Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 2025!!!

Wishing you all happy holidays this year! Our family trip to India was pleasant and cherished. This year, I met Madhumasi & Rashmikantmasa after many years in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Madhumasi is my mom’s youngest sister who resides in the UK. Presently, I visited her in Karelibaug, Vadodara. We all ate delicious samosas at her house. Kruti had loved it. It was lovely meeting Masi and Masa. My daughter, Kruti, has met Kusumba & Rajendradada after a year and a half. She enjoyed Ranoli, where she ate Puri, Shaak, Mathia, Bhajia, and Papdi. We all went to Ambaji temple for a darshan along with my mommy & papa. Kruti got to darshan for the very first time at Ambaji temple. Another temple we visited was in Dakor. Kruti tried a special yummy Dakor Bhajia after visiting Dakor nu Mandir. Overall, our trip to India was enjoyable & sociable. Jai Shree Krishna!!

-Jaimi(Mom)

With my family, I ventured into India during Christmas break. A wave of deja vu came over me as we boarded the plane to visit Gujarat again. The plane rides were long, but they were definitely worth the wait. We traveled to a few temples with different architecture and exquisite designs. Some of them had gold on them, which was another beautiful part of them. Other temples were really crowded and congested, so we didn’t spend as much time at them. Many people pushed us around, especially inside the actual temple where people pray. We also visited Ba and Dada’s house many more times. It was really recreational to be able to spend more time with them. My mom, dad, and I devoured mathias, papdi, shaak, bhakri, and fruits Ba gave us. The mathias were crunchy and very flavorful, as well as the papdi. The shaak was delectable as well. The meals were very enjoyable, and Ba is a great cook. I also got to gobble down pizza and garlic bread with my grandparents again from Pizzawala. My mom and I bought a few more chaniya cholis and Indian outfits for me and some children’s clothes for young infants in Ba’s community. They glimmered and sparkled with great elegance and made one appear like royalty. We encountered Kshamamami and Pundrikmama as well since they were also stopping by India. The whole trip was really fun, and I can’t wait to journey back to India again during spring break. 

-Written by my lovely daughter Kruti!!!