Just like that, another year has come and gone. While 2017 has been filled with plenty of ups and downs, I purposefully chose to end the year on a high note with a father-daughter trip to New York City for Christmas, which was such a great experience. It was another Christmas spent with zero cooking and cleaning (though I did do lots of decorating at home, which my husband promptly took down the moment I left, or so it seems…), and it was just what I needed to close out the year and begin 2018 with lots of energy and inspiration for new creations in the kitchen.

When I was little, my family spent just about every winter at our family cabin in Lake Tahoe in the keys. While I didn’t ski, I woke up every morning to picture-perfect views of the snow covered sierra’s and thinking that was Christmas was all about. Truth be told, I probably haven’t had a white Christmas in over 25 years, and as I was packing for our trip, I was secretly hoping we’d get a little snowfall while we were in the Big Apple. While I didn’t get snow, on our first night there, we ventured out and saw the Radio City Rockettes, which was highly recommended by a client of mine who goes every year. It was never something on my bucket list of things to do in NYC, but I am glad I went. Those ladies are amazing! I had some truly amazing meals (and no, I wasn’t one of those people photographing my food at each restaurant we went to), saw a play (The Play That Goes Wrong, which was hilarious), took in a New York Islander’s hockey game in Brooklyn, cried at the 9/11 Memorial, and walked about five miles a day throughout the streets of Manhattan. It was just the trip I needed to close out the year.

I also participated in a Secret Santa Blogger Exchange hosted by the lovely Megan from Love, Megan Anne. Every participant was paired with another blogger and given the difficult task of putting together the perfect gift for under $30. Megan had everyone fill out a very simple and quick questionnaire, asking things such as our favorite candy, color and whether or not we liked lotions or sprays. I was assigned to Mary, from Pretty on a Dime and I had such a great time putting her package together I will definitely participate again next year. 

I was out of town when my gift arrived (and also the due date for this post!), but I was so excited to see the box waiting for me when I returned from my trip. While my Secret Santa left no clues as to their identity, I loved what was in my box.