Birthday bliss - Part 2

Content with waking up as a 30 year old, I hauled myself into work on Monday morning.  The day started out like any other, with more work to do than there are hours in the day.  When I finally finished my morning catch up with my boss and made it into my office, I found a sweet birthday surprise from the same boss in my chair.  At 830 AM, another team member came in with the most stunning lillies (which she knows are my favorite) as a happy birthday surprise.

These lovely flowers lasted more than a week!

At 845AM, yet another team member came in to get my muffin order for the birthday muffins she had brought. I couldn't say no to a blueberry!

The note in the corner is my favorite part, it reads, 

"...free treats for everyone, just need to tell Ntina happy b-day!"

By this point, I was already completely in awe of the tremendous generosity and kindness of my co-workers, they are amazing!

At 900 AM, I left my office for a meeting.  At 930 AM I came back to my office to find this...

And this...

And this...

And this...

And finally, the piece de resistance...

A, in a fit of exceptional sneakiness, had smuggled these fabulous geriatric supplies in right under my nose (we carpool).  Shows how wide awake I am on Monday mornings.  

The whole thing was hilarious! People stopped by my office all day to see the fabulous mess, try to weave their way through the streamers like spies navigating laser beams, or just to point and laugh.  I think it was as much fun for me as for the half a dozen or so "decorators" responsible!

And again, I was touched at how thoughtful (in the best warped way) and incredible our team is and how unbelievably lucky I am to get to spend every day with these people.

But the surprises kept coming.  At about 1230, A came into my incredibly decorated office to inform me that my "lunch had arrived."  Walking into the conference room, I discovered a dozen carryout containers from none other than Central, Michel Richard of Citronelle fame's downtown American brasserie.  We've been talking for many weeks about getting a group together to carry out the famous fried chicken from this local hotspot.  But a couple of awesome ringleaders decided a birthday celebration was a perfect excuse and got about 2/3 of the office to go in on it with them.  Our interns even played a part, making the food pick-up for all!

Take out containers, being readied for total annihilation

The BEST fried chicken. Ever. In the world. Hands down. 

Rumor has it, each piece is dipped in a mousse of some kind before being breaded and fried. Another coworker had brought in homemade chile con queso and chips to share with the office in celebration.  We added this delicious side to our chicken lunch and the eating commenced. 

For those of you playing the home game, it's now 100PM in the office and I've had a muffin, fried chicken  and mashed potatoes, chile con queso and half a bag of Garrett's popcorn another co-worker snagged for me in Chicago because he knows I love it!  I was so full I announced during lunch that if anyone needed me I'd be sleeping under my desk for the duration of the afternoon.  Then Melissa brought out this gorgeous cake.  

Sadly for me, I was so stuffed that I only had a few bites of the cake. But like everything else that day, it was excellent.

But by this point in the day, I was at a total loss on how to best express my gratitude to nearly every single person with whom I work.  I made a point to say thank you to everyone, but I can't help but think a simple thank you is just not enough to capture my overwhelming gratitude.  Every day, I am humbled by the brilliance, wittiness, hilarity, and absolute unbelievable heart these people bring to the work they do.  I am absolutely thrilled to share my world with them, every weekday 8-5. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!

Birthday bliss - Part 1

I turned 30 today and I got to spend my day celebrating with wonderful friends.  Since it was a Sunday, we decided brunch would be the best way to combine two things I love - friends and food!

B and I met up with N, M, A and J at 1230 at Bazin's on Church in downtown Vienna to enjoy some tasty bites and to ring in my "left-my-20s" status.  We started our meals with a round of mimosas (and a bloody Mary for J) while we settled in to decide on food. We quickly realized that we couldn't be without Navajo Fry bread as an appetizer while we continued deciding on our mains.  The fry bread arrived just as we were placing our meal orders, hot and crispy and smelling of county fair and elephant ear, drenched in cinnamon and sugar. Amazing!

Our mains arrived and we quickly found that everyone had made good choices as everything was delicious!

B and N both ordered the daily quiche, filled with asparagus and 

spinach and served with a delicious side salad.

J enjoyed prime rib sliders with blue cheese!

M chose the salmon salad with tomatoes and garbanzo beans!!

And A and I enjoyed Huevos Rancheros with homemade corn tortillas.

Before I was even half way through my huevos rancheros, I was stuffed.  So when the waitress brought out ice cream cake the N had hauled, in the scorching heat, all the way from Arlington I thought I might explode.  But the cake was so delicious that I had to set aside being full and just enjoy.  Mmmm...I'm salivating just thinking about it. 

We took our time over our meals, enjoying each other's company and laughing.  There is always a lot of laughing. This was EXACTLY the way I wanted to spend the day.  I am so grateful for every face that shared that table!  Thank you all for helping me celebrate and for being the amazing, generous, soul soothing people that you are. 

Cava Sangria

This weekend B and I spent Saturday night hanging out with great friends celebrating my "work wife", A's, birthday.  We were treated to some great BBQ by her live-in Texan, J, and B and I came armed with Cava Sangria.  Word to the wise, this exceptionally refreshing summer drink goes down very easily - maybe a little too easily - pour carefully.

This recipe is based on a popular Southern Living recipe, but I've tweaked it based on what I like and can easily get my hands on.  And if you're looking for a cheap source for Cava, look no further than Trader Joe's.

Ingredients 

8 large mint leaves
1/2 cup raspberries, washed
1/2 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 white nectarine, washed, cored and cut into bit size pieces 
1 bottle Cava sparkling wine, chilled 
3/4 cup white grape juice, chilled 
1/4 cup Cointreau orange liqueur 

Press mint leaves against sides of a large pitcher with back of a wooden spoon to release flavors. Add the raspberries, strawberries and nectarine.  Stir in sparkling wine, grape juice and Cointreau. Serve immediately over ice.

 

A shot from our evening of celebrating A. M and I had a great time playing with cocktail umbrellas.  I love that at nearly 30 we can still goof off like children!  At least A and G consented to be in the photo with our ridiculous umbrellas!

Happy 60th, Mom!

While my prior week in Michigan had been fun, I hadn't originally planned for it to be so long since B and I had already booked tickets to come back the weekend of June 17th to help my dad pull off a surprise party for my mom's 60th birthday.

The plan was simple.  My dad was to take my mom to Stratford, Ontario for the Shakespeare Festival, one of her favorite things to get her away from the house and B, my brother T and I were to swoop in and make a party happen.  And that's exactly how it went - with a LOT of help from family and friends.

Our arriving flight was delayed on Friday so that we didn't hit the ground in the Detroit until nearly 8PM.  Too late to go to Costco or do any of the other shopping necessary until the next day.  Therefore, we spent Friday night getting everything set up around the house and making sure anything that could be cleaned or prepped was done. 

Saturday dawned early as B and I hit what felt like every grocery store, florist and variety store imaginable.  And then we cooked. Our day was spent marinating 25 lbs of lamb, prepping salads and cooking appetizers for 50 people.  B and T took care of all the pick-ups (cupcakes, etc.) and our family friends K and P joined us to break down vegetables and grill off peppers and lamb souvlakia by the dozen.  With 30 minutes to go before everyone was due to arrive I was worried we were a little behind.  Enter the aunts.  My two aunts from Windsor showed up early, anticipating that we might need help.  Add to them two cousins and a family friend and by 6PM everything I was worried about had been completed in a firestorm of aunt directed activity.   I can throw a party with the best of them and while I'm certain we'd have been fine without their help, I am so glad they were there. These women are in their 70s but they make it look effortless.

Every last bit of work was worth it to see the look on my Mom's face when she walked through the door to see 50 of her closest friends and family standing in her kitchen while my brother and his two super helpful friends (one had been there helping most of the day) set of confetti cannons.  She actually had to hold on to the door to steady her shock as my dad leaned in to say, "Gotcha!"

It was a great party. Everyone chatted and enjoyed each others company, the pounds and pounds of food, cupcakes, and homemade Greek sweets courtesy of my aunts. Although I was too busy running around to get pictures, I did get just one of my Aunt V and B cleaning up the aftermath of the confetti cannons.  The paper quantity was so great they decide a snow shovel would be more effective than a dust pan - hilarious!

Happy 60th Birthday, Mom!!

B turns 30!

It's official, he's crossed over into another decade.  Several friends tell me that in the three months in which I will still be in my twenties, I need to make the most of it, reminding him frequently of his cradle-robbing ways.  Perhaps I will even start referring to him as my "sugar daddy."  Maybe not.  More on this birthday business in my Boston post.

A Legacy of Literacy Begins Now

In honor of her 30th birthday, my nearest and dearest friend Nicole is making it her mission to raise $13,000 dollars to build a school in Cambodia.  Literacy has always been a cause close to her heart and, when combined with education, is a great way to help prevent young girls and women from being victimized by human traffickers.  This is a cause I believe is completely worthy of being plugged on the blog.  Below you'll find her fund raising letter, which provides some additional detail on exactly what she's undertaken.  If you know anyone who might be interested in making a donation to this great cause, please forward the information along.  And of course, feel free to leave any fund raising ideas in comments and I'll be sure to pass them along!!

Happy 30th Cole!

Fund raising letter from Nicole - 

Hello friends and family,

As most of you know, I turn 30 this May, and I’ve been thinking about doing something meaningful to mark the occasion. Everyone who knows me knows that the cause dearest to me is literacy because of my lifelong love affair with books (and newspapers and journals and magazines). So… I have decided that I would like to build a school!

I just finished Nick Kristof’s book Half the Sky, which is full of fantastic ideas to help women around the world, and one project in particular really caught my attention: a non-profit that builds schools in Cambodia, where the low literacy and high poverty rates make it a hub for the trafficking of girls and women. Think of an 8 or 9 year old girl close to you, whether it is your daughter, niece, or a friend’s daughter. Now imagine that girl being sold, at that age, to a brothel. Education is the best weapon we have against such a disgusting trade because it gives wome n options, knowledge, confidence and community.

I’ve checked out this program pretty thoroughly and am satisfied that it is a good one… and the 13k that donors raise to build a school is matched with 13k from the World Bank and then by another 13k from the Asian Development fund – a great value! Here’s the website: http://www.cambodiaschools.com/

I hope that you will participate in helping me reach this goal. I realize that 13k sounds like a lot, esp. in this economy, but I’m not looking for big amounts from anyone, I’m looking for small amounts from lots of people! So the more this is shared, the easier it will be to reach the goal. If you have any connections to businesses or firms with philanthropy programs, or faith communities that you feel comfortable reaching out to, that would be most welcome!

I’ve set up a new email address called letsbuildaschool@gmail.com with a linked PayPal account to help me keep track of fund raising. I’d like to be able to thank the people who contribute, so please email me and let me know who you are (if you aren’t comfortable announcing your identity or donation amount I totally understand, but I won’t be able to tell people’s identities from their PayPal info. to be able to thank them).

I will also send out an update on our total once a month to interested parties.

Thank you so much for helping. I want more women to have as much love & luck as I have.