Prayer for a friend

You make friends in unusual circumstances.
Its hard to imagine why God would choose a young, healthy and wonderful family man to be the recipient of a brain tumor? But then again you wonder about a lot of things that happen in lives around us, wars, accidents, innocent people being killed for no fault of theirs. The only explanation I have come up with in the past year, is God has his reasons and better not to question them.
Can only hope that the love and prayers that he has around him (thanks to all the people whose lives he has touched so far with his gentle ways) can protect him and keep him safe.
When you pray tonight, put in a prayer for my friend, he needs all the hope and encouragement he can get. Pray for his wife and children that he continues to be around them and the world is a better place because God put him here to be with us.

Bhatiaji ki Karamat

After a 8 hour plus long work day and a 45-50 minute drive one way you come home and realize, khana nahi hain. Ab kya kiya jaye? Waqt se khana na mile, to patidev ko migraine ho jata hain. Hai ram!! What a situation!
Well there is a simple solution thanks to Bhatia Mart, a local indian grocery store in Plano on Coit Rd. Bhatia ji has been cooking home made desi khana for the past 15 years in the US. The vegetables are actually quite tasty and he has a great variety, the daals aren't bad either. They make these dishes fresh in their store and put them in small containeers. Nicely priced at 3.99 $ per carton, it is fairly affordable and decent food. I can make fresh rotis off the tava in 3 minutes so I don't buy their rotis any longer but they aren't bad either.
Bhatiaji ki karamat rang laye, family is fed, no migraines and kid is getting trained to eat desi vegetables, not bad na?
Not to forget new movie DVDs, groceries and eyebrows threading for ladies.

2008 is here!!

Happy New Year y'all, as they would say in my beloved N'awlins! (New Orleans to the uninitiated)..

I can't believe 2008 is here already. Its been 10 months since our family moved from New Orleans to Dallas. I can't believe how much has happened in just ten months.

I am loving my job at UT Southwestern, my partners (Rich and Padraig) are young guys in my age group and very smart and energetic with great attitude and work ethic. They have a great sense of team spirit and have worked extra hard to make me feel comfortable in the new setting. The entire department is very nice and supportive and the environment so far seems very conducive for growth and progress. I have made three friends at work which is a lot less than what I would normally make but the hustle and bustle of a big city life with the dreaded drive doesn't allow much time for socialization. I definitely miss the every weekend parties with friends in New Orleans but am happy also to enjoy the peace and quiet on a weekend without anything going on. Rahul and Juhee are really happy to have momma with them at all times on weekends and evenings.

I am finally finding time for my hobbies and am back to my work out routine and movie watching after a gap of two years. I can't wait for it to be spring with its beautiful temperatures so that I can take long walks in our community which is geared for walking and activities.

Rahul is enjoying his consulting career along with building his financial planning portfolios, this really does seem to be his true calling. I don't know about his other clients but I have been happy being his client for ten years :) He promises me retirement in 15 years!! He has more flexibility and more time to spend with his one true little love and I haven't seen him this relaxed and happy in quite a few years. I guess career satisfaction is important for everyone to be happy along with a good family life. We definitely spend a lot more family time together and its been great.

Juhee continues to grow at an alarming pace, can't believe she is already 4 years old. She is very proud of this and hopes she will be five soon, we aren't quite ready for her to grow that quickly. She is a true delight and adds joy and surprise to each day. She says something new and interesting each day and its great to wake up not knowing what she will come up with on this day. She is learning spanish, ballet and karate all at her kindergarten which is 2.5 miles away from our new home, a mere 7 minute drive. This friday, she starts hindi class every evening, where she will learn to read, write and speak hindi. She sings in hindi and understands most things we say in Hindi but refuses to speak much yet. Hopefully this will change in a year's time. She has expressed interest in jazz dancing and may be learning piano in a few years. She has made more friends than we have and interesting enough like a lot of friends in New Orleans predicted, we have made friends with parents of her friends. So she is actually dictating our social life and friends. Must say play dates are a great thing, because they day we drop her off to other friends house, we get a few hours to breathe and talk to each other. Otherwise, she talks incessantly not allowing us to get a word in :) Needless to say she continues to be madly in love with Papa but is happy to have momma around more as well. She makes us proud and warms our hearts when she helps Papa unload the dishwater, fold clothes and set the table at dinner time. How long will this last??

We are hoping to join the classical music circle and marathi mandal one of these days. We love the indian cultural interaction with so many diverse activities, not to forget the bollywood shows and great choice for indian food. So far we have been to a Sonu Nigam show and a Sa re ga ma pa show in town thanks to Victor.

Other than the long drives, life in Dallas seems enjoyable and happy. We have made just about enough friends to make life interesting and fun. We are thankful for Victor, Casey, Debra, Hema, Rajani, Jaya, Sharon, Sangeetha, shelley and their families who have made the transition easier for us than it would have been. Thanks to them, we now have a handyman, a housekeeper, a social life and a sense of security, warmth and friendship.

Included on the blog are some pictures of our new friends.

I miss New Orleans and our big family of friends but we have finally found a home in the heart of Dallas.

Although far away from New Orleans, I intend to keep alive the warmth and generous spirit of New Orleans and "let the good times roll" at all times.

Come visit friends and family!!