From the desk of Katrina:
CKMDP: What are you thankful for this year?
KATRINA: Inspired: Where to begin? I cannot even tell you how much I have had to go through among a series of stumbles and falls over the years within me and my business – but there’s something about this year that just made all those woes worth every sweat and tear. From much trepidation came utmost faith when praises and productivity generated confidence that gave me the push to stay in control of my environment. These very reasons would be what would fuel my energy to roll over the next years to come and will help me gain more wisdom and maturity for my evolution.It’s inevitable to say that I am thankful for good health but it’s beyond that. In addition to being thankful for having the best set of family, colleagues, friends, and employees who have supported, inspired, acknowledge and appreciate my hard work, below is a referendum that sums just about the many reasons as to why I have been given a better perspective and why this year has been one of the greatest thus far.
Work:
1. Thankful for having the opportunity to work on the best projects, access the best events, and work with the most creative peers and friends. I’m sorry but they’re just oh-so-fabulous!
2. Thankful for being continually acknowledged within and outside my industry for my hard
work. It warms the heart every time I receive a “Thank You!”
3. Thankful for gaining control over my dues, logistics, and my sanity!
4. Thankful for keeping a very good workflow even during a once so-called “Hibernation”
period. In these hard times, I’m just happy to have projects to do.
5. Thankful for having the ability to expand our services and inventory.
6. Thankful for recognizing the meaning of “the budget” (finally!)
7. Thankful for being able to continue to hone my craft and give happiness to each recipient of
my work.Thankful that I was able to even have a 5th year milestone and celebrating with a bang with
8.Friends and family. The event became my year’s great push for the betterment of my
company.
Life:
1. Thankful for being able to keep and rekindle old friendships - and gaining new ones! I am very fortunate to still keep my friends from a thousand miles away, from prep school to college.
2. Thankful for choosing to be healthier. I lost a few pounds but that’s a good start!
3. Thankful for having a good insight from politics to weather. I work from home so I feel
at times that I live under a rock but feel just fine knowing that I’m being productive! Besides, that’s what CNN is for.
4. Thankful for having good things in life and keeping grounded.
5. Thankful for having the best boyfriend. He’s a looker for sure but must be applauded for staying generous, understanding, responsible, kind, loyal and (VERY) patient with a type-A like me. It’s cheesy but he’s my heart. =)
6. Thankful for the having the best family. Our amazing clan is my soul. I live for these people. My grandmother, mom, and my little siblings are backbones. It’s difficult to have a genetic fiber that consist a high level of intellectual capacity. But you will never meet the most down-to-earth, generous, and obnoxiously happy and warm folks who love to entertain and eat. Someday I wish to even be worth being inducted with the family name.
7. Most of all, I am thankful for my faith and religion. It’s always good to remember that we will only have something to be thankful if we have the good conscience from living with honesty, kindness, good morals, and values. I am thankful for being able to forgive, to trust, and to love. In good times and in bad, I will always be thankful to Him for giving me the chance to live - and this year, hopping with a big smile on my face.
CKMDP: What are you looking forward to for THANKSGIVING AT HOME?
KATRINA: We always close earlier than most businesses during the holidays. I respect that my employees have plans of their own and I’m pretty sure they’d love to settle in w
Bith their families during this time. Besides, I have a whole household to take care of too, starting with cleaning and prepping the house with a truckload of holiday décor while fist pumping to the bars of holiday chorus. I make sure that our very cozy place would be scented with apples, orange zest for the ham’s glaze, and a million burning candles.
Most people don’t know but I do love to cook and the Thanksgiving (and Christmas) dinner is nothing but a joke. Every year for the family, this is the marathon I always look forward to. Everything from the turkey to the gravy, from the brulee to the beverages are made entirely from absolute scratch (and I mean making the chicken stock a day before) and from my own or my grandmother’s recipe. The menu is always thought of weeks in advance and must consider every guest’s dietary needs. I try to make the classics but will always have something new to try.
I also don’t take lightly the accoutrements of our buffet. The napkins should reflect the platters. The centerpiece would have a vase full of floral arrangements I would hand pick the day before and must coincide with the other full vases in other parts of the home. Maybe it’s part of my natural structure, but I do like to entertain.
CKMDP: What's on the menu this year?
KATRINA: This year’s menu: Turkey, Orange Glazed Ham, Gravy, Cranberry sauce, Corn, Corn bread stuffing, Moules Frites, Clam Chowder, Caramelized Carrots, Tossed vegetable crowns and Portobello, Filipino Flan, and Hibiscus flower with Orange Tea. If my mom’s lucky, I might change my mind and prepare an Artichoke and Spinach dip!
I’m excited!! Just don’t forget to rise up your wine glasses as you share amongst your happy folks
your reasons for being thankful this year! See you soon for the Christmas update!
From the desk of Dominique:
CKMDP: What are you thankful for?
DOMINIQUE: I am most thankful for my family. They have supported me throughout everything and anything I have done and been through. Without them, I would not be where I am or who I am today. I love them more than anything and couldn't feel more blessed to have them in my life. Hrmm.. I'm thankful that as accident prone as I am, nothing completely terrible has happened to me yet *knocks on wood*.
CKMDP: What dish are you looking forward to at your Thanksgiving dinner?
And I don't really have a favorite Turkey Day food. I love it all! Although I'm really not a fan of turkey ironically. I much prefer ham and all the other delicious, fattening food.
From the desk of Ani:
CKMDP: What are you thankful for this year?
ANI: I am always grateful but I'm grateful for my family (near and far), my friends, my business, my work, and for having a roof over my head, my health and the luxury of freedom. I'm thankful to God for giving me this lifetime and all the things I need to live a comfortable life.
CKMDP: What is your favorite dish at your family Thanksgiving dinner?
ANI: My favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving is a side dish of rice cooked after being toasted in browned butter with a topping made of toasted cranberries, raisins, pecans and almond slivers also toasted in browned butter with some Honey Glazed Ham. The dessert?!? There is too much to choose from but I would say pâte à choux filled white dark chocolate cream and covered in a vanilla cream. Not very Thanksgiving themed but it always seems to be around in my home in the fall and winter season.
From the desk of Janice:
CKMDP: What are you thankful for?
JANICE: I am thankful for many thing this year. The list can go on. But I think to sum up what I am thankful for this year are the opportunities that I have had and the people that continually help me to aim to help me change my life for the better.
I am thankful for traveling.
- This year I was able to travel to Japan to help continue relief work in the Tohoku region, as well as travel throughout to see the country.
- In Thailand I was able to meet my sister, Donna who works in Korea, for vacation in Phuket along with good friends. It was a blast and so relaxing. There we experienced a tsunami warning, jump off a 35 foot cliff, as well as the most amazing panoramic views. With that I am thankful to be alive and able to see.
-In the Santa Cruiz area, I was able to sum up my life by sharing it with conferees at summer camp. It was like a taste of heaven on earth being able to help those girls release their pain and be free of the burdens to have to be a certain way. I love that they help me see that I have come a long long way since I was their age. I love that I can share my changes with them.
-In Fresno, I was able to do a different kind of labor, dried fruit processing, for the second time with my youth group. I was able to see how God has changed their lives in a year, and how many memories we have with each other. I was able to face my doubts once again and face to fear of not being provided for. I am thankful that I believe in a God that really does provide to the dime the needs of people. That week, we were able to process 706,000 lbs of peaches, and 50,0000 dried to be sent to poverty countries.
-In Chicago, I was able to see the next level of leadership I am capable of being through staffing at a leadership conference as a Prayer Coordinator. I am glad that I was able to accomplish my goals and more. It was such a blessing to be a blessing to others. It was also a great time wandering Chicago and experiencing the food and culture Chicago has to offer. It's way different than LA. From the Chicago trip, many more future opportunities have opened up and I am so grateful and looking forward to what is to come.
I am thankful for family and friendship and accountability.
-Many unexpected things happened this year within my life as well as family life. I am thankful that I have friends that stand by me with words of affirmation, love and eyes of hope.
-I am thankful that my family is quick to respond in times of emergency. I am also thankful that we are able to have a net support that bleeds through all our generations. We are still growing and changing, but we are able to see each others weaknesses. This year we're less poking and picking on those weaknesses, rather building each other up.
What do you look forward to in your Thanksgiving dinner?
I actually love love love mashed potatoes; it goes with everything, and its the topper of each meal. I also love love love corn souffle. So good.
