet, when it comes to our own stats, why is "politically incorrect" to talk about that? Why is it that I have to say "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?" I think it would be wonderful to openly talk about our age, our height, our weight or even size. In fact, I have a funny story about size. As you know, iIm trying to lose my post-pregnancy weight. I have eight pounds to go. YEAH! So about a month ago, I finally decided to buy some summer shorts to get me through the time before I get back into my old clothes (which thankfully, I do now). The funny part? I was three different sizes in three different brands. My normal size is two. But at the Gap I was a six, at Express, I was an eight and at J. Jill, I was a four. Imagine that!

I say this with a grin on my face that each of those shorts are now loose on me..he he. It has been hard getting these pounds to shed, but I am determined to get back to my normal 110 pounds. Oops, now you know my weight, well, my pre-Sohan weight. For someone who loves sugar, anything sweet and chocolate to the point of most rooms in the house having bowls of M&M's, turning away from these goodies has taken real determination. And oh, on the days that I've cheated...my stomach put up a fight!

So back to numbers, I think we should embrace our stats the way children do. The joy they derive from declaring their age and how tall they are and everything - let's not lose that. Who cares if the new 40 is 30 or the latest cream zaps wrinkles. Being happy in your skin is a great thing. And so at 36, standing at 5' 4", I'm welcoming the new freckles from my weekend out with the kids.