New Home

I wanted to share a good news with all of you.

My hubby and I are in the process of buying our first home together. We have closed the deal and will get the keys in a couple of weeks.

As you can imagine, I am sooper kicked :) It's an exciting phase of our lives....

I have so many things to look forward to in this NEW house - I will have a GAS cooking range for the FIRST time in my life in US. I've only had ELECTRIC cooking ranges so far in ALL the apartments I have lived.

The rest of the kitchen is also sooper nice - granite counter top, beech cabinets and stainless steel appliances.

We have a decent size lawn in our backyard, and I plan to put a swing out there.

I look forward to doing some gardening, now that I will have my own garden. We already have few plants including rose plants out there....we will add some more.

The house has 4 bedrooms, and I am planning to use one bedroom to make my home office. That's one thing I've always missed - having a desk with an LCD monitor and a comfortable recliner office chair in my house....mainly due to lack of space. No such constraint any more :)

I'm also dreaming of reading a book while sipping coffee by our fireplace.

I could go on and on and on......

Hope this house brings us good luck and a good future ahead :)

Here are a few pictures of the house....Enjoy!

An eventful Mission Peak Hike

Summer is here :)

I am the happiest in summer. I love it when it's still bright when I leave work to go home. I enjoy my outdoor patio lunches. I also love the 3-4 hours of daylight after my work day for outdoor activities. In general, I like warm weather.

Summer is great for hiking as well. My first hike this year was Mission Peak (2517 feet), a 6-mile round trip with a 2000+ feet elevation gain. A friend and I decided to hike Mission Peak last Sunday. We initially planned to start around 7-8am, but it was very chilly when I woke up that day, so we decided to start a little late, at around 9am.

I got busy doing some chores and I was finally able to leave at 9.30am to pick up my friend and reached the trail head around 10.30am.

We started hiking at 10.45am, and were exhausted in the first half mile or so. We both thought we couldn't make it to the top. I haven't been doing much physical activity in the last few weeks so I expected this hike to be tough.

We were slow and steady...we took a couple breaks on the benches along the hike, took some pictures, and enjoyed some stunning views of the south bay. The spring flowers were gorgeous. There were cows grazing, and squirrels running around. The breeze was cool and it wasn't too hot.

We finally made it to the top in about 2.5 hours - and the view was worth all the effort.

We rested for a few minutes, again took some pictures, and then started hiking back. We lost our way for the first mile or so, but found the trail to head back and enjoyed the rest of the hike while taking some shortcuts (they are easier when you are hiking back :)).

Now comes the eventful part :)

We reach our car and I cannot find my car keys. We search for it everywhere and the keys were not there. I could have left them in the car trunk or lost them on the hike. We called AAA (roadside assistance) and they came and opened the car for us, and the keys were not there in the trunk.

So I buzz a friend to come pick us up, and check with a policeman passing by whether its okay to park my car here for couple days (he said yes, it would be legal).

Now Mission Peak is about 100 miles from where I live - I was visiting the bay area and decided to do this hike. So I don't have a spare car key with me. And my house is locked (Hubby and I are out of town)so I had to figure out a way to get the spare car key out of my house AND find someone to bring it to me. OR - I would have to drive home myself and get it :(

After a few frantic phone calls, heated discussions/arguments, and LOADS OF LUCK, I found someone to get the car key from my apartment (with the keys from the office), AND also found someone to bring it to me the SAME DAY.

I was starving by the time I figured all this out so we went to an Indian restaurant and pigged out :)

I finally got my car keys late in the night on Sunday, and picked up my car.

In all this mess, my friend and I never discussed our hike experience :) But we had a great time and would do it again in a heartbeat!

Enjoy the pics :)

A hug....

A hug is a handshake from the heart.

I have mixed feelings today. I am sad, as well as happy.

I gave a long, warm, caring, loving, and belonging HUG to a friend who needed it the MOST.

Her dad passed away suddenly yesterday in a car accident.

When I went to see her, I was very nervous. I cannot handle such times. I am confused what to say, what not to say.

She is not a very close friend, but I don't think closeness matters much in such situations. I wanted to be there for her.

Her daughter opened the door for us, and asked us to wait for her. She came down the stairs with tears in her eyes. She was a wreck.

She came into my arms, and cried on my shoulders for a long time. I hugged her tight, and murmured a few words of support.

We then made her sit on the couch, gave her some water to drink, and then just let her speak.

She shared some pictures of her dad with us, and also shared a recording of her dad singing Navratri bhajans which she happened to record just recently over the phone. It was good to listen to it. I had never met her dad but it didn't matter.

I spent about 4 hours with her. We spoke about so many things. And when we were ready to leave, she was smiling. She came out the door to see us off, and said she would go for a walk in this gorgeous sunny weather. She also helped us pick some lilies from her neighbour's front yard.

I don't know how it is to lose a parent. I cannot imagine the sorrow of her loss.

But I am happy that I was able to comfort her for some time, and be there for her when she needed me.

A hug is worth a thousand words!

May his soul rest in peace. And may God give my friend the strength to cope with this loss.

Hug someone today...and if you don't have anyone, hug yourself! It will do wonders :)

A Wednesday evening with Ferris Bueller

How often do we break from our weekday routine and do impromptu things? Things that don't take too much time, neither require a lot of planning, can do wonders to our mood and leave us happy and content. 

Most people hate Mondays, Wednesday is called "hump-day" and Thursday is when we start saying "Can't wait for Friday" :) We follow a routine lifestyle through the week - for me, it's waking up and getting ready, having breakfast, work for 8-10hrs, cook dinner, go to gym or walk, watch some telly or make a phone call, and sleep (sometimes while reading a book). Sometimes I would run errands during the week, or visit a friend. 

I must admit - I don't find my lifestyle boring (most of the times) because I do enjoy my work, and I enjoy my evening time (whether I'm cooking or watching telly or working out or chatting with my hubby)....and I also enjoy my conversations over the phone with my family and friends. I am happy!

But, if I have to invite friends over, or arrange a poker night, or watch a movie, or go out for dinner, I wait for the weekend. Anything out of the normal routine has to wait, and in the process, sometimes it never gets done. There is not enough time during my weekdays to incorporate these things. 

I feel we should change our routine once in a while, and do impulsive things to keep the boredom out of our lives and keep it alive n fresh! "The less routine the more life :)"

We all love watching movies at home, and its even better if we have friends to enjoy it with :) So yesterday evening, my friends came over to my place around 8pm (right after dinner), and we watched a comedy movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"! I was sooper kicked just because I was getting to enjoy a Wednesday movie nite with my friends :) Yes, such small things make me very happy!

In case you haven't watch the movie, it's great....it's about this high school kid who is a legend in his own time thanks to his uncanny ability to bunk classes at school and never being caught. The movie is about his last day off from school before his graduation, where he calls in "sick", gets his girlfriend out of school, borrows his friend's dad's Ferrari and spends his day off in Downtown Chicago with his pals.  And in the process, how he fools his parents & his school principal and makes his sister jealous. 

This movie reminded me of my college days when occasionally we used to bunk classes, when some professors were SO BORING it was treacherous to keep ourselves awake in class, and when we used to make fun of our professors all the time....those good ol' days :)

So how are your weekdays like and do u break from your routine from time to time? If yes, what do u do?

Sunsets

I love sunsets. I never miss an opportunity to watch a beautiful sunset, whether it's at Lake Natoma behind my current home, or whether it's the beach, or whether it's somewhere I have traveled to.

Folsom (the town where I live in California) has gorgeous sunsets every single day. It amazes me. I get to experience a beautiful sunset even when I leave work and walk towards my car parked in the overflow parking lot. Oh the colors in the sky are just amazing!

I was wondering the other day, when I went to Lake Natoma yet again, what is it about sunsets that I love so much?

The first thing that comes to my mind is - it's very soothing. It calms me down. Being out there and watching the sun go down, then the sky change colors and the calm weather - it all relaxes me. 

I feel the same way when I'm at a beach as well. It totally takes me into a different world.

The twilight time between sunset and dusk is interesting. You can observe so many things during that time.

For example, I love feeding the geese when I'm out there. Its fascinating to watch them come hastily towards you for food. The big ones dominate the little ones. The males woo the females. There's so much happening. And once they are done, they too retire for the day.

The reflections of the trees, birds, geese, etc in the water are sooper. The colors change so quickly before it gets dark. 

There's a row club at Lake Natoma and we often see them practising. Sunset time is usually when they are all rowing back - it starts getting a little chilly so they get back quickly and rush towards their cars, remove their wetsuits, and change into warm clothes. Some rowers are tired, some are excited, some are shivering :) But they all look happy!

The birds become quiet and get back to their resting places for the night. 

The traffic on the roads is very light. 

My noisy mind also gets rest. It calms down. It enjoys the fresh air. It absorbs nature. It frees me of my worries. I come back relaxed and happy :)

Here are a few pictures of sunsets that I have clicked: Folsom Lake, Lake Natoma, Big Island Hawaii, Kapalua Bay Maui, Kaanapali Beach Maui.

Do you enjoy sunset? What do you love about it the most?

Funny Lines from Reader's Digest

While reading an old issue of Reader's Digest, I came across the following lines which are funny :)

- I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said, "I'd like some fries." The girl at the counter said, "Would you like some fries with that?" - Jay Leno. 

- Have you ever noticed that anybody going slower than you is an idiot and anyone going faster than you is a maniac? - George Carlin.

- I am not afraid of death. I just don't want to be there when it happens. - Woody Allen.

- In high school, my sister went out with the captain of the chess team. My parents loved him. They figured that any guy that took hours to make a move was okay with them. - Brian Kiley.

- I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman. "Where's the self-help section?". She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. - Brian Kiley.

- I can make fun of NASCAR fans because if they chase me, I just turn right. - Alonzo Bodden.

- So they're showing me, on television, the detergents getting out bloodstains. I mean, come on, you got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it. Maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem right now. - Jerry Seinfeld.

- The problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time. - Robin Williams.

- I asked my brother-in-law why he was wearing my raincoat. He answered, "You wouldn't want me to get your suit wet, would you?" _ Henry Youngman.

- You know you're getting old when work is a lot less fun and fun is a lot more work. - Joan Rivers.

Had a good weekend :)

If any of you read my last post,  you must be worried...so just to let you know - I had a really good weekend :)

I spent part of my Saturday cleaning my house, and speaking to few friends on the phone. 

I then visited a close friends' kids - they are 4 and 6 yrs old....and they are HUGE stressbusters. I spent my entire evening playing with them - we played UNO, games like bowling n tic-tac-toe on my iphone, watching youtube videos (we liked the Gummy Bear one the most :))...and after a tiring evening, they went to bed. I then chatted with my friend and her husband and then came home and made some more India calls. Yeah, weekends are usually time to catch up on phone calls :)

Sunday went by spending some quality time with a friend who visited me from out of town. I hadn't met him for the last 4 months, since he was out of country, so I really had a great time connecting with him. He is one of the closest buddies of mine, and I felt good being with him for almost the entire day.

I had planned to do my taxes today, but I will catch up on that later in the week.

Oh, and I DID go for a 7-mile walk on Saturday afternoon to clear my head :) and it HELPED!!!!

The spring weather is gorgeous here in California!