Christmas Break - Tito and NYC

Because I had no finals at the end of the semester in the fall, I was able to go home fairly early to start what became my 6 week break from school. I was pretty eager to get home to this little guy that we got 3 days before I got home from school.

My 17-year-old brother got Tito for his birthday, and although the new addition was supposed to be "his," he still had three weeks of school and football practice and not much time to train a dog, so he became primarily my and my mom's responsibility. Because we have two older golden retrievers, Tito was smart enough to catch on really quickly and has become a perfect addition to the family.

A few weeks after I got home from school, I flew up to the wonderful New York to meet my mom who had been there already for the weekend for a friend's birthday. One of the many friends of a friend that she came in contact with whilst there was the head of the CIA (culinary institute of America) who insisted on taking us out to dinner while I was visiting. When my mom told me we were going to Cipriani I wasn't totally impressed...but when we arrived with the man we were with, the attention we got was impeccable. Little did I know that at 10 o'clock stairs fall out of the ceiling leading to a private, members-only club that we were lucky enough to get to visit as the guests of August. It was a memorable night to say the least. After a few more wonderful meals and some early Christmas shopping, we returned home just in time for the Christmas holidays to begin.