Hello,
It's that time of the year again when while
bidding Adieu to the year gone by and welcoming 2013, we wish to share with you
how we fared in 2012.
Taran and Roshan turned 8
this May & are enjoying being 3rd graders. This year was "politically" special for them as they followed the elections closely. Nidhi continues to
volunteer at their school and in the community. She has also been spending time
on expanding her Reiki practice. Ritesh reached 3 milestones this year – he
turned 40 and he joined ISGN, a technology led services company focused on the
US residential mortgage market as their CEO. He also joined the Board of
Directors at Cargo Airport Services, the largest cargo handling company in
North America.
There were many firsts for the
Idnanis in 2012. Taran and Roshan went on their first camp with their friends
& teachers. While the boys enjoyed their entire camping experience and came
back craving for more, Nidhi miraculously started to breathe again on seeing
the kids after 2 nights & 3 days! Thankfully, there is life after the
umbilical cord breaks!
The boys continue to do well at
chess. They both tied for 1st place at the NJ grade level state
championship. Taran stood 1st at the National chess championship for
3rd grade & Roshan stood 5th in the PanAmerican
championship held in Peru for his age group. They were proud to be part of
“Team USA” in this tournament where chess players from 23 countries
participated across North & South America.
Taran, Roshan and Nidhi started
violin lessons this summer. Yet again, this was a family experience with Ritesh
contributing financially and emotionally – he pays for the lessons and he
gifted the neighbors earplugs!
Tennis & Football continued
to be a big part of the family with a couple of stadium watches – a first for
the “entire family experience”. The Idnanis cheered for Novak in the semi
finals of US Open in Arthur Ashe stadium and rooted for the Patriots in the
Giants stadium. Thankfully their hero/ team won thereby giving the boys
bragging rights & giving Ritesh satisfaction that he could finally justify
the purchase of those expensive jerseys to Nidhi!
Ritesh & Nidhi ran their
first half marathon! It was an extraordinary experience. There were lots of
locals & volunteers cheering them along the way. While they were crossing
the 6th mile mark, they even got a high 5 from the winner of the
marathon who was trudging back home!
The Idnanis decided to travel
the unexplored path this year with a trip to Peru. The stunning landscape &
vistas of this country were both, bewildering and intoxicating. Machu Picchu
beat all expectations but Lake Titicaca & Arequipa were a total revelation.
From sailing on the highest navigable lake in the world to visiting the
floating islands to exploring the innumerable shades of greens and browns of
the Andes and to eating ceviche and Peruvian potatoes (mostly in the fried
form) - the trip left them exhilarated, & circular. They returned to the US
after the stupendous 3 weeks with a round head, a round torso & round
thighs!!! Glitzy Vegas and touristy Montreal were spring and summer
destinations. December brought an absolutely delightful road trip to Florida
with family & friends (spanning 3 generations across 5 families). The
insatiable appetite for rides and spending Christmas holidays with 2 little
mice & their friends in Orlando made this trip a positive family
memory.
Finally, the Idnanis also spent
time visiting and hosting friends and family from the Netherlands, New York,
Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, India and Canada. We feel so blessed to be
surrounded by loved ones.
We wrap up this newsletter with a prayer in
our heart wishing you and your loved ones a reservoir of courage, hope,
confidence and peace in 2013.
Happy New Year!
The Idnani Family
Comments
Ravi Shankar & Priya, Rakshaa & Ramitha