Sharing Thanks

Daffodils starting to Bloom at Bayard Cutting Arboretum  I am filled with gratitude after the past three days of glorious Spring weather. Temperatures in the 60s, clear blue skies, and soft breezes. I am thankful to see sunny daffodils gracing my neighbors gardens. Magnolias in bloom. I am trying to go back to the roots of this blog and just share four moments I was thankful for yesterday. I am always thankful to wake up and try to start my day by thanking all the people who are going to help me today. It's a lovely first thought in the morning. I find when I remember to start my day in this way I notice all the little kindnesses that are generously given to me. Someone holding a door for me, or letting me go ahead in line at the supermarket because I just have three items to pay for. These niceties really brighten my day. I was thankful to see Rocktopia on Broadway with a good friend. I am a classical violinist and music teacher and was so happy to see so many p...

Thanks to the stranger who took this picture of me and my good friend I love Spring in Manhattan. Although I live in the suburbs one of my favorite things to do is to spend a Saturday in New York. I love exploring the city. I am lucky to know kindred friends to share in my NYC adventures. One of the best free things to do in the city is to walk on the High Line. We took the train into the city and got on the High Line on 32nd street and 11th ave. The high line offers great views of the Hudson River. At one point you can actually catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty! I love all the public seating, installation art and beautiful architecture you see on this trail. I love that you are above the traffic and the new perspective from being elevated. It was wonderful to celebrate this top ten Spring Day with a good friend. I love this picture a stranger took of us with all the wonderful spring pinks and greens. At the end of the Highline you can see the new Whitney Museum building and all the ...

Thanksgiving Duckies Welcome to Day 8 of the #TurkeyThanks gratitude challenge. Today I want you to focus on the friends in your life that your thankful for. I am blessed with a few very close friends. I got to see 2 of them today! Thanks to my friend Stella, we got to go for a walk at Hecksher Park in Huntington. We enjoyed the fresh air fall colors and watching the swans in the pond. Then I got to walk to Hempstead Lake State Park with my friend Margaret. After our long walk we enjoyed some wine, cheese and these delicious new cranberry and sage Triscuits. I spotted these cute Thanksgiving Ducks at her house. They made me smile. I love spending time with my friends, talking, sharing stories. Thanks to my friends I hit 14,000 steps on my Google Fit. That's a personal record for me. Share your thanks for some of the friends in your life. Life is more meaningful when we have people to share our joys and sorrows with. I'm thankful today we got to share a joyful day out...

Remember a shot of water can be just as much fun! I love being around people who know how to orchestrate fun! I am a UMASS alumni, and one of our college friends hosts a reunion party every summer. It is so much fun to reconnect with old college friends and more important make some new memories together with all of our growing families. Thanks to our hosts Keith and Dora who hosted the party. It's a pool BBQ, and mostly everyone sleeps over. Guests from as far as Arizona, NY, Washington DC gather in Massachusetts to celebrate. Thanks to Keith and Dora for making a Shotski. Looking for something to do with your old skis? Keith organized pool game Olympics. And the games began with the a ceremonial SHOTSKI. There is something goofy about holding a ski and drinking with your friends. It just made me laugh Thanks to my team mate Annie in the swim relay. She held her own with the recent college grads. It was so much fun to be silly and be in an innertube kicking race. Although ...

The best Tiramisu Milkshake with a dash of color and even a magic wand! It was nice to have a magical Monday! We had a wonderful night out with some good family friends. Here was what I was thankful for yesterday. Thankful to have a great night out with our friends the Gera's! They suggested going to "Diner by the Sea" in Long Beach, NY. We were lucky to get a table as this diner is a popular hang out. I splurged and go this Tiramisu Milkshake that came with sparkling sprinkles and even a magic wand.  You know I just had to get the french fries too. Thankful to have an upside down night. Since we decided to start with dessert first, we walked done to the beautiful Long Beach Boardwalk. I love listening to the pounding surf. Thankful to see my girls enjoy running on the beach, climbing a life guard chair and taking tons of fun pictures together. They also dipped their toes in the ocean. Thankful to hear some great sounds of summer from a live band that was pla...

Photo by Ellen Birch. Taken at the Museum of Modern Art Water Lilies room. Art evokes emotions with color and light! To establish a grateful attitude focus on the beauty that is available to you everyday. Notice the light, and color of a moment. Sit and breathe in the beauty of that moment. Carry the picture of the moment in your mind and use it to bring you to a relaxing state of mind. I had many wonderful moments this long weekend.  I was thankful to be able to spend Sunday with my good friends at MOMA! We were energized by art and learning about the artists. One of our favorite places to go is the Water Lilies room at MOMA. The colors are mesmerizing and reflective. We sat in the room and soaked in the beauty and light of Monet's genius. It is one of the most relaxing places in New York City. I was thankful to have a good belly laugh with my friends. We went to a modernist art display and were chuckling over a piece of art work that resembled a stainless steel...

Swans swam by as we listened to live music at a dock bar on the Nautical Mile It's summer and that means time for small road trips with our good friends the Gera's! Taking a small road trip can make you feel like you have had a small vacation although you have only enjoyed a few hours in a novel place nearby. Long Island is also stronger than the storm Sandy! It is amazing to see the Nautical Mile in Freeport thriving. Some new restaurants include small beach bars with some sand, patio chairs and even palm trees. Love the dolphins statue and looking at the water. Here is what I was thankful for! Discovering new places with our friends. My daughter's friend Monesha has celiac disease so we were happy to discover Mr. Miceli's in Rockville Centre before we headed over to the Nautical Mile. The gluten free pasta was delicious! Thankful that Mo, Kavita, and Liz enjoyed playing a new mini-golf course right on the Nautical Mile! Who can resist a good game of miniature g...

  "Now You See Me" Trailer I love the summer because there are so many great movies to see. Is there any better way to beat the summer heat by sitting in a cool movie theater watching a film about magic! I love going to a matinee with my daughters who love film, and are pursuing careers in the film industry. Here is what I was thankful for. Thankful to go the matinee with Becky, Liz and Monesha to see "Now You See Me" We all got swept away with the magic and the great plot twists. Thankful to the girls pine over Dave Franco in the movie. The film has a wonderful cast. I love Mark Ruffalo myself. Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, and Michael Caine are all terrific. We loved the magic fight scene! Enjoyed meeting my friend Liz in Huntington for some shopping and lunch. We love getting together and sharing our triumphs and bumps in the road. We had a good laugh, enjoyed a glass of wine and a delicious Italian lunch. I have been try...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Me and my great friends saw Kinky Boots! I am truly blessed to have wonderful girl friends! I have known Margaret and Stella since I moved to Rockville Centre in the third grade. We love to celebrate our birthday's together. We wished Stella a happy birthday by seeing "Kinky Boots" on Broadway. It is a fun show with beautiful music and a wonderful message, "To accept people for who they are!" Here is what I am thankful for. It is hard to be thankful amidst the natural disasters we are seeing. What stands out in troubled times, is the humanity that comes through by the outpouring of help and kindness. My heart goes out to Moore, Oklahoma. I texted Redcross to 90999 to donate $10 to help. It's easy to do. I was thankful to be able to help in some small way. I am thankful for my childhood friends Margaret and Stella. These women have stood by me through thick and thin. I am fortunate to call them my friends. Old frien...

Love this Tuscan garden I saw at the Hick's Flower Show! I'm sharing this little piece of heaven. One of my goals is to visit Tuscany and tour Italy. Two of my favorite films feature scenery from this beautiful area "A Room with a View" and "Letter's to Juliet." I enjoy visiting quiet places with natural beauty. Sometimes when I am visiting some of the parks on Long Island I am struck by the vast number of people that are walking, running with their ipods on. I love music very much but I invite you to turn your ipod off and to tune in to the natural music all around you in a quiet place. I was walking at the Norman Levy Preserve and once you get into the trail, man made noises disappear and you can listen to birds chorus, the sound of a soft bay breeze, the music of nature. Here is what I was thankful for: I was thankful for listening to the sounds of nature. Hearing bird calls, my footsteps on the path, and enjoying the peace that silence can brin...

Word art by Daniel Patrick Helmstetter I want these beautiful plates and sayings for my kitchen! I was lucky to grow up in a house where creativity was encouraged and appreciated. My mom is an artist, photographer and teacher! I am also fortunate to have good friends who thrive on creativity and love to go to art shows and museums. My friend Liz was fortunate to get passes for us to go to the Fountain Art Fair at the armory on Saturday. The Fountain Art Fair was founded in 2006 and showcases the talents of smaller independent galleries, collectives and artists so they can reach a wider audience of collectors and critics. What I loved about visiting the show was the opportunity to talk to some of the artists themselves. It is fascinating for me to hear about the process that goes into their works. I met an artist who paints on fire treated papers.I met an artist, Joshua Knoblick who creates sculpture from pictures of sounds of famous quotes. It is uplifting to meet people who are pa...

Vanilla Hot Chocolate with a homemade marshmallow from The City Bakery  I had an Oscar worthy weekend! My husband and I celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary on Saturday. On Sunday I met my friend Ellen in Manhattan to go to a movie screening sponsored by the International Center of Photography, which is where I stumbled upon The City Bakery ! So many reasons to be thankful it is difficult to just pick 4! y The City Bakery on W. 18th St. just south of Fifth Ave. I got so excited seeing the chocolate room my hands were shaking when I took this picture! Goodies from the chocolate room at The City Bakery Enjoyed a romantic dinner with my husband at one of our favorite restaurants on Long Island, Rattlesnake Jones in Merrick. They had a live blues band and the southwestern themed food is always out of this world. It was fun reminiscing about 22 years. It was also good to have a date night out. Thankful for saying yes to an invitation from the International Center...

Spring tulips It's a dreary rainy day on Long Island that is washing away the snow. These beautiful spring tulips brightened my day. I am so blessed to have a wonderful group of college friends. Sometimes it takes someone visiting from out-of-town to bring our group together! Yesterday we met in NYC and enjoyed seeing the Matisse Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here is what am thankful for! Thanks to Lynn and Chris for visiting New York from Bermuda! It was wonderful to see you and Amanda. You give us a reason to get together in NYC and do something fun. It was inspiring to see the Matisse exhibit with the famous blue dress. Thanks to the wonderful spaces at the Metropolitan museum of art. I love the spacious American Wing Cafe where you can feast your eyes on Tiffany windows and then look at the winter wonderland of Central Park. There is a small sledding hill next to the museum. It was fun watching the kids enjoy sledding down the hill. We even saw a small dog ...