Biscuits N'Gravy

My husband asked me out on a date last night to one of my favorite restaurants in Richmond, Comfort. It's one of my favorite restaurants because it is a glorified Cracker Barrel. And anyone that knows me, knows the way to my heart is the Crack House. When given a food choice, I know that I am ALWAYS going to lean towards anything fried, buttered, or "southern". Fried okra, hashbrown casserole, mac n cheese, biscuits and gravy, chicken tenders, bacon, pound cake, sweet tea...

THOSE FOODS ARE WHAT LIFE IS MADE OF:-)


Of course I'm being partly dramatic, but Southern food really is the best. I know that my cholesterol thinks it's the best, too. On a sidenote, I often wonder what Paula Deen's cholesterol is... I'm not really sure where I inherited this passion for all things bad for me. I believe the only thing my New Jersey mom has ever fried was green beans. And I know my New York dad disapproves of these eating habits since I was scolded about 25 times on our recent family vacation for eating cookies. (That's a whole other issue...)

Everyone is passionate about their own type of food. You get near the South though, and that's what you're gonna get. Did you know that Mississippi is the fattest state in the U.S? I can guarantee that they enjoy their share of fried chicken, greens, and mashed potatoes. But before you sit there getting too smug, did you know that Tennessee and Alabama actually tie for 2nd place? That's really sad and it's a good thing I don't live in TN anymore:-)

Anyways, I just felt like sharing my passion for Southern food today. Any new recipes are always appreciated. Just don't tell my dad:-)






Here's a picture from our date night. It was snowing a ton during our dinner in Richmond. Unfortunately when we got back to Chester, it was just rain.

It's That Time Again.. Part II

I still love New Year's resolutions! They never get old. (Well, never say never. They do get old when my patients tell me they are going to lose weight, start taking their medicine, or stop smoking for the 50th time). I think the organizer in me loves writing in a fresh planner and scheduling fun events for the upcoming year. I think it seems fun and not so stressful at the time. But anyways, in honor of this new year, I thought I'd take a look at last year's resolutions and see how I did:

Previous 2010 Goals:

1. I plan on journaling much much more and also blogging more. My blogging didn't actually start getting bad until the end of the year. Then I realized that nothing seemed important to write about really. But I know that it really helps family and friends keep up with each other so I'm trying reeeeealllllyyyy hard to get back in the swing of things. I've already been working on this post for almost a week so things are not looking up for the blogging world:-)


2. Praying more as a couple. I would consider this a half-way-met goal. I've definitely done a better job at being a more spontaneous prayer warrior but I think we could always all do better in this area. I still would like Adam and I to be able to pray together more.


3. I want white, clean teeth this year!
I did not do anything to this goal last year:-( My teeth are no better than 2009!

4.I look forward to new travel and this year is no different. On tap this year:
- a medical missions trip to Guatemala with Lee University (DONE and definitely life changing!)
- a vacation with the Douglases to the Outer Banks (DONE and very relaxing)
- TN 10 Vacation (possibly also the Outer Banks) (NOT DONE and this makes me very sad! I need my yearly trip with those girls to feel complete. They went to D.C. this year but I was unable to go due to Greece.)
- a hopeful trip to Greece with the Reusses (DONE and the best trip of my life! Everyone needs to go!)
- Short term trips include hopefully going to see my friend Hope and a trip to Nashville and Vegas! (NOT DONE. Mostly spent our weekend trips to see family or for our anniversary. There's always next year.)

5. And of course the infamous "weight control goal". We always get in shape enough to run the 10K and this year we added a 5 mile Mud Run which was so fun! However, once these are done in August, we tend to not challenge our selves quite so much (aka be lazy). Gotta be more consistent...


Now on to this year!

1. Go to sleep by 11pm every night, excluding weekends or days off. My body NEEDS more sleep! Unfortunately I have not met that goal even once this week. It's really hard when you get home at 8pm or later.
2. Cook more meals at home or at least prepare for meals better. I find that when we don't have meals plan, we'll inevitably eat our more. This in turn affects our budget and our waistline:-)
3. Find a new job closer to home. As much as I absolutely LOVE my job and am terrified of change, I NEED to find a new job. I'm so exhausted and now my poor sciatic nerve is acting up from riding in the car so much:-( (pity party here please:-)))
4. Be more consistent to read the Bible and also keeping track of prayer requests somehow. Since I am so organized, I feel as if I get off of track reading or something then I can't ever get back on. I've learned over the years that God doesn't love you when you're just "put together". I've tried the prayer log in the journal but I just can't seem to stick with it. Does anybody else have any suggestions on what works for them? I feel like if I can track my prayers then I'll appreciate God for everything that he does, not just the good stuff.

So cheers to a new start in 2011! I hope that this year is everyone's best yet!