A week back home

Lets see what I did for the past week. Ah yes, got all the pictures sorted out to print copies for William. I promised him that I would make an album and mail which I need to do this week.

Next I had taken some of the left over wedding craft supplies from Sabrina. Yesterday, I decided I will try my hand on fabric painting. It has been a long long time since I did the last painting. I brought these great German fabric paints with me to Bangalore when I came from Saudi and so now putting them to use after nearly 7 years. Ah you wont believe, they are in tact and just good to use. So I took one of the bags, if you remember what Sabrina gave us at the hotel with goodies in it, drew a flower on one side and painted it - oolaala it looks great and on the other side did free hand painting - something light. Great.

So the plan is now to get some nice christmas pictures and paint on the bags which i can use as christmas gifts with small goodies in it. Thanks Sabrina for the bags and for the idea of stamping which I can also do as I have stamps and pads too. You are great in teaching your mom crafts.

My maid Jyoti also loves to learn and do crafts. So far I have thought her cross stitch and embroidery stitch (only chain). She has done a beautiful project while I was away (it was an assignment I had given her since there would not be much work while we were gone). Now she iwill help me with bags and small christmas projects I have to finish within the next two months.

Today, we are going to do some small shopping for glass and fabric paint liners and some good glue. I will be doing some glass art also. Will post some pictures when done on facebook.

Until then all take care.

Travel Locks

I had bought a travel lock made by Samsung and used it while on vacation. Something went bad with my memory to remember the combination on my return journey. I tried hard to rack my brains but nothing worked. Giving up my trying, since Sabrina was visiting us the last weekend of our trip in Houston, I passed on the work of deciphering the code. Of course Sabrina was not a happy camper, but she gave her best shot and got frustrated. So I brought it back with me and last night (Thursday), after dinner I took the darn thing to give a try and after about 10 minutes, turning all the number it snapped at the right code. AHHHH was I happy. I wrote to Sabrina immediately to let her know that I would not get sleep until I got the combination. Sooooo now I have written the numbers down and will not forget it again.

Our return to Bangalore

Eugene was already getting bored in Houston and the last weekend helped and revived his spirit with the warm visit from Sabrina. She boosted his down sided mood and took us around doing our last minute shopping at Costco looking for gifts for William and Gloria, helping me pack my bags, which is always such a task and worry for me because of the restrictions on weight. She did it all and having loaded the bags in the car herself, I could not thank God for such a wonderful daughter because the check in was smooth with no hassles and no weight excess. We checked in and Sabrina returned her car back and spent 45 minutes with us at the airport. Since eating too many shrimps and grapes we three had stomach upset and at the airport, she took her father with her and bought him a Mist drink which helped and subsided the stomach pain he had the whole afternoon.

Thanks to Sabrina, Eugene and I were just fine on the flight back. Though the flt hours were close to 15 hours to Doha, both of us took naps and woke up for small snacks. We tried to stay awake so that we get adjusted to the schedule back in Bangalore. Our waiting time at Doha was only one hour and so the entire journey was uneventful and pleasant. The crew were good and the food and snacks palatable and excellent.

To cap it all for the first time in all my travels over the last 30 years, I have never watched so many movies on flight. Knowing fully well that I have to stay awake to stay on the plan that I intended, I watched Ocean Thirteen starring Clooney, Pitt and Damon. then I watched McGyver starring Tom Cruise and Godding and then two Movies one called Kudha Gawha starring Amitabh Bachan - okay movie and last was Rajneeti with some popular younger actors, like Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor and Rampal. This was a movie depicting the politics in India which is currently happening, but did not have that much of a punch. Anyway, I myself am surprised that I watched four movies.

So reaching the airport our taxi was waiting for us since it was booked earlier and the driver a known person was helpful with the lugging of the bags and loading etc. Our maid Jyoti was awake and waiting for us. We reached home around 5 am on Wednesday and after resting for couple of hours, I got down to starting my days chores. On reaching the house we called Sabrina and for her it was Tuesday and she was at hobby getting ready to board her plane from Houston to Denver.

Wednesday all day I spent on unpacking, putting the tings away and tiding up my closet. It was a mess when I left and I could not wait to see it clean. Ah it looked wonderful when all was done. Then I did all the ironing of the new clothes. Knowing Eugene he will not allow me to rest until all the clothes are ironed and then worn. Now there are only his two shirts and pant to be ironed, which I will do today.

Wednesday night I spent at the computer and was disappointed that all the three disks that I got from Sabrina of the wedding pictures, could not be opened. Also my Galveston disk could not be opened. As suggested by Sabrina I have asked a friend to let me use her laptop and tomorrow Friday morning I will go and see her. If that does not work, then i will go to the studio and see if the pictures can be printed. I wanted to separate the pictures according, to rehearsal, pre-dressing, church, reception, and later events. I know I will do it but it will take me a couple more days to get the pictures sorted, printed and album done. I promised William I would send him some of the pictures of our trip to Austin and Galveston. Wedding pictures albums Sabrina will send him and also to my sister Veronica.

Got very good sleep Wednesday night and today Thursday completely normal. It is 11.30 am here and I am finishing this blog while Jyoti is preparing some nice chicken lunch for us. Our car was parked in the garage. Eugene's brother Edwin had visited the house and started the car to keep the engine going for a while and in his rush of things left the door slightly open. Now he did this on 4th October so for nearly two week, the battery got used up. This morning sent the battery to the garage for charging and will not get it back until Friday morning, which means I have to find a way of getting for my appointment to the dentist this evening at 6 pm. I guess will call my neighbor Karanth to send his driver, hopefully it should work out.

Well now I will more in tomorrow or next week after I sort out my pictures disks.

Houston Trip

Well while in Houston, I met all my friends - the hospitality of Sylvia, my longtime friend from Saudi now living in Austin with husband was overwhelming. While I had been to Austin several times before Eugene and William were on their first trip. Sylvia took us to San Antonio to visit the Missions and Alamo. We had a good time in Austin. While there I visited my long time work colleague friend Greg Schildgen and his wife. That evening was their daughter's engagement party and her parents not knowing any of the to-be-bride's friends, were happy to have us around. So the whole evening we caught up with all the news of the last seven years of our retirement.

In Houston we met with Tom Mickelson, John March, Bill Coker, Norma Coker all our Saudi friends for lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Houston. My order of meatballs was just awful. Eugene's lasagne was good and so also what the others orders. Anyway it was a good meeting and we enjoyed the company. Bill and Norma were very helpful to us and accompanied us on our trip to downtown on the train. It was a good experience.

We met Tibby Booth about an hour away from Houston downtown and while there we shopped at the 99 cents store as Tibby does not shop anywhere else. We got quite a few things and they are all good for daily use. The only friend I could not meet was Rudy Richardson as he was on a trip to Singapore on business.

We visited Galveston, Kemah Boardwalk, The Woodlands and all the malls.

Thats all for Houston for now.....until my next trip.

Trip to the US for the Big Wedding

Well it has been over a year that I posted anything on this blog....sheer laziness, but exciting things did happen. We made a trip to Sri Lanka in November 2009 . It was a great trip and fun to be on the beach and enjoy the sea and sunshine. Lots of other small side trips we made within India and the most exciting one was to Hyderabad just before the Stateside trip. This was not planned as such but a fun trip done at random. Shopping was just great - purchased all gifts sets of pearls for Sabrina and friends and more so I got the best deal of all. I got myself huge round grey and pink pearl necklaces with gold rims and a five strand emerald necklace. I have been looking for one of these necklaces for a long long time and found it in Hyderabad city where stones and pearls are very famous. Okay that is about enough for the time lost to update the blog and so I will start with our US trip.

Of course this trip was important as we were going to attend the wedding of our daughter Sabrina to Jamie on 18th September, 2010. We left Bangalore on a direct flight to Houston on Qatar Airways. This was our time using Qatar and let me tell you it was just wonderful. The flt time close to 19 hours was comfortable and pleasant. The crew very hospital and the food and snacks good and palatable. We made Houston our point of arrival and departure because of convenience otherwise we would have to lug our belongings to all the plans we had visiting places. Eugene's younger brother William and his wife Gloria live and work in Houston and they own a house. After spending a week in Houston, we went with William to Kansas City for the wedding.

AH the wedding was just great, I was feeling so bad that I did not help in anyway with the planning or execution. It was all the efforts of Sabrina and Jamie and her friends that planned the wedding. Unbelievable, the mass celebrated by Fr. Matt, Pastor of St. Francis Xavier in Kansas City and Sabrina has known him for close to seven years, attended by family and friends. We were so delighted to see the church full and the beautiful bridal couple on the altar of God dedicating themselves to each other, to share their lives in happiness and sorrow together. We were happy to see our baby marry Jamie a young man with good family background and good nature. We met Jamie's parents, brother and sister and their families and it was a joy to know them. Their love and affection shown to us and to our daughter made us feel so comfortable and happy that Sabrina has joined a well loved family.

The reception at Screenland has not faded from our memories. Every time I look at the table decorations, the pictures of the seating arrangements of family and friends makes me feel proud of Sabrina and Jamie. I would never have thought of such kind of things even though I am pretty much organized person. Eugene was just thrilled to see all the things Sabrina and Jamie had done in preparation for the big day, the hours and time spent in putting it all together and finally executing the plans. There is so much I can say but all this you will read in Sabrina's blog along with the pictures.

We returned from the wedding to Houston and then traveled to different cities in the Houston area. Our Mexico trip had to be canceled at the last minute because of bad airline connections. We did not want to land in Mexico City around 3 am and have not much time to see the city. Eugene was not pleased with my canceling the trip and since the time was short we could not travel to Las Vegas because the prices shot up and not affordable. Maybe next time I will plan better.