Moving Archives - My Inner Shakti

Apartment Drama + 25 Week Update

Sooo…we’re moving…yet again! The apartment drama I alluded to earlier? That was it.

BUT, things turned out a-ok because we’re staying in the same building on the same floor AND getting a slightly bigger place with more closet space. The best kind of move if you ask me.

The only down side to all of this is that I’ll be more pregnant than ever. Thank goodness for good friends and [potentially even] Task Rabbit.

I won’t get into the details as to why we have to move, but let’s just say it was a rough couple of weeks because we thought we were signing a three year lease on our current place. Also, we have a pretty big life change coming up in a few short months. Thankfully, it had nothing to do with us. In fact, our current landlord actually helped us find this new place.

BIG LESSON LEARNED: Staying as positive as possible really is the best way to face tough situations. As I said to Vishnu quite a few times, “What’s the alternative?”

All’s well that ends well I suppose!

25 Week Update (fair warning…random thoughts ahead)

Whenever someone asks me how I’m feeling, my response is almost always the same. “The baby is great. I’m feeling great…just getting bigger!”

The one word I like to use to describe this stage of the pregnancy is big. Vishnu says I feel bigger than I look, but that’s just it. I absolutely love my round pregnant belly…I just feel big. I feel big when I roll out of bed or switch sides while sleeping. I feel big when I have to squat down and pick something up. I feel big when I have to put my shoes on. I feel big after climbing the stairs at the train station. Honestly, it has nothing to do with my actual size. It’s just that my new size takes some getting used to, especially when it comes to daily life!

Other than the big factor, I randomly find myself lost in a sea of thoughts. None of which have to do with the baby himself. More so the logistics of having a baby. It’s weird because I’ve never once been worried or anxious about actually having a baby and all the changes that come with that. My thoughts tend to gravitate to things like how am I going to juggle being a full-time mommy with a full-time career while being married to a very much full-time resident physician. Or how am I going to get food on the table every night. Or will I be able to make time for exercise at some point. Or how is it going to work when Vishnu’s on nights.

Look, I obviously know it’s all going to work out. Millions and millions of people make it work every single day, and I have no doubt that we’ll figure out our own rhythm and all that jazz. It’s just funny to me that I’m thinking about the logistical elements right now versus thinking about keeping our little human alive. The latter part is something I’m excited about. I’m lucky to have 16 weeks at home with our little guy, and I can’t wait to get to know him. By no means am I saying those 16 weeks are going to be easy, especially the first few, but that’s not something I dwell on. Every new mom (and mom in general) goes through the hard stuff. It’s the juggling piece that makes me scratch my head. But like I said, Vishnu and I are a strong (and fun, if I do say so myself!) team, and I know we’ll be just fine.

Other thoughts that come and go…

We’re only going to be a little family of two for a few months now. I selfishly want all the Vishnu time I can get!
This pregnancy is flying by. The other day my sister mentioned how I only have 3/8 of the way to go, and it really stopped me in my tracks. How is that possible?
Who is our baby going to look like? I hope he’s a mix of both of us!
I wonder what the people at the gym think when I walk in and hoist myself up on the EFX machine. I’m hoping it’s “what a badass!”
I CAN’T WAIT TO HOLD OUR BABY!!!

Well, that’s week 25. So far so good!

Happy Friday, all! Make it a great one.

Repeat After Me – Everything is Figureoutable

written by Parita 2 Comments

Figureoutable is not a Parita term. I only heard of it very recently while watching a Marie Forleo Super Soul Sunday episode. This was one of those random things I watched while sitting at my desk and eating lunch, and I honestly didn’t expect for it to impact me as much as it did. In fact, repeating the phrase “everything is figureoutable” over and over again during our move is what kept me sane!

If you want to know what figureoutable means to Marie, watch the episode. To me, it’s a great reminder not to freak out immediately! Even the most challenging situation is figureoutable. You may not like the solution, but it’s there. Something else this word reminds me is that solutions don’t come easy, you have to work for them. You have to figure it out – take a deep breathe, let the emotion go (with time), use your head, and take whatever action feels right to you.

This episode fell into my lap/inbox at the perfect time. My one goal with our move to Chicago was to stay calm and not let the stress get to me. Personally, I think I did a hell of a job…no major arguments with Vishnu, no breakouts, no tears. Win, win win! And trust me, the opportunities for all of those things to happen were there, I just chose not to let them get to me. I focused on the fact that everything is figureoutable!

To bring this made up word to life, I want to share two prime scenarios that come to mind. The first had to do with packing up our car. Vishnu was very skeptical that we could fit all of our stuff into our “tiny” sedan. He stated this multiple times. I, on the other hand and somewhat surprisingly, took a different view. You guessed it – one way or another, everything would be just fine because everything is figureoutable. I kept telling him that if things didn’t fit, we could use UPS to mail them to Chicago, we could donate them, or we could throw away some of the unessential items. We’re two intelligent people, and together we would figure it out. I’m not sure repeating a made up word helped Vishnu, but it did prevent us from arguing, and it did help us when space seemed so limited. We did have to leave a few things behinds, but we were also able to bring along some things that we didn’t expect to. It all worked out!

The second scenario where maintaining the “everything is figureoutable” mindset worked in our favor was when we actually got to Chicago and had to figure out how to get our four large suitcases and 12 boxes home from the Amtrak station. We were unsure as to what to do because multiple trips were necessary, I had to go to work the day our stuff came in, etc. To make a long story short, I quickly stopped the oncoming freak out, took a deep breath, and started throwing out ideas. The one that stuck involved using Task Rabbit (this is a great service that allows you to hire people to do whatever tasks you need doing). I suggested hiring someone with a truck to meet Vishnu at the station and help him bring our stuff home. Lo and behold, we found someone almost immediately, and he was highly rated and very affordable. I honestly don’t think I would’ve been able to think of this random solution without my new mindset.

I recognize that these examples are pretty minor compared to the hard stuff life often throws at us. However, after giving it quite a bit of thought, I’m convinced that a figureoutable mindset can help us get through the toughest of times. Like I said before, you may not like the solution, but it’s there.

Repeat after me – “Everything is “figureoutable.”

What mantra helps get you through stressful/tough times?

Hello…It’s Me!

written by Parita 11 Comments

Hello…it’s me and I’m back!

It feels like forever since the last time I blogged. And probably more so because so much has happened since my last post.

Let’s catch-up a little, shall we?

The biggest update I have is that we moved to Chicago…finally! The whole process of getting here was very long and tiring, but we did it.

We shipped about 2/3 of our stuff using the Amtrak household goods shipping service, which was surprisingly inexpensive and easy compared to some of our other options. I’ll blog about this some more soon because it’s a great option for when you need to move a large amount of stuff across the country.

Anyways, we filled every possible nook and cranny of our car with the rest of our stuff. If you follow me on Snapchat (@myinnershakti), you know what I’m talking about. I have no idea how we did it, but we fit a ton of stuff in our Accord. It seemed impossible earlier in the week, but when push came to shove, we worked our packing magic and made it all fit!

We drove to Atlanta on Friday and made a pit stop at Vishnu’s parents’ house for a couple of nights. My parents also packed up their overnight bags and made their way over. It was honestly the perfect way to spend time before taking on the chaos of unpacking and learning the ins and outs of a new city.

The 12 hour journey to Chicago began bright and early on Sunday morning. It was long and uneventful but plenty exciting given what was waiting for us on the other side…a new city, a new home, my sister and Adarsh, and our friends!

Somewhere in Kentucky…?

We spent our first few days settling in. It was a little hard to not feel scatterbrained because not only was our living space totally unorganized and filled with all of our stuff but we didn’t have any furniture. Not even a bed! Luckily, the bed we ordered for the guest room came in within a day or two.

I started work on Wednesday after taking a few days off. Unlike St. Petersburg, I have awesome coworkers and a beautiful office to go to in Chicago. I’ll share more about the transition soon but so far so good. I love everything about this new routine. An added bonus is that my commute is only 20 minutes. Can’t beat that!

We spent the majority of our weekend unpacking and buying furniture. Hopefully our barren apartment will start to feel more homey soon. I can’t wait to entertain and have people over!

The absolute best part about all of this is that my sister and her husband live 10 minutes away! In fact, we’ve seen them almost every day since we’ve been here. I was telling Vishnu that knowing they’re just around the corner makes this move so much more exciting and fun. Chicago already feels like home because Aek and Adu are here with us!

I can’t wait to experience summer in Chicago! We don’t have many summer travel plans since Vishnu can’t take days off this early into his new residency. After travelling a little more than usual for the first part of the year, I am totally ok with this. I’m excited to spend our weekends exploring different parts of the city (and eating lots of delicious food!). In fact, my parents are visiting this coming weekend, and I already have a list of things I want to do and places I want to visit.

The view from our new apartment!

I have so much I want to share now that the move is behind us. As much as I love sharing updates about my life, I’m more than ready to go beyond that with some fun discussion topics, recipes, restaurants reviews, and more!

With that, have a great Monday!

Tell me – what have you been up to? Any fun summer plans? A trip to Chicago, perhaps…?!

Weekend Recap – Cleaning and Purging

written by Parita 4 Comments

I feel like all I ever talk about is our move to Chicago and everything we’re doing to prepare for it. Trust me, I can’t wait until it’s all over either!

Unsurprisingly, this weekend was all about cleaning and purging. Well most of it anyways…

FRIDAY

If Friday evening could be summed up in three words, they would be run, pasta, [long] nap.

I went out for a run after work because by the time 5 pm rolled around I had only taken 1,500 steps. Ridiculous.
I came home, showered, and made a veggie pasta dinner (pasta, sauteed veggies, pesto, sauce, cheese). Delicious.
And then I literally sat down on the couch, asked Vishnu to wake me up in 15 minutes, and ended up sleeping for almost two hours. Ridiculous. I guess I was a little tired!

And that was Friday.

SATURDAY

If Saturday could be summed up in two words, they would be cleaning and purging. Because that is pretty much what we did from 10 am to 5 pm.

The best part was how reluctant Vishnu was to partake in this big pre-Chicago purge. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it on the blog before, but my husband is a pack rat. He’s one of those “just in case” people where I’m a “if you can’t remember the last time you used said item, get rid of it” kind of person. I will say, however, that Vishnu did a great job because we ended up with six large completely full trash bags (four full of actual trash and two full of clothes to donate) and a fairly sizable pile of books (to donate and sell).

We also had to reorganize some of our stuff since all of our large furniture, including the two night stands, are being picked up later today. The next six weeks will be interesting to say the least. No bed and no sofa/chair…

I took a break in between all of the chaos to make Running to the Kitchen‘s paleo chocolate chip cookies. This recipe is one of my favorites because it’s a one bowl recipe that’s simple, healthy, and delicious!

Because cooking was the last thing I wanted to do at the end of the day, Vishnu suggested trying a local pizza place that recently opened up.

We ordered a veggie pizza, and while it wasn’t the best pie I’ve ever had, it wasn’t half bad! Definitely hit the spot.

After dinner, we came straight home, changed into some comfy clothes, made popcorn, and watched Cloverfield. It’s been a long time since I’ve watched a suspenseful movie! In Vishnu’s words, I’m a very animated person when I watch these kinds of movies. This means I start screaming and tightly holding his hand when the music gets intense. I like to think I make things that much more fun!

SUNDAY

Sunday was a good mix of work and relaxation. I completed a quick strength workout at the gym before heading out for a long walk with Vishnu. We also ran some errands, grocery shopped, and prepped for the movers (vacuumed the sofa/chair and dusted everything else).

And that was our weekend in a three part snapshot! Have a great Monday!

If you had to sum up your weekend in three words, what would they be?

The End of Intern Year

written by Parita 12 Comments

You guys, I can finally see the light at the end of the intern year tunnel! I can’t believe it’s been 11 months since we moved to St. Petersburg, and that in six short weeks we’ll be on our way to Chicago.

My last post about intern year was brutally honest. This year has been both lots of fun and very challenging. Like every season of life, it came with its ups and downs. That particular post was mostly about the downs.

I laughed a little when I reread my thoughts because not much has changed between now and then. Vishnu’s schedule has been just as crazy and unpredictable, I still don’t have many friends here, we didn’t go on a real vacation this year, etc.

With all of that being said, I can see how much I’ve grown since September. While our situation hasn’t changed much, my mindset is different than it was then. For one, our time in St. Pete is coming to an end, so that helps a little. But more than that, I put effort into making this town my own and tried to enjoy it as much as possible. I also put more effort into getting to know Vishnu’s co-interns. I was on a Thursday night trivia roll for a while!

I guess you could say I learned a huge lesson. And it’s about more than just positivity and looking on the bright side. It’s about taking the lead role in shaping your situation into what you want it to be. For me personally, it’s about first changing how I think about things and then actually taking steps/actions to get me closer to my desired outcome. It’s so easy to sit on the sidelines and wish things were different. But we all know that life doesn’t work that way!

On a slightly different note, it’s also funny how bittersweet this move feels now that it’s almost time to pack up and leave. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so excited to move to Chicago and start the next chapter in our lives. However, I find myself getting emotional over the silliest things. For example, we put our dining table up for sale on Craigslist, and earlier this week a woman came and looked at it. Well, not only does she want to buy our table, but she also wants to buy the couch, the chair, the bed, the nightstands, and the bookshelves. Great news, I know! But every time I think about the furniture Vishnu and I bought together being in someone else’s house, I feel sad. Hot mess express over here!

I also get emotional when I think about not living in Florida anymore. When we first got married, all I wanted was to move somewhere else. And now that it’s time to do just that, I can’t help but think about the amazing weather, the beaches, etc. and how we won’t have all of that in Chicago. AND Florida is near and dear to my heart because it’s where Vishnu and I started our life together. We’ve lived in three different cities in just under four years.

With all of the above being said, I do feel lucky and blessed. Medical school and intern year really tested our marriage in some ways, but ultimately, the often crazy and chaotic experiences brought us closer together. We’re much more of a unit now than we used to be! And from a Parita perspective, I can truly say that our journey so far has shaped me into a stronger and much more independent and confident person.

With that, let the countdown to Chicago begin!

No question today. Just a big thanks for reading my rambles. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!

All Moved In

written by Parita 10 Comments

We survived our move this weekend! And not only are we all moved in, but we’re 95% unpacked as well. It took a lot of work to get us to this point, but we did it!

When we moved from Fort Lauderdale to Miami two years ago, we hired a moving company to load, drive, and unload all of our stuff. This also included breaking down our bed and putting it back together and other tasks like that. And while all of our stuff got to Miami, it was such an ordeal on so many levels. So this time around we went with a slightly different option.

For this move, we rented a U-Haul truck, bought all of the packing material off the U-Haul website, hired loaders and unloaders, and did all the grunt work ourselves. I mentioned packing on the blog several times over the past couple of weeks, and while we did pack here and there, the majority of our stuff wasn’t put into boxes until Thursday and Friday. We also wrapped all of our furniture in industrial sized saran wrap, which sounds like a lot of fun but is literally a pain (my back hurt for days!).

Packing chaos!

But I think all of our hard work was worth the effort because the move itself was relatively smooth. The loaders and unloaders arrived on time, the weather cooperated, the U-Haul didn’t break down on Vishnu, nothing was damaged, etc.

As far as unpacking goes, we pretty much used most of Sunday to do just that, as well as organize all of our stuff. My goal was to get the bathroom, the kitchen, and our bedroom in working order, and we did that plus a little more!

My favorite spot in the new apt!

Something we definitely could have done better is meal planning, and I don’t mean home cooked meals. I wish I had researched options in our neighborhood so that at any given moment when either of us was hungry something could have been done about it. We pretty much ate 1.5 meals on Saturday and 1.5 meals on Sunday. Oh well, you live, get hangry, and learn!

To ensure that the aforementioned scenario doesn’t happen again, we also fit in a quick Target and Trader Joe’s trip (less than a 10 minute drive away!!) on Sunday in between the unpacking mayhem. No one is going hungry around here anytime soon!

Well, that’s all for now! I’ll share more about our new city in upcoming posts!

Thanks for reading!

A Few Days in St. Petersburg

written by Parita 8 Comments

As I mentioned in my post on Thursday, Vishnu and I spent a portion of the weekend in St. Petersburg. The purpose of our trip was to find an apartment and guess what…WE DID! I was honestly a little nervous that nothing would be available for when we needed to move, but it worked out pretty nicely. We were able to stay within our budget, and our new place is in a super cute neighborhood full of restaurants, shops, parks, etc.

Now that we have a place and a move-in date the real work and planning begins… But I’ll save all that for another post.

Gorgeous Florida sunset!

We didn’t just apartment hunt while in St. Petersburg. We also ate some really good food.

On Friday, we went to a place called Meze 119 for lunch. It’s a vegetarian (with some vegan options) Greek restaurant. The Yelp reviews I read were all pretty positive, so I knew we were in for a treat.

We got the basil pine nut hummus and zaatar bread to start. In my opinion, the hummus could have been a little more flavorful. It was all a little too subtle for my liking. The creamy texture was spot on though. The zaatar bread was perfectly toasted, and the spices sprinkled on top added a lot of rich flavor.

I also ordered the Cyprus BLT and loved the panko-crusted tomatoes, the olive tapenade, and the tempeh bacon. Definitely something I’d order again.

Vishnu ordered the Shawarma and liked it a lot. While he loves his meat, vegetarian chicken is something he seems to be able to get on board with. I had a bite of his sandwich and really liked how saucy it was. Tons of curry flavor too. We ordered the garlic potatoes with his sandwich and am so glad we did. They weren’t super crispy, but the roasted garlic bits on top were spicy and added so much flavor. I heard the table next to ours ask for hot sauce, so I followed suit. You guys. I wish they sold this stuff by the bottle. The sauce had a spicy smoky vinegary tang. So good!

Later that night, we went to The Refinery for dinner. All credit goes to Vishnu for finding this place and making a reservation. He was a little nervous that I wouldn’t like it because there weren’t too many vegetarian options, but we both agreed that his was one of the most creative meals we’ve ever had. The entire menu is made up of eclectic dishes that combine a number of very different/unique ingredients (read on for more detailed descriptions) that at first glance don’t seem like they would go together. But of course, everything was absolutely delicious. And the best part is that the menu changes every few days based on what the local farms can provide, so your experience will likely be completely different every time you visit.

We started with the Eggplant Blini which was essentially an eggplant puree pancake with tiny tomatoes, cucumber, radish, ricotta, and orange. The pancake itself had a bit of Mediterrean flavor which all the other ingredients added to beautifully. I’m going to try to recreate this at home!

For my entree, I ordered the Potato, Leek, and Yellow Squash Casserole. While this combination doesn’t sound unusual at all, the outside ingredients were plum and truffle honey. I was shocked by how well everything came together! The casserole was rich and creamy, the vegetables were tender, and the plum/honey combo added a subtle sweetness.

For his entree, Vishnu ordered the Butter Burger. Talk about crazy combinations – this burger came with all different kinds of butters, including apple-raisin butter, peanut butter, tomato butter, etc. Our waitress highly recommended it, and Vishnu said that he could totally see why it was so popular. As with all the other dishes, non of the flavors competed with each other. The different components added to the overall taste in their own subtle way.

Going into this meal, I told Vishnu that I didn’t want dessert. The two options on the menu didn’t sound all that appealing to me. Well, that all changed when our waitress (who was amazing!) took it upon herself to describe each one in detail. I obviously and rather quickly changed my mind on the whole no dessert thing! The best way to describe what we got is to think of a pie with a gooey brownie filling, a ginger shortbread crust, and lime whipped cream. Sounds insanely weird but it totally worked! The chocolate filling was dark and rich, the ginger crust was subtly spicy, and the lime whipped cream added a pop of citrus. I really really really hope that this dessert is on the menu the next time we eat here.