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Weekend Recap – Home Sweet Home

Last week was a whirlwind. I feel like my whole team was on the go from sunrise to sunset (and sometimes beyond!). Regardless, it was a great week. I got to spend time with some of my favorite people and eat delicious food. What more can a girl ask for?!

I don’t plan to recap my trip, but I do have a few new restaurant recommendations – Remington’s, Beatrix, and State and Lake Chicago Tavern.

My weekend started when I got home on Friday night. Vishnu was up and waiting for me. It was nice to sit and chat for a while, especially given that we hardly talked all week. I filled him in on my meeting and what I ate/did, and he told me about some of his work stuff. We called it a night around midnight!

I had every intention of sleeping in on Saturday, but it seems that I’ve lost my ability to do that. So I woke up at 7 am, ate breakfast, and waited for Vishnu to get up. A few hours later, we headed out for a (hot/humid) long run/walk. My ankle starting hurting almost immediately, so we stopped at a bench and Vishnu stretched it out a bit. Thankfully, it was okayish after that.

I didn’t get a chance to go grocery shopping on Saturday, so we decided to grab lunch at the Saturday Morning Market. After checking out all of our options, both Vishnu and I decided to get a taco plate from the Taco Lady food truck. My veggie tacos were delicious and so flavorful. Unfortunately, I overdid it with the hot sauce and could only eat a few bites of the beans and rice and one taco. Oops!

I spent the afternoon filing our taxes (so happy to cross that off my list). The whole process simple and easy-to-follow, AND we got a hefty little return. Turbo Tax for the win!

Our friend Cara’s sister is in town, so a few of us met up for dinner and drinks in the evening. More Mexican food and a delicious ginger beer for me!

We got home at a reasonable hour, but I didn’t physically make it to bed until a little past midnight. Oy vey!

And of course, the next morning started at 7 am (seriously?!). Overall, Sunday was more low-key because I was forced to keep quiet. Vishnu started his final (!!!) nights hospital rotation last night which means he slept all day. I, on the other hand, hit up Trader Joe’s, squeezed in a workout, and meal prepped a bit.

I am more than ready for this work week because it’s a short one. I head to Austin on Thursday for my sister’s bachelorette party! Can’t wait!

Side note – Did you notice that I didn’t mention cleaning this weekend? Well, that’s because Vishnu deep cleaned the apartment before I got home on Friday. Love my hubby!

Weekend Recap – NYE, Baby Shower, Home!

written by Parita 12 Comments

We’re already four days into 2016. What?! I honestly feel like I JUST got home from London and started my two week holiday. Time flies when you’re having fun. And fun is exactly how I’d describe the past few weeks. Maybe that’s why I felt a twinge of sadness when we got home yesterday. All I could think was “back to the grind.” I told Vishnu how I felt and he reminded me of all the fun to come – a trip to Panama at the beginning of February, my sister’s wedding, our move to Chicago, etc.

Now let’s rewind back to NYE. For the first time in years, we decided to stay in and keep it low key. Low key for the six of us (me, Vishnu, my MIL, my FIL, my BIL, and Neelam (my BIL’s girlfriend) included lots of my MIL’s delicious food and board games, specifically Scattergories and Taboo. We started with Scattergories, and let’s just say my competitive self definitely came out. I ended up in second place right behind Vishnu. We then took moved on to two rounds of Taboo. I was on the winning team in both rounds…just saying! We rang in the new years by counting down with those in Times Square!

I know I talk about my in-laws every now and then, but I don’t think I’ve ever expressed how thankful I am for having such loving, kind, generous and hilarious people in my life. I hit the in-law jackpot…there’s not doubt about that!

Friday was a day of pure relaxation – we talked, we ate, and sat around and watched TV. Such a nice change of pace from the rest of the week (we ended up having more plans than I thought we would).

On Saturday morning, I headed to Augusta for my friend Monica’s baby shower. She’s having a baby girl in March, and I could not be more excited and happy for her and her husband Amit!

The shower was super cute and so much fun. Monica’s mom and SIL hosted and did such a good job with all the details -the decorations were adorable, the food was delicious and the games were entertaining! Everyone had such a blast! Personally, I just couldn’t get over the fact that Monica is going to be a mom in a few short months – it’s surreal! I still remember when she told me about Amit. Can’t wait to meet their little princess!

On Sunday morning, Vishnu and I woke up at 6 am, got ready, packed the car, and started on our seven hour journey home. Since I drove up to Atlanta, Vishnu offered to drive most of the way home. Instead of falling asleep (which is my go to physiological response during car trips!), I stayed up and kept him company. We listened to music, we listened to the first four episodes of the new season of Serial (if you haven’t already – get on it!), we talked about everything we have coming up in 2016, and we truly enjoyed each other’s company (I stayed off my phone for most of the trip).

Now it’s Monday morning – Vishnu starts a busy rotation today and I’m back at work and excited to see what new opportunities come my way.

Bring it on, 2016. We’re ready!

How did you ring in the new year?

Sister Time + Back in Atlanta

written by Parita 4 Comments

Hello? It’s me…

…I’ve been gone for a while but not intentionalllllllllllly!

You guys! I unintentionally checked out most of last week and this weekend. I was looking at my Instagram profile this morning and realized that I haven’t posted any new pictures since London. The only social medial channel I’ve been active on is Snapchat (@myinnershakti). Life lately has been lots of fun but not picture perfect. And honestly I’m trying to be more present and in the moment which doesn’t lend itself to snapping lots of pictures and posting updates [hence the lack of pictures in this post!].

I shared in a previous post that my sister was flying down to visit us in St. Pete last week. She got in on Monday evening, and it was fun and giggles the whole time! We ate a LOT of good food, watched movies, explored our neighborhood, worked out, etc.

This visit was extra special for me because it’s likely the last time she’ll be staying with us before the wedding. And she wasn’t consumed with school/work stuff making this visit stress free and really relaxing.

On Friday afternoon, the three of us packed up the car and drove to Atlanta. We told my in laws that we were driving up on Saturday morning because we wanted to surprise them. They were so confused (and happy) when we showed up on their doorstep on Friday night!

Our weekend highlights included more good food (via my MIL), a nice long run with my sister, Bajirao Mastani, and a dinner party.

I’m OBSESSED with this little dog. I want one!

This is the first time I’ve spent an entire week at just my in laws house. My parents are still in India, and while I miss them a lot, it’s nice to stay put and not think about splitting our time.

We’ll be in Atlanta through next Sunday morning. We plan to squeeze in as much family time as possible as well as a few visits with friends. NYE will likely be spent playing games at home with my in laws, BIL, and his girlfriend. I also have my friend Monica’s baby shower on Saturday in Augusta – can’t wait to celebrate her and her little princess!

Well, that’s all for now! I hope your holidays have been amazing so far! I’ll be back later this week with some fun posts. 🙂

So Excited I Just Can’t Hide It!

written by Parita 31 Comments

How’s life? How’s everything going? Hope all is well!

Ok, ok, enough with all the formalities. 🙂 I’m super excited because I am going HOME (Atlanta) tomorrow!!! Woot woot! The last time I was home was at the end of December through early January. The last time I saw my dad was over Thanksgiving (he was in India when I went home). I saw my mom last at the end of December. I saw my sister last on New Year’s day right before she left for school (she’s a junior at Northwestern). And last but not least, I saw Vishnu last when he came out to Tucson for a visit in mid-January. It’s been SO long since I’ve seen all my favorite people! I’ve decided that it’s not ok to go so long without seeing your loved ones. As a result of this epiphany, I’m going to try to make trips back home more often. I’m also going to make more of an effort to visit my friends because I love them too. 🙂

Another reason I’m excited…

You can just ignore the rain on Saturday because it always rains in Atlanta. 😛 And anyways, a high of 79 compared to a high of 38 in Boston is a win in my eyes any day!

Another reason I’m super excited to go home is because my mom has already planned our menu for the week. I know everyone thinks their mom is the BEST cook EVER, but believe me when I say, “My mom really is the BEST cook EVER.” She can pretty much take any combination of ingredients and create a masterpiece. I know that enchiladas, dosa (thin Indian pancakes stuffed with a spicy potato mixture), and falafels are on the list. Overeating here I come!

Oh, and at the end of December, my mom joined my dad in India and had the opportunity to do lots and lots of shopping! I can’t wait to see all the goodies she brought back for me and my sister! Don’t you worry, I will be dedicating an entire post to all of my new outfits, saris, and jewelry.

Me and my momma!

I am also excited to hang out with my sister. I expect a lot of laughing, talking, some ~~arguing~~ debating, and running! I don’t think I’ve mentioned this on here yet, but we are going to be running the Providence Rock n’ Roll half marathon together in August! This will be my second half and her first. Super excited! Neither of us has signed up yet because we want to do it together. Cue the awwwws. 🙂 I’ll post more about this in a couple of weeks.

We'll always be 10 at heart!

A visit home would not be complete without a couple of Bollywood movie nights! In case you’re wondering, Bollywood is the Indian version of Hollywood. My dad is the biggest Bollywood fanatic EVER. He knows everything about the industry, movies, and actors. I wish there was a game show based on Bollywood and it’s movies because there is no doubt in my mind that my dad would win. 🙂 Look forward to a post on Bollywood in the near future as well. If you like singing, dancing, and lots of drama for your mama, you’ll love Bollywood movies.

And finally, I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with this guy…

My Love!

Vishnu and I have been doing long distance for almost 3 years now (and we’ve been dating for almost 6), so I really cherish any time I can spend with him. 🙂 He’s picking me up at the airport tomorrow, and I told him to get ready because as soon as I see him, I plan on launching an attack. And I really don’t care that the airport is a public place!

Well, off to bed I go! I plan on getting to work super early tomorrow, and I want to squeeze in a quick run beforehand. Have a great night!