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A Week of Gratitude

Producer Dave Rupel gives thanks.

By Dave Rupel | Nov 23, 2011

A week of gratitude.   This week’s blog -- though delivered late -- is an easy one for me to write. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year for two reasons. First, it’s about an awesome meal, but more importantly, it’s a day to remind us to be grateful. (Hang in for a special picture at the end!)   

(Note: Vegetarians should skip this paragraph!) I am not a foodie by any stretch of the imagination. I once lived in NYC when I didn’t have much money and was quite content eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every night for dinner. However, Thanksgiving dinner was something I always looked forward to each year growing up. My mom’s a great cook and our family gathered for the traditional turkey, but was also rounded out by pheasant and quail my dad had hunted. (I’m not a hunter, but I do respect my dad’s motto that if he killed something, we ate it.) But if I’m being perfectly honest, my absolute favorite meal of the year is the day after Thanksgiving when we ate the leftovers. A turkey sandwich with Miracle Whip (not mayo -- it must be Miracle Whip!), on a white (not wheat!) bun from Heyerly’s bakery, cheddar cheese (orange, not white!), olives (with pimentos, not pits!) and potato chips (straight, not curly!) I’m actually salivating as I write this sentence! That meal must make people go “ewww” in a bad way, which makes me smile. I am what I am, and like I said, I am definitely not a foodie. But my favorite meal of the year is only days away! 

 (Note: Welcome back, vegetarians!) Now, on to gratitude. What a great theme for a holiday. I’m not big on candy (sorry, Halloween), I’m not a great gift giver nor am I religious (so long, Christmas), I’m not overly romantic, (apologies to my husband, Fred / see ya, Valentine’s Day), and I’m not fond of putting so much pressure on one day to represent a whole year (adios, New Year’s Eve!) But a holiday where we gather with loved ones to give thanks for what we have in our lives?! Oh, yeah, I can definitely get behind that sentiment! So for the next few paragraphs, I’m going to ignore the seemingly never-ending recession, the horrible housing market, and the utter ugliness of modern politics and focus on what’s good in life. Because I have so much to be grateful for from the past 12 months. The following is a list of things I am thankful for in no particular order.   

The RHOBH production crew. Every time a show I’m working on wraps shooting, I go into a bit of a funk. Because when we wrap shooting, it means I’m no longer spending my days with some very special people. When I hire people, I like to encourage a team mentality. I have no interest in divas, no matter how talented, and believe me, there are as many divas behind the scenes as there are in front of them. Life is too short to not enjoy the people you work with. Of course, on RHOBH, I’m grateful to have both. Incredibly talented people who also happen to be equally kind, generous, intelligent and funny. Brenda, Chris, Larry, Sallyanne, Matt, Beth, Yavir, Parker, Pablo, Meagen, Calvin, Shawn, Tom, Jenny, Mike G., Josh, Julian, Ken, Lila, Heather, Chloe, and Shana -- I hope to work with you all very soon!   