Home Is Where Central Park Is
New York City for the Weekend!
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John and I will be going on a trip to New York City for the weekend so he can meet the whole crazy family clan.
Because even a promise ring is a big deal to Asian parents. ;D
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My parents just moved into a new building in the city and I haven’t even seen it - I am so excited and nervous.
Everyone will love him and he hopefully won’t be too intimidated by a hundred Indian aunties over-feeding him and clucking over how pale and underfed he looks.
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Also, I am excited about a new neighborhood - my parents are in the heart of the city so it’s going to be fun creating a completely new routine for me.
More than fancy restaurants and trips to the ballet and opera (those will be later!), John and I are looking forward to being spoiled by my momma. Because well, that’s the best kind of spoiling. :)
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New York isn’t a tourist destination for me, it will always be home.
But I love being a tourist in my hometown. :D
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Here’s a word-for-word e-mail from my father: ”We know how you eat, but what does John eat? What “American” foods should we have around?”
My father was happy to hear that John eats everything and anything and loves spicy Indian food.
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John is adorable - he’s been freaking out about presents and I love his ideas. Frankly, my parents will just be touched he thought of giving a gift but I understand what’s up.
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Do you remember the first time you introduced your significant other to the whole family? Were they nervous? Were you nervous too?
I kept our relationship from my parents for a long time because I thought they would disapprove. I was shaking when I told my mom and she just laughed, and laughed, and laughed.
I was not amused.
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They were happy for me and the whole thing was drama free. As someone who loves drama, I think I was secretly disappointed. ;D
My mom immediately switched lanes and every phone call involved giving advice.
“You are really hard to live with. Don’t complain so much when he leaves things around. It’s not nice to complain.”
“Do you share the cleaning or make him do everything?”
“Be the first to apologize. Since you are never the first to apologize.”
Wow, was I that much of a treat growing up?
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John will be the first boy, man, and life partner other than Henry Cavill, I have and will hopefully ever brought home.
I’ve always been wary about bringing home every Tom, Dick, and Harry and I’m glad that the one I bring home is my forever man.
One of the three - Nigel is staying home since bulldogs can’t do planes. :)
A Two-Coffee Afternoon
My beautiful morning started with a forty minute early morning walk for Nigel. It’s 40 degrees so that meant flip-flops since I’m an optimistic girl.
My energy was high today but I was having some serious coffee cravings because it was a hectic day - started with the usual, French roast black.
Hello, dark passenger.
Lunchtime was fabulous because I met up with this guy!
This sweater makes me smile because it is from that period where you’ve dated someone long enough and can slowly, start replacing all the items in their closet and hope they don’t notice. What can I say, I love my preppy boys.
We went to Sopraffina for salads and I got the Farm Stand: with Mixed greens, candied walnuts, roma tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, and sherry raisin vinaigrette. It was okay - the vinaigrette was overpowering and sweet nuts aren’t my thing. John helped me finish it! :D
We were also getting the finger bling resized and I was nervous - I’m between a 4.5 and 5 but the girl didn’t put a string around my finger or anything (I have no clue about the process but I thought it was more precise). She assured me they would get it perfect but really?
GAZE AT MY ALIEN HANDS!
I got a Starbucks coffee with a splash of non-fat milk and also enjoyed my packed snack - a slice of Ezekiel toast with Sabra hummus n’ olives.
Today’s Workout
I was so nervous about hot yoga today - I took a C2 hot yoga class with one of my favorite hard teachers and oh my goodness, every position was a twisty position with the strap.
When you use the strap, I always think, my body will never do that. Then the magic clicks and I check myself in the mirror and I think, Wow, I look kinda sexy when I do that. ;D
Every kneeling position on my right knee went like this, “Whyeeeee! Whyyyeeeee, does this cut hurt even though I put a bandage on it? Whyyyeeeee?”
Hope everyone had a good day!
Seven Things Sunday
I am grateful for…
Promises made which surprise me still.
Our Valentine’s day dinner at Takashi, which features contemporary French-American fare with Japanese influences. I am particularly grateful for chefs who will and can make a great six-course meal for a vegetarian.
If you love restaurant reviews as much as I do, here you go!
My first ten miler for marathon training - the amazing part? I can’t believe I can run ten miles at a decent clip, and not be sore the next day. The two stupid knee ouchies however, need some attending to.
Chocolate from Vosges, forged by the angels themselves. I’m also grateful for a will-power which allowed me to save them until my weekend long run. :D
Longer and warmer days…so Nigel is loving his walks again.
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The Disney Land Half Marathon in September is the final race for Disney’s Coast-to-Coast marathon challenge. It sold out last night. I was heart broken when this happened last year too especially after the Goofy Challenge.
Guess which two crazy kids got into registration in the nick of time? California half marathon in September! ;D
Our post ten miler treat - Big Star Taco! After hearing from EVERYONE that we needed to eat here, we decided our long run day was perfect.
Two and a half page waiting list to get into the restaurant itself. Lines out the door. Is it that good? Oh. My. Goodness. If G-d ate food, he would want tacos from here. Vegetarians can enjoy the portabella mushrooms or potato tacos, and the latter was my fave!
Hope everyone has a great new week ahead of them!
He Liked it, So He Put a Ring on it
I call it a promise ring even though he says we are too old for promise rings.
John calls it a “making an honest woman out of me ring.”
I secretly always wanted a promise ring and to wear John’s varsity letter jacket. Even though we met in graduate school. :D
I love love love being John’s girlfriend. I was a humble girl, living a humble life when I was thrown into the adventure of our courtship. A promise ring means I will forever be his girlfriend even when I am a wife, and that years later we still have the memories from our first summer love.
{Please excuse the tired eyes and sweats, we returned late and I wanted to send a picture to my mama and John’s mother.}
The whole thing was sweet and romantic and when John put the ring on my finger, I was in disbelief. We’ve been having some big conversations about some upcoming adventures in Adult Land and I never, never, NEVER saw this coming.
John said he has been thinking about this and looking for a perfect ring for a long time (his creativity at measuring was amazing, but sadly, my finger shrunk a bit recently and I will need to resize for safety).
Why a pearl? I’ve always loved the history and symbolism of pearls. In Persian history, my name Mehnaz translates to “the moon’s glory.” Ancient cultures believed that the moon could make pearls grow larger, that pearls were celestial tears, and that pearls were dew collected from the moon. There are even stories about how pearls controlled the current of the oceans!
{On our second date at the Lincoln Park zoo - look at these children!}
I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for John and I can’t believe how the most unexpected happiness comes into your life.
Bedroom Eyes + Valentine’s Day 5 Miler!
I came home to bedroom eyes. Well, almost. And yes, this is a common pose.
I had an awesome run today. It was the first where I didn’t take a Garmin and just ran.
And I ran a 5 miler in 46:34 (I kept track on my phone with a stop watch.). I am sooooo close to my goal of a 5 miler in 45 minutes! I beat my old five mile time today and since I hit a 4 miler in 35:44, my body is totally capable of this, and I just have to get there.
Sometimes when I run, I hum and sing to myself quietly. Apparently, today I was a less quiet.
As I was singing to myself, “I can’t win, I can’t reign, I will never win this game, without you…withoooouuuut you,” a guy was running next to me, laughed and waved. I’m not even embarrassed. Much.
Then he kept up with me on the other side of the street. Don’t you realize this means we’re racing? And yes, I fell twice, it is icy out there folks.
I always knew the man of my dreams would be tall, dark, strong, and handsome. I have to pinch myself because I have the John of my dreams.
I never knew the other man of my dreams would be short, with stubby legs, a paunch, a smoosh nose, and snore a little bit.
I see lots of people write that Valentine’s day is silly because you are supposed to remind each other of your love every day - well, we do that around here, sometimes a few times a day.
But Valentine’s Day lets you CELEBRATE love - something that you might not be able to do everyday. And there’s chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne involved. :D
Lunch was a delicious open-faced sammie - a slice of Ezekiel toast with pine-nut hummus, half an avocado, with a tablespoon of Maple Groves Wasabi-Dijon mustard.
Off to go home and get ready for tonight!
Valentine’s Morning
Blooms in the front room!
Mini-chocolate chip waffles from Van’s Natural Foods stuffed with peanut butter for breakfast.
With maple syrup for dipping!
Our Abs Fitness streak continues with Routine 44 and 45 inspired by Tara Stiles. I did the routine five times through and added plank pose, side planks, and crow pose.
My sweetie is on my mind while I drink my morning coffee. :D
Hope you had a great morning!
2011 Adventures!
We completed our first Goofy Challenge and I went to Disney World for the first time. And in 5 days, we will be running 39.3 miles again for our second one!
This was seriously the most exciting moment of my life - I love Chip and Dale!
Our little family grew when we brought Nigel Bear Milhous home.
We went to California to visit friends and ran the America’s Finest City half marathon with them in San Diego!
I got back on the mat - transferring my practice from Hatha and Bikram to a fusion vinyasa at Core Power. My practice was invigorated by Hot Yoga and I am continually inspired by Tara Stiles - there is a yoga practice for everyone!
I made my first Lovesgiving dinner!!
I switched to running in my pink Vibrams and ran two half marathons, a 20 mile race, and a full marathon in them! In total, this year John and I raced 124 miles!
We went to Moscow and St. Petersburg. I can’t believe I’ve seen Russia - never in my wildest dreams did I imagine ever seeing the land of Tolstoy.
We ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. and had a lot of success!
We went to Ohio so Nigel could meet his grandparents and great-grandparents and then went back two more times!
We ran the Newton Ready to Run 20 Miler to train for our marathon!
We celebrated four years together!
This first picture is from our second date - we look like children! :D
We enjoyed famous cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes after the Marine Corps Marathon - they lived up to their reputation!
We celebrated our first Christmas with Nigel Bear!
2011 was a great year and I hope 2012 will be the best ever with many more adventures!
16/52 Dates: Haunted Chicago
So this brings us to date 16! I called John to let him know we would go downtown together and that I wouldn’t tell him about our date night until we caught this:
A two hour tour of Chicago’s haunted spots! We’d love this little touristy bus driving by and always said we couldn’t wait to do it one day - perfect date night activity! :)
I wanted to do my 52 Dates in 52 Weeks because I took it for granted that John planned awesome date nights week after week while he was in law school and after when he started working 60 hour work weeks. Somehow, the special occasions were super special and the date nights were always fun. I never appreciated how tough this was and took a lot of our courtship for granted.
I admit I thought, “this will be easy as cupcakes.” Well, Tumblr peeps, it’s the end of October and I’m only up to date 16. I don’t know how John always found a “new perfect restaurant” or a “new perfect activity.” And finding the time! Sometimes, I just wanted to sit at home in my pj’s but hey, John always found a time somehow and yes, he has outpaced me even this year!
Date 16!
John was scared. Scared skeptical. :) He’s not a believer and he doesn’t have a superstitious side but we both love the history of Chicago and our ghost tour was a fun way to experience it.
Like any good city, we have a great lady ghost in Resurrection Mary and three of the country’s worst public disasters during that era: the great Chicago fire, the Iroquois Theatre Fire (now the Oriental), and the Eastland Ship disaster.
What the major stories shared in common is the reality that bodies are unaccounted for which might create discontented spirits. During the Chicago fire, bodies were completely cremated and entire families burned in their homes and hundreds would have died in congested communities and supposedly not entered into the final totals of the disaster count.
For the Iroquois Theatre Fire (about 600 killed) and the Eastland Ship disaster (about 800 killed in a shocking 20 feet of water), large amounts of women and children were killed as a result of negligence and again, both disasters are shrouded in accusations that officials hid bodies away because the public outcry would have been even worse than it inevitably was.
{The alley next to the Iroquois, now Oriental theatre. People jumped from the sixth floor and sadly jumped to their deaths.}
{The windows of Hull House - the complex supposedly once housed a “devil baby,” the inspiration behind Rosemary’s Baby. This great article on the devil baby in the Atlantic Magazine is authored by Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House and is a real slice of social history of the immigrant communities and the rise of the social work system in Chicago.
{The Couch Mausoleum - this little building is private property located on a full public park. We’ve seen it for four years and now we know it belonged to Ira Couch, whose family fought to keep their tomb there even though the cemetery was being relocated. Even creepier? Bodies are still found in the nearby land and in fancy homes nearby when during construction project.}
{The site of the Eastland ship disaster - see any ghosts? No, but my city is beautiful!}
{Resurrection Mehnaz! ;D Sadly, my camera caught no ghostly activity, didn’t sight Resurrection Mary, nor did I experience any ghosts, cold spots, hands, or eerie feelings. Maybe next time?}
John loved this date night and I had to give myself a pat on the back for a fun night. I can’t wait to plan our next date adventure! :)
On Love
{From the film Chloe}
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Chloe: I try to find something to love in everybody. Even if it’s a small thing. Something about the way someone smiles. There’s always something, there has to be. I try to make myself generous. I do things I don’t want to do. I…I think about what not to criticize.
