Mojitos, rain, mojitos, rain, mojitos, rain!

March and a good part of April kept us busy with Nasir and Michelle's wedding celebrations in Chicago and North Carolina. It was so wonderful to celebrate with so many family and friends from near and far. The Oh-Bhanpuri wedding goes down as the most beautiful and fun wedding ever. Hands down!

By the time soreness from all of the bhangra and shuffling wore off, we began preparing for our next set of visitors. Kerrie and Peter made the long journey from L.A. and Joy flew in from Chicago at the end of April.  Living in Florida, you automatically assume that  the majority of the fun will take place at the beach. Unfortunately, dark clouds and heavy rain forced us to change our plans. Before the storms came we were thankfully able to get in Stand Up Paddle (SUP) lessons on the intracoastal. 

This was a first for all of us and everyone did well. It truly is all about balance. While on the water we all had a great view of different planes and jets doing a practice run for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show. After paddle boarding we hung out on Fort Lauderdale Beach before dinner.

Even though we knew the sun would stay hidden all day we decided to spend Saturday in Miami. We hung out on South Beach for all of ten minutes before the storm rolled in. As it poured outside we enjoyed mojitos at YUCA.

 After the rain diminished we walked around Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Road and had lunch (and more mojitos) at The Tides. Sunday was rainy as well, so we went to the Miami Marlins game. That evening we had dinner at Catalina, a Cuban Spanish restaurant. We all agreed that the food—garlic chicken, empanadas, grouper, desserts, and mojitos, were delicious, but the service was, well different. Let’s just say we won’t be going back. Monday was another rainy day, so we spent the afternoon at the outlet mall. We made plans to go downtown for dinner, but the rain never let up. So we had “Leftover-palooza,” watched the NBA playsoffs, experimented with different mojito recipes and played games. 

Luckily we were able get out to The Everglades on the last day to see and hold gators!

 

 I know the Sunshine State didn’t live up to its nickname while you all were here, but to have you all come visit meant the world to us! We miss you and look forward to our next trip! Vegas, Austin, Elgin?? Who knows!

Good eats and good fun in South Florida

Spring Break season is officially here in South Florida. College students as well as “Quebec-ers” have infiltrated the beaches, restaurants, and local hot spots. After a visit to the beach earlier this month we decided to steer clear of the craziness until everything settles down a bit. 

Downtown Skyline



While we have been avoiding the beach, Hoor and I have become quite the foodies this month by crossing some restaurants off of our growing list of places to try. Udipi Café, known for its amazing South Indian cuisine, has appeased my cravings for masala dosas. My mom still makes the best masala dosas, but what’s a girl to do when she’s 1400 miles away? For those of you who don’t know, masala dosas are crispy crepes filled with potatoes that are served with coconut chutney and sambar. I couldn’t believe how big my dish was! It seriously could have fed a family of four!

The next restaurant we tried was Dapur. This restaurant’s specialty is tapas from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, and Malaysia. We tried some amazing dishes but our favorites were the Korean short ribs, scallops and the fish.

Finally, we took some friends to Royal India in Fort Lauderdale. This restaurant came highly recommended by several people. The food and company were wonderful. Fan favorites were the lamb boti masala with naan, gulab jamun, and ras malai. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

OK, don’t worry, we do other things than eat all the time! The Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale hosted a Full Moon Party on their pool deck. With "Havana nights" as the theme, the pool deck was adorned with dominos and professional cigar rollers. And what’s a Cuban themed party without a little Gloria Estefan music? The best part of the night was being able to use telescopes to see the breath-taking beauty of the moon.

We are Chicago bound this weekend for round one of the Oh-Bhanpuri wedding. Seeing our family after two months will be wonderful!

A couple of pictures from the Fort Lauderdale St. Patrick's parade last weekend



Kruisin' with the Kapadias and Livin' it up at the Hotel Bhanpuri

February was a busy, yet wonderful month for us. My family flew down at the end of January before our Eastern Caribbean cruise. Having them here meant the world to me.

We spent time swimming and building sandcastles on the beach, dinning downtown, and touring the Everglades. The latter proved to be a family favorite.                                                                                  

We had a curious alligator come right up to our boat and had an opportunity to hold a baby gator. I can’t believe how brave the twins were!

After two quick days in Fort Lauderdale, we boarded the Oasis of the Seas for what would be an amazing family vacation filled with love, laughter, and sunshine. With stops in the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten, we enjoyed gorgeous beaches, local shopping, and delicious island foods and drinks.

The fun continued aboard the ship, where we had our fair share of vitamin D while swimming in the many pools and soaking in the hot tubs with panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. All of our senses were entertained with amazing shows and international cuisine.

My dearest family, thank you for helping create wonderful memories that will last a lifetime! When are we cruising to the Western Caribbean?

 

 

 It took me three full days to recover from the cruise. I found my swaying as if I were still on the ship and sleeping off the exhaustion. In the following weeks I played the hostess with the “mostess” as we welcomed over fifteen guests (not all at once) to South Florida. 

Our home was empty last weekend so Hoor and I snuck off to Miami to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We were pampered at the Ritz Carlton South Beach. It was rather warm, so we enjoyed swimming in both the Atlantic and the gorgeous pool. Hoor and I strolled up and down Ocean and Collins drooling over fancy cars in the afternoon. Later that evening we had an amazing dinner at YUCA (Young Urban Cuban American). Since moving to South Florida I have been on a mission to find the best mojito. I can happily say that my search has ended. My taste buds did a happy dance when I had one at YUCA.

To top it off we were seated two tables away from Dennis Rodman!

Can’t believe we’ve been in South Florida for six months already and there’s never been a dull moment!

Fun times in Chicago and South Florida

Here we are at the end of January already. I’ve been slacking in the blog department because I have been distracted by the beach, impromptu nights out and other fun Florida activities (hot yoga and cardio ballet included). Life is rough in South Florida!

Our two weeks in Chicago were busy and wonderful. We filled up on my brother’s fried turkey and other yummy dishes on Christmas. We couldn't resist Chicago style pizza or hot dogs during our time home either. The foods that we ate have us struggling to get back into shape for our upcoming cruise.

After the hustle and bustle of Christmas we took Shariq and Sabreena ice skating for the first time. We started off slow and we all fell a few times, but once the twins were comfortable, they really enjoyed themselves. Towards the end, they insisted on going around the rink without holding a hand or the wall. Way to go guys!!

 

 

Later that week we went downtown to see Pinkalicious The Musical at the Broadway Playhouse. The musical is based on a popular children’s book that Sabreena is obsessed with. The girls arrived in their very best pink outfits for the show and were greeted by the cast and autographs afterwards.

The next day we went downtown again for New Year's. We were lucky to have both of Hoor’s brothers, my brother and close friends join us to ring in 2012 at Nacional 27. We enjoyed an amazing three course Latin inspired dinner and we salsa danced a little in between the courses! The food was excellent and the company was even better. This goes down as one of the best New Year's celebrations!

 

 Before we knew it, it was time to head back south. These past two weeks have kept Hoor busy at work with trips to Orlando and Jacksonville. I’ve been keeping busy with getting our place ready for the many visitors we will be having over the next month. My parents, Ali, Zeenat, and the twins are coming this week to spend a few days in Fort Lauderdale before our Eastern Caribbean cruise. We are so excited to show everyone around and we have a feeling they will love it as much as we do!

Even though I still get homesick from time to time, I truly appreciate Florida more and more everyday. The sun, beach, and the gorgeous scenery never get old. We’ve met a lot of great friends and have done a lot in these past five months. We are looking forward to having more of our family and friends visit us this year. 

Sending love and sunshine from FL!