Celebrating the Lives of Those I Love!!!

My dad's birthday is June 6th. Last year I was able to be at his birthday party for the first time since I went to college and started doing StuMo stuff in the summers. It was such a blast to get to hang out but was also bittersweet because we knew we were leaving for India in just a few days. My dad is such an amazing man. I love him so much. He is seriously the most friendly guy you have ever met. He is a huge servant and sooo incredibly goofy. Living in a house with me, mom and Brittan must have been quite a challenge for him at times because we give him so much grief. The family all came in for a shrimp boil to celebrate dad's big day. Mom said that he ate so much they all were teasing him!! I wish I could have been there. Love you dad - Happy birthday!!

My friend, Anisha, also had her birthday this week. We threw her a small surprise party and it meant so much to her. She said that they usually don't do anything special for their birthdays so it definitely made her day!!
The day after dad's birthday is Hailey's birthday. I called her on skype this morning and she answered even though she was in the middle of opening her presents. She asked if she could call me back in just a few minutes but then my internet went out so I didn't really get to talk to her. The good news is that she will be in India in just two days!! I can not wait to see her. It is going to be so refreshing just to talk and hang out with one of my best friends in the world!!!

A wedding to remember...

Wednesday one of our good friends got married. In the US we have times that seem normal for our weddings - they are usually in the afternoon or in the evening. Well, in India they base the time of their ceremony on how the stars align on a particular day. This results in some obscure wedding times. Ramya's wedding started at 8:30 in the morning and it was not the craziest time we have heard of people having their ceremonies.

Another huge difference in the marriages is that the ceremony lasts for days. Because of this - thousands of people attend but everyone is much more casual even as the ceremony is happening. The entire thing feels more like a wedding reception even though the bride and groom are in the middle of their vows.

Ramya's family is very wealthy and they go all out for events. They have made us feel very welcome in India by inviting us for holidays and ceremonies - if you know someone from another country invite them over for a holiday - it would seriously mean the world to them- it has to us!! Her wedding was the most expensive and extravagant wedding I have ever been to. Here are a few pics...

1. It was very windy.
2. I forgot until that morning that I didn't know how to put on a saree. I had to run over and ring my next door neighbor's doorbell at 7:30 in the morning for help....ahhhh!!
3. They had the entrance to a nice hotel build to look like the entrance to a Hindu temple just for her wedding.

This is me with one of my friends. Isn't her saree beautiful!! It is hard for us to tell but there are ever changing trends when it comes to Indian traditional wear just like our clothes!

This is the set that was constructed just for the wedding. It was beautiful. Just the set cost over $100,000 to build and her family does not want it to be used again for anything. Wow, I kept thinking, "that could have bought Stephen and I a house."

Becca, Brittany and I in Stephen's favorite room... the huge buffet!! They had all of our favorite Indian foods and some American treats like Rice Krispies, kiwi and tons of mango!!
I love this picture of the wedding band!! A good wedding has to have good music = )
This is Ramya and her husband!! Isn't she beautiful!! They are going to be moving to Arizona in August. I hope they will come celebrate an American holiday with us sometime!
Stephen and I simply asked a guy to take our picture together on the stage... apparently he was a trained photographer and insisted that we take one like this...I think it is just hilarious because Indians will often boss you around when it comes to stuff that doesn't matter.