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Disclaimer: Dear friends and family, life in 2014 for the Somayajulas has been more than spectacular. In fact, our year has been filled with mind-numbing mundane details. Please accept this heavily exaggerated Season’s Greetings and a Happy New Year photo scroll in lieu of the holiday card. For all the characters who played along, a big thanks! Your faces have been blurred so you don’t have a chance to claim royalties for your appearances. 

* January *

We saw Snowpocalypse in Atlanta. Really, that was the amount of snow on the ground.  

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We tried to make the most of the “snow”. 

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Ky made a movie for a Technology competition. The storyline of his video production was reminiscent of typical Bollywood. A doctor, a patient and too much drama. 

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We incessantly baked cookies to pass time, ranging from crap ball shapes to world map designs. 

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We got rid of the Kitchen wallpaper (yes, we had it in the 21st century) and got the walls painted Teal. 

* February *

I participated in office parties and took home leftovers – ONLY strawberries. 

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I fried some rice flour fritters for the Super Bowl Sunday. Ready, set, hike. Nutrition Facts: 100% fat. 0% rest everything. 

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We tried playing board games enthusiastically and competitively. All times the kids “won” hands down. 

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Ky made Valentine cards to all his classmates much to the chagrin of his Indian Born Confused American parents. 

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We made an attempt to ice skate and snow tube at a modest ski resort. To call it a resort was a bit of a stretch as you can see. 

* March *

Shastry and I tried to look cheerful at a Korean Karaoke night. 

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Like all reasonable people, we attempted and procrastinated and then again attempted doing laundry. 

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For reasons still not clear, I took a foot selfie in a local area restaurant bathroom. Smelly memories. 

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The boys celebrated the St. Patrick’s Day without the drinks. It’s amazing how Dollar Stores and their seasonal products (The green necklace and green hat) across America have changed people’s lives. 

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Moksh made us play games where there were MANY invisible clues. 

* April *

Shastry went on a trip to China where he took lots of pictures of China. The best view always remains obscured. 

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For our Anniversary, the kids tried to delight us at the temple by reading out of books where they didn’t know the language. 

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Moksh took at break while playing at a friend’s birthday party. 

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We saw some unreal animals at the zoo. 

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A golf themed lawn party with mushy frosting golf balls. 

* May *

As we dug into archives, more photos from China emerged. 

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Moksh played the Indian God, Hanuman at Sunday school. 

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I literally broke my back but never forgot to take a picture. #alotofinstagramfilters

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Some days were just blehhhhh.. like this lunch plate. 

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Moksh counted his Indian money as we got ready for the India trip. Our only vacation this year, yay! 

* June *

In India, Ky got an eye infection and was promptly treated with Eastern therapeutic medicine. He “loved” it. 

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Ky held his pose until the buffalo counter attacked with a fart bomb. Cue maniacal laughter. 

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Our cousins marked our visit with cooking. 

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And aunts made a lot more hand made goodies. Literally, fist made sweet balls, people!  

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Oh yes, we also ate out of buckets and metallic containers filled with fruit salad. Ky’s appetite has never been the same since. 

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We attended Indian birthday parties. Yeah, they call it the “Western influence”. 

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There was always food and entertainment in everyone’s home. ONLY food. 

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Ky “enjoyed” some herbal mud baths. I do not have his permission to post this. I repeat. I do NOT. 

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We drove through villages taking pictures of my childhood home. 

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We visited temples, the kids were awed AND spooked. 

* July *

We got back to Atlanta and made a splash! 

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I went back to attending our book club meets and mostly ummm, ate everything. 

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I kept the kids close to my heart! 

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We helped a local Church pack and ship off tons of goodies to soup kitchens and shelters in Downtown Atlanta. 

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Old habits die hard, Moksh ate his mango exactly like how he ate it in India!  

* August *

Yay, super happy month, kids off to school after 10 weeks of summer break. 

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Oh, I wish I took a selfie of mine that day! 

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We tried to infuse into outdoorsy lifestyles with free movies in the park. 

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Yup, Moksh threw up in the car, and I had a ziploc. It was totally a made-for-movies moment. 

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Ky prayed to God WITH food for ….. obviously MORE food! Duh! 

* September *

We went hang gliding in the Smoky Mountains. 

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I totally took a picture of my neighbor’s adorable 2 week old daughter while she took a nap in the park. 

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Just another day at the soccer fields. Girls and their sports equipment can get pretty strange.  

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Moksh had one of his bouts with artsiness. 

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Moksh was king for one day on his 6th birthday! 

* October *

And then it was Ky’s turn in the spotlight for turning 10! 

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When I got nostalgic OR in the Indian festive mood, the kids helped with Rangoli. 

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When we had a flat tire, people literally got out of their cars to help us out. Go Johns Creek, Georgia! 

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We celebrated Diwali with 10 lamps AND 10 trays of food. 

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Moksh didn’t mind celebrating Halloween and Navratri (Indian festival of the holy 9 nights) on the same weekend. Here he is, offering food to Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth). 

* November *

Ganesha protects everything and everyone, or so I told the kids. Their night stand looks like this now. 

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We attended a function at a friend’s house where the theme was worshipping the Hindu God of Medicine – Dhanvantri. Damn, these Indians take education seriously. 

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Everyone has a wild side as proven by this piece of art. 

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Thanks to the store Michaels we built a Gingerbread house. 

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We exhibited some civic duties during the midterm elections. 

* December *

A few of my humble attempts at decor to impress Santa. The trees. 

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There were ornaments too, of course, not those tree kind. 

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Moksh helped dad pick a suit for his MBA graduation. 

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But as dad graduated, he got photobombed by a cutie. 

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We saved serious monies by attempting to create our own family portraits. This is the only picture that made the final cut. 

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We visited the NASA Space Center and attempted flying. 

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And the boys scaled some new heights. 

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During the holidays, we ate one meal that was spicy and Indian and made us “go”. 

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And then, ate the next meal which was bland and American and stopped the “go”. Moral: Too much cheese plugs holes. 

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Then participated in cookie exchange parties. 

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We visited the Hindu Temple of Atlanta to count our blessings for the year.

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On Christmas, we visited a neighbor and realised this popular depiction is THE “nativity scene” when Jesus was born. #DontMessWithTheClassics

What’s a year in a lifetime? Happy 2015! 

The Indian American Life