Bon Appetit

This phrase literally translates to "good appetite" or more commonly thought to mean, "Enjoy your meal." Until recently, I had only heard Julia Child's warbley voice say this, but now I hear it almost everyday at the French school where I work. My colleagues walk into the lunch room and say "bon appetit" like they would say good morning at the coffee pot.

Well, I have definitely had a "good appetite" lately because I have been getting to eat at some fantastic NY restaurants. I have had my sweet dad, commonly referred to as Papa Thames, in town this past weekend and a couple friends' parents in town the week before. So, suffice it to say, I have had some incredible meals!

Last weekend, I got to visit "Terrace in the Sky" and eat a classic french brunch with my friend Kelsey and her dad. Any brunch that has courses is just a ridiculous treat! The restaurant is on top of a building that has a beautiful view of Morningside Park and the NY skyline.

The night before Claire's parents treated me to the "The Modern," a restaurant inside the Museum of Modern Art and I feel like I ate ART! We had an EIGHT course meal with wine pairings. I came home and wrote down every course I had so I wouldn't forget them. What can I say, I think I was on a food high! Coolest dish: raw Kobe beef and foie gras squares arranged into a checkerboard and topped with passion fruit seeds. Amazing!

This weekend, my Dad and I went to Babbo, Mario Batali's restaurant in Greenwich Village that serves innovative and delicious italian food. You're not going to find spaghetti and meatballs here, but rather beef cheek ravioli with black truffles. (yummy) You have to get a reservation a month to the day in advance and I am sure glad we did! Such a wonderful memory for my dad and I. Highlight for me was the Pumpkin "Lune" ravioli sprinkled with fresh shaved amaretti cookies.

I love this city, but the eating in it never ceases to amaze me. Whether its dining at one of these fine restaurants or having a greasy burger at JG Melon, it's bon appetit every time!

What's all the hype?

In the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, a dying man says, "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."

Recently my church, Apostles, has been diving into the subject of hyperreality. What is hyperreality? Officially, it's a term that refers to the inability of humans to distinguish what is actually "real" in a culture where a multitude of media can radically shape and filter our reality. Dumbing it down, it means that we are surrounded by a media drenched world (advertisements, magazines, news, music, internet) that causes us to feel discontent by our ordinary lives.

We strive to look like the girl on the cover of every magazine. Our home should look like Trading Spaces was just there. (I miss that show!) We buy the newest pair of designer jeans because then we'll look better and be accepted. We have to eat at this new restaurant because our friend ate there and it was "life changing." We need to meet the man or woman of our dreams, because then, everything will come together for us.

Face it, these things run through your brain constantly. I think them everyday when I am walking through this crazy city. So what do we do when we have these thoughts? We consume. We consume things, clothes, experiences, people, and with every transaction, we become fulfilled, right? If only I could ____, then everything would be perfect.

Think about facebook...how many unflattering pictures do you have up? How many posts do you have about cleaning your bathroom or discovering that your jeans are too tight? We are an image addicted culture, and this is breading so much unhappiness in our lives.

We are essentially sitting ducks. I did some research and we are exposed to about 3,000 advertisements a day. (I think I see probably even more than that in New York City.) How do you avoid them? How do you avoid thinking that your ordinary life isn't dull when "everyone" around you has such an exciting life?

My answer: try to reassess reality because the reality presented to us is FALSE. Don't think you need to have the perfect outfit, relationship, home, job, vacation plans, or body. You're going to be a mess, forever. I believe that God is the only thing that can fulfill me. He needs to be my reality, He loves me, and He is true. Recently, I have realized the more I look inward, spend my time and money on myself, and focus on me, the more unhappy I become. Maybe we all need to take a huge step back, assess our version of reality, and decide if the culture works for us. What is true in your life? What are you investing in? What makes you happy or unhappy within yourself?

We can't avoid the world, but we can strive for contentment in the our own world. Big G loves you so much and His version of reality is true and real. I hope you'll take some time this week to reflect, find a new version of reality, and with it, happiness.

Love to you,

Pastor Katie

Pomegranate Paradise

I know you've seen them in the store. Inside, they hold the promise of antioxidant heaven and sweet and sour juice. "What a strange fruit," you think. You may have even liked to try one, but how does one deal with that fruit? You pick it up, hmmm. Then you'll probably come to the conclusion that this odd fruit is not worth your time. In other words, you're intimidated. It's ok, I was too, until last weekend.

The grocery stores in NY do such a wonderful job of showcasing what is in season. I had noticed the giant barrel of poms in "Garden of Eden" the week before, and I decided on a particularly dreary Saturday, it was time to face my fears. I picked it up, got home, took out my tools, and set to work.

I have always heard that you should cut into them and slap them on the back with a spoon to get the seeds out. Tried that...nothing happened. Also, the skin is much more fragile than you may assume so I felt this was too violent of a method. Then I just started to dig in with my fingers and easily pop the succulent seeds out. It turned out to be much easier, not to mention kind of relaxing. The seeds sit in these honeycomb like bunches within the fruit, and after about 15 minutes, I had completed the whole pom. All the seeds happily popped into their bowl, awaiting a beautiful fruit salad for brunch the next day.

In conclusion, I urge you to go out and get yourself a pomegranate. Wash the rind, cut it into smallish sections, and pop out the seeds, happily munching them along the way. Then serve them in a salad, on top of yogurt, or float them in a butternut squash soup. They are delicious, and when you finish, you will feel accomplished, happy, and of course, antioxidantized.

Woes and Wins of Winter

I woke up this morning to a brisk 7 degrees. Seven. It got me thinking about winter and how it's possible that I am managing my most fretted about season. Rest assured that I am pushing through it, learning lessons quickly, and trying not to let the "winter blues" set in. Here are some positive and negative observations I have made, just in case you're considering a move to an arctic tundra any time soon.

Woes.....

-Taking an extra 2 minutes to put on a jacket, scarf, mittens, and snow boots

-Remembering all of those said items before you walk down 5 flights of stairs

-Losing gloves

-Slush, big puddles of slush

-The crabbiness of commuters when it's raining, snowing, or sleeting

-The feeling of wind whipping through buildings, and how you never expect it. It takes your breath away.

-Seeing people that don't have a nice, warm apt to come home too on the street. I recently learned there are 37,000 homeless people in New York City.

Wins....

-A reason to buy lots of cute scarves, mittens, and a new "sleeping bag" jacket.

-Flannel sheets, ahhh, there is no safer place in the world than in a bed with flannel sheets during the winter.

-Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cider, and soup

-Running in Central Park covered in snow and on the Hudson, watching ice chunks float by

-Excuse to stay in and watch movies

-Kids wrapped up in snow suits, who can never seem to put their little arms down.

-Dogs wearing sweaters and little paw protectors, I always smile at them.

-Shopping for spring clothes-gives you hope this may end.

-The joy of eating in a cozy restaurant with the windows fogged up, or even just walking by one and seeing people enjoy that feeling.

So see, there are lots of reasons to complain about and celebrate winter. It's a season like any other, and will be over before you know it. The arrival of spring will probably never mean more to me than this year. Until then, I will keep enjoying the wonders of January, February, and possibly March, although I am hopeful.

Stay warm friends!

Oh Martha!

Everyday this weekend, I woke up around 4:10 AM. Just woke up, mind started racing, and I couldn't go back to sleep. Then today, it dawned on me, I was just excited. Excited that it was the weekend and that I had fun things planned for the day. And what a great MLK weekend it was! I slept in, ran on the river and in the park full of snow, had brunch with friends, had a taco night and played games, saw "The King's Speech, went to church, AND got to see the Martha Stuart Show tape this morning!

We waited outside "on line" (northeastern term) in the quite brisk morning air and were directed inside the studio by some very Martha-like interns, dressed in burberry scarves. When we had checked our coats and gotten settled, the audience director, Joey Cola, came out to pump us up! He is such a neat guy, I bet you have seen him if you watch the show at all. He explained the segments and then we taken into her show's studio! The place was filled with busy little producers, camera men, lint rollers, light checkers, sound checkers, and important looking people with headsets. It was all very impressive! Everyone was focused on making everything "just perfect."

As the time ticked down to start, I looked around at the audience. Everyone was dressed their best for Martha. The show had emailed out last week that we were going to be on the "HOT" show filled with hot food, guests, and crafts. (What is a hot craft?) So, we were to wear hot colors like red, orange, or pink. People followed directions very well. I felt a bit blinded as I am quite used to living in a sea of black now.

The show began, we clapped and cheered, and the segments began. There was a super hot, French chef making excellent looking shrimp and pasta, a designer named Zac Posen who showed off new pieces and dyed pillow cases with Martha, a gadget guy from the NY Times, and a hot pepper expert. We got to drink hot chocolate, clap, say yummmm, take home a chile pepper cookbook, and meet Martha's dogs after the show. Not Martha herself, but her dogs.

It was a great time! Thanks to my friend, Susan, for getting tickets. We finished off our Martha morning with a decadent brunch of buttermilk pancakes with caramelized bananas and cinnamon butter at Cookshop! We also saw Dean Sheremet aka LeAnne Rimes ex-husband at brunch. Susan has the best eye for the celebs. We did some research and oggled as he walked to the bathroom and back.

Great friends, fabulous weekend, best city! So blessed! Wonder if I'll wake up at 4 AM tomorrow? Doubtful!

friends all dressed up in HOT colors

the greenhouse set

Going Postal

Wow! Has it really been three weeks since Christmas? I can't believe how fast time has flown. I apologize for my absence to the blogging world. The last couple weeks have been dedicated to getting "back to reality." I had a great holiday in Texas, but it was hard to get back to city mode again. As happy as I was to be back, I forget about packed subways, the 5 floor walkup apartment I live in, COLD weather, and the hustle and bustle of it all. It's good to be back though and I have just passed my 6 month anniversary in NYC! I am already scheming a big one year anniversary party for August!
Today I wanted to share with you an amusing observation I have made over the last several months. We begin at the post office. I went to the pleasent post office in Amarillo to mail three giant boxes back to the city full of Christmas goodies and that's when it really hit me-NYC post offices are war zones. They are hostal I tell you. You walk in and feel the negative energy surround you. I go quite frequently to pick up packages, and usually wait for about 15 minutes each time. It's fine, I expect it now, but it's given me some serious observation time in that dungeon. One immediatly notices the mail workers are behind bullet-proof glass. I thought this was awfully strange the first time I saw it. Is it really neccessary? Six months in and I can tell you, yes siree Bob it is!

The usual suspect walks into the office and lets out a big sigh. I am especially fond of the ones that voice their frustration. "Oh, I picked a great time to come to the post office," and "unbelievable", "sh**, is this really the line," and "I don't have time for this." Then they get in line, shift back and forth, and invariably are the customer whose package has been lost, after they've waited in line for 20 minutes. (twenty minutes is essentially an hour to new yorkers)

Once, I even saw the mysterious post office manager come out because the lady in front of me was throwing a fit. She was like, "You are disrespecting me and I've got witnesses." I was the only one behind her, loved getting included in that drama.

It sounds as though I am being dramatic, but I am telling you these are not isolated instances. It's EVERY time I go there. Let it be known that I am prepared to one day see the bullet proof glass be tested.

realization of the long line

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here are some highlights of my first five months in the city!

Making new friends.

Eating beet and goat cheese salads.

Reading The New Yorker.

Running on the Hudson River, in Central Park, and Riverside Park.

Yelling (cheering wildly) at the “Straight No Chaser” concert with Claire.

Cooking dinner for friends in my tiny kitchen.

Hearing my 1st graders speak French everyday.

Riding the subway everyday and experiencing the good & bad of that.

Introducing some of my favorite spots to visitors.

Sitting on Carly’s rooftop overlooking the Hudson drinking champagne.

Taking a trip outside the city to go apple picking.

Macy’s Day Parade on Thanksgiving.

Attending the Glamour Women’s Awards and seeing all those celebs.

Seeing fall and the Christmas season in New York.

I am a very lucky girl! Thank you for taking this journey with me. Looking forward to a quick winter and good days ahead. Merry Christmas sweet readers!