If it weren't for beef you'd be a vegetarian?

Last night I had the honor of tagging along to dinner with a phenomenal group of ladies. I met them through Shooter - they were all friends of his when he was in college. To say they were an answer to prayer is an understatement. I have been lacking in the female friend department for a long time. I have been craving a close relationship with a group of girls with the same mindset as me for what seems like an eternity. One random afternoon it happened. I did it for Shooter...rearranged our weekend plans so we could go and he could hang with some buddies from college. Little did I know, I would meet some women who I would connect with in a way that makes me feel like we're all separated at birth.

Em - she's a sista from anotha motha - and unfortunately she's moving to podunk Mississippi to be with her super chef of a husband. Good thing her family still lives here so that I can still see her occasionally.

Meg - one of the sweetest hearts I've ever met - she was a good friend to Shooter and is an equally good friend to me.

Jolie - you'll never meet a more genuine person that her. Shooter always spoke highly of her and now I completely understand why.

Mrs. Cheese - this girl is a RIOT! She has a way of telling a story that will bring tears to your eyes....and she does it frequently. She's compassionate and caring and a great friend to know.

Jenn - such a sweet and quiet spirit. An avid reader and someone I know I'll spend lots of time sharing authors with (if Facebook ever lets me finally add her as a friend - grrrr!). Good luck at school girl!

There were several others I met at the gathering that were not at dinner last night....and they were sorely missed but we fellowshipped with them in spirit.

We told stories....we talked about college and marriage and dating and kids and books and life in general. We "met" at 7pm-ish and didn't leave the restaurant until after 10pm. I think we loitered in the parking lot another 30 min and it was so hard to tear ourselves away....just as we'd finish one topic of conversation another would pop up and no one wanted it to end. We all decided that it was one outing that we would have to do on a regular basis - reason or no reason.

I just thank the Lord above for his gift of friendship. I needed this so badly and I needed last night - but then again, He knew that.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, lovelies! I am off to see family so I'll be back next week.
L.

Cancer, Schmancer....

Sometimes the world just plain sucks.



I have a friend from work who's battling a recurrance of melanoma...and it is very sad. He's married with two small boys. His battle will be a long hard one, but his determination remains strong. He has a blog at the Caring Bridge site...please pay it a visit and keep them in your prayers - http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/stephenmcallister.



I have another friend who's battling uterine cancer. She's 30 years old. 3. 0. It blows my mind. She had to have a radical hysterectomy and still has to undergo chemo. She's facing a long battle as well, but her faith is in the Lord and she's remaining strong. She's one of those folks who I have envied for a long time...she has it all....she's gorgeous, has a great job, gorgeous husband, lots of money, vacation home...but she's one of the sweetest, most genuine people I know. Why this has happened to her, I'll never know. God must have something amazing to say through her.



Same goes with Stephen...why this would happen to such a young man (he's not yet 40) with two young boys I'll never know. I just shrug and try to make the most sense of it I can. And pray...pray a lot for them.



I pray a lot for all those affected by cancers of all kinds....Lord knows that every single person fighting that battle needs all the strength and perseverence they can get. May the Lord bless you and keep you....each one of you.

Fodder for your amusement....

So, last Wednesday evening Shooter and I went to dinner with our small group from church. We went to a new Japanese steakhouse in our area and had a great time!

Although, it started off rocky because we got there and sat down and ordered. We got out soup and salad....and appetizers....but no chef! We had to have waited 30 min...finally my fab friend Judy went to go and speak with the manager. Shortly thereafter the manager turns up at the table and goes into the big long spiel about how one of their chefs had his car stolen earlier in the day. That the police had found his car and came to get him from work. He left to go and get his car and didn't tell the manager. He told one of the servers that he was leaving and the manager found out from the server. She went on to explain that she was so very sorry and they had no way of knowing and that the chef had gone and cashed his check at the bank and left the money in his car. She explained that she had told the chef that they had probably followed him from the bank and then stole his car. She then explained that she had no idea what he was doing leaving his cash in the car but that she didn't think that the money would be there when he went to see his car. Ugh! Cry me a river...or as my friend Dusty said....Boo Freakin' Hoo.


Well, we finally get a chef at the table and he put on the usual show. The food was quite good....not sure if it was really that good or if I was just exceptionally hungry. At the end he does the trick of tossing food for you to catch in your mouth. Usually they do this with shrimp, I think, but he did it with bits of chicken. Well, everyone did pretty well with catching the chicken...and when it came to me I did my best. The first piece bounced off my chin and onto my plate. The second piece took a nosedive into my bra. YUP...HOT chicken right straight into my bazoomba holder...not good!!! I received all the requsite cheers and jeers and promptly shook the chicken out of my shirt...it was hot after all! I managed to get the third piece in my mouth...thank goodness!


So, that was my ultra embarassing episode for the month....please God, don't torture me like that in front of my friends! I can't help it that you blessed me with more than the average female....