Hi! Welcome to the New Year!

Happy new year! How are you? I hope you had a relaxing break, if you did.

We had a nice time in both New York and California. Since this year the kids were spending Christmas week with their dad, we did a little gift exchange the night before they left. We ordered pineapple and green pepper pizza, and their two favorite gifts were Ruth Chan’s graphic memoir and a silent basketball that they haven’t stopped playing with.

After the boys left, my boyfriend Freddie and I went out for a few days. We were thrilled to get a lunch reservation at I Sodi, which, in my opinion, serves the best Italian food in New York City. (Bold statement, I know!) They’re famous for making eight different versions of a Negroni and…

…their 20-layer lasagna, which is worth it.

My heart. I’ve talked a little about Freddie in Big Salad, but I’m really excited to feature him in Cup of Jo 🙂 He’s a high school history teacher and father of two, and he loves The Sopranos, neighborhood walks, and bookstores . with sofas and preparing eggs and cheese for breakfast.

The next day, we slept in, walked, and then went to Jenny Rosenstrach’s apartment for dinner. She and her husband, Andy, made a green salad and… lasagna! This recipe was from Smitten Kitchen and had less tomato flavor and a richer bolognese. For dessert, Freddie and I brought an Italian pandoro, a milk bread stirred with powdered sugar. Have you ever eaten one? It looked like a mountain covered in snow.

Another night, Freddie and I went out with some of his relatives and I actually met his parents, which is a story for another day! His dad told me about his career as a firefighter! Your mom gave me slippers! I was nervous! It seemed to go well!

Then Freddie went to see his kids, so I flew alone for a while. I anticipated that I might feel a little lonely on Christmas Eve and in the morning, but instead, my friends warmly welcomed me to their gatherings, which really touched me. At a church service on Christmas Eve, Christmas carols echoed through the church and gardens.

During the second half of the break, the kids and I met up in San Francisco to visit my sister, niece, dad, and other relatives. I felt dizzy to have them in my clutches again; when I met them at the airport, I felt like a normal version of Diana running to her boys on this ship, haha. What a universal feeling!

We watched a Warriors basketball game with the cousins…

…although it ended with a tough defeat.

We also went to a sports exhibition at SF MoMA…

…which had a four-way ping-pong table you could play on and iconic sports photographs from over the years, including this one of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

On New Year’s Eve, we cherished our family ritual of visiting the grave of my sister’s late husband, Paul.

The little ones ran around, while the older ones chatted and toasted with champagne.

Afterwards, we went to my sister’s house for dinner and I saw this printout on her refrigerator. CS Lewis’ wise words reminded me of the time she and Paul spent together; And now that I’m falling in love, I’ve remembered how vulnerable you can feel when giving your heart to someone. How do people do it?

Finally, to close out the night, we played the Herd Mentality game…

…and I realized that Toby is now taller than almost all of the grandparents. (Dad is the last one standing.)

On the way home, I marveled at how my sons were slowly growing into beautiful men (especially compared to this photo!). But of course, I still have things to teach you. At the airport, I showed Anton how to fold his socks into a ball. “Mom,” he said, trying it himself. “I’m not going to lie, that’s bullshit.”

I hope you had a relaxing break. Anything to report? Any surprises? Any disaster? I would love to hear it all. Sending you lots of love for 2025. xoxo

PS: A surprisingly fun way to make New Year’s resolutions and the first CoJ post.

(Photo by Yakov Knyazev/Stocksy.)

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