Snowboarding

I learned how to snowboard about 12 years ago.  It's been about 3 years since I've last been snowboarding down a real mountain though.  There was an attempt to ride down the fake snow in Dubai but the facility was under reconstruction when we went last year (was that only just LAST year?!) and riding down the fake snow in Tamworth, England doesn't count....that's like a 50 ft. hill.  The story goes that I left Colorado smack in the middle of winter of '09-'10 and had only gone about 3 times by then (a bit resentful that I didn't get my money's worth out of my season pass but oh so worth it).  Then the next winter we were in India and this last winter, well, I was a tad knocked up.  So I've been psyching myself out for this season.  I haven't subscribed to any sort of physical regimen.  I've done some squats and sit-ups here and there but we all know that didn't do anything.  So I was prepared for some jelly legs.  The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Glen took off of work so we could go play up in the mountains.  Hoo boy is it a different ballgame getting ready with a husband and a baby!  Long gone are the days where I'd just throw my gear in the car and put on some long underwear and GO!  There is way more planning that has to go into preparing your baby for the day, not to mention, preparing my boobs for the day.  Oy! 

After a few hours we finally arrived at Keystone.  Traffic wasn't bad.  We desperately tried to find a babysitter for the day but it turns out, other people have lives too.  So we were stuck with childcare at the resort.  The facility was beautiful and so kid friendly.  Lucky for us there is a price to pay for said beautiful facility.  Thankfully the staff were super nice to us and our precious kiddo.  I can't say that the 85 smackeroos were worth it but what I can say is that I had a stress free 4 hours on the mountains with my honey and Poppy was a happy camper when we picked her up.  See, it was the first time I've ever dropped her off at any sort of day care.  Poppy was absolutely fine, it was mama that had the separation anxiety and the tears!  Where did the tears come from?  Am I normal???  

I recently heard on NPR that snowboarding was originally called "snurfing".  Sounds funny but totally appropriate.  I'm glad they changed it though, it sounds less dorky now.  Anyways, we jumped on the gondola as I was way too nervous to get on a lift (the dreadful dismount always has me worried no matter how experienced I am!).  It was a gorgeously sunny day and there were a few lifts open.  Stupid me decided it's ok to head down a blue run first.  I made it with Glen's patience and with my calves burning from hanging out on my toe edge a little too long down some of the steep bits.  A few falls and a green run later in the day I was already to call it quits.  My body was exhausted and my ego a little bruised (not to mention my back side).  It felt good to rally but I was happy to get down and cuddle my little girl.  I hope we get another day or two in before our very special visitors from England arrive at Christmas for their very own snowboarding trip.  Gotta' make the season pass worth it this time! 

6 months of awesomeness

I know a cute little peanut who turned 6 months old today.  At the risk of sounding trite, as I'm sure all parents think this...I can't believe how fast time is flying by.  Just 6 months ago we were planning and preparing for this precious little person to come into our lives.  And now that she's here, life is all the more richer.  I wasn't actively blogging at the time....pregnancy was happening, work was happening, the move was happening, the settling in was happening.  Part of me wishes I documented that time a little better but it is what it is and here's a catch up:

My pregnancy was by far the coolest experience I've ever had.  I am astounded at what my body is capable of doing.  It was an average pregnancy.  I was sick and lethargic the first trimester, felt fabulous (that's when we moved) the second trimester, felt like a whale the third trimester, and I loved every back breaking, ankle swelling minute of it.  I craved cinnamon rolls.  Perhaps that's what the extra 15 pounds hanging around is.  Oh and chocolate milk...as soon as we set foot on American soil I could not get enough chocolate milk.  Thank goodness that phase has passed.  

While Glen and I were busy mixing our respective household furniture together, we both kept focused on the baby's nursery.  That is the only room in the entire house that is fully furnished and decorated.  We gave up on the rest.  As I mentioned before, we are renting and didn't feel like pouring our hearts into this place.  Funny when you think about a baby's nursery though.  It's really for the parents isn't it?  The baby doesn't care if it sleeps in a laundry basket or a thousand dollar crib.  It wants food, snuggles, and love.  Ok, that was a tangent...

Poppy's due date changed from May 1, which is her paternal grandmother's birthday, to April 29.  Because of my 'advanced maternal age' my ob/gyn wouldn't let me go much past my due date.  We scheduled an induction for Thursday May 3rd.  May 1st I started having contractions at 11am.  I was in an Asian grocery store with my mom.  She was trying to get a bunch of shrimp at the deli counter when I heaved myself on the shopping cart to brace myself from the pain.  Mom was not much comfort during this time...in fact she went into a panic as if I was going to have the baby right then and there.  Can you imagine that?  A hysterical Asian woman in the Asian grocery store, trying to deliver her granddaughter at the deli counter. Anyways, I got in the car and drove home, through a few more contractions.  Mom called Glen to come home from work.  I was supposed to go watch a matinee, Magic Mike, with my good friend Jenessa.  Instead, she got a redbox movie and we watched it at our house while I labored.  By 4pm I had had enough.  We were given the ok to head to the hospital which thankfully was only 15 minutes away.   I was only 3 cm dilated but my water had broken so they kept us.  I was apprehensive of being told to go back home and return later.  I don't believe much in the hype of a birth plan.  You don't really know what you can handle until you actually go through it.  And every woman is different and every birth is different.  I thought I would try to go natural for as long as I could take it.  But little munchkin was pushing hard on my bottom and I was losing focus.  I didn't see much point in trembling and screaming so I asked for an epidural.  The nurses tried 6 times to establish an IV before they called in the anesthesiologist.  By then it was 7pm.  I didn't get an epidural until 7:30pm.  I felt all the pain I needed to feel.  After the epidural kicked in I was much more calmer and Glen wasn't worried about me as much.  But I was also exhausted at that point so I slept.  From 10pm to 11pm I felt major pressure going on and my nurse had said I went from 5cm to 10cm in that time.  She told me to wake the hubby up, I was ready to push.  I was amazed at how the epidural felt.  I had misconceptions about it prior to having one.  I thought my legs would feel like tree trunks and that I wouldn't feel a thing.  It turns out I could still feel the contractions, it just took the edge off.  And I could move my legs.  I didn't have much control but I could flop them around.  Anyway, I pushed hard for an hour...I was really trying to have her on her Grandmas's birthday...I mean, what a cool gift, right?  Sweet little Poppy had her own way though and she came into the world at 12:04am May 2nd.  One contraction later.  

Much to our surprise she was only born 6 lbs. 12 oz.  We were expecting a far bigger baby as Glen was a 10 pound baby and so was I.  At 3 weeks old she was trying to hold her head up.  Just before 4 months old she was log rolling across the room.  Yesterday she started crawling, one hand in front of the other before doing a face plant.  It's been an eventful 6 months.  Daddy almost sat on her when we brought her home.  He frequently forgets that she's in the car when we go to the store.  Poppy had her first emergency room visit at 2 weeks old, while her Daddy was away on a business trip.  What I thought was hematemesis (bloody puke from an upper GI bleed) turned out to be blood from my nipple that wasn't visible to the eye.  She started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks of age but recently has started waking up 2 - 6 times a night.  Mommy and Daddy are grumpy.  She rolled off the sofa at 3 months old (never got over that one).  She's been to both coasts....got sand between her toes in California and also felt the Pacific Ocean.  She visited the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero.  She's not a fan of long road trips but doesn't mind flying.  She likes rice cereal and avocados.   She doesn't have any teeth yet.  She loves bathtime.  She hates getting her 2nd arm into her shirts (I'm thinking of going into redesigning clothes for infants).  She adores Kona and mirrors.  She loves to bounce and dance.  She's just starting to get stranger anxiety.  She has Daddy's blue eyes and a dimple to die for.  She has the rosiest cheeks on the planet.  Today we learned that she's in the 97th percentile for height.  Welcome to a lifetime of clothes that will never fit right my baby doll.

There are no words to describe what becoming a mom is like.  You just have to go through it I guess.  She's the love of my life.  I adore this child and I am so lucky to be her Mom.  Happy 6 months kiddo, it's been great getting to know you.      

I'm into my pre-pregnancy jeans! That is supposed to be good news...

I'm happy to report that I finally squeezed myself into my pre-pregnancy (favorite Joe's jeans) jeans!  Yeah...too bad I have the most enormous MUFFIN TOP!!!  Buzzkill.  It's totally ok that I am still wearing my stretchy maternity clothes, right?  Minus the lack of fashion and the limited wardrobe...it does great for my self esteem (note sarcasm).

It's so hard not to compare yourself to other moms out there.  But when I was finding out that women were getting back to their pre-pregnancy weight 2 weeks after giving birth to their second child, I was only a tad envious.  Maybe they are a freak of nature.  Maybe they have good genes.  Maybe they were getting good exercise before and during their pregnancies.  Whatever the case.  I am miffed.  Want to know why?  Because it has been almost six whole months since I had a baby.  And guess what is perfectly snuggled around my mid-section?  Oh, let's not lie here, why not add to the list my fat arms and thighs?  Seriously, I don't remember carrying a baby in my arms and legs!  Except for a short two week stint at CrossFit 3 months post preggers (bad idea), I haven't found the energy to exercise on a regular basis.  I take a long walk once or twice a week.  Poppy usually gets irritated about half way through so I end up taking her out of her stroller and carrying her while pushing the stroller and walking Kona at the same time.  Not my idea of fun.  At least we get fresh air.  I know there are ways to get out of the house.  I could do a mommy and me class, have Glen watch kiddo, or find a place with daycare.  So what is my problem?  I have no excuse other than unmotivation (I don't think that's even a word) and timing a class with Poppy's random sleep schedule.  Save for a short modeling stint when I was a teenager, I reminisce of the days where I didn't think about my weight.  I played hard and that was my form of exercise.  In India I got super toned doing yoga regularly but you wouldn't be able to tell that now, thanks to my "bye bye" arm (you know, the under bit tricep area that wiggles long after you stopped waving good-bye).  Well there's only one way out of this and it is up to me.  We're already thinking about baby number 2 and I'm not ready for my belly to become a permanent source of squish.  I want to feel strong again.  I want to go snowboarding.  I want to go hiking.  I want to swim a mile again without getting exhausted after two laps.  I want to play with my kid(s).  I want them to see a healthy mommy.  Well, at least I'm talking about it.  Maybe I can turn my words into action.  And whoever said breastfeeding burns a lot of calories and helps you lose the weight is a big, fat liar.  I know I'm not the only one out there.  I know I need to be gentle with myself.  My body is purely functional right now, and that function is a source of nourishment to my gorgeous, gorgeous child.  And for right now, that is ok with me.  

This leads me into another discussion which I will probably talk about in another post.  Diet.  Argh.        

We put an offer in on a house!

It was with mixed feelings of course (*gulp* that is a chunk of change you have to plunk down for a deposit!) but I have to say that I do feel relieved that we are done searching.  Looking for a house is so time consuming.  I mean, this is the place you are going to call home for quite a while.  And there is so much variety out there.  Houses that desperately need remodeling, houses that are remodeled terribly.  How are you supposed to love someone else's house and really see yourself there?  In a perfect world we would build a house from scratch, with spaces and materials that suit us.  But unfortunately we had to pick and choose from the limited inventory that is out there.  At first it was fun and exciting but quickly got daunting as we realized we were being pushed out of our ideal neighborhoods due to high cost.  Initially we were searching in North Denver and Boulder and quickly we realized that we couldn't get much with what we could afford.  So I guess that's why folks move to the 'burbs.  You get a lot more bang for your buck.  And it's not that we wanted a big house, we just needed a little room to grow our little family.  Sure, we're bored living where we live now but perhaps that is because we are renting and it's never ever not once felt like home.  It's felt so temporary this last year.  The house we're looking at is in a more developed neighborhood, still the 'burbs but with such a different feeling than this one.  There are still plenty of walking trails and a park close by for the days we want to go out and play with Pops.  Although I will miss a few of our neighbors here, especially the family across the street that plays with Kona when she needs to play off some energy, I am looking forward to forging new relationships with neighbors in our new house.  We won't be that much closer to the city, the restaurants and shops, and the general energy and vibe that Denver or Boulder gives off...but I guess that's what we are willing to sacrifice for our dollar and Glen's commute time to work.  This sweet little house has a wonderful yard that I can imagine Poppy playing in.  There is no major work to be done or big ticket items that need to be replaced...it's all been done already.  There is a room and a full bathroom in the basement so we can have visitors from near and far (hint, hint any of you foreigners that want to come visit).  All we need to do is paint and move in.  We'll add a few little touches here and there but there will be time for that.  In the meantime, we will be anxiously going through the process.  We've agreed to let the sellers stay through Christmas so that they won't be living in a hotel or crashing at a friends house for the holidays.  So hopefully by January we will have a new place to call home.  This is a big step for us.  It means after 3 years of temporary living we will finally have a place to call home.  I'm so looking forward to it.

I'm so dumb! (surprise!)

Oh my geez.  I changed the title of my blog, so changed the url....not realizing that other people have the previous url saved. So when you clicked on The Delhi Diaries...there was nothing there.  Oops!  Sorry folks.  So now I'm wondering if I just leave this one alone and start a whole new blog altogether.  Because it makes no sense to still have it labeled as Delhi Diaries when clearly, I am not in Delhi.  Any suggestions people?  Anybody archive and jump ship on an old blog to start a new one?  Blah, I feel like I can't get a hold of this stupid thing.  Since I took so much time off I am playing catch up on my layout and how this thing works again...notice how I haven't posted any pictures lately?  Blargh!!!  And while you are at it can someone give me a lesson on customizing my photos to have writing on it and then making it the title of my page?  Athena?  Summer?  You savvy bloggers, you.  

You are so patient.  And that is why you are my friend.

House hunting

We've begun the agonizing process of house hunting.  We returned to the U.S. nearly a year ago (already?!).  Originally we were going to buy right away but lo and behold the forces were against us and we had to resort to renting (blergh).  Glen earned all the money and I had the excellent credit but those two things combined were not enough to convince a lender to give us some money.  So we spent this year establishing Glen's U.S. credit and I got a job (until bambino came, of course).  Apparently having bad credit is better than no credit so here we are 10 months down the line and through some financial savviness, Glen has achieved a good credit rating.  So all the paperwork is turned over to the powers that be and our search has begun.  We have narrowed down the location we are searching in based on Glen's commute to work in Longmont and our proximity to Boulder and Denver, not to mention local grocery stores, the pediatrician, etc.  We have lived in Erie for almost a year and we have decided it is Dullsville for us.  We love our neighbors, we love the paths to take family walks on, we love the safety of our neighborhood, we love that Chris and Jenessa are 5 minutes away.  But when it is time to do anything at night like pop over to a yummy restaurant or meet up with other friends it is a commute.  And who wants to commute to dinner with an infant?  And the bigger problem is our ginormous rent payment.  I seriously want to vomit every time I make that payment.  I feel like it is just throwing money away and I can't help but think of how much of that we could put into savings.  When we moved back we had to get into the first thing we could and regretfully that came at a high price, literally.  Our lease is up at the end of the year but we have some very special visitors coming in from England.  So we either move now, like right now or wait until January.  Luckily we can go month to month after December so we shall see.  It's scary buying another house.  I admit I am a little gun shy after the last experience.  It feels like such a burden to me sometimes when I think of being responsible for the upkeep of a property.  I have to find a way to view this positively and make it a home for us, our tiny little family.  Wish us luck!    

You read it right folks!

I finally decided on a name change.  I'm not totally settled on it yet but it didn't seem fitting to still call this place Delhi Diaries since we're not telling the tales of Delhi living anymore.  So here the adventure continues.  This is a place to tell you what we're up to these days.  Maybe not as exciting but still an outlet for me to get things out there and connect with distant family and friends.  Can you hear the crickets chirping as I write this?  Yup, we're living in Dullsville.  Erie, Colorado to be exact.  

As soon as I clear out the cobwebs...there will be more to talk about!

I sold my first house!

What a relief!!!  In November of 2007 I bit the bullet and bought my first house.  I was so tired of throwing money away in rent and it seemed like a good idea.  Rates were good (too good for some), I had a great job and I figured the next adult step would be to tackle homeownership.  I purchased a house with a separate finished basement to use as an income property. Whoever lived downstairs would help me pay my mortgage.  I was so smart I thought.  It worked out great for a couple of years.  My good friend Matt rented the basement and everything was wonderful....that is until I met Glen and moved.  Being a full on landlord was the last thing I ever wanted to do.  Pressed for time, I decided I could manage a house all the way from India.  Dumbest idea ever.  If I had to do it all over again I would definitely use a property manager.  The stress of getting phone calls about water heaters bursting and carpets needing replacing is something I could have done without.  The house itself needed updating, which I had planned on doing as the years passed.  But I had also planned on living there.  And now it just seems like a waste of money since there was so much to do.  Anyways, long story short, I decided it was in the best interest of me and my family to sell the house since we weren't living in it.  With a minimal amount of effort to update and refresh its curbside appeal (thanks to Glen!), it sold fast.  Within a week of it being put on the market I got an offer!  My real estate agent is so good!  You have no idea how much relief I feel that I don't have to worry about paying a mortgage and rent at our current place.  Glen asked if I felt sentimental at all about leaving my first house.  And strangely I don't.  I am a crier and I thought for sure walking out that front door for the last time would bring on the waterworks.  I ended up walking out of there with my head held high, full of confidence that I was able to make it happen.  The best news is is that we were prepared to lose a little money...up to 5 grand.  I was crossing my fingers that we would at least break even.  We actually came out a little ahead.  Not rolling in the dough but at least we didn't take a financial hit.  That's the biggest relief of all.  Hmmm....now mommy needs a new purse....  

So with the stress of the property being sold behind us, we are faced with another decision.  Do we buy again or continue to rent?  We've been searching on-line for both and boy, it is daunting.  We are not even sure we can buy with Glen being a foreigner and all.  And if we can buy, what neighborhood?  And if we do buy, do we want to deal with the headache of selling again if we end up moving out of state?  Agh!  So many life decisions.  Stay tuned on this one.  Our lease is up at the end of December...yikes!      

Good intentions

I always get on this thing intending to write something clever, witty, or just to catch you up with my life.  But every time I get on, I end up reading what YOU, my fellow bloggers have to say.  By the time I'm done reading I have forgotten what it is that I wanted to say.  And then I get tired.  And when you're a new mama....sleep always wins.

Things on my mind:  All things mommy, the newness of it all.  Our California road trip.  What the future holds.

You have to admit, I'm pretty rubbish at this blogging thing.  Ahhh...tomorrow is another day.

Changes

Since I didn't know where to start, I'll start where I left off...

It's been quite the year with major changes.  Glen and I found out we were pregnant while we were in India.  Yup, we made a honeymoon baby.  Lucky us!  Getting pregnant wasn't all that easy so you can imagine our joy when we got the positive test result.  My first thought was "I can't/won't have this baby in Delhi"!  Though it could be done, I just didn't want to.  I loved my OB/GYN in Delhi but I couldn't face my first pregnancy with worrying about getting sick from food and water, mosquitos, and then having to worry about getting to a hospital in Delhi traffic...no thanks.  Nope, I wanted my first experience to be in the US or the UK.  So Glen got on the job boards at work.  I really thought we'd end up in the UK, either Aberdeen or Bristol.  Glen casually asked "Where's Longmont, CO"?  I replied "Apply for it, it's really close to Denver"!  Lo and behold, he got the job and here we are.  Fast forward a move back to Colorado, a relatively easy pregnancy, and BAM!  here we are a family of 3.  4 counting Kona.  Life is good to us.  We seriously get everything that we project out into the universe.  Sometimes I think it's too good to be true.  Somebody pinch me.  

I'm still thinking about which direction I want to project this blog.  At first it was about travels but my life has changed.  We're staying put these days.  Save for a car trip to California with a 3 month old.  Oh lordy....was that an experience!  So it might turn into a blog about us, as a family.  It sounds a little boring...but I think it will help us stay connected to our family and friends who are out there in other states and countries.  

Thanks for the encouragement!  To be continued...

I'm posting! Welcome to the bi-annual event!

Where do you begin writing when you've taken a 6 month hiatus?  When so much has changed.  When you have so much to say but don't know how or where to begin (but you just gotta get it out).   When you are suddenly short on time spent in front of a computer.  When you want to connect with people but feel like nobody wants to hear what you have to say.  When you're a better listener than a talker.


When your blog title says "Delhi" but you now live in "Denver".


Time to dust off the cobwebs...and transition from a travel blog to a daily life of me blog...

Reflections

What a great time to sit back and reflect on the last year.  Part of me feels so lame for not updating this blog as things were happening but the other part of me feels so much better for actually living and doing, rather than blabbing all about it.  If you don't know already, we have left India!  We are currently in Erie, Colorado which is just north of Denver.  For those of you that don't know that Glen is British, this has been a colorful experience trying to secure a visa for him.  But we're so freaking happy it went through!  We spent the last two months applying for jobs, sorting out visas, selling our stuff, packing, moving, sitting in Delhi traffic, settling temporarily at a friends house, buying cars, learning how to drive again, finding a house to live in, catching up with friends, eating tons of good food, celebrating the holidays etc.  You name it, we have had to do it.  And we're not done yet.  After a month and a half at our friends Chris and Jenessa's we are finally moving into our new place!  Lucky for us it is only 8 minutes away from them so the cord isn't completely cut.  We love hanging out with them.  This weekend begins part 3 out of 5 of our move.  We brought some of my furniture from my Lakewood house (that I rent out to friends) while we wait for our furniture to arrive from India.  It's on a boat...somewhere.  Hopefully it gets here in the next few weeks so we can finalize this move once and for all.  Another bit of exciting news is we FINALLY get Kona back this weekend!  It's been a long time coming...we've had a piece of our hearts missing for a year and a half.  It will also be her 3rd birthday so a little celebration and family bonding is on the agenda for Monday.  Slowly, slowly, bit by bit, things are falling into place.  


I must reiterate the fact that we wouldn't have been able to do any of this without the help of our dear friends Chris and Jenessa extending an open invitation to their home as we are in this transition phase of our lives.  We are so lucky to have such great friends.


I feel compelled to write more about India.  It was such a transformative experience and yet I don't have the words to express the change in me.  For those of you that I've had conversations with, you know how much I bitch about India...Delhi specifically.  I'll never be able to pinpoint it but Delhi drove me bonkers!  It's dirty, it smells and it's noisy...all of the freaking time and though I dealt with it and became desensitized to it, I never fully embraced it.  It's wild over there!  And though I love wild, it just wasn't my style I guess.  


My memory immediately draws up chaos... cows and cow pies on the street, swerving tuk tuks, motorcycle, scooters, trucks, cars, donkeys, camels, dogs, and elephants all jockeying for position where the lines painted on the street are optional and ultimately pointless.  Where every meal I had to wonder if it would hurt my tummy or not.  Where every mosquito bite I thought I would get dengue fever again or some other funky tropical disease.  Where I had to learn to live with bugs in my bathroom no matter how often it was cleaned.  Where we had to learn to live without water pressure and a limited weekly water supply.  Where poverty is on every corner threatening to crush your heart after you've just mended it from the previous day.  Where every transaction big or small was an enormous feat of patience and understanding of 'this is how things are done in India'.  Where getting groceries was a pain in my arse and something I dreaded doing every week.  Punctuality rarely exists in India.  Indian Standard Time is a sarcastic joke of how you can expect nobody to arrive to anything on time.  If somebody does arrive on time, it is a pleasant surprise.  This is especially maddening when you are expecting something to be delivered to your house and you end up waiting hours or days.  If you think you have a high multi-cultural tolerance I suggest moving to India or another 2nd/3rd world country where that tolerance will most definitely be challenged.  I'm a pretty tough girl and that place managed to break me down.  But the good part is that it gave me the opportunity to build myself back up again.


As I've said before, India is a place of contradictions.  For everything that worried me or pissed me off there were equally beautiful and astounding things that still have me awestruck.  If you spoke the language, the local people tended to warm up to you more quickly.  Usually if you travel outside of Delhi you are bound to discover something wondrous.  Can we begin with the Taj Mahal?  One of the most beautiful buildings on the planet, hands down.  What gets me is how long ago it was built and the discipline it must've taken to get it completed.  A true testament of love.  Then there are all kinds of wonderful things about the other places we visited...Kerala, Goa, Udaipur, Jaipur, Shimla, Amritsar, Calcutta, Varanasi, Aurangabad.  Each one had something unique and I will forever cherish the memories.  My favorite bit about being in India was the opportunity to help Dr. Josephine give typhoid vaccines to the slum families.  It made living there a little more rewarding...knowing I was doing a little good.  


Things I know about India for sure:

• "Hot" take on a whole new meaning from food to the outside temperature
• I'll never get used to cows on the street
• Sari's are one of the most beautiful ways a woman can dress herself
• Marriage ceremonies are out of control and way fun
• Poverty sucks
• Baths by bucket is an art form
• Elephants will pass you in traffic
• You'll never understand the term "traffic is a nightmare" until you sit in it yourself
• You must like zeera (cumin) and coriander (cilantro) or you're screwed
• The air tastes like dirt
• There's always more to see
• Shivani is the sweetest housekeeper and I miss her dearly
• Amrita is my Hindi BFF
• I suck at squatter toilets
• The children warm my heart
• There's always a way to help someone or some cause
• Someone should spay and neuter every stray dog
• Expat friends are awesome (you're all in the same boat!)
• It's easy to become a vegetarian, especially after you've witnessed the local butcher cutting up your meat using a knife between his toes.  Barf.
• There's always a way to find beef though, all you have to do is make friends with a Muslim
• Don't ever get in a situation where you need Emergency Services because it's practically non-existent.  The ambulance is a van with an oxygen tank and nobody yields to lights and sirens...since they're so desensitized to it in normal traffic.
• Women have it hard
• Men are juvenile (sexually repressed)
• No matter where you go, the locals will ask you to take their "snap" (picture)...or ask to take one with you
• There is National Holiday every other day...always a reason to celebrate!
• Cricket is a big deal
• Yoga really is transformative
• The Dalai Lama is cute
• Corruption exists in the worst way
• Women love black eyeliner

That's all I can really think of for now.  Another reason why I really wish I would've wrote this earlier.  But it's fun to look back and think of the memories.  What I'd like to say is this: If you ever get the chance to do something outside of your comfort zone... DO IT!  You'll find out you are really made of more than you think you are.  For me, this was the risk I took going to India with a man I only knew for 9 months.  And I'm so glad I did!  India, you sneaky little bitch, you made me a better person!


Now let's ring in 2012!  More adventures to come!