Letter to husband on 3rd wedding anniversary....

Today is my three year wedding anniversary with my wonderful husband, So I wanted to take some time to thank him for everything he has done for me and continues to do for me.The simplest way of expressing love to him is by penning down a beautiful love letter conveying all my heartfelt emotions.He may not always think so, but I love him fiercely and appreciate everything he does for our little family.

Hope This trick will work excellently in our wedding life to keep the flame of love burning with love. If you are also planning to surprise your husband with a sweet gift like me then, like this letter will serve your purpose in the best way....

I will say, the moment I met him for first time, is as fresh in my memory as when it happened.I hope that I will always be able to remember it this way!It seems like an eternity ago when I first heard his voice on the other end of the phone line. A short time after that first phone conversation, we met and the rest is history. I didn’t know that after marriage god will immediately gift us with a beautiful baby boy, but I’m sure glad that God had that planned for us.Every day since then has been simply amazing and different.We don’t have a fairy tale romance and our life isn’t perfect.We fight and argue sometimes, but we get through it and at the end of the day we love each other and that’s all that matters. I’m not sure what the future holds for us, but at least we will experience it together.

I just want to thank you for the things you do.  You work so hard to support our family and I just want you to know that even though I may not say it, I do appreciate it.

Thank you.For being my husband, for being a hard worker, for being supportive, and most importantly, being a wonderful father to our son.He adores you and that makes me love you even more.

Dear hubby,

I clearly remember...When I was a little girl, I played make believe.

I pretended to cook and clean and to be a Mamma to my baby dolls. (I did not role play walking around Walmart with a screaming toddler,because there are some things that you must experience to truly appreciate).
But in my naive mind, I imagined a man, a husband. He was brave and strong and very handsome.And he loved me.
It was a dream.
And some might call this a silly fairy tale or the immature longings of a girl.....
But I call it my life....real truth of life...
Because you are the man of my dreams.
You are the first to hold me when I am afraid.
You are my encourager when I doubt myself.
You are the one who made me a Mother.
You are also the one who still leaves his clothes on the floor. he he he.. (Just keeping it real).

Now I am not a little girl anymore. I am a woman and you are a man.
But I can’t help but think of the things I didn't dream about….
I didn't dream that I would hear my husband praying over me, feeling sad when doctor informed me that I suffer badly with hail lot of things.....
I didn't dream that my husband would take care of my baby far more than me besides working in office for hours together...
I didn't dream that my husband would face his own personal battle without uttering a single unwanted word to me even though I get angry on him "n" number of times for silly reasons....
I didn't dream that my man would be an angel for me, delivering sweet tea in my moments of need....

Today is our 3rd anniversary..And more than anything, I want you to know that I love you more than I ever dreamed.
You are a man among men.You stand out as you lead our family.You are my heart, my life, my best friend, my soul mate.
You are unique and beautiful.
And you are mine.

Happy 3rd anniversary dear... I cried today and felt shameful regarding my everyday irritating behaviour with u still how can u be so very nice and kind hearted person ever met....
And this reason alone, makes you a hero in my world. I am so proud of you.
Thank you for making my dreams come true....

Here’s to many more wonderful anniversaries together.

I love you.
I love you because you make me smile.
I love you because your eyes shine when you look at me.
I love you because you mean the world to me.
I love you because every time I look your way my heart misses a beat.
I love you because without you I would be lost.
I love you because you have taught me the true meaning of love.
I love you because you are you. I love you because..........

Truth is I could fill a million pages of reasons I love you, but I rather be spending that time with you.

You are the man beyond my dreams, the man I wanted to marry, the man I would marry again, the first one I think about when I wake up and the last one I think about when I go to bed.

Thank you for being there with me through the very thick and thin moments of life, I cannot imagine a life without you.

Thank you for always being by my side through life creating journey's we will some day tell to our kids as big adventures.. I know when I need someone you will be there. Thank you for being the one I can count on and trust with even my darkest fears and biggest dreams. I would pick no one besides you to be my partner in life.---thanku for being there 4 me!

As the years go by, I stop and think about all the memories we've made, the good times we've shared and the love between us that keeps growing. You are a blessing from above - one that I do not take for granted. I thank you for all the things that you've done for me and the kid. Not only are you a wonderful husband, you're a terrific father, provider and caregiver. You give so freely to all those you know in such a loving way. Your generosity is inspiring! I love you, .. more than words, more than life. I'm forever grateful for your love and proud to be your wife.

Yours and only yours...
Supriya...

Travel down memory lane....Dear me at sweet 20

Today morning had chat with my college friend....my mind travelled back to those golden days....remembered,laughed on stories and life when I was 20 years old....so decided to write letter to myself so as to cherish my life when I was 20 as blogging activity.

Dear self at sweet 20,

You are going to hate me for this. I have put on 30 to 40 pounds since I was you... Well, it wasn’t all those lovely samosas I gorged on in college, nor the yummy masala pav,pav bhaji and dabeli along with goli vada pav near station..I met this really cute guy three years back who took me to all those lovely cafes. I had nice chubby cheeks when I got married.very happy and contented to marry with nikhil....relaxed and thought all my dreams have come true! If that wasn’t enough, I befriended all the foodies in the world.  And now my post pregnancy weight refuses to vanish....and hail lot of problems now Iam suffering badly being overweight since 16th-oct-2012 and doctor has strictly adviced me to reduce my weight.

However, you will be proud to hear my accomplishments.I selected a good career for myself and worked at Infosys for almost 3 years. I earned a decent income. That must be a relief to hear. I mean, when I was you, I would ask for pocket money every single day to my most lovable dad.I was quite shameless.

I got married in 2009 and was blessed with a prince in 2010. We named him arnav. He is a cute monster. I and my husband often worry how he will turn out when he’s a teenager. If he becomes anything like me, I am in for trouble.he he he just joking! Iam not that bad!

Thanks to Arnu and my marriage, I am more attached to my mother. I still dote on my father, but it’s mom’s voice I want to hear first on the phone, it’s mom to whom I want to tell all my complaints of my son. And I know she understands just as I understand her much better. A rebellious 20-year old always got angry when mom told her to do something; but the mom in me now empathizes with my mother.

I clearly remember that age 20 was dangerous apart from being sweet...I used to worry with hail lot of problems...about exams.about whom I will be getting as life partner and about future...still would be full of fun and Joy...

Do you remember how I never, ever set foot in my mom’s kitchen? I was determined that I would earn well enough to hire a cooking maid. God, I still shiver remembering my mom’s fits when she would proclaim that I would never find a good groom or kill my family due to hunger. Well, I was headed along that path but something changed in me. I guess I wanted to cook for the man I love. But you would be shocked to hear that I started a food blog sometime back. Though it has attained bit of dormancy now, it still has a good number of visitors and recently Iam planning to start it once again and participate in blog events with onset of this auspicious occassion of deepavali.

I am now in the US with my family. I have a set routine and responsibilities. My problems are very much different from the ones I had when I was you. Back then I would worry about completing assignments at the nth hour, KT’s, getting caught by putting someone’s proxy, convincing parents for staying out late at night. Now, my problems include what to cook for dinner, planning my baby's food and related habits, nagging my husband to complete his chores. You would think that my life is quite boring. But I like it the way it is. I am happy and content.

When I was you, I wanted life to continue the way it was for the rest of my life. I didn’t have a care or worry in the world. Life, as I knew it, meant college, friends, bunking lectures, using four letter words, throwing rockets on professors, watching movies in really cheap theatres, teasing each other silly with some cute guy, calling friends the minute after reaching home to “discuss something important we learnt that day”, going to vidyavihar station for xeroxing entire books a month before the exams, studying till late hours preparing for exams, wearing the same dress for all papers because it proved lucky, and then biting our nails while waiting for the results,worshiping god during exam day and hail lot of things.

If I could turn back time, I would love to relive just another day, any day from my 20 year life. I would love to wake up one day and discover that I am 20 and be able to do all the things I did in college.

So adios, my friend. It was good being you. I don’t have a single regret.

Luv,
The spirit of you, but a teeny bit mature

One Year Completed...

It's been exactly a year since I and Arnu set foot in the US. I still remember all the details of my journey vividly.It is indeed unforgetable and incredible journey of mine.I was completely tired with change of flights, countries, and time and above all I had to look after my baby.. The Mumbai-London flight was quite peaceful.Arnav and me enjoyed it a lot.. After a hearty meal-final meal of homeland , Arnav had fallen into a deep sleep..gotup very early morning had fruit frozen banana pulp and finally landed with me at Heathrow where we were surrounded by a group of Indians...We had jolly good time in our first flight as my co-passenger was helpful and was from kokan...he was telling us different stories of kokan so also how routinely he used to travel to london....he helped me alot in finding my way to second flight as i was having baby with me so also language spoken by guides on airport was confusing to me...

Here I had entire 4 hrs break so also no formalities to be completed..no collection of baggage so My husband had told me to explore the airport, but I sat at the gate as I didn't want to be lost anywhere...and also there was no stroller to roam about....here I met with one lady from TCS who was also with kid little older than arnold and was travelling to SFO...we had pretty good time together sharing few job related stories...finally we departed as we were having different destinations...arnu enjoyed his ceralac..watched the planes boarding and taking off...and finally when one hour was left for the flight gate number was announced which needed journey by train...but we enjoyed metro journey of UK

The London-Chicago flight was a different story. Never in my life have I been so bored. There was some problem in the entertainment system which meant no TV, music, no flight information was displayed in the entire 9 hour flight.I got bassinet here for arnav but he too was so very irritated with flight journey that he didnt wanted to sleep in it...he was crying continuously in flight and wanted to crawl down for which air hostress were denying...I tried my level best to feed him with his favourite cerelac and played him with his toys...but all my efforts were in vain...and My co-passenger also was so boring that he didnt even bothered to see or ask why arnu was crying or anything like that...

From the time flight was preparing to take off he started his movie using his personal laptop and till flight lands up he was busy watching it...he would hardly blink his eyes and look besides him...husssshhh he was too boring...Arnav just didnt want to sit in flight...I  was unable to read anything for fear that arnav with tear it to pieces...no TV and no entertainment...he was so very bored and angry with flight people that he used to throw paper glasses on them...I was suffering badly from headache... I had an aisle seat in front of the toilet, which meant that everytime anyone went to answer nature's call, they would collide with my arm....arnu didnt allowed me to take lunch nor breakfast...we both were totally hungry and frustrated....after crying a lot arnu felt asleep in my lap only...I was praying god to take us soon to destination...meanwhile I filled in our immigration and custom duty forms when finally arnu had his sweet nap after crying a lot..

On my very left were seated two ladies who did not speak/understand English, and I had no idea what language they were speaking. I did nothing else but stare here and there for the entire journey.There was not even a single Indian in flight except for me and arnav..Just when I was bored enough to jump out of the flight, the pilot announced that we had 5 hrs before landing. Urggggggggggghhhhhhhhh..I wanted to scream in frustration.

Finally, we landed at Chicago and after the Immigration and other formalities, I went and sat at the gate.Here we got our luggage and stroller which was checked in.. in India...Arnu didnt wanted to sit in stroller...I was so very irritated to check in my luggage once again and bored to catch another flight to louisville but we didnt had any other option but to board a plane.. Here I had only 1hr to kill...I was delibretely waiting to see my husband's face sooner as had not seen him for last entire month... The Chicago-Louisville flight was short and sweet....Also plane was short and small so also arnu was fast asleep and was totally tired of journey and  I was smiling to myself at the prospect of meeting my husband after 40 long days....most happy moment....

This past year has been pretty good. I have learnt and seen so much after coming here... I was feel like writing more about my experiences and life in the US. Somehow, never find the motivation to write may be due to my recent bad health and conditions...Hopefully, after this one year completion article, I will write more about life in the US. Over and out!

30 sep 2012 - Day of our return to India

I am feeling so sad at this very moment that the only thing that would calm me would be venting out my feelings....so finally I decided to write an article on this.... If all had gone according to the original plan, we would have been in air now – midway between chicago and london. Today’s date was so important for me – 30th sep 2012..... After spending one year in the US, we were supposed to catch a return flight to India. This date was itched in my parent’s memory and all my near and dear ones. I have been playing a mind game since yesterday. At this time we would have been packing bags, at this time we would be leaving the apartment, reaching the airport, catching the flight, and so on. I guess my parents will be playing a similar mind game tomorrow. They would be thinking about getting ready to go to the airport and receiving us.

Well, our plans did change. So, I guess it will be a whole 6 more months before I will be visiting India. I was looking forward to so many things after reaching home. I had promised my dear sis that I would be attending her wedding. And yes, I had taken a promise from my husband of buying me a lot of new dresses to add to my excessive wardrobe. We have missed most of the important festivals of india that I would celebrate with my dear parents. We had promised our parents that we will celebrate all festivals in 2013. We will be missing those too now.

It’s funny to think what all you can miss when you are in a foreign land. I miss my home, the lanes near my home, the trees in my backyard, the shops I used to visit, the restaurants, theatres, and so much more... I miss the scent, smell, and crowd of pune and traffic,railways of Mumbai. I miss traveling in the over packed buses and trains. I loved buying earrings in the trains. I miss fighting over the meter with a rickshaw walla.I miss fighting in train for fourth seat. I miss the weather and the heat of mumbai. And I miss haggling over the vegetable prices with the sellers. How can I forget the Mumbai food – the pavbhaji, chat, and vada-pav? Being a total junkie, I miss all the food stalls that I used to frequent. I remember Juhu beach, Shivaji Park, and all the Mumbai malls.Also I badly miss FC road,Deccan ki dabeli,Tapri ki pav-bhaji....

Anyways, I have decided not to miss anything too much. If I think too much, then I will be sad all the time. My best wishes will always be with my dear sis on her wedding day. Also I had already gifted her with precious gift - wedding letter...and after all she is going to meet me here in US as after marriage she will be relocating to New-York... My parents know that they are always in my thoughts though I am physically far away. Sometimes, I wish that there would be a remote that could take you to any place of your choice at the click of a button. Till then, memories would have to suffice.

My impressions of chicago-the Windy city of the States!

Like any average Indian working for a large IT firm, my husband was sent to the US for a project.

Unlike any average Indian, our motivation was to travel the country.of course only that amount which was feasible for us as we had great responsibility of arnu...

And so, as soon as we settled into my nice little apartment in Louisville, We began to formulate our extensive travel plans. As extensive as our paycheck would allow us, of course.

Chicago is supposed to be one of the cleanest cities in the Unites States of America. It is also supposed to house some of the best architecture in the country. And of course, it also boasts of a fantastic view of the Lake Michigan....so we were crazy and eagerly waiting for our journey!

We are living in the little suburb called Louisville in kentucky, believing that..that was America...Beautiful.. and yet... so devoid of pedestricians....

Believing that the whole country was as our little village was…vast.. empty.. completely devoid of pedestrians and small time hawkers!

Until the weekend we decided to visit this place everyone called “Downtown”I know now what it means to be enlightened!!!(only after visiting Downtown Chicago)...It was indeed beautiful!

I doubt I’m ever going to see any other city in the country that awesome! It was such a stark change from our place that my hubby was ready to move in right away and travel an hour to work every single day! And best of all, there were people on the road!!! I was tired of the lonely pedestrian-free highway-like roads of Louisville which harbours only fast moving cars. This looked real! I cant say anything has been as pleasant a surprise as Downtown Chicago was to me!

We travelled to chicago along with Swati and Nishant in rented Car...on friday(31st Aug 2012)..we started by 5.30 PM when nikhil finished with his office work and reached chicago by 12.00 PM...

Checked in room no..331...in O'Hare Inn and suites awesome lodging and room location which was on ground flr itself...Had delicious poori bhaji prepared by swati for dinner and decided to set off to see Downtown Chicago on Saturday morning.

Early morning...Had Garama Garam coffee and hot chocolate with pattices and biscuits for breakfast..And then we experienced Downtown!

We were supposed to have woken up at 7 and caught the Blue Line train at 8.Unfortunately, we got ready at 9 as was bit busy in doing daily chores of arnav!! Hurried through getting ready, travelled to cumberland station by our car... parked it,purchased ticket pass-We got a weekend ticket, which meant that for the three days, we could travel on the train or by bus unlimited number of times! And that was indeed amazing for all of us... rather Fascinating! and lovely!!!...clicked few snaps on bridge as were over excited and finally boarded our first train in chicago and headed for the Jackson station.

We passed all the little villages and towns on the way to the big city…and then, just as we were approaching Downtown , there was a drastic change in landscape! The countryside with the small cottages suddenly gave way to HUGE skyscrapers!! The open land was suddenly engulfed by buildings. Not an inch of free space was to be seen! We had arrived in the city of Chicago!

We were totally amazed to see..6 lanes and connecting rail platform on road...little station...Just two tracks and a little platform. There was a small walkway joining the main road with the platform and we had to cross that to board the train...My hubby enjoyed driving in chicago downtown...

When we got off the train, swati was little off-balance from the train ride. And so while she steadied herself, we set off to find out where the bus stop is...and from where we need to board the bus for Willis Tower.

Finally after boarding bus...fun filled enjoyment while gulping pringals we reached willis tower...And at the entrance of the Sears Towers was a sign saying “Skydeck open for viewing !”..

Curious, we entered bought our tickets after showing GO Chicago Pass...(of course!), went right to the top of the building and viewed the city from there!And it was such a gorgeous sight!!! We were taken up to the 103th floor in elevators that claim to be the fastest elevators in the world! It went up so fast we felt like we were in an aircraft! And our ears kept popping every 10 floors!

Intially it was detected that weather was bad and visibility was zero...we were sad to know this but finally deceided of giving it a try else can return very next day..

But to the surprise, when we stepped off the elevators, the city, with all its shining beauty, lay spread out below us and everything was clear!I believe the view encompasses a radius of some 50 miles! It was stunning! On three sides was spread out the vast countryside.

Car Parking?? Seriously??!...

observed lovely skyline of Chicago...daytime beauty which was hilarious...

We could see it up as far as the eye could see! scene was unbelivable...And on one side, was the city.. downtown Chicago . Huge skyscrapers that had us gaping in awe when we were on the roads were dwarfed in comparison with the tower we were on! It was as if we were looking down on Earth from the skies! It was lovely experience to look through transperent gallery ! At first arnu was friegthened but afterwards he too had jolly-good time with us...We saw lake too whose view was amazing!

Finally willis tower was successfully covered and we again stepped in bus ...This time we travelled with hop in hop off bus...

which guided us through all along the road...driver was explaining significance of each and every huge building on the road...

We were ravenous as we stepped off the bus, so we first hit the subway. Piled up on food, and then we decided to head towards a place called Navy Pier.

It’s at Lake Michigan , we rided in merry-go-round with arnav which showed thorough beauty of chicago from top...ferri wheel ride was amazing!...

Did carousel ride with arnu..

Enjoyed finger-chips of MacD...and finally in the evening ...we took a Lake tour! It took us through the Chicago river, all over the city, and then right to the banks of Lake Michigan ! And we were stunned!!! It looked like the ocean!! We couldn’t see the other end at all! And they call it a Lake !

We went on to Navy Pier, which is basically a street extending into the lake...We really admired night view....beauty of skyline left us stunning!..It was just unbelieveble to cruise at night in lake michigan....Experienced beautiful moment of life...

At Navy Pier...there are tons of boats and ships also water taxis and all docked there. And people walking, cycling and enjoying all over! Arnav enjoyed his first ever Thomas ride at chicago...not once but twice...

There was too much crowd on road...along with blowing of cold breeze...all were in total masti mood. The view from the end of the pier was lovely.. the wide expanse of water… and the gulls in the sky..

It was already night by the time we had finished seeing Navy Pier, and there was so much more to see that we decided to go back to lodge soon and then continue exploring the city the next day...Thrilled with this experience, we set homewards on the train. Determined to come back the next day to see some more! 

Nikhil and Nishant parcelled  food from indian restaurant maharaja..which was awesome! we enjoyed it a lot!...Tired too much had sound sleep...

Thankfully, we woke up in time on Sunday morning and caught blue line train to Jackson...with the hope to meet famous Bollywood personality Aamir Khan...chocolate hero...but was in vain...from there we headed towards vivekanand street...clicked few snaps and again started haunting for bus-stop as this time our agenda  was to go to the famous Oceanarium (Shedd Aquarium - Oceanarium) in the city which was located along the Lake.I wanna canoe too!

There we saw Alder planetarium and field meuseum also...just clicked snaps outside and continued with aquarium...We bought entry pass by standing in huge line, but it was all worth it! The place was huge! And filled with every kind of sea life form imaginable! Short of the large whales and dolphins, of course! Bad luck was dolphin show was full...

It housed almost every kind of fish from oceans, and the rivers from across the world.. and even lakes! And then they had a section completely dedicated to Corals! And one for the Caribbean ocean life. The most exotic thing I saw was the Sting Ray! Deadly, and yet so fascinating! And the corals and the sea anemones looked so lovely and colorful!

We watched Jellies...big python that left us stunned and lot more...the whole place was filled with excited little kids running all over thrilled at all the fishies they were seeing!! We watched penguins..arnav's pingu...different types of frogs which were amazing!

Also on the way had a look at agora...fascinating leg structures.....

Having spent a couple of hours there, we headed for the architecture tour and parks in the city.

The buildings were just so delightful! Not only for their sheer heights, but also the way they are designed. Each unique and in its own league.Our tour guide-best ever experienced guide we ever had-explained us in detail about each and every sky-scaper that came along with city's history in a very good manner...

we saw 'just married' couple on bridge...The bride was dressed in a lovely gown and they were walking hand in hand along the road!

Finally after biding farewell to Navy-pier...We were just walking on the roads and looking at all the sky scrapers! We saw limousine on road and were overjoyed...We smiled and walked on towards Millennium Park.we bumped into another couple in wedding attire! !! All decked up and smiling! It was so wonderful to see that! soon the day was coming to an end saw night time view on vivekanand street..clicked few snaps near cloud gate or bean...

Well, after all this, we were pretty exhausted, and so we headed back to the train station. and left..towards O'Hare...

Now on monday the last day of our trip...we catched red line train and moved towards John honcock tower...

on this day we enjoyed ice-cream at mac-D...According to me...it was super expensive! (Yeah, we were still converting Dollars to Rupees!)..he he he

And always its like, what they call small, is what we Indians would call extra large!!! Thus we got a big cone of ice-cream..and we just could hardly finish it!Its true for everything here, you know. Everything is mega sized. Even the people who are thin, are big boned. Tall. And you can imagine what the fat ones would be like!

When we went shopping for woolen clothes in louisville, I was surprised to see the size ranges.In India , I buy clothes sized Large Or extra large. Here I have to buy clothes from the medium shelves!! (That actually feels very nice!)

Thus we had ride through magnificient mile...while moving towards hancock....saw famous band...live show and performance by hollywood people and were totally astonished...view from hancock tower was fantastic...cars were looking like gaming cars from top.Thankfully the weather remained clear and sunny and absolutely lovely for exploring the city!Arnu played alot in crown fountain at millenium park...which marked the end of our trip...

What can I say??  For sometime I felt as if Chicago was a forgotten city. Maybe not to many Americans, but yes to the international community I always wondered if people knew anything more about Michael Jordan, Oprah, and Barack Obama.

While Chicago is a major American city, it was always my impression that when international visitors thought of a trip to the United States, places like New York, Los Angeles or Miami would be the places they'd like to see....but why the city of chicago is given last preference?

During one of those days when we were walking in the busy streets of Chicago I told my husband, I think I will consider Chicago to be my top 5 favorite major cities in the United States!  I have this feeling that even though it is an enormous and sophisticated city it is still with in my reach!  What I mean by that is that even though the city looks important with the huge magnificent skyline it has still manage to maintain it's down to earth characteristic.  I mean, you see a lot of working people...you bump into them on the streets but they don't look harassed, at least from my own observation.

Chicago is a bustling city and yet one will have a chance to slow down because there are flowers everywhere to encourage someone to stop if not to smell them at least appreciate these pretty sights along the sidewalks!  Thats the most amazing part !That is perhaps why these career people does not look rushed up.....

Chicago is also cleaner and very green (at least in most areas I've visited) than many other big cities (not just NYC). Like there was a certain spot where I saw the skyline of scrappers but in the foreground are very green lined trees!

I love Chicago because it is easy to get around. There is a ton of public transportation and the city is on an almost perfect grid. As far as big cities go, it is very clean. Those who are driving their vehicle in the city are disciplined and not even once did I hear any honking of car horns!  The people who live in this city are friendly most of the time(while not perfect).  I also noticed the fantastic diversity of people and so the food is -- from the famous deep dish Chicago pizza to hotdogs to barbeque ribs to caramel popcorn, etc!

Ya...yipee we enjoyed deep dish pizza at pizzano...

I enjoyed our long walks in the city despite the wind chill because there are so many work of arts (sculpture, modern art pieces, landscape, statues and of yeah the mix of modern and old architecture) in almost every corner!  We didn't even notice we've already walked miles away.....That makes it fabulous!

We also came across to a lot of shopping complex but they are not as enticing as other places!  The commercial ads are slightly represented so it gives me the impression that Chicago and its artisitic character should be enjoyed more than shopping!

Thus I can conclude that Chicago has to be one of the finest cities in USA.Everything about it is great.
The architecture, the layout, the location on the lake and river, the cleanliness, the food, the museums, the culture, the sport, the people, and the excellent balance of nature throughout the city. To me, it feels the most like an Australian city, and apart from it's size, is very similar to my home town, Mumbai except cleanliness.

Whilst in Chicago, I managed to pile a full agenda in:
I ate the worlds second best pizza at Pizzano
The mighty Chicago skyline with Sears tower in poll position.
Deep pan pizza is a revolution and I dont understand why it hasnt taken over the world.
I did a boat architectural cruise which covered most of the river, 29 bridges and nearly all of the major buildings in the city.
I hiked to the top of Sears tower. The world's tallest completed building (if you count antennae).
I walked the entire city and through the wonderful Millenium Garden.
I got to hang out with my sweet arnu..adorable hubby,kind and good natured swati with her family...at crown fountain  at millenium park...It was mini niagara for all of us....arnu enjoyed playing in water a lot...and video memories were catched by us especially by swati...makes us feel very happy and contented .

Anyways, that’s what our Labor weekend out was like!  The city is such a drastically different place from where we live! Bustling with people and beaming with energy! But at the end of the day, it was nice to come back to our quiet little village and our home :)

Nevertheless, I look forward to my next trip to the Windy city!

Happy Janamashtami....

Makhan ka katora
Mishri ka thaal, mitti ki khushbu
Baarish ki fuhar, Tusli maiya ki pavitrata,Radha ki ummide
Kanhaiya ka pyar, mubarak ho apko sabko "JANMASHTAMI" ka tyohar.

Yes...I was extremely delighted and highly impressed to celebrate Janamashtami with my dear friend here in USA.You wont believe even in India I never attended this festival celebrated in midnight at temple with great pomp and joy but here we got a golden oppurtunity to visit Indian temple of kentucky and enjoy the celebration.I consider our families to be very lucky as we got to see this auspicious celebration on 10th August 2012.This date will remain carved in my mind forever..

Janamashtami which is also referred to as Gokulashtami, Krishnasthami, Srijayanti.-The Birth Anniversary of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu is celebrated with great fervour all over India especially at Mathura and Vrindavan where Lord Krishna spent his childhood....Devotees from across the world come to these pious places to celebrate Janmasthami...The temples especially in Vrindavan witness an extravagant and colourful celebration on this occasion. Raslila is performed to recreate incidents from the life of Krishna and to commemorate his love for Radha.

My friend being from mathura explained me the importance in such a manner that on hearing it..my joy knew no bounds....My ears were stucked with pride hearing pious stories,incidents,songs of shri krishna from her...Well, I am a married woman now. It is high time I get to know the significance of all the festivals. I wanted to find more information on Janamashtami, so I googled and was amazed to read so much about the festival...net search gave me lot many details about janamashtami...which was considered as simply "dahi handi" by me...but its great and beyond that...Its indeed the day to recall feelings Bhakti (devotion) and Bhav (intent) towards shri krishna...

Dahi handi is generally celebrated by youths. They break clay pots called 'Dahi-Handi', filled with curd and butter suspended high above the ground, young men and children form human pyramid to reach the pot and break it. This custom follows the habit of Lord Krishna who used to steal butter in this manner from villagers along with his friends. The reason for this is that Gokul; the place where lord Krishna spent his childhood used to generate a lot of milk and the people used to sell it in Mathura, thus depriving their children from milk and butter which is very essential for young boys and girls...

Homemade decoration made by her,Rangoli and sweet preparations,Kuttu ke pakode and lot more was so very fabulous that everything left me speechless...

Celebration began 2 days before...on very first day we planted moong seeds and barley in clay pot hoping that it will sprout very nicely...and to its surprise it sprouted so very nicely that when I had a look I was left surprised...clay was not at all visible and whole pot was filled with green color within 8 days...Thus we were very happy about it...we tied holy thread around coconut which was worn by us in our hands the very next day...

On the very same day we celebrated B'day of shri krishna by cutting homemade cake-made of dudhi ie dudhi halwa..we sang B'day rhymes and lit candles for god...we were totally enchanted to see all this...we enjoyed fast food in the form of prasadam like kuttu ke pakode,dahi aloo,lassi,charanamrit and lot more..

On the next day we visited temple during night...Temple was beautifully decorated and illuminated. Devotees had kept daylong fasts and kept themselves awake while chanting 'bhajans', until midnight follows... Midnight is the moment when Lord Krishna was born. The prayer ceremony is a simple affair. Night long prayers which extol greatness of lord krishna... mantras were being offered and religious hymns were being sung.The priests chant holy mantras and bathed the idol with Panchamrit or charanamrit which comprises of Gangajal (water from the holy Ganges River), milk, ghee (clarified butter), curd, and honey pouring all these from a conch shell....After this bath the idol of the infant Krishna (also known as Balmukund) was placed in a cradle. Devotional songs and bhajans along with garba marked the celebration of this festive occasion till 12.00 at night...everyone was given oppurtunity to give zula to bal krishna placed in cradle...seeing all this I was so very touched that tears rolled down my eyes..It was indeed happiest moment for all of us...Prasad consisting of makhan,kheer,fruits was distributed among all of us...Devotees break their day-long fast and chant - "Radhe Krishna, Hare Krishna, Radhe Radhe."

Thus it was awesome experience to celebrate Janamashatami here in USA.We will never ever forget this in our life.Looking forward to celebrate few more janamashtamis in US I thank god for the golden oppurtunity in our life....

Letter to true friend on her 26th B'day!

Hey guys, I'm here once again to ask for your opinions on something I wrote to my sweet friend on her 26th B'day.....
Her birthday is today and I really wanted her to gift something that she will cherish and treasure for-ever throughout her life...finally I deceided of a great idea of gifting her with 26 gifts as she will be turning 26 today...Among all gifts one gift was handwritten letter to her which would convey her importance in my life!

I spent few days trying to think up of a good letter to write for her as I thought this will be best gift for her... I showed it to my hubby and he said it's really sweet but I feel like I made it too sappy and emotional.Finally I did it and this one is for all of you!

Can anyone let me know if there's anything wrong with what I have so far? Is is too sappy? Should I tone it down a bit? Stuff like that. I'll greatly appreciate any input you guys give me on this...

LETTER TO MY TRUE FRIEND ON HER 26TH B'DAY

Hello, dear! How exciting that you are 26 years old tomorrow!

So....

I’m not even sure where to begin this letter really.

Can I start off by saying that you are amazing?

Because you are.

And just in case if anyone hardly tells you that, I’m telling you.

Because I love you....

Happy Birthday!!

Today is a special day for a special someone I've been lucky enough to have in my life as not only a good friend I can always rely on, but a Sister I will treasure for the rest of my life....How very exciting it is..isnt it?....I have so much to say, but I don’t know if I can condense it into one page of simple words. I sure am gonna try though.

Last few days as your birthday was approaching nearer...I was badly stuck on what to get/make/write to you. I really didnt wanted to give iPods or make-up kit, or throw a surprise party for you, but I wanted to get  something you won't ever forget, and then symbolises how much I love you....so I thought writing letter to convey my regards would be best gift for you...a sweet gift that you will really treasure for,love for and would be best among all other 25 gifts that I would present you!

Niha or sweetie or niharika call her by any name...she is my sweet little friend who has similar emotional make-up like me...so dear please dont get too emotional ...Iam feeling very self conscious to give you this letter but finally I have decided to present it to you.

Swati, I want you to know how important you really are to me and your place in my life!...I consider this is best oppurtunity to let you know that you really are my best friend. You are something out of this world swati.... You are really one of the most intelligent young women I have ever met, not to mention sweet, kind-hearted, happy, hilarious, loving, and absolutely beautiful.

For the last 25 years of your life you have walked this earth as a girl unlike any other..... You have heart of gold and a personality that should be cherished and preserved in a glass box...You really have a smile of porcelain, and the face of an angel.

You have such an amazing effect on me and my life daily. You make me laugh when I all I want to do is cry. Your smile is as contagious as the flu and whenever you’re sad I feel like I should be too.

You can turn my frowns upside down without any effort and as long as I get to see that beautiful smile on your face, I won’t have any reason not to smile too.See isnt it a miracle that within so very less time that we have been together I have observed you so very keenly and you have become my best friend...Really you are worth becoming my true friend! You have all qualities that best frnd should possess!

You have taught me a lot,say it be cooking or any simple thing of life! and I've always wanted to be just like you – a girl who can smile no matter how many times life tries to rain on her sunshine. A girl who can love others even when they step all over your heart. A girl who will stay by my side throughout life journey and any hard times...I really admire your patience the way you so happily repeat same recipes for me at least 3 times....I have copied you in many aspects of life! say it be recipes or decorating my house...you really are source of inspiration for me!

Every time I see your courage,your devotion and dedication towards anything and everything in life, and above all, your unconditional love for friends and family,no matter how they behave with you... I remind myself that this is the girl I look up to and the girl I want to keep close to my heart for all eternity..... Yes swati I dream of learning lot many things from you dear!

Words alone can never truly express how much I admire you. you have really become the reason behind breaths that I take, the tears I shed at the thought of ever losing you, and the beats of my heart that get faster every time I think about you and all the great moments we've shared together so far...so swati today on this auspicious occassion I beg for one promise from you that you will never ever leave me all alone in my walk of life...no matter whatever happens! please

Moreover, within just very less span of time rather in very few days...you have become my reason to live and my reason to love and my reason to smile. If I didn't have you in my life, I wouldn't be able to call this a life at all…

You really are an absolutely incredible individual. I have never in my whole life been so lucky and proud to have someone like you.

I have lost so much in my life, including friends that I thought I would never lose, and now I have you. When I’m with you, it feels like I know I’ll never lose you as a best friend and all my problems and stress just melt away.....

Happiness is what you bring to everyone hun. You are really unlike anyone I have ever met as I have already mentioned. There’s just something about you that draws people close to you and make them want to trust you. I know you would never lie to me or keep anything from me. Our friendship is perfect which makes me so happy. It seems as though we were meant to be best friends and I’m glad we’ve finally figured that out.

You are my shoulder to cry on and my arm to lean on and I am the same for you. There are not that many people in my life that I would die for, but when it comes to you I would die a million times over if that was what you wanted me to do. You are the best, best friend anyone could ever ask for and I appreciate everything about you.

You are really a true friend to be treasured!

Thank you so much swati, for everything you do for me. I’m ridiculously lucky to have you and I can’t wait to see what our friendship brings in the future. I love you so much swati. I hope your birthday and every other day is just perfect,happy and joyful. Best of luck in all that you do, and remember that I am always here for you no matter what.I pray god to shower his choicest blessings on sweet couple like you! Hope you have a fantastic day and year ahead! Stay blessed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWATI!!!

Your Sister forever and always,
Supriya