First Taste of Winter - Week 10

Jack Frost came for a visit this morning much to our delight!  When I stepped outside of the house this morning I figured it was just a little rain, but when I saw that tiny white flake come to a gentle rest on my black jacket, I immediately turned around, opened the door to our house and announced to the family that we had SNOW!!   Now, I was probably the only one in the office with an extra bounce in his step this morning, which made everyone basically say to themselves "he is the new guy from California, let's talk in February."  It is true that this really doesn't count at snow to a long time New Yorker, but to a kid from Cali, snow is snow and it is quite a wonderful sight to behold.

Revisiting Halloween
This was supposedly the first time in 3 years the weather cooperated and they celebrated Halloween on October 31.  Rachel was very excited to wear her costume which was a waitress from a 50's diner - Juniors.  I decided to compliment her outfit and went as a chef in her diner.  Ian went to the old standby, a football player.  Beth was a cat - another tried and true costume.  She took the kids trick or treating at a house that for the folks back home was similar to Ashley Oaks except they had platters of cheese and crackers as well as wine for the parents - a nice little touch!  When I got home from work, the kids got dressed up again and we took a lap around our neighborhood for a little more candy.

Fall Foliage - Got it just in time
By all accounts we moved back here during one of the best times a year and we were treated to quite a glorious welcome.  Most say this is one of the best Fall seasons they have had in some time.  You have to remember 2 years ago it snowed unexpectedly in late October before the trees had lost their leaves, which led to many falling trees on all sorts of things like cars and homes.  Then last October they had Hurricane Sandy.  Two weekends ago I had the sense this was too good to be true and on the afternoon of my birthday, we headed out to snap a few photos of the yellows, reds, oranges and browns.  It is a good thing we did as last weekend it was noticeably barren and day by day we are getting a better view of the lake nearby.








Chelsea Piers
We ventured out to Chelsea Piers last Sunday and after a game of bowling with the kids, we divided and conquered since there is so much to do there.  Ian and I went to the golf driving range and despite it being a little chilly, had a great time.  Rachel and Beth laced up their skates and went ice skating.  We finally all met back up at the batting cages.  Beth still has the softball bug from her Lair experience this past summer and Ian had a blast hitting left handed.

Anniversary Yogurt
Every family has these little traditions that have either lasted for generations or crop up out of nowhere.  Last year I had to catch a late flight to Phoenix for a client pitch so we had time for dinner, but not that much time.  When we got in the car nobody could make a decision and after debating it for 10 minutes I decided to do something out of the norm.  I pulled into Yogurtland and told the kids that today was their lucky day.  We are having yogurt for dinner and they could fill it to the top with as many toppings as they wanted.  No limits.  At first they thought there had to be a catch, but we were both like, "go for it - step up to the trough!"

Even though it was 40 degrees this year outside, the kids remembered what we did last year and wanted to do it again so we found a fro-you place in Park Ridge.  One year is a whim, but two years in a row is a tradition.  So we celebrated our anniversary with our kids, eating fro-yo and watching Flubber.  Not the most romantic evening, but fun was had by all!

Google - Dish of the week
I have been into brussel sprouts as much as the next person the past year or two, but it seems like I run into these little jewels almost every day at lunch and sometimes breakfast.  My favorite last week was a frittata that had goat cheese, brussel sprouts, and tomatoes.  What a great way to start a Friday.

Beyond the food, I am really starting to settle into the job and enjoying the challenge of meeting all the people at my new clients and agencies as well as educating them about digital marketing.  There are so many interesting and unique challenges at each one of my clients and for those that know me, I am creating a custom plan for each and everyone of them.

Movember - Donations Welcome Needed. Desperate for even a $5 donation!!

Well Movember is in full swing out here in the NYC Google office with over 50 guys growing mustaches to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer.  I am a full participant but had no name for what I wanted to grow until I saw it watching the Brooklyn Nets game.  I call it the Joe Johnson and even though he is on the downside of his career, I loved the look.

While the hair is growing, my personal fundraising is still bald as a baby.  So if you feel like supporting a great cause that had raised $500M in the last 7 years for cancer research, you can make a donation on my personal page by clicking here.