Walking on sunshine

As you might imagine from the name of this blog, I am pretty happy and content with my life.  It’s not about money.  Sherry and I are by no means wealthy in terms of dollars.  No, it’s mostly about celebrating what you have and those spontaneous moments that bring you joy.  This doesn’t have to be a complicated exercise.  In fact, the simpler the better in most cases.  Allow me to explain.

Yesterday afternoon at work I remembered we were out of coffee.  Now being a true coffee snob (this topic may be a post very soon) my coffee only comes from one place – Flying Goat.  If you’ve read my cycling blog, you know how much I like this place.  However, they close at 6:00 pm and that’s when I get off.  So, since it’s pretty close to work, I decide to pop over to The Goat.

I have a few things I am trying to wrap up, so I keep working until the moment feels right.  A couple of finished projects later, I look at the calendar to make sure there are no meetings and I am off.  As I start the 15-minute round trip, I am not thrilled with the song on the radio so I switch stations and that’s when it happened.  The new station was just starting the song Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.

For reasons I can’t fully explain, this song just makes me smile.  It makes me happy to be alive.  Before I reach the first red light I am bouncing along in the car.  And this is not the first time.  This song lifts my spirits to a higher place every time I hear it.  I guess it’s just my feel good song or maybe it’s the song’s lyrics, which are all about feeling good about life.

I do remember one time in particular this song pulled me out of a funk.  I used to travel in my previous job, a lot.  One time I was delivering a training session in Washington, DC that ended on a Friday and I had to be in Baltimore on Monday to start a new session.  Since I live in California, flying home for 36 hours didn’t make sense so I spent the weekend on the East Coast.

I actually spent the time hiking in Shenandoah National Park.  It was beautiful and I was enjoying the great outdoors but I was also missing Sherry and feeling that certain loneliness that any business traveler can  describe.  By Sunday afternoon I was in a pretty sad state.  As I was driving out of the Appalachian Mountains to Baltimore, Walking on Sunshine came on the radio.  By the time the song was over I was back to my old self and feeling great.

If you don’t know the song, it was released in 1985.  This was just before I met Sherry.  It was also a favorite song of my Coast Guard roommate and we would rock out to it on our drives from California to his home in Oregon where I was always welcomed if I did not go home to Florida over the major holidays.  It was also a favorite at parties.  I imagine it still is a party favorite to this day.

In hindsight, maybe it is easier to explain the impact of this song then I thought.  It brings back great memories with good friends.  It reminds of how much I miss Sherry when I’m gone and how much I enjoy spending time with her when we’re together.

So, is there a message to all of this.  I think so.  I was having a pretty good work day yesterday and this song still made me stop and appreciate what I have.  It also put a big smile on my face.  I think everyone needs something like this.  I truly believe that it is necessary to grateful every day for the things you have and to not dwell on the things you don’t.

Now, why don’t you take a minute and go listen to your favorite song.  I’m smiling already.

Au revoir!

The holiday dinner

Every year, Sherry and I host a dinner party during the holidays.  It started 5 years ago when we invited two couples over for a semi-formal dinner in December.  Since then, it has continued to grow and now there are four couples who join us for a festive night that is all about food, wine and friendship.

The dinner, which was move to January two years ago to avoid the December madness, has become an event.  While the dress code is very informal, the meal is planned out to the smallest of details.  It is typically four or five courses, each paired with a special wine.  We usually spend months planning the menu and selecting the wines.  There is always a cheese course, which receives the same careful attention as the wine selection.

Sometimes there is a theme and this year it was pears, which were featured in the appetizer, salad, cheese course and dessert.  They were originally in the main course as well but we changed our mind at the last minute and went with cassoulet.  This proved to be the right call.  Serving cassoulet, or any single dish, provides tremendous flexibility.  Instead of the meal being ready a specific time, it is quietly simmering on the stove and is ready when you are.

On Saturday morning, Sherry and are up early starting the prep work.  Another trick for this type of dinner is selecting dishes that can be prepped or even completed in advance so you can spend more time with your guests.  We spent the entire day preparing the meals setting the table, and getting the house ready.

I also spent the day offering teasers of the night to come via today’s modern technology.  Every couple of hours I would text a new photo, like this one of the wine selection, to the group. 

As our guest arrived, they were treated to a sample of pear brandy.  Although it wasn’t the favorite drink of the evening it was a fun way to get things started.  As for the rest of the evening, here is the menu along with each wine served.

• St Andre cheese with gingered pears – 1986 Renaudin L’espiegle Brut Rosé Champagne
• Endive, pear & Roquefort salad – 2008 Domaine Auchére Sancerre
• Cassoulet – 2001 Arrowood Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• Cheese Board – 2001-2002 Chateau Voiture Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
• Pear & gorgonzola tart – 1994 Vintage Foncesca Port

In a night filled with great food and wine, there were two moments that stood out.  During the salad course we offered a wine comparison.  Since we matched the salad with a Sancerre, a sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley, we also opened a 2007 St. Clement Napa Valley sauvignon blanc for comparison.  The Sancerre won hands down for being more balanced.  In looking more closely the Sancerre’s alcohol was 12.5% while the Napa Valley wine was 14.1%, which explains the smoothness of the French wine.

The second major food highlight was the cheese board.  We kept this out of site so we could make a big deal of the presentation. We also debuted our new cheese curler, which was a huge hit.  Here’s a list of what was included on the cheese board.

• Petit Basque
• Brillat Savarin
• Swiss gruyere
• Tomino cheese in olive oil
• Humbolt Fog
• Date cake
• Fig cake
• Almonds roasted in smoked salt and Herbs de Provence
• Sliced pears

When all was said and done, it was the perfect evening of food, wine, and friends.  We did not rush the meal but instead let each course unfold at a leisurely pace.   After the appetizers, we sat down to dinner around 7:30 and dessert was served at 11:15.  In between each course there was plenty of laughter and conversation (and wine) to fill the time. 

Since there is a fair amount of wine consumed, in this case 10 bottles for 9 people, everyone spent the night.  The next morning we serve plain and chocolate croissants, fresh fruit, OJ and coffee.  We popped one final bottle of California Sparkling wine and a few brave souls drank mimosas.  Almost immediately, we began to tell and re-tell stories from the night before.

This is one of my favorite events each year.  Between the food, wine, and great friends it is a truly special evening.  With that said, the dinner for January 2011 is already being planned.

Au revoir!