It may be cliché, but the days immediately after Thanksgiving and leading into Christmas and New Year’s make me reflect on the year. The holiday decorations and the decadent treats seem to create a mystical spotlight for inspiration in even the most mundane situations or encounters.
Just walking through the office, I was struck by the kindness that lives within the MMC walls every day. Whether it’s a simple gesture like a piece of chocolate to help brighten a late afternoon meeting or the friendly faces and smiles as you pass through the halls, I’m reminded that it’s the individual efforts that build the collective feeling of support, empowerment and hope. Even the deadline met early or the well-articulated recommendation all speak to the mutual respect and consideration
for our agency environment, our clients, and each other.
Often times, it feels like it’s the big things that catch our attention, but the small things that make the difference. I’m just glad something made me stop and take notice.
Every November, just when NYC gets its first taste of winter, I head south to break out the tank tops and flip flops one last time before the holidays.
There are some ‘must haves’ that I need when I go on vacation; they include warm weather and the opportunity to learn and see something new.
Surfing has been one of those sports that I have dabbled in here and there, but never had the opportunity to really dedicate time to learn and practice. Knowing that I wanted to commit most of my vacation time learning how to surf, I first surfed the internet to find the ideal spot. Just looking at the webpage of Azucar Surf Retreat (www.azucarsurf.com) in Boca del Toro, Panama – I knew I found my destination.
After convincing fellow surf girl to-be Elisa Negrin to take three planes to get to the islands of Boca del Toro so that she could learn to surf with me – we had the experience of a lifetime! Living at Azucar in itself was an experience. Having a house all to ourselves over the bay, we were quickly introduced to the lifestyle of Boca del Toro.
The next door neighbor to the left had a rooster that would, without fail, crow non-stop at 5am every morning. The next door neighbor to the right held band practice for the local elementary school in their backyard, our chef cooked for us while blasting and dancing to music throughout the house, and when a letter block from Scrabble falls through a crack on the dock – you swim after it. Needless to say – it’s a very loud, lively culture.
But the highlight – surfing of course! Thanks to our fabulous and amazing surf instructor, we are now well on our way to becoming pro. Well, maybe not pro
.but with surf lessons twice a day and the beautiful backdrop of Panama and the Caribbean Sea, I can’t think of any better way to spend a week.
About two months ago, my family booked tickets to spend Thanksgiving in NYC. That meant I needed to bond with my inner domestic goddess, whip out my Anthropologie apron and get to planning the ultimate 2009 feast. Now that it’s all over, I can say it was not as hard as I thought it would be, but let’s rewind a bit.
For the past two months, I’ve studied every home care magazine that has crossed my desk, read each Dining Out section from The New York Times and discussed topics such as brining and bread cubes with my teammate and seasoned cook, Corrie.
Once I finalized my menu, I printed it out and read it through many, many times. After basically memorizing it, I rehearsed the seven dish prep with my right-hand man, Andrew, who listened to me talk about everything from place settings to the location of our turkey’s innards.
The week of Thanksgiving came and I was ready to perform. Wednesday afternoon, I baked my pies a maple pumpkin and chocolate graham cracker. Then I began the search for those innards I previously mentioned so the turkey could begin its 24-hour swim in the brine. After 30 minutes of peeking around the turkey’s cavity, I decided ours came without these.
On Thursday morning, I made sausage and apple stuffing, chili pepper sweet potato rounds and goat cheese salad. Noon rolled around and I received a text from The Crooks saying they had landed. Timing could not have been more perfect. They walked in the door and we were 15 minutes away from DONE.
We kicked off the meal by discussing what we were thankful for
My dad: celebrating in NYC
My mom: a normal life with no worries
My brother: his upcoming tour at Yankee stadium
Myself: we’d still be at the table
Lilly: more people to laugh with
And I think Andrew said it best when he said he was thankful that the turkey came out ok. Although Thanksgiving isn’t the same without those fall-infused sides, we all know that the turkey is the leading lady on this holiday.
P.S. We found the innards after eating on Thursday. Until next year
