Friendly Manitoba

Priya and I are currently in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We are here visiting family and to celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday. Shhhh...don't tell her! She doesn't know we are here yet! :)

Ashish wasn't able to join us on this trip b/c of his school commitments so unfortunately he is back home studying like mad and gearing up for another big test tomorrow. Good luck honey! I'm praying for you and know that you'll do great on this one! We miss and love you lots!

We arrived yesterday at about 11pm and I'm happy to report that Priya did amazingly well! We only had a few minor snags (including a delayed flight that almost caused us to miss our connection from Denver to Winnipeg) but we made it in the end. We must have been quite a sight in that airport. I wish I had a picture! I had a small rolling suitcase that held Priya's diaper bag and our laptop (easier to transport in the airport than carrying separately) and we also had Priya's car seat with us since 2 of the 3 flights allowed us to have an extra seat for Priya. I attached the car seat to the suitcase and dragged it behind and then perched Priya on top of the suitcase, her back leaning up against the handle of the suitcase that I was pulling as we power walked through the airport. It was quite a show (and we had comments galore about it) but it got us where we needed to go and Priya thought it was fun having a "ride" in the process!

My cousin Cynthia met us at the airport. It was wonderful to see her after 2 years (it's been 8 since we've been here in Manitoba!). We are staying in her beautiful home with her husband, Chris, and their adorable boys, Carson (5) & Caleb (2).

We enjoyed the day watching the kids have a blast with each other in the morning (man, did they ever hit it off!!) and then went over to Aunt Marge's for the afternoon. Today was my cousin Stacey's 20th birthday so she and her boyfriend Dan were also there and we were able to celebrate her special day with them.

There is so much I could say about today, but it's late and I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. It was a great day and it ended with a wonderful chance for Cynthia and I to have a long chat while everyone else was asleep. There is much fun yet to be had during the next week and a lot more family to see! It's so great to be here!

Stacey and Dan:Stacey, Aunt Marge & Cynthia:

Carson spent much of the day hugging Priya. It was funny to watch how much they quickly bonded with each other!The kids spent some time playing outside at Aunt Marge's home in the evening. The sidewalk chalk was a hit!

Then it was time to get cleaned up so off to the bath they went.