Yeckel Sisters

There was lots of family at Eric's wedding...and I took lots of sister shots! It is amazing how the Yeckel women look similar. I mean, they are all very different in looks and personality, but they are all unmistakabley "Yeckel". I think it is the eyes and the smile.




Suzanne and Nancy. (This is actually at my bridal shower, not Eric's wedding.)



Nancy and my mom.

Mom and Gretchen

Suzanne, me and Nancy at my bridal shower. This is a horrible picture of me cause my eyes are half closed! I think I look sort of like a Yeckel but with a lot of Hardy mixed in.

Eric and Carol's Wedding Cake

Of course, me being who I am I had to post a photo of the cake. It was beautiful and very tasty. There was also a groom's cake. I had never heard of a groom's cake before, but according to this website, the groom's cake is a Southern tradition and any single women should take a piece home and put it under their pillow so they will dream about their future husband. Does anyone know if this is the real meaning of a groom's cake? Anyway, whatever the meaning of the tradition, it is kind of fun.

The wesite also said that sometimes the groom's cake is served at the ehearsal dinner and it should be the groom's favorite type of cake. That sounds doable...German chocolate cake at the rehearsal dinner! (Or baked Alska but I have no clue how to make that. It sounds hard.)

Eric and Carol get married!

My cousin Eric got married last weekend...the first Yeckel cousin to tie the knot! It was a gorgeous Southern California day, and an intimate, mostly family ceremony and reception. The colors were a vibrant and warm orange and magenta. I loved the dress Carol chose for here bridesmaid, hopefully I can find something as cute for my bridesmaids!

I love this photo...it is such a tender moment, with Eric fixing Carol's dress. So sweet!

This is Carol with her bridesmaid in the too-cute-for-words dress and another guy that I don't know.

Makayla Turns 5!

Today was a special day...my littlest sister turned 5! I can't believe it, all of them just keep getting older and older. The problem for me is that they are doing it too fast and are foiling my plan to have my babies while they are still young so that they would be like sisters to my kids. I guess I will have to hurry up and have kids!

As usual in the Mahajan household during a birthday, the dining room was decorated beautifully. As per Makayla's request, we had mom's delicious home made pizza and then a princess ice cream cake for dessert. Makayla got lots of good presents, mostly involving Littlest Pet Shop and dogs.

One of my favorite things about Makayla is how she is so extremely optimistic and loving. Last summer, Matt and I came back from China and Makayla told us that she loved everything, she loved the whole world. She just volunteered this information out of no where...that is the kind of love we can all aspire to!

Another funny story about Makayla and love: this week I helped her find a web site she likes on the computer and she said, "Now I really love you!" I said, "Didn't you love me before?" She said, "Oh, I did but sometimes I just say it to be nice." Haha, very honest!

The video I posted is of Makayla blowing out the birthday candles. I can't figure out to rotate the video so you'll have to rotate your head.

Today was also special because of Eric and Carol's wedding, which was beautiful. I don't have time to post about it now, but I am uploading the pictures onto Flickr (just click the Flickr box in the side bar) so anyone can download them. I will post about it when I get back to Boston.

Things about Matt that I obviously don't know.

Before the bridal shower, Grandma had emailed Matt a list of questions and I was supposed to guess his answer. I guess I won't be bored for the rest of my life because I obviously have a lot to learn about Matt!

1. If you could be a super here, who would it be?
Matt: The Tick (she will never get that one)
Me: He was right, I had no clue.

2. What is your favorite feature about Meagan?
Matt: Her eyes and smile (toss up)
Me: My mom guessed this one right...all I could think of were things you aren't supposed to say!

3. What was your first impression of Meagan?
Matt: Cute little La Jolla girl.
Me: I had no idea...I thought maybe a little girl that hangs out with his sister's old friends.

4. Who made the first move in your relationship?
Matt: I say me/she will say her.
Me: He knows me too well, I said me!

5. Where was your first kiss?
Matt: At a rave in San Francisco.
Me: I got this one right!!!

6. What is your biggest pet peeve about Meagan?
Matt: She never forgets anything and won't let things go.
Me: I was under the impression that I am perfect and Matt could never be peeved with me, haha!

7. How many children do you want?
Matt: 2
Me: I thought he wanted 3. I am sad to learn he wants 2.

8. What are you most afraid of?
Matt: Something bad happening to Meagan. O ya, and snakes too.
Me: I thought he would say something about me becoming an obsessive super soccer mom when I have kids. But his answer is so much nicer!

9. Who is you favorite female celebrity?
Matt: Rachel Ray because she looks like Meagan.
Me: I thought he would say Lindsay Lohan. His answer was far worse because he knows I hate it when people say I look like Rachel Ray.

10. Who is your favorite rock group/artist?
Matt: All time is Nine Inch Nails.
Me: I got this one right!

11. Who was your first girlfriend.
Matt: Meagan. Honestly.
Me: I got this one right!

12. What is your favorite thing to do?
Matt: Play soccer and go traveling with Meagan.
Me: I am not sure what I answered but I am sure it was wrong. His answer was sweet though!

13. What is your favorite TV show?
Matt: South Park
Me: I said the Daily Show but I should have said South Park...he loves it.

14. What is the first movie you saw together?
Matt: No clue. Ask her about Blair Witch 2 though.
Me: I also had no clue. I will have to post about Blair Witch 2 some other time... it is a long story!

15. What sports did you play in high school?
Matt: Soccer and ultimate frisbee.
Me: I said soccer but I didn't know about ultimate frisbee...I thought that was college.

16. What is your dream car?
Matt: Old school ferrari testerosa. I will pay money if she got this one right.
Me: He knows me too well. I had no idea...I said that he prefers to walk and so doesn't want a car....haha...oh wait, that is me!

17. What is your favorite kind of soda pop?
Matt: coke
Me: I got this one right!

18. When was Meagan the maddest at you?
Matt: She never gets mad at me because I am perfect.
Me: I don't remember what I said, but it definitely wasn't that!

19. What animal would you compare Meagan to?
Matt: A koala -- small, big eyes, very cute, kind of slow moving, but has some nasty claws and has been known to use them.
Me: A cat...but I like his answer more!

20. What was your most embarrassing moment around Meagan?
Matt: I think it was the time I almost fainted because she had broken her foot and was fainting. I still have no clue why that happened. I still feel like an idiot for that one.
Me: I said it as the time we were in Hong Kong and he was trying to wake board and he couldn't stand up and everyone was staring at him from the boat. But that other thing was embarrassing too!

Marriage Advice

For one of the bridal shower activities, everyone anonymously wrote down a piece of marriage advice and I guessed who it was from and then picked my favorite. I think it was all good advice. The little girls gave some of the best advice!

Kristi:
Live close to family when you have babies!

Sarah Pulsipher:
Have family time like ice skating and movies.

Jennifer (mom):
Laugh as much as possible.
(The good thing is, her and Rohit follow this one. That whole family is blessed with the funny genes. Where are mine???? Dad, you let me down in this area! I am nice but not very funny at all!)

Makayla (4 years old):
Don't watch TV at night.

Lea Hardy:
Go on a vacation with the family.

Marissa Mahajan:
Spend a lot of time together!

Aunt Suzanne:
Best friends is key!

Amy Pulsipher:
Be spontaneous!

Lindsay Dillon:
Laugh a lot and always remember to be a team!

Kelly Pulsipher:
Be the boss and in charge at all times.

Aunt Maria:
Keep an open mind and an open heart...and a good sense of humor!

Ami Hurd:
Begin and end each day with a kiss. Love will follow you everywhere.

Aunt Linda:
Try to do more for him than he does for you...Make him feel like he is the most important person in your life!

Aunt Camber:
1. I kiss him every time he leaves and everytime he comes home.
2. I also tell him I love him ALL OF THE TIME.
3. If he says he loves me back I ask him why. Then after he tells me, I tell him why I love him.
4. Overlook annoying habits...because everyone has them...it is part of the human experience.
5. Stay positive and laughing.
6. Date night every week (Advice from Jimmy and Grandpa Richard)
7. Laugh all the time but never be sarcastic.

Aunt Nancy:
Never have a headache.
(This was told to her by my Grandma Yeckel the night before her wedding.)

Grandma Janet:
Treat your husband like a king and you will always be his queen.

Connie:
Enjoy each moment. Share new experiences. And the old standard -- never go to bed angry!

Latrice Pichon:
Always be open and honest with Matt about your inner most feelings.

Tree:
Communiation is key. Pick your battles and always make sure you take care of yourself.

Maya Mahajan:
Make time for your loving sisters.
(See, she got the funny gene!)


Can you guess which ones were my favorites? At the time I said Lea's and Nancy's but now I am not sure. They are all so thoughtful and good! People's personalities are definitely reflected in their advice.

Typing all of these out made my heart expand with love and happiness again, like at the bridal shower. (Wow, I sound really cheesey...see what happens when you lack the funny gene?)

My Bridal Shower! (Thank you, Jimmy and Camber!)

My Aunt Camber hosted a wonderful bridal shower for me. She says that actually my Uncle Jimmy did most of the planning and work, but either way, it was a gorgeous day and I felt SO loved. It was one of those days where you feel like your heart has expanded so much that it could encompass the entire world.

It was also my Dad's birthday, if he was alive. It just happened to be on that date, as it would be the only Saturday that I would be in San Diego, except the Saturday of Eric's wedding. I felt sort of funny about it at first, but then I figured, "Hey, life is for the living."

I was surprisingly nervous before the shower. I honestly felt like I was going to throw up...I guess I not's like a lot of attention on me. But once I got there and saw everyone, I was SO happy and excited. It was great to see family again and to see friends that I haven't seen in years. Even my grandma's friend Connie from Help-U-Sell came! Also, my wonderful coworkers from Sunwise were there, my Aunt Nancy and Aunt Suzanne, my cousins, and my sister.

It was held at the golf club (country club?) near my Uncle Jimmy's house. It was beautiful and the food was delicious. We played bridal shower games that were a lot of fun. I got lots of advice about marriage and we played a game where I had to guess what Matt answered to certain questions. I didn't get very many right, I was sort of embarrassed!


My Uncle Jimmy in front of the club.

Me and Grandma

Me and the ladies! Aren't we color coordinated and cute?

My cousins. Amy's hair always looks so gorgeous!

My aunts and cousin! (Unfortunately Linda is closing her eyes!)

My wonderful former coworkers! I was so happy they came to the shower!

My sisters!

I look totally heinous in this picture. I definitely need to shape up and wear makeup before my wedding...

My friend Ann came all the way down to San Diego from Sacramento. It was SOO wonderful to see her. She gave me a food steamer and I am really excited to start making things in it.

Commercial Break

I have added four new blogs to my sidebar...

The first is the blog of the founder of my cooking club, Diana Moffo. If you want to hear about our cooking club sessions from another point of view, or Boston life, read the blog Gingerale.

The next blog is a travelogue of our Boston friends, Greg and Mekayla. They both took a year off of work and are traveling though Australia and New Zealand. Very exciting! I am looking forward to lots of good pictures. I am extremely sad that they are gone so soon after we met them!

The third is a new blog from my Aunt Maria...now that her dream house is complete, she has abandoned that blog and started a new, personal blog. I love her blog name... Life Sentences.

The fourth is a blog by Tracy, and woman that lives in Grass Valley and loves both yoga and India.

I will continue posting about India soon...whether people want to see it or not!

A Few More Days in Delhi

Maya, Sheila, Meagan, Ahana and Marissa

After the internship in Jaipur, I had a few days to spend in Delhi. I was really lucky that my time in India overlapped with Rohit, Maya and Marissa's trip to Delhi. It was SO great to see them after so long. I had a really good time with them and it felt so relaxing to be in the Mahajan home after being out in the field for so long.

Poonam and Marissa in the kitchen

Rohit's cousin Poonam is an amazing cook...I complimented her so much on her cooking that she finally took me into the kitchen and showed me how to make some things. Her and I both love chaat, so she had a chaat party at her house while I was there. It was delicious! I also learned how to make everything but I haven't tried to do it yet at home. Now I have no excuse not to try because she sent some Indian spices and a spice box to me as a bridal shower gift. It was so thoughtful of her and Ahana!

This was my fourth trip to India. Every time I go to India it is a completely different experience, and each time it is mind blowing. I love India. I am desperate to get to the south of India...someday it will happen!

The End of our Internship

My internship with Unicef was an amazing experience...but it was very intense and stressful! I am still feeling the effects of the stress! When we left Jaipur, we had finished all of the quantitative data analysis, and had a packet of 80 pages of tables and explanation of results. We still have to finish it up, and we haven't even started analyzing the qualitative data.