The Wedding!

After years of being together, we finally tied the knot on March 30, 2013. It was one of the best weekends ever and I loved basically every minute of it. I think that my family along with myself did an incredible job planning the weekend of celebrations which resulted in everyone having a wonderful time and talking about for months and months. Considering I'm posting this almost 5 months later and my aunt and uncle were still raving about how much fun they had, I'd say it was a huge success!

I came home the Saturday before the wedding. Since my sister was also home, it was nice to get family time before all the family came to town. We had appointments to finalize details, itineraries to sort and of course, get pampered, etc so there was lots to do each other. Wednesday officially kicked off festivities as I got my mendhi done. It was a super long process and so glad I don't have to sit there for 8 hours ever again. Thursday, we had mendhi night at my house and it was a fun party and great way to hang out with family and get even more excited for the remaining events. Highlights from this included my Dad's amazing pav bhaji which every loved and ran out quickly.

 

Friday morning was my pithi, grah shanti, vidhi. I can't believe how super traditional I looked in my sari. It was a fun time and luckily my family is quite nice and didn't turn me into a jaundiced looking bride (unlike Kunal's side where he resembled Homer Simpson by the end of it).

After the vidhi, it was all about hanging out as we waited for Kunal's family to arrived to the hotel. Once the bus arrived, it was party time! I found a fun idea on Pinterest and proceeded to make a beer cake with the help of a friend.

We had garba-raas that evening to kick off the weekend now that everyone was in one place.

 

Saturday was the big day! It didn't start as smoothly as I would have wanted due to the fact that I woke up when my hair stylist was knocking on my door! Eeks!!! But luckily everything went pretty smoothly after that. My amazing foi dressed me and make sure I looked as fabulous as possible.

 

 

After the ceremony was over, we celebrated in the hotel bar until it was time for us to get ready for the reception. 

 

After taking pictures with our families and bridal party it was time to party!! After the reception  it was the after party in the presidential suite. Such an amazing ending to the day. 

 

On Sunday, I was going to go back to Myrtle Beach with Kunal's family. After many late nights, early mornings, and continuous partying, we were exhausted and a three hour bus ride was just what we needed. 

Once we arrived, it was time for 'new bride' traditions such as smashing clay pots, putting hand prints on the wall, tipping over a pot of rice, leaving red footsteps as I first enter the house. 

 

This was followed by playing games..I won, therefore, proving what I knew all along. I will rule. Haha

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend to celebrate. It was so fun yet went by so quickly. I'm glad I can relive it through pictures and video though =)

 

Napa Valley

It has been quite some time since I last posted. A lot has happened since the end of February. This post will be all about my fun trip to Napa!

Since Kunal has been in California for work, it has given me a great excuse to fly there! I love wine so of course I had to go to Napa Valley. This trip coincided with my birthday week so it was a wonderful treat. We went to 7 wineries and 3 restaurants to really make this trip worth it since we weren't sure when we'd be coming back. I'll highlight my favorites (aka the place where we bought bottles). As usual, I flew in Thursday evening so I can rest for my intense wine-filled weekend. Friday was spent hanging out with my cousin and nieces in Golden Gate Park. It was fun excursion even thought the weather was a bit cool.

Saturday we left my uncle's place bright and early for our drive up to Napa. We had a packed schedule as we wanted to make the most of our time there. The first stop at was Ehler's Estate which was recommended by my cousin and it definitely topped our list of favorites. We ended up buying 3 bottles because we loved the wine so much.

After 2 wine tastings, it was definitely time to eat! What place could be better for lunch than Gott's Roadside which is knows for their burgers, fries and shakes. It was just what we needed to ensure we can continue with the wine tastings for the rest of the afternoon. The second highlight winery of the day was Duckhorn which specializes in Merlot. It was a wonderful day so it was nice to have our tasting on the patio with my favorite accompaniment, a cheese plate!

We went to a couple other places but nothing was amazing so what's the point in writing about them? For dinner we went to a place in downtown Napa called Celadon that was also recommended to us. It was extremely delicious as everything else we had in Napa was. Let's just say the wine tastings from the day had definitely caught up to me by that point!

Sunday was our last day and we were determined to make it worthwhile. If you know us, you know we enjoy being lazy and lounging around while on vacation. Instead of the usual hotel breakfast, we went to another place that was recommended to us called Oxbow Public Market that is full of local places. We had amazing crepes and fun cupcakes.

After a hearty breakfast we were ready to tackle the wineries! We had seen a sign for a small winery called Ballentine Vineyards and Kunal decided we had to stop since it reminded him of the neighborhood he used to live in while in Charlotte. The wine was good, very light so we decided to purchase a bottle. We of course had to stop by Chandon because who doesn't love bubbly? They were having St. Patrick's Day festivities and we had some green champagne. Reminded me of that whole colored ketchup phase in the 90s but at least it tasted delicious. We walked away with 2 bottles and 4 souvenir glasses.

We decided to end our stay in Napa at Silverado Vineyards because it's up on a mountain. It was great to enjoy wine on the patio and looking at the beautiful scenery.

We drove back to San Francisco and had dinner locally at Straits which served phenomenal Singaporean food. What a great trip it was, though whirlwind at times. Wonderful end to my birthday and great way to start off celebrations leading up to our wedding a couple of weeks after!

Realty..

Today I booked a plane ticket. I didn't consult my bank account. I didn't bother to look at the balance on my credit cards. I just booked a ticket. That really made me think about my life. All my life, I have always been concerned with money, having enough, saving enough, earning enough. And today  I realized that I am so blessed to no longer have to constantly worry about money.
I have the ability to buy obscenely expensive shoes, book flights on a whim and still come home to a house that I own...all at the young age of 25.

Way to have life put into perspective...  

The Best Place to Ride out a Blizzard

This last Friday, Winterstorm Nemo paid the Northeast a visit. Lucky for me I had planned a trip to sunny Myrtle Beach for that same weekend. I was a little worried that my flight would be canceled. Luckily I made it out of NJ with only a little delay. I was going to Myrtle Beach without Kunal since he books his tickets pretty far in advance. But thanks to Nemo, Kunal was able to rebook his flight to come to Myrtle Beach.

We both arrived around the same time which was nice. We got some drinks while we waited for his mom to pick us up. Considering I only had a fruit and yogurt parfait in EWR, the mimosa and double tequila at MYR wasn't the best idea but oh well. Of course, we stopped by Bojangle's on the way to the beach. I haven't had Bojangles since November so it was the perfect first meal, especially after the drinking!

Saturday, my parents came down to visit. I'm glad they did because while my dad came up to NJ over the holidays, I hadn't seen my mom since Thanksgiving. We went over things for the wedding, which was the main purpose for this trip. We got the guys fitted for the reception since they are all wearing tuxedos, and then the girls hit the mall. While I had no luck finding anything, Rochani found a super cute pair of heels. We had a family dinner and then the "kids" went bowling. I was really good 2 weeks ago when I finally broke 100 and got a score of 126..I suppose this make me too cocky and I really sucked that night. Guess that's that happens when you don't bowl regularly.

Sunday was the day of departures. Kunal and I had afternoon flights and my parents were leaving to drive back to Raleigh. Kunal and I both had a layover in Charlotte but because of our flight times, we wouldn't be able to see one another. But my flight to EWR was delayed so I was able to see him again and bring him some Bojangle's before we had to part ways again. =)

Inner Ice Skater

This past weekend was Kunal's birthday weekend and it fell on a Saturday which was nice considering he's gone during the week. It wouldn't be fun to celebrate alone thousands of miles away from ME. =D

Friday, we went ice skating with friends. This isn't something we normally do but when there's a groupon involved, we'll do anything. I can't remember the last time I went ice skating and boy was it a lot scarier than I thought. I felt a few times which was a tad embarassing considering there were ton of little kids who acted like they were born with ice skated attached. It was definitely something different and a fun way to spend the evening. Although looking back on it, I'm sure the wine we consumed at dinner helped greatly with ability to see the fun. After we were done acting like 15 year olds, we decided to go to downtown New Brunswick to ring in Kunal's birthday with a drink. That one drink turned into a night of drinking and ended of course with us getting some pizza from Gio's on the way back home. Something about their buffalo chicken pizza that hits the spot when you need late night food.

Saturday was spend watching lots of college basketball and resting up for the night's activities. We had decided to celebrate Kunal's birthday in Hoboken this year and everyone got together for dinner and then we hit the local bars. Kunal got the best birthday present ever in NC State beating UNC. I was a bit sad but at least the birthday boy was smiling. How fitting that the first bar of the night was called Wicked Wolf.

I'm sure that after travelling every week, it was really nice to spend a weekend with friends. Sunday was a catch up day on laundry, grocery shopping, and work. And before I knew it, the weeknd was over! Now I'm starting to look forward to the work week because it's more restful and calm than the busy weekends we seem to be experiencing. We've done AC, San Fran, Kunal's birthday so far. We have the Superbowl this weekend, I'm going to MB next, after that is Anika's birthday, then my bachelorette in DC. I'll be looking forward to March 1st when we can have a nice relaxing weekend!

Wow January is over..

First of all, how is January almost over??? Didn't 2013 JUST get here??

Since Kunal is out in South San Francisco for work, it made perfect sense for me to go visit him one weekend instead of him coming home. Definitely fun to get out of NJ during this cold, dreary, miserable weather and go to the sunshine state. Friday Kunal had to go to the office and lucky for me, my cousin had the day off. She offered to pick me up in the morning and hang out which was great. We went down to Half Moon Bay to walk along the beach and had lunch at the Ritz Carlton as we enjoyed the ocean view from our seats. The coast in California is so different than the East. It's so rugged and full of cliffs and so very pretty. After lunch, we decided to go see some redwoods. In my naive East Coast mind, I was expecting to drive through some trees..no not the case in the part of California we were in. The redwoods we saw during our "hike" were rinky dink. Apparently I need to go way up north for those giant redwoods that I can drive through.

That evening, I got together with all my cousins for dinner. It was a great time and so nice to see family without having event upon event to attend. Usually the only time I see my cousins is for wedding purposes. I miss the times when we would have family reunions every summer and just get to truly enjoy each other's company.

On Saturday, we went to explore the Bay Area. We went to Cliff House which is so beautiful. and perched right there on top of a cliff overlooking the jagged rocks as they disappear into the ocean. Afterwards, we went to see the Golden Gate Bridge and then went to meet up with my old roommate from NCSSM and her fiancee at Caffe Delucchi. It was so nice to catch up after years! Crazy how time flies from when we were sharing a little room in Durham to having lunch on the other side of the country with our significant others. Then we made our way down to Fisherman's Wharf and took a boat cruse around the Bay and out into the Pacific which was great minus the wind. We drove on the "Crooked" part of Lombard Street and after Kunal got a little weary of the hills, we went home to relax and change for dinner. Dinner was phenomenal at Ozumo on the water with a great view of the bridge and the water. After dinner, we had a night cap at The View - Marriott and admired the city lights from up high. I have a thing where I must go to one of the highest points of cities and see the night lights. It's so serene to be so high and gaze upon the vast city that I'm in.

It was a great trip and I really enjoyed myself. I hope I get to go again sometime soon. I know that February is not likely but hopefully in March, there's a weekend open.

Regression to 2010

Back when Kunal and I were dating, it was always long distance. We'd get through the week with wakeup calls, goodnight calls and multiple texts/emails all day. On the weekends we saw each other, it was a whirlwind of staying out late, seeing friends, and minimal sleep. Once we moved in together, our weekends became a little bland; no more spontaneous activities popping up, no more staying up until the sun rises, no more going out every night. It was nice and I really enjoyed staying in, cooking a meal, watching a movie, spending all night in house shoes and sweat pants. I mean I don't have 3 blankets for my couch for nothing.

Now that Kunal is travelling for the work week, we only see each other on the weekends. This past weekend was a perfect example of what I didn't want to happen! We went out Friday night and ended up going to bed at 4am! Saturday, we watched the  NC State and Carolina basketball games at home before heaading out to watch the Ravens game with friends at a bar. After the game ended, we drove to AC for the night to gamble away. We went to bed a little earlier than the night before, at 2am. The following morning we gambled until 1pm and then drove home to watch some of the football game, only to leave the house again to have dinner with some friends. Once we returned home, we watched a movie and packed Kunal's bag since he will be gone for 2 weeks. I ended up going to bed around 1am. Sigh...

I love seeing my friends and doing things, but now I've become such a homebody. I like being at home, getting a chance to do some laundry, clean up a little, watch tv, etc. I neglected my house all weekend and now it's the work week and I don't want to have to clean after a long day. Looks like it's getting put off until next weekend...more like next month in reality. This coming weekend, I'm off to visit Kunal in San Francisco. The following weekend is Kunal's birthday which we are celebrating in Hoboken. Then, it's Superbowl Sunday which currently we have no plans for. Maybe we'll keep it that way and just watch the game at home.

Christmas Blur

It's kind of hard to believe that the holidays are over already. They definitely flew by. It was weird having 4 day holidays followed by 3 work days. Maybe that's why it flew by because it just wasn't one big chunk of time. We spent a good chunk of time with family with was great because I was sad about not actually going home to see our families.

Having Rochani here was fun. Mainly because we could pick on Kunal as a team and we ate at really delicious places. We had Christmas Eve dinner at my aunt's house. It was fun since my other aunt was visiting from NC with her family. Christmas Day, we were homebodies and my relatives came over for some afternoon snacks. Wednesday it was back to work which wasn't the best way to end the holidays. Luckily my dad came up that night for the wedding of his friend's son. He was in and out as he visited with family and went to wedding activities. Friday we went  with him to the Valima. I was most excited for the food since Rasoi III has great food. Definitely did not let me down as I helped myself to more than enough Indian food.

On Saturday, we made our way to the city in the snow. We had brunch at a great spot called The Crooked Knife with Kunal's cousins. It was very delicious and I'm already looking forward to going back again soon. They have a brunch option for unlimited mimosas or bloody marys and an entree for $25 bucks. Obviously took advantage of that special.

After brunch, we all parted ways and us three made our way to our hotel to check in and drop our bags before we headed to Dave and Buster's for some grown up style arcade fun. I really like this place because well, one - who doesn't love arcade games, two - there's a bar, three- they have really awesome shot glasses in the store. Last time we went in Charlotte, we got these twisted shot glasses that is split down the middle so you can pour two things in it and it will mix in your mouth. They were a huge hit at our holiday party so we decided we needed to expand from 2 glasses up to 6 total.

After we tired ourselves out from playing games, we decided to go to the hotel and relax. We were going to a show that evening called How 2 B A New Yorker which included a buffet style Italian dinner with Sarah and her two sisters. I don't know about you but I love penne in vodka sauce! The show was definitely funny and the dinner was a nice plus for the cheapness of the ticket price. After the show, we all decided to go back to our hotel to hang out and catch up. It was lots of fun even though it was 6 people in a very tiny NYC hotel room. After a while, Sarah, her sisters and I headed out to go to R Bar. After the bar, we went to Crif Dogs to get some food. I had such an amazing hot dog, I am drooling as I think about it!

Sunday, my dad was off to Maryland/home so we left the city at a fairly decent time so we could get home in time to say bye. After he left, we met up with some friends at one of our favorite New Brunswick places, Brother Jimmys to catch up over what everyone had been up to over the holidays.

Rochani left Monday morning to go back home. I had scheduled Monday as my sleeping in day so I slept for as long as I could. Then I got ready and Kunal and I headed out to run errands. That evening we went to our friend's house for a NYE party. I am so glad they hosted one because I was so not interested in going to the city for it otherwise.

And then just like that, before I knew it, 2012 was over! What a whirlwind year it had been. There are a lot of things that I accomplished and still a few goals left for me to handle in 2013.