the joy project: week fifty-two / 2 of 52: touring graceland with my parents.

the final installment of the Joy Project series! I can't believe it, either...

Sunday: lunch at Local Taco with the Wright family before heading back from Nashville. helped my mother get some stuff ready for our family friend's visit this week.

Monday: rain rain rain. my picture from Central BBQ last Friday was included on the ILoveMemphis weekly round-up [if you know anything about Memphis, you know that's kind of a big deal]. made my mother's famous brown chicken curry without supervision.

Tuesday: tried on bridesmaids' dresses for the first time in my life, and my head didn't explode. also got to catch up with an old friend in the process. the return of Marc Gasol. Arkansas hoops overtime victory over Kentucky.

Wednesday: introduced my parents and Lalit Uncle to the ribs at Blues City Cafe. watched Philomena with all the adults.

Thursday: took the parents and Lalit Uncle to Graceland and then to Huey's Midtown for lunch.

Friday: slept in. family lunch at India Palace. very awesome Skype session that ended with me taking on a part-time gig for the coming months.

Saturday: house to myself allllll day and night! did some yoga. ate some leftover India Palace for lunch. watched some basketball and other stuffs on the television. made lasagna for dinner. finally watched The Spectacular Now.

----------

At this point in our lives, we all know how much I love Elvis Presley. We also know how much I love visiting his home, Graceland. So we don't need to rehash either of those at this point. I also very much enjoy sharing Graceland with others. I took Bec there when she visited in 2007; my brother and I took our nieces last August; and this week I took my parents and our family friend, Lalit Uncle, who was visiting from Michigan.

[even balaji is in awe of the legend]

My mother has been to Graceland a number of times, but most of her visits were in the late '80s, and her most recent visit was nearly 10 years ago. My father had only been TWICE before, which seems ridiculous to me, and his last visit was circa 1989, so he was long overdue. Lalit Uncle, having never been to Memphis before, had obviously never been, but when I told him on Wednesday that Elvis' home is here, he said he would like to see it.

[my brother, ladies and gentlemen. pretty sure he's been practicing this pose for 35 years]

On Thursday morning we bundled up and headed over to one of my Happiest Places on Earth. Because it's the middle of January - and a week after Elvis' birthday - the parking lot was pretty empty, and the grounds were generally pretty quiet. We breezed through the purchasing of our tickets, there was no line to get our picture taken, AND there was a shuttle waiting, so before we knew it, we were standing on the front steps of Elvis' home.

[first room on the tour: Elvis' living room]

No matter how many times I've visited Graceland or how recently I've been there, there's no feeling quite like stepping through that front door. And no matter how many times I've listened to the audio tour, there's nothing that can compare with the first time I hear Elvis' voice on the recording. That house holds magic for me, and I am not at all ashamed to admit it.

[what I wouldn't give to play a round or two on that table]

My favourite part of the tour comes toward the end, after you've been through the house and Vernon's office and the trophy room. It's in the racquetball building, in the room that I think used to be the court. I love standing there, surrounded by Elvis' records on all the walls and his jumpsuits in their cases, and watching the video of the 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert. If I am on my own - or with very understanding friends - I can stand there for ages and just watch and listen and absorb.

[it's impossible not to be in awe when you're in this room]

My father asked me at the end of our visit how many times I think I've been to Graceland. While I don't know for certain, as many of my visits happened when I was a child, I have determined that the number is probably somewhere around 25ish. And with each visit, I find some new detail that I've not seen before. On this visit, during the part where you can see into Vernon and Gladys' room, I noticed for the first time that some of Gladys' old dresses are hanging in the closet. I'm sure they've been there for years, but I guess because of where I have stood when peering into the room on past visits, I've not seen them before. I love that each visit holds a new discovery or two.

[loved getting to observe their visit and view it through their eyes]

And there's not just the house and grounds to be seen. There's also the car museum and the planes. While it still breaks my heart that they've taken the cars out of the carport - where I used to enjoy trying to climb on them when the tour guides weren't looking - I do have to admit that the car museum is pretty nice. It's fun to walk around and read all the stories behind Elvis' various cars and buggies and theorize which ones you would have liked best.

[not just talented, but generous to boot]

Now, I know that Graceland is not for everyone. Most of my friends who are either from Memphis or who have lived here a long time don't frequent it [some have never even been! unfathomable], but for me, it's one of my favourite sites in the city. I'm big on historical places in general, and to combine that with the memorabilia of the most successful singer ever - he's sold more singles than any other artist in history - who also happens to be one of my favourites, makes Graceland a super special place for me.

[elvis bought this place when he was 22. i could barely pay my credit card bill when i was 22]

If you DO happen to find yourself with an inkling to visit, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• the mansion is closed on Tuesdays during the winter months - generally December through February - but the rest of the exhibits remain open on those days.
• AAA members, senior citizens, students, and military personnel all receive different discount benefits on tickets. discounts cannot be combined, however, so choose which one will be most beneficial for you [for example, I cannot get a double discount for being a student and a AAA member, etc].
• if you just want to visit the Meditation Garden and see the graves of Elvis, his parents, and his grandmother without paying for the full tour, there are free walk-ups every day between 7.30am and 8.30am.
• photography is allowed anywhere and everywhere on the grounds, but no flash photography. follow the rules. please.
• the mansion tour is an audio tour that generally takes between 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on if you choose to listen to any of the additional features and how often you simply choose to pause the tour and take in your surroundings. I usually take about an hour and 10 minutes, depending on how long I'm allowed to hang out in the racquetball court and watch the concert.
• all the other exhibits are self-guided and self-paced.

Check out the website for additional information.

[officially an historic place]

After all these years and all those visits, Graceland is still a special place for me, and being able to share that with my parents made it an even more special occasion.

xx

the joy project: week fifty-one / 1 of 52: meeting miss evelyn marie wright.

The penultimate joy project post. I can't believe it either.
[and yes, the extra part in the title is how I'm hoping to carry it through this year, with a few changes. full explanation below]

Sunday: made chili and buttermilk biscuits for lunch [both recipes from the Smitten Kitchen's website].

[perfect lunch for a cold and rainy sunday]

Monday: 30-minute workout. read 3 chapters in Will's book. printed out a few job descriptions to get started on cover letters. felt nice to kick off my routine; fingers crossed it lasts.

Tuesday: 15-minute legs workout [and now I can't feel my quads. eeks]. 4 more chapters. sent off my resume for a few jobs. two days in a row totally makes it a proper schedule, right?

Wednesday: a very stiff 45-minute run. 4 more chapters. finished The Fault in Our Stars [John Green].

Thursday: 45-minute workout. a nice cold and rainy day [I'm one of those weird people who loves cold and rainy days. the colder and rainier, the better]. hung out in the B&N Cafe, sipping on hot chocolate and reading 3 more chapters in Will's book. picked up some goodies for Miss Evelyn. tried a new sushi place for lunch. scored a robe from Target for $11!

Friday: 15-minute butt workout. lunch with my mummy at Central BBQ and then introduced her to Sweet Noshings. sorted out some order stuff with my buddies at Rock/Creek in Chattanooga [love those guys, love that store]. watched the Rhodes Women's Basketball team dominate. farewell dinner for Amber at Interim. finished Will's book!

[bbq nachos from central. never gets old]

Saturday: drove to Nashville. went for a drive with Steve. finally got to meet little Evelyn. hot chicken lunch at pepperfire. took a tour of the Jackalope brewery. all the Nashville peeps came over for the Patriots game.

[stevo pretending to do some work in the brew house]

----------

I have been wondering for the last few weeks if and how I wanted to continue this series into the new year. I went back-and-forth between just continuing with the "Joy Project" line, but I decided I wanted to do something slightly different. So this year, instead of doing the day-by-day like I did through 2013, I'm going to do a longer post on my favourite memory from each week, hopefully with more pictures and more in-depth stories. For these first two weeks, it will be added on to the bottom of the Joy Project posts so that it will correspond properly with the weeks of the year.

Make sense? Good. Now, on to week 1 of 52...

Lindsay and Steve have been two of my very best friends since we were in college. As the years have progressed and the miles have increased and decreased between us, we have somehow managed to keep up with each other. We've been through a lot over the years, and they remain two of my absolute favourites in the world. Wherever we are, we'll always remain close.

[my little muffin. we're best friends already]

This past October, Lindsay and Steve brought a new friend into the world: Evelyn. When I found out they were expecting, I was thrilled. My response when they told me Lindsay was pregnant was, "I'm so happy for all three of us." I always love it when my friends have babies, and I was particularly excited for the two of them because I was certain they would be incredible parents - and they are.

[checking out the view on our way to lunch]

E was born while I was in San Francisco for my race, and because of my travel schedule that followed and then the holidays, suddenly it became January and I hadn't seen her yet. Lindsay assured me they were free this past weekend, so I drove myself over to Nashville on Saturday morning to spend some time with my little Muffin.

[not many things in this world are quite as adorable as a sleeping baby]

I guess it's pretty safe to say that I'm in love. She's a nearly 3-month-old bundle of awesome, and I'm so glad I finally got to spend meet her and simultaneously spend a little time with her parents. I can already tell we're going to be besties for life, and I may or may not be counting down the days until I get to see her again.

So here's to miss Evelyn, the cutest little muffin in all the land.
xx

the joy project: week fifty.

Happy 2014, folks!

Sunday: made mommy mush for lunch. Kwik Chek for dinner. watched the Rhodes Women's Basketball team dominate. Packers beat the Bears -- we're in the playoffs!

Monday: my boots arrived from Zappos! lunch at Chiwawa, popcorn sampling at Sweet Noshings, and another basketball game.

Tuesday: chilled-out NYE at home with the family.

Wednesday: one heck of a New Year feast - Indian green beans, kheema, stuffed bhindi, and green gram daal with homemade chappati. talk about yum. dismantled all the Christmas decor with help from the father and brother. pakodas and black-eyed peas for dinner.

Thursday: spent the morning snuggled in bed watching episodes of SVU. chili + Sugar Bowl watch party at the Koelsch household.

Friday: final family lunch before the brother heads back to school. picked up a planner at 50% off, got a new jigsaw puzzle [nerd alert], and saw some of my B&N friends.

Saturday: said farewell to the brother. ran and walked and gritted my way through 5 miles. spent the afternoon curled up with a blanket and a book. dinner at Memphis Pizza Cafe.

Here's hoping your years are off to wonderful beginnings.
xx

the joy project: week forty-nine.

Sunday: found out that this month Amazon Prime introduced a new feature - they now offer 1 of 4 future releases to read for free every month. a fun shower to celebrate Baby Koelsch. registered for both the Starry Nights 4k AND the Little Rock Half.

Monday: Christmas Adam party at Julie Clary's house.

Tuesday: family Christmas Eve lunch at Curry Bowl. got a $30 reward in the mail for Old Navy. reunited with Ralphie and family for "24 Hours of A Christmas Story".

Wednesday: CHRISTMAS DAY! opened presents from Santa. made channa bhatura for lunch almost entirely by myself.

Thursday: first 3mi run in nearly 7 weeks -- I'm pretty proud I made it. family nap time after lunch. made parwar for dinner.

Friday: got to have a nice little chat with big brother Mikey for his birthday.

Saturday: Starry Nights 4k at Shelby Farms Park -- it was cloudy and cold but still lots of fun; my favourite part was where the stars were hanging in the trees because it felt like running through an enchanted forest.

happy early 2014, friends!
xx

the joy project: week forty-eight.

Sunday: yummy chicken curry and parwar and parathas for lunch. another Packers come-from-behind victory [and that too over the Cowboys. doubly awesome].

Monday: cleaned my room -- 5 weeks in a row of traveling meant a lot of debris piled up on my floor, but I can finally see it again! family cards night.

Tuesday: made myself a little collage with some of my Instagram prints and now have pictures up in my room from after 2005!

Wednesday: got the sweetest thank you card in the mail from a girl going on the Jamaica Trip in spring 2014. made spinach dip for the first time in my life. ornament exchange at Walshie's house.

Thursday: between a sale and a $20 rewards coupon, my brother and I scored the complete Friday Night Lights box set on DVD for $30. Charlie Brown Christmas and Home Alone 2 both on television. caught some old episodes of Friends [on Nick-at-Nite! that makes me feel so old!].

Friday: even though this year's Ugly Sweater Run was canceled, I still got a free knit hat!

Saturday: caught up on some Upworthy videos [note to self: next time I decide to watch 2 months worth of videos in one sitting, remember to keep the tissues handy]. watched some of the India v South Africa test match at stupid-o'clock in the morning with my mother. family lunch at Taj Mahal. I followed it up with a 2.5 hour nap on the couch.

Christmas is in 4 days! holy crap.
xx

the joy project: week forty-seven.

Sunday: made lunch mostly by myself [the leftovers that were also consumed were made by my mother last week]. Packers won for the first time since Aaron Rodgers got injured. learned how to iron [yes, I am a 30-year-old woman who is only now learning to iron. it's cool].

Monday: started reading and editing Will's book. folded and put away a month's worth of laundry. started writing my holiday cards. ordered Papa John's for dinner, and my father had only good things to say [usually he hates on Papa John's and insists on Pizza Hut, but I won today's battle]! nice long gchat with Bee.

Tuesday: picked up some fun Christmas presents for the Peanut and the Pumpkin. Dirty Santa pajama party and potluck at Walshie's house.

Wednesday: finished [I think!] writing my holiday cards. now to address, stamp, and mail them!

Thursday: mailed Christmas presents to the Peanut and Pumpkin in Bangalore as well as the Muffin in Nashville [I might have a slight problem buying presents for babies. I figure there are worse problems to have in life]. saw Frozen [great movie; review coming soon]. prep work for the Brother's return.

Friday: my prints from Printstagram arrived! short 1.5 mile run around the neighbourhood, my first cold-weather run in nearly 2 years [note to self: gloves are your friends]. began plowing through the last 6 years of photographs to choose which ones to print [I'm apparently on a really big photo-printing high right now].

Saturday: finished combing through all my pictures, but I think I've made my project even more complicated. hoping to have the 2,300 pictures narrowed down to about 1,000 [still crazy at least more manageable] in the next few weeks. also, Brother Bear came home for the holidays!

only 10 days until Christmas! raise your hand if you're excited <both arms flung high in anticipation>.
xx

the joy project: week forty-six.

Sunday: lunch with Lisa, Jonathan, and Devin at Huey's. bought the mother a new washing machine. tried on my new salwar and anarkali designed by Priyanka!

Monday: lunch at Humdinger's followed by a noon viewing of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. slowly catching up on television shows and emails and generally getting my life together again.

Tuesday: caught up on all my television shows. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it can be so nice to spend the day watching your favourite shows.

Wednesday: our new washing machine arrived! and I finished putting up our holiday decorations, except for the star on top of the tree [pictures will come once that is complete].

Thursday: took advantage of good sales at Old Navy and Dick's Sporting Goods and got my Christmas presents early [thank you, parents :)]. bought a new small backpack [rest in peace, LLBean bag that's been with me for 14 years. you will get your own post soon]. saw The Book Thief. my Jackalope swag and Will's to-be-edited book arrived in the mail!

Friday: parents finished work early because of the weather. spent most of the day playing cards.

Saturday: awesome college football games to wrap up the season.

It was a slow week, but I'm over my cold and my sleepiness, the weather is getting colder, and the Brother arrives home for the holidays in 4 days, so things will only get better from here on!
xx

the joy project: weeks forty-three to forty-five.

my 3 weeks in India, rolled into my awesome blog post.

Sunday 10: landed in Bombay and was recognized within 2 hours. as my parents and I were checking into our hotel, I hear from one of the bellmen, "Madam! How are you, Madam? So long!" and then, when he and another guy brought our bags up to the room, the other guy was explaining breakfast hours and all to my father, and this guy stops him and just says, "No worries. Madam knows all." seems my reputation is still intact.

Monday 11: yummy breakfast at the hotel. flight to Coimbatore.

Tuesday 12: visited Vasamma, my father's sweet aunt [who sadly passed away just this week. she'll be fondly remember and missed every day].

Wednesday 13: early morning run around Race Course. definitely an odd feeling to go for a run in Coimbatore, but it was nice to get out and about.

Thursday 14: lots of rest, relaxation, and reading.

Friday 15: another early morning run, and this time I dragged my nephew along. cousins dinner at Bird on Tree followed by ice cream at Ibacco.

Saturday 16: joined the guys for a 5.45am run around Race Course. lunch at Bombay Brasserie. "doctors' dinner" at home for my father and all his doctor friends.

Sunday 17: spent most of the day at home playing cards.

[clockwise from top left: my aunt made ragi mudhe for me; my dog-cousin apple; attempts at "fixing" the road outside my grandmother's house; lots and lots of card playing]

Monday 18: spent the day at our family temple for the full moon festival. hung out with my cousin's 5-year-old daughter, Esha, who is an absolute gem. pretty sure I have a new best friend for life.

Tuesday 19: TO BANGALORE! I met the Pumpkin and had a reunion with my Peanut, the first of whom is one of the happiest babies I've ever known and the second of whom is absolutely hilarious and quite the little diva. also a reunion with my third-born.

Wednesday 20: a fun afternoon with Shonali and Rajat. an Old Monk reunion. barbecue at the farm with Nithya, Sam, Anthony Appa, and Viji.

[rajat can't contain his excitement at having me back in town]

Thursday 21: Catholic Club and then reunion at Guzzlers capped off with dosa and chicken curry from Kentacky. quite an epic night in my books.

[teaching the peanut to touch her tongue to her nose]

[sweet little pumpkin]

[love that whenever i see prakash for the first time, he comes bearing these]

Friday 22: lunch at Nagarjuna with Dorothy and Sneha. nice long catch-up afternoon with Dorothy. went shopping with Shonali [as a note to anyone who might find themselves in a similar situation: never ever go shopping with Shonali. it lasts forever]. yummy biryani for dinner. and then Bern and I taught Nithya and Sam how to play Phase10.

[because sneha and dorothy both came dressed in hearts]

Saturday 23: lunch at South Indies with Prakash-a. got my hairs cut [and not by a barber :)]. took Shonali for a burger. dessert at Berry'd Alive. and then Prakash's aunt fed us akki roti and curry, dosa, and some yummy sweet I don't know the name of. then it rained! so much rain. we sat in Prakash's house with the windows and door open and blues on in the background and chatted while we waited for the roads to be drivable again.

[love my third-born]

Sunday 24: nice drive to the airport. flight to Bombay. reunion with PC, Deboo, Reishabh, Punit, and Steph.

[pretty typical, really]

[goodness knows what was so funny. probably shonali trying to figure out how to take a picture]

Monday 25: met Chris, the founder of Reality Gives, and walked all around Dharavi visiting the projects. discovered a new spot in Bandra to enjoy some quiet and watch the sunset. traditional night-in with PC where we ordered food and binge-watched episodes of Homeland.

[view of bandra from our point out in the sea]

Tuesday 26: met PC at the new Starbucks in the Fort and then had lunch with PC and Mahrooh at this cute little cafe in a bookstore. finally met PC's boss, Sonali. reunion of sorts at Toto's with Steph, Pete, PC, Deboo, Uday, Anurag, and Avinash. capped off the evening with frozen yogurt from Pinkberry - my choice was a salted caramel and chocolate swirl with sliced almonds and dark chocolate chips on top. and it was amazing.

[teaching my deboo-boy how to drink whiskey. i think he's slowly getting the hang of it]

[i heart you, too, pc]

Wednesday 27: spent the day sleeping and relaxing and reading. pav bhajji at my hole-in-the-wall darshini in Bandra. dinner at Steph and Pete's.

Thursday 28: back to the airport for my journey back to the States. no traffic on the way to the airport, I was the first person in line when they opened the Emirates check-in counters, I had no wait in the Immigration line since OCI holders get to go through a shorter line, and there was no line at the Security Check. and then in Dubai I paid to use the lounge near my gate - free wifi, food, and alcohol, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

Friday 29: finished The Book Thief [which I had started on Wednesday afternoon]. landed in Dallas. no line through Immigration or Customs [thank you, Global Entry] or Security Check. early lunch at Pappasito's. back to Memphis.

Saturday 30: slept in. mum's chicken biryani for lunch. unearthed all the Christmas decorations. set up the tree and got the ornaments on. Christmas season is here!

happy December, all!
xx

the joy project: week forty-two.

Sunday: met Angela at the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge to say goodbye to Banjo and send some of his ashes down the river and also to welcome little Capone into the family [these are dogs, in case you're wondering]. drove back to Memphis for an early birthday lunch for my mother.

Monday: various errands for our upcoming trip. caught up on some episodes of Criminal Minds. folded the 3 weeks worth of laundry that was piled up on my bed. Grizz boys won.

Tuesday: MUM'S 70TH BIRTHDAY. first post-race run; felt nice to get out for about 20 minutes and find my stride again. Huey's for dinner. Gone With the Wind on television! first time I've seen it in at least a decade, probably longer. definitely going to start incorporating "fiddle-dee-dee" into my daily vocabulary.

Wednesday: spent the cloudy, rainy morning snuggled in bed watching television. sort of began gathering stuff for India.

Thursday: picked up some new red thin-tip Sharpies for an upcoming project [office supplies are kind of like crack for me]. saw 12 Years a Slave in the cinema.

Friday: Waffle House lunch with my parents. packed for the journey. got to chat with Lindso for the first time since the Muffin was born.

Saturday: TO INDIA.

in honour of the 3-week Indian holiday - and since I'll be traveling so much within the country - I am leaving my laptop at home and enjoying a bit of a holiday from being so connected as well. there may be a post or two from my phone if I'm feeling so inclined, but the more likely scenario is that I will post updates once I return. I'll be active on instagram [@vrangaswami] and possibly on twitter [@veen83], if you feel like following my adventures on there.

otherwise, I'll see you kids in 3 weeks.
a happy early Thanksgiving to you and yours.
xx

the joy project: week forty-one.

another super crazy but super fun week.

Sunday: took myself to Epcot and explored the World Showcase. spent 10 minutes watching a sweet lady from Mexico paint some beautiful souvenirs, learned about Norway and China, and watched a pretty entertaining stage show about the US. attended the after-hours AAP exhibit and picked up a ton of free swag from various hospitals and other promoters.

Monday: spent the whole day at Universal Studios. immersed myself in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! because the park was pretty empty - and because of the separate line for single riders - I got to skip ahead of people and head right to the front of a lot of the attractions. I saw the Hogwarts Express, I bought sweets from Honeydukes, I survived the Dragon's Challenge, and I took a tour through the Hogwarts castle and grounds. it was amazing, and I could have spent the whole day in just that part of the park, but I took full advantage of both parks and went on 11 different rides in just under 5 hours. 3 of which were loopy-loop roller coasters. I call that a pretty successful day.

Tuesday: back to Memphis.

Wednesday: finished my book club book with one day to go! India victory over Australia. busy day flying to-and-from Atlanta with mum for our Global Entry interviews, but I got to have a chili cheese dog and a chili cheeseburger from The Varsity for lunch, so it was completely worth it. Grizz season opener!

Thursday: first workout since my race. lunch with my parents at Bharat. road trip to Little Rock. farewell family dinner for Nathan Jesson at Chuy's.

Friday: lunch with Angela at the Heifer Cafe. picked up some goodies from David Monteith for the ladies in Bangalore and Bombay. got to see my Erbach girls for the first time since last May [they've grown so much!]. Clinton School alumni happy hour at Gusano's. had a New Girl marathon at home with Bee.

Saturday: snagged a free shirt at the Cornbread Festival [almost made up for not actually getting any cornbread]. late lunch at Slim Chickens. scored some awesome winter slippers at Ross. small get-together at Bee's friend's house. continued our New Girl season 1 marathon. 2am feasting on some red beans and rice.

it was a busy week with a lot of travel, but it was a pretty fantastic one.
xx

the joy project: week forty.

week 40? that seems ridiculous. and yet, here we are. <silently patting myself on the back>

Sunday: ran - and survived - my first half-marathon. ladies' brunch with fantastic bloody mary's to celebrate. cheered the Packers on to victory at the sports bar down the road from my hotel and met a very sweet couple from Wisconsin. capped my day with a Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger from Jack in the Box. definitely a Sunday for the books.

Monday: slept in and rested my muscles. roomie reunion lunch with the long-lost Cheryl. hung out with Miriam, Maren, and Cassie while they went climbing. yummy dinner at Tacko for my last night in town.

Tuesday: a long day of traveling, but it's always nice to return "home". and I read nearly 160 pages in my book. got a sweet card in the mail from Nana.

Wednesday: slept in and in and in. had a lovely dinner at Nathanial and Chad's that included yummy chicken and two bottles of wine.

Thursday: pretty uneventful day, if I'm honest...

Friday: family trip - minus the brother - to Orlando. planned my Disney World visits. beat my mother at foosball and then got my ass kicked in Skee-ball. met a friend of my father's from Detroit who's probably his coolest friend ever. free food!

Saturday: spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. rode Space Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, and Splash Mountain. bought some gifts for various kiddos. and then my parents' medical conference arranged for the whole lot of us to go to Hollywood Studios [previously MGM Studios] after hours. was so cool to have the whole park to ourselves. took my father on the Tower of Terror, saw the end of the Indiana Jones stunt show, took my father on the Aerosmith Rock 'n Roller Coaster [he didn't even realise it went upside down. twice], and saw the Beauty and the Beast stage show. super fun night. thank you, American Academy of Pediatrics.

it was a crazy week, going from one coast to the other, but it was definitely full of fun.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-nine.

Sunday: Green Bay managed to squeak out a win in Baltimore [the first Packers victory in Baltimore since 1974!]. yummy Indian lunch.

Monday: visited some of my old buddies at the B&N. essentially got offered my old job back.

Tuesday: second interview for a potential job. fun dinner to celebrate Jane's birthday. got to hang out with Quincy the dog.

Wednesday: started off a bit rough, but a Skype chat with Ellie and a phone chat with Dylan put me in a significantly better mood. also hearing that a job I wanted in Bombay is still open and available. and also watching India beat Australia in a one-day match.

Thursday: read 100 pages in my book during my journey to San Francisco. much-awaited catch-up time with Miriam. attended my first Zumba class. Indian feasting on the floor of the kitchen with Miriam and Maren.

Friday: submitted my CV and cover letter for a position in Bombay. chatted with Shonali and pretty much decided we will be attending the Bangalore edition of this year's NH7 Weekender [gotta carry on the tradition, right?]. picked up my race packet at the NWM expo, quick catch-up chat with Cheryl, found my name on the wall outside Niketown, and picked up some swag from the store. grabbed a drink with Dave and Jay, and then Mo and I had a nice dinner before heading home and crashing. also, Bee and Brandon got engaged!

[pretty cool, I won't lie]

Saturday: relaxing morning. Miriam made pancakes for breakfast. went for a run at 11.30am! can't remember the last time I've been able to do that. ran into Hunter Brasfield while waiting for a bus to my hotel; got a free ride into town and caught up on the last 6 years of Hunt's life. watched highlights from some very interesting SEC games [Arkansas-Alabama not included]. found out that baby Evelyn [daughter of Lindsay and Steve and my little Muffin] made her entrance into the world a week early! congrats, Wright family!

and in approximately 9.5 hours, I'll be tackling the hills of San Francisco. wish me luck.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-eight.

busy week. lots going on. but also good fun.

Sunday: helped the mummy make yummy Sunday dinner. Maggie came to visit! watched Barfi and discussed Bollywood gossip.

Monday: toured the National Civil Rights Museum with Moo. lunch at Huey's.

Tuesday: wrote and mailed lots of cards and postcards to various peeps.

Wednesday: Old Navy Stuff and Save 30% off Sale. it's always bad news for my wallet but excellent news for my closet. made 7-layer dip for the first time in ages.

Thursday: made brownies. hosted a book swap with Walshie and Jane and raised $110 for Room to Read's projects! also scored The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman in the swap. been wanting to read it for a while and can't wait to get started on it.

Friday: had lunch with my mother at McAlister's. caught up on my book club reading [this month is The Secret History by Donna Tartt].

Saturday: last long run before my race [which is next weekend!]. lunch from the newly reopened Chick-fil-A by our house. relaxing day watching lots of college football.

and although the Braves lost in the NLDS and Arkansas got dominated on Saturday, it was still a good week.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-seven.

Cait and Wes' wedding week!

Sunday: slept in and lazed about and didn't get out of bed until 12.30. it was incredible. all-day pajama day. cloudy and cool weather [high of 72! amazing]. finally finished the final season of Greek. nice chat with Lindso. solid Sunday.

Monday: nice cloudy and rainy day. perfect weather for sweats. started a new coursera course on International Organizations Management. prepped for Tuesday's interview. yummy McAlister's chili for dinner [it was really good chili weather].

Tuesday: playing catch-up for my Introduction to Global Health coursera course [you should really check out coursera if you don't know what it is]. survived my first job interview in 7 years. hammered out some details for a Booktober event I'm hosting next week with Walshie and Jane [and opened Microsoft Excel for the first time in months].

Wednesday: slept in. caught up on some emails. refused to shower until 2pm. finally went to the parlor. thought about what I needed to pack for Atlanta.

Thursday: reunion with roommate Shelley in the ATL.

Friday: Cait's Bridesmaids' Luncheon. I got to see Caitlin, Lara, Bridgette, Ansley, Catherine, Nana, Pops, Craig, Andie, and Pete, and I finally got to meet Kelly and Louisa, Pete's wife and daughter. too much fun. tried "totchos" [tater tot nachos. wow] for dinner - my stomach was extremely happy. Braves beat the Dodgers to even the division series.

Saturday: slept in. got to chat with Shonali and catch up properly for the first time in months. Cait and Wes' beautiful wedding and super fun reception. yummy bbq for dinner. danced for hours. participated in my first ever wedding photo booth [thank you, Kelly and Pete]. got to meet more of the Goodrich family and finally got to meet Bridgette's husband Chris.

[the effects on Google Hangouts are great for overgrown children like Shonali and myself]

[so happy to see my favourite little brother Petey after entirely too long] 

[my beautiful Bridgette]

it's going to be hard to beat this last week, but I have a feeling visits from Maggie and our Booktober Book Swap will come pretty close.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-six.

Sunday: lovely brunch in Nashville with Dr and Mrs Hughes, Lindsay, and Catherine and Drew before I hit the road back to Memphis. Masi and Shailesh Bhai have come to visit.

Monday: one of our jasmine plants [Jep Jasmine, to be precise] had another flower overnight. took Masi and Shailesh Bhai to Curry Bowl for lunch. found a $3 copy of The Age of Innocence [Edith Wharton] at Goodwill. had some promising communication about a potential j-o-b. began writing my first ever cover letter.

Tuesday: lunch at Flavors. prepped for Thursday's grad fairs at CBU and Rhodes.

Wednesday: changed up my routine and did my run at Shelby Farms. submitted my application and cover letter for a position I'm really interested in. cross your fingers I get an interview!

Thursday: repped the Clinton School at the CBU and Rhodes grad school expos [and discovered how well Admissions folks eat while they're traveling]. dinner at the Palace with Katie Walsh. getting some ideas underway for Booktober.

Friday: good chat with a potential future boss [that sounds weird to say]. found out I have a Skype interview next week!

Saturday: survived a 12 mile run. fell in love with the Greenline.

bit of a crazy week with family in town and various things going on, but it was nice to be busy. hope it's sign of good things to come.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-five.

Sunday: lunch at Curry Bowl for my father's birthday. Packers victory.

Monday: solo lunch at McAlister's. finally finished my Aruba travel guide.

Tuesday: [I honestly can't remember what I did on Tuesday. I think that probably means I spent the day on the couch watching Greek]

Wednesday: finally finished cleaning and organising my room and bathroom. I can't remember the last time I saw my bedroom floor.

Thursday: tried McDonald's new spicy wings. I have to say, they were pretty good.

Friday: so much rain. drove to Nashville. lovely dinner at Lindso and Steve's house with the Wright and Hughes families.

Saturday: baby shower for Lindso, Steve, and the Muffin at Catherine and Drew's house. lovely food + fun friends = a fun Saturday afternoon. spent the evening playing cornhole in the yard and then wound down with some pizza and episodes of Drunk History and New Girl.

the beginning of the week was a bit slow, but it culminated in a fun weekend in Nashville. it's always nice to get to see my Rhodes peeps.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-four.

Sunday: slept in. saw the Mama Eastham off on her journey. back to Memphis.

Monday & Tuesday: hung out with the mother. watched a lot of Law & Order: SVU.

Wednesday: slept and slept and slept after my early morning run.

Thursday: lunch with the mother at Gus's Fried Chicken. made my tummy so very happy. picked up some Rhodes swag for a wee little one who will be making her appearance next month.

Friday: didn't do a whole lot, but got to spend the whole day with my mother, which was pretty nice.

Saturday: house to myself. 9mi run. Razorback victory. long afternoon nap on the couch. Rhodes night at the Levitt Shell. ran into my favourite Dr Wigginton. good Saturday.

it was kind of a slow week around the Rangaswami household, but it was nice to get to spend so much time with my mother while she was home.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-three.

Back to the "real" world.

Sunday: after a delay in Charlotte, finally made it back to Memphis just after midnight on Monday.

Monday: slept in after Sunday's long journey.

Tuesday: slowly settling into being the only child at home again. ran some errands. enjoyed having the house to myself in the evening while the parents went to a movie.

Wednesday: spent the day cleaning my room, finishing up Chuck [not entirely happy with how it ended, if I'm being honest], and watching the tennis.

Thursday: got a new pair of running shoes. lunch at Genghis Grill. off to Little Rock for the weekend! arrived in time for Britney's work event for National Hunger Month.

Friday: met with Stephanie about some job stuff. Slim Chickens for lunch. hung out with the Brothers Eastham.

Saturday: baby shower for Lindso and the Muffin. tailgate. took Bee to her first Arkansas football game [thank you for the tickets, Mr and Mrs Aburrow!]. Slim Chickens for dinner complete with peach fried pie and a free drink. Razorbacks victory. AHA reunion party. it was a good Saturday.

love any week that involves tennis, football, Slim Chickens, and family reunions.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-two. or, as i like to call it, the aruba edition.

Sunday: early morning to catch our flight to Charlotte and then on to Aruba. yummy dinner at a tapas bar called Salt + Pepper.

Monday: slept and slept and slept. went to bed around 9pm Sunday night, woke up briefly at 9.30am Monday, back in bed by 10am, and eventually emerged at 2pm. and it was some of the best sleep I've had in ages. dinner at one of the 2 Indian restaurants on Aruba.

Tuesday: in the process of turning my old Nokia over to the brother, I got to read through some old messages that are still saved on there. oh, the Bangalore memories from 2008-2011... awesome shrimp for dinner at Fishes & More.

Wednesday: yummy poffertjes [Dutch mini-pancakes] covered in powdered sugar, chocolate, and cinnamon for breakfast. found a "beach" to wade in for a bit while father and brother finished their breakfast. visited a casino for the first time since turning 21 and won $1.60 on the slots. I'm rich. saw Elysium in the cinema. rounded out the day with Haagen Dazs for dinner.

Thursday: went swimming in my private little swimming hole. so very nice to be in the sea again.

Friday: checked into the Westin for the weekend. spicy jerk chicken wrap for lunch. went for a walk along the beach. won $7 at the slot machines. attempted roulette [that $5 minimum is a bit steep for me...]. shrimp caesar salad for dinner and Baskin-Robbins for dessert.

Saturday: went for a run and then a nice leisurely swim in the sea. stuffed our faces at the Tandoor lunch buffet. opening Saturday of college football!

we had ourselves a nice little week, and I will do a proper travel guide [Veena-style] on Aruba either this week or next.
woo pig.
xx

the joy project: week thirty-one.

Sunday: slept in. mum made andwah [it's a Gujurati snack, and that's not how you spell it, but I figure it's close enough]. spent the entire day in my pajamas.

Monday: figured out how to unlock my hard drive! it was pretty exciting.

Tuesday: got to chat with my third-born for a solid half hour. found a place in Memphis that does threading for $5! [still majorly inflated compared to India, but way better than the $20 place I went to in LR]

Wednesday: finally uploaded pictures onto Facebook dating back to June of last year. I consider it my accomplishment of the year.

Thursday: dropped off a box of books to the main branch of the public library. yummy lunch at PF Chang's. those lettuce wraps are to die for.

Friday: mum made her famous steak and baked potatoes, and I ate way too much.

Saturday: survived my first 6.2 mile run since March 2012. family lunch at Bharat [last one before the brother leaves for school]. packed for Aruba!

and tomorrow it's off to Aruba for a week!
xx