LOST

Last night ended my (almost) two year love affair... with LOST.

David and I got into LOST pretty late. We never watched it on TV because we just couldn't. I'm the type of person that will watch a season of a show I love in a very short period of time. Every Christmas for a while I would get the latest season of Alias on DVD and spend my whole Christmas vacation watching it, even staying up all night to watch because I couldn't wait for the next episode. 

Anyway, I digress.

About two years ago I had to be on bed rest for a few weeks and Dave convinced me that we needed to start watching LOST. I was so totally NOT into the idea. I can't think of really why I never wanted to get hooked on the show except for I probably thought the idea of a bunch of people being stuck on an island was stupid. I don't know why I thought that, I just know I was dead set on NOT watching it. David had seen the first season on TV and always wanted to continue watching it, but never did, so he borrowed the first season and said if I watched one episode and didn't like it, we didn't have to keep watching it, so I agreed.

After that first episode, I was HOOKED. I needed to immediately watch another.

So there started our love affair with LOST.

In the past two years, whenever we would have chunks of free time, David and I would spend hours catching up on LOST. We'd wait for the more current seasons to come out on DVD, purchase them and watch the whole season in less than a month, sometimes less than two weeks.

We had to wait to finish Mad Men to start LOST because we knew we couldn't get caught up in LOST because nothing else would matter and then there went Mad Men for a while. We finished Mad Men and started season 6 less than a week ago and finished it last night. 

It's weird to think about, but Dave and I have spent a good amount of our time together watching LOST and there are a lot of memories of discovering these characters, eating nuts next to Dave while I was on bed rest, sharing dinner, looking at each other with confused, perplexed or shocked faces when something crazy would happen and always asking each other, "You wanna watch another??" after every cliffhanger, which was pretty much every episode. 

This season brought back a lot of old characters and reminded us of a lot of things that happened that we totally forgot about. 

The thing this season reminded me the most of was my love for John Locke. Not post-death, new John Locke, but the real Locke. The one who stood up on the sand miraculously and walked on the beach, without his wheelchair, on that very first episode. The Locke that existed in the real world, in flashbacks before the island, and the Locke that lived in the real world in season 6, in the "flashsideways". Never before has a character compelled me to feel so much pity and sadness. He made me want to reach out and comfort him. The real Locke, my Locke was so broken and so vulnerable. I just wanted to take care of him.

My other favorite characters are as follows:

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes

Hurley was always, on the island and off, the most compassionate, generous, self-sacrificing and humble person. There was not one thing he ever said or did that I disliked or could not accept. His heart was HUGE. He always made me either smile or cry and laugh every time he made a Star Wars reference, which was kind of often. I mean, when you're stranded on an island with crazy people and insane circumstances, you'd reference Star Wars, too.

Jin-Soo and Sun Hwa Kwon

The lost love between this married couple developed and grew due to the circumstances of being stuck on an island. I hated Jin at first, but the closer he got to Sun, and the more their love flourished, the more mine for the both of them did as well. This last season, they made me cry like a baby.

Desmond Hume

All this poor man wanted to do was get back to his beloved Penny and there was not one thing he wouldn't do to make that happen. His courage, faithfulness and endurance made a person never want to give up. I loved his storyline and there was never an episode centered around him that I didn't absolutely love.

Ben Linus

Ben has to be one of my favorite villains of all time. I hated him so much for so long, and yet found myself rooting for him every once in a while, all while questioning why I was hoping the best for him. I wanted to see him redeem himself and even though he would show traces of humanity and compassion, he never quite made it completely, until I fell in love with him in season 6 during the "flashsideways" scenes. It proved to me once and for all that there was so much potential in him to be good, to do the right and honorable thing. It fascinated me so much as to how in one life he could be so inherently evil and in another life so inherently humbly heroic.

Sayid Jarrah 

What can I say about Sayid? He was a badass. He went from believing there was no good in him to discovering just how much of a hero he really was. I loved watching his journey and loved his heroic ending. I loved him no matter what he did.

James "Sawyer" Ford

I absolutely hated Sawyer from day one (David loved him). He was such a jackass and so selfish and conceited... buuut, the island made him a real man. Through the crazy circumstances of life on the island he, like Locke, did a complete 180. The island forced him to face his humanity. And the best part of it all: he never lost his sense of humor.
 

Daniel Faraday

This kid was crazy and crazy brilliant. I loved discovering all that went on in his mind and how much he just wanted to figure it all out and how he would confuse the hell out of everyone else, even though he didn't mean to and he was always right on the money.

Charlie Pace 
I loved this kid because of his innocent love and his sacrifice. He was misunderstood and broken, but that didn't stop him from redeeming himself and saving his friends. I kept on rooting for him, even after every stupid mistake.

Bernard and Rose Nadler

Cutest couple in my book. The loved each other so much and sacrificed everything else for each other. They knew that what was most important was their love and their commitment to each other, even if it meant they might die for it.
 

Vincent

How could you not love Vincent? He was such a good puppy, and such a survivor! Plus, I'm a sucker for animals in TV and in life. In both cases, I tend to like them more than real people.

I forgot to add Juliet!!

Juliet Burke

This woman was fearless! I loved how she always followed her gut and would risk her life for the sake of another. She had such a gentle nature, but could seriously do some damage if she wanted to. I loved how bold and brazen she could be at times and how she would give up so much in a second if it meant someone needed her. She, to me, was the real heroine of LOST.

For me, the main theme of LOST is that sacrifice is the ultimate expression of love.  I think that is what I have loved the most about this wonderfully beautiful, addicting and heart wrenching show.

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." - Joseph Campbell

"This is love: 

not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us 

and sent his Son 

as an atoning

  sacrifice  for our sins." 

- 1 John 4:10

Thankful On Paper: Week Four

This, the final week of TOP, I am thankful for my dear friend, Dominic.

Here's the deal with Dom: He's my husband's best friend. He was the best man at our wedding. He is not only David's best friend, but I count him as mine as well. 

Since I've met and gotten to know Dom, he has altered and grown and matured so much. He has especially grown up a lot in the last year.

In the few years that I have known Dominic, he has blossomed into this incredible human being that I admire and look up to. I can always count on being one of many amongst his prayers and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he loves David and myself with all of his heart. He has become such an amazing man of God and an incredible example of Christ's love. He has always been there for us whenever we have needed him and though we don't see him as much as we wish we could, we know that we are always on his mind and in his heart as he is in ours. One of my favorite things about Dominic, besides his humor and vast knowledge of film, is that every once in a while I will get a random text from him just to let me know that he is thinking of us, praying for us and that he loves us. He also was such a great support and listener to me recently and I am so grateful for his sympathetic ear and incredible advice.

Dominic is intelligent, funny, kind, generous, thoughtful, compassionate, loving, supportive, understanding and forgiving. I am so thankful that God placed him in David's life and that they have grown together to become the mature and incredible men that they are. I am so thankful that he is Dave's best friend and that they can always look to each other for support and as examples of how to live. 

Over the time that I have watched Dominic grow into the amazing man that he has become and is still becoming, I have very often wondered why he is still single. I would mention this to Dave every time I thought of it and Dave would always reply, "I really don't know. He's such a catch" and he is. And then one day I thought about it again and realized this: God is preparing a very amazing, special and perfect woman for Dominic and God is still preparing him for her. I am so excited for when the day comes that the Lord decides to reveal that woman to Dominic. Of all the people I know, he deserves that kind of love more than anyone.

I am so proud of Dominic and all that he has become and has accomplished and I am excited to see the amazing things God has in store for him. He really is the best best friend that I've ever met and truly the best man.

Just to prove how thoughtful, caring and incredible Dominic is (and because this was the best speech I've ever heard in my life), here is the speech he gave at our wedding:

"To be completely honest I was a bit surprised when Dave asked me to be his best man. Not because we aren't best friends, but because he had to know at some point I would be behind a microphone, and I got quite a bit of dirt on that boy. Typically, during the toast the best man does his best at embarrassing the groom in front of his friends and family... but I am above that. I'm not gonna remind everyone in here of that terrible haircut he had all throughout high school. I'm not even gonna bring up the short, short career he had as a line dancer at Lone Star. And I'm definitely not gonna bring up all those years in middle school when he really thought he was the rapper Nelly. No seriously, he did. But even with all these quirks, Dave is still my best friend. I always looked up to Dave for two reasons: Number one, he's a lot taller than I am so I didn't really have a choice, but secondly, and more important, Dave is really the best guy I know. He's genuine, he's the most compassionate guy I know, and God really blessed me when he put him in my life. But also, in case you've ever gone out to eat with Dave, you know he's really picky. He orders a cheeseburger with no cheese, I never understood that! Seriously he does! But with his pickiness, combined with his good luck, it really paid off with Andrea. When Dave and I were single for a while, a very long while, Dave and I would sit around and talk about the perfect girl. And it was funny how Dave described Andrea perfectly before any of us ever met her. She's intelligent, kind, she has a heart for God, she's beautiful inside and out. And I know this is your day, and I know I'm not alone in this, but this is the happiest day of my life, too. Because honestly I cannot think of two people who deserve this more than you. Usually at the end of a speech, the best man offers some sort of advice, and though I'm not married, I do know you guys pretty well and I've learned a couple of things: A marriage is not just about two people. You guys can't do it on your own. You're gonna need help. You guys were both blessed with amazing families. Also, I'd like to consider your friends your extended family 'cause we're here for you too. And lastly, continue to invite God into your relationship, when you're hurting and when you're praising. I love you guys both very much and I'm so happy for you. If you will raise your glass: To a very long, beautiful, with lots and lots of babies, marriage. To Dave and Andrea!"

a little Thanksgiving, a little Christmas and a lotta Texas

Wow, I can't believe how crazy/busy things have been lately! I feel pretty stretched and tired, but joyful at the same time. I mean, I absolutely love the holidays. Even though every year there are so many bittersweet and sad memories that surround the holidays due to lost loved ones who always made this time of year so special, I still look forward to this season all year round. It's so wonderful to be reminded of all that God has blessed us with and how precious our dear ones and lives are.

Things that have been going on lately:

~Listening to TONS of Christmas music. I have to admit that I have a few guilty pleasures in this department. My two favorite Christmas albums are my two biggest guilty pleasures...

Amy Grant, Home for Christmas 

Mariah Carey, Merry Christmas

Don't judge me. I grew up hearing these albums in my house so I'm addicted. There isn't a year that goes by when I don't blast those albums. A few more of my favorites are the Phil Spector Christmas album, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Elvis and Johnny Cash. How can you go wrong with those artists singing your favorite Christmas songs??

~Visiting Texas: As I mentioned in my previous post, I met David, my mom and Jeff in Fort Worth, Texas where we basically shopped (my mom and I spent way too much money at the Fort Worth Anthropologie which opened the day after I got there), ate BBQ, visited the oldest saloon in Texas called The White Elephant, bought some cowboy boots and pretty much took a crash course in how to live like a cowboy. Of course, Dave loved it... I thought it was fun, but I'd never choose to live there. 

Oh yeah and I fell in the street and twisted my ankle and couldn't run for 4 days, but I think I'm fine. I ran today and everything seems to be ship shape... I hope.

 This was a gorgeous place called the Water Gardens in Fort Worth

These are my two favorite shots but there are so many more at my flickr

 

~Getting ready for Thanksgiving: I went over to my mom's house today to help her cook and do some baking myself. By the time I got to her house (with Christmas music playing, of course) she had already baked pumpkin bread cupcakes and chocolate chip cookie sandwiches. By the end of the day she had also made a pumpkin chiffon pie, a minced meat pie (for Jeff, there is no way I'd eat that), some other kind of graham cracker pie, green bean casserole and creamed corn. All I made was my pear cranberry pie and my, now famous, jam crumb bars aka "Crumble". It took me all day to make the pie because the pie dough I made yesterday in the food processor turned out a little tough so I had to work with it tirelessly until I got it the right consistency. It might not have taken as long if I just remade the dough with a pastry blender like I usually do instead of in the food processor, but you live and you learn. Needless to say, thanks to my tough dough I didn't really help my mom cook at all. I just spent the whole day baking. And thanks to Kim (my sister) for peeling, coring and slicing the pears for my pie! That seriously saved me some time.

my pear cranberry pie!

I am really excited for this Thanksgiving. My whole family is spending the day with David's family at his grandparents' house. Now that there is a certain someone no longer in our family who would have seriously objected to this, and since my family is doing something extremely special this Christmas that requires us to be out of town, we decided to join our two families and make it one big Thanksgiving celebration. When you get married, the holidays can be tricky, so I'm really happy that we don't have to eat two (or three, eugh) dinners and spend it all at one place with our new family.

Well I really hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you are all surrounded by those you love and who love you the most!

Thankful On Paper: Week Three

It's officially week three of Thankful On Paper (wow, this month is flying by!).

This week I am thankful for Jeff.

Jeff is my mom's boyfriend of 11 (or is it 12?) years. You must be thinking, "Why aren't they married by now?" and my answer is this: I have no idea, haha.

The reason I chose Jeff to be Thankful On Paper is because I rarely express to him how thankful I am for him and he deserves to be honored for all the wonderful things he has done.

When my mom first starting dating Jeff, I was a freshman in high school and we did NOT get along very well. Looking back on it it's probably more that I didn't like him because he was dating my mom and he was just the poor guy who had to deal with it.

Getting to know Jeff is quite a journey. In fact, too many people give up on getting to know him or they form negative opinion of him because they just don't get him. He can be abrasive and rough at first and that just rubs some people the wrong way. But the things that I love most about Jeff are the things that most people find difficult to deal with.

He is brutally honest, he speaks his mind (even when you don't want to hear what's on his mind), he's extremely sarcastic, he has amazing instincts and he can see right through people. He is hilarious, sometimes without even trying to be, ridiculously quick and witty. He's very intelligent and he loves the Lord. 

He also truly loves my mom, myself and my family. He and I have very similar personalities and though we rarely clash because of it, we mostly just understand each other. We even have our own little weird way of joking around and communicating. Mostly people think we're fighting or making fun of each other, but it's totally just the way we get along. 

To Jeff, I'm "The Girl". I know without a shadow of a doubt that he would do anything for me. He pretty much always takes my side or defends me in any situation. I always know that if I need (or want) something, all I have to do is ask Jeff. He has always looked out for our best interests and, although he may not show his love in conventional ways, it's clear that we mean the world to him.

Taking Flight

So I am here at John Wayne airport waiting for a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. I am meeting up with my mom and David who are on a business trip. Jeff is there, too. I don't exactly know why I agreed to come along other than I love to travel, I hate being away from Dave for too long, and my mom bribed me with first class seats there an back.

The plane just arrived and we're suppossed to start boarding in 10 minutes, so I hope there are no delays. I'm sure it'll be fine.

I actually love to fly. I've been flying since I was just a lil babeh. Aviation is pretty much in my blood. My grandparents founded an aircraft company over 50 years ago and my mom has been the CEO since their deaths in 2003. Dave works for the company and he loves aviation as well. I especially love flying alone. I don't exactly know why, but it's just so much fun for me. I'm a pretty introverted person and I really enjoy solitude, so doing things on my own comes pretty naturally to me.

Flying alone is particularly fun when going first class. Well, at least I'm assuming so. I've flown first class twice before and it's pretty awesome so I'm really excited for this flight. I just hope I'm not seating next to jerks or weirdos, haha.

I think we're going to board soonso I'd better be off. I'll let you know how Texas is!

Thankful on Paper: Week Two

It's the second week of Being Thankful On Paper and I'm pretty excited for this week's installment.

This week I am thankful for my dear friend, Amara.

First of all, I have known Amara for quite a few years now, I really don't know how many and I couldn't pin point the first time we met, but what matters most is that we are still close and in the past couple of years we have grown so much closer.

Amara is the reason why I am married to David. She and Dave have been great friends since high school. If it weren't for her introducing us that fateful night or for her encouragement of our courtship, who knows where we'd be!

But that's not the only reason why I am thankful for her or why we grew so much closer since I met Dave. Amara is one of those rare people (like Alli in my previous TOP post) who are sincerely genuine, loyal, loving and compassionate. When she listens to you, she doesn't just wait for her turn to talk, she listens with intention and heartfelt concern and empathy. She is loving, generous, hilarious, fun and so down to earth.

Amara was not only one of my bridesmaids in my wedding, but she was there for me in so many ways during the stressful, crazy, joyous, fun and annoying time of wedding planning. She would call, text or email me on a regular basis to ask if I needed anything. If I needed support, help or just an ear to hear me complain, she was there. 

Side note: 

We even spent part of our honeymoon with her dear bf, Ben, in London. He showed us all around the city every day we were there and even took us to his hometown in the outskirts of London. He introduced us to Indian food, delicious cider beer and the wonder and amazement that is the UK, among many other things. We had such a great time and got to know Ben so much more and I am so thankful for that opportunity we had. Since Amara is such a dear friend to both Dave and I, it was so special for us to get to know and love Ben so much more.

~

Not only was that time we spent leading up to the wedding so important for our friendship and helped us grow even closer, but we continued to grow close after the wedding. She would come over to our place and hang out, most of the time help me cook dinner or bake some treats. There were so many awesome talks and laughs we had in my little kitchen and on the very couch I am sitting on right now. During some really difficult times that recently occurred (and to which I've alluded to in previous posts) within my family, she was one of the only few friends of mine who reached out to me and expressed their concern or even just simply listened. I am so thankful for my sweet Mar Mar!

Since Amara moved to London to go to school and also to be closer to Ben this Summer I have really missed those times and it has certainly not been the same without her. I so wish she could still be here, but I am so happy for her and this new chapter of her life. I admire her for following her heart wherever it has led her, even across the pond! I can't wait for the day I will see her and Ben again.

I am so thankful that God blessed me with such an amazing friend in Amara. She is loved and missed beyond measure!

So thank you, Amara, for being the wonderful, beautiful, sincere and amazing you that you are <3

 

Hold the phone. Are we really talking babies??

The past few days have been kind of crazy and totally mellow at the same time. I know, weird, right? 

On Friday... or was it Saturday? I can't remember. Both of my nieces went to their winter formal and asked me to do their makeup for the event. It was great to be there for my girlies and to make them feel pretty. <3<3

Makenna in the purple & Savanna in the white

On Sunday Dave and I went to my mom's house and I cooked dinner as a belated birthday gift to Jeff (my mom's bf). I made apricot & almond stuffed pork chops with cornbread stuffing and baked an apple galette. I'll have to add the photos of the dinner later. It all turned out pretty delicious (and on time thanks to my mom's help), but I had a stomach ache for two days because I don't really eat meat that often and a whole pork chop just did not sit well with me. It reminded me of it's presence all throughout that night.

Last night Dave and I went out on a date for Sushi at Ra and saw Due Date. I am a huge Zach Galifianakis fan. Ever since my friend, Nicole, showed me one of his stand up routines on YouTube a few years ago, I totally fell in love. Needless to say, I pretty much laughed for two hours.

I also stopped by at Anthro to see some of my friends who still work there. I hadn't seen them in so long and it was so wonderful to catch up and just see all of their smiling, lovely faces. I miss all of my friends at Anthro like CRAZY. It was such a treat to see a few of those ladies. I'm definitely going to visit them more often.

~

On a complete and total unrelated note, I have been thinking a lot about... duh duh DUUUUUN... babies. Yes, Kim and mom, you read that right, babies. The reason it's odd for me to be admitting this is because there was definitely a time in my life when I swore I would not have any children. I also thought I'd never get married (as did my mom) and look how that turned out.

Here's the thing: I'm going to be 27 in January, I haven't been married even a year and though I really want Dave and I to have our time as a family of two for a while before we expand that number (like 2 or 3 more years) I can't help the natural direction, or should I say unnatural... for me, that my heart is just leading me. I never thought about what age I should be when I start having children, because I suppose I didn't feel it mattered.

That is until Dave and I started talking about it. From the beginning Dave made it clear that he didn't want to start having kids too late. He wanted to be a young dad. Before we got married he made his case on why having kids younger is a better idea. I certainly did NOT latch onto his way of thinking quickly. In fact, now that we're married and living in a less than desirable neighborhood, he is dead set on not having kids until we buy a house. And who knows how long that will take.

Now that Dave wants to wait, I'm starting to think he may have been right before. If we wait 3 years to get pregnant, I will be 30 by then. We are hoping to have 2 or 3 kids. That gives me a small window of time to pump out some rugrats (juuuuust kidding). Geez, I feel like Mona Lisa Vito stomping my boots and declaring, "My clock is tickin'-like-this!"

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hoping to get pregnant anytime soon, but come on you gotta think about these things. We even know what gender we're hoping for for each child and in what order as well as what their names will be. I'm not going to reveal the genders we're hoping for or their names, because honestly, I am really not a fan of being copied in any way, especially when it comes to something so sensitive as what you name your child. Buuuuuuuuuut, I will reveal their initials.

Baby # 1 

 JRH

Baby # 2 

WDH

Baby # 3 

ACH 

or

ABH

The first baby's name was decided before Dave and I even got engaged. The second baby's name was decided just a couple of weeks ago and the third baby's first name was decided by me a long time ago and it has thankfully grown on Dave, the middle name is something we've been talking about lately so, like all of these names, it might change. I'm pretty dead set on baby name # 1, though.

We obviously realize that you just cannot control the gender your child will be, but we can still hope and pray, right?

Thankful on Paper: Week One

This is the first week of being thankful on paper and I am so excited to show my thankfulness to the four people I chose to honor this month. I can't wait for them to get their notes in the mail!

The first card I sent was to my dear friend, (and colorist) Alli Byrne.

Ever since I met Alli when we had our first of many wedding hair consultations I knew we would be friends. Not only did we work together on creating the perfect hair for my big day, but most importantly, we worked together on becoming friends.

She is like a ray of sunshine, she just lights up your day. It is always such a great day when I get to be in Alli's chair and over the past few months she has been such an inspiration and such a support to me during some very difficult times.

I have learned that it is very hard to find people who are genuine, loyal, honest, loving, caring and giving. During a time when it felt like a few of my "friends" were dropping like flies, especially during a heartbreaking season, Alli was there to listen to me and encourage me. She is one of those rare friends who loves unconditionally and gently encourages you to be a better person, all while making you laugh, sometimes through your tears.

In the past two years I have prayed that God would bring friends into my life that exemplify the kind of spiritual friendships He wants for me. I know that it is no coincidence that Alli was sent to me. The Lord brought her to me in such a unique way and I am so thankful for that. He knew that I would be going through some rough times and that some of my closest "friends" would not be there for me the way I needed, or at all, and He placed Alli in my path at the perfect time to not only fill that void and give me what I needed at the time (in so many ways), but to become a very special and true friend.

I don't always see Alli all that often and we don't hang out constantly, but I have learned that sometimes those friends are the ones who become your best and lifelong friends. Those kinds of friendships are sometimes a slow process that produce trust, maturity and longevity. I hope that we continue to grow our friendship and that I can always be there for her the way that she has been there for me.

I am so thankful for her kindness, love, encouragment, sympathy, loyalty, understanding and generosity. She truly is a wonderful woman and I am so blessed to have her as a great friend and sister in Christ.

 

Sarabeth

About two or three years ago my mom and I had the pleasure of discovering the most incredible "spreadable fruit"* you will ever taste. 

We were taking a tour of Chelsea Market in New York City when our guide introduced us to the Sarabeth Bakery. We sampled her jams and quickly fell in love. Of all the different foods we sampled that day, Sarabeth's delicious little jams stood out the most.

The very next day we took Dave and Jeff (my mom's bf) back to Chelsea Market to sample, and purchase many jars of, Sarabeth's little treasures. My favorite flavors are Strawberry-Raspberry and Apricot-Peach.

Last week Jeff and my mom took a trip to Williams-Sonoma** and discovered that Sarabeth had recently published a cookbook*** and is currently on a book tour. Jeff knew I had to have this cookbook, and he knew I would love to meet Sarabeth myself.

And that's just what Jeff and I did today.

I brought my cookbook to Williams-Sonoma at the South Coast Plaza and watched as Sarabeth demonstrated how to make her currant scones. We sampled the results with a side of her Orange Marmalade. YUM!

I then waited in line after she answered a few questions (this woman is a well of useful information... I took notes) for the lovely and kind Sarabeth to sign my new cookbook. 

As soon as I approached the table she said to me, "I can tell that you are a baker." When I confirmed to her that I was she asked if I was a professional baker or if it was just a hobby. I admitted that it was a hobby, but I wouldn't mind in the least if it became a career. She then said to me, "I could tell because of your reactions during my demonstration." She signed the inside of my book and then proceeded to sign the very front of the book. Not the cover, the actual book, which had a cute little embossing of a whisk. She told me that I am only the 8th person she has signed the embossed whisk for because she only signs them for people who have a true love for baking! How special is that? She signed inside the whisk and then asked if I would like her to sign my rolling pin after we took a photo together! She was so kind and so sweet. Jeff and I told her that we would be visiting Chelsea Market very soon and she said we must come and visit her because she is there every day.

I am SO happy that Jeff and I were able to go today and meet this lovely woman. I am very excited to try out her recipes, especially her recipes for her delicious spreadable fruits.

* I believe Sarabeth calls her jams and marmalades "spreadable fruit" because all it really is is fruit and sugar. There is absolutely no artificial colors or flavors.

** You can purchase Sarabeth's spreadable fruit at Williams-Sonoma, as well as online, of course.

*** The recipe for the jams are in her new cookbook. Yay!!