That's What Jenni Said

  I had the opportunity to dine at Guy Savoy in Vegas during the early weeks of April when I was attending a work conference. I returned home with a souvenir menu and lengthy notes on the experience which I’ve now laid down in print for my readers. I ordered the Menu Prestige ($298 per person before tax, tip, or beverages) which was a culinary journey through the following starters and courses that I’ve detailed below. Overall it was a pleasant experience but given the menu pricing versus the technical execution of the dishes I don’t believe the value is there for the customer as compared to The French Laundry, Per Se, Citronelle or Le Cinq (my favorite fine dining experiences to date). I did like the creative touch of pairing each course with a signature bread the way other restaurants pair with wine but that is not enough to justify the pricing. Also the silverware was scratched up and the service was nowhere near as smooth and beautifully choreographed as at Le Cinq in Paris...

  Thursday 6/2 Jonathan has always wanted to visit Iceland and so once Delta announced they would begin flying to Reykjavik he scooped up tickets for us. We left for Iceland on Thursday, one day after Delta began their flights to Reykjavik.  It’s always a gamble to fly during the inaugural week of a new route especially when paired with a new ground crew. Our outgoing flight was well piloted and smooth but the lead flight attendant for our cabin (couch; economy comfort) was completely unprofessional. A rowdy crew of good looking thirtysomething gents were seated in our area, en route to a bachelor’s weekend in Reykjavik. The lead personality in the group immediately started flirting heavily with our attendant and she was quite visibly flattered. This caused her to be distracted which only led her already poor service to slip even further. She didn’t smile at any of the customers except for the bachelor group; she gave short and snippy answers; she didn’t acknowledge the med...

As a continuation of our Austrian Christmas Market tour in November, Jonathan and I spent two full days in Southern Germany. This area is traditionally referred to as Bavaria and it’s exactly what most Americans envision as the essence of Germany and what’s typically replicated in the German themed sections of American amusement parks. We took the train in from Salzburg, arriving into Munich in the late morning. I had attempted to orchestrate everything in order that we might arrive in time onto Marienplatz (or Mary’s Plaza) to watch the famous Glockenspiel (town clock) perform at noon. The train schedules don’t simply bend to my wishes, so this meant most of the orchestrating involved hurrying ourselves along to quickly get to the town square (with our luggage still in tow) to watch the clock before transferring to our hotel for check-in. It was worth it. The clock performance recounts a famous wedding feast (coincidentally the history behind Octoberfest) and provides a dizzying arr...

I recently read Jane Eyre and while I don’t have the time or motivation to write a full review let me just report that YOU NEED TO READ THIS NOVEL. It’s fantastic. It has a lot to say on Christianity and following the right path and trusting God. Trust me on this one. Unless you’re a man. This novel is really antique chicklit, so men may not find the romance and drama of the relationships intriguing.

Spring will pass in less than 25 days. The spring of my 35th year. The spring of my 15th wedding anniversary. The spring of my father’s death. Looking back over my entries I notice that they stopped soon after my father’s death and the only updates since have been more details on his death and a short note about a prior winter trip to Austria. On my father The first two months were very difficult. I was unable to make it longer than a couple of days without crying over my father’s death. This month there have been no tears but his death still hits me at unexpected moments. I’ll be in the car on the way to work and suddenly it occurs to me as if it were new information: my father is dead. Or I’ll be at the office in a meeting about to present and a voice inside reports with panic: my father is dead! I never know when it is going to bubble up and knock the wind out of me, but I’m learning how to deal with it. The guilt is fading (my mantra: I did my best to be a good daughter and w...

With all the drama in my life the first quarter of this year I neglected to post a link to my article on Austria. It’s my second (paid) published travel piece to add to my portfolio. I hope to build a solid portfolio and begin publishing in standard print magazines such as Budget Travel or Travel and Leisure. The link is here: A Three Day Excursion Into Austria

As I posted previously my father died on March 5, 2011. He was 82 years old and he passed exactly six months before his 83rd birthday. This is the story of his death. On a Wednesday in late February my father alarmed the staff at Manassas Adult Daycare (run by the Manassas Baptist Church) when he suddenly appeared non-responsive to their questions. He was rushed to the ER but presented responsive by the time the doctors saw him. They considered releasing him but opted for the conservative approach of admitting him for testing. Inside I was secretly relieved- a hospital admission would lead to a direct transfer to a nursing home upon discharge for rehab and then Daddy could get the professional caregiving support he needed. Each day at home had been getting progressively more difficult. Dad complained more, demanded more and slipped in health a little more as we moved through winter. I was wounded so many times by his careless and biting remarks. He had one behavior that particula...