Family Member Names: Nilay, Shailee, Arjun, and Aanya

 

Profession(s): Shailee is an anesthesiologist, and Nilay is a gastroenterologist with a practice called Mesa GI.

 

Tell us how long you are married and how you met:  Right after we both completed medical school, we met at a wedding! It turned out we had met years earlier at a camp, but had lost touch. We bonded over our upcoming moves to the East Coast to start our residency training. Nilay returned back to his hometown, and we got married right here in Phoenix in 2012.  

 

Activities/Hobbies: We love being outdoors, especially hiking and enjoying nature. We also love spending time with friends and family.

 

Park/Play Area/Hang Out: We enjoy meeting up with friends at the neighborhood park, and also love being close to Kierland for grabbing some dessert!

 

Restaurants:  Trying new brunch spots all over the city, but we have been regulars at Wildflower Bakery on the weekends since our kids were babies!

 

Vacation Destination: Traveling as a family!  Some of our favorites trips have been Alaska, Hawaii, Denmark, Mexico City, and-of course- Disneyland!

 

Sports Teams: We are huge fans of our hometown teams, the Arizona Cardinals and the Phoenix Suns. As a native Phoenician, Nilay has been a die-hard fan his whole life and has happily shared his passion with his family. Shailee still proudly cheers for her college team, the Texas Longhorns.

 

TV Show/Movie: We love comedies and have really enjoyed introducing our kids to classics we grew up watching.

 

Music: You will find us singing and dancing along to our favorite songs from the 90s and 2000s.

 

Family Dinner: We enjoy all kinds of food, but what matters most to us is sitting down and eating together as a family.

 

Do you have any family traditions?  We love having a big weekly family dinner with both sets of grandparents, siblings, and cousins - it is something we truly cherish!  Every May, for our anniversary, we also return to the spot where we took photos on our wedding day and recreate the same picture, holding the photo from the previous year. We now have 14 years of the same photo! We also have a simple but favorite tradition of Sunday night ice cream, where we recap the week, and share our favorite moments.

 

Where are you originally from?  Shailee grew up in Texas, and Nilay is a native Phoenician who grew up right here in Scottsdale.

 

How long have you lived in this neighborhood?  We have been in the neighborhood for 12 years.

 

What do you like to do to relax?  We love being out in nature, spending time with family and friends, watching sports, and supporting whatever creative project our kids are dreaming up.

 

How are you involved in the community?  Nilay is a local Cub Scout Den leader, and Shailee enjoys volunteering at the kids’ school. She has helped pilot programs such as Art Masterpiece, bringing art appreciation into the classroom and giving students hands-on opportunities to create their own art.

 

What activities are your kids involved with?  Arjun is in Cub Scouts and Aanya is in Girl Scouts. Both kids play the piano and started tennis lessons. Aanya loves to dance and we are all learning to play golf together as a family.

 

What is your favorite part about living in your neighborhood?  The sense of community, the beautiful parks, and most of all, our neighbors. Our favorite time of the year in the neighborhood is definitely Halloween.