Shara's Visit

Shara came to visit right after Christmas. In the middle of the blizzard, we made the trek to Trader Joe's and stocked up on food. We got cured meats, cheeses, crackers, olives and other yummy things. Shara even found some frozen pain au chocolat that we made in the morning. It was excellent.

Last Blizzard of 2010

Right after Christmas, a huge blizzard hit New York City. Luckily, I wasn't traveling and I had Monday off. Shara was staying with me and we decided to head to Trader Joe's to pick up some food and wait out the storm in my apartment. The next day, and for a few days after that, the snow made getting around difficult.

Christmas 2010

My parents hosted our traditional Christmas Eve in New Jersey. It was a full house with Pete, Liz and the girls; Liz's parents; Jeff; Aunt Kathryn; Nancy and little Neema.

Everyone arrived around 4 p.m. and we had appetizers and egg nog. After that, dinner was served: a crown roast of pork and a variety of other things. Dessert included hazelnut cake and nut bread. Little Neema was getting antsy about the Christmas presents and left the table a little early to watch some Christmas movies.

Once we were done, we gave Neema her presents and she had a ball. She opened one thing at a time and played with each toy for a little while. My mother started throwing around the wrapping paper and Neema started to bury herself in it and then jump out of it. It was very cute.

Christmas day was quiet. As soon as we woke up, my mom made cinnamon buns and we opened our gifts. Dad got some shoes. Mom got a purse and Amy got come clothes.

Amy's boyfriend, Albert, came for breakfast and dinner. My mom cooked an amazing turkey dinner with stuffing and all the things that I like most. I left for NYC that evening as the blizzard was approaching.

35th Birthday Extravaganza

Not sure what it is, but I really like to celebrate my birthday. This year for my 35th, I was surrounded by friends and family. It couldn't have been better.

The weekend before my birthday, I went to my parents house to go shopping with my mom and have a birthday dinner with them. Mom and I had a blast at the Rockaway Mall.

I actually miss having a car to pile packages into and to drive from store to store. Also, the stores are so much neater and less crowded than in New York City. I got a lot done. After that, we ate a delicious dinner of flank steak with olives (one of my faves) and they surprised me with the hazelnut cake from the Gaston Avenue Bakery that my grandmother used to have for me.

I took my birthday off from work to ensure that I wouldn't stay late. That night a bunch of people came over for "high wine," which includes lots of appetizers and wine. Pete and Liz came by and met everyone. It was excellent!

On Saturday, we were at Entwine, a wine bar in the West Village, for the final party. I decided to wear my dress and my red Target Zac Posen with the five-inch, black high heels that Teva helped me to pick out. A bunch of people showed up and we had so much fun. After Entwine, a couple of us went dancing at Monster until the wee hours. All in all a perfect birthday!

Christmas Decorations in NYC

Last weekend when Tony was here, we went up to Rockefeller Center to look at the tree and check out the other decorations.

The streets were packed. It was like being at a concert. People shoved each other as we shuffled down the street towards the tree. When we got there, we had to push through to get a photos of the tree.

The lights were very bright and colorful this year and it had blinking lights like the ones on the Eiffel Tower. It was very cool.

Moody's Employee Holiday Party

My team and I managed the employee holiday party in New York City on December 9. It was a big hit. The conference center became a lounge, complete with colored lighting and a jazz trio. International food stations were set up in the main rooms and at the ends of the hallways.

The cafeteria was turned into a night club and employees danced until 10:30 when they headed to the after parties. Above is a picture of my team.