2025 Recap

 Time to do a recap of the year gone by, before Q1 ends!

January - meeting friends and starting our local philanthropy at a giving circle started by a friend. It's called the Immigrant Giving Circle. 

February -New York for a board meeting. By chance, my brother was there at the same time, and we met for breakfast! Did a FREEZING guided walk in the Lower East Side with a friend's son. It would have been more enjoyable if I hadn't felt that my fingers and toes were frostbitten.

March - Walking tour of Leesburg with friends (again, freezing!) Ads was home for spring break so for the first time, all four of us went to the Tidal Basin for cherry blossoms.

Started a new job as Operations Director in a local nonprofit and was so happy!

April - first concert of the year at the temple. Bluebell season!

The highlight of April was spring break with Yukta in Belize. What a wonderful time we had! Truly relaxed, blissful, and great weather. I'd go back again in a jiffy.

Gave our first grant from the Immigrant Giving Circle, and had a nice event at the Community Foundation in Leesburg.

May - Bethany Beach, Delaware, for Memorial Day. Karaoke, beach, lots of fun! S's birthday at home.

June - Our 25th wedding anniversary! Ads was back in Madison for his internship so S, Y and I went out for a lovely dinner. A week later, Ads came to babysit his sister. S & I flew to Bozemen, MT, for a long-awaited week in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. It was all we expected it to be, and more. 

Also June and into the Independence Day weekend, we went to see Ads at Madison and squeezed in 2 college tours at Purdue and Indiana University. The weather was fabulous (warm). S & I did a day trip to Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin and hiked there. 

July (end)- I flew to Vancouver for a family reunion. We took a ferry to Victoria on Vancouver Island and had a wonderful 3 days of family bonding and celebrating multiple milestone birthdays.

August- Adv is finally out his teens! His 20th birthday at home. Sheila came from Mumbai to spend a few days with us. I took her to DC and Great Falls. Joyee and Piyush showed up a few days later. 

September - the BEST month ever! My 50th birthday, and so many events leading up to it. Lunch and wine at Stone Tower winery, hiking at Harper's Ferry, English tea at Mocatinos, lunch at Zaytinya in DC (where a couple of our friends surprised me!), and a big surprise birthday party organized by the neighbors. What more can a girl ask for! To be surrounded by friends and family, sweet neighbors, and to get a birthday video from friends who could not be there. 

At the end of September, our big gala at work. where I was announced as the new Executive Director of the organization. Navarathri was low-key this time as I couldn't host at home due to the gala. Still managed to visit others' Golus.

October - visit of friends from Mumbai. Fall colors. New Mexico with Joyee. Diwali, at home, Hillside party. Spent a couple of nights in DC for a board meeting. 

November - New York for Y's birthday. Mamma Mia and Hamilton shows, fall colors in Central Park. Downton Abbey Tea with friends - had so much fun! Thanksgiving was quiet and at home.

December - Egypt! A bucket-list trip for sure. 

Epic year, 2025.

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.

2023 Recap

What a whirlwind year 2023 has been! 

THE most eventful year of our married life. 

January - we started seeing our new house coming up. What had been mud and stones in late 2022 started taking shape slowly.

I went to NYC for a few days of Board meetings (where I was inducted as Board Chair), followed by a very adventurous road trip in Arizona with my dear friend J.

The minute we landed in Phoenix, S told me the good news that Ads had been admitted to UW-Madison.

February - I joined my lovely Zumba class. 

The four of us went to DC to see Jerry Seinfeld in the flesh. 

March - Spring! Lots and lots of lovely flowers and sunnier days. We went to DC and Maryland to see the cherry blossoms.

April - To the coast (Hampton) for spring break, a nice week staying in a quiet airbnb. 

I participated in the World Bank Spring meetings in DC and moderated a panel on Climate and Health, which I was super nervous about. There was a lot of prep involved and we didn't have a great turnout but it was a good experience. 

We closed on the new house and my cousin and her husband came over and did a small pooja for us.

We got a lot of vendors into the house for putting up blinds, closets, etc etc.

May - Yukta had her homecoming dance. 

I went to Bangalore on work. Also spent a few days with my folks in Chennai and with friends in Bangalore. Bonus: Attending a close friend's son's poonal and a niece's engagement in Chennai.

However, my trip meant that I was not there for S's birthday this year. He and the kids went to New Jersey to attend a family wedding when I was away. 

June - The craziest month of the year! It started with Ads' high school graduation just a day after I landed back in the US.

My colleagues from Bangalore visited for a few days of meetings in DC. 

As soon as the school year ended, we moved into the new house. It was a real pang leaving our Chantilly home of 5 years. 

We worked like mad getting the house in order and within a week left for a few day's break in Chicago and then on to Madison for Ads' orientation. Blown away by the beautiful campus and the clockwork manner in which the parent's and student's orientations were organized.

Met my old college buddy Sow after 20 years!

July - Watched the Independence Day fireworks with Y, live for the first time.

S's parents arrived. 

We went on a road trip to Philly and New Jersey, where we also had a mini IIMB reunion. S then took his parents to NYC while I came back home with Y

August - S took his parents to Niagara Falls.

My mil's bday and Ads turned 18!

We went to Ocean City for a few days to celebrate the last days of summer. We also visited Chincoteague and Assateague. It was a lovely trip with warm sunny weather. 

Y started her freshman year in the new school. 

We dropped Ads at his new home for the next 4 years - Madison. 

September - My birthday! I went to Houston for my uncle's 60th birthday pooja.

Then to NYC for UN week. It was my first time at UNGA and NYC was even crazier than usual. Great experience speaking at a panel on reproductive justice and meeting lots of folks. Bonus: spending time with my friend J.

S started a new job at Stout, ending a solid 11 years at Grant Thornton.

October - Trip to Shenandoah NP.

Golu at the new house, our biggest one yet and the first time I have a proper stand. Invited a ton of people and for 3 days the house was buzzing. 

The fall colors in 2023 were spectacular and S and I took many many walks documenting the vivid foliage. 

We went to Hershey's Chocolate World for my fil's birthday and he was like a kid in THE candy store!

November - Y's 15th birthday.

I went to upstate New York for a conference.

My in-laws returned to India.

Diwali. My neighbors and I organized a get-together with food and fireworks for the community which was a lot of fun. 

Ads came back home for Thanksgiving and we had a nice lunch at my cousin's place. I learned how to make mashed potatoes and gravy!

Our new dentist found a worrying cyst in Y's mouth and she had to have a biopsy. It turned out to be a benign water cyst which needed a second surgery to remove.

December - Yukta's surgery to remove the cyst and subsequent few days of recovery. 

We went to the Dominican Republic for a few days and it was a gorgeous and relaxed finale to a super eventful year.

Whew!!

We hosted a lot of people last year- lots of lunches, dinners, and high teas (the last with our new neighbors in a bid to get to know everyone better), plus family who came to stay. My culinary skills definitely improved. I learned how to make Indian bakery-style vegetable puffs from scratch, and other things with puff pastry. 

Grateful for all the relationships we were able to nourish, all the transitions we navigated with relative ease, our new house with its beautiful mountain views, and neighbors all of whom are really nice and friendly. 

Lots of things to look forward to in 2024. But that's another post!

Arpoador

Arpoador. In Portuguese, it means "Harpoon thrower". In the 16th and 17th centuries, this rock was where the indigenous people of Brazil and the Portuguese settlers would harpoon whales. Today it is THE spot to view the famous South Atlantic Sunsets in Rio. 

We arrived well in time for the 6.45 pm sunset, found a good spot, and perched uncomfortably on the hard rock. The husband went to the very edge of the rock to guarantee unobstructed views. Y plugged in her Airpods and immersed herself in a musical world. Ads, irritated that we were a full 30 minutes early for the big event, pulled out his phone as well. 

I elected to people-watch. Next to us, a young couple was cootchie-cooing inside a warm blanket.  A little ahead, another couple was fiddling with some complicated pieces of equipment to get the best shots of themselves with the falling sun. A woman about my age tied her flip-flops around her arm and gingerly made her way down the rock, away from the rapidly swelling crowd, to sit in solitary splendor at a 90-degree angle to the sunset. I would have loved to click a picture of her, so regal she looked illuminated in a glowing haze of yellow. In the water, surfers were riding the waves with varying degrees of competence. In front of me, Morro Dois Irmaos (the two brothers' mountain) leaped up from the waters, their jagged peaks in sharp relief against the orange sky. "Agua, Agua Coco!" yelled a young man walking in between the crowds, paying scant heed to the view. He had probably seen hundreds like this one and was intent on selling his water and coconut water before the crowds dispersed. 

The kids woke up from their phones. "It's really pretty", Y remarked and started clicking photos. As the sun slowly sank into the ocean, clapping burst out all around us. Ads looked at me in wonder "Why are they clapping?"

"It's a tradition here. I read about it", I told him. 

That evening, there were probably 200 or more people on the Arpoador, waiting for the sunset. Yes, many were on their phones, and many were posting about the experience even as it happened.  #stunningsunset 

There were foreigners like us, and Cariocas too. There were rich people from Leblon and Ipanema and poor people from the favelas. There were families, people in love, kids, and people having deep conversations with others and themselves. There were also people making a living selling coconut water. 

But for 45 minutes, all we did was sit on a rock and wait patiently for that most common yet most timeless of daily events, a sunset. For a brief moment, even the avid surfers just bobbed along with their boards, their bodies and eyes turned towards the horizon. And when it finally happened, all of us clapped, in delight and wonder, and okay....because everyone else was doing it :) 

I could tease some "universal human experience" gyaan out of this but what I really learned from it was that one must always always clap for a sunset :) Oh and sunrise too, why not?!  

2022 Recap

2022 has been an intense and eventful year, possibly the most eventful ever. It started with a lovely winter trip to New York City during the President's Day weekend in February. Later that month, my parents arrived for their long-anticipated visit. We did some sightseeing in DC (including the famous Cherry blossoms) and in April set off for a road trip through the Carolinas. Oak island, NC, Charleston, SC, and the RTP (Research Triangle Park) region all in one week. In May Ads & S went off to Atlanta to play a tournament and Y and I were alone at home. Appa & Amma came back from Seattle and we spent our anniversary weekend in June in Lost River, WV, followed by a wonderful 5 days in NYC. The weather was warm and the city looked beautiful and it was a great pleasure ferrying my parents around the iconic sights. Everyone had a blast at Madame Tussauds!

In the meantime, Ads was driving well and had started his job at Old Navy. Unfortunately, in late June, my mil had a bad fall and S rushed to Chennai to help. Y and I followed suit after S came back. We spent 3 uneventful weeks in Chennai and I started my new job there on Aug 1. By the time we returned, Ads had made tremendous progress with his college essays and in late August we got started with the college process in earnest even as the kids went back to their school routines. September and October were a blur. Y started fencing lessons. I traveled to Portland for a board meeting and detoured to the Bay Area for the weekend to meet my close friend Chitra. We got our green cards (for the second time!), Ads got his driver's license and we sent off his ED/EA applications well in advance of the Nov 1 deadline. 

Fall 2022 in our neck of the woods was truly spectacular. This is the fifth fall we are experiencing and the colors were mindblowing this time. We spent 3 days in New River Gorge NP, WV. New River Gorge is one of the newest national parks and is absolutely gorgeous. Back in VA, it was time for another round of applications for regular decisions. My Diwali gift was one of my poems published in the 2022 edition of NOVA Bards (an anthology).

Y's 14th birthday in early Nov, and then Thanksgiving break later that month, in Puerto Rico. My first time using Costco travel and I am now officially a fan. The resort we were booked in was probably (most likely) the BEST we have ever stayed in. And we've stayed in lots of nice places. Multiple pools and jacuzzis overlooking the Atlantic ocean, a water park inside, an abundance of swaying palm trees, and a lovely ocean-view room made for a vacation that broke the bank (as always!) but left us with a ton of amazing memories. 

A scant 2 weeks later, we are prepping for a vacation in Brazil. Ads has received early admission confirmations from Pitt and Penn State which has been a relief. Sometime during the year, we all got our Covid bivalent booster shots (the 4th shot!), Ads became a National merit semifinalist and managed to score 1530 on the SAT. If there is someone who has worked REALLY hard this year, it's him.

What an action-packed 2022 we've had. Immensely grateful for all the time spent with family and friends, and all the progress made toward our individual milestones. It doesn't get any better than this.