Cheesecake FATory

So all of us July birthday people got a wonderful and huge gift from Josh and Hannah, a gift card to go out to eat together at the Cheesecake Factory. It is a yummy place to go and we were all excited to get to go not once, but twice. Sunday night was perfect, as we were actually all home at the same time.

The menu is a bound (spiral) book. It takes about an hour to read it, so you really want to have some idea of what you are hungry for before opening it. I decided before we got there that it was a chicken sort of night. Not sure why, just felt like eating chicken. Josh gave us a list of his favorites, but chicken was not on his list. The good thing was, only one page of chicken dishes. So I had an easy time selecting my dinner. I got Crusted Romano Chicken, which was deeeelicious. The chicken had been pounded flat, so it took up the whole plate. Did I say plate? I mean platter. It was served on a PLATTER. And topped with pasta, enough to feed our whole family and take leftovers home. The guys got the double barbeque bacon cheeseburger, and Tams got the Chipotle chicken fingers. Once again, on PLATTERS, with enough french fries to keep McDonalds going for an hour or so. It was an incredible amount of food.

Of course we tried to make a dent in our dinner, but it was just too much. It didn't even look like I had started on the pasta, and everyone had lots of leftovers. Some things go home well and some don't, so we ended up leaving quite a bit behind. We were too full to even imagine dessert, much less order it. Right there with the best cheesecake, and no desire for it...

So that got me thinking. Who gets to choose what a "portion" is going to be? Who decides that a plate isn't good enough but a platter will work better? And why aren't there menu selections for those of us who don't want to go home feeling like we just ate a cinder block? I didn't see a lighter menu, a senior menu, a diet menu or even a children's menu. You got a feast, whether you wanted it or not. Hmmm. I would like to know.

I was thrilled that we got to go out, and LOVED the food. But in a few weeks when we go again, I am going to look at the menu for something small! I think it will be a challenge.

A Great Sunday

Sundays are very special to me. I love to begin each week with a Sunday--it just seem to put my life back on track again.

First, I had to take Justin to work, but for the last time. He gets to drive again on Saturday, so he can get himself wherever he needs to go. What a blessing that it has been 6 months since he had any seizure activity! That is the BEST news!

I got to church just as it started. I love being there, singing, learning and fellowshipping with my friends.

After church, I always pick up something for lunch and go to the lake that is halfway between church and my home. I always drive across the dam, watch the boats for a while, then drive around below the dam to see what is going on in the park. Then back across the dam and down the river a little to a park along the water. There are huge trees there that are beautiful to see, hear, and sit in their shade. As long as it is not raining, I will sit along the river for a few hours and just watch. (I even go in the winter, though I stay in the car!) I watch for birds, animals, fish jumping, boats, jet skis, fishermen, picnics, motorcycles, and anything else that I can see. I don't say a word all that time...just sit and think, and watch, and listen. It is a beautiful time each week to just be me. I miss it if I cannot be there.

The most important part of being along the water is contemplation. This world is so fast, furious, and noisy! It is so great to spend some quiet hours every week, thinking about life, praying, reading, watching, listening. I enter the new week calm and relaxed, and at peace.

Birthday Month

In our family, we have 8 birthdays in July. Since there are so many, we have a tendency to put them all together and just celebrate once. And so we did, on July 4th when the whole family was here anyway. We had parade candy by the bowlful, all the food you would care to eat, snacks and beverages all day long, and even red, white and blue bomb pops to have during our fabulous front yard, front row seats to terrific fireworks. After the fireworks ended, we came in to allow the traffic to thin. We sang and had birthday cake. A rather special cake.

It was a milestone birthday for me this time, and I really didn't feel like making a big deal out of it. My kids kept asking me what I wanted to do, so I finally just said I would make a birthday cake to have for the 4th...and maybe we could eat out later or something.

I had a craving for German Chocolate cake. I haven't had one for a long time and decided to try it. Right after my decision, I was watching TV and Bobby Flay had a "throw down" with the best German chocolate baker on the east coast. I watched as they each baked their best, then put them to the test with the judges. Bobby's won--no surprise there--but one of the judges had taken a bite out of the "loser" cake and declared, "this is my mother's cake!" She was impressed. I went on Bobby's website and printed off the recipe for the winner.

I made a list of what I would need to make the winning cake. I could not believe the ingredient list! There were 2 kinds of sugar--a brand name I have never heard of. The recipe included goat's milk, coconut milk, a vanilla bean that you must scrape out the seeds to use, a coconut liquor of some type, special flour, special leavening, special butter, special chocolates, special pecans, special everything. It would have cost me $100 to make!

So I decided to make the "loser" cake instead. Imagine my delight when the recipe called for flour, sugar, eggs, butter, German chocolate, and other things I had already!

When I was a young bride, I thought I was a decent cook. I tried to make a layer cake out of a boxed mix. It was a disaster I never forgot. I could not get it right. It broke apart, crumbled, and generally didn't do what a cake should do. It didn't even look like a pretty good try. It looked like someone had dropped it and picked it up in pieces. And that was my best work! I did not try another layer cake again from sincere humiliation....until now....
Ta Da! My birthday cake was fun to make, beautiful to look at, and very, very delicious. I'm glad I decided to give myself a birthday present of a second chance! So happy birthday Justin, Dad, Dave, Erik, Jason, Mia, and Jaxon...and me!

Another MRI

On Wednesday last week, we went to Iowa City for another MRI. Justin always sees the oncology team afterward. They had a good report--the cancer is "stable". The doctor said instead of the normal 2 months between MRIs, it would be 3 months this time. If the MRI continues to show the cancer is stable in 3 months, then it will be 5 or 6 months the next time. This is really good news! Since Justin is now getting a paycheck, we had lunch at the Red Lobster to celebrate!

Back In The Saddle Again

I took a little break from blogging and I'm back! Since Justin is doing so well, he will not be the only person I blog about now. I will update about him as needed, but will also write about the happenings in my life and those around me.

However, just because I haven't blogged about him for awhile, I will catch you up.

Justin enjoyed a month-long stay in Atlanta. He came back renewed and refreshed. And then he got a job! He is now earning money again! Though it is not ministry related, his job as a security guard in a large medical clinic in the suburbs is a pretty good fit for now. He has a lot of down time at a desk, with frequent trips around to check doors, give directions, and make sure all is well. He has time with lots of people in the clinic, but even more time after they are all gone for the evening. He can't be on a computer, use an iPod, talk on the phone or spend a lot of time talking to people, but he can read. Since he is a voracious reader, he has been going through books like crazy. He can do an action/adventure novel in about 2 shifts. Non-fiction takes a little more time, depending on the subject. So he is rapidly catching up on all those books he hoped to read "someday." And the local library always seems to have something on hold for him.

Having a check coming in is a blessing! He decided to use his first check for a little fun before buckling down, so he bought a netbook (a small laptop computer). It is just what he needs for checking email, working on his book and playing music. Too bad he can't take it to work...

It is good to have Justin back!