for serious? no, for JOKE

WEDDING PHOTOS!

I know, I know.  I’ve been absent for… forever.  Blogging was a big challenge while my life was working into one big crescendo of work and wedding all coming together into a huge peak at the end of May.  I’m still on the fence as to what to do about the blog.  It’s a love hate relationship – you’ve all been so awesome and supportive (I received so many emails from people saying congratulations on our wedding day!).  At the same time, blogging is time intensive.  It’s also… quite exposed.  I know recently a colleague of a colleague found my blog and that felt strange.   Anyways, TANGENT!!!    What you all want to know/see is wedding pictures of course!!   Here are SOME OF THEM.  They’re the non-professional photos, so some are very blurry and some are very good.  It’s just to give you an idea of the day.  I can’t wait to see the professional ones!

Thank you to everyone who has sent photos along to Anuj and me.   We would absolutely LOVE if you put them on a CD and mailed them to us – all the snapfish, shutterfly photosharing is getting completely overwhelming. 

The whole wedding weekend was amazing, perfect, we loved every second of it.  To put it into words is a task bigger than I take on at this very moment, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking…

I tried to be organized… so here you go…

Click here

Photographic Evidence - Bachelorette Party

You guys, blogging is kinda hard.  I'm sorry I don't post more regularly - I just get caught up at work and at home, and then all of a sudden I haven't posted in six days.  Sorry about that.

But!  I make it up to you.  Because I figured out how to do a photo album!  The India one is in the works, and in the meantime, check out the BACHELORETTE PARTY PICTURES. **  I apologize in advance for all the alcohol-related pictures and writing.

My sisters organized it, and lots of friends flattered me by coming.  I had no idea what was happening that night.  There were a few plastic penises (glow in the dark!) but it wasn't too bad.  At least no icky veils with genitals hanging off of them, ew.  Overall I think it was a pretty classy, yet appropriately wild, affair.  Props to my sisters for doing it, and BIG props for my sister Ruthie, who really did the majority of the planning.  I joked with her that if I ever need a project manager for anything, I am totally hiring her.  She was organized and inventive - good characteristics when planning a party.

She made a "gin bucket" (Gin, Fresca, Ice, lemon and lime), and had plastic syringes ready for the shots - pretty fun icebreaker, since it gave good mingling opportunities.  There were also cosmos, beer, and... blow job shots.  Ruthie was nicknamed RuthLESS that night since I was plied with so many different kinds of drinks.  Personally, I thought it was hilarious.  Plus, my friend Baja was on Water Watch, so I was pretty hydrated with every drink. 

I received loads of gag gifts.  Gwen's Talking Vibrator was a pretty big hit.  "Hell, can't you get a real man?!"

And of course I had to answer a bunch of questions that Anuj had pre-answered, drinking or doling out drinks accordingly.

Run, don't walk, and check out the photoalbum!

And, if anyone has any pictures of the shower on Sunday that they want to share with me, I'd be highly appreciative.

** click on the first photo and scroll through larger photos with captions...

Swingin' Bachelorette in NYC

I get these strange mental blocks about writing sometimes.  I still have one entry about India I want to write - about this crazy holiday called HOLI, from which I still bear the scars of battle (pink elbows and pink fingernails - it will all become clear to you once I write the entry). 

But in the meantime, I am in NYC for the weekend - my fabulous sisters are organizing a bachelorette party for me, and since I am not privvy ot the details I don't know what to expect.  I'm thinking low-key because I'm assuming no plastic penises.  Please god, let there be no plastic penises!   

Then on Sunday the lovely Diana and Leslie, friends of my mom (and friends of me!) are throwing a bridal shower in my honor.  I'm flattered and looking forward to a Sunday afternoon in New Jersey with lots of friends!

I am loving being in New York City.  What a wonderful, busy, dirty, urban, exciting, dynamic place!  The doorman at my parents' apartment melted my heart this morning when he greeted me with a tip of the hat and a "Goodmorning Ms. Aerts, welcome back."   Welcome back indeed!

India Continued...

So after my morning chai I was ready to shower and get dressed.  Of course, there wasn't really a "shower"... more like a tiled small square room with a faucet, a plastic bucket, and a plastic stool.  I'd be lying if I said that room didn't freak me out a little: it was small and dirty and dark.  I didn't budge off of my plastic flipflops and I certainly didn't sit my naked butt down on that stool!  Still, I had promised myself I was going to be a trooper all week, no matter what the conditions.  And Anuj keeps saying that his grandparents' current place is a vast improvement over the home they had in the village of B-- (I am pulling a Jane Austen here and not writing the whole village name, mostly because I don't know how to spell it).  I believe Anuj, but I still thought the bathroom situation was pretty rough.  I managed to balance my clothes and wash things precariously and didn't move around too much and in the end I came out feeling pretty clean.  And there was even hot water! 

We had breakfast while various relatives roamed about the apartment.  Breakfast in India doesn't differ too much from the other meals, but that doesn't bother me:  subji (vegetables), dahl (legumes), and roti (flat bread) are the staples of every meal.  Dhai (Yoghurt), Achar (Pickles), and rice often make appearances too.  The yoghurt really helps cool down your tongue when it's burning from the spices.  I cannot tell you how much I loved every single meal in India.  Each meal was better than the next.  And I hadn't given this any thought before the trip, but it was such an amazing luxury to be in a vegetarian country!   Whenever I travel it is always a huge pain in the butt to find the vegetarian things to eat, not to mention that I always am embarrassed to explain that I am sorry, but that special (beef stew/grilled chicken/roast goat...) you made for me is something I cannot eat.  Even salads are difficult to manage in developing countries since you can't trust the water it has been washed in.   To be in a country where there were often 3-6 different delicious cooked dishes on my plate, none of which I had to question the ingredients of, was awesome.  (I once was in Brazil and asked whether the black beans were vegetarian.  Sure, was the response.  So I was a bit surprised to find an entire pig's leg sticking out of the spoonful on my plate!)

So, I loved the food in India.  And boy, did everyone love to feed it to me.  There is a culture of feeding more, more, more in India, and I ate until my tummy exploded.    I was incredibly bloated the whole week and I think we all experienced digestive issues. 

After the business of washing up and eating breakfast was done, we were ready to hit the road in the city and do what we came for: shopping!

Anuj is all "how come none of the stuff we are buying is for me?"

Shopping is an experience in India, let me tell you - they sit you down in a chair, bring you chai and water, and five men proceed to fawn over you and spread out yards and yards of the most gorgeous silk embroidered colored fabrics you can imagine.  Then you just sit there and shake your head imperiously, indicating your (dis)pleasure with the wares.   Below are my partners in crime:

Ramesh Cha Cha, Anuj's Dad, Anuj's Mom, Muktha Mosi (or Goodie Mosi)

Can you not totally tell these people are related?  Anuj's parents look like they have twins in their younger siblings.

Anyways, Muktha Mosi is practically a professional shopper.  She does the arrangements for all the weddings in the family, so she is very familiar with all the gift giving (most lehengas and saris) that happens during weddings.  I'd have half an eye on the fabrics and the other eye on her, because with a flick of her wrist saris would be quickly put away.  I am not really up-to-date on the latest fashions and trends, so I took very much a back seat role.  I was content to just watch the spectacle happen!

And we didn't not buy anything for Anuj.  Check him out in one of the outfits he tried on.  He was really obsessing over that turban!

                                                                                                                                                                                

I am totally framing this picture.

After a full day in Delhi, we pile into the car and head to Muktha Mosi's house in Jaipur, which ends up being one of my favorite stops on the trip. 

I'm Back From India!

Well folks, I'm back.  Did you miss me?

So India was amazing.  Overwhelming, exhausting, hectic, but also warm, friendly, delicious, and astounding.  Lots and lots of adjectives for my short week in this country.  I definitely want to go back lots and lots, and maybe even move there for a while, though Anuj is not sure about that latter part. 

It was a looong trip there - the early departure and the late arrival were taxing, and Anuj is absolutely no company on a plane ride.  The man just sits down and zonks out.  Completely.  For the duration of the entire flight.  I had bought Sudoku books for us to race each other, but we only managed one contest until he settled in for his shut-eye.  Which, speaking of settling in, Anuj laughed at me for what he calls my "nesting".  Apparently, I "nest" on an airplane.  Which I guess is true: when I sit down I go through a fairly elaborate ritual of unfolding my blanket and pillow, placing them exactly where I want them to be, carefully choosing what I plan to stow in the overhead bin, what goes under my seat, what goes in the seat flap in front of me.  (this involves thinking about what book I'd like to read, if and when I will watch the inflight movie, etc.)   I set out the snacks and the drinks I brought with me, and I apply lipgloss, lotion, and drink water.  (It's dehydrating to be on an airplane, didn't you know!)  I have always thought this was all perfectly normal until Anuj looked at me dumbfounded and said, "Joke, what are you doing?!?"    I continued to arrange and put away and looked up and though, "What?"   I guess I was being abnormal?

We arrived in India at about midnight.  I was so tired but tried to pull it together for my first impression on Anuj's family.  Anuj had said arrival in Delhi was crazy: loads of people holding signs and his entire family waiting to welcome us.   So I was prepared for the onslaught.  That never came!   We got through the gates and absolutely no one was waiting for us.  Anuj was puzzled, saying that had never happened before.  Before I could go into a panic mode (we had no phone numbers, no addresses, nothing to indicate where we were going, and it was kind of a melee of people at the airport), a man who looks like an exact replica of Anuj's dad came pushing through the crowd and gave us lots of hugs and kisses and flowers and welcomecards.   Aha!  This was Ramesh Chacha, Anuj's uncle.   And we were off.

We went to stay with Anuj's dad's parents'.  Not necessarily a spacious place to stay, but to stay anywhere else would be an insult to the family.  I was pretty prepared for less comfortable facilities than I was used to, so it didn't shock me too much, but Baba and Dadi's house is definitely small and basic.  Also, it was filled to the hilt with relatives.  We came in with an elaborate process of welcomes, "Namaste"'s and the touching-of-feet.  We were both blessed over and over again by Anuj's grandparents, which was so nice.  Luckily I was somewhat familiar with the headpatting and feet-touching, but to actually experience it in India was pretty cool.  Here's me with Anuj and his Baba and Dadi, on their couch in one of the two rooms of the apartment:

We didn't go to sleep until about 3 am!!  Which, considering Anuj and I had been up since 5 am Amsterdam time (well, I had.  Mr. Sleepy McSnore had of course slept the whole airplane ride), staying up that late was exhausting.   I fell into bed completely exhausted.  (side note: since apparently sleeping arrangements are so loose in India, with people sharing beds, sharing rooms, sleeping on sofas, beds, and even easily on mattrsesses on the floor, Anuj and I somehow managed to be allowed to sleep next to each other the entire week.  It seemed ok with all family members, though I am still wondering whether we didn't create a slight scandal by doing so?  I offered to sleep elsewhere but I was assured everything was fine.  It was nice, with the all the "new" experiences that week, that at the end of the day I still had the familiarity of Anuj right next to me.)

I was woken up, to my horror, at about 6 am the next morning.  It being a tiny apartment, with lots of people in it, with some very early risers, there really was no escaping the early morning wake up call.  Anuj pulled me out of bed and brought me out to the balcony, and he made my first morning in India a wonderful experience with a cup of steaming hot chai and a glance of early morning bustle on a Delhi street.

Ok, instead of me writing one HUGE post that is all about India, I am going to do it this way - update often in the next four days and tell you the whole story. This way, there will hopefully be something new everytime you check in.  Also, it means you don't have to get bored reading the Longest Entry Ever (I never like the really long entries on blogs!  Is that weird?).  I am also going to try and experiment with making my first photo album on this site - but that's for later.  I also have a crud load of work to catch up on so I am doing that too.

Also, remember that you can click on any of the photos in all the entries and see them in enlarged form.  It's worth it with some of these India photos!

to be continued...