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!