Very Cold, Very Dry

Typically, I would say something like “Thank goodness it’s Friday!” or “Happy Friday!”

Instead, I want to congratulate you on surviving the week thus far. Whether or not tomorrow is your actual Friday, or you are still in the middle of your work week (hello, retail life!) and your weekends aren’t actually on Saturdays or Sundays, I am raising a (very cold, very dry) glass to you.

Life is difficult enough, and the fact that you are able to get out of bed each day, do what you need to do, go to bed, and then do it all over again the next day, is an accomplishment.

I saw a friend’s recent Instagram story showing a bag of takeout food. The caption said something to the effect of, “I’m drowning and work is so hard and I feel like I SO DON’T have it together. And my friend said, “Have you tried getting takeout and letting yourself feel not together?”

With prices being increasingly expensive on literally everything (I just spent $18 on deodorant, like WTF), and our political state somehow getting possibly worse every second, I want to emphasize what that Instagram story just said: “Let yourself feel not together”

This rant probably goes really well with my last post about Self Care, but for today’s Martini Friday Series, let’s talk about how it’s okay NOT to be together, and to have gratitude. While a lot of things, as I mentioned, are difficult, we are still incredibly fortunate. Whether or not we have it “together”, we have warm beds to lay our heads down after a long day, food on our tables, and most importantly, our community that helps us get through the tough times.

So, we’re doing things a little differently. I am going to take that gratitude and reflect on some memories that warm my heart. Because when things get tough, these moments remind me to cherish the little things. I hope you enjoy going back to memory lane, in no particular order.

This is circa 2013, when we overused Instagram filters, thinking it would make our bad photos look like photographic masterpieces, especially of a half-drunk martini with a blurry background of DVD’s! Oh, what a time! While obviously this is a terrible photo, it is a record of the start of Eric and I habitually enjoying martinis on the weekends.

In 2021, My stepdad rented a house in Pacific Grove, California, for a few weeks. As we all know, it was the year right after COVID, and restaurants, shops, and museums were JUST lifting some of their restrictions. Before dinner, we went to a nearby steakhouse for two martinis. He is not a big martini person, so it meant a lot that we shared my favorite cocktail together.

I would argue that New Englanders have the most appreciation for Summer. We have 4-5 months of unbearable cold weather, then Spring shows up in late March (well, let’s say April), and then we hope around Memorial Day/Early June that it’s actually Summer. My Mother-in-law always says that summer is over after June. When the nights are cool, but not too hot to sit outside, and the bugs haven’t appeared yet, that’s the perfect time to have cocktails al fresco. My favorite moments are when we can sit outside, hear the quiet hum of the highway behind us, and have our favorite hour of the day on our tiny deck. There’s truly nothing like it.

Christmas 2021. One of the last times we had extended family over for Christmas. Since then, we have all moved different places, had children, or are now spending it with our other relatives. Since I was little, our family would have a White Elephant Exchange while wearing silly hats. This time, we wanted to do something a little bit different. So, we dressed up as our favorite cocktails. Can you tell which one I am? LOL! Eric was a Rob Roy. I used cardboard to cut out the martini glass, tissue paper for the gin, and construction paper for the olives. I want to do this again someday!

You know that saying “Life happens when you make other plans?” Well, this was one of those times. We were supposed to go to California to visit family in 2025, but illnesses plagued some of us, so we had to pivot. We decided to spend a couple of days in Connecticut, going to cities we have always wanted to go to, but never had the chance to travel to for one reason or another. This is at The Tap Room at the Griswold Inn in Essex, CT. It’s a charming, old Inn from the late 1700’s. The dark wood, a gallery of photos of ships, and low lighting make this a true gem, and just our style.

2024. Two years into moving into Boston. For over 15 years, we have been going to one of our favorite steakhouses, Grill 23. We dress up, black tie style, and enjoy an evening of cocktails, rare wine, steak, sides, dessert, and always, coffee and a digestif. We do not indulge much, but when we do, it’s at this restaurant. Eric always wears his favorite, a cream-colored tux with a black bowtie and pocket square. Only the best!

This is from when we lived in Florida, circa 2019. It was a tough time in our lives, but what kept us sane was continuing what we call our “Sunday Sauce” traditions. We would typically start off with martinis and charcuterie, followed by a pasta and/or chicken course, salad, and then dessert. Here, we decided to skip the appetizers and go straight to chicken parmigiana, homemade noodles, and of course, a very cold, very dry martini. This is by far my favorite way to enjoy a martini. At home, with sweats, eating our favorite cuisine, and enjoying each other’s company.

I hope whatever you are doing to enjoy your free time brings you nostalgic memories, and grateful for what is ahead.

Cheers!