WOW. Just got some good news from Mom. This news represents the culmination of dozens of years of work by Dad. It's something the whole fam has been hoping for for the last few years. I'm SO pleased. Today is Mom's b-day, so it's especially good timing. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Both of my sisters have sick young'uns today. I just heard about Q's night at the ER. Poor little guy(and poor Em and TL!). I just heard that he's up and about and feeling pretty good this morning-that's excellent news. Mel called Sun morn to ask if I could watch the kids while she took her DH to the airport. JL(7yo nephew) was sick so the planned trip to Mam-maw and Pap-paw's house had to be postponed. I went over around noon and stayed until about 8:30. I brought a whole sack of things for the kids to do that would not involve running and jumping. We spent the day drawing, painting, modeling clay and fashioning clay coins and coating them with metallic gold paint.

*metallic gold paint-.99CENTS

*transforming ordinary clay objects into shiny golden treasures - priceless

We all had a great time. JL's fever stayed down and he stayed pretty upbeat the whole day, but he looked very wan (am I using that word correctly?). Apparently he has a full blown head cold and fever today. Buck up little trooper.

Friday night I tried a new restaurant. It was disappointing. We had to sit at a tiny, high table on barstools which makes one feel quite on display. The wine recommended by our server was overpriced and too bitter and vinegary to be sipped as an apertif. Our "knowledgeable" server than began to sing the praises of their "prime" angus beef and how the Ribeye was by far the finest cut.

I would like to pause here for brief rant on beef. As an avowed carnivore, I very much appreciate and enjoy a good steak. No. That's an understatement. I revel in the glory of a high quality piece of meat, well seasoned and prepared to my specifications(medium rare). That's more accurate. I don't know who is going around and telling these restaurants that the Ribeye is the " very best cut", but they are obviously not true meat lovers. The New York Strip, The Porterhouse and the Filet are incredibly delicious cuts of meat. The alleged "marbling" of the Ribeye is it's claim to fame. Folks, that's fat. And while I am a connoiseur of fats, steak fat is to be trimmed. Unless it is marbling. True marbling, consists of VERY thin veins of fat in the meat which pretty much melt when the meat is cooked, thereby adding flavor, texture and succulence to each bite. The ribeyes tend to have thick veins of fat that require constant trimming because they do not melt in the cooking process. A truly "choice" piece of any of my aforemetioned favorite cuts will have a decent amount of marbling. One more thing. I was raised on a beef farm. We raised Hereford and the now infamous Black Angus beef. People, I am here to tell you. You can't taste the difference between them. If it's fed on the right stuff and buthchered at the right time and cooked fresh--it's gonna be GOOD!

Okay, back to business. The blue cheese and crab quesidilla was just a bad idea. Blue cheese totally overpowers the delicate sweetness of the crab and the mozzerella (how DO you spell that?) added to much "gooiness" to the texture. The "warm bacon dressing" on the spinach salad was creamy and lacked the tart goodness of vinegar--I suspect some smarty pants in the kitchen decided to throw some mayo in there-who knows why. The New York Strip was dry and and flavorless, despite an attempt at a creamy peppercorn dressing. My friend's baked potato was not cooked through. We opted for no dessert. The bill was still way too much. The only positive thing about the place was the service. The young lady was ill-informed about beef and wine, but was very attentive. So, of course left a nice tip. We will not, however, be rejoining them for dinner anytime soon.
That was fun. I could SO be a food critic.

I am sitting here looking out my office window as the clouds slowly spread over the mountains. I must be the most blessed person alive. A year ago, I was so unhappy and filled with uncertainty and heartache. Today, I'm standing on my own two feet (while God holds my hand) and have great hopes for the future. I find myself wanting to grow my business and earn more money, but not solely for myself, anymore. I want to have the ability to give to people who really need it-to make a difference in peoples lives. You know, sponsoring children overseas and giving to specific Christian charities. I want to give more of my time and focus more on ways that I can be of service to others--thereby serving God. Paul says that being single is a blessing and I want to make better use of the freedoms that I have as a single person. I have various quotes on my bulletin board. Here are two that really hit home for me:

" Fulfillment is not a goal to achieve, but always the by-product of sacrifice"

"..to whomsoever much is given, much is required..."

The old saying about counting your blessings is SO true. I AM so blessed in so many ways. I have a job that I like, good friends and an awesome family (and, of course, Elvis). :o)
I am finding that this blog is a good way to review my actions and stay accountable to myself about how I'm spending my time on this earth. Have a great day, folks!
Sick kids, feel better soon!
Chow.