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32 Lessons in 32 Years

It was my birthday this past weekend! To be honest, I’m not a huge birthday person. I love celebrating other people’s birthdays, but I don’t like making a big deal out of my own. To put this in perspective, I was more excited about MIS’ birthday!

Of course, Vishnu wasn’t going to let it pass by without some sort of celebrating. I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of Vishnu entering the apartment after his night shift. He usually comes into the bedroom right away to give me a kiss, but instead he started rummaging around in the kitchen. I got out of bed after a few minutes to see what was up. Well, what was up was a cute little cupcake, a birthday balloon, my favorite dark chocolate, and the sweetest husband in the world singing happy birthday!

[Vishnu’s original plan was to bring the cupcake to me in bed, but I woke up and ruined that plan. I felt bad, so I got back in bed and let him do his thing!]

The rest of the day was pretty perfect too. I ran my usual weekend errands, treated myself to a delicious coffee, and talked to family and friends throughout the day. Later in the evening, we had an amazing dinner experience at a local Italian restaurant (more about this restaurant coming soon!). We ended the night with Meet the Patels and YouTube videos!

And this, my friends, is 32!

I also spent a portion of the weekend reflecting on all the things I’ve learned in the last 32 years (both big and small). Along with the 32 lessons below, I’ve come to realize that I’m much more grounded now than I ever was in my 20s. Despite the bumpy journey, I’m proud of myself and truly looking forward to what this year and the rest of my 30s will bring.

And now, in no particular order, my 32 lessons in 32 years…

Everything in moderation. Even moderation.
Laughter is the BEST medicine!
The grass is greener where you water it.
No one can take your knowledge away from you. Strive to learn something new every day.
The world needs more authentic/genuine/real people. If nothing else, be that.
You can’t love someone else completely until you love yourself completely.
A little reality TV never hurt anyone.
You can’t change other people. You can, however, change yourself. And that may ultimately change those around you.
Always have an attitude of gratitude.
Find something that makes you come alive – a job, a passion project, a hobby – and go after it with a vengeance.
The darker the chocolate the better.
Wash your face every night. Don’t skip this step! Oh and…moisturize, moisturize, moisturize.
A bad day(s) doesn’t equal a bad life.
Your parents aren’t going to be around forever so don’t take them for granted.
Money isn’t everything. In fact, most of life’s precious moments are 100% free.
You’ll never regret saying, “I’m sorry.”
Be kind to unkind people. They need it the most.
Always choose the adventure.
Health is real wealth.
When in doubt, less is more.
Your body was made to move.
Choose integrity over all else. Because you will always know.
Travel, both near and far, as often as possible.
Marriage is hard work. And it’s not 50/50. It’s 100/100.
Assume good intent.
Live within your means and save money whenever possible.
Perfection does not exist. In fact, the fun lies in the imperfections.
Listen to your gut/intuition. It can/will guide you if you let it.
Know what good looks like (for you) and don’t settle for less.
Loss, heartbreak, pain, etc. are all a part of life. You won’t be the same after going through it, but you will be ok.
Life is short. Have fun, laugh as much as possible, and love with your whole heart.
Age is just a number!

And just because she’s the cutest, here’s the birthday poem my mom wrote for me! [Thanks, momma!]

What did you get up to this weekend!?

Celebratory Weekend

written by Parita 16 Comments

I’ve been thinking about the amazing comments from Friday’s post all weekend. Thank you so much for all the well wishes. Your words were reassuring and comforting. I think this move and everything that comes with it is going to be a great experience for me and Vishnu. Gotta keep things interesting, right?!

So, sandwiched between all the sorting and packing this weekend was a bit of celebratory fun.

My boss had a big birthday this weekend and invited me and Vishnu to be a part of it! Unfortunately, Vishnu had a hot date with his books so he couldn’t make it.

Up until Saturday I thought the plan was to have dinner at her condo and hang out. I knew she wanted to keep it low key and small. Around noon, I got a text asking if I could make it to her place by six for hors d’oeuvres. She also mentioned that we were going to see Sarah Silverman, who was performing at the South Beach Comedy Festival. I texted back to let her know I’d see her at six. I’m not a huge Sarah fan but was excited about going to the festival!

I quickly ran some errands, came home, made Katie’s black bean brownies, and got ready.

Side note: I made these particular brownies because my boss’ daughter is a vegan…and because I love them so much! They were a HUGE hit. Every last crumb was gone!

After chatting and munching on some food, we left for the show.

So here’s my honest opinion – I loved the guy that opened for Sarah (can’t remember his name right now). He was a natural and didn’t have to try too hard to make the crowd laugh. And then there was Sarah Silverman. I’m not one to shy away from or get offended by crude humor. Most of the time, I love it. She, however, brought up events and situations that just shouldn’t be a part of any comedic sketch. For example, she tried to make rape funny. I don’t care who you are…rape is never funny. Call me sensitive, but after a few more offhanded jokes, I was done with the whole thing. I will say that it was interesting to hear everyone’s take on her performance. My boss left with the impression that Sarah is one disturbed woman. Ha!

Everyone was starving by the time the show was over, so we headed to Lincoln Road for dinner. Because we didn’t have a dinner reservation, the only place that could seat all 11 of us together was Five Napkin Grill.

If you’re ever in South Beach, I highly recommend this place. Lots of great options for everyone, including a delicious, hearty veggie burger.

By the time we ate, sang Happy Birthday, and devoured a few desserts, it was almost 1 am! I didn’t get home until a little past 2 am. As someone who crawls into bed at 10 pm on most nights, I was exhausted! But it was well worth it. I was so glad that my boss invited me to celebrate with her and her family. They are truly a wonderful and welcoming bunch!

I hope you had a great weekend as well!

What’s your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?

Seasons 52

written by Parita 19 Comments

There’s nothing like having family visit to make you miss home. As I mentioned in my last post, Vishnu’s dad was in town for a conference this past weekend.

Like father like son

When I asked dad what he wanted to do while he was here, he responded with, “Whatever you want to do!” Since I knew his days were packed with conference events, we stayed in on Friday night and watched a movie (The A-Team). Well, I fell asleep about half-way through while Vishnu and dad watched the whole movie. I liked what I saw!

On Saturday, dad insisted that we go out to eat for my birthday. And again, he wanted me to choose where. After a quick Yelp search, I decided on Seasons 52. While Vishnu and I have been before (in Atlanta), I wanted to pick a place that dad would like because he, like me, is very passionate about healthy living. I figured this was the perfect place for a delicious, healthy, low-key dinner.

Seasons 52 offers four different menus throughout the year, one for every season. Each menu item is centered around fresh, seasonal ingredients. If you plan your visits accordingly, it’s like eating at a different restaurant every time. Pretty neat concept.

Readers beware – Parita was just introduced to Pic Stitch!

We each started with a drink – I went with my very favorite Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz, Vishnu ordered a Jai Alai (an Indian Pale Ale), and we ordered a Mojito for dad. It was his first, and I think he liked it!

The flatbreads at Seasons 52 are pretty amazing – incredibly light and flavorful. The flatbread is crispy, almost cracker-like, while the toppings are very fresh. And I love that every bite includes a little bit of each topping. Good to the last bite!

Vishnu and I shared the Ripe Plum Tomato flatbread as an appetizer, while dad ordered the Artichoke and Goat Cheese flatbread as his meal. We were not disappointed!

For my entrée, I ordered the Vegetarian Tasting, which came with a few different items – a citrus quinoa salad, a black bean soft taco, a veggie stuffed chili relleno, a piece of roasted butternut squash, half of a roasted pear, and a piece of cedar roasted tofu with mango chutney.

I loved everything but the quinoa and the butternut squash. The quinoa was loaded with parsley, and the butternut squash was just blah…both were lacking flavor in my opinion. The chili relleno was unique and had a little kick. The taco was good – nothing out of the ordinary. And while the tofu was good, the chutney made it great. It also had a little bit of a kick and reminded me of the tropical salsa Vishnu made the other night. The roasted pear was a nice sweet surprise. I’ve never thought to roast fruit…this may be something I experiment with. Overall, I was happy with my choice.

Vishnu ordered the Caramelized Grilled Sea Scallops for his meal. He thought the scallops were pretty good, but really liked the sun dried tomato pearl pasta that accompanied his dish. He just wished the portion size was a little bigger. Oh well, more room for dessert…keep reading!

Now y’all know I’m not one to turn down a post-dinner sweet treat. It was my birthday dinner after all! When our waitress came by with a tray full of 8 different mini dessert cups, I knew exactly what I wanted – Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse. But then Vishnu upped the anti by picking two little cups, so I had to pick one more. The Tropical Fruit Cheesecake it was. Vishnu went with the Belgian Chocolate Rocky Road and the Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Oh my! These little cups were pure heaven and the perfect way to end our meal. Surprisingly, my favorite was the tropical cheesecake. The filling was so incredibly creamy. I wish I could swim in that little cup all the live long day. The PB chocolate mousse was a close runner up though.

And then with full bellies, we went home.

I miss dad’s presence already (he left last night) but am excited to see my parents in Orlando this coming weekend! And the fun doesn’t stop there because the following weekend I’m off to London for a week long work trip. February will be over before I know it!

Happy Monday – make it a good one!

So tell me, if you had to choose a dessert cup from the ones pictured and described above, which one would it be?

A Belated Birthday Dinner

written by Parita 12 Comments

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m not much of a birthday person. Take this year for example. I came home from work, poured myself a big bowl of cereal and blueberries, and watched my Wednesday night TV lineup. To some that may sound boring or lame, but for me it was perfect, especially after a long day at work.

I thought that was going to be it until Vishnu came home with chocolate covered strawberries and a balloon!

Vishnu brought home what he thought was a birthday balloon. After giving him a huge hug, I asked him to hold on to it so I could take a picture. And then I started laughing. He told me he picked this particular balloon because it looked more elegant than the others, not realizing this was an anniversary balloon and not a birthday one…oops! So cute! It’s the thought that counts. Smile

And that wasn’t the only gift I got this year. On Tuesday night, Vishnu came home with a bag full of groceries so that he could make me dinner.

And of course there’s a funny story to go along with this meal.

So on Monday night, we looked at the burger recipe he picked out so that I could “advise” on what ingredients he needed to buy. After reading “carefully,” we talked about how it looked like a pretty involved recipe. I told Vishnu to have no fear because I would be his sous chef.

I called on my way home from work on Tuesday to see if he needed any help grocery shopping. He told me that he was stuck in a ton of traffic and hadn’t even made it to the store yet. This was at 5:00. I got home at 5:30 (no Vishnu to be found) and went to the gym for a quick workout. Vishnu got home at 6:30, and we started cooking at 6:45.

I helped by chopping the onion while Vishnu shredded the carrots. Things were good. Then we realized that the lentils needed to be cooked (a 25 minute process). About 10 minutes later, we realized that the recipe called for cooked barley. And guess what…our barley was uncooked. After looking up how to cook barley (a 35 minute process), we were back on track. By this time it was around 7:15.

Eventually, the burger mixture was ready to be divided and cooked on the grill pan – or so we thought. The recipe called for refrigerating the mixture for at least an hour before cooking. Totally missed the boat on this step. It was 7:50.

Now you know why I said we read the recipe “carefully.” Apparently, the inability to read and really process recipes is something Vishnu and I share in common.

Anyway, instead of refrigerating and waiting an hour like we were supposed to, we stuck the bowl in the freezer and waited 20 minutes for the mixture to firm up.

In the meantime, Vishnu made some fresh fruit salsa to go on top of our burgers. Luckily, that part of the process was fine.

Finally, after a fun couple of hours in the kitchen (trust me…we laughed a lot), we sat down to eat.

It was around 8:40. But let me tell you…every last minute was worth it because these burgers were tasty! And super filling too. However, the salsa definitely stole the show – a balanced combination of sweet juicy fruit and spicy chili. I think Vishnu should forgo medical school to be my full-time salsa maker. I’m only half kidding!

While this meal took longer then either one of us expected, we still had a blast together in the kitchen. And once again, I was reminded of why I love my husband so much…even though cooking intimidates him, he sucked it up, took the lead, and made a delicious meal. All for me!

And now he wants us to cook a new meal together once a week. He sure knows the way to my heart. Only this time, we’ll be sure to read and reread the recipe a few times before even stepping into the kitchen!

32 Lessons in 32 Years

Celebratory Weekend

Seasons 52

A Belated Birthday Dinner

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