40.365.2014 The Feast

Dave and I went out and about today. We ended up visiting Crate & Barrel and experienced a Verismo Starbucks. Mine was pretty good, but Dave’s latte was no good.

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We went to brunch with Russ & Trevor and caught up since we went to Florida. It was a blast!

This afternoon we went to Matthew & Beth’s for the feast. Essentially, Matthew decided to buy some groupons and then make a dinner out of them. Ham, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, soup (Beth made), and princess cake. So good. So full.

And the pooches had a great day playing. Now they are pooped!

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39.365.2014 Travel Stories

Today was nice to sleep in a bit and then take a nap mid day. The dogs (we’re watching Xander) had fun playing ball and going to the park.

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Tonight we went over to MMZ’s for some dinner and shared our travel stories. It sounds like Mark had a blast traveling with Zara. 🙂

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35-38.365.2014 India Adventures

Well, I didn’t post much while I was gone… I woke up on Tuesday feeling great and ready to conquer the week.
I had one pot of coffee with Juan at breakfast and we ended up so sick by the time we got to the office. I really didn’t recover a ton… I think between jet lag and acid reflux, my stomach kicked my ass. I had good moments and horrible moments. So, lots of sleep and not lots of social media.

Therefore, here’s a 4 day post!! Get ready!

Tuesday we went to the office and met the team. They were awesome and so excited to show us their work. It blew our minds! That night we went to Jaxa’s house for a dinner with her leadership team. Jaxa is our Director in India. Her home is beautiful and the party was great.

What they used to cook several dishes:

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Bill, Jaxa and her prayer room.

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The two sides… Jaxa’s gated community and a shanty town for construction workers. Completely normal in India.

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Wednesday was another office day. The drive to work is always amazing. The culture is very evident at every turn.

Folks hired out to sweep the streets with coconut leaves. They are actually very clean.

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It’s not uncommon to see cows all over the roads. They eat trash and block drivers.

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Tons of motorbikes everywhere. Also, no one follows any lanes… You just drive and honk to make your way. There was no accidents. People walk across the middle of the street, they ride bicycles, multiple people ride on the back not holding on and playing with cell phones, and then add cars!

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The hotel we stayed in was gorgeous. Full scale comfort with beautiful architecture & design, ridiculous service and great food/bars. The dessert case!

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The pool.

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They had 4 cakes sculpted to different cartoons. Wow!

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Thursday was our last day in India. We had purchased “kurtas”, Indian shirts, to wear to the office and of course, they were red & khaki. I think the team loved them!

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After work, our driver Chandru took us to a meat/fruit/vegetable/flower market. It was pretty cool, but also quite different. We parked and walked around which meant crossing the street in the middle of traffic. It didn’t smell great… People were staring at us (remember the kurtas!). But why go to India and not take a risk!?

We headed to the meat market first and saw cages of birds – parakeets, pigeons, ducks. And then cages of puppies, kitties and other animals. I FREAKED OUT. Until the driver told me it was the pet store… The meat market was next door. 🙂

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We weren’t allowed to take photos in the meat market. It was nasty. But the veg and fruit market was amazing and beautiful.

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And the flower market was cool. They take flowers and design then into beautiful pieces. The one in this photo is for a new house blessing. Amazing!

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We also saw a beautiful church… The oldest in Bangalore. It was extremely peaceful.

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Of course a day at the market wouldn’t be the same without some cows and stray dogs.

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Although I didn’t feel the best all week, the trip was overall good to experience. I have a feeling we’ll be back this year. But for now, I was excited to come home!! My flight from Paris was delightful… Amazing pods and just relaxing.

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And of course, I got to see my pooch!! FaceTime while in India, but the best was his wagging tail when he saw me!

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31.365.2014 The Last Supper

Today was prep day… Finish up email, give the team instructions, laundry, pack. I was excited to come home and Dave had already done the laundry. AND the TV was finally mounted on the fireplace!! Woo hoo!

I was able to pack and take a nap before we headed out to dinner at Bar La Grassa. First time there and it was yummy! Here are the leftovers:

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So I called this my last supper before I go to India. I’m a bit nervous about my possibilities of food.

And the pooch only had leftovers of his treat too!

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