U for USA

So this happened.

We had the privilege to join 600+ people from many different countries and became a U.S. CITIZEN today. It’s been quite a journey! I’m sooooooooo full of emotions now!

Will write all about this journey some other day.. for now, cheers everyone!!!

#Blogathon2020, #A-ZWriting, #USCitizen, #proud

Another year older, another year wiser!

Happy Birthday to ME!

On this birthday, there are lots of thoughts running through my brain, lots of things I am looking forward to, and lots of wishes.

First off, I am getting old! Or at least feel a little old today!

I was born a little over 3 decades ago. Feels like a long time.. Sigh!

Looking back, I was a very very shy teenager. My 20’s were times of learning, fighting and really figuring out who I was. 30’s have been my favorite yet! I love myself, own my worth, comfortable and feel on top of the world. Ok! ok! I am at least on the 12th floor as I write this post. So that counts! Right? Right!

I have no regrets today. I know everything that happened, both good and bad, were all meant to be. I am grateful for all of them.

Remember Lemon took me on a birthday vacation couple years back? Since then I have loved the idea of travelling on birthdays. To beaches in particular.

This year, Lemon suggested he’d take me somewhere again! So following the same-beach-travel-tradition, we are now on our way to Anguilla!

Ice cream is all I think about (besides cake) tonight! Lemon might take me to some favorite spot on the island to have some. I might even try some Caribbean drinks! Or may be not.

Really, what matters to me so much today is my family. I am excited to spend the day travelling with the kids. Baby Lily is now a troublesome toddler and Lime is a superhero. So, what can go wrong? The trip is going to be super awesome!

So yeah! Happyyyyy birthdayyyyyy to me! 🙂 Can’t tell you my wishes, then they won’t come true!

So, off I go to celebrate!

Lemon has promised to surprise me this afternoon! Can’t wait to see what it is!

Thank you all for the love on this day and always!

Your favorite,

Lavender

And this changes everything!

There is something that I have been wanting to share in this space for few weeks. Now that I am comfortable, I am writing about it here. 

* * * 

Anybody who has been reading my blog would know how much I love my career and the workplace. I have completed by MBA, got my PMP and have been making some good progress in everything. I was in a comfortable space.

And then life decided to intervene. I wanted a career change. I was very unsure at first. The job was closer to home. Flexible. There were good people and an awesome boss. So, change was not a necessity for me but an option. After thoughtful consideration, at one point I made up my mind and decided to move on. I formulated a plan of action and started looking for options.  

In about 4 weeks, I got a new job offer. I was in a dilemma. Choices have always been difficult for me. I needed to decide soon. I wanted to make a decision not by emotion but by logic and practicality. 

I gave it some serious thought. Lemon was all for it. He has always been supportive and has always let me explore options.

The timing was right. So decision was finally made one day and I hesitantly quit my job.  Sharing the news with friends was the hardest of all. Some were shocked. Some were sad. And some others must have been very happy – I think! 

There was no build up to tell the news to parents too. It was more like, coming back from work one day and then saying, “I am done with this job. I am starting a new one in couple weeks!” It took a while for them to let it all sink in. 

Like I suspected, mom was mad at me at first. She was worried if I would be able to adjust to everything new. Lime would start school soon and Lily would start going to day care very soon! And, mom & dad would be leaving to India. So, I would lose all the help. I don’t blame mom. How could she possibly not be worried? I was too! We spoke over it a few times and at some point we both understood, accepted the changes and she was happy and excited for me.

The new job would be in Boston downtown. I would have to do a fair amount of commute, every day, from my home to the office. The job offer was in one of those decent tall buildings in downtown. It gave me a high every time I would think of it. 

Anyone remember this post and this? I have always been fascinated by tall buildings. Going to the top floor of a very tall building for a good view has always been a favorite thing to do. So, why would I not like to work in one of those buildings? Right? Right!

So, being the drama queen at home, I was bursting in excitement. Lemon cared less every time I expressed my love for tall buildings. He wanted to know why I had a preference at all, especially for the place of work. Why care about a building? All that matters is that you should love the place and like the work. 

I know there’s a lot of truth in what he said. But I got an offer in a tall one and that is huge for me. Subconsciously I pictured myself there. I went over the idea and the changes in my head over and over again. I told myself I was ready!

I dragged through the last few days at the previous job, waiting to start something new. The night before my first day at new job I couldn’t sleep. I was scared. I worried about how the new place is going be. How the new people will be. How bad the commute will be from home. How many obstacles I will have to face. How many sacrifices I’m going to have to make. Everything was unknown. 

* * *

Lets fast forward a bit now….. It’s been a month, already, in the new place. Believe it or not, it has been a journey so far. From being in a comfort zone and being anxious to a feeling of great happiness and triumph. It took me a while to decide, accept and get here. Right now, I am focused on learning and being tactical. The morning commute may not the best one for me but I am trying not to let any fears or negativity get in.

This is a huge leap forward. So all you readers, pass me some good wishes, will you?

A letter to my baby boy – 4

My dear Lime, 

You are FIVE. 

As I write this post, I will try hard not to cry. You sweet boy, my firstborn child, made me a mommy!  

From the moment I saw you, I knew I’ll never love someone else the way I love you.  You changed my life forever. 

FIVE is such a big boy age. I’m struggling to understand how time went by so quickly. It just seems like yesterday I was in hospital giving birth to you. 

I still remember that first year when I quit my job to take care of you. I spent days exploring the world with you when some people criticized me for being a stay-at-home mom. You were content being with me and that mattered to me more than anything else. 

That second year when I put you in day care and resumed work is unforgettable. We both cried on your first day at day care. Ah! Those painful days!

That third year when you went so crazy about mickey mouse. 

Your sister came along before you were four. I was so worried i couldn’t love you as well anymore. I was wrong. 1

When it comes to taking care of baby Lily, you are so good. You learned to take care of her quickly. You make sure she doesn’t fall down from the bed by arranging pillows in the open corner. You hold her hand when she tries to walk. You sing so she can sleep. If I take away your toys, you get angry; But if Lily grabs your toys, you are so good with her. You give her something in exchange and then take your toy back. 

I love that you remember every single thing about anything I say. You are so fun. Everyone loves talking with you. Your laugh is so infectious. You love to figure things out yourself – Be it opening a snack box or inserting straw in a juice pouch; You want to do it all.

You are so smart and make Lemon and I so proud. 

You like to run around a lot. I still remember the day when I almost lost you at the shopping mall. You ran away and scared the hell out of me. I did end up finding you in couple minutes. But what a day it was. Phew!

You are good at soccer and swimming. We can’t wait to try karate and dance next. 

This year you fell so much in love with Power Rangers. And, you are still crazy about ‘Talking Tom‘. 

Can’t believe you are graduating this Friday from Pre-School. You love math and like talking about all you learnt in school. You have memorized our phone number and house address for emergency. 

Being a super hero is your dream. You love avengers, ninjas, spider-man and Batman and what not. You can name every character in all of the movies which I have no clue about. 

You have a big year ahead, my baby! You are going to go to a new school. Meet new friends and teachers. The path forward is new with lots of changes in schedule. Come what may, I know you will prosper in all your endeavors. God bless you my child! I love you so much! 

That’s you with your birthday gift! Power Ranger Megazord 🙂

 

Love,
Mummy

Introducing baby ‘Lily’

It’s late post. But better late than never, right?

This year has been so much fun. Most of my dreams have come true, especially the baby news! There has been 3 babies, all about a month apart, in the family this year. The 4th one is expected sometime next week. Can’t wait for the good news from the cousin! 🙂

‘Lily‘ is my baby girl’s blog name. She graced this beautiful world  on May 3rd 2016!!! The birth story is posted here.

It’s been 7 months now. Lime is still surprised by the fact that the baby is out of mommy’s tummy. He is a proud big bother and loves his little sister.

There are so many things about the baby that I want to record over here..Will do it as and when I find time..

We love our little one. She is our adorable doll. Her toothless smile makes us melt every time. She loves lying on her tummy and raising her head high. She is starting to sit up by herself and she always does it quickly when mommy is not looking at her. She is always curious about what is happening around her. She turns her tiny head all around to look at things. She even stretches her arms to reach for the cup when mommy is drinking her morning coffee. She also loves playing with mommy’s hair.

She looks up to her brother all the time. She admires him for everything he does. She laughs happily around him and plays with him. He sings and dances for her which is so adorable. She bears with whatever he does, even it is pinching her nose or hugging her tight. No complaints – She loves it all!

Keep growing our dear baby. Be happy and healthy! We love you and Lime the most!

All you readers, send in all your love to the little ones, will ya?

Ah! The small joys of life

When your office friends plan a surprise party for you –

They would convince your boss to make you come to office even though your boss had agreed and given you permission, a few weeks back, to work from home on that particular day for whatsoever reason. You wonder why the boss changed his mind suddenly and wants you in office that day. You would be mad at him. He would apologize and blame your close friend for convincing him to make you be present for the party. How can you be mad at your close friend? So in the end you would appreciate the friend’s effort and be pleased with your colleagues. 

When your  husband plans a surprise party for you – 

He would convince you to take Lime to a birthday party even though you are not well that morning. When you come back home and open the door, you would hear many of your friends shout ‘Surprise!‘. The house would be decorated. Your favorite food would have been ordered. The cake would look delicious and there would be smiles everywhere. 

When there’s a celebration in office but you are too lazy that you do not want to move out of your desk – 

Your friend would bring you a piece of cake from the celebration. You would eat. You would enjoy. 

When your parents are at home – 

Every day, for lunch, you would eat fresh food cooked by your mom. And, when all the chores are taken care by your parents you would just spend most of your time relaxing at home. And when your mom and your son massage your legs you would take a pic and post it in your blog!

6 Years!

Dear Lemon,

We complete 6 years of marriage today. We woke up this morning ready to celebrate million more years of togetherness.  

I can’t believe it! 6 years! So long? 6 years and we are still growing strong together. 6 years and we are still very much in love. Seems like we got married just yesterday. Six years ago, on this date, we complained a lot about the make up, the number of costume changes, and the long long wait to tie the knot. At the end of it all it was all worth it. Took us sometime to realize that we were indeed husband and wife. 

So many things have happened in these 6 years. Yet we are both the same people on the inside as we were the day we met in Skype.

Last year was big for us. But this year is going to be even more bigger. I see the house we have built together. It is still incomplete but is the perfect house in the whole world and the house makes me extremely happy.

We have not yet decided so many things for our future. We are yet to learn a lot about life. It all seems so crazy at the moment but I do hope all is going to be well. 

Cheers to you my dear Lemon, you have been so nice to me this year.. And I love my anniversary gift. You are the bestest. 

All with love, Lavender! 

Blogathon 2016 – The End!

And, I have surprised myself again. 31 days of nonstop blogging is not easy. But was so much fun. I wanted to do the number theme this year for the 31 days. But what was I even thinking? Gosh! It was hard as the days passed by.. I struggled in between. I also did cheat on some days but it all worked out well in the end. Let’s recap some of my favorites –

Seven Dwarfs and Me

8 Adventures in My Life

After 12 AM

Lavender News – Top 16 Headlines

20 Weird/Strange Things

25 Not-to-do List

This blogathon once again has taught me that I can write from anywhere anytime of the day. Some posts were written before going to bed. Some early in the mornings. Some in office, some at the mall and some even at restaurants. Phew! I feel so good to have successfully completed the blogathon.

Writing is so satisfying. Strange eh? I don’t know. But unlike last year, I just wish to write in this space more often. 

My blog stats have increased drastically. In just a months time, I have more followers. It surprises me how this continuous postings help grow the stats. I am happy. 

Thanks to MAYA for starting this. Congratulations to all of you who participated in the challenge. Also a biG thanks to all of you who took time and commented on my posts.

Here’s a virtual treat everyone ~ Nutella Mug Cake ~ Enjoy! 🙂

Thank you for stopping by!

I’m not going to be back tomorrow but I’ll see you all again soon. Until then take care!

Next stop ~ Madras!! :) :) :)

4 days to go before I land in Madras to –

To meet my Grandma again!

To attend my cousins wedding

To meet my cousins, some family and some extended family

To eat in the traditional banana leaf

To enjoy the filter kaaapi

To meet my old friends

To visit ALL my favorite places in Madras

To eat at my favorite restaurant

To walk around the streets where I spent most of my childhood

To go to my favorite parlor

To shop at T Nagar and goto bessy beach

To take crazy pictures with everyone in the family

To eat , sleep and take lots of rest

To enjoy a lot and have truck loads of fun

Madrassssss – here I come!!!! How much have I missed you!

5 years. 227 posts. 49010 visitors ~ Happy b’day to my bLoG ! :)

5th Blogoversary it is ! I was reminded of my Blogoversary by Facebook today. Early this morning, I got a pop up in my news feed which said ” XXX you have an awesome memory to share with your friends “. And that’s when I realized about this half-a-decade blogversary. 

The past year has been so slow. At least for my blog. I haven’t been keeping this blog very active. I just did 47 posts in 365 days. All this in-activeness in this space is mainly because of Lime. Every time I plan to write something and sit with my laptop, he interrupts and I stop. However, my big achievement in the past year has been participating in the Blogathon!. I did post every day during the month of January. 31 posts in 31 days was indeed a big deal for me. I wish and hope to participate in more challenges in the upcoming years and keep this blog alive. 

Wish me luck everyone. As always thanks to all my wonderful fellow bloggers who have been reading this space regularly. And thanks to all lurkers too. 

Stay tuned  peeps.!

P.S.: Something is wrong with my widgets on the right side of this page. Most of them have not been updating since a long time now. I don’t know why.