I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday . I knew I wanted a good meal and a low key celebration that also felt special. By the time my actual birthday rolled around I knew I would be going on a mini vacay to Philadelphia with some family members, so on my actual birthday I just needed a good birthday dinner. After a few Google searches I found what I was looking for: Calexico. I had never heard about this restaurant before but once I did and did some research, I knew this was a place I had to try. Mexican food has long been a favorite of mine, so much that I spent my 34th birthday at Javelina  in NYC.   I am always on the hunt for a good burrito which is how Dos Toros ended up on my annual to do list .   Calexico’s menu had all the ingredients for a happy birthday: margaritas, guacamole, and burritos. I was sold.  Though I had never heard of it, clearly it was a popular place. Named for a small town on the border of California and Mexi

Well, it’s officially a month since Christmas. Although you wouldn’t know it in my house since I only took down my decorations about ten days ago. However, I have seen some houses that still have reindeers and Santas on full display in their front yards so I don’t feel so bad. Never-the-less there are those who have already begun counting down to this year’s festivities.  Those who are fans of the Hallmark Channel are certainly among this group.  I, myself, already attended a Hallmark sponsored event known as “ ChristmasCon ” back in November.  That event was the first annual although there are said to be two this year. One in Los Angeles as well as a return trip to New Jersey. Dates and specifics are TBD. But we all know Hallmark has been counting down to Christmas FAR longer than that.  So I was curious: How did it all began? This past year, 2019, marked the tenth anniversary of Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. But that number is arbitrary.  It t

At the stroke of midnight I was sobbing. The kind of ugly, uncontrollable sobbing you would prefer to do in private, if at all.  But I was surrounded by a small group of family and friends, AKA my nearest and dearest. So while they have seen me at my worst, at that moment I would have preferred to process that level of emotion solo.  However, the tears were out of my control. I eventually managed to pull it together but the significance of that moment - the ending of one decade and the beginning of a brand new one - would never be lost on me.  At the beginning of last year , I proclaimed (out loud) that it was going to be my year. And it was. My year of pushing past old pain, new struggles, all while I began to process old pain and heal. I just had no idea that when I made that proclamation that is what I meant.  Ultimately it was a productive year. But I find that when we don’t see big changes or advancements in our lives immediately we feel unsuccessful. It tak