104+ Glorious Years

1 week ago tomorrow this world lost an amazing woman. My great-aunt passed away last weekend at the ripe age of 104. It's still surreal to me that I will never see her alive again. So many of my life memories involve her. When we were young, my 3 great aunts were our babysitters. If mom had plans, we were either at the aunts' home or they were at our house. My mom fixed my great-aunt's hair every Saturday. I made $1 off each hair-do. It may not be a get rich quick plan, but I loved that dollar. It went in an envelope in the drawer of my mom's dresser and helped pay for my college. And then there were the piano lessons. And eating corn flakes with brown sugar sprinkled on top. Her last new car was purchased in 1984. It had less than half the miles on it that I have on my car after she drove it for 10+ years. I've had my car for nearly 6. Her hair was the most beautiful shade of white you have ever seen. I pray that my hair will turn white like that. I will embrace my white hair if it is that gorgeous. At her funeral my cousin and I were talking about all she saw in her years. She saw air transportation become a reality. Yet she never flew in an airplane and saw no reason to. She saw the evolution of indoor plumbing, electricity, and the telephone. She taught school for 45 years and only quit because she was forced. To love your job that much takes a special person. And she was. On her 95th birthday she perched herself atop my uncle's Harley-Davidson motorcycle. After all, she and Harley are the same age. She saw numerous presidents, 2 World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and 2 Wars in the Middle East. Woman could not vote when she was born and desegregation was still many years to come. The oldest of 9 children, she buried outlived 6 of her siblings. As I sat at the funeral next to my Papaw, her youngest brother, I thought how blessed I am. So much of who I am today would not have been possible without her. After all, I cannot sing on key to save my life. But because of her, I can read the notes and tell you what they mean. Aunt Grace, thank you for everything, from the $1 weekly allowance to the 7 years of piano lessons, enouragement through college, and support in my post-college adventures. It was my pleasure to know you. May your legacy outlast your life.

You Shouldn't Judge a Book by Its Cover

This week I had the opportunity to review the book Winter Haven by Athol Dickson. I was given a brief review of the book several weeks ago and it intrigued me. When I received the book I will admit that I briefly thought that I was no longer interested based on the cover. However, I was soon proven very wrong. This book kept me intrigued from the first chapter. I am normally a person who cannot go to sleep unless I finish a chapter. Mr. Dickson left each chapter with a cliffhanger worthy of any dramatic series on TV. I found myself having to pick a stopping point in the middle of a chapter just so I would be able to sleep and not find myself lying in bed wondering what was going to happen to Vera next. I hightly recommend you go to your nearest bookstore or check out Amazon for this great find!

Read below for a quick preview of this book! And enjoy! It is worth your time to pick this one up and read it. Thank you Mr. Dickson for entertaining my mind this past week. It was a pleasure to spend my evening trapped between the pages of your book.

***********************************************************

Boys who never age, giants lost in time, mist that never rises, questions never asked...on the most remote of islands off the coast of Maine, history haunts the present and Vera Gamble wrestles with a past that will not yield. Will she find refuge there, or will her ghosts prevail on...Winter Haven

Eleven years ago, Vera Gamble's brother left their house never to be seen again. Until the day Vera gets a phone call that his body has been found...washed ashore in the tiny island town of Winter Haven, Maine. His only surviving kin, Vera travels north to claim the body...and finds herself tumbling into a tangled mystery. Her brother hasn't aged a day since last she saw him.Determined to uncover what happened in those lost years, Vera soon discovers there are other secrets lurking in this isolated town. But Winter Haven's murky past now seems bound to come to light as one woman seeks the undeniable and flooding light of truth.

I'm Tired

So, I've been pretty slack around blogland lately. My biggest excuse is that I can't stand the fact that I have to sign out of my gmail account in order to sign into blogger because they won't let me switch my sign-in email for this blog to my gmail email. How ridiculous is that? So, I have to sign out of gmail and into blogger and then sign out of blogger and back into gmail. It's just a pain. And I'm whining. And that's childish. But I'm ok with that so it shouldn't bother you. However, if you know of a solution then you might just be my favorite person. Might. So don't get your hopes up prematurally. (Is that a word?)

So, last week the fam and I went to Disney World. What was I thinking? Ok, it was a lot of fun. It was Doodlebug's first plane trip and her first trip to Disney World. She is all about the princesses right now so it was a great time for her to go see them. It was very overwhelming for a 5 year-old and we didn't plan very well, but after the rough couple of years that our family has been through, just getting away for a week was worth every penny and souvenier.

So, in rememberance of our trip here is one of my favorite pics of my favorite little 5 year-old.

Amber Morn

I recently read the book Amber Morn by Brandilyn Collins. This book is the fourth in the series Kenner Lake. I had not read the first three books but that did not deter me from digging right into this book. On a Saturday morning a group of local citizens known as "Scenes and Beans" bloggers gathered at the Java Joint to celebrate a local author. During this celebration a trio of gunmen take them all hostage. While this book was an easy read, Brandilyn did an excellent job of intersecting some unsuspected twists into the book. I highly recommend this book to someone who would enjoy a suspenseful read without being scared. I hope to be able to read the first three books in this series and I learn more about the characters back stories. If you would like to read this book, check out the link above. Happy Reading!

1 - 82 Queen

Umm, Umm, Good. And that's really all you need to know. Because I love you, I'll tell you more.

The backstory. In K-town I have a friend named Toby. Prior to one of my vacations to the low-country he told me I should try 82 Queen. However, my friends are cheap. I love them, but they won't shell out the cash for a meal like this. So I didn't go. Oh well (or so I thought.) Then I moved down here and I heard my co-workers raving about said restaurant. I checked out the menu and thought to myself, "I'd like to try it one of these days." And in December I got my chance.

My team had our year-end party (that is PC for Christmas Party) at 82 Queen. And I fell in love. Not lust for I did not want this meal to end. It was a head over heels type of love. And this love lasted much longer than this relationship. Never in my life have I felt the need to take a bite of food and savor it in my mouth for as long as I did here. What fabulous fare did I dine upon you ask? I had the Grilled Pesto Encrusted Grouper. A finer fish has never passed my lips as did this grouper. I wanted to describe the food the way the judges do on Iron Chef America when they have been given a fabulous dish from the chefs. It was that good. Seriously. And did I mention it came with fried green tomatoes and grits? Well, it did. And they were delish. Ous. Perfect in fact. A finer grit has never passed my lips.

So, had I known what I was missing when I came with my frugal friends I would have left them to dine at a less than perfect restaurant and had a meal by myself. It would have been worth every penny and moment without them. Well, maybe not because I love my moments with my friends. But the food would be good.

P.S. There was pie. Key lime pie. Oh so very good. You should come visit and try it!

2 - South End Brewery

I have probably walked by South End Brewery a dozen times and never given it a second notice. However, my parents came into town the end of January to celebrate this and my mom's birthday. So I asked around and work and this was the suggestion that sounded best. So off we went. Mom. Dad. Me.

And it was delish. For starters we had "Roasted Garlic, Brie Cheese, and Tomato Chutney." They served it with their flatbread which is made in-house. At first I wasn't sure why my mom thought we needed an appetizer but it was probably one of the single best decisions she has ever made. I love my mom. Really. But she outdid herself with this one.

So on to the main course. I had the crab cakes with garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I love steamed vegetables and have never met a potato that didn't immediately say "eat me, Carrie, you know you'll love me." And I did. And I was in love. Oh, and the crab cakes were excellent too. Mom ordered the shrimp and grits. It's what the low-country is known for. The grits were some of the best I have ever eaten. And anytime you mention Andouille sausage I'm all there. So I ate a few bites of hers. After all, we were celebrating me too. And then my dad. Dear old dad. He doesn't do seafood. Unless it is from Captain D's. I just don't understand him. But the love is still there. He got the garlic rubbed pork tenderloin. Served over grits. The same grits from mom's shrimp and grits. And every bit as good.

All in all this was a fan-tabulous meal. My only regret is there was no room in my stomach left for dessert because the wood fired apple cobbler sounds divine. Maybe next time. There will be a next time. And I can't wait!

3 - Coast Bar and Grill

For # 3 I choose Coast Bar and Grill. This is the restaurant I went for my very first team dinner. It is located in an alley behind 39 Rue de Jean (its sister restaurant.) The atmosphere is young and hip and the old brick walls definitely add some fun ambiance to the place. In warmer weather you can choose to sit outside on the patio.

I had only been at my job for a week and a half when we went so I got to sit back, listen to the conversation, and enjoy some good food. For appetizers we had Fried Green Tomatoes and Asian Tuna Tartare. These were fabulous. The sweet pepper relish that came with the Fried Green Tomatoes was amazing. For the main course I had grilled Mahi-Mahi which came with sauteed vegetables, pramesan mashed potatoes and I got to pick my own sauce! I chose a tropical salsa and I did not go wrong. (Not to brag on myself, but still. It was what I like to call good eats!) I have eaten at Coast twice since this experience and neither experience let me down. Their Coast Crab Soup is excellent and I had a house special the other time which was 2 different seafoods. I don't remember exactly what they were, but who cares...it was an excellent dining experience. So, I rank Coast my #3 favorite restaurant in Charleston.