{"id":89345,"date":"2025-01-07T00:50:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T00:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/07\/hi-welcome-to-the-new-year\/"},"modified":"2025-01-07T00:50:39","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T00:50:39","slug":"hi-welcome-to-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/07\/hi-welcome-to-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Hi! Welcome to the New Year!"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"nyc<\/div>\n

\"nyc<\/p>\n

Happy New Year! How are you doing? Hope you had a relaxing break, if you took one.<\/p>\n

\"toby\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We had a cozy time in both New York and California. Since the boys were spending Christmas week with their dad this year, we did a little gift exchange the night before they left. We ordered pineapple-and-green-pepper pizza, and their two favorite gifts were Ruth Chan\u2019s graphic memoir<\/a> and a silent basketball<\/a> they haven\u2019t stopped playing with.<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a><\/p>\n

After the boys departed, my boyfriend Freddie<\/a> and I hung out for a few days. We were thrilled to score a lunch reservation at I Sodi<\/a>, which I\u2019d argue serves the best Italian food in New York City. (Bold statement, I know!) They\u2019re famous for doing eight different versions of a Negroni and\u2026<\/p>\n

\"I<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026their 20-layer lasagna, which is worth alllll the hype.<\/p>\n

\"freddie\"<\/a><\/p>\n

My heart. I\u2019ve talked about Freddie<\/a> a little bit on Big Salad<\/a>, but I\u2019m really excited to introduce him on Cup of Jo \ud83d\ude42 He\u2019s a high school history teacher and dad of two boys, and he loves The Sopranos, neighborhood walks, bookstores with sofas, and making cheesy eggs for breakfast.<\/p>\n

\"Jenny<\/p>\n

\"Jenny<\/p>\n

The next day, we slept in, walked around, and then went uptown to dinner at Jenny Rosenstrach\u2019s apartment<\/a>. She and her husband, Andy, made a green salad and\u2026lasagna! This recipe was from Smitten Kitchen<\/a> and had less tomato flavor and a richer bolognese. For dessert, Freddie and I brought an Italian pandoro<\/a>, a milky bread over which you shake powdered sugar \u2014\u00a0have you ever had one? It looked like a snow-capped mountain.<\/p>\n

\"Joanna<\/p>\n

Another evening, Freddie and I hung out with some of his relatives, and I actually met his parents, which is a story for another day! His dad told me about his firefighting career! His mom gave me slippers! I was nervous! It seemed to go well!<\/p>\n

\"grace<\/a><\/p>\n

Then Freddie headed off to see his kids, so I flew solo for a while. I anticipated maybe feeling a little lonely on Christmas Eve and morning, but instead friends warmly welcomed me into their gatherings, which really moved me. At a service<\/a> on Christmas Eve, the carols rang through the church and gardens.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the second half of the break, the boys and I reunited in San Francisco to visit my sister, niece, dad, and other relatives. I was giddy to have them back in my clutches \u2014 when I met them at the airport, I felt like a regular-person version of Diana running to her boys on this ship<\/a>, haha. Such a universal feeling!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We saw a Warriors basketball game with the cousins\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026although it ended with a tough loss.<\/p>\n

\"sf<\/a><\/p>\n

We also went to a sports exhibit at SF MoMA<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

\"sf<\/a><\/p>\n

\"sf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026which had a four-way ping-pong table you could play with, and iconic sports photos through the years, including this one of Tanya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/a><\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Eve, we cherished our family ritual of visiting my sister\u2019s late husband Paul\u2019s grave<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"grave\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The younger kids ran around, while the adults chatted and toasted with Champagne.<\/p>\n

\"cs<\/a><\/p>\n

Afterward, we went to my sister\u2019s house for dinner, and I saw this print-out on her fridge. The wise words, by C.S. Lewis<\/a>, reminded me of her and Paul\u2019s time together; and now that I\u2019m falling in love, I\u2019ve remembered how vulnerable it can feel to hand your heart to someone. How do people do it?<\/p>\n

\"game\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"game\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, to close the night, we played the game Herd Mentality<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

\"toby\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026and realized that Toby is now taller than almost all of the grandparents. (Opa\u2019s the last one standing<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\"anton\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On our way home, I marveled at my boys slowly growing up into beautiful men (especially compared to this photo<\/a>!). But, of course, I still have things to teach them. At the airport, I showed Anton how to fold his socks into a ball. \u201cMom,\u201d he said, trying it himself. \u201cNot gonna lie, that\u2019s pretty tuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hope you had a relaxing break. Anything to report? Any surprises? Any disasters? Would love to hear it all. Sending so much love for 2025. xoxo<\/p>\n

P.S. A surprisingly fun way to do New Year\u2019s resolutions<\/a>, and the very first CoJ post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Photo by Yakov Knyazev\/Stocksy.)<\/p>\n

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37<\/span> COMMENTS<\/p>\n

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