It was Destiny

Searching for the definition of Destiny – the ultimate agency that predetermines the course of events (often personified as a woman); “we are helpless in the face of Destiny”, it struck again perfectly when Merriam-Webster gave the word of the day as soul mate – 1 : a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament 2 : a person who strongly resembles another in attitudes or beliefs.

On June 6, 2013 boarding Delta flight 1420 from LAX I walked to my seat 15B and sat beside the woman who is now my fiancé and soul mate. That flight changed my life, Anju is beautiful, smart, compassionate, deep, fun, sharing, caring, wonderful, vibrant, she is perfect.

This is the first photo that I took of Anju as she drove me back to JFK on June 8.

I have since discovered two things; Anju is a fabulous driver, and she does all the driving – except when we’re on vacation.

Our first vacation together … Costa Rica

That’s all it took, I asked Anju if she’d like me to move to New York, and soon after I had an apartment at Columbus Square.

November 2014 after almost 17 months of dating we set up home together

We met up in Mumbai

Have been to Paris and Rome

The theatre, ballet, opera, and the beach :

Curious Incident, Fish In the Dark, It’s Only A Play, An Act Of God, School of Rock, The Humans, Bianco, Living on Love, Winter’s Tale, Shostakovich Trilogy, Paradise Interrupted, Danny Elfman, Sintra – Voice for a Century, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland …..

And then on December 20, 2015 we became engaged

A fun wedding in Lake George ( not ours )

This is St Barthélemy

2016 Diwali in Delhi followed by Shirdi and Agra

In Shirdi we were blessed in an extraordinary darshan with Sai Baba

2017 Capri and the Amalfi Coast

The rugged cliffs of the isle of Capri Italy will make it very easy to believe it was exactly here where the seductive sirens called and sang to Odysseus’ sailors. To prevent them from being shipwrecked on their island he had the sailors ears plugged with wax and had himself tied to the mast.

Austin’s 22nd Birthday January 2018

The story isn’t complete without acknowledging that Anju is a wonderful wonderful mother. And what Austin means to her.

Anju’s Birthday 2018

Austin’s Graduation – May 2018

A weekend in Montauk

A Party Weekend

a return to St Barthélemy

you can often stumble across a celebrity …

December 2018 – a wedding in Calcutta

Pre-Birthday Celebration in Delhi

Ajay, Vinnie, and friends. What else can be said that the pictures don’t!

Anju’s Surprise Birthday Party 2019

Acapulco and Mexico City – and it was a surprise!

Mexico City

AUSTRALIA

December 2019 we visited Australia to spend NYE in Sydney, show Anju a little of what I had been telling her about since we met, and have her meet my family and friends. We used all our Delta points to make the trip in first class. Anju didn’t think it could get any better than that. We arrived in Sydney at 8am and by 11am we were on the harbour on our way to Manly.

New Years Eve we had a Dress Circle position for the fireworks.

Anju’s introduction to my Australian family started on New Years Day.

and further north in Cairns, cousin Gary and Gillian

Anju getting her feet wet on Palm Beach alongside Karen

A beer garden in Byron Bay getting friendly with other Aussies

25 miles off shore on The Barrier Reef
Anju gets the okay from her dive instructor
for out staying Brad in the water.

Returning from the Land Down Under

( actual lyrics )

Dying in, a den in Bombay
With a slack jaw and not much to say
I said to the man, “Are you trying to tempt me?
Because I come from the land of plenty”

And he said, “Oh, you come from a land down under?”
“Where women glow and men plunder?
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?”
“You better run, you better take cover”

We prepared for our move from NYC to Half Moon Bay which started with a last night with our NY family.