Chicago...

The view from our room this past weekend...
We escaped to Chicago for the weekend, it was a spur of the moment trip and that’s the only way to steal DH away from his work... funny how every once in a while you have to get lost in the crowd to discover yourself.

Chicago is one of our most visited destination, particularly the downtown area... we love to stay on the ‘Magnificent Mile’...
Other things that attract us are to Chicago are

- The Devon street, where you can get everything Indian/Pakistani from chat (Indian junk food) to 22kt Gold jewelry to bad traffic

- The lake shore drive, which reminds us (DH and I) of Marine drive in Bombay

- The window shopping on Michigan Ave for latest fashion/ design/ inspiration...

- The museums, we have seen them all multiple times but we still like to go... in this trip we visited the Field Museum

- The water play area at the millennium park

All in all a fun and relaxing trip with 8 hours of sleep each day...

the best part was that kids cooperated very well during the long drives (400+ miles each way)...

and the worst part was the lighter connection in our rented Volvo was disconnected so no ipod and no GPS... bummer

I'll try to load some pictures soon...

My first Flickr Mosaic

I created this mosaic inspired from EmilyF's blog post where she answered some questions and inserted her results in Flickr search box...



1. Where flowers bloom so does hope., 2. elixirprep, 3. Bhuj, Gujarat, 4. Forgiveness is the fragrance that the flower leaves on the heel of the one that crushed it. , 5. 1 March 2007, 6. silent white... ♫ egrets from bali ♫♫, 7. Antartica Glaciers at Sunset, 8. Bomb (Bombe), 9. Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (thank you all for more than 100,000 views after a year in flickr!!!), 10. Abstracting, 11. blessing of nature, 12. Cantalope

Here are the questions and my answers to them:
1. What is your first name? Shalini
2. What is your favorite food? Foodie
3. What high school did you attend? KV Bhuj
4. What is your favorite color? Lavender
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Matt Damon
6. Favorite drink? water
7. Dream vacation? Antartica
8. Favorite dessert? Dark Chocolate
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Traveler
10.What do you love most in life? Life itself
11. One word to describe you. Blessed
12. Your Flickr name. shalini_devesh

Give it a shot if you have few hours on hand and are looking for loads on inspiration

World’s best coffee...

...is served at Nautilus café, Schiphol airport, Amsterdam (22).
The last time DH was transiting through that airport (alone), he skipped the brewed coffee and bought some beans instead so that we recreate the experience at home...



I totally understand it when people say that the food looses its tastes the moment it leaves the restaurant and that food is an experience, sum total of the ambiance, the company, the conversation and the server; yet...

The memory of an airport, the realization that life is a journey and that too a short one and that each turn is as important as the previous one, makes each sip bring back a flood of memories... (including the coffees and conversations we never had)

Garden Friends

During my usual blog hopping, I discovered a very inspiring blogger: Denise.
Her art, her words, her feelings... touched my heart. Of course I couldn’t stop at one post; I went back several posts and kept reading...
I asked her if I can share her words about ‘Garden friends’ and she agreed...
Here’s what she said:
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In my early twenties, every Tuesday night I would hang out at an old abandoned fire house. Inside were about four velvety vintage couches placed side by side in the shape of a half moon; purple, red, orange and green along with big silky pillows covering the concrete floor. People of all genres sat snuggled up together sipping their coffees and sodas, listening intently. The cool guy standing to face the crowd looked a cross between a surf dude and a GQ model with his VW bus parked outside. It was a non-denominational gathering where folks that were turned off by organized religion but curious about an intimate relationship with God felt they belonged. There were lots of tattoos and piercings and bohemians and rebels. I was one of those people.

There was one story that the minister (who didn't seem like a minister but was one of us) told that I will never forget. He talked about how Jesus used to take a few of his most trusted friends to the Garden of Gesthemane to lay down his heart, be honest, raw and vulnerable. A place where He felt safe to spill and be transparent. Our minister named those friends "Garden Friends" and he went on to ask us to think about who the Garden Friends in our life were.

I recall each of us scanning the room, looking around at our friends. Some even closed their eyes to imagine all the faces, the friends in their life. One of my guy friends, after the night was over ran up to me, hugged me, twirled me around and said "YOU'RE my garden friend!!!" I mean, it was just the coolest concept and an analogy we could all resonate with.

Who are the friends we feel comfortable with to bring to our garden? Who do you trust with all of your heart to be safe and gentle with you throughout your journey?

Its something to really meditate on. I think it is so very important to be aware of who your garden friends are so that you can nurture those very sacred relationships. I feel the word garden so perfectly describes friendship and the idea that in order for there to be growth, it must be nourished and cared for, consistently. And when we put our energies into our friendship garden, watch the gorgeous blooms, the nectar, the beauty that springs forth within us.

Who are your garden friends?

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So, have you thought recently who your garden friends are?

Things around me....

Things that make me think, that remind me to cherish each memory and inspire me to live in the moment...