7 Shopping Days 'Til Christmas

I'm not sure what happened this year... well, perhaps it is in part due to my addiction with Facebook and blogging... but Christmas really crept up on me. I didn't see it coming and therefore am about as unprepared as I've ever been for this monstrous event. (Sorry Mom and Dad, the house is a mess. Hopefully, that will resolve itself before your arrival on Tuesday.)

In preparation for the annual Natarajan newsletter, we did manage a Christmas photo shoot with the tripod, matching outfits, our decorated tree and a few seasonal props. But as of yet, nothing has materialized from that afternoon of smiles and self-timer flashes except loads of amateur photos with bad lighting taking up precious space on my ever-shrinking external hard drive. But, alas, I did find something really cool to do with the pics.

In lieu of actually receiving a real live letter in the mail from me this year, I ask that you accept my sincere apology for my utter laziness and enjoy this fun little holiday video instead.

To paraphrase the words of a really good friend in a far away land, "May the Easter bunny bring the tooth fairy over for a glass of eggnog this season" or, in other words, "Happy Holidays my Friends".

Frigid, Subfreezing, Bitter Cold, Frosty, Wintry, Nippy

Some well-suited adjectives to describe the current weather hovering over our state. No amount of sunshine or proximity to the sun will make days like these feel balmy. For those of you wishing you could experience this pure delight, I give you the following images of 9°F in Colorado:





And this brand new piece of electronic equipment may or may not have been sitting out in the sub-zero temps for 2 days on our front porch...



That's right, estimated ship time = 9 days. Actual ship time = 2 days... perfectly timed to arrive just after we left town for the weekend.

Here's hoping that puppy works when we plug it in.

Winter Landscape, Summer Clothing

It's December, we're in the northern hemisphere and Priya is wearing a sleeveless summer dress with sandals while playing in the snow. That's the beauty of Colorado... even in the middle of winter you can count on a day or two like today. Something about the lack of moisture in the air combined with being so darn close to the sun makes cloudless days balmy, no matter what time of year.

To My 7 Year Old (7 days late)

It's hard to believe that I've been a Mom for 7 years already. The time seems to pass too slowly at times and too fast during others. When you were an infant, I was overprotective of you, cherished you, spent a lot of time staring at you and holding you... this beautiful but dependent little being that I helped create. I fumbled through a lot of things not being fully prepared for the changes you would bring to my life. I vowed to do some things different "the next time around". And, oddly enough, when given the chance to do it all again, much of it looked the same. As much as I disliked my disturbed nighttime sleep, I wasn't able to give up falling asleep beside you every night. Daddy was the one who finally separated us... you were, after all, almost 3 years old.

Sometimes I look at you and see someone more mature, more grown up than I remembered from yesterday. It reminds me that the time is passing and I need to capture what I can in pictures or words before you go changing on me again. You say things like "I. Don't. Care.", just like that with the punctuation and everything and I wonder if you might already be a teenager. Or, like yesterday, you picked out a pair of jeans that you normally wouldn't wear because they don't look good aren't cool enough. Since we were just hanging around the house, it didn't bother you to wear them, but we'll never see you don that pair for school. When talking about your day at school, you will declare that "the best thing happened to you today" when a friend chooses to play with you at recess instead of the friend she usually plays with. The cliques are already forming in first grade. As much as you want to be part of them, you don't like leaving anyone out. I think you are really torn by this social anomaly. Always aware of other's feelings you are, because you yourself are so sensitive. Emotionally, I would love to toughen you up a bit.

Today was the first day back from Thanksgiving break and we walked into school together. I felt especially close to you, as the snow packed road muffled the sound of moving cars and students hurriedly walking to class. In the peacefulness, my mind drifted to our hands... yours in mine. Our gloves thick enough to keep our hands warm, yet thin enough that I could feel the exact shape of your hand in mine. You didn't want me to leave you at the sidewalk... instead you insisted that I walk the full distance back to your class line. My warnings of the icy sidewalks struck up a little fear in you, and you didn't want to be left to tackle it alone. You held my hand securely knowing that if you slipped, I would be there to catch your fall. And, indeed I was ready. Always and forever, I want to be the one to catch your fall... no matter how big you get or how independent you become. I'll be there for you. Your kid, adolescent and adult hugs and kisses will always be welcome with me. I love you with all my heart little girl!!

Snow Day

It was snowing this morning when we woke up and it didn't stop all day. Lovely. Glorious. And, here are the pictures to prove it:









Sledding Tip: When you don't want to fight the crowds at the sled hill across the street, convert the deck steps into a slide. When we did it last year, the kids trampled the snow while walking back to the top, so Bartee devised a clever way to launch them back over without damage... to the slide, at least. Priya's snowsuit, on the other hand, took quite a beating.



And, this is what it looks like when you put it in motion...

About Us

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it would be fun to put a little spin on it. Bartee and I both answered the questions about how we met and here are the results.



Turns out we do have conflicting opinions on what was our first date. His happened 2 days before mine and it really wasn't supposed to be a date. Some other friends were going to join us and they bailed at the last minute so we ended up at the bar on a couch chatting the whole night. Since we were alone, it probably was more like a date... but since he didn't officially "ask me out" until Monday, I discounted it as our first date.

1. Where did you meet?

Sandy: We were co-workers at Thomson Technology (TTSG). Practically the whole group was single and in their 20's. It was a great place to meet your future spouse, and several of us did just that. Seeing how we worked so well together, our managers kept putting us on the same common services projects. One of our first assignments was to develop the thread pool for our servers to access the database. We had all kinds of design discussions, just the two of us, where I really learned just how brilliant Bartee was. He taught me a lot about programming in those months. As soon as the managers realized we were dating, they immediately separated us. :(

Bartee: Thomson Technology Services Group, Maryland.

2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?

Sandy: Who does this guy think he is coming late to every single meeting? He didn't make a great first impression on me. It took another co-worker saying to me, "Have you ever talked to that Bartee? He's really funny." before I thought it might be a good idea to get to know him.

Bartee: Wow, hottie! (Seriously: What a smart, fun-loving and social person! I'd like to be her close friend.)

3. Do you remember what he/she was wearing?

Sandy: Have no idea, but he was sporting a nice bushy mustache. :)

Bartee: No clue. Probably jeans and a full-hand t-shirt. Standard outfit..

4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?

Sandy: At his apartment probably... cannot really remember.

Bartee: At my condo after our first pseudo-date.

5. Where did you go for your first date?

Sandy: He asked me over to his apartment after work on a Monday. He cooked for me. Channa, if I remember correctly. I thought it was really good, but he said it didn't turn out well because he was distracted.

Bartee: It was a pseudo-date.. meaning, not meant to be a date, but ended up feeling like it. At a pool-bar in Gaithersburg. Don't remember the name.

6. How long did you know this person before you became a couple?

Sandy: About 9 months. Several of us got together for hiking and sometimes biking on the weekends... he and I were both part of that crowd.

Bartee: 8 months.

7. How did he/she ask you out?

Sandy: See Question 5.

Bartee: It was sorta mutual. It was more like a 'let's go to a bar without any other friend'. I don't remember either of us wording it like that but we knew what we were thinking.

8. Have you ever broken the law with this person?

Sandy: Yes... in our early dating, I was driving to Baltimore and got pulled over for speeding. Was the story of my life back then. These days I drive a bit slower.

Bartee: I sometimes steal money from her purse. Does that count?

9. When was the first time you realized that you liked this person?

Sandy: While hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail we had some serious discussion about religion and family values where I realized that we had some of the same views. Then a little later when I asked him what type of person he wanted to marry, he said a South Indian girl. Although a little disheartened, I knew I wanted to keep pursuing him.

Bartee: Pretty soon after we met. But as a couple, after she went on an official London trip and I felt I missed her a lot!

10. What is the best gift he/she gave you?

Sandy: Bartee's not a great gift-giver... it's usually last minute and involves a budget where I get to pick something out that fits within it. But, I know this about him and that's totally cool with me. Probably one of the best gifts was one I never even had the chance to use. He once gave me a gift certificate to a spa and when I called to set something up about 5 months later, I found out that the spa had gone bankrupt and closed down.

Bartee: Such a comforting presence at times. That's the best gift when I really feel 'Glad she's with me'. Materially: must be the Indian goodies she cooks..

11. What is one thing he/she does that gets on your nerves?

Sandy: Over the years, we have learned to live with each other's idiosyncrasies so there's not much that bothers me these days. I do however wish he could part with the drawstring underwear. They grab hold of everything around them in the clothes dryer. Untangling that mess is a nightmare. These days, I just hand him the wad of clothes and let him figure it out. If, by some miracle, they make it through the cycle without getting tangled in the socks and towels, they will come out string-less and need to be restrung. And, on top of all this, you can only buy them in India. See what I mean? There's not one good thing about them.

Bartee: Quick to get angry.

Bed Head Runs in the Family

Last week on Friday when Sanjay awoke from his nap, the hair was particularly unruly. He looked at me, with all seriousness and a bit annoyed because it was interfering with his computer gaming, and said, "Why does my hair look crazy?". My immediate thought was "because Mommy thinks you'd look cool with the long, scruffy Colorado ski hair so she refuses to cut it". But instead of all the explanations, I just grabbed the camera. And, these shots really do not do the bad hair justice... it was really much wilder in person.



Then today I noticed something interesting while we spent the better part of it braiding friendship bracelets. I now have a better explanation for you, Sanjay... it's because half of your genes came from this guy.