Tomorrow Won’t Be Easy

Normally, Friday is a day I look forward to, but not tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow I will get to see Trav, Ashley, Mady, and Nic, which is not how I normally spend a Friday. Yes, tomorrow I get to see Journey, Pat Benatar, and Loverboy in concert at the State Fair. Sounds like it should be a pretty good day, right? There’s something I’m not looking forward to, though. Tomorrow is the day I move my baby into his dorm at the University of Kentucky.

Don’t get me wrong. I am very excited for Cody and the new adventure he is about to begin. I do understand that life is built in stages and phases, and we are entering a new one. It’s one of those bittersweet things, though. This is the last time I get to start this phase of life with one of my children. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.

I’ve had folks tell me that this drop off should be easier. After all, when I dropped Byron (the first one) off, he didn’t have anybody in Lexington, and he was getting a stranger for a roommate. Cody not only knows his roommate, but they’ve been friends for a while. Cody has people in Lexington, Trav and Nic. And these things do make me feel better about leaving him there than I did about leaving Byron there. This isn’t the same, though, and it’s definitely not easier. This time it’s my baby.

Now, those of you who know me know that I call all my kids my babies. But this is also different because it is the baby. Those of you who think it’s easy either don’t have children or you’ve not yet had to do this.

We’ve spent the week getting all his things ready. He and Tiffany have done some shopping. Piles of stuff – those things we have to take – are growing. Every time I walk by one, I want to cry. So far, I’ve been holding up pretty well. I think I may even do OK tomorrow, but that’s only because after I move him in, I’ll be going to the concert, then spending the night with Trav, and then on Saturday, I’ll be picking Cody up to take him for one last shopping trip before I actually leave him there. I have a feeling it won’t hit me with full force until I’m heading home on Saturday night. That doesn’t mean tomorrow will be easy; Jimmy may still have to drive on to Louisville, but it’s more likely he will definitely have to drive home from Lexington on Saturday.

I wish the best to all the students who are heading off to start their college careers. Keep all of them in your prayers, asking for a safe and successful year. But don’t forget to remember the parents, too. Whatever stage these parents are in – dropping off the first kid, the middle kid, or the baby – each stage has its own challenges, and the parents need the prayers to get through it.

New Food Network Show Reveals Restaurant Reality

The latest show on Food Network is Restaurant Stakeout. The show is similar to Restaurant: Impossible only in that the restaurants featured are in trouble. On the Robert Irvine show, the restaurant is failing and in dire financial straits, and it’s Robert’s job to remodel the place, upgrade the menu, teach the staff new recipes, and basically whatever it takes to improve the restaurant and make it successful. On the Willie Degel show, the restaurant is having problems, mainly with staff, and it’s Willie’s job to figure out what the staff is doing wrong and offer suggestions to fix the problems.

Restaurant Stakeout is a pretty interesting show. We’ve watched two episodes, and let’s just say that I hope we never end up in a restaurant like either of those.

To solve the problems, Willie first has to identify the problems. He has his team set up cameras all over the restaurant, and then he sets up camp and stakes out the restaurant, watching the staff’s every move. Sometimes he has the restaurant’s owner with him, and other times he doesn’t, but he makes sure to fill the owners in on what happens when they aren’t at the restaurant.

We’ve seen a variety of disturbing things so far. A waitress not only got into an argument with a customer, but she also threw a napkin at that customer, and when confronted about it, she denied it. It didn’t turn out so well for her after the video was revealed. Another waitress took the customer’s leftovers back to the kitchen to put in a to-go box, but before she put the order in the box, she helped herself to a bite from the plate. That was seriously disgusting. Not only did she have her fingers in the customer’s food that would be going home with the customer, but she was eating after complete strangers. The manager did not check on customers or seem to be aware of what the staff was doing.

On the second show we watched, several employees argued in front of the customers. One poured a drink on another. One waitress let a couple sit for twenty-five minutes before stopping to even ask what they’d like to drink. The bartenders were drinking shots with the customers, and after having a few, they were dancing on the bar; it’d be one thing if it was supposed to have been that type of restaurant, but it wasn’t. The manager here was no better than the manager on the other show.

We saw a couple of good things, such as the waiter who followed a customer into the parking lot to return the wallet the customer had left on the table and the waitress who refused to serve alcohol to a young lady who had forgotten her ID. However, on both episodes we watched, there was a lot more bad than good, and I really hope I never end up in places like those. The lack of management, both on the part of the owners and the managers they had hired, resulted in numerous problems. Had either the owners or the managers stayed on top of the situations and done their jobs properly, the other issues would have been stopped before they created havoc at the restaurants.

The thing about watching a show like this is when I eat out, now I’m thinking about all the things Willie suggests for a good restaurant. A lot of it really seems like common sense, but now I’m making it a point to see if the restaurants where I am are doing any of those things. Today, I ate at a restaurant that I believe would have passed Willie’s tests with flying colors.

Saul Good in Hamburg in Lexington is a great restaurant. The hostess greeted us warmly and with a smile when we entered and we were seated promptly. The waiter was there immediately to see what we wanted to drink, promptly returned with our drinks, and took our order. He also did an excellent job keeping our drinks refilled. Our food was delivered, and in a few minutes, the waiter was back to check on our orders. A little later, the manager was there to make sure we were satisfied with our service. Not only did our waiter seem to be doing a good job, but while watching the other waiters and waitresses, they also seemed to be doing a good job. When we needed a to-go box, he brought one to our table, which I personally think is a much better idea than taking it back to the kitchen to be boxed up.

There are a lot of restaurants out there to choose from, and people won’t go where they are insulted, where they are ignored, or where the staff doesn’t do their jobs. It’s a little scary to watch shows like Restaurant Stakeout because you want to believe that everyone in the restaurant business is honorable, and after you watch this show, you will discover that some of the horror stories you’ve heard about restaurants actually happen. The best advice I can give you is to be cautious when you choose a restaurant, and if it doesn’t look clean, the staff isn’t friendly, and you have doubts, leave and find another place to eat.

Adams Delivers Another Night to Remember

Last night in Cincinnati my husband took me to my sixth Bryan Adams concert. I never get tired of these concerts. Yes, Bryan sings pretty much the same songs every time, but he is an excellent musician, and I love to listen to him sing.

Of course, my favorite concert was the one we attended last year. Sitting in the front row on November 30, in Charleston, WV, at the Clay Center, after Bryan sang “A Night to Remember”, Jimmy whispered in my ear, “Do you want to make this a night to remember?” and before I could process the question, he’s down on one knee with an open ring box in front of me asking me to marry him. I was totally unprepared and shocked and amazed, all at the same time. Of course, I said, “yes.” Since we were in the front row, just to Bryan’s right, he did notice, and he announced our engagement to the entire crowd, and then dedicated the song “Flying” to us. After the show, he again congratulated us in front of the whole crowd, and he came over and shook our hands. Talk about a night to remember.

So when Jimmy told me Bryan would be in Cincinnati and asked me if I wanted to go, the answer was obvious. Unfortunately, we had our worst seats ever for a Bryan Adams concert (we were in the tenth row), but it was still a great concert. I just never get tired of hearing him sing. We may have been in the tenth row, but the seats were still really good. We had an excellent view of the stage, just to the left of Bryan, and we could still watch piano player Gary Breit as well.

Oh, I might mention this is The Bare Bones tour, where it’s just Bryan with two guitars and a harmonica and Gary on the piano. This is the fourth time we’ve seen him in this setting. These shows are performed in small theaters, which only seat 1200 or so people. It’s a very intimate experience and allows Bryan to interact with the crowd, as he did with us on the night we became engaged. The shows we’ve watched were at the Paramount in Ashland, KY, the Lexington Opera House, the Clay Center in Charleston, WV, and the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati, OH. If you haven’t seen one of these shows, I strongly suggest you do.

As I said before, all these shows are basically the same. Bryan and Gary both wear black shirts and jeans, every time. Both come out in black top hats, every time (fortunately, they do not wear these the entire show). They perform pretty much the same songs; there has been very little variance in what they play. The song Bryan dedicated to us is an example. That was our fifth Bryan Adams concert, and it was the first time that song had been performed. The songs are basically in the same order, and Bryan tells the same stories to set up the songs.

But even though it’s all the same, it’s different every time, too. For example, last November 30, the crowd got to experience the joy of our engagement. Bryan sang a song specifically to us. The folks who were there had a great story to tell their friends about the concert. Even without the proposal, the shows have each had their own personality because the crowds are not the same, which allows the interaction to be different. All the crowds have those people who yell something to Bryan, and in a venue that small, even those who yell from the balcony area can be clearly heard. And because each crowd has its yellers, Bryan has things to respond to which allows different types of interactions each time, giving each show a unique personality.

Last night was a great show, possibly my second favorite since of course last year’s show was my all-time favorite. First, about six or seven songs in, Bryan says that he’s going to play a song from one of his albums that “a couple of you might know”. He started playing his guitar, and I started bawling. He was playing our song … “Flying”. In six concerts, he’s only performed it twice: the night we got engaged and last night. Now, this may have nothing to do with it, but it might have. When we ordered our tickets, Jimmy emailed Bryan’s publicist and told her about last year’s show and how Bryan dedicated “Flying” to us. He never heard anything back, but then, you don’t really expect to hear anything back from folks like that. However, based on the introduction and the history, we’re choosing to believe that the publicist got word to him, and that was our shout-out. That could be totally wrong, but hey, that doesn’t really matter, because he performed that song and it made my night.

Another special event occurred last night. During “Everything I Do”, a guy a couple rows in front of us asked his girl to dance in the aisle. At that crucial moment in the song, this guy dropped down to one knee and proposed. He places a ring on the girl’s hand, stands up and wraps her in a big bear hug, then gives the crowd a thumbs up so we know for sure her answer was “yes”. Those of you who know me, know I’m a crier. And since I’ve already confessed to becoming a blubbering mess during “Flying”, I may as well confess, the waterworks were turned back on as soon as this guy went down on one knee. Unfortunately, Bryan did not witness this proposal as he did ours, though the crowd in the vicinity of the couple was going wild and even gave them a standing ovation in the middle of the song, so they didn’t get a song dedicated to them. However, in the end, that doesn’t really matter. Last night was their special night, and they have their own night to remember. The fact that Bryan acknowledged our engagement last year wasn’t what made my night special. It was that the love of my life asked me to be his wife. That was all that mattered to me, and I’m sure that’s all that matters to her. I will admit, though, that Bryan’s acknowledgment was a nice icing on the cake.

Things mostly settled down after that. Halfway through the show, Bryan invited three people from the top row of the balcony down to fill three empty seats in the second or third row to his right; this is a gesture that always makes a show great. The greatest thing about these shows is that everyone gets to leave with a story to tell their friends. Today, at work, I shared my theory on “Flying” and told of the couple’s engagement; I’ve no doubt that everyone there had something to talk about today. And when the show was over, another great one, I was completely happy. After all, I’d spent the entire evening with my favorite guy, my wonderful husband, listening to some great music from my favorite artist. I’m glad my husband loves me enough that he doesn’t get tired of taking me to these shows.

We Never Travel on an Empty Stomach

My husband and I love to eat out. Whenever we are planning to travel, one of the first things he does is to look online to see what restaurants are available in the area. When he finds one that piques his interest, he will pull up the menu to see what food choices are available. After that, he will send me a link to the restaurant’s menu and ask if I’d like to eat there. Over the years, he has found some very good places to eat. I’ll share a list of some of our favorite places to eat. Trying to rank this list became nearly impossible, so I’ll just list them alphabetically.

Aunt Catfish’s in Daytona Beach, FL – Located on the Halifax River, Aunt Catfish’s serves traditional seafood, catfish, steak, gator, crab cakes, and soups and salads. If you need a suggestion, try the catfish and the crab cakes.

Bucca di Beppo in Louisville, KY – This restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes, family style. The portions are huge, and you will definitely need to get a to-go box when you leave.

Calhoun’s in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our first visit to this restaurant was on our honeymoon. The loaded potato skins appetizer (stuffed with bbq pulled pork) made Jimmy ignore his no potato peels rule. The steak dinner was also amazing.

Dustin’s BBQ in Daytona Beach, FL – We ate here for the first time this past summer while on vacation. Our waiter had a wonderful Australian accent, but the best part was the food. The portions are huge, and the bbq pulled pork was fantastic.

Fat Patty’s in Huntington, WV – This is another new addition to our list of good places to eat. The prices are very reasonable and the food was really good. Portions here are also huge. They serve a variety of burgers; we tried the Burger on the Bayou. The onion rings provided a great side dish, and Nicole ordered a West Virginia Steak Sandwich – fried bologna and cheese – which she said was very good.

Five Guys – If you want a hamburger, forget McDonald’s or Wendy’s, you need to go to Five Guys. They make their burgers fresh as you order them, and they don’t use pre-made, frozen patties. You can order a wide variety of toppings for your burger, and the French fries are great. Jimmy will even eat some of the fries, in spite of the fact that the skins are still on the potatoes.

Japanese Steakhouse in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our honeymoon provided us with our first dinner at this restaurant as well. The Hibachi-style food is fabulous, especially the fried rice. After eating this rice, Jimmy looked for a recipe, found one that was close, and now we can have great fried rice whenever we want. I’ll warn you, though, that after having their fried rice, plain, steamed, white rice just won’t do.

Johnny Carino’s in Lexington, KY – This is my favorite of all the places on our list. I always order the same thing – Bowtie Festival. Jimmy will try different things, but I love the Bowtie Festival too much to order anything new.

Malone’s in Lexington, KY – This is Jimmy’s favorite of all the places on our list. It’s probably my second favorite. The filet mignon is definitely what you should order from here. Have the waiter butterfly it, and don’t be afraid to tell him to cook it well-done. The meat is still so tender and juicy and has such a great flavor that you’ll never want anything but a well-done steak again.

Old Chicago in Lexington, KY – For a variety of pizzas, this is the place to go. We generally get the supreme. These pizzas are loaded with toppings, and you’ll need a to-go box when you leave.

Outback Steakhouse – As you know, you can find an Outback almost anywhere. You can’t go wrong with a good steakhouse. The one thing you have to get at Outback, though, is the bloomin’ onion. Others may have a version of this wonderful dish, but Outback has the best.

Penn Station – Again, this is a place you can find all over the map. For sub sandwiches, Penn Station is the place to go.

Peking’s in Pikeville, KY – When we’re in Pikeville, Jimmy always takes me to Peking’s for a great Chinese buffet. The crab Rangoon won-tons are among the best I’ve had, as is the Mandarin chicken.

TGI Friday’s – This is another huge restaurant chain that can be found almost anywhere, and if you get the chance you should try their Jack Daniels steaks, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. It’ll be one of the best meals you will have.

Variety Pizza in Jackson, KY – The only place from my hometown to make the list, Variety Pizza is locally owned and operated. The supreme pizza with everything (except mushrooms) is the best pizza they have, but even the one-topping pizzas are the best in town.

One of the great parts of a vacation is finding a good place to eat. I hope if you’re ever in the areas listed above that you’ll give these restaurants a try. If any of these are also among your favorites, be sure to let me know. And as we are always looking for another good place to eat, if you have a favorite that’s not on my list, please share it with us.