All About Me

So, I've decided to dedicate this post to me! I've had a big couple of weeks that warrant a little write up. This past weekend was my 35th, on 11-11-11 no less! We had an amazing weekend in the sun and surf at the Radisson resort near our house. It's about an hour away, and while I'm convinced the AC cut out mid-trip, the car made it both ways (well, the bumper was falling off when we got home, but who's keeping track...). The kids LOVED being in both the pools and the beach. Oscar is a champion body surfer, and Livi had a blast just playing around in the shallow surf and sand. We had 4 other families meet us there at various points in the weekend which was awesome for the kids to have some friends, as well as us! The dinners were scrumptious. So much so that I ordered the same thing 2 nights in a row, jumbo prawns for the record. Yummm...One of our friends brought a cake and they sang Happy Birthday too! Throw in a massage and some beautiful silver jewelry from Oscar and it was a pretty fantastic weekend.

Two weekends ago was another big weekend for me. I wore my first saree to a Diwali event at Oscar's school. The event was nice, with some performances by kids and teachers, but we didn't make the fireworks since the kids (and adults) were pooped. There's a whole lot of pleating involved in putting on a saree and a few safety pins to boot. I have my friend Kala to thank for helping me out since I'd never be able to do it myself! Here's a few shots of the result:

A few pics of the kids from the Diwali Mela:

looking to her big brother for a cue on how to pose for the photos

I love this picture because the kids have been arguing a lot lately and it shows they still are a team. They've just gotten so competitive with each other we have to make sure they have exactly the same of everything..unless there's a color choice involved. In which case Livi will always pick pink. Oscar's current fav is red, but will defer to blue if red isn't available. The trouble lies in when there is no pink, but there is red, which is Livi's second choice. Yes as convoluted as it sounds...hopefully this phase will pass too...although something tells me it's part of being a sibling and we have years of it ahead!!!

But wait, I was talking about ME! :)

So the real event of 2 weekends ago was my Bollywood performance. A company that helps foreigners adjust to life in India has an annual cultural performance as part of a photo competition they hold (Global Adjustments...they're in a few other Indian cities as well). I jumped at the chance when my friend told me about it, not quite knowing what I was getting myself into, but am so happy I did! A 6 min 45 second performance that took hours of practice, both in the studio and at home. Little Oscar has some great Bollywood moves that I will share someday if I can get a fast enough connection to upload video! My bones were aching, my muscles sore, but such a fun experience! It was also great exercise, and a group of us are continuing on with a combo power yoga-bollywood class..starts this week!

A few pics from the event (these were linked through Global Adjustments on FB along with the video):

patiently waiting for the performance

pre-show photos

the ladies from the consulate

our "troupe" :) 7 countries represented!

some action shots!

can you see how much fun we had

this is where Livi rushed the stage and my security had to grab her

Here's a link to one of the songs we danced to in the new Bollywood movie I've been dying to see but haven't gotten around to yet. It's the first sci-fi action hero film made here. I've heard mixed reviews, but the music is fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FteXhp7MZY