Ask and You Shall Receive...(Part One)

“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live” ~George Carlin~

Like most of you, I was super busy this past week doing the Family Thing for Thanksgiving. I also celebrated my 32nd birthday on Monday by cleaning my new place for nearly 3 hours. How unglamorous is that? But it just further illustrates how much my life has changed! Just a few years ago, I was surely at some awesome party with some fabulous people doing something truly fantastic. This year, I was hanging curtains, tripping over unpacked boxes and ordering take-out Italian (not bad but still not as good as Fed's).

My point is that no matter how we get there.... we all end up exactly where we should be, doing exactly what God wants us to. And the more that things change, it's important for us to remember who our real friends are! (Thanks to one of the best, I was able to lug that heavy mattress up to Beantown from Jersey on the day after the holiday. Yes, while you were all shopping your little hearts out...we were in the truck to and from Boston on the same day! Not something I ever want to do again!)

We were both wearing our Yankee gear and chatting about how ironic it was that I ended up in Red Sox territory. So in the spirit of change, for those of us who love baseball 365 days a year…check out this article for a rundown on “Who’s Who” of General Managers.

I've also been working on my Christmas wish list that I hope to put up later this week. But if you'll excuse me, I've got to head out to the post office and mail this letter to Santa before all the kids beat me to the punch with their requests for trucks, trains and whatnot. Little rugrats! Get outta my way, the Yankees need Johan!




Dear Santa,
I know it’s still rather early but I wanted to get my big request in before the rush started…How’s about you deliver Johan Santana under the Yankees’ tree this off season? We haven’t been too naughty, honest. (Hell, we made nice with A-Rod so that should be enough to earn your good favor, right?)
XOXOXO, Tiffany

P.S. This might be pushing it a bit but is there any chance you could toss in some bullpen help? No? Well, it was worth a shot anyway. You can’t fault me for asking.

Thanks! Seriously....

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Football game’s half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck

I hope wherever you are this Thanksgiving that you can take a moment to appreciate all the blessings in your life. Yes, I know we all have stresses, dilemmas and situations we need to deal with. But if I’ve learned anything in the last two years, it’s that regardless of your current circumstances, there is always something to be thankful for.

When things were the darkest for me, I got into the habit of writing down five things that I was grateful for each day. A friend suggested this to me when I could barely get out of bed and it really made a huge difference for me. Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t always easy because some days all I wrote was, “I’m alive, my family is healthy, I’m healthy, the sun is shining, tomorrow is just a few hours away.”…But little by little, I came to appreciate all the blessings that I did have. Even in the eye of the storm filled with so many lies, I came to realize the truth is only for those who would hear it. My gratitude journal went from the mundane to so much more. I started giving thanks for things I had once taken for granted and it filled my world with color, my heart with hope and my life with the ability to move forward. I started writing that I was thankful for, “The two hours I spent laughing with a friend on the phone, the smell of the air after that first spring rainfall, the fresh Jersey tomatoes with mozzarella we had at dinner, a new love, new goal, a new hope.”

Now at the risk of sounding too preachy, I came to believe that God saw this and started to send more blessings my way because I was finally ready to receive them. Only until we know what we truly have does it start to change…only then can we ever expect to have more. Now I know most of us are probably thinking about Christmas already. There are a few lists we start making around this time of the year. The wish list of gifts we hope Santa will bring (a new plasma tv, that plush leather couch, or snazzy throw-rug for the front room.) and the list of gifts we have to buy for others ( Super Bowl tickets for Dad, something antique-y for mom, gift cards for everyone else!)

But perhaps, the only list we should be thinking about on Thanksgiving, before the Christmas rush officially starts, is our list of gratitude. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, it could just be a handful of things that are important to you…things you couldn’t imagine living without or that enriched your life in some way this year. But once you write it all down and really look at it, you start to realize how abundant your life is. No matter what challenges you face, knowing what you have…knowing what makes you happy… makes facing the vultures a little easier!

This morning, I am grateful for the long ride home to New Jersey where I know good food, family and great friends are ready to welcome me with open arms. My ipod playlists are all set, the truck is packed and I can’t wait! Traffic be damned~

Tonight I will be grateful for the company of my friends and seeing old faces once again that will help me remember where I’ve come from.

Tomorrow I will be grateful that despite the fact the Jets season has been so unbearable, at least they’re playing the Cowboys and that means we get to watch Tony Romo! Oh, and my mom’s cooking always makes everything so much more memorable.

I truly hope you have a great holiday…..great in the way that you come to realize we always have exactly what we need…if we but only see it.

Let It Snow!

While on the conference call to talk about winning the 2007 AL MVP, Alex Rodriguez had this to say:

“I banged my head against New York; New York didn’t bang me against the head. I felt like I made a lot of mistakes. I was trying to please everybody rather than do what made me happy.”

And this one is my personal favorite, for obvious reasons….

"I got tired of just trying to say the right things, I thought being honest was the best policy. At the end, the truth will set you free. Whether some people like it or whether some people don't like it, I could care less."

I hear ya’ A-Rod…

In other groundbreaking, earth shattering, revelation filled news…It’s snowing in Boston.

Everyday Choices

"Leap, And The Net Will Appear." ~ Julia Cameron ~

Who knew a person could actually have anxiety attacks over dishes and silverware? I never thought I’d say this but shopping is hard work! I used to get such a natural high from haphazardly whirling into department stores, grabbing an armload of assorted merchandise and fluttering out as quickly as I had zoomed in with little regard for the trail of mess I had left behind….at least until this weekend when I began actually buying things for the new place.

A friend recently accused me of being afraid of commitment, a notion that I originally scoffed at. But as I mulled over the countless patterns, colors, and shapes of everyday dishware…the reality of my move began to sink in. I was really starting over!

When it comes to the season’s hottest new shoe, must-have jeans or ‘IT’ bag…I’ve gladly forked over the Benjamin’s without batting an eyelash….but when it comes to things like selecting a shower curtain, I panicked. Maybe it’s because things like dishes, towels and the color of your walls ultimately become the very essence of your existence. Having a red accent wall or boldly patterned couch is making a statement about who you are. Right?

Most of us are way more adventurous in our heads than we will ever allow ourselves to be in real life but still our homes eventually become living journals of our lives. Those with children probably long for a more serene setting and swear loudly every time they stumble over a Tonka truck. Those in college or who still live with roommates might dream about the happiness they’d have without a pile of someone else’s dishes in the sink. The old long to be young, the single wish they were married….It seems we’ve lose the beauty of living in the moment. Being happily content with exactly where we are.

As I walked down the kitchen aisle in the 7th store I visited that day, I realized that sometimes you just have to choose something and stick with it… not just when it comes to interior decorating but in life as well.

So, I took a deep breath and selected a lovely earth tone pattern and muted sterling silver flatware. Let the healing begin!

I wonder if that’s how Alex Rodriguez settled on returning to the Yankees? Maybe he realized the grass wasn’t greener. Maybe he saw all the colors and shapes and patterns out there and realized that the team, the city and the fans….just fit?

…Or, maybe not.

But either way, thanks to the billionaire club, it looks like A-Rod is going to be a Yankee for the next decade.... so the saga is really just beginning!

Speaking of unlikely scenarios, it seems Saint Derek has found himself in a bit of hot water with Uncle Sam. Captain Clutch has proudly professed his love for NY while quietly claiming Florida residency. As far as scandals go, this one’s pretty lame since countless New Yorkers and New Jersey folks commit this on a much smaller scale due to the advantageous tax breaks in Florida. I guess we couldn’t expect his milk and cookies routine to last forever….Either way, I am a big fan of anytime a grown man’s Momma has to come to his defense and ends up making headlines of her own. The claws always come out on mother bear when her cub is attacked...Especially when it involves a reporter standing on the front porch.

Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get packing for Thanksgiving with the family. Given that the Patriots seem to be the bionic team, the Celtics are WICKED good, and the Red Sox are the World Series Champs…as a New York sports fan, I sure picked an interesting time to move to Boston, didn’t I?

Maybe I’m a masochist or something…but hey, at least I’m not afraid of commitment anymore….

Hip-Hip- Jorge's Staying!

“You're probably not a member of a major league baseball team, your errors, unless they are truly spectacular, don't show up in the morning paper.” ~ Jane Goodsell~


Jorge Posada resigns with the Yankees and all is well again… well, that’s assuming Mariano Rivera is soon to follow. After A-Rod’s circus exit and doing Donnie Baseball dirty, the Bomber’s front office simply had to keep Posada in pinstripes. I’m fairly certain the fickle fanbase couldn’t take losing the experienced catcher on top of everything else.

But four-years and $52.4 million dollars later, let’s hope that Numero 20 develops into one hell of a DH/first baseman because the odds of him still catching a few years down the line are probably slim to none. I will say this, Jorge has defied the odds and gotten better as his career has progressed and his leadership is unmistakable…. in fact, in many ways, he is the real Captain. But that’s a secret of course.

Shh, nobody tell Derek.

Speaking of Mr. Jeter, no doubt that he’s glad to have Posada, his best friend on the team and noted wingman, around for another four fun filled years.

Got a text from someone saying they heard a rumor about a package deal involving Robinson Cano for the highly touted Johan Santana…I don’t know if this is just wishful thinking or a real possibility but one thing’s for sure, if Cano leaves…the Yanks better have a crisis counseling team on standby to comfort Melky.

The buzz in Boston is that beloved Mikey Lowell has yet to resign with the Red Sox. Lowell who shares the same agents as Jorge Posada was asking for almost an identical deal with Boston. Could that be a sign of things to come? While, most do expect the World Series MVP to stay in Beantown….judging by the first few weeks of hot stove stuff, anything is surely possible this year.

Getting Settled In Boston

Life is funny.

Not funny, "Ha-Ha" but funny in that stinging, stunning, "AH-ha" way. God's sense of humor is often lost on us until the very last minute when plans come together, when the seas part, or when we are forced to make choices that leave others wondering who we've become.

Yet, in all of the doubt, turmoil, and judgment… Things tend to come full circle in ways that we could never have imagined. I took a big step getting out of the tri-state area, leaving those who had become my shelter in the storm, and choosing to move on instead of stay stagnant.

I thought when I was blessed with the experience to travel the country watching the team I had spent my entire life loving, that my own life was coming full circle. But only now, as I stare at the crew teams rowing on the Charles River, do I begin to understand what full circle even means.

No, I don't plan to take up kayaking or root for the Red Sox…but maybe we are too defined by what we have done, and not what we will do. Everyone is put into categories by other people. For some it's your salary, the car you drive, or the clothes you wear. For others, its external things like rumors or speculation. But we all have hurdles to leap over….and expectations to shatter.

I could have certainly moved to Boston prior to the events of the last two years. I could have found the calling of my heart without all of the pain but that pain has become the catalyst for great learning, wonderful creations and extreme growth.

Now that I'm here, in Boston…things have certainly changed. I'm hoping to continue to blog about sports and life with less focus on merely the Yankees. It's big world out there and like it or not, we can't stay in the cocoon forever. I know who I am and where I've come from. I will never forget that but the question remains, what part of who we are today do we owe to the past? And what is the difference between honoring that past and being held prisoner by it?

I don't expect you to move to Boston but maybe we should all take this Thanksgiving season to examine the path we've chosen. We should be grateful for every heartbreak and every letdown just the same as we are for successes and accomplishments. When we are open to our destiny, all things work together to bring us exactly to the point where we should be.

Fate follows no rules…so if anyone tries to make you feel less than the miracles you are…remember, we may make mistakes but...God never does.