This past December (2017), I decided to take a crazy travel-filled vacation. My friends, Amy and Dalan, invited me to come visit the extended Selvig family in Grand Rapids, MI and I didn’t need a second invite. Having experienced a traditional ‘white’ (yes, it snowed and no, not being racist) Christmas with them last year (2016) made me look forward to being with the closest people that I call ‘family’ in the US. 
 
So, around mid day on the 20th of December, 2017; I flew out of Hobby airport on my way to Grand Rapids (GR). I was looking forward to this break after my semester exams and the two hour flight delay did not dampen my spirits. I love Southwest Airlines so a little delay is excused. Dalan had repeatedly warned me to dress warm coz in his words, “Michigan was going to freeze my butt”. Well, I knew it would. But, it was something I was willing to live through just to meet everyone there and see little big man, Breslin (Brez). Brez, needs no introduction apart from mentioning the fact that my mom and sis would put me on eBay if they could exchange me for him. I don’t blame them as he is the cutest kid I know. On my flight over to GR, I was seated next to an elderly lady who taught me a brilliant concoction which is something that I now drink on most of my flights. It is gin and tomato juice muddled together with a lot of ice and a dash of lime. Yummy yummy! In my tummy 🤤 We ended up talking about how I became friends with Amy and Dalan and I showed her and her husband some of Brez’s pictures. That reminds me, I need to tell you all that story sometime (sometime soon). 
 
 
 
During my flight (we had a small layover at Baltimore – no deboarding flights) I had let Amy know that I was getting hungry and when I reached GR guess what, Brez runs up to me, gives me a hug, I pick him up and he says, “I got you some snacks, Tj”. String cheese, fruits and crackers. In a world obsessed with adult problems – numbers (how many zeroes on your paycheck, how many girls on your Snap Chat, and how many social media followers etc.), correct hash tags, why I am not dating someone, blah blah – a child’s perspective is amazingly refreshing and simple. Tj is my friend, Tj is hungry, I’ll get mom to pack Tj and me some of the snacks I take to play school 😊 Pure care and love. Wonder why it becomes so difficult to think this way as we grow up and apparently ‘adult’! 
  
My friend from the flight came and said hello to Brez and we realized that one of my bags didn’t make it on the same flight coz it was late checked in. A happening start to the vacation. Dalan was at a work event so on the drive home Brez and I decided to eat at McDonald’s coz who doesn’t want some toys? Later that night, I met Dalan and we made plans for the next couple of days. I was exhausted but happy. Slept like a log (because I was expecting Southwest airlines to call me otherwise I sleep like a dead body – it is an art mastered over a lifetime) and woke up next morning when my bag was found. Today, I was going to hang out with El, Amy’s mom (and everyone’s Busia). She took me to the airport and then we went to get lunch. It was lovely of her to take me to the restaurant that she and most of the other realtors hang out and take their clients to lunch at. We shared a portion of amazing hummus and baked pita and then proceeded to do justice to our buffalo chicken sandwiches and then drove to the outlet malls to finish the rest of my Christmas shopping for everyone. Busia helped me choose stuff for everyone before we made a stop at the Lindt store for chocolates. Later that night, I met Tom, El’s husband (and everyone’s Papa). Busia and Tom dropped me to Fit Body Boot camp where I was going to meet Alison (Amy’s age-defying eldest sibling). Needless to say, she kicked my ass at the workout but I was glad I could sweat it out. 
 
 
Over the next few days and nights, we did everything fun and awesome that I look forward to doing. 5am workouts with Alison, meeting Bruce (Alison’s husband), shopping, eating sushi at Ju, wrapping presents, hanging out with the dogs – Angus and Addie, reading bed time stories to Brez, listening to Brez’s crazy imaginary stories (apparently he has a job in Florida at a gas station and if I buy a car he’ll fill my tank up for free – so generous), making the customary stop at Shesco grill to get some of their heavenly fresh baked bread and Mediterranean dip, building Legos, listening to Best Friend by Sofi Tukker – yaaaaaah!, watched movies; Elf, Christmas Vacation, Santa Claus, and had a lot of fun and caught up on sleep. 
 
 
Two things that are worth mentioning are I cooked an Indian dinner for 7 people (Busia, Papa, Alison, Bruce, Amy, Dalan and myself) on Saturday evening and literally cooked the whole day (not coz I cooked exquisite dishes but coz I haven’t ever cooked food for 7 adults and never cooked 3 main course dishes on the same day). I was helped a lot by Amy and of course my Maa on the phone – they were her recipes. We cooked chicken curry, mutter paneer (cottage cheese and peas) and vegetable pulav (a rice dish). For appetizers I had roasted papadums and dessert was store bought mango shrikhand (similar to flavored yogurt). Papa, Busia, Amy and Dalan had second helpings, no one died at the dinner table, everyone even survived the next day without calling 911 for medical emergencies, we actually forgot to take a picture of the food (sounds ridiculous during this age, right?) and maa now wants me to cook for her, dad and Sneha (my sister), when I visit India next 😁
 
 
The other thing was going to the Church for the kids’ mass after we opened our gifts on Christmas morning. Listening to the choir brought back memories of when Sneha and I were in the school choir. It was lovely, peaceful and filled my heart with calm and joy. Santa Claus made an appearance at the very end and of course it snowed. 
 
The next day would be our long drive to Omaha!!!!