The blur that was July

July, being my birth month and all, has always been special to me.  Three years ago, I woke up on July 1 and told M how excited I was that we would get to meet our son later that month.  This July 1, I thought fondly back to that day and looked forward to the rest of the month with all of its birthdays: my brother, then S, then me, then my mother, with a few other relatives thrown into the mix.  But here is what really happened in July.  ALL of our stuff arrived (from Barbados and the U.S.) seemingly at once, and on July 3, our place was full of boxes and unpacked belongings everywhere.  That same night, we escaped by going to the Consulate's Independence Day celebration, and it was such a great evening!  I took two days off specifically to get the house in order, and we spent a long weekend of 5 days in a flurry of putting things away.  July 9-12 was a combination of regular work duties and preparing for the advance team's arrival (more on that later).  I enjoyed the weekend of July 13-14 by relaxing, and spending time with M & S since I knew I wouldn't see them much over the coming two weeks.  We started working with the advance team for VP Biden and the Second Lady on July 15, and the next two weeks went by in a blur of activity.  I enjoy that sort of stuff, and preparing for a White House visit was a great experience (personally and professionally).  It gave me the side benefit of getting to know Mumbai in a way that I never could have accomplished on my own or as quickly.  Seriously... I got to see so much, from the slums of Dharavi  and the red-light district of Kamathipura, to the opulence and glamor that is the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the full range in between.  While lots of people did lots of things for this visit, our team was tasked with putting together a separate schedule of events for Dr. Jill Biden.  Visit Dr. Biden's Blog and read the entries for July 24 and 25 to see what she did here.  It was a very successful visit, and we all have the satisfaction that comes from a job well done.

Meanwhile you're wondering, what about those birthdays?  My sentiments exactly!  So... we sort of celebrated S's 3rd birthday on the night of, by having cupcakes at 9 pm when I finally got home from work.  He had taken a late nap (thank goodness!), so he was full of energy and happy to see me, and I was happy to spend some time with him.  My birthday was less of a success given I did not get home until 11 pm that night.  However, I have to say the day was still made special with cards, emails, phone calls, texts, and cake and flowers from one of my colleagues.  On July 27, I got a much-needed massage to recoup from the stress of the past 2 weeks, and went to a baby shower for a friend.  On Sunday, July 28, we celebrated properly by having cake and dinner with family in Mumbai.  Meanwhile, my family in the U.S. surprised my mother for her big birthday that same day.  And, "that's how the cookie crumbled" for July!  One of the best things to come out of it is the tons of comp time I accrued, which I cannot wait to use.

Family Celebration, Will Travel

The problem with not having anything going on is that there is nothing to blog about, and the problem with having a lot going on is that there is no time to blog about it. The highlight for September is that towards the end of the month, we traveled to Charlotte for a week to attend my cousin's engagement party.  The way it works in the Indian circles I know (far be it for me to speak for a billion people as there are lots of different customs and traditions in India) is that the guy's side hosts an engagement party and the girl's side hosts the wedding.  The engagement party is often the guy's family's opportunity to host a big celebration inviting all the people they want to since they are not likely to have a large guest list attend the wedding (to avoid burdening the girl's family).  The cousin I speak of is my mother's sister's son,  and in a close-knit family like ours, it would be unheard of for us to miss a family celebration.  Oh, and I haven't yet told you that we won't be able to attend his wedding due to my job-related timing!  So it became imperative for us to attend this party.  We didn't have family pressure; we simply felt the desire to be a part of at least one celebration. 

We flew to CLT on a Thursday and arrived around 4 p.m. I went to a Carolina Panthers football game with my brother that evening (he has awesome second row seats which only I hadn't enjoyed in the family!).  Too bad the Panthers couldn't keep it together and I was falling asleep at the game due to having been up since 4 a.m. that morning!  On Fri, S and I both got haircuts from my favorite stylist in the world, and we had a short visit with M's parents who came to CLT to see us and to attend the celebration.  We got a little dressed up on Fri evening to spend the evening catching up with family at my aunt's house and eating a lot of good food.  We also met the same aunt's daughter's infant twin girls for the first time!  Sat was the big day, with a religious ceremony in the morning at my aunt's house with approx. 100 people in attendance.  My parents and S were ready to go and M and I were still struggling (you try to manage all this with a 2-year old!), so we decided to send him ahead to the morning festivities with my parents.  He fell asleep on the way there, and then was rather upset to wake up and find no parents and lots of other relatives whom he did not recognize.  He is an otherwise happy, jovial child, but it took him all morning attached to me to finally realize I wasn't going anywhere without him.  Lesson learned!  We went back to my parents' in the afternoon to try to get some rest before the big evening party, while M went to the mall to buy a new shirt and tie (only men can manage to be so last minute, I think).  We all got dressed up yet again (ladies in saris, men in suits, including S who looked precious in his little black-with-white-pinstripe-vest-and-pants and pink tie) to head to a hotel ballroom for the party.  S actually had a cold by then and a slight fever and M suggested we stay home.  I felt like a bad mother but I had not flown all this way to miss the one thing for which we had made the trip.  As I was saying this, S was running around downstairs with my parents and bro and having a blast, not acting the least bit sick!  So, we went to the party with close to 300 guests and had a great time celebrating my cousin and his fiancee, and spending time with family.  It was my first time balancing multiple family events with multiple outfit changes with multiple late nights with a 2-year old, and I will say that I would do things a little differently if I had to do it again!  I'm pleased that our family understood and absolved my cousin (the one with the twin girls) and I of any and all responsibilities for the events, except to take care of our kid(s) and enjoy ourselves.  I'm disappointed that in the chaos of it all, I did not manage to get a single picture of the three of us together in any of our various outfits, or a few other shots that I had in mind.  Oh well.  What I will always remember is S dancing to the DJ's music that night with cousins, and the smiles on all of our faces (including S's great-grandfather), while watching them.

On Sun, we spent time with M's parents before they headed home on Mon morning.  On Mon, M and I went to dentist appointments during the day and went shopping at the mall (I was on mission to find a dress appropriate for the upcoming Marine Ball).  On Mon night, we got together with a big group of friends at a friend's house.  It was wonderful to catch up with them, and to see their little ones (they're all around S's age) and how well S interacted with all of them.  On Tues, we took it a little more easy, but hit Target and a few other stores (can't not go shopping when in the U.S.!) and packed.  On Wed, we flew out of CLT around 6 a.m. to arrive in BGI by 2 p.m. - it was no surprise that after all this activity and craziness, both S and I slept the entire two flights home (and M slept one of the two)!  Pictures here...

Eleven people is a party

Four generations of my family were under one roof for a week in Barbados, and what a week it was!  In case you are wondering, hosting so many people all at once was at least half our idea.  Whether you think this is cool or crazy says a lot about how you grew up... that's all I'm sayin'.  Our home has 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, so we had to get creative in how to best fit everyone.  With a bit of room-sharing and a bit of bed-borrowing, everyone had a comfortable place to sleep all week.  We cooked a lot, because that's what you do when a whole bunch of Indian people get together, especially when they're mostly vegetarian and on an island where the diet consists heavily of chicken and fish.  Would it shock you if I said we ran the dishwasher 2-3 times per day, and still had to wash a whole lot of dishes by hand?  That we took out the trash 1-2 times per day and not due to using paper plates (which we hardly did).  That's what feeding 11 people 2-4 times per day looks like.  Don't let me fool you into believing I did all that cooking and cleaning!  We all helped in all kinds of ways to keep the kitchen running while also allowing our visitors to feel like they were somewhat on vacation.  Now that I've covered the mechanics of eating and sleeping (rest assured the bathroom exchanges worked themselves out and I don't feel the need to discuss them here), let's talk about how much fun we had. 

We rented a van, and one day, had a blast driving all around the island in two vehicles, making stops as necessary, enjoying viewpoints, taking pictures, and having a roadside-beachfront picnic between rain showers.  We loved sitting on our back patio, drinking our respective morning (or happy hour) beverages,  enjoying the nice view, while S ran around playing with any and all family members he could engage at that particular time.  Going on a catamaran cruise is my favorite activity in B'dos, no doubt about it.  Going on a catamaran cruise with 10 family members is a memory for a lifetime!  We went to beaches, out to eat, to Mount Gay Rum's Visitor Center, a few of us went to Flower Forest, a couple of them went scuba diving, and we made sure they saw and experienced the best of what Barbados has to offer. 

I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you what a wonderful time S had and how he was showered with love, attention, and camera-clicks the whole entire week.  He would start his day by making sure the whole household was up when he was so he had his choice of playmates!  He only managed to nap when exhausted and in a car seat; otherwise, he was wide awake to take it all in.  We celebrated his 2nd birthday during the family visit, and it felt like a week-long event, not just a day.  The heading of this blog post comes from my thoughts about whether to throw S a birthday party... when I learned that 11 of us would be together for his birthday, I said "eleven people IS a party" and put aside all thoughts of hosting an event any larger.  Can you tell it was perfect, just the way it was?!  The week was busy, chaotic, and hard work, and yet even a month later, I still smile when I think about it. 

March Madness (not of the sports kind)

So sorry my friends for being gone so long... is anyone out there still reading? 

March was absolutely mad (the British meaning of the word = crazy, and not the American meaning of the word = angry) around here!  M and I went ziplining here in B'dos the first Saturday in March with a big group of friends.  It was so much fun, and I wish we had known beforehand that we could go through the course again for a nominal fee so we could have all made time for it.  We didn't have time that day because S and I were both getting haircuts.  It sounds cute, but I just do it out of convenience.  Plus, I tend to get sick of how long  my hair has gotten around the same time that I am sick of how his hair is in/near his eyes.  Then, the very next day, our little family flew to Dominica (please google it because I do not mean the Dominican Republic) for 4 days.  It was a combined work-pleasure trip.  We did a bit of sightseeing after arriving early in the morning on Sunday, and then I did a bunch of work things the other 3 days.  It was a nice change of pace, and Dominica is absolutely beautiful!  I was very nervous about going because the roads are very curvy due to the island being very mountainous and I get car sick very easily... but a little bit of planning ahead and a great taxi driver meant I was fine.  While I prefer not to talk about work on this blog, I am happy to share that a small portion of what I did in Dominica was featured on one of their online news sites! Our sightseeing pics are on our Flickr page.

We came home with just enough days (2.5 to be exact) to get ready to welcome M's parents who were going to be with us for two weeks.  It was fun to play tourist with them and do some things we hadn't yet done here.  M took a week off to enjoy their company.  Most of all, they really enjoyed spending a lot of quality time with S -- they took him on multiple walks each day, read to him, made puzzles with him, taught him new things, and spoiled him in the way only grandparents can.  He not only took to them right away (I credit weekly Skype dates for that), they made a lasting impression on him.  He pointed to the guest room door for a week after they left, and did it even today.  He also says "mmmm" like his grandfather did with him whenever eating something tasty.  So cute.

Did I mention that upon returning from Dominica and while M's parents were here, I took on a new role at work?  And like anything new, there is an adjustment period and everything seems to take longer as you learn the ropes.  The usual challenges of doing something new were compounded by being short staffed with heavy demand and a backlog, etc. etc.  It was tiring to go, go, go all day at work and then come home and make dinner, etc. and make sure our visitors were well taken care of and we enjoyed family time together.  They didn't put any pressure on me, but I do such a good job of that on my own!  Amidst all this, an overnight work trip popped up and I flew off to St. Kitts for some meetings.  While it was nice to get stamps in my passport from TWO different countries in one month, I would have preferred to do it under different circumstances! 

It's no surprise then that all of this left no room in my life for March Madness of the sports kind!

Week 2 of R&R

We left DE on Saturday afternoon and drove down to the D.C.-Virginia area where we spent the night with my cousins.  We had brunch with a good friend and her family and then hit the road for CLT.  In NC, we stopped to see another old friend and finally made it back to my parents' house around 9p.  I learned something on all of these road travels: S travels fairly well in cars and planes; it is much easier to be the driver than to sit in the back and continuously find ways to entertain an almost-15-month-old; I have much more patience than I ever thought (see previous phrase)! 

We did a LOT less during the second week than the first, partly by design and partly because S came down with a cold on Monday night.  We stayed home a lot more, or did things individually while one of us stayed home with S and my mother (who had taken the whole week off).  We got to see friends who came to us, we took care of errands, and we shopped more.  We went out for an adults-only evening with friends while S stayed home with his grandparents and uncle and had a grand time.  The best part of the whole trip was watching S interact with my parents and bro... if I could have scripted it I couldn't have imagined how easily he took to them and the ways he charmed them.  While I wasn't sad about returning to work, I was sad about leaving behind our family and friends. 

Week One of R&R

We're on a 'Rest and Relaxation' trip to the U.S. right now.  This is an official term and it means my employer pays for the family's tickets to travel either to a designated R and R point or home.  In the case of Barbados, we are permitted 1 such trip during the 2-year tour and the designated R and R point is Miami; we opted to come home.  The leave time is my own, from my annual leave allotment, which I don't have much of since I started this job not too long ago, We landed in CLT the afternoon of Fri, 9/30 and it has been a whirlwind.  This is how we spent our first week:

• Dinner with my parents and bro at a nearby Mexican place.  It was delicious!
• My BFF came on Saturday, and we had a really fun time spending her birthday together by going shopping. 
• We held a surprise early 60th birthday lunch for my father on Sunday and it was a success.  It was great to get to see my extended family all at once... I truly miss our fairly frequent and loud gatherings (and experiencing them occasionally via Skype just isn't the same).  Sunday evening, we visited with a few of our oldest friends at one of the friends' homes.  This also meant a play date for 4 kids since we all have kids born within a few months of each other.  It was wonderful, and so comfortable, to just hang out over pizza and watch the kiddos run amok.  
• M took care of a couple of errands on Mon morning, and then we all went to see my favorite stylist-friend of 9+ years for much needed haircuts for S and me.  We left feeling much lighter, from good company and less hair, and had a nice lunch at Qdoba while S napped. Third full day back in the U.S. and we finally made it to Target... well, technically, M had already been on Sat night to pick up a few items for the baby which I purposely chose not to lug over here with me.  We only had an hour, and it was only enough to get through a few aisles of baby items!
• Tuesday meant eye doctor appts for M and me (yes, they have eye docs in Barbados, but we prefer to see our regular eye doc in CLT and avoid the insurance reimbursement hassle), then lunch with friends at a Mexican place, and we hit the road for Durham.  We spent Tues evening and Wed morning visiting my other BFF and her family.  My how life looks different now that we have 4 little boys between us (she is clearly doing the heavy lifting with 3!).  It was lovely to catch up and to watch our boys interact with one another as though they had been friends for longer than their little memories really allow. 
• On Wed morning, we left for DE to spent time with M's parents and bro and any visiting family.  Road trips that used to be fun are now a bit more challenging with a small child who would prefer to be moving around and not stuck in a car seat for hours.  But, we managed.  We were in DE from Wed evening to Sat evening, during which time we caught up with family, celebrated M's Mom's 60th birthday (I know, we planned it so well!), and did a LOT of shopping at the nearby outlets.  
• In one week's time, we managed to eat twice at Mexican restaurants, once at Qdoba, and twice at Taco Bell.  We also ate pizza 3 different times.  So there it is folks... after missing family and friends, we miss Mexican food and pizza!

In retrospect, it was probably too much to do in one short week with a small child.  But, it was really nice to see everyone.  The best part is that thanks to technology/social media (email, Vonage, Skype, Facebook), we are not that out of touch with most of our loved ones.  I will tell you about Week Two when it's over...

Family visit II

We recently had our second "group" of visitors when M's parents came the week of Apr 23-30.  It's amazing how caught up we have been in our daily routine over the past few weeks that we have hardly taken advantage of this beautiful island on which we live.  It was nice to get a break from the norm with guests here to show around, so that we ourselves could get in some sightseeing!  It also helped that in a span of 11 days, M and I went to work only 2; we enjoyed 2 long weekends thanks to 4 local holidays and a day of comp time.  The weather was strange yet again, with lots of dark clouds and rain (makes me wonder if our guests bring this with them?!), but we managed to make the most of it.  In what has quickly become a tradition, on their first day here we had a picnic on Farley Hill and then showed them around the East Coast of Barbados.  Throughout the week, we went to a garden full of orchids, toured 2 different plantation homes, and enjoyed the breathtaking views at the island's northernmost point.  They ventured out on their own to 2 museums, Mount Gay Rum, and a craft village/center.  M accompanied them for an undersea voyage on Atlantis Submarine (baby and I stayed home due to height requirements they have for children for safety reasons).  All in all, I think they had a lovely time here and got some much needed R&R.  M & I enjoyed having family around and wished it wouldn't be many months before we see them again.  And of course, perhaps most importantly, S loved all of the attention, extra play time and smiles/giggles he got from spending time with his grandparents!

Family Visit I

The long anticipated visit by my parents and brother finally happened, and the week went by in a blur. They arrived late on a Saturday night, and it was fun to surprise them with the baby still awake when I opened the front door. They were expecting him to be asleep and disappointed about having to wait until the next day to see him, so it was nice to see their reactions when I greeted them with baby in hand. We had a lazy, relaxed start on Sunday with a late picnic lunch at Farley Hill National Park. We then drove down the East Coast and showed them the scenic views of the windward side of Barbados. Monday was booked for a day of sailing on a catamaran, a first for us since we hadn't ventured on our own to do this yet, and a belated Xmas gift for the family. After a wonderful day of sailing on the west coast of Barbados, including a buffet lunch and plenty of rum punches at an open bar, I think we can all attest that it was easily one of the most enjoyable things to do on this island. I'm determined to go sailing at least once a quarter during our short time here, whether on our own or with our guests. I went to work on Tues & Wed, and the family spent lots of quality time with the baby at home. My mother was sweet enough to suggest that M and I take some time for ourselves, and we are so glad we took her offer. On Tues night, M and I went out on our first date in 7+ months, and had a wonderful evening. We went to a highly recommended restaurant and were not disappointed. It was located on the terrace of a beautiful, boutique, oceanfront hotel; the food was quite good, the candlelit ambiance was lovely, and we vowed not to let 7 more months go by!

On Wed evening, we took the family out to dinner at the Indian-Thai restaurant I have mentioned before, and it was a good choice. The next 3 days went by too quickly with visits to beaches, Bridgetown, Mount Gay Rum Factory, arts/crafts shops, etc. Dad started to feel ill, with a severe sore throat, fever, etc. so unfortunately, their time here also involved a visit to the urgent care clinic. Thankfully, I think he still enjoyed his time here overall, particularly with the baby. On Sat night, as their visit was approaching its end with an early Sun morning departure, my mother also started to feel ill. She got home okay and ended up going to the urgent care at home on Monday. My guess is they picked up something while traveling and it took its time in taking its toll. Crossing fingers that my brother manages to get by with his current sore throat and nothing worse.

In spite of my efforts to keep my mother out of the kitchen and make this a true vacation for her, she still managed to cook for us and pamper us as she always does (in addition to snacks/sweets she made at home and brought). S had a wonderful time with all of the attention he received for a whole week. Skyping regularly helped him not feel like they were strangers and we truly think he at least recognized their voices (he is likely too young to make out faces on a computer screen). I hate the feeling of a too-quiet house after it has been full of loved ones and laughter, and I think even S noticed the void on Sunday after we dropped off the family at the airport.

Reflecting on 2010

One year ago today, I was at the end of my first trimester of pregnancy, and we attended a New Year's Eve party with many of our closest friends in CLT. Three women, with whom I've been friends since we were 13-14 years old, were also expecting. Going through pregnancy and preparing for the arrival of our babies with 3 close friends was a unique and fun experience, to say the least! I was also "holding my breath" to successfully finish the process and be offered a position with the State Department. In March, I got the email I had been waiting for and accepted my dream job... I was going to be a Foreign Service Officer! M and I celebrated 7 years of marriage with a weekend trip to Wilmington, NC in April. Also in April, I resigned from my 8-year career in banking, and moved to the Washington, DC area in May to begin orientation and training for the new job. We enjoyed a couple of months of urban living (walking to nearby places to eat, taking the Metro, checking out historic sites) as much as one can in the heat of the summer and while 8-9 months pregnant! We welcomed our precious baby boy S in July, and spent the next 8 weeks in a sleepless blur of diapers and feedings. S was the last to arrive among his friends, the babies of my friends who were also expecting, as they were all born within 32 days of each other! Oh, and less than 1 week after S's birth, I celebrated my 30th birthday, if one can call remembering what day it was as celebrating! I returned to work (=more training) in September, and we moved to our first post of Bridgetown, Barbados in late October/early November. The last 2 months have been a mix of settling into our new home and catching our breath.

For both M and me, 2010 will be a year we will never forget. And here is hoping for a much calmer 2011!

CLT Visit - II

During the 2nd half of our time in CLT, we:

• Had dinner with our group of good friends, and introduced our babies to each other! There were 5 babies born in a period of 1 month and 2 days among myself and 3 friends, and 4 of the babies were present. It was interesting to observe how different our time together is now spent (vs. the partying days of the past). While it was chaotic with trying to take care of all of the babies' needs, it was also so very satisfying.
• Took S to the Hindu Center. This is where we got married, and the only place of worship I have really known.
• Spent a very frazzled afternoon with my BFF and her family. She was so generous to take pics of S (including the one we used for his birth announcement), while her hubby and mine and my bro tried to keep her boys distracted and busy. Check out her work!
• M went to the Panthers game with my bro.
  
• Enjoyed watching my parents and bro go nuts over S even more, and tried not to think about how far we will be from them very soon.

Our 10 days went by so quickly, and it was time to head back to Arlington again. Thankfully, the return trip only took about 6.5 hours from north CLT, and the baby was just fine! Needless to say, traffic wasn't an issue, and we also learned from the trip down ways to make things go more smoothly. As the baby gets older, we are certainly getting wiser ;)

CLT Visit - I

We're in Charlotte for a few days, and it is so good to be here! Home is going to be a fluid concept for us, and this is the place we're calling home base. It was a never ending trip to get here (11 hours for a 6.5 hour trip, only about 1.5 hours added due to baby's needs, the rest was traffic). Highlights so far include:

• watching my parents and bro go absolutely gaga over S
• introducing S to his great-grandfather (my maternal grandfather, and the only living grandparent between M and me), and taking pictures of the 4 generations together!
• seeing aunts, uncles and cousins from Columbia, Greenville, and CLT
• going to see my former coworkers at Wachovia
  
• visiting with our friends, many of whom came by during what I call an "open house" for S

We have a few days left here, with some more plans to which we look forward. Tell you about all of that in part II...

Big Bundle of Joy

Whether you read this regularly or infrequently, you likely already know that our baby boy finally made his debut on July 17! He weighed 9 lbs 5 oz, was 21 inches in length, and shall be referred to as "S" here. Yes, I know, who would have thought I would have such a big baby?! It's been an interesting 2 weeks, but first, let me ask how has it been 2 weeks already? I echo the sentiment shared by parents everywhere about how time flies when it comes to their children growing up. As you can imagine, it has been an endless cycle of diaper changes, feeding, sleeping and crying/soothing around here. We are thankful that S is sleeping 3-4 hours at a time at night, but he hasn't been doing it so long that one can quite call it a pattern... we're simply crossing our fingers that it is one. My Mom was here for a few days, and what a God-send she was (well, mothers are that in general, but even more so when one becomes a new mother)! Food just showed up on the table, dishes just got done, and it was terrific to have her support in so many ways. Alas, she had to leave, so M and S and I are on our own. If you don't see regular posts for a little while, now you know why!

June

Yet another month has flown by, and I want to take the time to reflect on its highlights. My parents hosted a baby shower for us in CLT on June 5. It was a very quick trip for us, but a nice one. We celebrated the pending arrival of our 1st child with many friends and family at the shower, and it was wonderful! Much of our family then went to dinner that night to celebrate my Uncle's recent 50th birthday, and we were glad to be a part of it. Can't take for granted anymore being there for such things since we're now a 6 hour drive away, and about to be an-at least-that-long of a flight away.

The following weekend, M's parents spent the day with us. My cousins who live nearby came by that evening, so it was a relaxing day of staying home while having a house full of people at the same time. I got some much needed 'me' and nap time the next day when M went to hang out at those same cousins' house. I passed on the principle that I am making myself stay home, or very close to home, for the rest of my pregnancy weekends. It's the only way I know to not do too much!

My parents and bro came to visit us the 3rd weekend of June. They're taking advantage of spending time with us while we're still close by, plus pampering me in "my delicate condition." We are really enjoying all this time with our family, being fully aware that these types of weekends are going to be few and far between in the future. The 3 of them and M went to see The White House (again, and from the outside) and then went up the tower of The Old Post Office. I was sad that I was unable to go but I simply cannot walk/stand that much these days, and I didn't want to prevent them from getting a bit of DC sightseeing time.

This last weekend of June is about getting ready for the baby! We're approx. 2 weeks away from the due date, and we better get it done. Aside from being tired and uncomfortable a lot, all is well with me and baby.

Two of my close friends in CLT had their babies in the past 2 weeks. It is quite unreal to think of them as mothers, having grown up with them so to speak since we were in 8th-9th grade! Wish we could be there to see their newest additions, but that won't happen until we have our own new addition and make a trip to CLT!

And for the sake of posterity, let me also mention that M has been watching the World Cup pretty much non-stop when we're at home! To his credit, he has been taking a 2 week course with me at the training center, so he has missed out on some of the live action, but he makes up for it in the evenings ;)

Memorial Day wknd '10

Not that this was part of the weekend, but I spent Thurs and Fri at an off-site retreat in WV. Not only did I survive, I had some fun too! Our current residence must be becoming home because my first thought was "it's nice to be home" when the bus dropped us off at a metro stop nearby on Fri evening!

We ended up going to DE on Sat afternoon and back on Sun afternoon. M's parents were supposed to come here on Sun but things changed; we weren't sure when we'd see them so we decided to make the trip ourselves. It was so nice to get there in 2.5 hours vs. the 8.5 it used to take! On Sun eve, we went to dinner with some of my new colleagues/friends, including some spouses, and then a group of us went to see the movie Sex and The City 2. I had organized the gathering and I'm glad we did it. I have mixed feelings about the movie though, which I expected, since I'd seen the headlines of reviews and people's Facebook comments about it. Two years ago, I went to see the first movie with a few close girlfriends in CLT. Who knew then that my life would be so radically changed 2 years later?! On Mon, we had brunch with M's aunt and uncle who live nearby, and an aunt from NYC who was visiting them.

I find out on Mon, 6/7 where we're being assigned and I'm ready to know already! Meanwhile, it helps to be focused on baby with the family shower coming up, and figuring out what all we need to bring up from CLT for him. We made a decision to have him up here, and while it has its own logistical issues, it's nice to have
a decision. I simply cannot believe I'm due in 6 weeks! There is so much left to do it seems...

Wknd of May 21

I had an unexpected (mostly) free day on Fri, which was lovely. M & I ran some errands, relaxed the rest of the day and waited on my family to arrive. They got in around 8:30p, we ate pizza, and caught up on the past couple of weeks. Spent Sat walking around DC, visiting with cousins in the area, and there was more eating and hanging out. On Sun, spent the morning with family, and then they hit the road. I took a long nap, and then did homework (sad, but true).

It was so nice to spend time with my parents and bro. I must admit I also enjoyed my Mom taking care of me and cooking for us. We have a fridge full of food to enjoy! It takes on a whole new meaning when they live 6 hours away vs. in the same city. We're going to see them in 2 weeks yet I was still sad to see them go. What am I going to do/think/feel when we're in an entirely different country?!

Wknd in ATL, Mar 20-21, 2010

A few weeks ago, my friend TZ and I planned for me to spend this weekend with her in ATL. We try to do this every so often and yet months tend to go by between our visits (due to life). This wasn't nearly the carefree visit it was intended to be due to a family event earlier this month that also took place in the ATL area, but we made the most of it. M and I decided to make the trip together (instead of me going solo), and my parents and bro joined us in order to spend time with my ATL cousins and aunt-and-uncle visiting from India. We enjoyed the quality family time and then went to TZ's. M opted to hang out at her place, napping and watching college b-ball (can't blame the guy!), while TZ and I went shopping. She is my lucky charm when it comes to shopping because I always find a bunch of stuff when we hit the mall together... Thankfully, that does not happen too often due to distance! We picked up pizza+salad on the way home, and the 3 of us hung out watching more college b-ball. We enjoyed a nice brunch together on Sunday, and then parted ways. It was such a short but enjoyable visit; like last weekend, sometimes it's the quality of time that counts and not the quantity!

An unfortunate aspect of adulthood

I haven't come to terms with the fact that adulthood means facing/dealing with death and dying. I'm mostly beyond the "wedding phase" (most of my friends are married) and in the thick of "baby shower phase"; somewhere between the two, the funeral phase began quietly. While funerals are always difficult, the ones I attended were more for the survivor (a friend or relative of mine) and not necessarily the deceased (whom I may or may not have known). That all changed tragically last week as we went to the funeral of my oldest first cousin. This is someone of my generation, who has a wife and young kids, and what we all thought was a full life ahead of him. Due to many complicated health reasons, he died on March 1. I did not get to attend my 3 grandparents' funerals as they were all in India. Hence, this was my first one in which our family was front and center in grieving. This was the first one where I stood up to speak about the deceased and on behalf of the family. It was hard. I don't know why I feel the need to blog about this when I haven't wanted to blog in so long. But, something is compelling me to do so. It's another way in which I can think about and remember my cousin. Unfortunately, I know all too well that the "funeral phase" doesn't end with him.

Labor Day wknd '09

It was another traveling wknd for us, and a good 5 day break! We went to DC and surrounding area on Thurs & Fri, and had a nice time walking around Georgetown and doing a little sightseeing. We stayed with my aunt in Oakton VA so also got to spend time with some family. My family from Charlotte and Columbia SC drove up together on Sat, and stopped by Oakton for a quick visit. After a delicious lunch, we all hit the road to Edison, NJ for an uncle's housewarming party (the main purpose behind all this wknd travel). We spent Sat night through early Mon morning in NJ, during which we had the housewarming celebration, visited my cousin SD's very urban condo in Jersey City, and did a bit of shopping at the Indian market-street in Iselin.

While the drive up was broken into 2 parts on Thurs & Sat, the drive back was 11+ hrs in a straight shot. After all this car travel, and the recent road trip to OH for a wedding, I must admit I'm a little tired of road trips. We got on the road around 7:30a, took a quick detour to see where Michael lived/grew up during age of 9-15 in NJ, then stopped by a major temple near Harrisburg PA and finally got home after 8p. We were definitely more tired after this long wknd than going in!

Alas, Labor Day is over = unofficial end of summer, and I'm sad to see it go. I am not sad however, to look at my calendar and see a whole lot of wknds coming up where we will be home!

Random Sat. made special

For Mother's Day this year, I gave my Mom tickets for the 2 of us to go see "The Color Purple" musical when it was (back) in Charlotte in August. It seemed far away at the time, but it arrived yesterday. We decided to make a day of family time...

The 5 of us (the 'rents, bro, M & me) went to Noodles & Co. for a leisurely lunch. We sat outside, enjoyed our food, and filled each other in on the past couple of weeks of happenings. Mom and I then went to the show, while the boys hung out at my bro's place, which is close to Uptown. We enjoyed the show, and were glad we had left the boys at home (not sure if they would have liked it as much). In spite of it being first a book, then a movie, I never knew the story of "The Color Purple," and was glad to find it as one that ends well (wasn't sure before going if it would). Meanwhile, the boys played video games, napped, etc. We hung out at Suril's for a bit longer and then were on our merry way...

August travels, so far

A picture really is worth a thousand words... take a look at my pics from the past 2 wknds, and you'll get more of an idea of the fun times we had, first with family and then with friends, than I could ever try to explain here.

We spent the evening of August 7 and all of 8 in the Columbia, SC area (Lexington to be exact), visiting with family and celebrating the holiday of Raksha Bandhan. All of us present had not been together in quite a while, and it was a nice day full of food and laughter.

The weekend of Aug 13-16: M and I drove to Cincinnati, with our friends A&RS, to attend the wedding of our friends S&S. It was a wonderful 3 day celebration, with plenty of good food, good company and good times! Highlights from the festivities include: 1) the couple's first dance with song sung by the bride's father accompanied by guitar played by the groom's brother-in-law, 2) a photo booth from which the picture strip served as a memento for us, while the bride & groom got a copy of it in a scrapbook, 3) the bride being carried out like a princess by her uncles. Now we're recovering from 3 late nights, and not looking forward to unpacking!