#6: Eat at Sonsie

September 2011 will mark eight full years of living in Boston. One thing that I have learned about this city is that no matter how long you live here, you will never be able to do everything there is to do in this town!

One thing that I have wanted to do since the first fall (2003) that I moved to Boston was to eat at Sonsie on Newbury Street. In the spring, summer and fall months, Sonsie always has its front windows open, and guest are sitting at small tables watching the pedestrians walk by laden with their haul from boutiques that I can’t afford! Something about it has always felt very Parisian to me.

Two weeks ago my good friend from high school, Toni, came to Boston for a visit. We had agreed to meet up for drinks when I got off work; she would be coming straight from the airport. I left work right at 5pm (very unusual for me to leave at closing time, but it was a sure sign that I was excited for the night!). I decided to go down to Newbury Street early, get a pedicure, and then meet Toni at Sonsie.

I emerged from into the daylight at the Hynes Convention T stop eager to access Yelp on my phone so that I could look up a reputable salon, when two colleagues hollered at me from across the street. They were sitting front and center having drinks at Sonsie! The timing was serendipitous. I skipped the pedicure, joined Shelly and Anjulet for drinks, and as they were leaving, Toni arrived and she and I picked up the night of dining where Shelly, Anjulet and I left off.

The food was delicious, the spring weather was perfect, and the company was outstanding!

I highly recommend trying the following the next time you are at Sonsie:

• The oh-so-yummy cucumber-vodka cocktail
• Calamari - flash fried, zucchini strings, lemon aioli, fried parsley
• Brick Oven Pizza - goat cheese, sweet roasted pepper, calamata olives, flat parsley

#14: Boston Organics

After three years of trying to garden in the city (whaa waa), I decided to try something new this year as a means of getting fresh fruits and veggies during the summer. Several friends (Yana & Talya Davis and Jenn Wilson) had been telling me about Boston Organics. Boston Organics is a company that delivers fresh fruits and veggies to your house either once a week, or every other week. They offer a wide variety of boxes to choose from depending on whether or not you like more veggies, more fruits, or an equal combination. Boston Organics allows users to specify if they have any food allergies, so for those of you who have mold allergies out there, you can tell Boston Organics to never ever send you any mushrooms! On May 18th, I received my first Boston Organics box. I started off with the half-veggie/half-fruit small box every other week. I quickly realized that I love having fresh produced delivered to my house, so I’ve switched my delivery to once week. My most recent box was the Dogma box, which means that Boston Organics strives to send me produce that is grown locally or close to home. It’s been so much fun planning my meals around what I receive each week. Here are a few recipes that I’ve tried out since receiving Boston Organics. All of them have been delicious, but I highly recommend the braised baby bok choy recipe. Yummy!

Braised Baby Boy Choy

Salad dressing (courtesy of Giada):
1/2 apple, such as Granny Smith or honey crisp, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, combine the apple, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

30 for 30: The List

Six months ago I began to sense that I was on the precipice of some major life changes. I could see that April 25 to May 22 of 2011 was going to bring forth major transition in my life: my 30th birthday and the start of a new decade; my younger brother’s wedding; my graduation from the EdM degree. Coincidentally—or serendipitously—in November 2010 when I began to feel the season of change that was coming, I also had a visitation from my grandfather who had died in May 2010. In that dream, I discerned that my Grangran’s message for me was that I cannot fully love others until I fully love and accept myself.

With this new mantra, I decided to create a list of 30 things that I want to do in my 30th year to celebrate my life and the relationships that I have with others. The goal of this 30 for 30 list is to engage in activities that help me actively pay attention and to learn how to begin to make changes in my daily life that allow me to strike a balance between head and heart, work and play, leadership and spirituality. To be the best "Megan" I can be, I must take care of myself so that I have something left to share with others in a meaningful way.

This blog has a life span of one-year; it is intended to document the 30 activities on my list. I'm hopeful that sharing my journey with others might inspire you to find little ways to be more kind to yourself, so that we can all love others more fully.

Megan’s 30 for 30 List
1. Take a ballet class.
2. Research my genealogy.
3. Make cupcakes from Hello, Cupcake!
4. Week of private retreat.
5. Anna’s Challenge: 4 decadent days off work – for no other reason.
6. Eat at Sonsie.
7. Go to Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Vermont.
8. Go to Villa Von Trapp.
9. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast.
10. Halloween in drag (Anna’s costume).
11. Do Codzilla.
12. Go whale watching.
13. Art class.
14. Boston Organics.
15. Two words – Cowgirl boots! (and maybe a tutu…)
16. Find a Pilates/yoga class and attend 5 times.
17. Spiritual director.
18. Go to Vegas.
19. New doorknobs in my condo.
20. See fireworks twice.
21. Schedule Boomer a playdate with another cat.
22. Cooking class at Williams-Sonoma.
23. Travel for a professional development event.
24. Visit the White House.
25. Hatch Shell – Free Friday Night Flicks or Drive-In or Dinner and a Movie.
26. To not give up on growing tomatoes.
27. Go to Provincetown.
28. Go to a casino and bet something.
29. Truth-tell at work.
30. Celebrate 31 with excitement!