Out and about in our neighborhood!

After five dreary days of clouds and rain we were looking forward to a fun weekend. Friday night we went to Rocktoberfest in Fort Lauderdale where we sampled various beers and tasted yummy food from Miami food trucks.



Live entertainment was provided by local bands. Although they didn’t play much 80s music, Audioheist was quite entertaining!

Saturday night we went to Sukho Thai, an amazing Thai restaurant that we have been meaning to try. The service and food were impeccable. Best panang curry, hands down!!Sunday morning after working out we went on our usual walk downtown and checked out some art work and jewelry at the Las Olas Art Festival. We didn’t find any artwork for our place (still looking), but we did find a beautiful piece for Hoor’s dad. Shhh! It’s a surprise! (I don’t think he reads our blog, instead Mom fills him in on all of the happenings in our lives J).

Coffee Break at Brew

I closed my weekend with sunset yoga on the beach. Our class met across from a bar that was blasting techno music. The sounds of the crashing waves forced us to tune out the loud music and focus on our breathing and the overall experience. The wind made it hard to perfect my tree pose, but it was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again! Thanks Alissa!

Things that still catch us by surprise:

1)      The beautiful weather and palm trees

2)      Lizards everywhere!

3)      People walk around with their parrots on their shoulders or bikes

4)      Donna Summer ringtones

5)      Nice yachts and cars

Celebrations

Hoor and I headed back home over Columbus Day weekend to spend time with our families. While in Chicago we celebrated four birthdays (Dad K, Mom B, Zeenat and mine) and my parents' 35th wedding anniversary! Our trip back home was a short one, but it was jam-packed with family fun! We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. The leaves were changing colors and the temperatures hovered around 75 all weekend long. A perfect fall weekend if you ask me! Thursday night we had dinner with Hoor's family at his youngest brother's place in Chicago. Joy spoiled me with a early birthday present and treated me to a facial and massage the next morning at The Palmer House!
 

 

Hoor receiving the World's Best Shoe Shine at the Palmer House!



Refreshed and ready for the day, Hoor and I headed to good ole' Elgin for lunch with my mom. (I really missed her cooking! I devoured everything she put in front of me!) We stopped over at Ali and Zeenat's place to see them and the kids before they headed to their fundraiser. We jumped on the trampoline, collected fallen leaves, and made leaf rubbings (a first for Shariq and Sabreena).

The plan for the evening was to meet Ali and Co. at Funway towards the end of the fundraiser and then go out for dinner. Little did I know that this was their way of getting me to Funway and throwing me a surprise 80s roller skating party for my 30th!

I was so surprised to see 40 of our family and friends waiting for me with skates on! With 80s music and side ponytails, we skated the night away! And I'm happy to report that there were no major injuries! I will never forget this birthday and I have my loving husband and family to thank!

Saturday we had lunch at Weber Grill in Schaumburg to celebrate my parents 35th wedding anniversary and my dad's birthday. We surprised my parents by giving their wedding album a makeover. When I was in India in 2008, I found their wedding album at my uncle's place and knew they would be excited to see their long-lost pictures. With yellowing pages and damaged pictures, we needed to do something to salvage the album. Enter Ali and Zeenat! They spent countless hours scanning in the pictures, designing the layout of the album, and capturing the essence of October 7, 1976! To say the album was beautiful is an understatement. Even more beautiful was my parents' expression!  

Then and now...Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad! We love you!

Mr. and Mrs. Zoaib Kapadia ~ October 7, 1976

The food at Weber Grill was excellent, but the company was even better. After lunch, we played telephone for quite some time. The kids got a kick out of this and couldn't understand why the message drastically changed from what they initially had said!

 
Before we knew it we were on a plane back to Florida. I had picked up an awful sinus infection over the weekend and spent my actual birthday sipping chicken noodle soup and Theraflu while Hoor was in DC. Once I was back to my normal self, we celebrated my 30th by going downtown for a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. Later that night we met up with some friends for cocktails and great conversations!

 

Las Olas Blvd.

The plan for the weekend was to go to South Beach, but it was  pretty rainy. I'm looking a little pale and I'm hoping to get to the beach soon!
All in all, thirty has been good to me so far! Despite the fine lines and sometimes achy joints, I feel great!

http://mycharitywater.org/Zenobia30

Thank you to those who have already donated!

Welcome to our home!

Our 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment is much smaller than our townhome in Saint Charles, but we love the location and all of the amenities!





 

 

 

Second bedroom pictures will be posted soon. It's not ready for its close-up at the moment!

Reunited and it feels so good!

Shortly after Joy came and went, Ali (and Alvin and Brittany) made a stop in So Flo to see us! Ali had a conference in Orlando and was able to spend two nights with us. The chipmunks were sent by Shariq and Sabreena. Ali received special instructions from the twins to take the chipmunks everywhere he went and to document their experiences with pictures. 

Friday night we had dinner and drinks at Cafe Europa on Las Olas Boulevard. We came back to our place and played a few rounds of shuffle board (my new favorite game).

 

 

Saturday morning we drove down to Miami. We enjoyed a sunny day on the beach and had a late lunch at The Tides. Their lobster tacos and mojitos did not disappoint! Hoor and Ali enjoyed their time drooling over all of the beautiful cars that drove by. We walked around for a bit, but we couldn't fight it, we were tired! Damn, we're getting old! We came home to pizza and movies.

Sunday afternoon Fort Lauderdale was hosting their annual IndoPak festival, but there was no convincing Hoor or Ali in going. Instead we had breakfast at La Bonne Crepe and walked around Fort Lauderdale Beach shopping for souvenirs and enjoying cold beverages. When we came back home, it was time for Ali to head to Orlando. Come back and visit us soon, but this time leave the chipmunks at home and bring the wife and kids!