Two Peas in a Pod!

This week's post is brought to you by Kareem and Naomi!  Long time best friends and partners the two of them have lots of fun and tons of stories!  And of course, classic Kareem humour....enjoy!

Hi everyone, this is Kareem and Naomi’s blog. I (Kareem) am Natasha’s brother and member of the Inayat family.

We live in Whitby, Ontario (45 minutes drive outside of Toronto) with Naomi’s parents and two brothers and have been together since 2007. Naomi is an aspiring marketing and branding guru who works at a retail consulting firm as a Marketing Coordinator, and is a part-time student at York University. I am an AV Technician and currently work as a freelancer in the industry. I am also studying to obtain my CTS (Certified Technician Specialist) certification and plan to make big $$$ someday.

Our likes include hobbies, streaming movies off the net, shoe skating (i.e., skating on ice with regular shoes, not ice-skates), giving tourists the wrong directions, asking people for directions while looking in the opposite direction that they are pointing to, cheese of all kinds, funk, and going to the party. 

 Here is Naomi at the party...New Years 2015 hanging with Natasha, Mike and their friends. Great time and happy to have met some of you there.  Sorry about the red eye…bad picture quality. We did not get this picture done by www.pixrani.com

Our dislikes include stinky feet and curry smells on public transit, people who say “Actually…” when they correct you in a conversation, winter, and commuting.   

We recently went to Varadero, Cuba. It was great, lots of sun and no snow. Here are a few pictures from the trip…

The view from outside our resort room…coconut trees and a sweet patio, with the biggest marina in Cuba across the street...What!

The view from outside our resort room…at night.

On the beach (I either farted or had a bug fly in my eye in this picture)

On a boat…we took this Jeep Safari Tour…it was phenomenal. If you ever go to Varadero make sure you do this.  From the left…me, Naomi and Ian and Justin (her two brothers)

In Havana, Cuba on top of the famous hotel where Ernest Hemingway stayed to write his book (we took a day trip to Havana…cool, but not a good as everyone says unless you like alotta old stuff)

That’s all folks! Hope you liked our blog. Looking forward to seeing/meeting you all in Mexico.  Peace out

The Virani Clan!

This week is brought to you by the Virani Clan!  The Queen of the household, Nevin, is Shaida's (Natasha's mother) sister.  Nevin and Latif's son Omar's graduation is what inspired Natasha and Mike to plan this reunion!  This one is written by the hilarious and clever Beedu :) (Abeed Virani)

Hello Everyone!

We are the Virani Clan and we are very excited to unite and reunite with all of you in Cancun Mexico!  We live in beautiful rainy Vancouver, and we are ready for some HOT Mexican SUNSHINE!  Here is a bit about us:

Latif and Nevin have been married for over 30 years and have two grown sons.  The older son, Abeed, works in the family business, and still lives at home.  They are in the process of kicking him out.  Their younger son Omar is a dentist and is now practicing in downtown Vancouver.  This is a musical family.. Latif is an exceptional dancer and excels in imitating animal sounds.  Nevin sings for her higher power and watches every musical talent show on TV.  Both Abeed and Omar have been playing musical instruments since a young age.  We are also a family that loves to stay in shape.  Latif is an avid golfer.  Nevin teaches yoga and uses this medium to empower elders and women.  The whole family loves to ski and tries to do an annual trip to Whistler.  We all actually like to work out and strive for optimal health.  Omar has been mistaken for a bodybuilder in recent years! 

All in all, we are a blessed family with lots to be thankful for!  Thank you Natasha for coordinating this trip.  Our moto is “Work hard, and play harder”!  We can’t wait to party, do some downward dogs, relax and enjoy quality time with all of you.  

See you in a few!

Latif Nevin Abeed and Omar Virani

The Tiny Mexican

This post is brought to you by Marcia, who Mike refers to as 'The Tiny Mexican!'.  She came in to our lives many years ago and we can't imagine life without her now!  She is full of life and laughter and always has a smile on her face!  With so much character she is often photographed by www.pixrani.com :) 

www.pixrani.com

Hello everyone, my name is Marcia. I am Mexican and have lived in Toronto since 2002. 

I met Natasha and Mike over ten years ago at work when they were students, and now they are like family to me. I am very fortunate to have them so close, they are the coolest, most wonderful friends ever!

That being said you can imagine how excited I am to go to Mexico and enjoy the company of their family and closest friends, I think it's just going to be incredible!

A little about myself: I love music, food, beer, dance and good company. My motto is "the Cheerleader", and honestly I can't imagine why someone would call me that... :) 

My family lives in Mexico and I try to visit twice a year because I am very close to them, and love them very much, and also because I really love going to Mexico. 

Here is a picture with part of the family, my mom, grandma, two of my sisters (I have three), my brother in law, my niece and my nephew. The other three pictures are me doing three of my favorite things (eating, drinking, and dancing!) and the first picture is me with my favorite people (Mike and Natasha).

Looking forward to seeing you all!!

Bestie Nicole!

This week's post is brought to you by Nicole.  Nicole and Natasha have been friends for 12 years now and have many many memories.  She has quickly become like family and looks forward to meeting everyone else in Mexico!  In fact, this whole trip began with an idea to celebrate our 30th birthdays somewhere warm!  

Also  www.pixrani.com can't help but photograph this stunning woman!

www.pixrani.com

Hello everyone, my name is Nicole.  I met Natasha at age 18 at York University.  I have lived with her twice. She is my best friend.

I am a Denturist and bartender.  I enjoy reading, shopping, and good food.  I can't wait to meet all of you and hang out on the beach!

My Lovely Daughter

This post is brought to you by Saskia.  You will often find me, Natasha, call her my daughter.  This is a long standing joke as she came to live with me in Vancouver and I was her home-stay!  She quickly became like my sister and although she lives on the other side of the world somehow we have managed to stay close and have met each other in Toronto, Romania, Turkey...and now Mexico!

Hello everyone. My name is Saskia and I am a friend of Natasha, we met in Vancouver where we lived together for a few weeks. Last year I got to travel to Romania and Turkey and became part of a big adventure starting with the wedding and exploring Istanbul. I enjoyed meeting part of the family and had lots of fun. 

In Mexico you'll find me on the beach, most likely with a book and swimming in the ocean. I look forward to good food (I don't like to share ;) ), great company and the SUN.

A Brother From Another Mother!

This week is brought to you by our brother from another mother!  Welcome Abeed Shariff!  Also, I am EXTREMELY jealous of your pic with Patrick Adams!


Hey everyone my name is Abeed Shariff. I'm a friend of the Pirani family as well as a distant relative from both Inayat and Shaida's sides of the family.

I am very much looking forward to this amazing vacation Natasha has planned. You will see me exchanging life stories with Shafique and Mike at the pool and I will be the first one ready to explore the hiking trails nearby.

My hobbies are sports, travel, photography, literature, film, and adventure.

2014 was a big year for me in terms of travel, some highlights include Romania , Athens Greece, Mykonos and Santorini in the Greek Islands, Rome, Naples, and Sicily in Italy. I'm looking forward to adding to the adventures in 2015 and this trip will definetely be one of the special trips coming this year. Looking forward to hanging out with you all.

Cha Cha Cha!

Week 3 gives us a post by Shafique Pirani, also known as by his nieces and nephews as Shafique Cha Cha!  Coming all the way from Vancouver he looks forward to uniting with many of his family members as well as some new friends made in Romania and Turkey!

Hello everyone, I'm Shafique, Natasha's uncle. I'm really looking forward to this trip as it should be very different from last years venture to Turkey! 

It's going to be fun getting to know everyone. A big dose of sun will be very welcome after a long rainy winter. 

You will most likely find me at the beach or in the pool. I had the pleasure of getting to know Mike on our last trip and everything his post says about him is true!