Sharon & Alby go to White Castle!

My cousin Sona graduated in June from high school and is on her way to U Penn this fall. Her family through an amazing graduation party, which we could not miss! The entire family was flying and driving into Detroit for the celebration. We got in nice and late on Friday and enjoyed our drive in the Michigan with their strange U-turns. If you haven't experienced driving in Michigan, most of their signal lights do not have a left turn, so to make a left, you have to pass your street, and make this weird 2 step u-turn. We saw these everywhere, and it definitely makes giving directions here a twist

Saturday most of the family had arrived. Alby and I took a short drive around to see the neighborhood, and saw a White Castle :) Since neither of us had been before, we decided it was a must for us to try out! Those tiny little sliders were definitely good, but in no way would I choose one of those over a In-n-Out burger!

That night while the parents and my niece, Sonia, enjoyed a music party, all the cousins played cards. The guys all stared a poker game, which they let my cousin Charlene join in. And I must say she does know how to play those guys, she is an aggressive poker player ;)

After she beat them all in Texas Hold'em we decided to go for a 'safer' game of spoons, which in our case was forks :) The combination of drinks, tiredness, and sharp forks probably wasn't the best idea, but we all still had a great time.

Sunday was the day of the party, and what a party it was! After seeing Sona's Graduation party, I'm definitely anxious to see how her wedding will be. Smita Mami and Vraj Mama planned an absolutely beautiful party with all the details just great! We had a great time and were sad to leave the next morning :(

Vegas - Part II

Our second trip to Vegas was very special. I had a mother/daughter weekend, while Alby had a guys weekend with Eugene and Mo.

We had started planning the mother/daughter trip back in February, I really don't think anyone thought all our talk would actually turn into a real trip, but it did! Jyoti Mami, Sapna, and Charlene were the first to arrive in Vegas on Thursday. The rest of us arrived on Friday after numerous flight delays :(

Glad that we all had finally reached, we started the weekend off with the show, Le Reve, in the Wynn Hotel. It was a pretty amazing show, with water acrobatics like 'O'. The few pictures I had on my digital camera are from that first night, which I posted here. Since most of us came directly from the airport to the show, skipping dinner, we went back to the Paris Hotel and ate crepes :)






Saturday we started our day off poolside at Bally's. Lounging in the sun drinking margaritas (virgin strawberry daiquiris for Nilam), we all just enjoyed being together (and away from our responsibilities at home). After baking in 100+ degree weather, we came back indoors and hit the black jack tables. That night we had a nice dinner out at Trevi in Caesar's Palace. Saturday night, mom and I played till the wee hours into the night (5am!) We had so much fun!!!

Sunday we walked over to Bellagio, to Olives (my pick) for brunch! We got an amazing table with a panoramic view of the fountains. After brunch/lunch, it was time for half of our party to head to the airport. Bhakti Masi, Lata Masi, Nilam, Aparna, my mom, and I were staying one more night before we head home.

We wandered through Bellagio, looked at the amazing gardens, and found my mom's favorite slot machine, Haywire. After making it back to our hotel. Half of us went to rest, and Aparna and I stayed to gamble some more. That night we had a post graduation celebration dinner over at La Salsa.

What a great great trip! Can't wait to plan one for next year ;)