Song of the Day

Kings of Leon is starting to become a favorite band of mine. Apart from being pretty to look at, the singer has a really cool voice. I wasn't crazy about this band at first because their songs are very different from the singles they've released (especially "Use Somebody"). But now I LOVE THEM! I even got my mom into them (them and Snow Patrol being her favorite bands right now). Common interest in music usually leads to us listening to YouTube videos...and me breaking out in random dance parties in the living room. Whatevs.

Annnnyyywaaaaaays. This is "Closer".

"I find a map and draw a straight line, over rivers, farms and statelines..."

In just two weeks my mom and I will be flying to Kansas City. The parents are finally gonna meet! It gets me a little nervous but I'm sure everything will go great.

Ojas is going to show my mom and I around the places where he's hung out for the last 6 years. Then my mom will fly back home. And Ojas and I will start our driving trek down to Florida. I can't believe it's time for him to move here. I'm definitely ready for it but it still hasn't hit me yet. He will be going from living 1000 miles away from me to 3 miles!

As you can see from the map above, we will be hitting a few cities on our way down. With any roadtrip, it's nice to stop along the way and have a little fun. We still have to work out the details of the trip but as of now we're planning on going to the arch in St. Louis, seeing the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, doing some miscellaneous fun stuff in Chattanooga, and going to the Coke Factory in Atlanta. Depending on our timing, we may make a pit stop in Tampa before we get all the way back to Naples.

Oh how nice it'll be to just be able to hang out and not have to worry about who is going to fly where!

Song of the Day

When my mom and I were driving to Estero to meet up with my uncle, I decided that a good way to start off the night was to listen to a really good CD on the highest volume that we could tolerate it.  There's something so awesome about driving on the highway and singing to a really good song.  I mean...I'm sure the two glasses of wine I had consumed before the trip contributed to the good mood I was in.  But nevertheless...this is a great song.



(Jessica Szempruch, if you read this blog...this song ALWAYS reminds me of you)

"I'll wait by the backstage door"

My mom, Anumasi, and Maya must be sick of seeing themselves on this blog.  Well, tough cookies for them.

India Fest was on the day before my birthday this year.  This is a festival that our Indian Association puts together every year.  They sell food, clothes, and jewelry.  They also have performances on stage.

As with the Diwali show, I was kinda weirded out with the fact that my mom was the one in the show while I was the one in the audience.  This wasn't the case until about 2 years ago.  I really miss dancing.  Sigh...how I long for the garba years.  Anyways, I digress.

Since everyone was taking so many pictures of the performances, I thought it would be cool to take some pictures of where most of the action happens -- backstage.  It was fun helping my family get ready.  Maya was in a dance and her "costume" was actually my masi's wedding sari.  Crazy crazy.

"Please take it easy, it can't all be my fault"

I've done it again. I've neglected my blog. But I swear I've had my reasons.

Excuse #1:

I have actually been working lately. Gasp!  I have been employed to do some Sketch Up work for some people in Orlando.  While this house has taken several hours of my time...it's actually pretty fun for me.  Here's a little sample:

 Oh if only I could put a little teal on those walls.  I don't think they would like it though.

Excuse #2:

After completing said work one day, I decided that I would relax for a little while.  So before claiming my space on the couch, I walked into my room to grab a book.  That's when I discovered this:

Disregard the pink 80's furniture and you'll see that my carpet is sopping wet! What...not just the carpet in my room??

Oh cool...the hallway between my room and bathroom too.  After a little ("little" meaning "mega") meltdown, my mom and I call a plumber and the insurance company.  The tile of my bathroom isn't wet at all but there's a tricking noise in the wall.  The whole problem was because of this little sucker:

 

So flashforward past some drywall cutting, carpet ripping, and 4 days of giant fans...and now my room looks like this:

Come on, home insurance! Mama wants some new furniture!

Excuse #3:

I've been gallivanting with family.  I saw two live performances with my mom and other members of the Patel clan. One was a one man jazz show with my uncle (Nana).  While the music could've been better, the night was great and people were definitely enjoying themselves:

The other was the Beauty and the Beast Broadway Musical!! AHHH!! EXCITEMENT OVERLOAD! But seriously.  It was so good!  And so colorful!  And I'm really glad I liked the actors because that movie gives them a lot to live up to :)  

We went with my aunt (Anumasi) and my cousin Maya.  As you'll see below, Maya is 15 (count it...that's 10 years younger than me) and yet the two of us were equally excited about this show.

I already have my next post lined up! See ya tomorrow :)