2024 Recap

 I wrote a grand total of 3 posts in 2024. Trying to do better in 2025. 

2024 was another eventful year. I've been looking through the old photos and recapturing the highlights.

January - Took my parents to Sri Lanka for their golden anniversary. Sri Lanka is so gorgeous and it was my second trip. We went to Colombo, Galle, Dambulla, Trincomalee and Kandy. 

Spent a few days in Bangalore as well and met so many old friends including someone I hadn't met since college (Ethiraj)! (more on that later)

February - S was in India and some of our Canadian relatives came over to our neck of the woods

March - Cherry blossom season! We all went to the SF Bay Area for spring break. It was a social whirlwind as we had to catch up with all the friends and family who lived there, many of whom had seen my kids as babies/toddlers. Met another Ethiraj buddy there. 

April - Portugal with 2 of my friends! That travelogue is still sitting in the drafts :( 

May - My cousin graduated from Georgetown Law and we went to her fancy post-graduation party. Memorial day weekend, we started S's early birthday celebration with a biking holiday in Lehigh Gorge State Park, Pennsylvania. On S's birthday, our close friends from NY, J and P landed up to surprise him on his 50th! We had a lovely two days with them. 

June - our anniversary at home. We hosted S's aunt and uncle for a few days. 

June end/early July - 50th birthday celebrations in the Smokies. Kids left for Singapore.

July - my parents arrived for a few months' stay. The first time they came in warm weather :) 

Aug - Beach trip to Norfolk and Virginia Beach. I dropped Ads back at Madison and helped him set up his apartment. 

September - My cousin's wedding in Toronto - famjam! I don't know how we packed it all in but apparently I also took my parents to Swaminarayan temple in NJ, Harper's ferry in WV and Mt.Vernon the same month :) Y's homecoming dance. My cousin visited from the Bay Area.

Met yet another Ethiraj buddy in TO!

October - Navarathri. Big crowd, golu hops, dandiya with my Zumba gang. Yukta started driving lessons. Halloween celebration in our community. 

November - We went to NYC for a few days as an advance celebration for Y's 16th. Watched 2 amazing shows - Six and Hamilton. In Seattle with my brother and his family (and my parents) for Thanksgiving. 

December - India! Our silver jubilee reunion at IIMB and a few days in the Mangalore area after. 

Loved that I could meet FOUR of my friends from college in the same year as I happened to go to each of the cities they lived in - Bay Area, Madison, Bangalore and Toronto. We were meeting for the first time since 1996 (except for the Madison friend whom I had met a few times in between) 

Other highlights were that I started going for a Pilates class once a month in the latter part of the year (and I'm loving it). I also found a good Carnatic music teacher not far away and we have a weekly class. It feels good to restart my music practice.