Happy Holidays!

Back in one piece from NYC and must I say that place is one-of-a-kind. For a first trip, I definitely seen it all and tasted even more. From the numerous street vendors with kabobs and honey roasted nuts to the cheese-filled eggplant in Little Italy, New York City seems to have it all. I am nothing short of exhausted from this trip! We packed everyday FULL! We even made it on The Today Show! (Thanks to my boss for that picture!!) It was absolutely freezing, most people could not understand our accents, people walked faster than we do on the treadmill at CRI, and BTW there are NO POWER OUTLETS IN TIME SQUARE if youre wondering. But, I'd go back in a second :) I returned "home" to the boro one day short of Christmas eve and packed as fast as I could so I could race home and see my family and pups! It sure feels good to be home and relaxing!

Today, at lunch, my family and I started to talk about the Christmas spirit and well, what we were thankful for. I am not even sure what brought it up. Christmas time can become so over-whelming with all the giving and spending, things have become so materialized that the true meaning of Christmas has been lost. Even if you are not religious, the holidays are most certainly a time for family and friends, not a time to spend and make sure you get the most expensive gifts, right? I think there is a huge difference in giving from your heart then just buying to buy. I guess something clicked with me as I was taking a tour through NYC and we were in driving through Harlem, notoriously known to contrast the streets of 5th Avenue or Manhattan. I saw a young girl, about age 5, with her mother closely following her. The little girl had a plastic baby cart with what looked like a new purchase in it, frolicking away, looking like she owned the world, not a care in the world and grinning from ear-to-ear. It made me appreciate everything just a little bit more.

So... thank you to everyone who is in my life, deals with the bickering, reads by blogs, helps me with my homework, and just EVERYTHING! I love you all, and EVERYTHING you do. I am so appreciative of it all. Happy Holidays everyone! My mom gave me an early Christmas gift-- a huge cookbook. So lots of recipes to come!

SANTA COMES TONIGHT!