DC Reunion 2010!

Easy... That is the best way I can describe my trip to DC this past weekend. Easy in so many ways...1) easy to pack (since I was going alone and didn't need to pack a variety of  food/formula/activities/strollers/car seats/diaper bags to keep the kiddos entertained and comfortable in the plane/airport and have me packed to the brim like a camel traveling through the desert)  2) easy because I knew that the boys would be well taken care of by Rakesh and our nanny, Joca 3) easy to leave because a girls trip was so overdue and I really needed it (even as I type this I feel guilty for saying it, but it's true!) 4) easy to fall back into a rhythm with some of my closest friends even after we haven't seen each other for over 3 years 5) easy because even if plans didn't work out to have a wild and crazy night of going out hardcore like we used to, not one person pitched a fit and were in fact more than happy to come back home and chit chat and catch up while cutting onions and bell peppers for the next morning's breakfast...

So it started with a flight that was a little delayed in landing due to bad weather in the DC area.  The woman and man in the row ahead of me kept me entertained as we circled for 30 minutes waiting to land... I wasn't trying to be nosy but they weren't trying to be quite and let's just leave it at they were most likely going to spend the night under the same roof in NYC that night.  Anyway, we finally started our decent into the DC area. I have always loved flying into Reagan National at night.  The views of the monuments and the Capitol at night are beautiful!  I had just landed and was staring at the Washington Monument out of my window with that steady red light blinking in the distance and already  I wanted to move back.  It just felt so comfortable and took me back to such a fun time in my life.  This was the beginning of a pretty perfect weekend. I won't give you a play by play but some of the highlights included well obviously seeing my friends after so long, picking up Sandhya from the airport ;), speed shopping through the Pentagon City Mall and Harris Teeter,  late night conversations with Jennie that always started out with "ok we need to get some sleep, but let me tell you this one more thing" and then 2 hours later actually falling asleep, making breakfast pizzas at 1 AM with Priya, Neven's baptism, dinner at Lauriol Plaza (which included seeing Ketu, Hao, and Pawan "peek-a-boo" Chadha (peek-a-boo because he will meet you out and then disappear for hours at a time only to reappear via text or in person to see what you're up to later that night--he's a busy man :) ), an afternoon with Sandeep, Avani and baby Sahil, an evening with Neal, Dhruv, Krissy and little Ethan and breakfast with Ajay before I left.  Whew! That was a lot to pack into 3 short days!! And per the norm for me, I took my camera but did not come home with many pictures, but here are a couple, and hopefully I will add more when I get them from friends :)

Sandhya, me, Jennie, and Priya

Ketu and Hao

Baby Neven getting Baptized

After writing this I guess a more appropriate word to describe my trip would be: Special.  Special because I got to meet 3 of the sweetest new little men in this world, Neven, Sahil (2.0), and Ethan. Special because I was able to see my closest friends in brand new roles as mothers/mothers-to-be and realizing that this is yet another bond that we share.  Special knowing that I have the kind of friends that will make the effort to come and see me at 9am after taking a red-eye back from Cali that got in at 5am that same morning-- thanks Ajay, it was so nice seeing you even if it was only for like an hour and despite the fact that you didn't bring Nimisha! Special watching my little brother, Neal, embark on his exciting journey into DC life--while,  remembering how excited and nervous I felt on September 6, 2001, when as a 25 year old, newly licensed pharmacist, I officially moved to Alexandria. Special because it was the first time I got to come home from an out-of-town trip to these two faces:

What could be more special than that?