best of 2009 blog challenge: the best place

Barista Superstar

I always like to end my year reflecting on the experiences I had. I am always surprised to see how different each year is, for some reason, I am finding myself doing a different thing for a living each year. I am not sure I dislike it so much but a part of me does yearn to be able to say "I have been...for 5 years" so far, it all points to a new job in 2010. I am starting it with an open mind and heart, really not sure where it will take me or if I will like where it will go. I will do my best to make it the best and cease every chance to grow and give back to the company.

I am also ending the year with a strange awareness of how quickly life passes by and how I am REALLY do getting older. This I am really not that happy about because I feel that whatever I make of my life now, is what will be. Is what I will be telling my grandchildren about and what will define my legacy; yes I do want some sort of legacy. I think as a young woman I always dreaded the normalcy of life yet I am finding myself living it and actually enjoying it. I don't think down this path I will be making any contribution to the world, I am not altering history, I am not becoming the best at anything. There is a part of me that somehow expected I would change the world so in 2010 I have to find my path. I have to find that bigger goal then just existence and prosperity to propel my world. I feel deeply that there is something for me to do and I need to find it soon. So that is my main goal for this coming year. This thing I will do out of love, passion and the greater good of all.

So back to the blog challenge and somewhat related is the best place I went to in 2009. During spring break I went to Philadelphia to visit some amazing friends and after stuffing our bellies with Philly Cheese Steaks (mine was veggie of course) we saw this little bakery/cafe with a lady sitting outside enjoying a cappuccino. Natalia started talking to her and she suggested we go in for the experience. Needless to say, this was amazing....the french barista made each cup of coffee with such joy, creativity and passion that we could not stop smiling for the rest of the day. Not only did we have the best hot chocolate and coffee EVER but we learned so much from this man doing his craft. It was amazing.

Voila!

best of 2009 blog challenge: restaurant moment + article

my best restaurant moment of 2009...It was hard to think of a specific one. This year I have really learned the joy of home cooked meals and inviting people to our home. But there are 2 that feel special.Here I am at the restaurant, posing as Simone is asking me to...

The first one was in Rome, after only having breakfast and having lots of pizza Simone and I decided to have a nice meal on a beautiful Roman street and have some gelatto for dessert. I had amazing gnocchi with blue cheese sauce, Simone had pasta bolognese. Our bellies were full and our hearts content.

Simone is happy after our appetizer

My second yummy memory is of all the days we went to the beach and had mozzarella, tomato and arugula frisa for lunch. What was amazing was the freshness of all the ingredients and the arugula was fresh picked from the grassy areas around the beach.

This is Simone walking to lunch at one of those paradisaical beaches

Then for a larger "taste" of reality, the best article of 2009 is the Open Letter Michael Moore wrote to Obama, asking him not to send more troops to Afghanistan. He puts into words what so many of us have in our hearts.

best blog challenge: my best trip in 2009

Gwen Bell started the The Best of 2009 Challenge, writing about the best trip you took in 2009 was the first prompt.

So my best trip of course was visiting Spain and Italy with Simone. There is a lot of story behind this, I always thought that after college I would travel the world. Before that all my attempts to get to Europe had been canceled repeatedly, a couple times with tickets in hand. Somehow after college I found myself being in love, I found getting used to being back in the US challenging and two and half years later I was married and expecting a baby. 3 years later getting a divorce....too much going on to go anywhere.

This summer, after the trip we had initially planned went bust, I jumped at the chance of Europe and planned the whole thing in about 10 days. It was amazing and beautiful and fun. It was also a celebration trip for Simone and I, of all we had gone through and the wonderful relationship we share. It was perfect and cannot wait to get back, I am actually hoping that at some point we get to live there.

what is calling me

Today I am simply copying something wisely written by the lovely Kelly Rae Roberts, because I couldn't have said it better myself and my soul is screaming it inside me.

dear universe,

thank you for the important questions and for the honest answers. thank you for the encouragement to stay true to what calls me, no matter how inconvenient it might be for my timeline, spreadsheets, or checkbook. thank you for the unending inspiration. for creative flow. for heartful exchanges, for truth seeking, and for the everyday opportunities to learn more about what is really truly calling me. i'm listening. i'm questioning. and i'm answering. thank you.