Not A Leaf | Adventures of an Indian girl and her husband living in Ann Arbor, with a love of food, photography, travel and their little dog too.
When people tell me their summers get busy, I used to laugh. My first thought was always, “How could they be busy?! It’s summer! You just gotta relax, man.”
I’m a judgmental fool. I now understand why people say such things. It feels like now as summer is ending, I’m getting busy. What was happening the first two months?!
So last week has been one of those weeks where I’ve had something going on every single day after work and the same can be said for each weekend for the month of August.
P H O T O S !
I swear it’s been a slow year for me. I don’t always go into a year assuming I’m going to book a bunch of sessions. I have a full-time job and while I’d love to make the photog thing my full-time job eventually, I take what I can get when I get it! My friend with whom I assist photographing weddings had smaller ones this year that didn’t require needing an assistant, and so many of my clients are already married and have already hired me for family, baby, maternity, etc. portraiture.
I now have 5 sessions lined up for the month of August. I’m not complaining of course, but I will be a lean, mean editing macheen! I also can’t wait to share some sneak peeks from those sessions, which all you lovelies can view on the
If any of you follow along with my Instagram or Snapchat, you’ll know that on Tuesday I participated in a little thing called Lessons from the Lemonade Stand. A few months ago, my friend Andrea, who I go to the hot vinyasa class with, suggested to our instructor Dominique that it’d be cool to do a class to Beyonce’s Lemonade album. So it finally happened!! Andrea has the best ideas. She’s the one who suggested we flow to Janet Jackson one class, which was one of the best classes. I knew Dominique would deliver an awesome flow for us! On top of that, her mom, who owns a local juicery, brought homemade juice and lemonade for after – with no added sugar.
Dominique and her mom with that incredible juice!
Let me tell you: it was a hard class, too. Domnique’s class is probably one of the harder and more advanced classes offered at the studio, but this was no joke. It was longer than the usual hour, and her brother (in the back of that photo), recorded it while we were flowing and taking formation! We ended the class with some dancing too and just had fun. So while I was a sweaty mess (no surprise there), I was so sore the next day so I know she worked us real good!
The next item on our week-of-busy-ness was attending the grand opening for a new events space in town. The
franchise is a household name here in Ann Arbor and quite famous in certain parts of the country, too. They own several businesses: , , , ,
and now an
you can use for weddings, parties, etc.
My coworker and friend told me about the new Greyline grand opening and since it was a free event, I signed up for REB and I to attend before it sold out! The new event space is located in the old Greyhound Bus Depot that has been remodeled. It’s attached to the newly built Marriott hotel so it can be used in conjunction to weddings and such. The space is beautiful! Their previous events space was cozy and intimate with exposed brick, long tables, dim lighting, etc. This new space is modern with a big, open floor plan, dark wood floors, tons of big windows letting in natural light, beautiful, artistic-looking hanging light fixtures, tall ceilings – it’s just wonderful! We had a smorgasbord of food to try and two drink tickets and boy did we get our fill of everything!
o Assorted Zingermans breads (a fruit/grain bread and their famous sourdough)
o Assorted cheeses (most was from their creamery)
o Eggplant caponata with capers and peppers
o Blueberry and peach cobbler w/ crumble topping
o Sangria (they also had mock sangria for the kiddos)
o Curried popcorn
o Assorted meats (my friend ate that)
o Not pictured: watermelon and mint salad
It was a great event and I’m so excited for them to have this new space! Congrats to Ari and everyone at Zingerman’s!
My company’s annual summer picnic also took place this week, which is a great way to get out of the office and enjoy the weather ( HOT MICHIGAN WEATHER) for a few hours and get out of the office. We once again had it at this huge farm/orchard which has a petting zoo, wagon rides, mini golf and more. It’s great because we can bring our families to the picnic!
Later in the week was our going away dinner for Amber since she was leaving for Colorado on Sunday (emotional mess over the weekend, lemme tell you). We treated her to her favorite wood-fire pizza place downtown so she could get her fill before leaving the mitten state. It was a sad, but wonderful send off and I’m glad her close Michigan friends could drive into town for it!
Ride or Die
The week ended with seeing BT in Detroit Friday night! The first time I saw him live was in Chicago at Vision for my 21st birthday and my sister and BIL got us tickets to see him. It was Halloween weekend and I dressed up like Parvati Patil from Harry Potter (not thinking then that I looked like a hoe-ish Catholic school girl /facepalm) and even got to meet him! He signed my Ravensclaw tie and also my shirt, which was pretty superb. The next time I saw him was a few years after that when he rolled through Detroit after his Emotional Technology album dropped. Another fun show, but since then, I hadn’t heard much about what he’s up to! But then I saw he was coming back to Detroit and it was only $10 to see him – I jumped at it!
Top that week off with another busy weekend and now we’re already into the start of a new week. Here’s hoping I have a less-than-busy week, despite having some busy weekends ahead of me.
Happy Monday!
What are you favorite ways to keep your summer fun?
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Disclaimer: I have written and rewritten this post about 5 times and deleted each draft because I didn’t know what to say. And I think I was also in a bit of denial to write this post due to its subject matter. Tears were shed while writing this because I’m a pansy and legit thought this day wouldn’t come in my adult life.
Second disclaimer: I realize I’m being hella melodramatic, but in a matter of seconds you’ll understand why.
is moving away.
No, that can’t be right. Let me repeat it.
My friend Amber is moving away.
Nope. Still hard to bring myself to admit as something that is happening. And in 6 days.
For those of you who don’t understand the breadth of this announcement, it’s basically the end of an era.
When I was a kid, I moved around a lot. No, I wasn’t an “army brat” but rather the daughter of a professor working his butt off trying to make tenure. When it didn’t work out, we’d move onto the next university. On the one hand, I’ve been able to live in some different states and seen some cool places (and the travel bug was born from an early age). It also allowed me to become resilient to change and as a result, I have friends all over the country. But on the other hand, moving is hard when you’re young and you have friends and you don’t want to leave because you can’t set up the foundations of middle or high school with said friends – SO tragic I know.
I figured that being an adult, we were done with the whole “moving away” thing. This is not the case, however, because…
My friend Amber is moving away.
If you’ve read my blog for the past 5 years, you know about Amber. You know the adventures she has, the adventures we have, the fun she and her husband, and my husband and I all have together.
She lives less than 2 miles from us. We review scary movies on Vine, we have the weirdest dogs ever but we’re obsessed with them, we love Ann Arbor and wine and pizza and hell, we started the hashtag #realhousewivesofa2 …but all that will change in a matter of days.
Her husband has gotten a new job in Colorado and it’s a pretty great job and opportunity for him, so they’re moving. He’s already made the trek out there to get things settled and this weekend, she’s packing up her car, truck and pups and making the drive out to The Centennial State to join him and start new adventures.
….And it’s hitting me harder than I thought I would. But, I know how great this job opportunity is for her hubby and they love the state of Colorado. Being completely outdoorsy-hiking-awesome people, this is a great fit for them. So after getting over this thought:
I thought back to the amazing times she and I have had together and I know this isn’t goodbye forever!
The story of Amber and I starts on Twitter 5 years ago. We were following one another because we were both females, married, living in Ann Arbor and vegetarians. It was decided we would have a “tweet up” and get dinner for her birthday. Both our husbands came along to make sure the other wasn’t actually a CraigsList killer and it turned out to be one of the best nights ever complete with conversations about every nerd thing imaginable: scary movies, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and more. We started hanging out every Sunday for “Sunday Funday” to watch Game of Thrones, which evolved into movie nights to get over my horror movie fear (accomplished!), walking our dogs, having dinners together, Friendsgiving, renting a cottage up north in Michigan…the list goes on and on.
I may have only known her for 5 years, but it feels like we’ve known each other for so much longer. I can’t remember a time hanging out that we didn’t have fun or laugh.
I am eternally thankful that the internet introduced us and we became such fast friends. I’m thankful for her and her hubby who would take care of Gryff when REB and I were out of town. I’m thankful for the amount of times she’s helped us out in some way or shape or form. I’m thankful for the laughs, the fun, the wine, the movies, the dogs, the adventures and more I’ve had with her. I’m also feeling a bit selfish and envious in thinking that she might meet a new brown girl out west who might be slightly cooler than I am.
But I also know that she and her husband and dogs are an amazing bunch and new adventures never hurt anyone.
So, Amber, I know this isn’t goodbye forever, and is “see you later” for now. I know Denver isn’t far and is only a quick, direct flight from Detroit. I know you’re going to have the most amazing time in Colorado waking up with mountains and babbling brooks. I know your dogs are going to love the open fields to run around and find munk-munks and bunnies. I know you will love your weekends filled with hikes and clean air. I know we’re going to make our way back to Toronto for TIFF one year soon. I know your husband is amazing and hardworking and this change is definitely a good one for him. I know you’re going to kick ass and take names when you start your new job out there. I know you’re going to make a whole new set of friends you can be weird with, and maybe you’ll even meet a new brown girl out there who will remind you of me.
But, I also know that you’ve become one of my very best friends, and, I’m going to miss you so much beyond words can even comprehend. And you will be missed by the mitten state too.
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I would start apologizing for not being around and blogging, but I can’t. I’ve seriously been doing so much and enjoying so much of the spring and summer that blogging became a total appliance-in-the-back-of-the-cupboard type thing for me. However, if you’re one of those people who follow my Instagram, then you’ve seen what I’ve been up to the past few months! For those of you who don’t (no hard feelings), maybe I should do a quick recap of what I’ve been up to…
1. VERMONT
OK. I went to Vermont in April. A P R I L. I still have photos I’ve taken there on my fancy cam and never downloaded or edited them. I had planned on doing a full recap (two posts in fact) stating out the things we did, and a food guide since it was my second time visiting the state. That never happened. Even if it’s late and may not be relevant, I may still do that post so stay tuned for it! If for nothing else, maybe it will help any of you looking to travel there in Fall or Winter!
2. DETROIT
I’ve been falling in love all over again with this city. Detroit has totally made a comeback peeps, and it’s good. Really, really good. I get super defensive and irrationally angry at people who talk badly about Detroit, say they never want to visit, etc., but then comment on photos of food, places visited, etc. when I post about the city and ask where I am when said photos are taken. You can visit it too! True, there was a dark time for the city a few years back, and yes, there are parts that are still kind of sketchy, but many cities are like this. Detroit has seriously grown and is continuing to come back and people in Southeast Michigan should come support it! I’ve been discovering all kinds of new bars, restaurants, museums, events, public art, etc. in the city and each time I go, I fall a little deeper in love.
Yes! In the summer, we have a beach in downtown Detroit!
3. New Ink
I jumped on the tat wagon and got my fourth tattoo a week ago. I absolutely love it! Had a little bit of an awkward haggling session with the artist, but we ended up agreeing on a price that was reasonable and fair for its simplicity. I love tattoos! I know they aren’t everyone’s thing, but they’re fun and I like having them. And you absolutely should not do it unless you’re totally cool with having something stamped on you (literally)
F O R E V E R . . .
“I have no fear, I have only love”
4. YOGA and STRENGTH
I’ve still been committed and steadily going to my gym for group fitness, personal training and recently started up yoga again. Every time I stop doing yoga, my body notices and the repercussions are kind of bad. My balance gets off kilter, my flexibility deteriorates and overall mental health and well being takes notice of it missing, too. I’ve been loving going back and seeing my favorite instructor too. She’s actually doing a “Lessons from the Lemonade Stand” class in two weeks that I’m registered for. We’re going to – get this – flow to the entire Lemonade album by Bey. I. CAN. NOT. WAIT. Will definitely need to recap on that later!
5. ANN ARBOR ART FAIR
Every year, four days in the middle of July, Ann Arbor becomes a total cluster-you-know-what with thousands of people looking at art. It’s a pretty big art fair we have here, right downtown, and it brings thousands of artists from all over the country, as well as tourists coming to see art, buy art, talk art and more. I’ve lived in Ann Arbor for almost 10 years and I’ve been coming to art fair each of those years. I used to love it a lot more, but as I got older (and more cynical) I get more annoyed than anything. For one thing, it creates a ton of road closures for us since the booths are set up right in the street, so driving around, wanting to eat downtown is pretty much non-existent. My office building also sits in the heart of “Propaganda Alley” so the booths outside are not art-related but every cause imaginable wanting you to sign up. It gets pretty annoying to walk out of the office for the day and be accosted to sign four different petitions, or be attacked by Hari Krishna’s claiming you aren’t actually Hindu (that’s my favorite by the way). However, I know it brings a lot of tourism (read: money) to this city and that’s always a good thing. Ann Arbor is a cute little city so it’s fun to see people enjoying it. Even in the 100-degree heat. I try to buy a piece of art every year, too, and this year was no different.
6. IDIOT BOX ADDICTIONS
I haven’t been watching a ton of TV lately. Truth be told, I have no shows on right now and I’d rather be reading or doing something outdoors with the dog and hubby. However, there are two things I’m currently obsessed with: Stranger Things on Netflix and The Great British Baking Show on PBS.
Stranger Things I started watching last night and watched the first four episodes. I didn’t get any sleep, but it was worth it. It’s like a weird supernatural show, X-Files-esque, with killer synth music and mystery. I still don’t know exactly what it’s about, but I like it. A lot. Check it out if you’re into that sort of thing!
The Great British Baking Show I’ve been obsessed with since the Downton Abbey days when it would air before Downton. They’re really on like Season 7 across the pond, but here in the States it’s like Season 3. It’s a great show! No commercials since it’s on PBS, and talented bakers making some very hard baked goods in various challenges. And some of these things they make are insane! I think older seasons are available on Netflix if you want to check it out.
7. READ MOAR
I got behind in my goal of trying to read 40 books this year. This time last year I was more than halfway done with my goal. Summer time has been keeping me busy and I picked back up on the reading and got the bug again. I’m almost halfway done with the goal but here are some books I recently read that could be contenders for the rest of you if you wish:
o Love, Loss and What We Ate – Padma Lakshmi
o The Sister – Louise Jensen
o The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper – Phaedra Patrick
o Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
o A Man Called Ove – Frederik Backman
And finally
8. CHICAGO
I’m going to Chicago again this weekend, this time for a work retreat Sunday-Tuesday. They don’t do these that often (I think the last one was five years ago), but this year we’re going to the Windy City. Not sure what’s in store yet, but we’re staying downtown for it, which is kind of fun. I’m mostly excited to go there earlier and have part of the weekend to see my sister, brother-in-law and nephew! It’ll be good to see them before I do work-related things for two days. Also hoping me and
can finally meet up! We tried to last year when she was in Detroit for a wedding, but it didn’t end up working out with time conflicts. Hoping we can remedy that this year!
I’ll make sure to recap a little more and maybe make myself a little more prevalent in this space of the Internet. You can always keep following along on my Instagram or Twitter to see more of my adventures!
What are some favorite things about the city or town in which you live?
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Hi, I’m Aparna!
Greetings from the Mitten State! I'm just your average Indian girl living in Ann Arbor with hubby and corgi! I'm a vegetarian and strive to live healthy. I'm hoping to offer you a peek into our adventures with healthy recipes, scenes around A2 and more photos than I should ever need to post. Thanks for stopping by!
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