I'm originally from Commack, New York, which is located in western Suffolk County. It was a pretty great place to grow up.  I went through the Commack public school system (which I appreciate more NOW than I did then, since my daughter goes to private school) and graduated from Commack High School in 1995 (yes, I am getting old!)

While living in New York I attended the CSI (Church of South India) Malayalam Congregation of Greater New York - it used to be a long 45-minute drive to Queens on Sunday mornings but then the church moved to Seaford, Long Island (after I was no longer living at home - go figure), so now it's just a 20-25 minute drive for my parents. While growing up, church played a MAJOR role in my life. I definitely miss being CSI (I married a Jacobite).  Fortunately, I visit New York about 4-5 times a year.  I get my dose of family, friends and cold weather - what more could I ask for :)

I  began my undergraduate experience in August 1995 at SUNY Stony Brook, where I commuted for 2 years. After finally deciding on a major, I transferred to SUNY New Paltz - where I got to enjoy "dorm life". It took quite a bit of time for me to adjust to living away from home (and the pot-smoking roommates didn't help) but fortunately it ended on a high note :) I got my act into gear and, after 3 semesters at SUNYNP, graduated with my B.A. in Communication Disorders in December 1998.  In August 1999, I decided to make one of the biggest decisions of my life and move to south Florida to attend graduate school at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton. 

I married my husband Sanjay (an attorney) in August 2001, earned my Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology in December 2001, and gave birth to my daughter Alisha in June 2002 (yes, it was a busy year!) I was a stay-at-home mom for two years but went back to work (from April 2004-June 2008) as a part-time Speech-Language Pathologist at Three Oaks Elementary School. In the middle of all this I got my real estate license and started working for Coldwell-Banker.  I definitely think working part-time is the best of both worlds, and my 2 day-a-week schedule was perfect - especially working for the school district - nothing beats having summers off!  As to whether/when I'll be returning to work, I couldn't tell ya, but I definitely don't see it happening in the next couple of years.

My thoughts about parenthood? Being a mom is great and exhausting!  I remember how eager I was to "grow up". Sometimes I wish I could go back to being a college kid; enjoying life on my parents' dime was not a bad deal!  Alisha, my first-born, is now 6 1/2 years old. The drama has begun, but I guess that comes with the hormones! She is a sweet, sensitive and quiet (at least in school) girl who is always thinking of others.  Once she opens up, she is quite the chatterbox (perhaps like her mother;)  Jacob is the newest member of our family. He's a June baby, just like his big sis.  Speaking of big sisters, Alisha loves her new role as Jacob's big sister. The age gap is nice because she is very independent. She also understands when I can't do something for her because I'm tending to Jacob. Fortunately Alisha doesn't feel any jealousy toward her brother, probably because he's a BOY!

Since moving to Florida, I've lived in the following cities: Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach (all on the east coast of FL) and Fort Myers (west coast). We just bought a new house in September 2008. We love the location, about 2 miles from the library/hospital/grocery store.

Proximity to the hospital played a major role with our baby boy Jacob, who was born literally 30 minutes after we arrived!