Holiday Cheer

This past weekend a friend of mine and I co-hosted a holiday party. It was loads of fun and a great way to start off the holiday season. It was nice to have people over and it helped make the holidays a bit more real. It hasn't really felt like Christmas since we have no plans of going home and this party really helped get me in the holiday spirit. I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. Kunal's little sister will be visiting and we're going to my Aunt's for Christmas Eve dinner. We have a friend's New Year's Eve party that we're planning on attending. It should be fun. It is just weird that I'm not off for the entire week between Christmas and New Year's.
It's hard to believe the year is over. I can still remember last New Year's Eve like it was just a couple of weeks ago! I guess once you're a grown up, time really does fly.

No More Winter Break

All throughout school and even for the last 3 years since I graduated, I always, always, without a doubt, took time off around Christmas and New Years. Whether it was to go to India or just to go home, I always enjoyed my mini holiday vacation. This year, I'm only off Christmas Eve/Day and New Year's Eve/Day. This has a lot to do with our families being all over the place. My mom is going to Dallas to spend the holidays with my sister (guess I really do know who the favorite child is). Kunal's mom is in India shopping for the wedding. His brother is going to Las Vegas/LA right after Christmas on a boys trip. My dad is coming to NJ for a wedding. So since it was really only Kunal's dad and sister, we invited them to NJ. His dad declined and said he'd go to Charlotte to see the family there. So now we're playing host to a 15 year old girl for two weeks while we try to go about our normal lives.

Being 15 is a tough age. You're too young to drive but too old to be babied by others. Hopefully Kunal will be able to work from home so she isn't stuck watching TV all day bored out of her mind. I'm going to go ahead and assume that I'll be extremely busy with work since there are many, many, many things that need to be done in order to close out the year smoothly. If my coworker was still here, I would probably take off a couple of days just to spend at home but alas, she is not, therefore I cannot.

We plan on going to the city one day. It's the easiest tourist attraction nearby. We'll grab brunch with the cousins and then wander around the city seeing all the fun holiday decorations. We're going to a show that evening called "How 2 B A New Yorker" which sounds hilarious. If you recall, I went to a similar concept show in Paris and I loved it. It helps that there is a catered Italian dinner to accompany the show so that should be great...oh yea, and a cash bar!

Thanksgiving

The rest of November was such a whirlwind that before I knew it, I'm in December! The week after Boston, one of my co-workers broker her ankle! Typically she is my back up for when I'm gone and I'm hers when she is out. This is okay when one of us is out for a day or two...but now that I've taken over all her responsibilities, work is insanely busy! I shortened my Thanksgiving trip just so I could work a half day the Wednesday before. After working ten days straight, I was beyond ready to get home to NC and relax with nothing but food on my mind.

We left NJ at 1:30 and arrived home a little after 10pm. Not too bad considering we stopped for gas and got stuck in a bit of traffic here and there. Once we were settled in at home, I stayed up with my family and we finally watched Dostana, a Bollywood film that came out in 2008. Better late than never, right?

When Thursday arrived, I was more than happy. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I was beyond ready to eat some delicious food made by my sister. For lunch, we had Bojangle's because no visit to the South is complete without some sweet tea and cajun fries! People slowly started to trickle in as the day went on. The food was awesome, as usual. Aside from the regular turkey, we have mini stuffed baked potatoes, chipotle black bean soup, cheesy jalapeno corn bread, some sort of salad, mushroom and leek stuffing, macaroni and cheese, a cheese plate, and for dessert, an apple crumble strudel thing. It was well worth the three years that I had to wait. After dinner and dessert were wrapped up, we went over my wedding invitations so I could have them all addressed and ready to go. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Probably because I was lazy and didn't leave a slot for the name to be written in and provided a website for RSVP'ing instead of cards to mail back.

Friday, Kunal and I were going to Charlotte with his little sister for a get-together his family was having. On the way, we stopped at Zaxby's for lunch because that is another Southern staple of good fried chicken. Then we made it to Kunal's aunt's place where there was a bunch of people coming over for dinner. As usual, the adults had one room and the kids were all gathered in the other. After dinner, Kunal and I wanted to go downtown to meet up with friends. As usual, we ended up at Crave and then I left to go to Suite to see some of my friends. The night ended with late night food from Pita Pit which I don't think I had since 2010 before I moved up to NJ!

Saturday, after enjoying the breakfast buffet that the Doubletree offered, we were off to a family friend's house for a late lunch. This auntie makes awesome pani puri and manchurian. I had this the last time I was at their house and was thrilled to have it again! I could seriously eat pani puri all day every day...okay maybe not every day but definitely all day every now and then. =D We left the Charlotte aread around 3:30/4 and started our drive up to Chapel Hill where we were having dinner at my aunt's house. I hadn't been to her place since my sister's mendhi which she hosted. They have this new awesome media/play room. The kids have a Kinect which is super fun to play. We all took turns playing this river rafting game and I'm not surprised at all that Kunal and I were the best. Haha.

Sunday, we had to drop my sister and brother-in-law off at the airport. Then we ran a few errands before settling in at the house for the rest of the day. The break was such a whirlwind of travelling that it was hard to believe it was over already. Monday was our day of travel up to Philadephia. For our one year, I got Kunal tickets to a MNF game where the Panthers were playing the Eagles. It was a long drive but the game was very fun! Thank goodness we won! The temperature wasn't too good and our seats were awesome! We arrived at our house about 2:30am and boy was I tired! I finally feel fully recovered after this last weekend.

Beantown Trip

Last Wednesday, we got "hit" with a Nor'ester that, luckily, didn't affect us as much as the news said it would. On Thursday, we drove up to Boston for the weekend. The drive was great, a easy 4 hours with a bit of congestion leaving into the city. We decided to come a day early to see our friends who has moved to Boston. For dinner we went to The Cactus Club where the drinks were great and the enchiladas tasted like Indian curries. No joke, my lobster and shrimp enchiladas has a sauce on them that tasted just like chicken tikka masala curry. I mean, chicken tikka masala is a favorite dish of mine so it wasn't too bad but it was definitely odd. The spicy salsa wasnt spicy and the jalapenos didn't help add some heat to the food. I don't think I would go back unless it was to drink. After dinner we ventured over to Top of the Hub located at the Prudential Center where they have floor to ceiling windows and you get a fun 360 degree view of the city. I enjoy going to very tall buildings in cities so I get a great view of the city lights. After I had my fill of vodka/tonics and the Boston lights, we went to meet up with some more friends at a bar. I'm not sure what gave us the bright idea of having a night cap when we got back to our hotel..but there we were sitting at the hotel bar closing it down as we waited for our pizza to arrive.

Friday, we were a bit on the lazy side as we packed up and got ready to change hotels and go meet Kunal's family and the relatives. It was great to see everyone so soon after seeing them in England. We ate, we drank, I napped a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to go to the Omni for drinks with the rest of the family. I had New England Clam Chowder which is always great. After drinks, since most of the aunties are vegetarians, we went to a Chinese place to get another dinner.

Saturday was the day of the wedding and let me tell you. It was so great to wake up somewhat late and get a good breakfast in before getting ready for the wedding. Now I wish my wedding was in the afternoon! We took a coach bus to the church which was great since driving in Boston is no fun. After the short ceremony, back on the bus we went. The reception was on the top floor. During the cocktail hour, we were able to venture outside and get really great views of the city. There was a live band at the reception which I loved. It kind of reminded me of college frat parties. Live bands are wonderful and it made the reception very fun. After the reception, we went to a bar nearby and continued the fun.

Saturday, there was a brunch at the Omni before everyone went their separate way. After brunch, we walked around and went shopping before Kunal and I made the drive back to NJ.

Here are some pictures:

Kunal and Nishan with their Jijajis

The girl cousins and me

First dance as a married couple

The AKs

Hurricanes

My family moved from NJ to NC in 1995. That following year, in 1996 we experienced our first hurricane. I had never heard of hurricanes and really had no idea what was happening. I just knew that we didn't have school and it was really windy. Hurricane Fran hit during the night while I was fast asleep and when I woke up, I got to experience what happens when a hurricane hits. We had no power which was very exciting since that meant we got to eat out! The mall flooded which was sad, all those clothes that no one got to wear. It was insane driving around town and seeing the damage. Trees had fallen over, power lines were on the ground, roads were flooded.

We were in the process of having our house built and we were anxious to see how it held up during this hurricane. As we drove into our new neighborhood, we saw a tree that crashed right now the middle of one house and I think all of our blood pressures spiked a bit as we pulled into our cul-de-sac. As we saw our house, the front looks fine and we were able to breath a little easier. As we walked around the property, we realized that there was no damage. The worst thing that happened was a twig like tree has fallen over and landed right next to the house. How luck were we? 

After Fran, I grew accustomed to hurricanes. There was Bonnie in 1998, Dennis and Floyd in 1999, Isabel in 2003. And who could forget Katrina in 2005. While that didn't affect NC the way it did the Gulf, it was definitely one of the worst storms I remember. Hurricane-schurricane, everyone paused but then life quickly resumed. 

I thought moving up to NJ would turn my attention from hurricanes to snowstorms. Hurricanes, I can handle; snow on the other hand, no way. It's pretty to look at but I'm definitely not a fan of having to function and keep to my daily routine amidst the snowfall. So how crazy is it that in the 2 years I've lived here, I've had two hurricanes come visit!! Um hello, I thought that was a thing of the past! Irene last year was insane. The rivers overflowed, the roads flooded, I couldn't get to work! Hearing the winds on the 18th floor was comparable to having a train right outside.

We just had Hurricane Sandy come through NJ last week. Luck for us, we didn't experience any hardship due to the storm. We never lost power, cable, or internet. The worst part had to be being stuck in the house all day. Kunal's client just got their power back today so he was in extreme stir-crazy mode since he was working from home for over a week. The panic that set in due to this storm reminded me of the panic that sets in during potential snowfall in NC. The grocery shelves were cleared, nothing was opened, and the tv channels focused on nothing but the upcoming storm. 

I know Kunal and I desperately miss NC but we rather the hurricanes stay down there than come up here. 

Chi-Town

One of the best times about being in your 20s and settled with a steady income is travelling spur of the moment. Case in point, on Thursday around 10am, I decided to take a weekend trip...to Chicago. Flights were not too expensive and Kunal's cousin, Rati was having a katha for her new house. All of Kunal's family was going and we decided to join. Since I was taking Friday and Monday off and Kunal had to be back in NJ for work on Monday we had to take different flights. Lucky duck, Kunal had a direct flight while I had a layover. During my layover in Cincinnati, I discovered the airport had a Chickfila! Woo hoo, yay for me, I got a chicken biscuit! Kunal was jealous.

Once we arrived, we went into downtown with the cousins to sightsee since Kunal and Nishan had not gotten a chance to explore Chicago before. After a delicious lunch of sushi at Niu we went to Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue, and Millennium Park. Kunal's niece was with us and she is a super adorable toddler which made sightseeing very fun. Kunal's parents and sister flew in that night and we all met up for dinner at Rati's inlaws' house. After dinner, we went to a grand opening of Hop Scotch Bar which specializes in beer on tap and whiskeys. I absolutely love the name!

Saturday, Kunal and I met up with my cousin and his wife for brunch. It was great to see them and get a chance to have actual conversation since the last time we saw them was at their wedding! The katha was that afternoon and it took up most of the day with the ceremony followed by dinner. That night after everyone left and the 'kids' wants to do something, we went to a local bar for some drinks and food where we had the best pizza ever. It was cut in squares, which I love and the crust was so crispy and the toppings so fresh. They were having a halloween party so we got fun necklaces, hats, masks, and vampire teeth.

I was originally meant to leave Monday morning but I decided to change my flight after all coverage about Hurricane Sandy making her NJ debut. Good thing I did since EWR is closed today..and tomorrow, and who knows when it would open again. I'm glad we were able to go to Chicago to see the family and it just made us even more excited for Boston in 2 weeks when we'll see them all again!

Here are some pictures from the BEAN! Last one is from Navy Pier.

In the meantime, Kunal and I are at home with symptoms of cabin fever due to the hurricane. We are okay so far, it has been extremely windy but luckily our power hasn't gone out. I hope everyone else in the Northeast is safe during the storm.

SoBe

After over 10 months of 2012, we finally took a real vacation. A trip meant for us to laze around, do anything we wanted, and have no planned events on the agenda. We went to Miami Beach which was the perfect location. Especially considering the cold/rainy weather that was creeping into NJ as of late. It was a great step away from reality into the life of leisure.

We were a bit worried about our flight getting delayed due to the downpour that occurred the day of our departure. Luckily our flight had no problems and we were off! Our flight arrived ahead of schedule and soon we were at our hotel. Thanks to the stocked minibar we relaxed for a bit with some beer until we decided on what to do. Since it was our first night, we wanted to do something low key so we headed to a local dive bar where the pitchers are only $8 bucks and games of pool are $2. We've never played pool with each other so it was a fun time, both of us winning games. I'd like to say that I'm the overall winner because I recall Kunal having to take more shots than I did. We made friends with some locals and played doubles. It was definitely a change from the ordinary bar scene. Now I want to find some pool halls up here so we can go again.

Saturday, we had brunch nearby and tried this amazing breakfast pizza that we both fell in love with at Front Porch Cafe. Afterwards, we decided to walk down Ocean Drive to see everything. We went all the way to the tip of the island and climbed over some rock quarry. Since the walk was long, we decided to rent some bikes to travel the 14 blocks back to our hotel. Now, I haven't been on a bike in who knows how long. While I definitely remember how to ride one, it still took a bit getting used to. Definitely had a couple close encounters with some fences. That evening we went to Mango's with a friend for dinner. Afterwards we went to the Clevelander Hotel because who doesn't love a good rooftop??

Sunday we had actually made reservations at a restaurant known for its amazing southern good called Yardbird. The food was SOO good and reminded us of NC. We had the shrimp and grits, chicken biscuits and mac n cheese. For dessert, we had a maple glazed doughnut with bacon. So good, but definitely heart attack worthy.

After our calorie heavy lunch, we decided to walk back on Lincoln Road so we can browse the shops as we made our way back to Ocean Drive. I decided to work on my skin tone while Kunal hit the gym. For dinner ended up getting sushi at Moshi Moshi which was so great. 

Monday was our final day in Miami and we had a sight-seeing tour planned through Duck Tours which was great. I booked it mainly because I was intrigued at the idea of this vehicle going into the water and being a boat. Good thing it lived up to the hype and we did not sink into Biscayne Bay. Unfortunately for us, it was quite a windy day which made the water rough so we couldn't go para-sailing or rent jet-skis like we originally wanted to. Instead, we spend the some time on the beach for a while enjoying the last warm sun we would see for a while. We met up with another friend that night for some drinks at Wet Willie's which was a place I always wanted to go since I first heard about it in Charlotte. I had been talking about how I really wanted to try a bulldog and as a nightcap, we ordered one..which was a pretty bad idea considering we had to be at the airport 4 hours later. 

The next morning, we had to wake up at 4am and were off to the airport to come back to reality. I prolonged it by taking a personal day so I could nap, do laundry, clean the house. Our next major trip is Boston for a family wedding, which will be loads of fun!