A New Year. A fresh start. A new home. And… a new home!
Not only am I moving to a new house in just one week, I’m also moving to a new blog host. Thank you to WordPress for introducing me to the world of blogs.
I hope that you, dear readers, will all continue to share your tea moments with me at my new location:
http://internationalteamoment.blogspot.com/
See you soon!
Jen
My home county has been declared a state of emergency, along with several other Southern California counties. We are on Day 5 of the heaviest rain I’ve experienced in our 11 years of living here. Gene braved the weather to go to his L.A. office on Monday, but after a 2.5 hour commute home that evening, he’s working from home, and I am fully supporting that decision!
The view out my home office window is grey and soggy. Our hulking 100-pound dog refuses to go outside to respond to the call of nature unless accompanied by one of us and a large umbrella. We don’t want to find out what happens if we refuse to accommodate this wimpiness, so out we go, giant umbrella at the ready. *Sigh*
Rain, rain go away
Christmas is mere days away, and here we sit, huddled up in our homes, hoping and praying the roof holds true. It does certainly put things in perspective however. It is in this moment I really, tangibly understand what it is to be thankful for a roof over my family’s head.
With all this introspection and mild anxiety, it is with such pleasure and delight that I received unexpected gifts from some very special individuals who have shared their personal tea moments with me over the past 2 years. One arrived from Germany and brought me to tears with its thoughtfulness. The other from one of my dear tea mentors and his wife. I look forward to sharing these moments in more detail in the future, but I wanted to take time today to acknowledge these kindnesses that impacted me so much.
For those of you who are blessed with shelter, food, family, friends and good weather, I ask you to think of those who are experiencing a state of emergency not just today, but this month and this year. For me, I am especially touched by those who are new or expectant mothers that have personally found “no room at the inn.” Casa Teresa provides temporary housing and ongoing support for pregnant women who are alone. I encourage you to consider offering a gift to them or one of the states of emergency that is close to your own heart.
And now, I will sit back with a cup of Toasted Walnut from DAVIDsTEA, and know that no storm is forever. There is a rainbow coming.
Filed under Tea
‘Tis the season to be jolly! To keep the joy and mirth a-flowing, I’m so happy to announce our Facebook Fan Page Drawing Winners!
Winner of the American Tea Room Flight to Japan Tea Moment Care Package: Shari Engelbrecht
Winner of the Naivetea High Altitude Tea Moment Care Package: Ed Bromley
Winner of the DAVIDsTEA Winter Collection Kit Tea Moment Care Package: Cathy Furr Robertson
Thank you to the dozens and dozens of new fans and friends. I hope you and your family and friends will enjoy many special Moments during this holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
As promised, I randomly selected a winner from all of you who posted comments by January 22nd. Only, I didn’t just draw one name, I drew three! I was so excited about the six award winning teas, that I just HAD to have more than one winner. I notified the three winners on Monday, and they are:
A.H. from Germany (originally from Venezuela)
Jennifer S. from Washington
Tarcy from California
I heard back almost immediately from A. H., who was very excited about getting the opportunity to try these six teas. What a lovely surprise to also receive a picture that her youngest daughter drew just for me:
Té para Jen
I hope that one day I will be able to re-create this “moment” in real life with A. H. and her daughters!
Another winner, Jennifer, wrote, “And I must tell you, I have definitely been drinking more tea lately because of your blog. Mission accomplished.” She, too, responded with a picture. This one of a tea pot she painted and fired on her own at a pottery shop some years ago with a friend.(Is it just me, or does the tea pot in the drawing above look strikingly similar to the photo below???)
Jennifer's Tea Pot
I’m looking forward to hearing back from Tarcy so I can ship her the gift box of award-winning tea samples!
I’m also looking forward to hearing from more of you about your own tea moments. If you have one to share, please write a comment for this post and I’ll contact you for your story.
Congratulations again to all my drawing winners, and I look forward to your reviews of these teas that I love so very much!
After nearly a year of sipping old favorites, exploring new avenues, achieving many breakthroughs and receiving random packages of amazing teas with a request for review, I have managed to identify my favorite teas of the year. It is my distinct pleasure to announce An International Tea Moment’s picks for The Best Tea of 2009!
Best Black Tea: Mokalbari Estates
Best White Tea Blend: White Tiger
Best Oolong: Rose Violet Calendula
Best Green Tea Blend: Jaded Julip
Best Herbal Infusion: Andes Breeze
Today, I hosted an intimate event that included tea tastings of all the award-winning teas, a light luncheon, and tea schwag bags for all attendees. Stay tuned for the details on the event, including who was voted Fan Favorite at the event! Sneak peek:
Congratulations to all the Award Winners for 2009. And thank you to all my readers who have provided an overwhelming response to the drawing! I’ll be announcing the drawing winner tomorrow!
I’m so excited! This Friday is An International Tea Moment Best of 2009 Event, and the tea schwag from the event sponsors has been pouring in! I can’t even remember how many cups of tea I’ve consumed today. I know there has been a lot of Mokalbari Estate with spots of Earl Grey here and there.
The menus and sponsor placards are being printed, the food has been confirmed once, twice… maybe I should check one more time?
And the schwag bags are being packed. Guests are going to be thrilled at their haul. I know I am. My home office smells heavenly from all this incredible stuff. And the good news for those who are not attending, you have a chance to get your hands on some of the booty just by posting a comment on any of my posts by January 22, 2010. Tea lovers – you really don’t want to miss out on this!
Add your comment to any of my blog entries & Win Gift Package of 2009 Award Winning Tea from An International Tea Moment! See details at http://wp.me/pv8CX-3x
It’s been such a fun year of exploring teas, reflecting on past tea moments, creating and experiencing new ones. Discovering the tea ‘underworld’ has been a thrilling surprise, and I’ve been blown away at the generosity, humor, and knowledge I’ve found there.
As a result of this sharing and community-building, I’m proud to announce that on January 22nd, I will be unveiling An International Tea Moment’s “Best Of” 2009 winners for black tea, black flavored tea, white tea, oolong tea, and green tea blends.
And, for those of you who have been joining me on this journey, I’ve got a gift for you! Anyone submitting comments between January 1, 2010 and January 22, 2010 to any of my blog entries will be eligible to receive a sampler of all the award winners – so please take a read down memory lane and comment on your favorite post or on as many posts as you like. There’s no limit to your number of entries into this drawing.
Thank you, and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the 22nd!
An International Tea Moment 