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Champagne Break for Mom’s Bday

| @ThePlazaHotel #champagne #momsbday #classyinteriors
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| I frequent the Champagne bar at the Plaza a few times a year. However, after a bit of a muted note at Patsy’s Italian restaurant, I was relieved that I scheduled a table at the Champagne bar for my mother’s birthday evening.

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Linguine Marechiare Patsy’s

|@PatsysItalRest @FoodNetwork #italian #theatredistrict #pasta
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| “Zach, I want to take your mom out for her birthday when you visit. Do you remember that place you watched on FoodNetwork with your mom, when you were home last, that she wanted to try?”
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The Spirit of Spa Water and the Spa Goddesses

spa water preparation group

Infused Spa Water?

It is a strange thing when a spur of the moment idea turns into something more. I never intended to make such a production out of making infused water at work, but I no doubt went a bit too far and pushed the idea over the edge into a full-blown activity.

I was in the midst of closing out  a credit card and started browsing the rewards portal to spend the last of my points. The rewards portal was never too exciting (one of the reasons I paid off the card), often filled with gimmicky suburban delights like Blade BluRay discs and shake weights. I decided to default to kitchen gadgets when I came across a Yorkshire Glassware Dispenser and Mason Jar Mugs. It was done all too quickly; the glassware was purchased and shipped to my desk at Club Monaco Corporate Offices.

I thought to myself,  “I’m going to cut coffee and drink water, that way I will save money and be healthy.”

Day One the dispenser was filled with cucumbers and water. Ten minutes into positioning it next to my desk it was instantly dubbed “Spa Water” by my coworkers, Hannah and Robin. From there a contribution list was started, a cute towel was set down to catch condensation, and the rest is history.

spa water ingredient thyme
Thyme
spa water ingredient madarin
Mandrin Oranges
spa water ingredient cucumber
Cucumbers

It Takes a Team

If I am the Spirit, Hannah (@hlbiddle) and Robin (@turningpaiges) are the Goddesses of Spa Water. These two are a delight on a normal day, but they have definitely made this an enjoyable activity.

After offering the water to the rest of the eCommerce team at Club Monaco, it was proclaimed a good “moral booster,”  but really it just makes me feel like a summer’s breeze ~ relaxed.

spa water ingredient display

Both Hannah and Robin have been very helpful at keeping the contribution list on track, cutting/displaying the fruits & veggies, and keeping the flavors fresh.

spa water glass jug
spa water mason jar glasses

Top 10 Infused Water Flavors

  1. Cucumber + Mandarin Orange + Thyme
  2. Tangelo + Lime + Lemon + Grapefruit
  3. Black Raspberry + Lime
  4. Pineapple + Granny Smith Apples + Basil
  5. Ginger + Pear + Grape
  6. Blood Orange + Mango + Kiwi
  7. Grapefruit + Strawberry
  8. Strawberry + Lemon + Mint
  9. Watermelon + Cantaloupe + Honeydew
  10. Classic Cucumber

The Spirit and the Goddesses are always looking for more Spa Water flavor ideas. Please contact me with your suggestions or comment below with them! Keep it fresh everyone!

SPA WATER CONTACT

Ben’s first Snow-daze

Ben’s first Snow-daze is the kind of small celebration you don’t plan for. It happens in the middle of a regular day and suddenly the day has a different shape.

He’s holding a paper cup with both hands, like it needs steadying. The shaved ice rises up in a soft mound, topped with a cloud of whipped cream, and below it the colors are loud and playful—cereal-bright, confetti-like, impossible to ignore. A few plastic spoons stick out at angles, suggesting sharing, or at least the possibility of it.

Calling it “snow” inside a shop always makes me laugh a little. Real snow used to mean silence and permission: streets going quiet, time stretching, the familiar world turning unfamiliar in the best way. Back then, snow-days felt like the weather had reached down and rearranged the rules.

This is the gentler version. No storm, no canceled plans—just cold sweetness on your tongue, a quick reset, a reminder that you can still be surprised by something simple. Ben looks pleased in that very specific way people do when they realize they’ve found a new favorite.

Not a blizzard. Not a memory. Just a bright, melting little moment you can hold in your hands.

My Little Bro Jared ready for his senior Prom 2008 and Me

Some photos hold still the way an old house does—quietly, without asking, until you look back and hear everything again.

This one is from 2008: my little brother, Jared, ready for his senior prom, and me beside him. He’s dressed like the night has somewhere important to go, boutonniere pinned in place, posture straight, smile easy. I’m there in my own version of “formal,” leaning into the moment with that half-serious confidence you only get when you’re young and standing next to someone you’ve known forever.

I can almost feel the air around it: the last-minute checks, the camera coming out, the small pause before the door opens and the evening begins. Prom is supposed to be about the date, the dance, the story you tell later. But what I remember most is this—siblings sharing a frame, the ordinary background of home, and the strange brightness of watching someone you love step into the next part of their life.

Time has a way of changing the colors, softening the edges, and making the simple things feel bigger. A prom suit. A porch. A brother growing up. A snapshot that keeps it all from drifting too far away.

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