{Field Trip} BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham Hindu Temple

After the holidays we took a drive to visit the majestic BAPS Akshardham Hindu Temple  - a landmark of Hindu architecture and culture.  It was built  by over 12, 500 volunteers and took about 12 years to complete.  It is the largest Hindu temple in the US.

We needed to get out of the house, the kids were gone and we had a free day. 

It was raining but it actually didn't dampen our trip.  It was only about a 45 minute drive from our house but it felt like we were transported to another country.

As you enter the campus you are greeted by a 49 foot image of Bhagwan Swaminarayan portrayed as a young yogi.

[from the website]

Known as Nilkanth Varni during his teenage years, he was the founder of the Swaminarayan Hindu tradition. His calm and undisturbed pose, engaged in deep yogic prayer, symbolizes spiritual focus and discipline, echoing his journey, where he fostered compassion, empathy, and service in the hearts of all. The legacy of his reforms in the late 18th century that addressed the oppression of women, young children, and marginalized castes stands the test of time.

I think the rain kept some people away but it was a pretty mild day and not raining too hard.  

Admission is free and you only need timed reservation tickets on weekends and holidays.

The grounds are truly stunning.

You enter through the main entrance and then out into this courtyard where you see the grand centerpiece.

At the centerpoint of the campus stands the Akshardham Mahamandir. Regardless of one's beliefs and background, Akshardham will inspire all to connect with each other and with the Divine. HH Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, envisioned a majestic spiritual campus in the United States that would consolidate thousands of years of inspiring Hindu art, architecture and culture.

So much to see and appreciate.

My favorite sculpture was the elephant family.

I loved the message it portrayed.

"Where there is harmony, we are never alone on our journeys, whether spiritual or worldly, and together, we can achieve remarkable feats."

The impressive ceilings in the entry.  If you walk through the temple, you must leave your shoes in a cubby and no photography is allowed.  It was so peaceful, reverent and beautiful.

There's also a cafe that serves delicious food -- all vegetarian too!

Mr. Click's first dosa. He liked it! I hadn't had a dosa since my epic trip to India. and missed them.

I want to return on a sunny day to spend more time outside.

It was such a fun and educational field trip!

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Costco Favorites & Finds Old & New

I haven't done a Costco post in awhile so here we go!

This waffle blanket was what I was looking for but alas, it was too small for our bed. :(

 I like to switch up my body wash and I've been liking this one.

I love Costco for clothes and especially for activewear.  I got these Eddie Bauer leggings (trail tights) and I've been wearing them for yoga.  They are really thick, high waisted and have a handy pocket.

Now onto some staples.  The 3 pack of Boursin is new for us but they are great deal. I like adding some to pasta sauces. Yum!   I love the egg whites and spinach too.

Mr .Click has been loving the Chicken Fried Rice for lunch.

The Chicken Meatballs are delish!

The Chicken Breast Burrito Bowls are filling and easy to heat up.

Of course we needed to stock up on ketchup.  We like getting a rotisserie chicken every once in awhile.  I think the peppers are a weekly staple around here. We've ben loving the Jessica's sourdough.

Since we were taking the trees down, I needed something to brighten up the house and these pink roses were calling my name.  They've lasted almost 2 weeks.

We spotted this Ruggable washable runner and decided to try it out in our entry.

We love it and think it complements the front door color and our floors.

What have you gotten at Costco lately?

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Scenes From Our Christmas 2025

Here's a look back at our Christmas...

I made a new treat--Cookie Butter Truffles.  I made two different versions, one dipped in white chocolate made out of cookie butter, butter and powdered sugar.

One made out of crushed Biscoff cookies, cookie butter and cream cheese dipped in chocolate.  We all liked the white chocolate variety better but both were good!

CG #2 came home a few days early (Sunday) and was home in time to Santa riding through the neighborhood on a fire truck (a screen grab I took from a video).

She and Mr. Click made our annual Christmas Morning Cranberry Cheese Bread and I was there to assist and clean as they went.

I got a few mugs from Ebay to add to our collection (and replace one that broke).

Our holiday cards were very last minute and I was addressing and sending them out on the 22nd (Monday).

On Tuesday (23rd) I made Easy Peppermint Bark Cheesecake for Christmas Eve dinner.  The hardest part was chopping up the peppermint bark!  I don't have a springform pan anymore so I made it in a square dish.

On Wednesday (12/24) we got ready to host my family for Christmas Eve. Mr. Click picked up the pizzas in town.

I snapped a quick pic before everyone got there.

We set up a bar on the ironing board covered with a table cloth. It worked!

I made a big batch of roasted veggies. My sister brought an amazing salad.  

We served red and green chips with salsa and Chex Mix (homemade of course!) for simple appetizers.

The only pic of the four of us!

[With my sis!]

I made Freezer Door Dirty Martinis and she made Whiskey Sours (using my new martini glasses).

After dinner we played some games. This one was a new with prizes in the cups and we had to get a ping pong ball into the cup to get the prizes. It was harder than it looked. We also played Catch Phrase & Hitster.  I had some new Jackbox games but we didn't get to them.  

Later that night we watched A Christmas Story (our tradition).

Very early Christmas morning.

My wrapping paper this year--mine are the plaids, greens, pinks, cats and stripes.  (Feliz Navidad paper is Mr. Click's.)

Christmas morning brunch with my mother in law.

the gals

We started a new tradition this year to go out to dinner on Christmas night.  We decided on Mexican food and loved it!  Frozen margaritas, chips and salsa...no cooking or cleaning up...

Yes, please!

It was a hit!

The next day (Friday 12/26) we visited our good friends and this was their gorgeous tree.

On Saturday (12/27) we got together with Mr. Click's family at his brother's house.  

We recreated this photo.  We swapped out our nephew in the red polo on the right for our niece who wasn't born yet.  

Cay-ute!

I hope you had a lovely holiday!

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