In the last two weeks, I have made my first thanksgiving turkey, run a 5K, read an entire book for book club, done strategic planning for 2010, packed and gotten ready for a trip, co-accepted a major award on behalf of my family, oh....and bought a company.
If you ask me, this was an ideal time to restart my blog...don't you think??
I already have that awful blogger's guilt of not updating often enough. That fear that I am losing readers (if I even have any at all). And that secret hope that people actually miss me.
Well, to add to the fabulous timing of when I decided to re-start this blog, I am now leaving the land of the connected world for eight GLORIOUS days. We are off to our cruise tomorrow morning and I'm sorry to any readers out there who get offended but I am so fucking excited that I can barely sit down to write this.
And for you very observant readers out there....yes...I said "we." This is the first trip that my incredibly brave boyfriend will be joining the entire Fiterman clan (little ones included) for a week of relaxation (and I'm sure some hilarious moments)
So goodbye to the land of not being able to touch my steering wheel because it is so ridiculously cold. Hello to the land of pools, pina coladas, snorkling and family fun.
Please keep Alex in your thoughts :-)
xoxo,
Debra
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Wise words...
One of my best friends from college is currently serving in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa. To say what she is doing is amazing doesn't even come close to doing it justice. Anyway, I was reading her blog this morning and in one of her entries, she wrote this:
Yes. Whatever it is. Say yes now, get some moves toward action, and hopefully soon I'll understand. I can always say No later if I realize that's the better answer.
In her case, she was talking about milking a cow but really, these are words that I could definitely learn from. Earlier this week, I actually took a huge leap in my own life and started feeding my entrepreneurial spirit by buying ownership of the company I work for.
Was it exciting? Yes. Was it scary? Absolutely. But I've just learned to say yes now, move toward action and hope that soon, I will understand.
xoxo,
Debra
Yes. Whatever it is. Say yes now, get some moves toward action, and hopefully soon I'll understand. I can always say No later if I realize that's the better answer.
In her case, she was talking about milking a cow but really, these are words that I could definitely learn from. Earlier this week, I actually took a huge leap in my own life and started feeding my entrepreneurial spirit by buying ownership of the company I work for.
Was it exciting? Yes. Was it scary? Absolutely. But I've just learned to say yes now, move toward action and hope that soon, I will understand.
xoxo,
Debra
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thanksgiving Review....the sequel!
As I said in my last blog, Thanksgiving was the last blog I wrote a year ago and the reason I picked it up again. So before the last leftover is either eaten or put in the garbage disposal, it's time to recap Thanksgiving Weekend 2009.
The weekend started on Wednesday when Alex and I went to our friends for dinner and wine (oh...for any of you readers who I haven't talked to since the last thanksgiving blog...Alex is my ridiculously wonderful boyfriend...he will be a main character in this blog...get to know him) So Alex and I ate pizza with the Franks and may have had a bit more wine than we had planned. Ok, I'm being kind. Let's just say that Alex was very happy :-)
So after this nice kick-off to the weekend, I thought "I have a great idea! How about I ask my drunk boyfriend to help me get ready for thanksgiving breakfast and roll the lox?" Well, let's just say, considering we weren't at 100%, it turned out pretty darn good! How 'bout these roses??
Well...a few short hours of sleep later and it was time for my favorite thanksgiving day tradition--the Turkey Day 5K. This is the third year I've run this with my amazing friend, mentor and colleague, David (you should all also get to know him....a VERY important character). Anyway, after three years, we thought it was time to up the ante and get HATS:
They were a huge hit. People actually stopped us to take pictures. We may not have been the fastest on the course but we were hands down the best looking.
Ok...onto the MAIN EVENT. So my family has never been super into Thanksgiving. It's just never been "our" holiday. So I decided this year to start a new tradition and host Alex's family (aka: The Arbits) at my place and I gotta say, if this was year one, watch out. It was DAMN good.
We did a "taste test" theme where we made two of almost everything and put them head to head:
Everyone had their favorites....no real disasters. But I gotta say, every other thanksgiving, I eat turkey out of obligation. It is only there so I can feel better about heaping 3 mountains of potatoes and gravy. But not this year. Nope. This was the best dang turkey I've ever had. Turns out, we found out the secret: THE BUTTER JACKET.
We had named our turkey Tabatha. And by the time we rubbed 1.5 sticks of butter underneath "Tabby's" skin, there was no way we could go wrong. We put her in the oven, closed the door...and waited.
We raced against the clock and decided to be ambitious and see if we could complete a 500 piece puzzle while Tabitha was roasting. We were so confident that we did the puzzle on the dining room table where we intended to eat. Well....it was a close call and the food may have been a few step away from piping hot but...we finished it! I don't have an actual picture of it but it followed the theme of the day...FOOD!
We cleared the table and Alex got a chance to carve his very first turkey. And it was a good first effort!
It was like any good thanksgiving should be. We ran. We cooked. We puzzled. We stuffed our faces. We regretted stuffing our faces. And above all....I was thankful. So very, very thankful.
xoxo,
Debra
Next post....My 10-year high school reunion!
The weekend started on Wednesday when Alex and I went to our friends for dinner and wine (oh...for any of you readers who I haven't talked to since the last thanksgiving blog...Alex is my ridiculously wonderful boyfriend...he will be a main character in this blog...get to know him) So Alex and I ate pizza with the Franks and may have had a bit more wine than we had planned. Ok, I'm being kind. Let's just say that Alex was very happy :-)
So after this nice kick-off to the weekend, I thought "I have a great idea! How about I ask my drunk boyfriend to help me get ready for thanksgiving breakfast and roll the lox?" Well, let's just say, considering we weren't at 100%, it turned out pretty darn good! How 'bout these roses??
Well...a few short hours of sleep later and it was time for my favorite thanksgiving day tradition--the Turkey Day 5K. This is the third year I've run this with my amazing friend, mentor and colleague, David (you should all also get to know him....a VERY important character). Anyway, after three years, we thought it was time to up the ante and get HATS:
They were a huge hit. People actually stopped us to take pictures. We may not have been the fastest on the course but we were hands down the best looking.
Ok...onto the MAIN EVENT. So my family has never been super into Thanksgiving. It's just never been "our" holiday. So I decided this year to start a new tradition and host Alex's family (aka: The Arbits) at my place and I gotta say, if this was year one, watch out. It was DAMN good.
We did a "taste test" theme where we made two of almost everything and put them head to head:
- My mom's Wonder Bread stuffing v. Judy Arbit's Doctored Stovetop
- Classic sweet potatoes v. Red Curry Fiery sweet potatoes
- Grilled v. steamed asparagus
- Maple cranberry sauce v. Pinapple/Raisin Cranberry Sauce (aka: Dwight's Delight)
- Turkey v. Tofu (Alex's sister is a vegetarian)
- Pumpkin pie v. chocolate pie
Everyone had their favorites....no real disasters. But I gotta say, every other thanksgiving, I eat turkey out of obligation. It is only there so I can feel better about heaping 3 mountains of potatoes and gravy. But not this year. Nope. This was the best dang turkey I've ever had. Turns out, we found out the secret: THE BUTTER JACKET.
We had named our turkey Tabatha. And by the time we rubbed 1.5 sticks of butter underneath "Tabby's" skin, there was no way we could go wrong. We put her in the oven, closed the door...and waited.
We raced against the clock and decided to be ambitious and see if we could complete a 500 piece puzzle while Tabitha was roasting. We were so confident that we did the puzzle on the dining room table where we intended to eat. Well....it was a close call and the food may have been a few step away from piping hot but...we finished it! I don't have an actual picture of it but it followed the theme of the day...FOOD!
We cleared the table and Alex got a chance to carve his very first turkey. And it was a good first effort!
It was like any good thanksgiving should be. We ran. We cooked. We puzzled. We stuffed our faces. We regretted stuffing our faces. And above all....I was thankful. So very, very thankful.
xoxo,
Debra
Next post....My 10-year high school reunion!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
I'm BAAAAACK!!
Yes. It has officially been a year since I have written. I can't tell you how many times I've clicked on the link and even attempted to try to catch up but it just seemed impossible. As the months ticked by and milestones passed, it just never seemed like just the right time to restart my blog.
Well, if there are ANY readers still left out there, you've probably seen that for the last 365 days, the "Thanksgiving Weekend Review" has been the most recent post on this blog. So I figure, what better way to get back into the blogosphere than to start after this year's thanksgiving?? Watch for a full review of this weekend in a blog in the next day or so...
I must say that even as I type this, I feel very rusty. I forgot how fun, freeing, stressful, hilarious and just plain weird it is to write in complete stream of consciousness. Add to that, people are actually reading this! But I think I will get back in the swing of things here and hopefully keep the blog up.
When I got back from my traveling adventures, the best gift I had were all the memories and stories I captured here. And this simple url was my little way of bringing the most important people in my life with me on my journey. While I can't promise that I'll be climbing up canyons, repelling down a cave wall, teaching children in third world countries or even learning a new language, I do hope it'll still be an exciting ride.
Heeeeere we go!
xoxo,
Debra
Well, if there are ANY readers still left out there, you've probably seen that for the last 365 days, the "Thanksgiving Weekend Review" has been the most recent post on this blog. So I figure, what better way to get back into the blogosphere than to start after this year's thanksgiving?? Watch for a full review of this weekend in a blog in the next day or so...
I must say that even as I type this, I feel very rusty. I forgot how fun, freeing, stressful, hilarious and just plain weird it is to write in complete stream of consciousness. Add to that, people are actually reading this! But I think I will get back in the swing of things here and hopefully keep the blog up.
When I got back from my traveling adventures, the best gift I had were all the memories and stories I captured here. And this simple url was my little way of bringing the most important people in my life with me on my journey. While I can't promise that I'll be climbing up canyons, repelling down a cave wall, teaching children in third world countries or even learning a new language, I do hope it'll still be an exciting ride.
Heeeeere we go!
xoxo,
Debra
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