Weekly Gratitude

It's been a long time since I posted some Weekly Gratitude. However, that isn't to say that I haven't been grateful.

I've been particularly touched by those around me in the past week. Maybe it was because I spent a few days at home, or perhaps because it was my birthday. Either way, gratitude swells inside me.

I'm grateful for caring family and friends. 
I spent a few days in Connecticut with my parents and just relaxed. I slept in, ate my Mother's cooking and basically rolled around the house in sweatpants. I watched a lot of TV and started reading Fifty Shades of Grey (wow!). My parents were awesome during my stay. They were constantly hugging me and telling me how much they love me. I love you too guys. It was a great escape from the concrete jungle I live in every day. I appreciated warm cups of tea and long conversations. It felt almost like when I used to live at home.

About a week later, I turned 25. Quarter Century. Most of my friends kept joking about how "old I was" and how they were so sad they were "getting so old". Honestly, I don't really see it. I'm really excited for 25. 24 has been an amazing year and I can't wait to see what this next year will bring.

My birthday started beautifully. My colleagues (shoutout to my EA girls!) decorated my cube and left lots of delicious dark chocolate on my desk.

Then we went out for a fun lunch at Avra (my new fav Greek restaurant) and indulged in some delicious Greek specialties. After work, Jonathan and I went out to dinner at Flex Mussles in the UES. I had the fungi mussels and Jonathan got the Copenhagen mussels. They were delicious. I think Jonathan's was a bit richer but I still really enjoyed mine. We washed these down with some delicious white wine.

 Saturday was filled with yet- more food at Andre's Cafe with the family. It was my first time dining at Andre's Cafe. If you like Hungarian food, then go! It was delicious and I will go back again. I started with a cucumber salad and Korozott, then had goulash and Hungarian nokedly, and finished with some poppy seed strudel. AMAZING! I loved every bite. Plus It was enough food where I could bring a doggy bag home with me.

I swear we didn't coordinate to all wear blue

they are so excited to be there

Yes, I ate a lot for my birthday and it was awesome.

This week I'm also extremely grateful for umbrellas & rain boots. Rain is not fun. Especially when you have to commute to work in a crowded subway or bus. People are cranky and you get soaked. Rain boots and umbrellas make things a little bit more manageable. I got my rain boots at Target and they are awesome. For only $30? Heck yes! My mom got the same pair. We're twinsies.

via Target

Though I must say, it sucks when someone steals your umbrella. I was at Pookie & Sebastian the other day with friends and we put our umbrellas in a basket near the front of the store while we browsed. P&S is a nice store so we didn't think much of it. We shopped around and finally when we were ready to leave, we headed to the front door to pick up our umbrellas. My friends' was missing.

Someone apparently stole it while we were roaming the store. Seriously, who does that? I get that it's raining outside but if you can go into Pookie & Sebastian to shop, then you definitely can afford to buy your own umbrella.

I'm grateful for contact lenses. Yes, they are amazing. I recently got my contact prescription renewed and will be trying out daily contacts. I used to have 2 week disposable contacts that would always make my eyes red and itchy (especially after staring at a computer screen all day). I can't wait for my dailies to arrive. Hello clear vision!


NOW IT'S TIME TO HEAR FROM YOU! What are you grateful for? How was your week? 

A Peak Inside The American Lunchbox

I was on the subway this morning surrounded by sleepy and annoyed individuals. It was pouring outside and everyone was wet. Perfect way to start a Friday.

A lady with her two children, probably aged 3 and 5ish, stood right next to me. While the 5 year old (let's call her Amy) stood patiently holding her black Hello Kitty lunchbox, the 3 year old (let's call her Jade) started throwing a tantrum. Jade wanted Amy's lunchbox because apparently Jade's white Hello Kitty lunchbox wasn't cutting it. 

In case you wanted to buy one of your own

The child proceeded to cry and whine. A very nice woman gave up her seat for this annoying child but Jade refused to cooperate. She kicked her shoes off and cried some more. Meanwhile, Amy is standing there like an angel. She offers up her black Hello Kitty lunchbox to her mom who, for some reason, swams the girls' lunches. I'm not sure why she exchanged the contents of the lunch boxes since I'm assuming each child had the same food. 

This is the moment where I looked inside the lunch box.

Every item in there was some sort of processed and packaged piece of junk. 

It basically looked like this except with a Yoohoo bottle

I was disgusted.

How can someone feed their children this crap? 

There is zero nutritional value. This is basically setting your children up for an obese future. Hello heart failure and diabetes! Clog up your arteries with this stuff and you're basically signing your death warrant. 

According to the American Heart Association, "Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren't seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. There are also psychological effects: Obese children are more prone to low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. And excess weight at young ages has been linked to higher and earlier death rates in adulthood."

I realize that not all kids in America eat like this, but a ton of them do. Parents are sometimes uneducated and don't know any better. Sometimes, they do know better, but either don't care or think they can't afford it. America's children have seriously packed on the pounds. 

Guess what? Buying whole ingredients is actually cheaper. 

Instead of buying crackers, try buying a few large carrots and cutting them yourself. 

Need something sweet? Grab a piece of fruit instead of skittles. 

Have a big family? Head on over to Costco and buy nutritious food in bulk.

It takes about 3 weeks for your taste buds to change. If you can stick through a healthy meal plan this long, you'll cravings will seriously diminish. 

Here are some ideas for alternative healthy lunches for your kids.

I'm not the only one who realizes this is a huge problem. Disney has taken action and stopped filming ads with kids eating junk food. Michelle Obama is also taking a stand to revolutionize school cafeteria meals (though there has been some controversy).

Jon Stewart sums it up best.Take a look. Seriously! 

When I grow up and have kids of my own, I vow to never send them to school with a lunchbox full of junk. I promise to make healthy choices and go the extra step to feed them nutritious food. If it is something that I wouldn't eat myself, then I will not feed it to my loved ones.

My First High Holy Days as a Jew

A year ago I was nervously fretting over what Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur would be like. I had tried and failed to observe these two monumental holidays, known as the High Holy Days, during my time at Boston College. At the time, I had no Jewish friends and I was scared to ask questions. I quickly learned that fasting alone in my dorm room was not what Yom Kippur was all about.

This year, things are totally different. All of my colleagues and friends know I am Jewish. I've also met a lot of new people in the past year, some of which don't know I converted.

It's nice to have the option of either sharing my conversion with someone or simply telling them that I am Jewish when I don't feel like getting into the whole story of why and how I did this.

I love that NYC is full of Jews. I don't stand out as I had previously feared.

This year, I feel totally comfortable speaking with fellow Jews about my holiday plans. It has been a great way to bond with past and present friends and colleagues.

I spent Rosh Hashanah in Long Island with Jonathan and his Grandmother, who is only 89 years old. We went to temple and it felt comfortable. I especially enjoyed the blowing of the shofar. Afterwards, we headed for lunch which of course included some delicious matzo ball soup.

Eventually, we made it back to the city and headed to Central Park where I had the best run in months. I seriously dominated those hills! I was so happy. It definitely was a great way to start the new year.

This week we will be observing Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. Jonathan and I plan to meet up for dinner before we go to Kol Nidrei ( Tuesday evening services). We are also going to Wednesday morning services at Temple Emanu-el.

Side Note: I'd you are in your 20's and 30's and you want to go to service for High Holy days but can't afford the $250 ticket price, check out Temple Emanu-el here in the UES.

This year things are different.

This year I don't need to justify or explain why I am observing. I simple am because now I'm Jewish.

I don't need to give anyone a reason.

This year is different because I know what to expect.

I'm not nervous to fast this year. If anything, I'm looking forward to taking this time to reflect on the past year.

It's a time where I will step outside of my busy work/social bubble and reflect.

I think Yom Kippur holds a fine balance between the community and the individual. It is a day where each person internalizes their past year. It's also a time to come together as a community.

It's amazing how it feels to go to temple and know that everyone around you is there for the same reason. And yes, you are all hungry but you know you can get through the physical discomfort.

This year, Yom Kippur will be different.

Because this year, I am a Jew.