We made it to Friday! [Granted, it was a little easier for me since I took Monday and Tuesday off work. But I still consider this an accomplishment!]

Let’s dive into some fun facts, shall we?

1) In case you haven’t seen on my Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, the CHRISTMAS TREE IS HERE!!! His name is Chester. And we are in love. He brightens up the room. He brightens up the sky. He brightens up my life. Chester is the best-er.

2) I’m back in action on the Fitbit app. (Well, maybe not so much this week since I was at home for the first half and laying next to Chester the second half). But, it felt so nice this past week to be outside, moving, and steppin’ away!

3)   I’m making a Christmas bucket list! I know 2 weeks seems like a long time, but the holidays come and go so quickly and I want to make sure I do all the things that bring me so much joy.

4) Moms will always and forever be the best. This is a picture of my Mama wrapping up tupperware in saran wrap and towels and then stuffing them in my suitcase. No food prep needed this week. Mama took care of it for me.

5) Just want to preface this one with a: ‘THIS IS A FACT, NOT AN OPINION.’ I have the cutest niece in the world. I mean…look at her.  

6) I made soup for Soup Club this week! Thai Tofu Curry. So, so good. I should probably make another batch of it considering I didn’t fill up everyone’s jars fully. (Blame the rice. It absorbed the liquid). But it was a quick, one-pot recipe so I’ll probably make this again real soon.

7) I’m still in love with my fireplace. The combination of the fireplace + Christmas decorations makes this apartment oh-so-cozy.

8)  Still lovin’ on those colorful sunsets. Here’s a snap of the sky from Wednesday night at school – right before going to yoga. Beautiful.

That’s all folks!

Have a great weekend. Stay warm. Stay dry. Stay happy.

Questions of the Day:

• Do you get a fake tree, real tree, or no tree?

• What’s on your winter bucket list? 

On Tuesday morning, before I left for the airport to fly back up to the Bay, I sat on the couch with my Nanima and asked her to tell me some stories.

She looked at me, started to laugh, and said, “You tell me some stories. My stories are from so long ago. I can barely remember anything.”

But I was stubborn. And I selfishly just wanted to snuggle up next to her and listen to her talk.

So I kept asking.

And, a few minutes later, she started talking.

About her long walks with her friends where they would stop at the sugar cane cart. She explained that, back then, walking outside wasn’t a form of exercise – it was their mode of transport.

And then she stopped talking.

I watched her eyes widen as she sat there – remembering all the little details of her life -with a slight smile on her face.

A few seconds passed and then she told me another story. About the time that she sung on stage when Gandhiji had passed away. How she was always singing. On her walk to and from her dorm room. In the shower. Wherever she went. And how she always came out #1 in any singing competition. Back then, she never really understood it as a gift. She just enjoyed doing it.

And then silence again.

And then another story.

And, after an hour, we just sat there. Stories unfolded and unpacked.

Nanima – grinning because she remembered so much more than she thought she did.

Me – grinning because I got a taste of my Nanima’s life long before I joined the party. And because I got some good snuggle time before leaving her.

My heart breaks every time I have to say goodbye to her. But only a few more weeks until I’m back to my storyteller. And, for that, I’m thankful.

Question of the Day:

• What are you thankful for today?

This weekend was a special one – filled with lots of time curled up in my bed with a cup of tea and the diffuser. But I also spent some time out of the apartment celebrating some special moments. The perfect balanced weekend.

• Friday Night – Getting to See Sanya after 5 years!
  My baby cousin, Sanya, is visiting the states for two weeks. She’s in New York now, but it was so nice to see her for a few hours on Friday night! We went to Srasa Kitchen in Mountain View. Which is basically just Chipotle for Thai food. I was a fan.

  
  

• Saturday Night – Bruni’s Wedding!
  I felt so lucky and so fortunate to get to watch Bruni marry the love of her life! 🙂 She’s so special to me and to our entire staff – she deserves all the happiness in the world. And boy did she look happy! The new Mrs. Hernandez!

I also feel pretty ecstatic about this cute little ornament gift for guests. It’ll be the first one on my tree!

• Quality Relaxation Time
  Yes, I spent a portion of the weekend working, but it was next to my fireplace, tea in hand, Christmas music playing in the background, and a blanket nearby. Can’t ask for a better way to work!

• New Sunday Outfit

Okay, I don’t own this outfit (yet). But when Bhabhi sent me this image, I laughed out loud. Because this is how I feel ALL THE TIME on Sundays. Sometimes even on Saturday nights. Gah.

Thank goodness this is a 2-day week.

Can’t wait to get through it and see my family. <3

Questions of the Day:

• If you could make a Chipotle-style restaurant (where you can select what toppings to add on to your bowl/wrap), what cuisine would you choose?
• Fireplace or heater?

• What are you thankful for this week? 

It is FRIDAY.

And next week is a two-day work week. So I’m all smiles and butterflies and unicorns and all that jazz.

So, let’s do some fun facts from the week.

1) I’ve been sick. Not so fun. But it’s been fun drinking tea out of red cups, curled up next to my diffuser and my stuffed animals.

2) I got my Mexican Train Dominoes in the mail! Game night anyone? Seriously? I promise I won’t throw things if I lose.

3) I’m trying real hard to stick to this detox thing. It doesn’t help when people keep bringing baked goods and deliciousness to work.

4) I go back and forth between: “I LOVE when my fridge is empty.” and “I LOVE when my fridge is fully stocked. Right now, I’m in the empty stage. Can you tell?

5) I’m love-love-LOVING my essential oils. It does, however, make me look absolutely crazy when I’m at work and drop some oil in my hands, rub them together, and inhale DEEPLY. But, whatever works, right?

6) Cupcake wine is on sale. FOR SO CHEAP. And at a time when I’m trying to avoid wine. This is the universe testing me. I know it.

7) This is my tupperware cabinet at the moment. It’s the most organized it’s ever been before.

8) Last night we had a work Friendsgiving. A Staffsgiving. And I almost skipped out on it because I wasn’t feeling too great. But I opted for some hot tea instead of Pink Drink like a grown-up. And it was just so nice to hang out with the RBM folks AWAY from school! 🙂

That’s all from here.

Now it’s time to go celebrate that the weekend is only a few hours away! Happy Friday!

Questions of the Day:

• What is your favorite board game?

• What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Last week, I was reminded just how lucky I am to have the best brothers in the world.

Thank you to my Bhaiya for your annual notes on Rakhi and Tikka – reminding us how much you love us. For your special words that make us tear up and feel so mushy on the inside. Every one of us has looked up to you for our entire lives. So we absolutely, 100% get it when we watch Veer stare at his Papa in amazement. We’ve done the same thing for years.

 

And to my little brothers. Who bring us words of wisdom and make us feel so loved on days when we need it the most. Thank you for brightening our lives. Whether it be through your Snapchats, your witty comments on Twitter, or your long-winded stories – your presence in our lives is so palpable, even when you’re thousands of miles away.

I am quite the lucky girl to have grown up with such wonderful, loving, compassionate brothers. Feeling very thankful for them today and every day.

Question of the Day:

• Who are you thankful for on this Thankful Thursday? 

To all the people who yell at me for listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving: 

There were thousands of people at Santana Row last night doing the same thing. Literally thousands.

We thought it’d be fun to break up the work week and go to the tree lighting event. So did the rest of the world. After pushing and shoving our way through all of the people to get a good view of the tree, we were a little disappointed by the culmination. BUT, they had Christmas carols and “snow” falling from the sky [AKA snow machines], so we weren’t too upset about the whole thing.

If anything, it was just nice to get to spend the evening with friends and get validation from the world that it’s OK to start listening to Christmas music.

Now I’m a little sick and sound like a teenage boy going through puberty, but I’m hoping my diffuser + essential oils will cure me.
  

Have a good one!

Questions of the Day:

• When do you start listening to Christmas music?
  
• Do you get a fake Christmas tree, a real one, or none at all? 

Mondays. They’re rough. But you gotta love them for their consistency. Lucky for me, our favorite yoga class (Body Temple Yoga) is offered Monday evenings. And, after the Monday of Multiple Meltdowns [I’ll leave it up to you to figure out if the students were melting down or Ms. B was melting down], I was in desperate need of some mat time.

I had back-to-back IEP meetings after school and my last one ended up finishing around 5:40. I bolted out the door, raced over to the studio, and begged the lady at the front desk to let me in. It was 6:08 by the time I got there, but they have a strict 5-minute rule. After 5 minutes, you’re not allowed in.

But I think I looked pretty desperate. Probably near tears. And my sad, puppy eyes worked on her.

Phew.

Very much needed.

After class, we stayed back to talk to Daniella, our yoga instructor, about some of the essential oils we ordered through doTerra.

Last week, Jen and I went to Daniella’s house for an “Essential Oils Class.” Before I walked in, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I’d probably walk away with a few bottles of Lavender Oil or some sort of relaxing, anxiety-reducing oil to use when work stress was at an all-time high. But the outcome ended up being quite different than I had anticipated.

You see, Daniella had a cat. I’m SEVERELY allergic to cats. And, as soon as she recognized that I was having an allergic reaction, she ran over to her kitchen, grabbed an empty capsule, and put a combination of peppermint oil, lavender oil, and lemon oil in it. She asked me if I was open to trying it and, obviously, I wanted nothing more than to make my throat stop scratching and my eyes stop crying.

So I did.

And, within ONE minute, my symptoms disappeared.

Like magic.

It was surreal. And, obviously, I was 100% bought in. It worked faster than any allergy medication I’ve bought over the counter. And it was natural and chemical-free.

So, here I am now. With so much more than just lavender.

I’m ecstatic to jump on the essential oils train.

Pretty sure you should jump on too.

Questions of the Day:

• Do you use oils? Where do you order them from? Which ones do you use most often?