Adventures in London: Issue 97

It is sad how quickly time flies when you are having fun. I spent 5 months counting down to this weekend and within a blink of an eye the weekend came and went and it was time for people to go home. Before Bhai, Bams and Kadin left, we made one last trip to feed the ducks. Despite knowing that I was going to see Kadin the next day, I was sad to see him leave. However when he desires to visit London had been replaced with a desire to go to California to see Rani Masi, I knew the feelings were not reciprocal. What can you do? I enjoyed the time that I had with him running around, singing Lady Gaga and playing cars.

Monday was a rather relaxing day for everyone. We hinted at the idea of going to the gym, going shopping, but instead the notion of playing Wii sports and blogging won. Note to self: stretch before and after playing Wii sports OR don't actually play like you are playing the real sport - haha. Every time I play I am tempted more and more to buy the Wii (I don't because I am well aware of the fact that I will stop playing after a couple of months and it will just sit there next to my Atari, Sega CD and PS2). In the evening, we all went to my Aunt's house (my Mom's older brother's wife) for dinner. It was rather surreal to be there and not have my cousin there. He sadly did not make it to ATX for the reunion due to a math conference (or some other snore fest) in LA. My Aunt out did herself with the dinner and I made fully certain to enjoy every bite I could squeeze into my system. If I could have taken food home I definitely would have asked for some.

After dinner "Tool"took us to the Flying Saucer, a beer place in ATX, for a couple of pints. The Flying Saucer is like Sunset in Boston or Peculiar Pub or the GingerMan in NYC. May it be years in training, exposure of living in London or my knight's quest, it was rather depressing the number of beers on that list that I had. It was also very telling what beers I prefer and which I have no taste for :-) I really enjoyed my visit to ATX and spending time with my cousins. I wish I lived closer to them so I could see them more, especially now as we are all adults. I am looking forward to my visit in November to Malaysia and 2010 when "Tool" comes to London for the Olympics. My dear brothers - thank you for a lovely weekend and for making the trip worth the long journey. It was great catching up with you and celebrating your graduations. Looking forward to the next family reunion which by our agreement is "Tool"'s wedding. Remember the train does not go in reverse once it has passed a station....sorry!

I am going to skip the nightmare of Tuesday and the plane delay, changing flights, and running around ATX airport. What I will say is that when I reached my brother's place - I was surprised with a gift from Bam's via the hands of Kadin. I had been given a day of pampering: haircut, mani/pedi, massage and eyebrow threading. It was such a nice surprise and touching gift to receive. It felt a bit odd going from place to place where they knew that I was on a pampering tour of NYC. It was like my little own scavenger hunt!! It was an extremely special and touching day. It was the perfect blend of pampering, mother-daughter time and some much needed alone time in the spa catching up on American trash magazines and enjoying some dry fruits and ginger tea.

To top off my pampering day, I cooked dinner for the family. Sounds counter-intuitive, but cooking is definitely something I enjoy doing. What topped the day was that I got to try a new dish out. For a starter I made steamed shrimp in old bay, For entrees I made seared scallops with balsamic vinaigrette sauce for Mom and Bams and beef stroganoff for Bhai and I. For dessert, I was supposed to serve pound cake with strawberry and whipped cream, but we got to wrapped up in the finale of American Idol and it was too late after the show aired to prepare dessert. I honestly could not have asked for a better welcome to NYC. Cooking in my brother's kitchen made me realise two things (1) I am too short to reach half of his spices and (2) I should get married soon if only to get a new cookware set ;-)

The next day, we took Kadin to Bryant park to ride the "horses" (aka ride the carousel) and to have lunch with Bhai. One of my favorite parts of visiting home is the lunch with Bhai in Bryant park followed by my routine shopping stops. I have my visit down to a precise routine, which also means that deviating from this is unlike - and thus I wonder, "why is it that I never visit outside of Midtown?"

After lunch, Mom and I went to Best Buy to have my camera checked out. Mini suffered from a dead battery being stored in the camera for too long and thus needed help. Just my luck, my 2 year warranty that I purchased expired the day before :-) Rather gutted by all of this, Mom did her magic and bought me a new camera as a mini 30th birthday present. Gana is the newest addition to the ever growing camera family. Given my affinity for self portraits, this camera is truly the perfect fit and the best way to kick off the birthday celebrations.

That evening was the long awaited and planned out SATC 2 premiere with my NYC girls. Two years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing the SATC all dressed up with my girls when I lived in NYC and just as it was meant to be, I was going to be in town to watch SATC2 opening night in NYC. What more could you ask for? I can think of a couple (1) coffee before the show as I feel asleep during bits of the movie and (2) the full size jacket as the A/C in the theatre was as Arctic levels and I had to seek refuge in Bams jacket for warm. For those who have not seen the movie, I will say save the money and rent it on DVD. The movie is called Sex and the City....CITY being New York City. It is the fifth character of the movie and its absence in SATC2 is clear and the movie leaves you wanting. If you are looking for a good RomCom that happens to star the four leads from the Sex and the City show, then this is your movie.

It is Fleet Week in New York. It is tradition starting in 1984, where New York City honors and host dozens of U.S Marine Corp and Navy troops. It is week of celebration, parades, and for the common girl it is a chance to see the city filled with hundreds of men in uniform (gigidity).

Friday was the long anticipated 30th Birthday celebration in NYC. Claimed nearly 7 years ago, Bams threw me a party that was beyond my expectations. Granted as I was flying in for the festivities, I knew the date and time and was previewed to the guest list. What I did not know was the location or details of what was going to be a truly enjoyable and memorable night.

Surrounded by my close family and friends, the New York Thirty and Flirty celebration was truly a night to remember (even if I don't remember much after the third old fashion - rsrs). The night was filled with catching up with friends, laughing, dancing with Kadin, flirting with the Marines (hence the cap) and truly letting go and celebrating the evening. It was a grand and well planned night with family and friends. I truly am blessed to have a family that would arrange for such a touching night and for friends for making me feel like no time had ever passed since I had moved. Reflecting back on the evening, I wish I took more photos and did not switch to old fashions (there is a high correlation between the two).

Whilst living here I have made my own circle of friends who are very much my family here in London. When I go back to NYC as much as we pick up where we left off, a part of me feels as though I don't know them anymore. I know the overall plot of their lives yes, but I am not there for the day-to-day events and vice versa. In the past two years we have all gone through so much - we have fallin in and out of love, had children, found new jobs, graduated from school...we have all lived our lives in our own separate ways. The key and the true definition of friendship is that when we are together we return to status quo. It is like no time has gone by.

Thanks to the NYC free pour and choice to drink old fashions, I was in suffered from a rather painful hangover. That said, the show must go on. After a Daniel's bagel and coffee it was off to the LMAO Jima to visit Marine Ben (who we all met the night before at my birthday celebration) for a tour of the ship. Not the ideal way to spend the Saturday, but it was a nice day with the family and something new. For my brother and I, it reminded us of the day when Mom would take us to the Schenectady Airport for the Air Show. We would wait for hours in traffic just to see the planes and helicopters. Back then, they were just massive toys to play with. On Saturday I imagined Ben and his fellow Marines going to war in these ships and planes - 40+ soldiers packed into the vehicles as they travelled to protect our country. I may not believe in war and fighting, but I do have respect and am extremely thankful for the men and women who honor our country.

For my last day in NYC, we all went out to enjoy my last hours on holiday. It was a rather typical NYC day with 85+ degree weather which was a bit too much for my body. Nevertheless, it was off to Union Square for the afternoon. We started with a shopping spree at Best Buy. I struggled not to buy everything that I wanted, but did add some CDs and an iTouch (though I am not allowed to open it until the GHF is at the appropriate balance) to the basket. From there it was to the Coffee Shop for brunch and a properly made bloody mary :-) Sadly the afternoon flew by and before I knew it was time to head to the airport for my flight back to London.

I can hardly believe that my holiday is over. How I wish I had more time to enjoy my friends and family. Every time I come I leave thinking that the visit was not long enough. The unsettling bit is that I leave this time not knowing when next I will return. I was supposed to be back in November for the marathon and Kadin's 3rd, but as that is no longer happening, I have decided to take my sabbatical during that time and am going to India/Malaysia. I don't think I can bear watching another marathon to be honest.

Hope you all are well. It has been a rather long post, but there was much to write about and if you can believe it, I have left many things out. Did not think you truly wanted a full play-by-play of the visit. To my family - I miss you truly and sincerely.

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 96

I am officially on HOLIDAY! For 10 full days, I am away from London and more importantly work :-) I am in Austin right now for part one of my US travels. Why Austin you wonder?! Well for those of you who don't know. Most of my immediate family from my Mom's side live in Austin; her older and younger brother are there with their families and her youngest brother's son lives there now with his wife. I think I just made that sound more confusing than it is. I absolutely love Austin. It was the city that I went to almost every year whilst growing up during April break. It was the one place that I wanted to celebrate my birthday; in Texas, dinner at Antonio's with fatijas and IBC root beer, celebrating with my family with two cakes (one to shove my face in and the other to eat) . That is what birthdays in Austin were about - - and then we grew up.

So what brought me back to Austin this time? Well it certainly wasn't April break and my birthday. Rather it was a family reunion to celebrate the graduations of my two dear cousins: one graduating from UK with his undergrad and the other from UT with his MBA. It still seems surreal. I can hardily believe that these two gentlemen have grown up so much, the younger of the two especially. I was 7 when he was born, so I have the benefit of remembering him as a baby. I remember the little bundle of joy that he was when he was 2 1/2 years of age with his pilot's jacket picking up the ladies at the playground. Now he is all grown up and the only 2 1/2 year bundle of joy in the family is my nephew.

I left on Thursday for Austin, travelling via JFK airport. It was a rather different feeling landing at JFK and not taking the bus into Manhattan. Instead, I took the train to the domestic terminal and checked back in for my flight. It was a rather long day of flying (15 hours in total), but well worth it when I was welcomed with the midnight Austin heat and my cousins waiting for me at the airport.

Friday was a rather low key day spent catching up with Mom, visiting with the family and spending the evening with my cousins. We started with lunch and Texas martinis at Chuy's. This place has the BEST chili queso (it is worth a trip to Texas). After lunch, I kept my word with my baby cousin (not really a baby as he is 20) by making him Gulab Jamun (aka Sticky Balls). May not have met my Mom's definition, but everyone else seemed to enjoy them. .

That night, Bhai, Jamila and Kadin arrived thus officially commencing the family reunion weekend. After everyone came and settled down a bit, the cousins were off to Trudy's - the home of the Mexican Martini. Aside from seeing my family, the only other thing on my agenda was to go to Trudy's. Not usually a "martini" fan (unless it is a Manhattan), but Mexican Martinis are always an exception. Earlier that day, when we were at Chuy's, my cousin and I split a jalapeno infused mexican martini. Took a bit to get used to the spice, but will say definitely delicious and worth a try if you ever have the opportunity.

It was nice evening catching up with the brothers. I don't remember the last time that we all got together and chatted. Bhai shared some of his life stories, which solidified that Bhai should NOT mentor students. With advice of "oh I never studied for an exams, but still managed to graduate with honors", "grades are about negotiation", it is clear that his techniques don't translate to everyone else. I wish I had his skills, but definitely lacked those growing up. I was still suffering from jet lag, so only had one of the allowed two shakers. Probably a good thing as those martinis will destroy you. You don't realise it, but there is a reason why Trudy's has a two shaker limit. The last time I was in Austin, we tried to sneak in a extra one, but we were caught :-)

The great thing about jet lag is that it allows me some alone time with Kadin. He shared the bed where Mom & I slept, so at a bright 0630 is kindly woke me up, stating that he was done sleeping - "the sun is up Tini Foi, time to wake up". We had a good couple of hours playing with cars - how I miss playing with cars (seriously). Every time I see Kadin I am truly amasing by how much of a little person he really is. I left NYC and him when he was 9 months. The coolest thing he did at the time was crawl and hold his own milk bottle. Now he is walking, running, laughing, talking, singing! I feel bad using my "baby voice" around him cause he certainly is not longer a baby.

That afternoon, after feeding the ducks and a short run with Bams and Bhai, it was off to Ski Shore cafe for lunch in the Austin sun. Ski shore is more laid back version of the Boat Basin in NYC - if you can get more laid back. Located on the water Ski Shore is the ideal spot for sunshine, boat watching, burgers, fries, chicken fingers, and cold beer. If you are lucky, you will catch a trick or two from a water skier passing by. Being outside in the sun was nothing less that divine, but it also made me realise that my skin and body are not quite used to the sunshine and heat. By the time lunch came, I hit that point where I was too hot to finish my burger. Granted, if you put a 5-scoop banana split in front of me, I would not have any problem devouring lunch. They have commented at work that it will take me hours to finish my lunch, but put ice cream in front of me and that is gone within seconds. I have no reasoning for it, nor will I apologise - I love me some ice cream :-)

On Sunday we celebrated the first of two graduation parties with an afternoon on a boat floating in the Austin lake. It was a chill-axed afternoon of sunshine, catching up with the family, sunshine, pani puri, sunshine, some swimming and did I mention sunshine. I really cannot express how nice it was to be out in the warm sun. It was not appropriate to fully tan, but it was good to get some color.

Swimming in the lake was good fun. Literally everyone on the boat went into the water (Mom included) To be honest, I don't know who had more fun - the aunts and uncles who jumped in fully dressed or Kadin who enjoyed laughed hysterically every time someone got splashed with water. You honestly cannot beat an afternoon filled with laughter and true family fun. A big thank you to SG for having pani puri as part of the lunch - it must have been tremendous work to get that sorted, but it was so very delicious!

That evening we celebrated the second graduation with an intimate family party at the house. After the afternoon in the sun, eating, drinking and swimming a relaxed evening at home is just what everyone wanted. Given that the majority of the family were driving back to Houston, we all made sure to "behave" that evening. It is hard for our family, but if we put our minds to it we can accomplish anything ;-)

Like parents with their children, I am rather protective of my cameras (all four of them). That said, when Kadin showed his desire to take photos, I could not resist the opportunity. I figured in addition to "teaching" Kadin to say "Yankees Yuck Yuck", and other delightful phrases for my brother, it would pass on the photography gene. It is quite sad how quickly he grasped the concept of turn the camera on, point at what you want a photo of and click the button. Granted the pictures may have been of people's feet and legs, but he had it under control. I cannot wait to buy him his first camera!

Well I think this entry has been rather long. Hope you all are well and enjoying the weather wherever you are

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 95

My friend Powers delightfully surprised me with tickets to go see Robin Hood at the Electric. I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to go see the movie there and tired to buy tickets, but was unable to cause the seating chart would not load on my computer. Side topic: there is one thing that I absolutely adore and truly appreciate about the cinema experience here in London is that just like going to the theatre or a concert, you are able to book your seats. Hence, you don't have to waste queuing for an hour before the show :-) I am looking forward to seeing SATC 2 with my NYC girls, but will admit that I am not looking forward to queuing ahead of time. I admit it. I have been spoiled by the velvet or leather seats, the footstools, and enjoying a nice beer and sweet and savory mix of popcorn whilst watching a show. Where was I before I took this side note?

Oh yeah - so Powers had bought tickets to go see Robin Hood at the Electric and was even able to book the leather sofas in the back. Sadly for her (but fortunate for me), she was unable to go and asked if I wanted to take her reservation. I happily accepted and went to the show with Cooks. On Wednesday, I met her in Notting Hill to collect the tickets for the movie and to catch up a bit over dinner. It had been some time since we had the chance to catch up over a "date" so the tickets offered a good opportunity.

The Electric, based in Notting Hill, is one of London's oldest and most prestigious cinemas in operation for nearly 100 years. I went to the Electric restaurant when I first moved to London with SS and his family. Ever since then it has always held a special place in my heart. The electric marked a few other special times for me. I went there with Mom when she visited, and I went there with the Bensons in October to share some special news. I have always wanted to go to the electric to see a movie, but getting seats there are an absolutely nightmare. Lucky for me, Robin Hood worked out!

I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone who has not seen it. What I will say is that if you enjoyed Gladiator, then you will enjoy Robin Hood. Starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blancett, the 2010 version of Robin Hood tells the untold story of Robin Hood. Whereas Kevin Costner in the 1991 version (Robin Hood: King of Thieves) did not attempt the English accent, Russell Crowe attempted a northern English accent. Unlike Gladiator where his accent (from who knows where) stayed constant, in Robin Hood, Russell Crowe takes the audience on a world tour of changing accents from a pseudo northern English to a bit Scottish back to his natural tone. The movie can be a bit slow (couple with the large leather sofa and ottman) meant that a tendency to fall asleep is likely. Ridley Scott does not disappoint though with the fight scenes. They truly are spectacular and make the movie worth seeing.

On Saturday, I went up to Dalston to visit with Powers see her new place. She recently moved from Shad Thames, south London to Dalston which is North East. Seems like the whole gang is moving up there and chances are I will follow suit. It is going to be hard leaving south west London, but will be easier to make pancakes for the gang and will save me from having to travel 40 minutes with mix, syrup, milk and eggs when I have a pancake craving :-)

After taking over Power's kitchen to cook pancakes and catching up a bit, she and I enjoyed the lovely London spring time weather and walked around Angel/Islington for a bit. I was in the mood to go shopping, so we attempted to do so. Instead we ending up buying a bunch of American candy and later stopped for dessert. After roaming around for a bit longer convinced that I could buy something I raised the white flag and gave up. Instead of going home though, I called KV for an impromptu happy hour. We started with a medium pitcher of sangria at Sangria and then went to Cuba Libre on upper street for Margaritas and beers (and some Cuban food later on). It was not the evening or night that I had counted on, but it was just what I needed. It was nice to be out of the house and spending time with good friends in a new neighborhood playing the great game of "Would You Rather" (thank you Powers for that book - it supplied hours of entertainment and sparked philosophical conversation later that evening).

Well, I think that is all for me. I am sure I will remember something else, but for now I bid you all adieu!

Miss you and love you all

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 94

This week started with a Bank Holiday (Monday off). To celebrate, I spent the day...well...having a lazy day. I wish there was more of the Bank Holiday weekend that I could share, but aside from Iron Man 2 and happy hour at Wax Jambu I did not do much of anything. I suppose that is not necessarily a bad thing. I spent the weekend sorting through my photos (and realising that I overbought photos by nearly 300) and enjoying my new purchases from IKEA. I left out the exciting events of my first shopping excursion to IKEA! That place is truly amasing and if I were a home owner (or in a flat that was unfurnished) I would have gone absolutely insane in there. Shockingly, I walked in and out of IKEA without requiring a delivery van. I am the happy owner of a red trash bin, a red cutting board, a red pizza cutter (can you tell that red is my favourite colour?) and jars for sugar. Yes plural; like any good cafe Ista serves over 4 types of coffee with your choice of vanilla syrup and/or 3 types of sugar. Fancy a cup - come on over....Ista is always open!

On Monday, Simone and I went out for an inpromptu dinner to a little Brasillian in Vauxhall. As much as I enjoy planning each evening out in advance, the spur of the moment plans are quite nice too. Here is something you may or may not know about Brasillian foods. Brewing in Brasil dates back to 1830s with the immigration of the Germans. Bohemia is the oldest beer in Brasil starting in 1853. Unlike the US where beers vary from ales to porters to stouts to lagers, in Brasil Pilsners are the variety of choice. An interesting way to drink Brasilian beer. Mix together fresh lime juice and a little salt. Take a sip and keep it in your mouth. Then take a sip of the beer and swallow. Actually that sounds oddly like a Chelada, but with pilsner rather than lager.

Miss Molly introduced me to a new song. I miss discovering new songs with Molly beans. It used to be our thing, but living on the other side of the pond means that I miss out on certain things. A couple of years ago it was Stay by Sugarland. Both of these songs start with the longing for another person and through the music they find their strength. This song is beautiful and I think the lyrics say it all...

Excerpts of FOREVER & ALMOST ALWAYS by Kate Voegele

And just when I believe you've changed for good

Well you go and prove me wrong just like I knew you would

When I've run out of second chances you give me that look

And you're off the hook

Because you're mine forever and almost always

Well I'm fine, just love me when you can

And I'll wait patiently

I'll wake up everyday just hoping that you still care

What am I still doing here?

It's all becoming so clear

You'll be mine forever and almost always

It ain't right to just love me when you can

I won't wait patiently

Or wake up everyday just hoping that you'll still care

Forever and almost always

No, it ain't right to just love me when you can baby

Ain't gonna wait patiently

I won't wake up everyday just hoping that you'll still care

On Saturday, Silas threw his first BBQ of the year. Silas is a master when it comes to the kitchen, the grill and hosting parties. The much anticipated evening including piles of grilled vegetables, cous cous salad, a beet root salad, wings made from scratch, 3 legs of lamb, 2 fillets of salmon (one marinated in brown sugar and another in teriyaki) and a tasting of fine whiskeys, bourbons, and rum. Silas is not much of a sweet-tooth so he leaves the desserts to everyone attending. What was my contribution; 4 batches of gulab jamun made from scratch (aka Sticky Balls as they are now referred to here). Why so many; well let's say that there are friends that have been know to eat 10 sticky balls at a time. With 30 people attending, I needed to make sure there were enough to go around :-)

It was a lovely night catching up with friends, eating more than the belly could handle and laughing so much just so you could eat more. We still may be wearing jumpers and blazers here, but the infamous Silas BBQ officially marks the beginning of spring (and soon enough summer - fingers crossed). This cold weather is really starting to get tiresome. It is the middle of May for crying out loud - I should not be shivering and have a cold nose in my own flat! Yes I could settle that issue if I turned the heat on, but I refuse to have the heat on in the May - it is not right! I suppose I should be please that at least it is sunny outside; that is something isn't it.

Anyway, as it is freezing in my flat, I am going to go bundle up under the covers and warm up. If I am lucky, I will even fall asleep. Let's see ;-)

Hope you all are well and warm!

xoxo

T

Adventures in London: Issue 93

When it comes to Glee, 24, Lost, FlashForward, DWTS - the UK is generally a week lagged behind the US. Living in London, I have had to learn to be patient when it came to movie releases and top American TV shows. That said, when it came to Iron Man 2, I am happy to say that it released this past week and I happily saw it with friends on Saturday :-)

I will refrain from discussing the movie as it has not released in the US, but if when you do see it (and I would highly recommend that you do), let me know so we can chat about the movie. Iron Man 2, like Iron Man is action packed, loud and filled with witty one-liners. Robert Downey Jr is certainly back and it is lovely to see him back on the silver screen. Who doesn't remember him in Heart & Soul? Or Only You? Two lovely films that I am sure my Mom wished that she would never have to hear mentioned again - sorry Mom. If anyone witnessed my malaria ordeal of 1990, knows that I can happily watch the same movie over and over. I wish I could say that I have out grown this phase, but I have not. May not be with movies anymore, but certainly still applies to songs, music and episodes of Friends (apparently there is no limit to the number of times that you can watch them).

They say that things happen in three; whether they are positive or negative. I don't know if I told you, but the whole dream of running the NYC Marathon is not going to happen this year. Call it a massive case of miscommunication between NYRR and myself or a blessing in disguise, but 2010 is not going to be my year. To be frank after the past couple of weeks that I have had I am not entirely disappointed. I know I should be, but if I am going to run the marathon I need to be dedicated and focused to training and running. Although, I think about running a lot, I have not put in the mileage that I need to be. The month of March has certainly taken it toll...not only did I experience a negative month in the GHF (spending nearly a third of the the work days working after midnight), but I logged in a whopping 5K in training. I bounced back in April, but I am nowhere close to where I should or want to be in terms of training. I am not going to make it to 40K with that sort of progress. If these past months have taught me anything it is work before health...wait I think I messed that up.

Moving onwards and upwards...GLEE! I don't know how many of you watch the show. It has picked up a following here in the UK. Tuesday mornings on our bank of desks is dedicated to the GLEE recap discussion (which I am sure the rest of our bank enjoys). The much anticipated Madonna episode was this past week and what a joy it was to watch. Some of the songs were a bit corny, the Sue Sylvester's rendition of Vogue was absolutely amasing. If you do not watch the show or already have, you should check out the comparison between Sue's debut and Madonna's video. Glee has been a bit of a disappointment lately, but I am happy that it is back! What a great episode!!

Well I think this is the first time I have published a post without a single original photo. If you average this out the with the war and peace post of last week we are fine :-) I have wondered it people actually read the blog, well after the last couple of weeks I know you all do in your own time. I am sorry if I have worried you and I appreciate all your kinds words of support and love. All you can see are the words on the computer screen. Know that despite the dark and grey skies, the sun always shines. I am fine and more importantly I am laughing and smiling. It has not been an easy couple of weeks, but things can only get better and I am looking forward to it. It is a new decade, with new dreams and experiences to be had. I cannot wait :-) I hope you'll join me for the ride!

xoxo

T