For the first time ever, I did not spend my Christmas holiday at home (in Atlanta) with family. Instead, Vishnu and I stayed in Miami last week. It was our very own holiday staycation. And as strange as it was not to be with our parents and siblings, we really did enjoy the alone time. The end of 2013 was very go go go, so it was nice to relax and stay put for once.
Here’s how our time went down…
1. As y’all know, I was a little sick last week. This part kind of sucked. In fact, I’m still getting over whatever it was that I caught.
2. Since we weren’t going home and didn’t have any major plans, I worked Monday, Thursday, and Friday. While it doesn’t sound like fun to be working while everyone and their moms are on vacation, I actually got a good amount of stuff done. I guess that’s what happens when no one is around.
3. We had a very special guest stay with us all of last week…Mr. Guinny! Robin and Andy went home for Christmas and asked if we wanted to dog sit. Did we ever! And we were beyond excited to do so!
Guinness is pretty much the most well behaved dog ever, and he understands EVERYTHING. We played, we cuddled, we went for walks. It was a blast! In fact, while we were going to bed one night, I asked Vishnu if Robin and Andy would miss him too much if we decided to just…I dunno…keep him. Creepy? A little but I FREAKIN LOVE HIM!
4. So my car was disturbingly dirty. Like I was embarrassed to claim it dirty. I dragged Vishnu along with me to get it washed earlier in the week, and what was an annoying errand turned into a date thanks to the organic cafe attached to the car wash place. This place served fancy food and wine. I would honestly eat there even if I wasn’t getting my car washed. A little strange but very delicious!
5. Days off always equal movie time in my mind. We watched The Next Three Days and Love Actually. The Next Three Days has nothing to do with the holidays…absolutely nothing. It’s a suspense type movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I highly recommend it. And of course, Love Actually is a Christmas tradition for so many people including us. Beyond being a really well made movie, it just leaves you feeling so festive and happy!
6. Christmas lunch was a delicious assortment of cheese, veggies, hummus, crackers, bread, and prosciutto (for Vishnu). We don’t celebrate in the religious sense, but like with Thanksgiving, we feel that togetherness, reflection, and gratitude are the essentials of the holiday season. And what better way to incorporate all of those things than sharing a good meal with someone you love!
7. It’s not that noticeable, but this little blog went through a major change. I transferred it over from WordPress.com to WordPress.org ALL BY MYSELF! My new host, Bluehost, was very helpful and available via email, telephone, and live chat, but on my end, it was just me. I knew I could’ve gone to Vishnu for help, but I wanted to do this on my own. And while we did hit a rough patch where I thought I lost 13 months of blog posts, it turned out just fine. GO ME!
What does this mean? Well for one, I have a new (and in my opinion much cleaner) theme now. I am trying out a bunch of different plugins and widgets to make the blog more reader friendly. Other than that, I’m not quite sure yet. I’m self-hosted now so that gives me more freedom with the things I can do, but we’ll see what 2014 brings. I’m kinda excited!
I plan on taking the next few days off, so I will see y’all in 2014! But before I go, I just want to thank you guys for an amazing year of blogging. I really appreciate the fact that each of you takes time out of your day to read My Inner Shakti! I LOVE YOU ALL!
How did you spend the holidays? Any major NYE plans? Two of our best friends, Samir and Roshni, are visiting for a few days so we’ll be spending NYE with them and a few other friends! Can’t wait!
I’ve heard of another person doing something similar to this, the only difference was that they just went somewhere by themselves for the holidays instead of with family. They loved it as well! I may have to try this out one year! Love the new theme! I’m a huge fan of clean themes, they just make it look bigger if that makes sense haha. And yay for doing the blog transfer on your own! That is the one part I’m afraid of doing, but will have to one of these days! That dog is too cute! Cuddly well behaved dogs are the best :). Hope you start to feel better, have a great Day!
Chelsea @ A Fit LittleOne recently posted…An Old Married Couple
Thank you!! You can do it too. It’s not that hard. A little stressful but doable! You can always email me with any questions. 🙂
you go girl..so proud of you for tackling the move. My xmas was very similar to yours – it was lot of relaxing and eating. I dont know about NYE plans just yet but fireworks and wearing a sparkly dress is something I’d like to do 🙂 Happy New Year to you and Vishnu! on a side note, you guys should really consider a puppy, they are truly awesome 😛
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health recently posted…Guide to Good Clean Food + A Winner
Thanks! It was super stressful but kind of fun (once the transfer actually happened)!
Congrats on the switch! I know I’ve only found your blog recently but I’m so glad I did and can’t wait to read more in 2014. HAppy New Year, lovely!
Davida @The Healthy Maven recently posted…Champagne Turkey Meatballs
Thanks!! It was super stressful. But that feeling of accomplishment is so rewarding!
And Happy New Year to you too! So glad we are blog buds now!
Congrats on your transferring of hosting! That sounds extremely nerve-inducing. I thank my lucky stars I started with .org in the first place!
I love Guinness! That is the name of my mom’s chicken. 🙂
Tara recently posted…Vineyards In Napa
Yes, good move on your part!! 🙂
Happy New Year Parita!
Staycations can be so much fun!
CONGRATS on being newly self hosted! I am with bluehost too and they are fabulous! So looking forward to seeing your blog grow -in widgets and whatnots in 2014 🙂
Next time you visit your parents in Atlanta and have a couple of seconds to spare, please let me know – would so love to meet up with ya!
Happy New Year, Shashi!! Bluehost was awesome with all my issues. Pretty sure they thought I was crazy but whatever!
And I will definitely let you know the next time I’m in Atlanta. We will def. meet up in 2014!!
Niceeee work buddy. Still can’t believe that silly tweet you posted 😉
Stoked to have come across your blog in 2013…can’t wait to see what 2014 holds.
I say keep the pooch!
Haha! Thanks. I’m telling you, the inner techie in me is pretty fabulous! 🙂
And Happy New Year!!
You transferred platforms on your own?! I am so impressed. I switched my social media buttons from square ones to circular ones and pretty much gave myself a heart attack through the ridiculously easy process. So glad you guys had a good holiday! Happy New Year, friend!
Lawyer Loves Lunch recently posted…Spinach and Caramelized Onion Canapés for a New Year
Haha! Thanks. It was really stressful, and at many points, I felt like such an idiot for not hiring someone to do it all for me. But it worked out…I think!
And Happy New Year to you as well!!
[…] I mentioned in my staycation post, our friends Roshni and Samir flew down to spend the last few days of 2013 with us. […]