Trips home always feel super quick. There’s never enough time to do everything any of us want. While this trip was similar in that way, we still did quite a bit all things considered.
– After picking me up from the airport on Wednesday, my mom and I drove to Vishnu’s house to have dinner with his parents. I wasn’t going to have another opportunity to see them on this trip, so we went straight there. It was fun as usual! Our dinnertime conversations never fail to make me laugh (A LOT!).
– My dad and I went back to the airport to pick up my sister on Thursday. That evening, when my parents left for a henna party, my sister and I went to Cold Stone for ice cream! I texted my sister last week telling her I wanted Coffee Oreo ice cream at some point during my trip. When it came time to decide where to go, Cold Stone was the perfect place because we could both create whatever flavor combinations we wanted. I went with coffee ice cream, Oreos, and fudge. Aekta got a mix of cake batter and cheesecake ice creams with brownie pieces.
– We made a day trip to Clyde, North Carolina on Friday. My mom got an email about a temple located on Mt. Soma, so we decided to make it a family trip. The drive was really scenic with the tree filled mountains being my favorite! The temple itself was on the smaller side, but the surrounding views were absolutely beautiful. If we lived closer, I could see myself visiting regularly.
– We tried two new restaurants over the weekend. Burger 21 was a Yelp find that turned out to be a winner all around. My mom and I split two different veggie burgers, while my dad and sister got their own chicken burgers. We also split sweet potato fries and regular fries (these came with a tasty cheese and ale sauce). I definitely want to get a milkshake next time…the Oreo one was calling my name!
On Saturday, my sister and I decided to take my parents to Antico in the city. Aekta and I had both been before when the restaurant first opened in 2009, but since my parents never really venture into the city on their own, we decided to make the drive down. And it was so worth it. The brick oven pizza is some of the best I’ve had in Atlanta. And the entire city agrees – not only was there a 15 minute line to get in, but we had to grab a table across the street because there was no indoor seating at the actual restaurant. YUM!
– My mom made Upma (a savory cream of wheat porridge of sorts), and it was so freaking good. It’s a little spicy, creamy, and very hearty. When I went to take a picture, my dad looked at me and said, “Parita, it’s just Upma.” JUST UPMA!? Maybe to him. Haha. I had a couple of (huge) servings on Thursday as well as on Saturday.
My mom also made her famous lasagna on Sunday before my flight. Her “secret” ingredient is a can of refried beans that she adds to the sauce to help thicken it up. It’s pretty much one of my favorite things to eat when I come home!
– I am officially obsessed with The Mindy Project. My sister, knowing I would love the show, asked if I wanted to watch it with her. She even offered to start with season 1 episode 1. I am now four episodes in and in love with Mindy. She’s a little annoying and I’m often embarrassed for her, but there’s something about her that’s easy to relate to and so fun! Seriously, start watching this show if you don’t already. My sister put it best when she said that it’s the perfect way to end a bad day because you’re guaranteed to laugh!
– And finally, I have some sad news. After 12 years of togetherness, my nose ring and I broke up. As I was brushing my teeth on Thursday morning, I noticed my nose ring looked funny. After a closer look, I realized it was literally stuck in my nose. When I tried to pull it out, the area around it started bleeding. After almost 1.5 HOURS, a few tears, some pain, and a little blood, I managed to pull my nose ring out with a pair of tweezers. My poor mom was by my side the entire time helping in any way she could. We were both SO relieved when it finally came out. And while I’ll miss having a nose ring, I’m not going to get a new one. I’m done! Thursday’s experience was pretty traumatic.
Have a great Wednesday!
Aw, isn’t visiting home so fun? I feel like it makes you appreciate the city more 🙂 That pizza totally looks worth the wait!! 🙂 And oh my gosh, that’s awful about the nose ring! OUCH!
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables recently posted…Things I’m Loving Lately
Home is the best! And yeah, the nose ring situation was awful! 🙁
I know I haven’t commented/visited in a while, but I wanted to make sure I stopped by to read up on how you’re doing, Par! <3 Sounds like you had a wonderful trip home. Upma is one of my ultimate comfort foods when I'm visiting my parents house and I love when my mom makes it and then makes other yummy South Indian foods! Glad your parents got to enjoy a bit of the city with you, too!! I too LOVE the Mindy Project. The theme song is one of the most annoying songs ever, and I also get kind of annoyed with her and embarrassed for her, but it's still a funny show. I think I finished Season 1 or I'm almost done, and just needs to get my hands on the other seasons! Hope you are doing well! Have a great week and enjoy the holiday! <3 xoxo
Hii! Hope you are well! Glad you stopped by. 🙂
And yes, get your hands on Season 2 of Mindy! It was really really good!
Omg that’s so scary about your nose ring- glad you got it off! Totally going to try your mom’s sauce thickener trick next time I make sauce. Love upma too but couldn’t help laugh at your dad’s comment…not so photogenic despite how delicious it tastes! Have you tried poha? Am almost certain you would love it!
Yes! Try the beans in the sauce. Sounds strange but it works so well.
And we had poha the day before 🙂
Omg, how is your nose doing? I would be terrified! A trip to see the family is always a great thing, I love that you took your parents to go out. I always try to get my grandparents out to a nice restaurant once a month, just so they do something out of their comfort zone.
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My nose is fine now! It was super scary at first bc I honestly didn’t think I was able to get it out!
I love the view of the Temple, very serene. I love the Mindy Project too. She is hilarious, and your sister is right, you always end up laughing after an episode, particularly at the end of a bad day.
Yes! The view was the best! And the show is so awesome! I love it 🙂
Oh my goodness – am hoping your nose has recovered completely – am so glad this didnt end up in a trip to the ER!
And I am sorry I missed running into you during this trip – maybe next time. Btw, have you and your parents been to the Temple off Jimmy Carter Blvd?
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