The Thankful Project: November 10th

The Thankful Project: November 10th: Memory

Memories are so sweet. They bring you back to a moment, a special time that you don't want to forget. I'm thankful for a memory that I know I'll remember the rest of my life: my birthday in Paris.

The morning of my birthday my mom and my cousin Kelly woke up early and went to La Cuisine Paris for a French breakfast pastry class. As a baker, this was my dream come true. Learning to make pain au chocolat and croissants by scratch by a French pastry chef was just amazing.

Then we spent the day wandering around Paris, eating, shopping and sitting in my favorite garden, Jardin des Tuileries with a bottle of rose. As evening fell, we packed up our bags and headed to the Eiffel Tower and I got my birthday wish: a picnic, a glass of champagne and a macaroon under the Eiffel Tower. It was a magical day to remember.

Day 14 of 30: Memory Lane

Day 14 of 30: Your earliest memory

I grew up in Minnesota and at that point in time, we lived in a cute little house in a suburb of Minneapolis. I was probably around 3 or 4 and it was just myself, mom and dad (the brothers hadn't graced us with their presence yet). My parents worked so hard back then to keep the family afloat, my dad working 2 if not 3 jobs. In the winter months my dad would work incredibly late (or at least what seemed late to a 4-year-old) and on those nights mom and I would be alone. Mom always cooked dinner for the family but on those nights, the two of us would do something special that we never got to do- we got to eat in the family room! She would pull up my little Crayola craft table into the family room and we always ate Ramen Noodles. She would put in one of my favorite movies of all times, Father of the Bride, and we would sit in the family room at my little craft table and eat Ramen until dad got home. Dad would get home and he would be covered in snow and frost and the best part was that his mustache still had ice formations on it, ha. 

Those nights when mom and I got to eat Ramen Noodles in the family room and watch Father of the Bride were always a highlight in my childhood. Dad would come home, almost frostbitten and ate Ramen too and it was just a fun, silly memory that I'll always cherish.