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.

The Bargers Invade NYC

Well, a few of them. Steve and Stacey and Julie came to NYC recently and we were able to meet up. I'm waiting for the rest of you, now!

Steve and Stacey came in late October and we had a relaxing lunch at the Odeon, which is in Tribecca. We met on a Friday, so we decided to meet near my office, which is at the World Trade Center. It was so nice to chat over some delicious burgers. I hope that they come back soon and we can spend more time together.

A week or two later, Julie arrived in NYC to see her friend in a broadway show. She was only here briefly, so it was challenging to coordinate a meeting. We met near her hotel at a bar called House of Brews, which as millions of delicious beers. Tony was here, so she got to meet him and we caught up on all the usual stuff.

A day or two later, she met up with Amy and they got to meet, too. I was so glad that they were able to hang out as well.

Tony's Visits NYC in November

Tony arrived in NYC right before Halloween and got to see all the crazy festivities that go on in the Village.

On Friday and Saturday, people dressed up in costumes to go to the bars at a night. Sunday, the entire neighborhood became a giant parade with floats and music and people running around in costumes. It's a very serious holiday in this part of town.

Unfortunately, I had to work more than I expected, so Tony was on his own a lot. He navigated the city like a pro and saw many of the sights -- Wall Street, Metropolitan Museum, a ride on the Staten Island Ferry, Columbus Circle, Grand Central, etc.

He enjoyed beautiful NYC sunny, cold weather for most of his time here, but it is quite different than the temperature in AZ. The only days it rained were the ones I had off, so we hit the museums, etc.

I managed to get two days off towards the end of his visit. We went to the Guggenheim and a comedy show and walked around Chinatown and Little Italy, etc. He also got to meet some of my friends - Teva, Jeff, Andrew, and Terry. In addition, he met cousin Julie and Amy.

Even though he was here a little over a week, we had so much fun that it really flew by. Looking forward to his next visit.

Susan Visits from LA and Erik's Birthday

Susan and I met in the van from the airport to the resort at Turks and Caicos. We were friends instantly and were inseparable while we were on vacation. She came to NYC this weekend for parents' weekend at NYU, where her daughter, Calleigh, just started a month or two ago. We had dinner at Cafe Habana, where they tried the famous corn and loved it! Then, went to Erik's birthday party in Williamsburg.

Erik's party was at The Woods, a cool bar with a dance floor. They are famous for their "pickleback" shots: a shot of whiskey with a pickle juice chaser. I'm not into shots or whiskey, but I do love pickles and something about this shot sort of just works.

Susan and Calleigh went with me, Pao, Andrew and Teva to the party. We saw Elaine and her friend from Germany, Gina, and the rest of the gang. We had a blast dancing to 80s music and catching up.

Tony in NYC

At the end of September, Tony came to visit from Arizona. Since it was his first visit to NYC since high school, we hit many of the touristy sites like the Intrepid, the Brooklyn Bridge, Top of the Rock, etc. We had so much fun. He'll be back for Halloween!

Trip to Turks and Caicos in September

The weekend after Rosa's birthday, I was off on a solo trip to Turks and Caicos for eight days at an all-inclusive resort.

Up until approximately two weeks before I left, I had hemmed and hawed about where to go. I contemplated Berlin, Spain, Hungary and Slovakia. I really wanted to go to Hungary and Slovakia to meet our relatives there and see the village where our family comes from. I also wanted to see the beautiful cities of Budapest and Kosice and to experience the culture. However, I realized in the end that it would be too expensive for me to do at that time.

Scrambling to find some place to go, I happened upon Turks and Caicos. The reviews of the resort were excellent and the photos of the islands were gorgeous. And the price was right because of one slight detail. Hurricane season. I decided to risk it and bookmarked weather.com to see what hurricanes were brewing. Right before I left, Earl, F, G and H were all headed for Turks and Caicos and then up to NYC. Luckily I got out of NYC just in time and Earl only grazed the islands and the others went in different directions.

As soon as I got off the plane, the fun started. In the shuttle to the resort, I met my vacation partner in crime, Susan, and we were inseparable for the next five days. We learned how to scuba dive, bought rafts and floated in the water, rode horses in the water, tried out the trapeze and learned how to sail.


After a long day of playing, we would have dinner and then go to the club at night. We met new people each night and formed little cliques. Each day new people would be coming into the resort, so there was always the chance to meet someone new. The first night at dinner by the pool, we met a group of people from Montreal, New York, LA and AZ.

Later, there was a fashion show that was created in order to entice you to buy clothes at the boutique and this line dancing thing called "Crazy Signs," where people would follow steps to certain popular dance songs. It was strange, but everyone seemed to love it.

Once Crazy Signs was over, the area turned into an open air dance party that went on late into the night. That's where I officially met Tony. Susan sat with him on the plane ride over and made sure that our shuttle bus waited for him, so they had been friends from the start.

While we were horseback riding, Susan and I got giant conch shells from the beach as souvenirs. Mine had a lizard in it and was quite smelly. I rinsed it and left it in the sun for a few days to try to get the smell out. It didn't work. Tony took it back to AZ and then sent it to me with some pictures that we took on the beach.

When I opened the package, the smell was overpowering. I soaked the shell in bleach and scrubbed the outside of it, but it was still stinky. After some research on the internet, I realized that there were probably parts of the animal left in there, specifically the liver. I managed to pry out the liver with a chopstick and it plopped into the bleach water. I let it dry out on the fire escape for a day. Mission accomplished!

It was just what I needed as I didn't have to think about anything and I met some of the nicest people I've met in a long time. Tony already came to visit me and Susan is coming next weekend. I didn't think I was the resort type of person, but this trip was really perfect.

Rosa's 40th Birthday in Greenport, NY

This summer, I spent lots of time celebrating milestones in my friends' lives. Each weekend and sometimes during the week, I was running around to different states and cities. It was really fun and also a little exhausting!

The weekend after Tara's wedding, a bunch of us headed up to Greenport, NY, which is not in the Hamptons I learned, to celebrate her 40th birthday at a "Garden Party" at a friends' house.

The owner of the house is very artistic and her garden reflects her talent and style. Lots of exotic trees, statues, fountains that would seem mismatched if seen separately, but due to the way she has designed the space they make sense together.

The inside of the house has a nautical theme and is completely white. The walls, the furniture, the carpets, etc. There are small splashes of color here and there to break it up, but the white makes the house feel clean, refreshing and summery.

From the first night, Rosa had many of us celebrating. There was a fried chicken dinner, which I missed as I had to work late and arrived after dinner on the Hampton Jitney.

During the second day, Bill, Terry and some others sat by the pool at the hotel where we were staying. It was excellent. That night was the party. Andrew and Jeff had decked out the garden with lights, lamps and tables and it looked amazing. Rosa even planned several costume changes for the evening!

We enjoyed some excellent appetizers made by Andrew with champagne and mingled with the others. Later, Andrew presented us with dinner - foie gras burgers, a chowder, and mac and cheese. It was delicious. Then, Rosa changed into costume number two.

After dinner, while most us were full of burgers and chowder and mac and cheese, there was some dancing. Jeff spun Christine around the floor and Rosa danced with her friends and eventually changed into dress number three.

A short while later, dessert appeared. One of Rosa's friends, who has a cheesecake business, brought several of her cakes for us. Andrew arranged them artfully on the table and Rosa blew out the candles while we all looked on.

At some point, the neighbors complained about the noise and we had to move the party indoors. Dancing resumed in the living room. Bill and I left after that and went back to the hotel.

In the morning, we all woke up to a power outage! Alarms were ringing and people were running around in the hallway. It lasted for an hour or so. After breakfast, we climbed into, Gladys, Terry's aging but reliable volvo station wagon, and started the drive home.