Nostalgia - memories, childhood and people who made it fun.

 Decades ago, my parents moved to a new city and rented a house. A seasoned couple next door offered them help in any way they could. The most significant help was being there when a nanny took care of their toddler (me) while my mom went to teach at a school. I started elementary school at the age of 4, but before that, my days were spent with "Mausi" (Aunt) (as she was fondly called by my parents) the nanny was just a supporting character. Mausi was strong and fierce, and she poured all her love into this girl. Few years later they moved to their native place 30 miles away once the husband retired. 

To this day, she remains one of my favorite people. I used to meet her often, but then I got married and soon moved out of India. Life, husband, kids, and work took over. I did meet her a couple of times afterward, but I never got to spend much time with her.

Her grandson now lives in Canada. When he got his mother to visit him, I wanted to meet her too. The Pragya in me wanted to know Mousi as a person, to talk and listen more about her. A daughter-in-law is the perfect person for all those details. The weekend was all about reminiscing those memories. I spent time with Mausi's daughter-in-law, grandson, and his wife. We ate, talked about families, memories, lifestyle, and, most importantly, about Mausi.

She must be smiling somewhere, knowing how much she is loved and appreciated. Do you have people in your life who weren't family but meant more than any relatives? 

A simple cotton, simple easy fresh just like love and memories wrap you.

Ottawa diaries 

Her grandson - She would have loved this fun and vibrant grand daughter in law 

A trip to Boston - Mom and Sons and the fun

 If you've been following my blogs, you're probably aware that I'm not exactly the most sought-after companion for Anand. He tends to prefer going just about anywhere with his dad rather than with me. But if you know me, you're also well aware of my for the city.

Lately, I've been discussing the idea of using a weekend train pass  for a day trip to Boston. Anand had his heart set on getting a video game from his brother, but Mr. husband wasn't too keen on driving all the way there for a game. As it turns out, Anand's desire for the game outweighed , and he eventually agreed to join me. Of course, I had my own condition, fully aware of his desperation to get that game—I asked him to learn about schedules, maps, and navigating subways with me.

So, early Saturday morning, we hopped on a train. I was pleasantly surprised to see how diligently he paid attention to the map, the timetable, and the connections. He is really good with Maps and locations and remembers them very well

 We took two trains and a subway to see Ajey. The lunch, the conversation, the donuts and brownies and of course the game was the highlight of the day. Our return journey mirrored the earlier one. We even took a break at the malls in the Back Bay area. All in all, it was a fantastic day. We had some great conversations, walked a lot and even enjoyed some music together.

I'm genuinely thrilled that I could introduce him to something new, and I'm sure we will be able to do some more stuff together.

A mangalgiri from mom’s closet, A graduation and milestone bday party for a friend’s son.

I was still now allowed to take pics. "Franklin Station" 

I so wanted to go to the north shore but once we had the game in hand there was nothing better than going home. I played with the idea of sending him back alone and staying back in Boston but Mr Husband offered me a trip to my fav beach in the  evening. Here I was on a beach at the Cape watching the sunset while Anand enjoyed his game at home