Bollywood in DC

So my friend Sudha (from Church) sent us an invite to her son's wedding last year, which was in India.  Needless to say, we didn't make it.  This summer, they were kind enough to invite us to the state-side festivities: the "anniversary party".  I think it's a great idea--have a far-flung wedding, then invite all the friends & family that couldn't make it to a huge party a year later.  As a bride, you'd actually enjoy it!

Then Sudha invited to me to a ceremony that's traditionally held the night before the wedding, called Mehndi.  The women all get together & have henna applied to the palms of their hands, and the bride's designs stretch from fingertip to elbow.  The bride's feet and calves can be decorated too, but since this was not the real wedding, they didn't go that far.  It was fun to meet the bride and groom (Neha and Kart), and some of their friends and family.  

 

The henna goes on like frosting from little tubes, and you have to leave it on for six hours before you wash it off.  It takes awhile to set, so everyone was walking around the suite with their hands in "arrest" mode.  All of the bride's family kept offering to feed her; it was really cute.  The henna artist did the backs of my hands because she thought it would last longer there.  So a little non-traditional, but I loved looking at them.  My neighbor had gone to India for her sister's wedding & warned me her henna stayed for months (!).  Luckily, the state-side version is watered down.  Mine lasted a little more than a week.  It might have lasted longer, but I was paranoid of it breaking up in the night and staining my sheets, so I scraped it off with a butter knife before I went to bed.  It hurt!!

Sudha and her d-i-l Neha.

Sudha's palms are hennaed v. the backs of my hands.  The black is the dye; when it comes off, the markings are brown.

Fair Time

Somehow, we've never made it to the Montgomery County Fair.  Where I grew up, the fair is HUGE--it's where my parents catch up w/all their friends, old and new, and you could spend hours going through each building of homemade goods, 4H projects and vendors.  At this fair, I couldn't even find! the projects building.  Only the veggie competition barn.  And since they had been sitting out all week in our lovely humid summer weather, even the prize-winning pumpkin was looking a little worse for wear.

So we went to see what we could see--Akiko and me, and our peeps.  We rode the shuttle from the entrance to the animal barns.  And when I say "shuttle" what I really mean is tractor pulling a trailer w/some seats rigged on it.  Interesting, to say the least.  The kids loved it of course!

We went through one "exotic" animal barn.  A sow w/piglets, alpacas, goats, mini-horses, sheep, and some chicks.  I would have taken more (read: some) pictures, but I had a hard time keeping Cache from climbing into the animal pens (he's mastered climbing chain-link fence--scary!!).

  We decided to grab some lunch, but didn't make it past the tractor area.  I think we were there for half an hour!  Even Ako's girls were way into it--who knew?!

Watch out Grandpa--I'll be ready to cut your hay next summer!

Someone's having a little too much fun.  Farming isn't all flashy chrome & glamour Zach!

The Big Daddy.  Mia wanted to ride it too, and I might have had to push her mother up into the cab via her rear.  Might have, I say...

These guys were just too cute.  They all plopped down on the pavement to watch a (good, but over-ego'ed) magician.  l-r: Cache, Mia & Zach.

Then we went to see the chickens (lots of crowing from some crazy roosters!) but crapped out before we made it to the bunny area.  We rode the "shuttle" back and had just loaded the car when the heavens opened.  Opened!!  We were luckier than some; just before the weather changed, we saw one poor girl w/a toddler on her hip who couldn't find her car.  We couldn't help but feel sorry for her and the families we met on the way out that had just gotten to the fair.  It rained crazy-hard, and for better than half an hour!

August

Amazing--I'm catching up!  Albeit slowly.   

This summer, Emma & Jay jetted to the West for time with each set of grandparents.  Emma was in UT w/the Gattens, going to Cousin Camp for the first time.  (Cousin Camp is when all the cousins, 8 and up, spend a week w/Grandma & Grandpa Gatten.  There's usually a big adventure--dino dig, river rafting, dude ranch--it's impressive.)  This year there were 9 cousins total (they've lost a few to summer jobs) and they went on a Pioneer Trek, hit a rodeo somewhere in Northern Utah, tubed/rafted down the Provo River and went to Temple Square.  Loads of fun.

Jay, on the other hand, went to California and visited my folks.  They rode horses, 4-wheelers, went fishing, etc.   All the fun stuff you can't do in the burbs!   Jay had two pet kittens that slept in his room; he even got to name them: Spot and Stripe.    Then they loaded up, drove to Utah, picked up Emma and went to Bear Lake.  They rode bikes all over, cooked over the campfire (inc. smores), went swimming AND jetskiing in the lake.  Then they made friends w/a family that had a ski boat and went speed-tubing.

While they were having all these adventures, I was enjoying my two little boys.  After a hectic summer (what other kind of summer can you have w/4 kids, I wonder?), it was nice to really chill and take it easy.  Nate and the older kids were gone for nearly three weeks, so it was a nice stretch.  

We spent one long weekend at the beach (Bethany Beach, DE) with our good friends the Huguelys--Scott, Jenny, Michael & Nicholas.  They have been kind enough to have us at Tootsie & Pop's beach house (Scott's parents, who we love!) for quite a few summers now; it's always a blast.  It was fun to have all our  boys playing side by side.  It wasn't always peaceful, but they were always busy!  So much for relaxing beach reading--I think Jenny and I each read one People magazine apiece.  But they were good ones! 

Scott was nice enough to carry Zach out into the waves.  After Cache and I ate it once, I was a little nervous about packing a heavier kid out there.

Fun at the beach isn't limited to the sand and surf; you've got to hit the boardwalk too!  One afternoon we headed north, to Rehobeth.  They have a great old-school boardwalk amusement park called Funland; the rides start at 30 cents.  It's a blast for kids this age.

The boys loved the motor boats.  The bells were cute.  Not cute: Nick trailing his fingers in the festerous boat pool.  Nothing we could do about it though!  

Michael and Zach spent some time sizing up this car ride.  Wish I had given it the same consideration.  My stomach isn't what it used to be!!  The boys rode w/Jenny and screamed and laughed the whole way.  Cache & I shared a car; we didn't have as much fun.  I was ready to get off...and then it went backwards.  Blech.  But we survived!!

  Am I going to toss my cookies??

Blogging whaaat???

Phooey.  Life got away from me--AGAIN.  I'm starting to see a trend here...  I only have 6 posts to catch up on.  That should only take a few minutes, right?

Here's the nutshell for the month of August.

1--Went to Bethany Beach DE w/Scott, Jenny & their boys.  FUN!

2--Hit Montgomery County Fair--my boys love tractors!!

3--Went to Mehndi for my friend Sudha's son's wedding (yes that's MY hand)

4--Dressed to the nines for said wedding--Jenny was such a good sport. 

5--School's back in--hooray!!

The real stories await--but I've got to go to bed.  Which begs the Q--do I really have time for this?  Eh.  Showering's overrated, right??