a toast to sarah doyle for putting me over $1K

Wow, wow, wow! I am beyond thrilled to have passed the $1K mark for The Global Citizen Project -- $1020 to be exact. I still have a long way to go to reach the $20K mark by February 22, 2010, but I'm completely committed and inspired to make it happen.

My world intersected with the latest backer, Sarah Doyle earlier this year on press trip to the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. We were there for the Maui Film Festival and our hotel was crawling with celebrities -- Eddie Murphy, Kristen Bell, Anna Faris, James Marsden, and Tori Spelling to name a few. The weekend was filled with non-stop film screenings, parties, and food-centric activities. Hello, Taste of Chocolate. Imagine the typical five star amenity-laden FS experience on steroids, plus a whole lotta star-spotting and incredible film and you've summed up what Maui Film Festival weekend is all about.

It just so happened this particular weekend was also Sarah's birthday. Since I am all about birthdays (ask my SO about the brightly colored signage and balloons I'd put all along Carmel Valley Rd. when we lived in California), we decided to celebrate and attend the screening of Cash Crop, since it had been getting a lot of media attention and buzz. Willie Nelson (appropriately enough) performed before the show, we brought a bottle of La Fée Absinthe, and well, let's just say, I had more fun than any new friend should be allowed ringing in a new year with Sarah.

Since then, we've commiserated our mutual loathing of United Airlines (her lost luggage story is the travel debaucle/how not to handle customer service story of 2009, IMO), crossed paths on a Google food group and have shared a lovely cyber comaraderie that I've often missed working as a freelancer. So, thank you Sarah for coming into my world this year, and thank you for putting my project over the $1K mark.

If you want to learn more about the world of food, wine, whiskey and travel, you can check out Sarah's blog, The Epicurean Scribe here.