i hate snow

I really hated this week.  Why?  Because it snowed again.  Snow in North Carolina is the most annoying phenomena because everything shuts down, everyone freaks out, and it is just ridiculous.  I suspected Wednesday would be bad because we had a forecast for an ice storm, but it was not the ice that made this week miserable - it was the traffic.  It started to snow Wednesday around noon and ALL of Research Triangle Park decided it was time to go home before the roads got bad.  Enter flashbacks of 2005 or 2006 when the entire city was gridlocked for hours and hours.  Traffic was horrible.  It took me an hour and a half to go two miles.  The terrible road conditions and stop-and-go traffic caused me to cross three lanes of traffic at one point in my little Taco, that already slides in just rain.  I have never been so afraid in my whole life!  Obviously when I almost wrecked I thought I was going to wreck and maybe be hurt, but extremely luckily, the people on the other side of the road were able to get out of my way.  But other than that I was afraid of wrecking again, afraid I'd run out of gas before getting home, afraid my car would get stuck, afraid it would take me hours to get home.... enter panic attack.  I really tried being calm, but it is hard when you are boxed in on all sides with traffic that is not moving.  I also freaked out because on Google Maps it shows what traffic conditions are like, and I remember from the day it took me an hour and a half to get to work (that day was also fun - gotta love RTP traffic) that when it is blood-red it basically means traffic is not moving at all.  All of Raleigh was blood-red, and I had another 9 miles or so to go when my mom and I decided it would be best for me to stay in a hotel for the night.  I was such a ball of nerves, and it was questionable as to whether or not I would get home in even 5 more hours (it took STG 2.5 hours to go from the vet school to Cameron Village!), that it was the best option at the time.  I was so anxious, that it took me hours to calm down after being in the car with all the traffic and snow.  Kyle got home in about 2 hours, which was one source of anxiety, so once he got home I relaxed a little more, but worrying about getting my car out and getting home the next day continued to worry me for a while longer.  Anyway, the moral of the story is that now that I don't get snow days for school, I'd be perfectly happy if I never saw snow again.  It just messes up everything!!  

Here are some pictures from the only one in the family who does love snow, no matter what (she's chasing snowballs in all the pictures except the first).

this one cracks me up every time ^

NYC Feed Me!!

Hey y'allllllll!  Mother and I jetsetted up to NYC over the weekend and basically all we did was eat.  AKA we did my favorite activity all weekend!

Friday afternoon we wandered around the Upper East side - the big news of the day is I tried on my dream wedding band at Van Cleef & Arpels and it was absolutely perfect and stunning and I love it!  This was basically our only non-eating activity of the whole weekend....

The Estelle wedding band, named for Estelle Arpels.

After finding the perfect wedding band, we worked up quite an appetite, so we made a very necessary (and also French!) stop at LaDuree!

French Macarons (NOT macaroons) how I've missed you so!!

For dinner Friday, we had reservations at the beautiful Daniel, but beforehand, we met my sister, Allie, from DDD for drinks in their bar.  I had the BEST cocktail of my life.  Unfortunately I did not get a picture, but here is the description from their website:  "FROM THE FIELD - Lavender and Honeycomb Infused Plymouth Gin, Lemon Juice."  It was absolutely to die for! 

Hello!!

DUCK TERRINE WITH MARCONA ALMONDS
Sauternes Gelée, Vanilla Poached Mango, Peppercress Salad

Amuse-bouche: I can't remember exactly what they are, but all had chickpeas in them

Carrot amuse-bouche

TASTING OF MILK FED VEAL
Roasted Tenderloin with Sunchoke and Parsnip
Braised Cheeks with Creamy Polenta, Caramelized Onion
Crispy Sweetbreads, Green Peppercorn Sauce

MOLASSES POACHED PEAR
Lime-Pain de Gênes, Cranberry Confit
Pear-Gewurztraminer Sorbet

Miniature Madelines! 

Truffles!  Can't remember the flavors of all, but one is Earl Grey, and it was the best

Thanks Allie for taking our picture!!

I missed these two cuties this weekend, but Kyle was nice enough to send me this selfie!

On Saturday we spent the morning at the NY Now show, but saw everything that was open by noon.  We decided to go buy lil Kylie a birthday present at a favorite brand/store of his.  After we bought his present, we needed a little snack, and we fell into this cute little bar/restaurant called Back Forty West in Soho.  The sign below is what won me over on this particular restaurant.  Pork belly, Brussels, and dranks? YES PLEASE.  I don't know if I mentioned this, but Brussels sprouts are my new favorite vegetable.  So versatile, so delicious.

Pork Belly sandwich and crispy Brussels sprouts with cherry butter (swooooon)

For dinner on Saturday, we went to an Italian restaurant in TriBeCa, Scalini Fideli, which was just perfect.  The ambiance was amazing, with very attentive staff, roses on the tables, and giant candelabras in the massive windows.  Plus, they had a great bathroom (bonus points I know).

Ravioli with a killer black truffle foam

Butternut agnolotti with sage brown butter sauce topped with amaretti and buffalo mozzarella

Pineapple and coconut milk sorbet & palate cleanser

Flourless chocolate soufflé with cappuccino gelato and caramelized orange peel 

Sunday was baby Kerg's 25th birthday, and since I was unable to see him, I made sure to FaceTime so he could open his birthday present.  He really wanted DJ headphones, this edition in yellow in particular, so I got those for him, and naturally had to take a picture of him trying on the headphones!

After a long day at NY NOW, and watching all the Super Bowl traffic roll by (SO many cops!) we needed a good, hearty meal.  Keen's Steakhouse was just what we needed after a long day of walking around!

Raw oysters with mignonette sauce.  Be still my heart. 

Basically Wilma Flintstone right there 

Lobsta and steak NOM

ONLY THE BEST NY CHEESECAKE OF MY LIFE (and delicious mulled wine)

Now I'm starving again.... off to eat some more.....

Water

Sienna HATES water. She hates the rain.  She once went over 12 hours without going to the bathroom because she was too much of a diva to get her feet wet.  She also hates baths, which she has to get once every week or two, and throughout the process gives me a look of utter betrayal, no matter how many times she gets bathed. She even hates the lake!! She just recently started wading in the lake, but will still scream at Birdie that the water is not safe when Bird goes 20 feet out to fetch a stick.  Despite all these instances of contempt for water, Sienna absolutely LOVES frozen water, aka snow.  She had so much fun romping around in the snow these past few days, it's been just hilarious to watch.  I've got a little black and tan snow bunny on my hands. 

In keeping with my resolution to express my thoughts more, I will tell y'all about my current professional goal.  So you know how I told y'all I got a new position on me team at work? It is outbound calling to existing customers to try to get them to upgrade to our higher dollar accounts.  I thought it was just a matter of calling up customers and sort of doing our regular pitch. I've had some success with it, but I set my bar very high and want to just murder my goal.  I realized this week that I need to work on my sales skills. Everything I did until this point didn't really require me to ask lots of questions, gauge customer's goals, or spin things so we are trying to help their business instead of just trying to upsell.  Everyone who thinks of a salesperson thinks of the slimy car salesman who is just out to rob you of every extra penny you have, but there is so much more to sales than I, or probably most of you, realized.  It is interesting because sales is so similar to horseback riding.  When done well, the executor doesn't look like they or doing anything, or working that hard, when in reality it took hours of practice and hard work to achieve such an illusion of effortlessness.  I realized this week I have a long way to go, and a lot of work to get to that point, but I find sales fun and challenging, so I'm not intimidated.  

That's all for now.. Mother and I are currently en route to NYC for the NYNOW gift show for the potential business, but probs by the time I post this, it will be late tonight.  I'm so excited to visit the Big Apple for the first time in six years... Stay tuned for LaDureé pictures!!  

goals

I think I am stuck in a blog rut.  I just tell y'all what's going on in my life, which is fun because then those of you who I don't speak with a lot can see what I'm up to, and then I can preserve my memories somewhat.  BUT, there are so many other good blogs out there which I read and the writers talk about their thoughts more than their actions, and I really kind of like that.  My New Years resolution, (which I haven't kept thus far) is to blog at least 2x a week.  I think because I usually blog about things I do...and if I don't really do anything of interest, I feel like I have nothing to talk about.  I'm going to *try* to talk more about my feelings, emotions, musings, etc more, in addition to fun activities in my life.  Personal goal, lets see how this goes.

I have a new position on my team at work, which started yesterday!! Before, I was calling people who sent in questions on the website and just answering them.  Now they have me calling to existing customers, trying to get them to upgrade to the more high dollar accounts.  So far, I really like it!  It is something different, which is always great, but it also gives me an opportunity to work on sales skills and show what I am capable of.  Challenge accepted!

I'm currently on a renovation kick (also a "trying to be an adult").  DIY EVERYTHING! Except I don't really know how to start.  I want to redo the whole house....but don't know how to get going.   I need to start watching HGTV and DIY Network more.  Another goal - magically learn construction, painting, interior design, and gardening.  I just want to be one of those people that is picks up decrepit furniture at a yucky garage sale or the flea market and can somehow turn it into the key element in the house.

That's all for now.... sleepy at the end of the day, and the ol' brain is already starting to power off.  Y'all try to hold me to my resolution to blog more and delve into my thoughts.  xx M.

Good Eats

I have a lot of recipes for y'all today!  My weekend was filled with chores galore, so to prevent the weekend from being a total bust, I just ate a lot.

Firstly, I had a wine and cheese night, alllll to myself.  I was feeling really lazy and didn't feel like cooking so I stopped by Whole Foods, picked up some cheese and smoked Nova, then went home and popped open a bottle!  With the cheese and salmon, I had some fig jam Mother gave me for Christmas, as well as some delicious spiced pecans Jane gave me for Christmas!!

I had two horses to ride on Saturday, so I needed to eat a good breakfast before I went out to the barn.  I didn't want to get cranky, so I made one of my favorite breakfast meals (lets be real though... I love all breakfasts)!  I poached 2 eggs, made some hollandaise, and then used up the rest of my smoked Nova in a makeshift eggs Benedict!

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

For lunch, I made a hearty chicken salad!  Kyle doesn't like traditional chicken salad, but I've been craving it, so I trolled around Pinterest until I found a substitution that might work.  Chicken, sausage, green beans sweet potatoes, dill, mayo & more - SO GOOD!  It wasn't pretty so I didn't take a picture, but the link is below.

Hearty Chicken Salad

I also made us a delicious dessert that was a faux creme brulee, lemon vanilla custard thing.  It was awesome, so easy, and pretty healthy!!

Lemon Vanilla Custard

Finally, we made one of my favorite recipes that is a little labor/time intensive, but so savory/fatty/sweet - sweet potato gnocchi, with a sage brown butter sauce!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Dog Dreams

I had the cutest dream last night that I felt like sharing.

It all started because I watched "Kings of Pastry" on Netflix last night, which is a documentary about French Pastry Chefs trying to become a "Meilleure Ouvrier de France (MOF)," which is an award for skilled workers, and this particular one was for pastry and candy making.  It was pretty interesting, a lot in French, and was about sweets, so it was right up my alley.

Moving along, so Sienna sleeps with us at night, usually right in between us, being the princess that she is - she gets the best part of the bed.  She was right up near my head last night (sharing the pillow and everything) - a mini-me diva-pants for sure.  My dream last night was that Sienna was in the competition for the MOF, and was in the thick of it, furiously creating beautiful little bon-bons and chocolates as far as the eye could see, all so gorgeous and perfect.  In real life though - Sienna was snoring like nobody's business.  She can snore SO LOUDLY, especially when her head is a little inclined like it was on the pillow.  Anyway, in my sleepy stupor, I was trying to move Sienna around to stop the ridiculous noise, but I was also freaking out that I was making her lose the competition and she wasn't going to be awarded the MOF.  I'm sorry Sienna - I cost you the medal of honor and the fancy collar that the MOF's get to wear.

January 2 - Anniversary

Quick recap from this weekend - I had the most fun Saturday!!!

Mother and I met Grandfather in Southern Pines, to show him Mother's new condo that is being renovated, and then we all went to lunch in Pinehurst!  We ate at a great little restaurant that none of us had been to before, Elliott's on Linden, which was very bright and open.  We ate early, so we almost had the whole place to ourselves, and so we sat, ate, talked, watched all the bikers and joggers go by - it was so pleasant!!  Afterwards we wandered through their store, which was connected to the nicest art gallery!  So many dog/horse/fox paintings, as well as gorgeous horse sculptures and equine silver jewelry.  It was nice to get out of Raleigh for the day, visit with my fam, and enjoy a gorgeous day.  I was hoping the shell of my jacket from the Country Saddler would be ready to try on - but no!  It is ready this weekend to try on the shell and choose the liner - can't wait!!

On Saturday night, Kyle and I went on a double date with Loren and Hunter and had THE BEST time!  Seriously, I wish I could do it every day.  We spent 2 hours at The Wine Feed, which is co-owned by the fiance of a girl who used to work at iContact.  Phil and Phil both went to App and started The Wine Feed a couple of years ago, and they recently opened a new storefront that is a major upgrade!! They went from a little basement to a great space on Glenwood South - The Wine Feed - Check them out!   But both of the Phil's were there and talked to all of us while we each had a flight of wine, and then we shared a bottle.  It was SO much fun, super chill, and I barely realized 2 hours had passed.

From The Wine Feed, we all went down to Calavera for an empanada dinner.  I LOVE Calavera, but don't eat there often, even though it is such a treat because the food and drinks are great, for a good price as well.  Seriously though - their spicy pineapple margarita is the best margarita I've ever had, and potentially will ever drink.  By the time we got our food I don't really remember what everyone was talking about, but the conversation was engaging, and the company was outstanding.

***

Quick note on my New Year's Day - Kyle and I had a fancy moment yesterday where we enjoyed the leftover duck pate from the beef wellingtons with crackers, wine, and watched the documentary Somm on Netflix.  It was like heaven!

***

I realized on my way to work today that it is January 2nd - almost two years ago to the hour, I was sadly boarding a plane to France, already missing my family, and wondering what the future had in store for me.  As they say, the rest is history.  I'm sad about this anniversary, as I will be for May 19, and July 24 because I feel that now the first year has gone by my time and memories from France are only going to get more and more distant as it becomes my five, ten, fifteen year anniversary for those dates that were meaningful to me in my eight month adventure.  I'm sad when I think I will never get those experiences back.  I'm lucky to have such wonderful friends to talk about that time with, and we can make new memories in different locations, but what we all had in Montpellier is finished.  I just think about how sad I was to leave North Carolina two years ago, and how now I'd give anything to do it all over again. I don't regret a single thing during those eight months - I am proud that I lived with the "pourquoi pas" (why not) mentality while I was there because I did so much, grew so much, explored so much, and learned so much.  So much is different now, and it just makes it that much harder to think about what a great time I had in Francey.  Dear France, I miss you, but I'm coming for you - see you in eight more months.