Where's the Beef's?

Glad you asked...it's at 1812 Carondelet, Suite 101...and better yet, it opens MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th!!!
For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about - approximately 21 months ago (I'm referring to it like it's a child...but it kind of is) Lee and started the groundwork for opening a restaurant called Beef'O'Brady's. Finally, nearly 2 years later, we are anticipating the grand opening!
For those of you who have been on this journey with us the whole time, you are probably thinking to yourself, "it's about time!!!" Trust me, we share that thought with you.
It's been a long and tedious process, but our staff started training this week, they are doing a test run today/tonight on community friends of ours (and of our partners, the MacGillivray's) and then Monday - we open the doors "for real". Last night we did a mock run with just the employees and their families - they took turns waiting on/cooking for each other - and it went really well. The food is phenomenal! Our employees are awesome - we're tickled with our "draft picks"! Lee and I came home excited, exhilerated and dead tired:-)
Lee's been at that store 15 hours a day for the last month and between my full-time job and helping him, I've easily kept up with his strenuous work hours. We're exhausted. Thursday, I started getting sick - swollen throat, ear aches, stuffy nose...the works. Yesterday, I barely had a voice left...and today, I'm down to nothing. I can barely whisper. Put me with no voice in a room full of 100 of my closest friends and watch me suffer thru the torture of not being able to communicate!
Nicolas has taken the brunt of all the hours we're putting in, as he gets tossed back and forth between friends and family who are volunteering to help take care of him (thank God for great friends and an awesome family!!!) We're just praying that in the end, it all pays off. We know anything worthwhile takes hard work. And truthfully, we're doing this so we can be more flexible and have more time to spend with him, not less.
For those of you wondering, I have no intentions of quitting my job at the church right now. I'll simply be doing all of the accounting for Beef's and possibly hang out there a night or two each week so Lee can leave. If Beef's turns into something I should be doing full-time, I trust that God will lead me to that decision.
With that, I'd better get busy...huge day ahead of me.
See you at Beef's!

I'm Alive and Well...

Well, even though Nicolas had some pretty strong concerns about my surviving the surgery (which I must say haunted me the whole morning...I was a nervous wreck and couldn't stop crying...the nurse thought the IV was hurting and held my hand! They finally gave up on me and knocked me out...) I am alive and well. The surgery went down with no complications - they didn't even have to make the super large incision I was 'promised' to remove the enormous gall stone I had, because when they grabbed onto it, it crumbled. Woohoo... I know lots of you were praying for me and several of you even made your way back to recovery to visit. Of course, my mom and dad and Lee were there. Daniel (pastor and great friend) even somehow snuck back to pre-op and prayed with me before the whole thing got started. That's pretty much when the crying over Nicolas began. Daniel seems to have that effect on me. He's one of those guys that when he looks at you and says..."so, how are you really doing?"...if you are not really doing well...you just can't lie about it to him.
I'm pretty darn sore today and my stomach is black and blue - looks like they took turns kicking me in the gut while I was in the operating room! So, other than achiness and the general crappy feeling you have after surgery, I'm doing really well. I'm trying not to take any pain pills today. I've made it thus far, so we'll see...
My best friend from college, Courtney, sent me a package on Tues (day before surgery) with some cashew turtles from Cape May, NJ to speed up my recovery:-) I've also had my mom doting over me with mashed potatoes and gravy from KFC, my husband bringing me ice cream from Sonic, and my friend, Ashley, bringing me Andy's butter pecan custard concrete...yummmmm!!! One of my 'ya-ya's' (you know, the sisterhood...), Pam, even came over and sat with me last night while Lee took Nicolas to his soccer game. (which they won 6-0; no ties during that game!!!)
I've also had multiple caring phone calls, text messages and e-mails...so I'm totally feeling loved! Thanks friends and family...I'd be so lonely without each of you in my life...

It's today...it's today...

Only with not quite the same enthusiasm as my last post of the same title. In about 15 minutes, I'll be leaving for the hospital to have the ever painful gall bladder removed from my body. Until last night, I was actually pretty excited about this, as it has been causing me so much pain, I'm just ready to get rid of it.
Last night, however, we decided that we should tell Nicolas that I was having the surgery. I'm not expecting anything to go wrong, but just in case it does, I would hate for him to come home from school unaware that there was ever anything going on to begin with. He just thought I was going to the doctor.
So, in VERY simple terms, we explained that I was going in for surgery, they would cut my belly, take out the gall bladder, sew it back up and by the time he gets home from school I should be resting on the couch.
Out of literally nowhere...he says..."you might die!" And the waterworks began.
Now I know I've discussed with a few of my closest friends that surgery is surgery and I'm fully aware of the fact that sometimes things go wrong...but NOT with my 5-year old!
He was completely distraught over it for the rest of the evening and I rocked him to sleep with him asking me to please ask the doctor to not kill me...he doesn't want a new mommy...
Gut wrenching.
So, for any of you out there reading this...if, God forbid, something should go wrong this morning, please make sure that Nicolas knows that his mommy loves him and his daddy more than life itself. In time, he may also want to know that his mommy loves Jesus and knows without a doubt that he died on a cross just for her and that when she dies, whenever that is, she will be living with him for eternity and watching Nicolas grow into a respectable young man, who will love and honor Jesus in all that he does (my prayer), from the vast heavens...

My oh my, how time flies...

I can't believe it has been over a week since I've posted...it seems like I've had multiple times that something has happened over the past week that I've said, "I've gotta put that on the blog." Obviously, that didn't happen, so now you may never know the important inner workings of my mind...
I can say that since my last blog entry, my gall bladder surgery has been scheduled. I'll be going under the knife next Wednesday, Sept 10th at 8am at Southeast. I can't wait. I've had more trouble these past few weeks than I've had the past few months. I'm totally ready to get rid of that thing. I'm hoping it weighs about 40lbs and I wake up a new skinny person. (I've asked about that possibility and it likely weighs about 8oz...not exactly what I had in mind)
Nicolas is still doing awesome and absolutely loves school. I'm doing much better and am getting accustomed to the fact that he not only doesn't want me to walk him to his class, he would prefer that I not even be seen by his fellow schoolmates. He wants to practically jump out of the car while it's still moving...and doesn't even want me to pull into the parking lot. (Mom and Dad...if you're reading this...DON'T WORRY...I do atleast pull in the parking lot:-)
He is becoming such the little grown up. He got to check out his very own library book, already had his school pictures made and has a new best friend, Tanner, who is also on his soccer team.
His first official soccer game was Tuesday night and although the score was clearly 3-1, Nicolas said that "Coach said it was a tie..." Since we weren't the "3", I decided not to burst his bubble!
Next week, I'll be laying around relaxing post surgery, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to update the blog.
Oh...and how about that Sarah Palin...I absolutely LOVE her...what a little spitfire...reminds me of someone I know...I think we would be great friends...