Restaurant Review World

Hi everyone! Happy New Year!

I know I haven’t written anything in a while, and shame on me. But, I was having too much fun living it up in Las Vegas with my family. I ate at a few wonderful restaurants, and a few that I would consider COMPLETELY overrated. All of them were in the Venetian Hotel, where I stayed for five days and four nights.

Some highlights from the trip:

• Post-Christmas sales were alive and well, and resulted in a few choice pieces to add to my wardrobe.
• A fabulous view of the strip, including the fireworks show at Treasure Island across the street.
• Time spent with my family and husband.
• A relaxing mani/pedi.
• Coming home with more money than I left with, special thanks to the digitalized Vanna White at the giant Wheel of Fortune slot machine. (And that money was quickly spent on shoes - oops!)

I have been waiting to post this because I really wanted to write a New Year’s resolution article, and I just can’t come up with one. It’s not that I think I am perfect, it’s just the pressure of it all to come up with a good one that I can stick with. So, I think that I will have a resolution that is actually more based on the past and present than the future - I want to be constantly thankful for all that I have in my life, and all that has made my life special.

I know that sounds sappy, and I would like to completely blame the wonderful book I am reading currently, which is all about being thankful for everything one has in his or her life. It’s called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Let me tell you, this book is right up my alley. I am sure many of you have heard of it - it’s all over the place right now. It’s the memoir of a woman’s journey to find happiness while traveling in Italy, India, and Indonesia for one year. It was a Hanukkah gift from my wonderful cousin, who I just adore. Reading it has made me realize how lucky I really am, and I highly suggest it to anyone who needs a good pick me up, or just enjoys a good story.

There are many things that I am thankful for, so to narrow this list down and make it more “New Year’s Appropriate”, I will only list things that have taken place in 2007:

1. Celebrating a year of married bliss with my husband. ‘Nuff said.
2. Spending more time with my family - a baby was been born, a large move to the Southland has been made, and just a stronger effort to be together, which has been wonderful.
3. Starting this blog! In doing so, I have made so many new cyber-friends, and learned a wealth of new information. A few bloggers who I feel I have gotten to know well are Jonah, Shantanu, Lia, Doug, and Darlene. Also, I have found a new and fulfilling creative outlet that allows me to share my passion for food, which has really been a wonderful addition to my life.
4. Eating and enjoying wonderful food - and this is a subcategory, really, of the above number three. I have always enjoyed eating out, but somehow knowing I would later write about it and share it with all of you has really made me stop and think about each bite I take.
5. Cooking new foods. Thanksgiving wasn’t my only successful cooking adventure of the year. My husband and I had our first (and second) dinner parties, I made my first chicken enchiladas completely from scratch (excluding tortillas), and I have made lots and lots of chicken stock.

I am sure there is much, much more, but I don’t want to drone on and on. Instead, I hope that you all respond with your own New Years resolutions, or things that you were thankful for in 2007. I would love to hear from you.

Cheers!