Family Time and a UK Win Go Great Together

Now that Thanksgiving Day is over and Black Friday has passed, what is one to do for the remainder of the weekend? How about going to a University of Kentucky football game? Yes, you read that right … a UK football game, not basketball. It’s not just any football game, though, it’s the final game of the season, and it’s against Tennessee, you know … the team that holds the third longest winning streak against a single team in NCAA history (and that team would be us). The Wildcats’ last football win over the Vols came in 1984, when I was fifteen years old, and before the players for either team had even been born. That’s right. During the players’ lifetimes, the Vols had won every football game played between these two teams. Until today.

Today was a great day for football. It was windy, sometimes a little too windy, but overall, the temperature was just fine. We were comfortable with just a jacket, and there was no need to lug all the blankets in. I, for one, am glad they went with the 12:21 start time.

We made the event a family affair, even if we didn’t all get to sit together. We had four tickets given to us, and Trav and Ashley were able to buy student tickets, which just left me having to buy two guest tickets to get all of our crew in, except for Theresa who is in Alabama visiting family over the holiday weekend. A good portion of the extended family was also there. My dad, brothers Greg and Brian, sister-in-law Kristy, and nephews Mikey and Brayden also were there. For Nicole, Brayden, and Tiffany, it was their first UK football game, and what a great first-game experience they had.

We chose the Tennessee game because our hometown boy, Channing Fugate, plays for the Vols, and we hoped this would be our chance to watch him play some college ball. He did get in some plays, but not nearly as much as we would’ve liked. We were hoping he’d get a lot of playing time, have a good game and some good numbers, but at the same time, we were hoping for the miracle that would allow UK to actually win the game.

Of course, we were thrilled that UK scored first, and that the Tennessee field-goal attempt was blocked. I asked Byron why we were not passing the football at all, and he told me that our quarterback for today was actually a wide receiver because both of our regular quarterbacks were injured. It was nearly unbelievable that we went into halftime with a 3-point lead. Even more unbelievable was the score was still 3-0 going into the fourth quarter. Luckily, UK scored a touchdown first, making the score 10-0; unfortunately, Tennessee answered that score rather quickly, making the score 10-7. As time ticked off the clock, and the realization began to set in that UK was going to win the game, the euphoria in Commonwealth Stadium created an amazing experience.

My dear husband hates football; however, I’ve lost count of the games he’s been to in the past couple years. I’m sure he could probably tell you, though. He doesn’t have to go to these games; we’d still go even if he didn’t want to, and we’d all be fine with that. But he likes spending time with us, and so he goes. Sometimes, I think he secretly has a good time, though. Even he was standing when UK scored their touchdown, and even he was standing as the final minutes ticked off the clock and the Tennessee fans in their gaudy orange began to leave the game.

Just like when we were at the Seger concert the other night and had some interesting folks sitting around us, we had some interesting characters around us at the football game. To our right was Guy with the Flask. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to be trying to get drunk, just occasionally quenching his thirst. He was somewhat entertaining, though, offering his commentary about the game and about the coach. Just below him was just a guy. The two girls sitting with him turned to apologize in advance to the folks in the row behind them, including Guy with the Flask, for the anticipated behavior of the guy who would be sitting beside them. He shows up, and even he isn’t terribly obnoxious, but he only stayed through halftime. Byron said the guy was wasted, but I didn’t agree. After Guy in the Checkered Shirt from the Seger concert, I decided this guy was only half-wasted. He was, after all, able to stand and sit of his own accord, and he left on his own at halftime. Our guess is he left because Guy with the Flask wouldn’t share the flask with him.

We also had the Guy in the Black Sweatshirt who gave a stern lecture to Guy in the Gray Sweatshirt after a significant play. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the play now, but it was significant at the time. They exchanged some words, while Guy with the Flask kept yelling “Down in front”, and finally Guy in the Black Sweatshirt did hush and sit down, prompting a round of applause from Guy in the White Sweatshirt who was a few rows in front of them. The whole exchange might have made more sense had one been a UK fan and one a Tennessee fan, but both were supporting UK. We discovered the funny thing about your team pulling off a miracle win, though, is how it brings people together. As we’re leaving the stadium, we look over and Guy in the Black Sweatshirt and Guy in the Gray Sweatshirt are acting like bosom buddies.

Nic had said she wanted to go to Steak n Shake after the game to eat. She had asked me about three times where we were going, and I told her I didn’t know, so Jimmy asked her where she wanted to go, and so Steak n Shake it was. We had to wait 20-25 minutes to get a seat. At Steak n Shake. Not Johnny Carino’s. Not Old Chicago. Not Malone’s Steakhouse. But Steak n Shake. We did, however, have a great waiter, so the entertainment supplied by Flannery (his last name) was worth the wait. The food was pretty good, too; either that, or I was so starved since the last thing I’d had to eat was a chicken biscuit from Hardee’s about nine hours earlier. Either way, we had good food and good entertainment and more of each other’s good company. Flannery made friends with Cody and Tiffany. The best part of the meal was the milkshake I got to go. Normally, I don’t switch things up much, and I’m typically a chocolate shake kind of girl. However, on the menu, I saw a chocolate-covered strawberry shake that looked divine, so I went with that, and it was definitely the right choice. It was probably the best milkshake I’ve ever had.

Nearly twelve hours after we left home, we arrived back home. Yes, that makes for a long day, but any day that I get to spend with my kids and my husband is a great day. A UK win was icing on the cake.

Tomorrow is the last day of our long holiday break. It may be shameful to say but I’m already looking forward to Christmas break (or a snow day or two). I just love spending time with my family, and that’s just so much easier to do when we’re not having to go to work or school. And since my family is growing – I will become a first-time grandmother in July – I’ll be counting down the days and looking forward even more to our family time together. Nothing in the world can beat quality time with your family.

Fast Food Shouldn’t Take an Hour

My little hometown has been undergoing construction. The major thoroughfare, Highway 15, is being expanded to four lanes, and I hear that the latest segment should open by next summer, but in addition to that, we just got a new fast-food restaurant. A new building was built to house Kentucky Fried Chicken (we already had one of those, but it moved to this new building) and Taco Bell. Needless to say, this is major news for a small town, but opening day was quite crazy around the new restaurant.

I really hope KFC did some business this week, but the majority of the traffic through there was for Taco Bell. Rumor has it that a Dairy Queen will be moving into the now empty KFC building. It’d be nice to have a DQ so we can get good ice cream whenever we want it. On Wednesday of last week, several students asked me if I was going to Taco Bell, and they were surprised when I said no. I pointed out that it was just a Taco Bell, a fast-food restaurant, and I can’t think of any fast-food chain, not even the DQ, that I like well enough to wait over an hour to get food just to say I was there on opening day.  So, what restaurants would I wait over an hour for on opening day? If any of the following were to open in Jackson, I’d probably be crazy enough to wait as long as it took to get to eat there on opening day.

1. Johnny Carino’s – In fact, when the students asked if I were going to visit Taco Bell on opening day and I pointed out that it was just a Taco Bell, a fast-food restaurant, Johnny Carino’s popped up in my reply as well. I told them if Johnny Carino’s was opening, I’d be there.

2. Saul Good – Since I wrote about the top places my husband and I like to eat, we’ve been to a Saul Good in Hamburg in Lexington. I thoroughly enjoyed the nachos appetizer and the bacon cheeseburger entree, but the desserts are incredible. My first visit, I, along with my friends, got the fondue plate for dessert. It came with melted milk chocolate to use for dipping and about six or seven different foods to dip, including bananas, strawberries, pretzel sticks, rice krispie treats, waffles, and a couple other things. The second time I ordered the banana split brownie with chocolate. Let me just say that is the best chocolate I’ve ever had in my entire life. It is chocolate worth waiting in line for over an hour for.

3. Malone’s – This restaurant has the best steaks around, and it would definitely be worth waiting in line for.

4. Old Chicago – I love Variety Pizza here in my hometown and do believe it’s among the best pizza I’ve ever had, but Old Chicago is amazing as well, and if I want a deep dish Chicago-style pizza, this is the place to go; if one opened here, I’d definitely wait an hour to get that pizza.

And, honestly, that’s about it. Short of one of these restaurants opening in Jackson, I can’t think of any others that I’d be willing to wait for more than an hour to get my food, just to say I was there on opening day. I definitely wouldn’t for a fast-food restaurant, and as you can see from the short list, I wouldn’t for most sit-down restaurants either. I’d love to see either of these four restaurants open in Jackson, but I sure won’t hold my breath waiting on it. Rumor also has it that we might actually get an Applebees and/or a Ponderosa, and it’d be great if we did, but if we do, I won’t be planning to visit them on opening day.

Patience is the one virtue that I have in short supply. I loathe having to wait for anything, especially food. It’s great that we have a new restaurant, and hopefully we will be getting more, just don’t expect to see me there waiting on opening day. I’ll just let them work out the kinks and visit after all the hoopla has worn off, and if they don’t last that long, then I haven’t missed anything anyway.

Make Time for Those You Love

What’s the best way to spend your day? No doubt about it, the answer is with your family. My best days are those when I have all the kids (and that includes their significant others) and my husband with me. Today was one of those days.

Travis and Ashley were already in Lexington; Byron and Theresa went there together since their schedule was going to be a bit different from the rest of ours. Jimmy, Cody, and Tiffany were with me in the Explorer. And the biggest adventure of the day, Nicole, for the first time, drove to, through, and from Lexington. Her friend Courtney came home with her this weekend, and so the Explorer wasn’t quite big enough to hold everybody.

Nic’s been asking for some time to drive to Lexington, and honestly, I’ve put it off as long as I could. I had great reasons for not letting her, and today there just wasn’t a reason not to let her, but we did have some conditions. First, she had to follow me there, back, and everywhere we went. Second, we were staying in the Hamburg area since it was going to be UK football game day in downtown.

So, there we were, and I wasn’t nervous about it at all. Well, maybe a little. But as it turns out, she did just fine. I suppose that means I don’t have much reason to object to her driving there again later, though I’m sure I’ll think of something.

We all met at the Regal and watched The Lion King in 3D. This is one of my kids’ all-time favorite Disney movies. It also brought back memories for Nic and me. It was the first movie she watched in a theater, when she was 4 years old and her preschool class went to watch it. I, of course, was one of the chaperones just so I could watch the movie with my little girl. When the movie was first released on DVD, Byron had it on his Christmas list; it didn’t matter that he was a teenager. In fact, based on comments I’ve heard around school and posts I’ve seen on Facebook, there are many teenagers who were quite excited about The Lion King being released in 3D.

To our amazement, we discovered that Jimmy had never seen The Lion King. He doesn’t want to admit it, but I’m sure he loved it. After all, I heard him laughing at all the funny parts. In the dark, though, and with the 3D glasses on, I can’t verify if he got teary-eyed at all during the sad parts. The songs are among the best things about the movie. There’s no way to watch without singing the songs; the hard part was to not sing out loud enough for the whole theater to hear you.

After enjoying a great movie, the whole crew of us went to Old Chicago Pizza where we had a late lunch. If you’ve never eaten there, you most definitely should. We filled one corner of the patio, where it was a little breezy, but with the wonderful company I was with, that was easy to overlook. We enjoyed both great pizza and great conversation.

Finally, it was time to part ways. Trav and Ashley went back to their apartment while Byron and Theresa headed home for another commitment. Nic and Courtney followed me to Super Wal-Mart so we could pick up a few groceries before heading back to Jackson.

All-in-all, days like today are the best. With our busy schedules, we sometimes give up the things that we shouldn’t give up to make room for things that won’t matter in the long run. As long as you have your family around, make it a point to spend time with them. It doesn’t have to be a trip out. Movies, games, conversation, and food at home work just as well. The point is to make the time for those you love.

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.