Life of Brian

Welcome Wyatt!

2012-01-26T16:52:00.005-05:00

We found a stray dog at the beginning of December 2011. It was a cute little long-haired dog-- very small, about 5 lbs. I posted "Lost Dog" ads on all of the neighborhood websites and took the dog to the vet to see if it was micro-chipped. It wasn't. After a few weeks, "Falcour" became part of the family. I've never had a little lapdog before, but found it to be just what I was looking for. Something little that needed me. Grayson fell in love with the dog as soon as he saw it, and every day we'd take him for a walk around the neighborhood. A few weeks later, on New Year's Day, Grayson and I went for our usual walk. The neighbor down the street was outside and recognized the dog. He said it belonged to him. I gave him the dog and Grayson and I returned home with tears in our eyes-- and an empty leash.

After having Falcour for a short time, I had grown very attached and really missed having a puppy in my lap every night. I began searching for a new dog-- one that wouldn't ever get big. I found an ad in the paper for a Maltese. The puppy was 8 weeks old. Within the week, I bought him, brought him home and named him Wyatt. I had forgotten how much work it could be to keep up with a puppy! He's full of enegy; he has lots of personality, and loves his toys. He currently weighs 3 lbs, and will grow into about 6-8 lbs. Grayson fell in love with him immediately and gives him a good workout everyday in the front yard!

Welcome to the family, Wyatt!

Welcome to the Family!

2012-01-15T15:09:00.003-05:00

We got a new puppy yesterday. He's an 8 week old Maltese, and we named him Wyatt. He's very, very smart!

Wow!

2012-01-10T16:35:00.008-05:00

Yes, I am a terrible Blogger! I can't believe that a habit that I once took so seriously has become something that I entertain once a year. Well, it's been 1.5 years since my last entry, and things have been so hectic. Grayson came back to live with us in September of 2010. He is still the light of my life and the apple of my eye. He turned 4 in October and he's just beginning to read.

Last year was interesting to say the least. I left the Biscuit in May. It was hard to do, after being there for a decade. But it was time to leave, and to leave on good terms. I'm now managing Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand in East Atlanta. My car is no longer wrapped, my identity of Mr. Biscuit is gone, too. But that's what I wanted- I didn't want my job to be my life any more. I have a husband and a child now, and that is my life. I still put in long hours, but at least now when I leave work, I can leave work behind.

We went on our annual pilgrimage to Hilton Head in August-- Grayson learned to swim like a fish and we couldn't get him out of the pool. The week after we got home, I got sick with shingles-- probably the worst illness/ pain I have ever experienced. It took months for the pain to go away and I still have a few scars. I lost a lot of weight, and most of the use of my right arm for a few months. But now I'm back- well, about 90% back. I really didn't think I would make it to see my birthday, so when December 14th came around I felt like I had reached a milestone.

I lost my Betty in July. She was an old dog and the years hadn't been kind. She was totally deaf near the end. It was the hardest thing to go through.... luckily, Michael got stuck with the dirty work- he took her to the vet and had her put down. By the time I got home she was buried. I don't think I could've done any of this on my own. Today, our dog Max died. He's been sick for a couple of weeks. We were planning all weekend to put him down today, but neither of us mentioned it this morning. When I went out to the feed the dogs this afternoon, he was gone. I buried him in the back yard. Michael is still asleep (he goes to work at midnight), so he doesn't even know yet. I'm sure he suspects and I hope that he's grateful that I took care of the hard part for him, as he did for me.

Well-- that's the year in review for me. I promise that I'll revist this site again soon and hopefully be better about blogging on a regular basis. Love!

MIA

2010-07-19T18:42:00.004-04:00

Yes, I am Missing in Action lately when it comes to this Blog. I often feel like deleting it, since I seem to pay it no attention lately. But, once in a while I go back and revisit some of the things I've written over the past few years. I realize that this is my life-- there are comments from people here that are no longer with us. Pictures of things that I had forgotten. I guess there is a reason that I decided to start this journal. It has followed me from the birth of my puppies, through my wedding, through Grayson's first steps and words, etc. I used to blog about something every day-- the remodeling of a room, painting a wall, growing a flower, building a pond. It probably doesn't mean very much to anyone but me.

The things I write at this moment probably have no significance to anyone, but I will go back some day and reread this and remember where I was, what I was thinking, etc. So I'll continue.

For now I'll just end by posting a picture of Grayson from this weekend. He is growing into such a smart boy-- he has the looks of a child model and the personality to go along with the looks. I am so happy that he is still part of my life, even if I only see him every other week.

Christmas in April...

2010-04-04T16:50:00.003-04:00

Grayson came to spend the night with us on Friday. This is his first visit since a few days before Christmas. We had a pile of Christmas presents for him and he had a great time opening all of the packages. He got some books, a Mr. Potatoe Man, clothes, toys and a remote control pickup truck. We had a great 24 hour vistit that ended too soon. I guess we'll hide the Easter eggs some time in July!!!

Time to Reinvent Myself...

2010-03-01T19:13:00.003-05:00

It's time to shift my focus. I always hated to hear about other people's dreams. Probably because I never had dreams for myself. I was never able to find my little niche-- my goal in life. I've probably read every self-help book known to man, and all of them say the same thing: set goals and go for them. Don't get me wrong... I do have ambition, and I have stumbled upon some successes in my life. I have been running a very successful catering business for 7 years now. I built this career out of nothing. But-- never as a child did I utter the words "I want to be a caterer when I grow up". I never even considered that possibility for the first 37 years of my life. I am good at what I do... I might even admit that I am damn good at what I do. But, it's something that I stumbled upon-- it wasn't a goal. Never in my life have I set a goal for myself and achieved it. I can say that situations have been thrown at me, and I have excelled, but I never had a goal or a visual image of what would become of me.

Until now. I am happy to say that I finally saw an image and set a goal. I enrolled in school a couple of months ago. I am going to be certified as a Personal Trainer! I really enjoy working out and I enjoy helping people. The puzzle pieces finally came together and I made a decision to go for it. The course I am taking includes 14 parts. I have already completed the first 7 of them, and I have a 99.3 average. I am also learning a lot about the human body and nutrition. I'm really trying to be the best I can be. Money has been very tight for the past year, and I'm hoping that my efforts will add the income that we need to survive.

So, if I seem to AWOL lately, you know why. I'm still working 50 hours a week as a caterer.... going to the gym 10 hours a week (working out and observing)... and then coming home to study for another hour or two each day. I am working hard and really trying to make this happen. I would hate for my first actual goal to be a complete failure. Wish me luck!

Missing My Baby...

2010-01-15T22:49:00.003-05:00

I taught him to walk....

I bought him his first toy...

I taught him to sing & laugh...

I changed his diapers and bathed him...

I witnessed his first real laugh,

And I taught him to eat with a spoon and drink with a straw...

I made it a daily tradition to visit Dairy Queen for dessert & play on the playground.

I sat with him at the hospital when he was sick...

I provided his first bedroom...

And filled it with toys and stuffed animals.

I taught him to say the most important words: "I Love You", and "I'm Sorry".

I introduced him to Santa Clause.

I slept with his little head on my chest and my arm around his waist for a year.

We held each other and we thought we were safe.

I protected him like a mother lion,

I skipped meals, so that he could eat.

I taught him not to hit or bite..

I taught him to be kind and gentle.

In return for my efforts, I was vilified.

I became the bad guy.

He was ripped away from me a few days prior to Christmas.

My year of being a father was over, and my child disappeared.

Even now, his image is the last thing I see when I go to sleep at night,

And the first thing I envision when I wake up.

I never thought that I would be this involved with a child,

That my love for another human being could be so great.

I never thought that my love could turn into a dagger in my heart.

Hitting Bottom....

2010-01-08T19:48:00.004-05:00

I don't know how I'm still holding it together.... A couple of weeks ago I was on top of the hill. Now I feel like I've hit rock bottom. Grayson was removed from our custody on 12/23. His Christmas presents are all still sitting here unwrapped. I guess I'm having trouble facing reality. I don't know if he will ever return. But I keep his presents in his room-- and keep his bedroom door closed. He was such a big part of my life and my total focus for the past year. I still see him in every room of my house-- but he isn't really here any more. Luckily I've been so busy with work that my mind it constantly occupied. But when I come through the front door of my house, it hits me. I go to the gym every day. I'm not actually working out anynmore, though. I pretty much go in, do a couple of excersises and then head to the shower. I've found that that small shower stall is the only place in my world that I can close myself in and have a good cry every day.

It's getting a little easier to deal with now that the holidays have passed and I've had a couple of weeks to get used the silence in the house. I miss that little boy so much-- you can never imagine how it feels to have the biggest part of your heart ripped from your chest. I'm dealing with it, but it isn't easy. I worry about his future most of all. I worry about my future, too. I know it will get easier to deal with all of this-- time heals all wounds, they say.

My Montage 12/28/09 at OneTrueMedia.com

2009-12-28T20:21:00.001-05:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Thanksgiving '09

2009-11-28T17:02:00.003-05:00

We had a great time with my family at Mom's house on Thanksgiving day. All of the family was there, except for my brother Jim. Jim went to his girlfriend's family's get-together somewhere in Louisianna. We had a great time and spent most of the day with my family. On the way home, we stopped by Michael's father's house. He was celebrating Thanksgiving alone and seemed to really appreciate the fact that we stopped by. I don't understand that side of my family. How can his children have a huge get-together at the lake and not invite their father? His ex-wife (their step-mother) was invited and enjoyed a fun three days. Maybe I'm being overly critical-- maybe I don't understand the family dynamics. I've only seen the family all together one time, at a wedding. Maybe there are scars that I'll never understand. I just can't imagine shutting my father out of my life for any reason.

Anyway... the day after Thanksgiving we drove up to Lake Alatoona to join Michael's mother and sisters. We weren't able to spend the night as we had originally planned, but we got to spend a few hours with the kids while the rest of the adults went on a Black Friday shopping spree. The lake house was beautiful and the kids had a great time at the lakeside playground. Grayson is growing up so quickly- and he's able to hold his own with the older kids.

I can't believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone. I can't believe that we are in the "holiday season" already. It seems like only yesterday we were saying "Happy New Year". I guess it's true that time goes faster and faster the older you get.

Reflections...

2009-11-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

This battle has been going on for almost a year now and I'm getting tired of it. I'm not giving up or giving in, though. I can put up with the aggrevatoin. I can defend myself against the accusations and criticizing. I just have to try to stay strong, and remember that I'm doing my best. In the end, there is a goal in sight and a child's future at stake. God, give me strength to see this through.

Grayson's Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:04:00.002-04:00

Halloween '09

2009-10-31T20:58:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought it'd be a great idea for a cheap costume... I went as Tom Cruise from "Risky Business". I roamed the streets of East Point and even went to the Corner Tavern in my skivvies! In the movie, Tom was wearing briefs... I didn't want to follow suit. I guess I can stand going out in public in boxer briefs.... but it's too cold to go out in tighty whitey's.... if you know what I mean!

Happy Anniversary to US!

2009-10-23T20:06:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that it's been a year since Michael and I headed West to get married! This time last year, we were checking into the Roosevelt Hotel in LA. We got a free upgrade to a luxury hotel room, overlooking Hollywood Blvd. Our wedding ceremony was held the following day-- shortly after we had our picture taken with a couple of Marilyn Monroe impersonators outside the Chinese Theater. The ceremony was very simple-- money was tight and we couldn't afford the cliff side or beach ceremony. We opted for the wedding chapel venue. It was just the two of us, a Pastor and the world's worst photographer. There was ONE invited guest-- my former roommate, Christian. He was a no show & later claimed that he was sick.

The wedding chapel was as tacky as I expected. We stood with the Pastor under an indoor trellis covered in silk pink roses. We told the Pastor that we had written our own vows, but he ignored that request and went on with the ceremony as usual using prewritten vows. The vows we spoke to each other were probably better in hindsight.. they were dead on, and both of us cried as we attempted to repeat them. It was a totally moving ceremony, but we both regretted that we didn't get to say the things that we had spent weeks working on. We did read our personal vows to each other on the way to the car, and we ended up crying again and holding each other in the wedding chapel parking lot.

After the ceremony, we headed to Redondo Beach. We walked the pier and stopped for a drink in the local tavern. We watched the sun set over the ocean and relished in the fact that we were legally married. Just as legal as our parents had been. Who would have known that we were one of the last gay couple that could enjoy this right? A month later, gay marriages were outlawed due to Prop 8. Our marriage status was in limbo for the next several months. Sometime around February or March it was announced that marriages performed prior to November 3rd, 2008 were grandfathered in-- our marriage was still valid!

Since then, life has been a rocky road. Both of our work situations changed, money is tighter than ever and the "happily -ever-after" dream I had of marriage hasn't panned out. It's been a year, and we've settled into our roles as husbands and fathers (did I mention that we are raising a baby?). In the past year, we've gone through the "richer or poorer, sickness and in health" routine. Everything bad has been thrown at us, but we're still together and things are getting better. I'd walk through fire for that man, and I know he'd do the same for me. We are a family-- as strange as it may sound.

Happy Anniversary, Baby. I warned you that this was a life sentence with no chance of parole, and I meant it! Thank you for always being there for me, for encouraging me and supporting me. You are my knight in shining armor and I love you! I look forward to growing old with you and continuing to love you to the nth degree!

Below are the vows that we personally wrote to each other. Enjoy a private look at our inner-most thoughts:

Michael's vow to me:

It has been written that love is its own country that the world invades. It has also been written to love someone is to fly with the angels and if you are lucky your hands and hearts are connected, your body, you soul. I can only thank God that I have been able find the one person with whom all of this becomes manifest.
Brian, before you came into my life I was very much adrift. Now, I find a complement to my strength, am enhancement where I am weak. And, I am very blessed to do the same in return and have you love me…in return.
Brian, I pledge that you will always have my love. That you will always have me to lean upon and me upon you, our love is and always will be complete and perpetual.
This I promise today, tomorrow, and always.

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

My vow to Michael:

I, Brian, choose you, Michael, to be my soul mate and husband. In sickness, I will nurse you back to health. In health, I will encourage you on your path. In sadness, I will help you to remember. In happiness, I will be there to make memories with you. In poverty, I will do all that I can to make our love rich. And in wealth, I will never let our love grow poor.

When you need someone to talk to, I will be there for you. When you need a helping hand, you’ve got mine. When you need someone to laugh with, turn to me.

I promise to you a life time of happiness and I am so grateful to God that you entered my life.

Through the good and the bad, I will be beside you to protect you and love you as long as we both shall live.

Children's Museum, Etc.

2009-08-31T17:52:00.002-04:00

We took Grayson to the Children's Museum this weekend and he had a blast! I brought the camera with me, but forgot to bring the memory card, so I didn't get any pictures. You'll have to imagine about 1000 pictures of a kid smiling non-stop! He was able to climb ropes to get into a tree fort... he got to tap dance in a mirror with Sophie... he went fishing in a pond (wearing a fireman's raincoat)... and he got to ride on a John Deere tractor!

I try my best to fill every weekend with memories that I hope he will never forget. I know he's young; probably too young to remember any of this. Maybe I'm preserving these memories for myself.

We dropped him off at his mother's house today. As usual, I broke down when it was time to take him home. I gave him a bath and dressed him-- tears flowing the entire time. I try not to get emotional like that in front of him, but sometimes I can't help it. After he was dressed and ready to go, I took him to my bed and we read an Elmo book. He is so smart- he turns the pages of the book for me until I get to the end. So, I'm reading and tearing up and he looks at me and says "I love you". That little guy knows how to worm his way into my heart.

I know that I am silly. I know that I'll see him in a few days and there is nothing to worry about. I just imagine everytime that the weekend is over: "what if this is the last one?". His mother could decide at any minute that she no longer wants to "share" custody with us. DFACS is all over her, too. They could take him away in a heartbeat and place him with new parents. As long as he is in my house, I feel safe. Dropping him off at his mother's house worries me to death.

I wish I could press the fast forward button and get to the time when he is with us permanently.

A Week in Paradise!

2009-08-18T20:27:00.006-04:00

Once again, I am sorry that I haven't posted more regularly. I have a new virus protection on my computer that prevents me from posting pictures on the Blog. What's the point of posting a blog without pictures??? In a desperate effort, I will try posting this blog using my laptop and hope that it works!

To catch you up.... nothing has changed since we last spoke. We took our annual family trip to Hilton Head a couple of weeks ago. Grayson LOVED the beach and the pool. He even swam alone for a few minutes! I am sure that he's trying to figure out what happened to his daily routine-- for 7 days he joined us for coffee at Java Joe's... played in the kiddie pool and then played on the beach and made sand castles. Since we got home, there is no pool, ocean or sand. We do let him play in the sprinkler, but it's not the same.

Anyway... here are a few pics of the highlights from the trip. Enjoy!

More Hilton Head Pics

2009-08-18T20:21:00.001-04:00

A Wonderful Weekend

2009-06-14T15:37:00.004-04:00

Michael and I really took on a lot of responsabilities this week! Grayson came to stay with us on Wednesday. We had a great couple of days spending time with him. He has a crazy new hair style-- his Momma got his hair twisted. It only lasted a couple of days-- all of the rubberbands that held it in place fell out this morning-- well, that's our story and we're sticking to it!

On Friday, Andrea called with an SOS-- she had to work and didn't have a sitter, so Sophie came to spend the night with us. Of course, we had the worst rainstorm that night and the power was off until about 4am the next morning. She was a little scared... Grayson slept through the whole thing and never even noticed that it was raining!

On Saturday morning we picked up Grayson's brother, Jordan. He spent the night with us and got to spend some time with his little brother. We had a great time playing in the yard and going to the park. We went to PetSmart and got two new fish for the pond. The kids got to name their new fish (they named them Little Jordan and Nemo).

We went to Lowe's and got some new flowers for the garden. We planted the flowers while Michael cooked a delicious spaghetti dinner for us and we ate on the patio. After dinner we went for a long walk-- we even took our dog, Lady with us. We taught Sophie how to sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in a round. As it got darker, Jordan began to get a little scared and swore that we were being followed by a ghost. We tried to assure him that there were no ghosts following us and then he told us the story of a ghost named Jehovah that lived in his old neighborhood. Classic! After our walk, we got the kids tucked into bed- then we washed three loads of laundry, so the kids would all go home the next day with clean clothes.

This morning, I went to Lowe's and got a new pump for the pond. The kids helped me tear the pond apart to get the old pump out. Then we installed the new pump and rebuilt the stones around the pond. The fish seemed much happier afterwards. Michael served us breakfast on the patio-- scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. After breakfast, the kids had a dance contest (Jordan can really outdance Beyonce to the tune of "Single Ladies")... they made paper flowers and butterflies and stapled them to sticks to plant around the pond. We went for another long walk, and dropped Sophie off at her house. Grayson got dropped off at his Mom's afterwards, and Aunt Sue picked up Jordan from our house an hour later to take him to a pool party.

It was so much fun having a house full of kids for a few days. It's amazing how domestic we can be at times. If you drove by our house the last couple of days, you would've seen a yard full of happy kids, toys, strollers, etc. You'd also see a couple of old guys sitting under the umbrella-- stressed to the hilt and smiling the biggest smiles you've ever seen. The house had life in it-- there was laughter and kids creating art and telling stories. A couple of the kids were in desperate need for attention and love. They got it. And they gave it back to us in return.

The house is quiet now, except for the hum of the dishwasher and the tumbling of the dryer. The dogs are taking a well-deserved nap. Nemo and Little Jordan are happy in their pond. All is well with the world, and Michael and I are still smiling! We survived the weekend and look forward to many more weekends like this!

Who Would I Be....

2009-05-15T18:59:00.003-04:00

...if it weren't for the Biscuit. To tell the truth, I feel as if my entire life has revolved around the Biscuit for the past 7 years. My name has become synonymous with the Biscuit. At the gym, in the stores... pretty much wherever I am, people call me "Mr. Biscuit". Maybe it's because I drive the Biscuit car. Maybe it's because I am never caught without a Biscuit logo on my shirt. Maybe it's because all I ever do is talk about/ promote/ sing the praises of the Biscuit 24/7.

I feel like these days are coming to an end. Starting on Monday, my job will be so drastically different. They have already replaced me. Someone else will be calling the shots-- sitting at my desk-- answering my emails and phone calls. Someone else will be unlocking the doors in the morning- brewing the coffee, cooking the biscuits.

I haven't lost my job (yet). I'm still on the payroll-- forced to watch someone else do my job. It'll be hard to witness. I know that I am just being used as a safety net-- someone to turn to when things aren't going right. A disposable safety net.

The Biscuit has been very good to me over the years. I've worked hard and learned plenty. If it's over, it's over and I am better for having had the experiences that I have had. I've learned every facet of the restaurant business-- I've bussed tables, waited tables, washed dishes and taken out the garbage. I've done the accounting, the marketing, the scheduling, the inventory and the payroll. I've taken a catering dept from under $30k/year to over $200k/year, doubling sales each year single-handedly. My resume will be impressive.

It's hard to see it all come to an end. I don't want to say goodbye. Not yet.

More Flower Pics!

2009-04-05T18:02:00.002-04:00

We Need Something To Cheer Us Up...

2009-03-24T18:55:00.004-04:00

Some pictures of the new flower garden! The tulips are starting to bloom, and the pansies are finally in their prime! Enjoy!

Goodbye, My Friend...

2009-03-23T20:07:00.002-04:00

We got the news yesterday that Beverly passed away. She has been fighting cancer for a little over a year.

I have many memories of Beverly that I will never forget. I met Beverly at the Tavern, and through Beverly I met all of my current East Point friends, including my husband, Michael.

She was my biggest supporter-- no matter what crazy thing I was attempting to do. I used to host a movie night at Main Street Bar & Grill. Beverly always rallied the troops and got a good sized group of people to show up. Beverly dressed in costume to all of the movies. Pictured above is our Rocky Horror costumes!

I'm not going to raise her to Saint level now that she is gone. She could be a real pain in the ass sometimes! She knew it, too! But we always got through any differences that we had, and there was a love between us that I cannot put into words.

I will miss Beverly so much. I will miss waking up and looking at her blog every morning for an update. She was an excellent writer and story teller. She was a wonderful friend and those that didn't get to know her really missed out on something special.

Goodbye, my friend. And thank you for the sharing the ride with me!

Spring is Almost Here!!!!

2009-03-16T19:49:00.003-04:00

Here are a couple of pics of my flower garden.... it should be in full bloom in the next couple of weeks!

It's Been a While

2009-03-15T07:58:00.003-04:00

First off, I need to apologize for not updating my Blog over the past couple of months. Life has been hectic! We are trying to get custody of a baby, Grayson. We've had him here, off and on, since the beginning of January. It's a tough battle, but in the end it will be great for all of us. Michael started his new job as the manager of the new Biscuit in Sandy Springs. Now we both work long hours & early morning shifts. Providing daycare for Grayson hasn't been easy, since we both usually leave home around 4am. But... we found a great daycare provider that has been able to work around our schedules.

Grayson turned 17 months old this week and it's time for him to have his own room. I did some online research yesterday and found some really cute bedroom furniture for little boys. I can't wait to get his room all fixed up and cute! It will be nice for him to have his own dresser- right now we have clothes tucked away in every nook and cranny we can find. And toys!!!! They are everywhere! His playpen is so full of toys that there is barely room for him the there! I want to get him a toy box of his own-- somewhere he can learn to go to look whenever he wants to play with something, instead of it all lying in one pile in the playpen.

Fixing Grayson's room will be a project. The room needs to be cleaned out-- existing furniture taken to storage, walls need to be painted, floors scrubbed, etc. It will be worth it though... it will be cool for Grayson to have a room of his own. He's never even had a bed of his own. We're looking forward to having our bedroom back, too! It's not a lot of fun to have a squirming baby between us every night!

The front yard is starting to look incredible! All of the bulbs I planted last Fall are coming up and beginning to bloom! I planted about 400 jonquils and they are in full bloom already. I also planted a few hundred tulips (all different colors) and they are up and budding now... any day now they'll begin to bloom! I love Spring! It's probably my favorite season-- everything is new and beautiful! It's hard to believe that a couple of weeks ago everything was covered in snow!

Grayson

2009-01-23T21:12:00.004-05:00

Another Biscuit

2009-01-12T20:12:00.006-05:00

Michael and I went to Raleigh this weekend for the opening of the 7th Biscuit! This one is really upscale-- it includes a full bar and is open til 2am on weekends! The new Biscuit has a different menu from all of the rest of them-- most of the signature items are gone and have been replaced by dishes that the new owners thought would be more appealing. The oatmeal pancakes and turkey meatloaf have been replaced by the eggs Benedict and pulled-pork quesadillas. I guess I should have sampled some of the things from our traditional menu, but I wanted to try the new stuff.

The atmosphere was incredible, and the other patrons seemed very happy with their food. It just wasn't the same as the original Biscuit. Hopefully they will work out the kinks and revise the menu. If something works, why mess with it, huh?

Anyway-- we had a great time in Raleigh-- despite it being the farthest I've ever driven and add to the fact that we were traveling with a 15 month old. A 6 hour trip took 9 hours, due to the frequent diaper changes and sleepy eyes of the driver!

On the way back home, we stopped at the friendliest McDonald's you could ever imagine. The manager, Denise, was the perkiest person I've ever met. She was actually singing the McDonald's theme song when we came in ("I'm loving it..."). As we ate, we heard her speaking to her co-workers of her dreams to wear a Ronald McDonald costume and greet people on the street. She even said that a Grimace outfit would be fun too. She was the happiest fast food worker I've ever seen. I wish she lived in Atlanta-- I'd hire her to work in the bakery in a heartbeat!

Where Is Your Anger?

2009-01-07T22:12:00.001-05:00

Copy & paste this link to your browser....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nh2C8q8jnM

Haunting Memories

2009-01-03T20:37:00.003-05:00

One of my oldest friends, Jennifer, sent me this picture through Facebook. Oh My God! It was taken when I was in the 8th grade~~ disco class! I was so much shorter than my classmates-- thank God for growth spurts!

Plan B

2009-01-03T14:27:00.008-05:00

My home computer was attacked with a virus about three months ago. I dealt with it and struggled through for a month, and then broke down and spent a couple hundred dollars to repair it. The repair came with a 30 day warranty. Wouldn't you know it, around day 31 it was attacked with another virus. So... I haven't been able to post anything here lately.

Plan B--- my laptop is now set up in the living room and it's functioning (w/o a virus) off the of the wifi box on my old computer. I'll need to get a new PC soon-- maybe with my tax refund. I think I'll go with McAffee, cause Norton hasn't been a big help.

Anyway-- lots to catch you up on:

Christmas Day was spent at my brother's house, Michael's father's house and Michael's sister's house. This was our first time doing duel family holiday duties. It went pretty smoothly and I think we all had a good time. It seems though that most of our time at each house was spent arranging to get group family pictures!

The following night, Michael's brother called and asked me out to dinner. It was kind of strange and awkward in the beginning, but Bryce and I had a great time at TGI Friday's. We sat and talked for about 3 hours, and I afterwards I really felt like a member of the Hill family for the first time.

For New Year's Eve, we went to Brent and Sarah's house. We stayed for an hour or so and then raced to the Corner Tavern before midnight. I wasn't really planning on going out, but at the last minute I talked myself into it.. how could I miss midnight at the Corner Tavern? It's been a tradition for years.

Last night we went to Cirque du Soleil at Atlantic Station. The tickets were a Christmas present from me to Michael (I'm glad he opted to take me!). It was opening night and they pulled out all the stops... free appetizers, free popcorn, free soft drinks... cupcakes were passed out at intermission. The show was incredible and I highly recommend it. This was my third Cirque du Soloeil show, but Michael's first.. it was fun to see it through his eyes.

Well, that's all I've got for you for now-- enough?? Next on the horizon is the opening of our new store in Raleigh. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it there for the traditional picture of the new owners/managers in my car. It's probably going to be a one day trip-- ugh!

It's a Wonderful East Point Life

2008-12-28T16:46:00.001-05:00

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This Week...

2008-12-14T09:07:00.002-05:00

I've been a little obsessed with Jib Jab, Elf Yourself, Mafia Wars and all things Facebook! If you haven't tried any of these sites/games, I highly recommend them, but caution you that they are addictive!

Random thoughts--

A few months ago I posted how excited I was to buy gas in SC for $3.59/gallon. This week I got it for $1.42/gallon! If gas prices keep falling the way they have, they will be paying us to get gas soon! I love it!

Boxes of Christmas cards are still sitting on my desk waiting to be filled out.... hopefully I can get to those this week.... gotta finish the "Thank You" cards for the wedding gifts, too. Procrastination is my new best friend.

We went to dinner at Pizza Fusion for my birthday last night. Mom couldn't make it because she's been very ill the past couple of days-- hope she's feeling better soon... we missed her! It was a fun night and the organic pizza was delicious. The waitstaff and managers even sang Happy Birthday to me!

Snowball Fight-- East Point Style!

2008-12-07T12:15:00.001-05:00

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It's a Wonderful (Jib Jab) Life

2008-12-07T10:48:00.001-05:00

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Eunice on the Gong Show......

2008-12-07T08:50:00.002-05:00

I loved the Carol Burnett show... and this was one of my favorite skits. Eunice was picked to go on the Gong Show, and dreamed of becoming rich and famous-- leaving her poor white trash family behind.

Part One:

Part Two:

I felt so sorry for Eunice when she got "gonged". You can see all of her dreams going down the tubes.

My Family

2008-12-06T14:44:00.001-05:00

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Michael Will Kill Me......

2008-12-06T13:36:00.003-05:00

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Swiped from the Vent-- Prop 8

2008-12-04T22:30:00.001-05:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Today is World AIDS Day...

2008-12-01T17:58:00.004-05:00

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Some people have never heard of it. Some wore red ribbons to work today in support of their friends and family members that have been infected. Some spent a moment reflecting on the lives and loves that they have lost in this battle. For some people, every day is AIDS Day and they avoided the entire subject today.

I read today that 6000 children are orphaned by AIDS each day. That's 250 per hour. Twelve children will have lost at least one parent while you are reading this short blog entry.

This is ridiculous. AIDS is preventable. We know what causes it, and how to avoid it. We've been fighting this disease for over 25 years. Why are thousands of people being diagnosed with it every day?

2008-11-30T09:00:00.008-05:00

Sophie spent the day with us on Wednesday. When Sophie comes to visit, we always get a lot of yard work done-- cheap labor! Any other child would dread coming to our house, but Sophie seems to enjoy working in the yard. We got so much accomplished-- cleaned the gutters, raked the yard, cleaned out the pond, removed dead plants from the gardens, replaced some rocks around the pond, and burned most of the fallen tree limbs that were lying around the back yard. Sophie really enjoyed the fire pit and burned just about anything she could find that was "burnable". Once again, we enjoyed some veggie soup and a good bottle of wine on the patio by the fire. We even broke out the Ipod and introduced Soph to the soundtrack of "Wicked". She enjoyed playing the role of the Witch as she "flew" around the yard on her broomstick! Awesome day!

Thursday was Thanksgiving at Mom's house. I wish I had taken more pictures, but trust me that the food was incredible and it was great to see the faces of all of my relatives and give thanks for the many blessings that we all are lucky enough to enjoy.

Black Friday~~~ For those of you that are long time readers of this Blog, you know that Black Friday is the highlight of my year. I always enjoy searching the websites and going through the sales ads on Thanksgiving to map out my best course of action for the biggest sale of the year. Normally I am standing in line at some shopping center by 3am on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Normally I am unloading a carload of items into the house by 9am. This year was different. I looked through the ads but didn't see anything that caught my eye. Last year was the year of big screen TVs--- I don't need any more TVs-- there are TVs in this house that I haven't turned on more than twice this year! I would like to get a larger TV for the living room, but the sales weren't great this year and it just wasn't in the budget. Maybe next year.

Yesterday we held my brother Jim's belated 40th birthday party. His birthday is really on November 7th, but it didn't make sense for him to come down that weekend and then return for Thanksgiving. Mom decided to do both occasions this weekend-- Thursday at her house and Saturday at the Biscuit. This was the first event held at the Biscuit's new event space- a trial run to see if it worked for private parties. I think it worked out fine. All of our relatives were there, and several of Jim's co-workers and our childhood friends.

It's been a great past few days, but I have to admit that I am pretty anxious to get back to work and into a normal routine again tomorrow!

P.S. To Adam R~~ if you are reading this, just want to say thanks for the great comment that you left on my March 2007 posting "Progress". I appreciate the accolades!

Happy Thanksgiving (Redneck-style)...

2008-11-26T13:06:00.001-05:00

Highlights of the Past Week

2008-11-26T09:19:00.007-05:00

I'm sorry that I am posting on such an irregular basis lately. I've been really busy! Below are some of the highlights of things I would have written about, had I had a chance to sit down and blog!

First of all was the costume party we went to in Smyrna last weekend. It was a lot of fun, but I can't give a lot of details-- to protect the innocent!

Veggie Soup Day! Michael and I went totally domestic this week! We bought lots of fresh produce and made gobs of vegetable soup. We had so much going that we had to get a second pot! After our stomachs were filled, we bagged up the leftovers and filled the freezer. It's going to be great on a cold Winter day to be able to pull out a bag of soup and heat it up!

We cleaned the leaves and dead plants out of the ponds and installed a new fish spitter. I'm sure the fish will be happier now! In the process, I found a huge bullfrog living in the smaller pond. I think there are a couple in the larger pond, too-- but they didn't show themselves this week-- must be hibernating already!

The firepot! We got a Mexican Chimenia (sp?) and some new window boxes for the house. We had to rearrange the plants and pumpkins, but found the perfect spot for the firepot. After everything was in it's place, we had our friend Lynn over for some veggie soup on the patio. Good times!

Dinner With the In-Laws

2008-11-17T19:03:00.003-05:00

We went out to eat with my new with some of my new in-laws Saturday night. We had a great time at the new TGIF in Camp Creek Marketplace. I don't know why I suggested this restaurant- maybe because it was new and I wanted to try it out. Michael and I were amazed at the level of customer service-- and that's a huge compliment from two people that are in the restaurant business! Including this dinner at TGIF, we have only had 2 dining experiences together that we couldn't find anything to complain about (the other one was at the Dakota in LA).

We had a great time with Bryce and Dina. It was my 3rd or 4th time meeting them, so I wasn't nervous. They are easy to talk to, quick to laugh and they picked up the tab! What more could I ask for?!?!?!? :)

If you're ever in the Camp Creek area, I highly recommend that you eat at TGIF. You'll be treated like a King (or Queen, as the case may be!).

To Mic...

2008-11-14T19:32:00.002-05:00

We speak our own language. No one else could ever understand it. For that I am happy. It's cool that we have a secret tongue, all to ourselves. We have derived a whole new list of passages that we have enlisted on one another over the past several months. I am proud to share a secret language of love with you, and I don't care if no one else gets it. I get it. You get it. I love you.

ELPHABA:
I'm limited
just look at me i'm limited
and just look at you you can do all I couldn't do
glinda,
so now its up to you
for both of us
now it's up to you

GLINDA:
I've heard it said
that people come into our lives
for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
and we are lead to those
who help us most to grow
if we let them and we help them in return
Well i dont know if i believe that's true
But i know i'm who i am today
because i knew you.

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
halfway through the wood.
Who can say if i've been changed for the better
but, because i knew you
I have been changed for good.

ELPHABA:
It well may be
that we will never meet again in this lifetime
so let me say before we part
so much of me is made from what i learned from you
You'll be with me
like a hand print on my heart
Now whatever way our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine
by being my friend

Like a ship blown from it's mooring
by a wind off the sea
like a seed dropped by a sky bird
in a distant wood
Who can say if i've been changed for the better?
But because i knew you

GLINDA:
because i knew you

BOTH:
I have been changed for good

ELPHABA:
And just to clear the air i ask forgiveness
for the things i've done you blame me for

GLINDA:
But then i guess we know there's blame to share

BOTH:
And none of it seems to matter any more

GLINDA:
Like a comet pulled from orbit
(like a ship blown from its mooring)
As it passes a sun
(By a wind off the sea)
Like a stream that meets a boulder
(Like a seed dropped by a bird)
Halfway through the wood
(in a wood)

BOTH:
Who can say if i've been changed for the better?
I do believe i have been changed for the better

GLINDA:
And because i knew you

ELPHABA:
because i knew you

BOTH:
because i knew you,
I have been changed...
for... good

We Will Not Give Up...We Are Not Done...

2008-11-14T16:50:00.004-05:00

From http://www.noonprop8.com/:

Final Statement from No on Prop 8 Campaign

We had hoped never to have to write this note.

Sadly, fueled by misinformation, distortions and lies, millions of voters went to the polls yesterday and said YES to bigotry, YES to discrimination, YES to second-class status for same-sex couples.

And while the election was close, and millions of votes still remain uncounted, is has become apparent that we lost.

There is no question this defeat is hard.

Thousands of people have poured their talents, their time, their resources and their hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have their relationships treated equally. Much has been sacrificed in this struggle.

While we knew the odds for success were not with us, we believed Californians could be the first in the nation to defeat the injustice of discriminatory measures like Proposition 8.
And while victory is not ours this day, we know that because of the work done here; freedom, fairness and equality will be ours someday.

Just look at far we have come in a few decades:
Up until 1974 same-sex intimacy was a crime in California. There wasn’t single law recognizing the relationships of same-sex couples until 1984 — passed by the Berkeley School District. San Francisco did not pass domestic-partner protections until 1990, the state of California following in 2005. And in 2000, Proposition 22 passed with a 23% majority.

Today, we fought to retain our right to marry and millions of Californians stood with us. Over the course of this campaign everyday Californians and their friends, neighbors and families built a civil rights campaign unequalled in California history.

You raised more money than anyone believed possible for an LGBT civil rights campaign.
You reached out to family and friends in record numbers—helping hundreds of thousands of Californians understand what the LGBT civil rights struggle is really about.

You built the largest grassroots and volunteer network that has ever been built – a coalition that will continue to fight until all people are equal.

And you made the case to the people of California and to the rest of the world that discrimination — in any form — is unfair and wrong.

We are humbled by the courage, dignity and commitment displayed by all who fought this historic battle.

Victory was not ours today. But the struggle for equality is not over.

Because of the struggle fought here in California — fought so incredibly well by the people in this state who love freedom and justice — our fight for full civil rights will continue.

Activist and writer Anne Lamott writes, “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.”

We stand together, knowing… our dawn will come.

My New Model...

2008-11-12T19:28:00.005-05:00

Lady is such a beautiful girl, and every time I see her lately, I always wish I had a camera within arm's reach! Yesterday, I tried to take a nap on the sofa, but put the camera on the coffee table, just in case she "posed" for me. A few minutes later, she walked in and spotted the sunshine streaming through the front door. Shortly afterwards, some Kodak moments arrived and I got them!

She also has this new thing that she does-- she's decided that the furniture is more comfortable than her bed! She usually jumps down to the floor as soon as I walk into the room, as if to say "Hey, I don't know what I was thinking!". Yesterday she tried a new tactic-- "Freeze and he won't notice". I was in the living room for a few minutes before I realized that she was on the chair. I didn't have the heart to yell at her-- she looked so comfortable! Luckily, the camera was still nearby and I was able to take this picture:

Serenby

2008-11-12T19:23:00.002-05:00

We did the "Day at the Farm" event at Serenby this past Sunday. The weather was perfect this time-- not like the freezing day we spent at the Farm a couple of years ago! It's great to get out of the city and and enjoy a nice day in the country once in a while. Somehow, I deleted the pics of Delia, Tiffany and Barbara but wanted to make note of the fact that they were there, because I'm sure that I'll refer back to this post next year as a reminder!

Random Thoughts...

2008-11-12T18:39:00.003-05:00

... for those of you reading this from outside East Point, you won't believe this. We have a website that includes a message board known as "The Vent". Several years ago, this was a great place to get information about the city: business openings, business closings, parties, events, etc. Nowadays, it has transformed into a hangout for a few of the neighborhood whack jobs and bullies. I admit to fitting into these categories at times over the years. Now it's gone too far. If I wanted to hear this crap, I'd hang out at the Greyhound station's bathroom. I used to be fun... now it's just sad. I think it's best if I just ignore it for a while and hope that the bullies get tired of talking to themselves.

... Michael and I put the finishing touches on the flower gardens last night (by the light of the 5pm moon!). We planted 6 more flats of pansies. Ideally, I would like to add more, but at this point every time we dig a hole to plant a pansy, we dig up a tulip/jonquil bulb. I guess it's time to declare this project officially finished and move on to something else.

... We saw Christian in LA the night before the wedding. He was the only invited guest. When he didn't show up at the wedding, I was concerned. I have called/ emailed/ texted him at least once a day since the wedding. By week 3 I began to give up. I figured that he must be dead-- although I had no other contact info for him (parents, sister, neighbors, friends). Either he's dead or he isn't speaking to me. Well, I got an email from him yesterday explaining that he had been sick with the flu but was feeling better now. Flimsy excuse, but at least I know he's ok now.

... I've been buried in "Thank You" notes for a few days now. We received so many great wedding presents from our friends and families... Waterford wine glasses, crystal bowls, decanter sets, photo albums, vases, candle holders, gift cards, etc. Emily Dickinson says that the rule of etiquette is that you must send thank you notes within the first year of marriage-- ridiculous!! I want them finished and in the mail within the week. I've made a pretty good dent in the project-- would've finished, but I ran out of cards and stamps!

... We worked at the "orphanage" again today. I have to be careful-- can't say too much because of a confidentiality contract I signed. I work there once a month with Delia, Tiffany and Spencer. The girls that we work with are 16-17 years old--- they've gone through the foster home routine and it didn't work for them. They are not going to be adopted at this stage, and they will be on their own at age 18. We go in once a month and teach them cooking lessons- how to eat healthy and cheap. We've been working with these girls for 3 months now, and it's a true blessing to see them blossom. Today, Delia treated us to lunch at Spoon (a Thai restaurant downtown)... Yummy!

... Gas prices are sooo cheap now! I was paying $4.59/gallon a few weeks ago- and lucky to get it at any price! Today, I paid $1.91/gallon. It gets cheaper and cheaper every day! Wouldn't it be cool if it dropped to under a dollar?!?!? :)

... People Magazine~~~ I bought something at Best Buys this Summer (batteries, or something...) and the cashier said that with my purchase I qualified to get a free issue of People mailed to me. I have been getting People magazines every week since August. I've enjoyed them, but just wonder what the catch is. Will I eventually get a bill for all of these magazines? Strange, huh?

... Computer Virus... My computer "got sick" over the weekend. Something has taken over the Norton program and disabled it. Norton said that they can fix it for $99. I wish I had an extra $99 at this point because it's driving me crazy! Pop up after pop up!!! I'll have to deal with it until next pay day, but God it's so frustrating! Who invents these viruses and why????

At the Reception...

2008-11-12T17:42:00.002-05:00

I received this picture that Wayne took of Michael, Carmen & me at the reception-- I think it's a great shot!

I Love This One....

2008-11-10T21:25:00.005-05:00

... for some reason, this song and "Harper Valley PTA" remind me a little of East Point!

Another good scene from "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is shown below-- get ready for a little eye candy:

My favorite line from this movie is: "I was born plain white trash and I worked my way up to outcast".

Lady's Fashion Show...

2008-11-10T21:03:00.003-05:00

Lady took our breath away with her latest walk down the runway. Her first ensemble was a tribute to the under-ranking elves of the world:

Later, she donned a "Got Biscuits?" T-shirt, in hopes of inspiring a little hype for the business that her Daddy has so much at stake in:

OK, I Promise...

2008-11-08T20:22:00.007-05:00

...no more updates about the wedding after this one! I guess I can go back to posting pictures of my dogs, my patio, the gardens and any other Biscuit news that I can think of!!! But, please allow me this one last wedding tidbit!

We had the reception today, and it was incredible! So many of our friends came by to give us their best wishes and congratulate us on the wedding. My favorite moments had to be the ones that I spent with my friends Carmen & Wayne. Carmen and I were neighbors when I first moved into the big city of Atlanta. We used to do everything together back then-- tan on the roof of the William Oliver building, bleach our hair, shop at Underground, etc. Our dogs were the best of friends, and so were we. It melted my heart to see Carmen and her husband, Wayne, tonight.

Also moving was the attendance of my Aunt Jane & Uncle Hub. I know that they would have rather been anywhere on the face of the Earth than at an interracial, gay wedding reception. But they came, and for that I have to tip my hat to them.

Looking around the room at the multitude of friends was a moving experience for me. I looked around the Tavern and saw friends from church, friends from Daily's & the Biscuit, our mothers & siblings,our trivia team, and of course our East Point family. We are so blessed to have these people in our lives. I keep thinking of that line from It's a Wonderful Life... I think it goes something like this: "No man is poor if he has friends. Here's to my brother- the richest man in town!". I do indeed feel very rich tonight. I have family and friends that love me and support me. I have a HUSBAND (I can't believe I typed that-- I haven't even said the "H" word out loud yet!) that I adore. Yes-- my life is suddenly perfect-- well maybe not perfect, but I have everything I ever wished for and all of my dreams have somehow come true.

Props to the East Point Corner Tavern for pulling off a flawless reception. Special thanks go to Andrea, Syd, Denise, Starr & Candace. You guys rock, as always!

Enjoy the pictures!

The Toast

2008-11-08T19:54:00.003-05:00

Below is the toast that Andrea made at our reception tonight. Thanks, Andrea.... you moved us all with your words. Love you!

"Indulge me, please. Thank you all for coming. Most weeks I run this place, so, if you’re enjoying yourselves, you’re welcome. And thank you. This is going to be very “Michael & Andrea”, so bear with me. Again, indulge me, please.

First, I’d like to say, Michael, we are your family. And that’s all I have to say about that.

As some of you know, everything important in this place happens right there at table 14. There’s a select group who claim it, many of whom have become very close to my heart. Michael & Brian are two of those people. They met there, they got engaged by the bar right over there, and you’ll find out when I really start where they had their first date.

I’ve written at the top here, “maybe they just got lost”, for whatever reason, but it leads into what I have to say. So, here goes.

What are we here for? We have jobs, daily duties, deadlines, obligations. Those things have their place, as I’m well aware, but, basically, they’re all crap. Well, maybe not crap, but perhaps guideposts on our road, instead of the obstacles we tend to see. It sounds hoaky to say we’re on a road, but that is what I believe. My road with Michael has been interesting indeed. I passed some sort of test, I’m sure. I got “fast-tracked”, and I consider myself privileged.

There are those with fairly strong opinions of Mr. Michael Hill. I’m one of them, but my opinion is overwhelmingly warm. I don’t know, maybe Michael got lost along his road, but don’t we all?

As for Brian, while my road with him isn’t as long, it’s one filled with generosity of spirit, dedication and one of the most sincere smiles I’ve ever seen. There’s an honesty about him that is incredibly refreshing.

One night, Michael’s road included an obligation he chose to make to me. Sorely needing a night out of the house, Michael agreed to babysit for my precocious Sophie. In conversations I wasn’t privy to, I think it was a conspiracy between Sophie and Syd, arrangements were made for Brian to come to the house as well. I think this was their first date, and if there’s ever a time to see a glimpse of someone’s true self, its in their interaction with a child – especially mine. I’d have to ask Soph, but I believe that first date was a success.

They took each other in. They gave each other shelter. They unselfishly gave each other a safe place to rest their heads and their hearts. They chose to start walking their road together.
To see the smile on my friend’s face that has lasted almost a year is overwhelming. To see Brian love Michael so entirely – there just aren’t words.

We all get lost. Some of us are lucky enough to be found. To find each other. If we listen to the world around us, see guideposts instead of obstacles. Follow our hearts and the signs God leaves for us. If we do all this, maybe we’ll all be lucky enough to find ourselves home.

I know my friend has. And I thank them both for showing me that possibility."

Christina Aguilera on Prop 8

2008-11-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

MTV Shows

Reception Eve...

2008-11-07T18:39:00.005-05:00

For some reason, Michael has been calling me a Bridezilla a lot lately. I must confess that he's kind of right. The reception is tomorrow-- his family will meet mine for the first time. I want everything to go perfectly. If that makes me a Bridezilla, then I guess I am guilty. On top of that pressure, we have about 100 of our closest friends coming, some traveling from out of state just for our reception!!!

In my defense, I have to say that while I stress over some details, others are completely left to the wind of chance. For example:

I never did order a wedding cake for the reception. In a last ditch effort, I called Publix tonight to order a cake for tomorrow. Too late to place an order-- I have to go to the Bakery tomorrow morning and pick a pre-made cake off the shelf and have it decorated.

Flowers??? Centerpieces?? It didn't really occur to me until this afternoon. I had an idea in mind-- I wanted the centerpieces to have an arrangement similar to the ones that the Roosevelt Hotel had in our honeymoon suite-- a simple glass jar filled with pebbles and a single orchid bloom floating on top. I have the jars and the pebbles, but when I stopped by the Flower Cottage today I learned that they only had 1 stem of orchids-- not enough fr 12 tables. I picked out some very pretty miniature roses and they will be ready for me to pick up tomorrow morning. I'll arrange them in the pebble jars shortly before the guests arrive.

Music??? I downloaded most of our favorite songs tonight and then went to the Tavern to verify that my Ipod would connect to their sound system. It's a miracle-- it worked! Who needs a DJ? The soundtrack will be an eclectic mix consisting mostly of various Broadway musical soundtracks.

Attire??? People keep asking me what the dress code for the reception will be. I have no idea how to answer. I haven't decided what I'm going to wear. I would like Michael and I to wear similarly colored clothes, but I can't pin him down on what he's wearing, so my selection is still up for grabs. I guess I'll look in the closet tomorrow and see if something jumps out at me.

Bridezilla??? No, not really. A true Bridezilla would have done a little more pre-planning and nothing would be left to chance. I've learned from experience that all of the planning in the world doesn't make a great party. Some things must be left a little to chance.

It'll be great and I'll report back here on Sunday with the details, and hopefully some great pictures!

Unbelievable...

2008-11-06T13:39:00.002-05:00

As you probably know, I got married last month in Los Angeles. We knew that the whole gay marriage thing was "iffy" with the Proposition 8 ban on gay marriage looming in the near future, but we had no idea what was to come. We were told by many official sources that if we were married before November 4th, our marriage would remain recognized by the state of California, no matter the outcome of the vote.

We didn't rush to California to get married before the deadline. There was actually no rush at all in planning this ceremony. We have been talking about it for months, and had decided to go to Vancouver to get married. When California overturned the gay marriage ban over the Summer, we changed our plans. Although Michael would have preferred to get married in Vancouver, I argued that if I couldn't get legally married in GA I would prefer to get married at least in the United States. I got my way, and the plan was changed.

Now it turns out that the majority of the folks in California are against gay marriage, and they voted to ban it. No one seems to know the status of the couples that were married prior to November 4th. Are we still married? Was our marriage dissolved? I've been searching frantically online for the past two days for the answers to my questions. The answers don't seem to exist, or have not been released to the public yet.

There were protests and riots in LA last night-- I would have been right there with them if I could have been. This is ridiculous. We are having our wedding reception this weekend-- without even knowing if we are married or not. I figure as long as I have a notarized certificate of marriage and a ring on my finger-- well, I am married. It would be nice to have the marriage recognized by some official capacity, though.

Still waiting. Damnit!

It's Official...

2008-11-02T07:11:00.001-05:00

The notorized copy of our marriage certificate arrived in the mail yesterday!

Happy Anniversay!

2008-10-31T19:15:00.002-04:00

Wow! We've been married for an entire week! And they said it wouldn't last!!!

The Ghost of Halloween Past...

2008-10-31T18:28:00.007-04:00

I've loved Halloween since I was 3 years old. My Mother dressed me up as the Easter Bunny (strange choice for a costume, huh?) and immediately left enroute to the hospital to give birth to my baby brother. My Aunt Jane took me trick-or-treating that year.

A few years later (1976ish), I went out trick-or-treating dressed as one of Charlie's Angels. I looked nothing like Jill, Sabrina or Kelly-- more like their ancient aunt. I had borrowed one of my mother's dresses and one of my grandmother's wigs. I thought I looked like one of the Angels-- my parents probably thought I looked like I needed a little therapy. Joel has a picture of me dressed in my costume. I had forgotten it until a few years ago-- we worked together at Rosenbluth, and he brought the picture to show to everyone. I wish I had a copy of it to post-- you'd flip!

Fast forward to the 1980's. I threw a big Halloween party every year. My party was the event of the year, or at least I thought of it that way. I always held it in the backyard-- I transformed the garden into a graveyard-- you can make a pretty realistic tombstone with poster board if you put your mind to it. I usually had an old cast-iron kettle filled with dry ice and water.... it gave the entire backyard an eerie mist floating just above the ground. One year a friend of mine donated a bunch of manacins (sp?) to the cause. None of them were complete bodies, but I had lots of arms, legs and faces and I buried them strategically amongst the headstones in the garden.

Fast forward a couple more decades and you'll find me sitting in my house tonight-- in the dark. I was invited to a couple of parties, but I declined. I'd prefer to sit here and hide from the trick-or-treaters. I have candy for the ones that are brave enough to approach a dark house filled with barking dogs... they deserve a couple of milkyways for that! I guess I am getting old!

Damn-- I have to go-- there are 2 witches and a clown approaching my front door!

To All of My Red Hat Society Friends...

2008-10-29T18:25:00.002-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Voice From the Past

2008-10-29T18:14:00.002-04:00

I got a call from my old friend Chip today. Chip and I met in the Summer of '84. We were both attending orientation at UGA. From the minute we met, we became like brothers. After college, we became roommates. He worked at Upton's as a shoe salesman, and he got me a job there, too. We enjoyed partying a lot, and you could find us in the Atlanta hot spots pretty much every weekend. I was with him the night that he met his wife, Melanie. We became the Three Musketeers and did everything together. Chip and Melanie got married in May of 1989-- and I was the Best Man! A couple of years later, they moved to Knoxville. I visited them once, and they came back for a visit once or twice. Other than a few emails between Melanie and myself, we pretty much lost touch.

Chip heard through the grapevine that I had gotten married and called to congratulate me. He also reported the sad news that he and Melanie are in the process of getting a divorce. I was sorry to hear it, but not too surprised~~ they separated a few years ago, and then reconciled. Their marriage has been a rocky one, but it lasted almost 20 years.

Anyway, it was good to hear from him today, and we both promised to be better at keeping in touch. Hopefully I'll see him soon.

Patio Project Update

2008-10-29T18:00:00.002-04:00

The flower garden surrounding the new patio is finally finished! Enjoy the pics:

Nothing Like Finding a Sunspot on a Cold Day

2008-10-29T17:55:00.002-04:00

I snapped this picture of Clara, Lady & King today~~~ basking in the only sunspot in the yard!

World's Longest Drag Queen Chorus Line

2008-10-27T20:21:00.002-04:00

Darcelle's of Portland, Oregon, organized the world's longest drag queen chorus line on July 22, 2007. Hmmm... I wonder what the record number of drag queen's in a chorus line was before this event?

Cleaning Out My Camera...

2008-10-27T19:06:00.009-04:00

Just be glad this isn't the 70's... you'd have to come over and watch a slide show of our California pictures! This post, and the next few that follow, are pictures from this weekends trip to Hollywood. Enjoy!

I'll start off with pics from the Kodak Theater. The Academy Awards are broadcast from the Kodak. We didn't take the tour, but there was plenty to see outside!

The Kodak Theater is HUGE!!! It takes up an entire block. There is actually a full-sized mall inside the building that houses the theater. Outside of the theater is a winding walkway that is embedded with mosaic tiles. Amongst the tiles are quotes from anonymous actors/actresses. The walkway reminded me of the Yellow Brick Road-- it wasn't yellow, but it was winding and I was entranced to follow it to the end. I was rewarded when we got to the end-- first I noticed a huge statue of a casting couch... beside it was a mosaic message that read "The Road to Hollywood- how some of us got here".

Speaking of the Academy Awards-- the first ceremony was held in the ballroom of the hotel where we stayed-- the Roosevelt. The Blossom Ballroom is pictured here-- it's a small space and I can't imagine the awards being held in that small of a venue. But, it was 1929! On our first night at the hotel there was a red carpet event going on in the Blossom Ballroom. We didn't see any celebrities, but we did see the red carpet... in hindsight we should have had our picture taken on the red carpet-- I wish I had thought of that at the time!

Next door to the Kodak is the Graumann's Chinese Theater. In front of the theater is the walkway where every major celebrity had left their hand prints, feet prints and autograph in the wet cement. The first set of footprints belongs to actress Norma Talmadge-- she accidentally stepped in the wet cement while visiting the construction site of the Theater in 1927. In order to cover up her misstep, she signed her autograph and the tradition began.

Now that whole block is taken up by tourists and celeb impersonators. For a $1 tip, you can have your picture taken with the likes of Batman, Superman, the Joker, a Gladiator, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Hulk, Cat Woman, Tigger, the cast of "Nightmare Before Christmas", Marilyn Monroe, Zoro, Marilyn Monroe, Dora the Explorer or Captain America.

Pictures From the Wedding Chapel

2008-10-27T19:01:00.003-04:00

Our Room at the Roosevelt

2008-10-27T18:52:00.006-04:00

This is the King Suite that we received as an upgrade. You can't tell from the pictures, but the room had a nice desk, CD player and a bathroom the size of my house! The bathroom had a shower and a tub! Plus, we had the view of the Chinese Theater, the Hollywood sign and the Kodak! Very swanky-- it was hard to come home to my bungalow!

Before any of you even ask... No, we did not steal the robes from the hotel. They were available for purchase ($150/each). We wore them a few times and left them behind. This picture was taken just before we got dressed for the wedding.

Redondo Beach

2008-10-27T18:46:00.004-04:00

Say Goodbye to Hollywood...

2008-10-26T19:51:00.015-04:00

We had a great time in LA-- we ended up staying in the Roosevelt like I had hoped. I booked a Junior Suite, but we were upgraded to a King Suite! Our room overlooked the Graumann's Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater, the Hollywood sign and the "Walk of Fame" on Hollywood Boulevard.

The first night, we got together with my friend Christian. We had some drinks at his apartment and then he took us on a tour of some of the West Hollywood hot spots. We saw the Viper Room, but it looked like a hole in the wall joint so we didn't stop in.

The next day, I got up early and walked Hollywood Boulevard.. did a little shopping and had breakfast at McDonald's. We rested up a little and then headed to the city of Lomita where we visited the wedding chapel and got married!!! We've been planning this for months, so it wasn't a spur of the moment thing. We had a simple ceremony with just the two of us and Pastor Nixon in attendance. We had written our own vows, but the pastor apparently forgot that part and continued the service using his own pre-written vows. During the wedding, I saw that Michael was about to object. I know he wanted to say the vows that he had written. I stopped him and let the ceremony go on as the pastor had planned. It turns out that the pre-written vows were perfect and very touching. I had to go first and I hadn't gotten through the first two sentences before I was tearing up and unable to speak the words. Michael had the same problem when it came time for him to repeat the vows. After the ceremony, we were walking to the car and we decided to read the vows that we had written. We both teared up again. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life. I really had expected this wedding to be pretty cheesy-- the two of us in a wedding chapel and all. But it turned out to be the most moving wedding ceremony that I have ever attended.

From Lomita, we headed towards Redondo Beach. We took a sunset walk along the pier and stopped to have a drink in one of the seaside bars. We must've looked a little out of place wearing our suits and ties and trying to order champagne. The bartender didn't appear to know what champagne was, so we settled for a couple of $2 Bud Lites.

When we got back to the hotel (a 30 mile drive that took about 2 hours because of the LA traffic), we had dinner at the Dakota- an upscale restaurant in the lobby of the Roosevelt. The food and service was incredible, and the Maitre D even sent a couple of free glasses of champagne to our table when she found out that we had just gotten married that night.

Oh yeah.. to backtrack a little- we had our picture taken with a couple of Marilyn Monroe impersonators at the Chinese Theater enroute to the wedding! This is probably my favorite picture from the entire trip-- it totally encompasses our Hollywood wedding!

Everything was going so perfectly that I never fathomed that the trip home could be a disaster. We were flying on Buddy Passes, which means that our flights were not confirmed. We were flying standby and didn't even consider the idea that we wouldn't make it on our flights. The worst case scenario unfolded when we realized that we were numbers 16 and 17 on the standby list and there were only 14 seats available. Luckily there were a few no-shows and they confirmed us as the last two passengers. However, when we got to the plane door, they told us that there was a mistake and only room for one of us to take that flight. I let Michael go and waited a couple of hours for the next flight. I sat in the terminal and cried. No, I actually sobbed! The most horrific thoughts were going through my head-- what if Michael's plane crashes? What if my plane crashes? What if I don't get on the next flight? If I missed that one, I would be on a red-eye and wouldn't arrive in Atlanta until 5am the following morning. Michael had no car keys, no house keys. I had no cash. What would happen to us. How could I marry my best friend, and then be 3000 miles away from him half a day later?

I came very close to missing the next flight, too. I was confirmed at the last minute-- the last passenger on the standby list that got on the flight. So, it turns out that Michael and I spent our first wedding day an hour and a half apart, across the USA. Not a disaster-- but not the ideal honeymoon!

All in all, it was a great trip and one that I will remember til my dying day. We didn't bring home any souvenirs-- just the wedding rings, memories, and a love that got deeper the moment we said "I do".

A Souvenir for Beverly

2008-10-26T19:43:00.002-04:00

Hey Beverly~~ You know I thought of you when I saw this!

Hollywood... Here I Come!

2008-10-19T16:28:00.005-04:00

(pictured below: my last trip to Hollywood in 1995)

Michael and I will be vacationing in Los Angeles this week. Here we are at the 12th hour and I still haven't reserved a hotel room. I'm hoping to stay at the Roosevelt. I stayed there once before and found it to be a great hotel-- very chic! The Roosevelt was the location of the first Academy Awards, and all of the rooms are decorated with celebrity memorabilia. The last time I stayed there, I was in the Judy Garland suite. For the rates that they charge, the ghost of Judy Garland herself should have at least come to visit to share a nightcap and to tuck me in each night!!!

We'll be home on Saturday and I'll share some pictures and details of the trip with you then. Now, I've got to get back to expedia.com to try to secure a reservation~~ I'd hate to be down and out in Beverly Hills!

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished...

2008-10-12T20:17:00.001-04:00

Friday afternoon, Michael and I were sitting on the sofa watching TV... both of us were nodding of and ready to take a nap. Suddenly, I heard the dogs barking in the backyard and went to see what was upsetting them. When I looked out the window, I saw my neighbor, Janice, standing on her sundeck on top of a ladder. She had a big rope in one hand, and she was trying to throw it over a tree limb. My first thought was "she's going to hang herself!". I went outside to investigate-- it turned out that Janice wasn't suicidal. There was a huge limb that was hanging off of her 100-year-old oak tree. It had snapped away from the trunk, gut was still holding on. I decided to help her out, because the method she was using wasn't paying off. I stood on her porch and grabbed hold of this 50' limb and started swinging it back and forth. After a few swings, the limb came crashing down and landed on me. When I got out from under the limb, I realized that I was bleeding. The limb had crashed against my face, and ripped my bottom lip and chin open in the process. Janice got me a paper towel to hold against the cut. When I came home, I sent straight to the bathroom mirror to take a look-- I saw a huge gash on my lower face. The paper towel was covered in blood and the flow wasn't stopping. Michael was asleep on the sofa. Bear in mind that I had only been away for about 5 minutes-- so when I woke Michael up and said "Baby, we need to go to the hospital", he was a little shocked. What could I have possibly done in the past 5 minutes that caused me to be bleeding like they do in horror films??

We headed over to South Fulton Hospital, where they stitched me up and sent me home. Michael stayed in the ER with me the whole time and was a huge help in keeping me calm. He even called me his "brave little soldier" afterwards! The doctor told me that I should try to avoid talking much in the next 24 hours... not a possiblilty since this weekend was the Candler Park Festival and I was scheduled to spend over 12 hours per day talking to the public.

My biggest worry was that we had tickets to see "Wicked" at the Fabulous Fox. The whole time I was in ER, all I could think about was "will we get out of ER in time for our dinner reservations? Will I look like the "Phantom of the Opera" if I am able to go to "Wicked"? How will I get through the next two days at the Festival, looking like I had recently attended a bar room brawl?

The stitched came out fine--- we made the dinner and the play... all's well that ends well, I guess!

Included in this post are pictures from the Candler Park Fallfest (my new tent, and my new assistants, Ryan & Kara), "Wicked" (with Marie and Madeline) and, of course, my hospital armband!

Candler Park Fallfest 2008

2008-10-07T13:05:00.000-04:00

Operation Pansy: Day 2

2008-10-06T20:07:00.005-04:00

I planted 24 more pansies today. At this rate I should have the garden full by the time Spring comes around and it's time for them to die off!

A Tale of Two Cities...

2008-10-06T19:47:00.003-04:00

We went to the Destination East Point Festival on Saturday. I hate to say it, but it was pretty much a waste of time. There were probably 50 booths... 75% of them were food vendors. The remaining 25% was comprised of churches, face painters, and Obama T-shirt vendors. I was tempted to get my face painted, just so I would have something to remember from this festival, but my better judgement kicked in. I probably wouldn't have had such a bad impression of the Festival if I were a first time visitor. I've been going to this annual celebration for years now and have such great memories of festivals-gone-by. After a quick stroll, we headed back to the car and headed Eastbound to the Hotoberfest in Glenwood Park....

Hotoberfest was a blast! The park was crowded, the people-watching ranked right up there with Hartsfield! There were 110 booths-- all giving away free samples of beer! I got to try some of the ones that I've been thirsting for: Flying Dog, Full Sail, Butte Creek, Ommegang & Left Hand Brewing. My favorites were Flying Dog's "Doggy Style Pale Ale", and Butte Creek's "Organic Pilsner". Of course, we didn't sample all 110 beers, but we had fun with the first 50 or so! Michael even figured out a scheme to get us into the VIP tent-- the beers there were a little more upscale, and the port-a-potties were nicer too!

Bloom Where You Are...

2008-10-06T19:08:00.004-04:00

I went out into the garden yesterday to do a little work. In my typical OCD fashion, I ended up ripping out all of the existing plants, and planted bulbs. So far I have planted 373 bulbs, and I have a few more to go. I planted a combination of tulips (all different colors) and jonquils (also, varying colors). I have also planted 40 pansies so far-- I have a long way to go, but I plan on filling the gardens with pansies and snapdragons. It's going to be a beautiful sight all Winter and Spring... until I rip it all out and begin on the Summer plants!

This is the look that my boyfriend gives me every time the OCD kicks in. I might be hard to live with sometimes, but you have to admire my energy!!!

A Biscuit is Born!

2008-10-03T17:18:00.004-04:00

The 7th Biscuit location opens this weekend! This one is in Norcross. I got a chance to stop by there on Thursday and check it out. I'm hoping to visit it again this weekend and get some better pictures.

Blast From the Past

2008-10-03T17:01:00.003-04:00

Delia & I taught a cooking class last night in Alpharetta. I was so shocked when the first students came in, and I knew them! Pamela & Mark Sloan were sitting on the first row!!! Pam and I worked together side by side as managers of Rosenbluth Travel. It was great to see her again and catch up.

It's funny how the people from that office were so close for so long. It was one of the most stressful jobs I've ever had, but I stayed because I loved the people with whom I worked. We were a family. And what's amazing is that when the office closed, we all pretty much disappeared from each other's lives. It was a different world back then-- they closed our office on 9/15/01-- just four days after the biggest attack ever on America. Everyone was numb. Add into the equation that there were about 100 of us all looking for travel agent jobs in a time where there was absolutely zero demand for travel agents since everyone was afraid to travel. Some of us found jobs and worked together again, but for the most part we totally lost the friendships that we shared, and the family feeling.

I run into some of the old gang from time to time-- usually at the most unexpected places. I remember a couple of years ago when I ran into Joy Miller at a Crawford Long OBGYN office (I wasn't a patient, I was delivering breakfast). Once in a while, a familiar Rosenbluth face will pop up at the East Point Corner Tavern, at the Inman Park Festival, Dogwood, Pride, etc. We always say how great it is to see each other and swear that we need to get together again soon. We talk about planning a reunion, but it never happens. I guess I'll have to be satisfied with these random encounters. Or maybe I'll take the ball and run with it. Maybe we will have a Rosenbluth Family Reunion one of these days-- we'll see!

The Ponds

2008-10-01T18:41:00.002-04:00

As you all know, I haven't had a lot of luck with fish lately. You might remember the incident last year where someone poisoned my pond by pouring gasoline in it. The police did a thorough search and questioned most of the neighbors-- but we never found the culprit.

Even though I changed the water and cleaned the pond, the next round of fish died within a couple of days, as did the next round and the round after that! The last mass mortality occurred while we were in Hilton Head, the beginning of August. We had a friend take care of the pond and when we came home, all of the fish that had survived for a few weeks were dead. We didn't know if she had overfed them, or maybe it was just the damned gas in the water that did them. After scooping all of the corpses out with my little net, I vowed that there would be no more fish in the pond. I think I even blogged about it and renamed it a water garden.

And so it was-- we gave up on our nightly ritual of feeding the fish at sunset. We filled the pond with plants-- plants that began to multiply quickly. I was farming plants out to every pond owner that I knew. I wasn't happy. I wanted there to be life in the pond. A couple of times, we would get a frog for a few days. Frogs are shy and always hide. I would sneak out to the pond a few times a day- hoping to catch a glimpse of the frogs. A couple of times I caught them sitting on the lilly pads, but most often they would jump when they sensed me approaching. All I would see was a leg, or a cloud of dirt where they disturbed the pond bed. I didn't change the water, I didn't throw out any food. One by one the frogs disappeared-- victims of the cats next door. When the last frog was gone, I decided once again to try to get some fish to live in the pond. I bought a bag full of feeder goldfish. I got a dozen or so for less than $2. While we were floating the bag in the water (you have to do this so the fish get acclimated to the new temperature), we saw the bag move a couple of times. I figured it was either the fish in the bag causing this, or maybe there was still a frog in that pond. We released the fish after a while and they all began to spread out-- checking out their new digs.

All of a sudden, a big white koi appeared out of nowhere. Michael was like "that wasn't in the bag!". And he was right! Somehow this koi had survived what all of the other fish hadn't. This fish has been in the pond for months-- with no food and no attention whatsoever! How cool is that?

We're on Day 2 now with the new fish. Everyone is surviving and the white koi comes to the surface often. Where was he all of that time, and why didn't we see him until the new fish arrived?

I'm feeling like the pond drama that I've been suffering for a year now is finally over. Thank God!

Voter Registration

2008-09-28T19:08:00.003-04:00

Here's a sad example of a Voter Registration booth in East Point, GA. This "booth" is located in the parking lot of the East Point Package Store, about 3 blocks from my house. You don't think the lady is endorsing any particular candidate, do you? This has got to be illegal, but no one seems to notice or care.

Paul Newman, RIP

2008-09-27T11:05:00.001-04:00

WESTPORT, Conn. - Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died. He was 83.

Biscuit News...

2008-09-27T10:17:00.003-04:00

It's been a great week to be a "Biscuiteer"! The results of City Search's "Best of" contest were announced this week~~ we got the "Best Breakfast" award for Atlanta!

A couple of days later, Creative Loafing issued it's "Best of '08" awards and we swept the breakfast categories: Best Biscuits, Best Grits, Best Brunch and Best Breakfast! Wow, 4 awards from Creative Loafing this year! I can't remember ever racking up that many at one time! We should be getting a plaque for each of the categories.

I figured that the awards would start dwindling out after it was announced that we were purchased by Raving Brands and that we were franchising. A lot of people don't really support franchises or consider them "real" restaurants. I think the fact that we are so involved in our communities helps a lot and gives each of our locations a special home-town feel.

Another highlight at work this week- the Pre-K Biscuit Tours! We had 15-20 kids each day this week. Once again, they got to see biscuits being made, got to cut out their own biscuits, spent time with the dishwashers and line cooks. They are always amazed by the cooks! This is my 5th year leading these tours and it always amazes me that the kids are so well behaved and appreciative of the time we spend with them. I got so many hugs and "thank yous" from about 100 kids this week-- it's magical!

Charmed

2008-09-24T19:29:00.002-04:00

Michael and I were playing on the computer when we were at the beach a couple of months ago. We found a game on the TNT website-- "Charmed"- based on the TV series. It's basically just a new version of Pong. You really don't need to know anything about the show to play and win. There are only 9 rounds to the game. I've played the game several times a day, every day, since August 2nd. One day last week I finally made it to the 9th round, but I messed up and lost before the round was completed. I'll post the link below- give it a try and see how far you can get!

http://www.tnt.tv/games/charmedgame/

They're Everywhere, They're Everywhere...

2008-09-24T18:37:00.004-04:00

I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, trying to catch up on a little work. Through the window I noticed two ladies walking past the house. I didn't think much about it. I barely noticed it when they walked past a few minutes later. By the fourth or fifth time that they passed, I was beginning to wonder what they were up to. But-- I got busy with other things and forgot all about them. A few hours later, I had to run to the grocery store to buy some supplies for a catering job. When I got to the stop sign, the two ladies were standing there. They ran to my car and bombarded me with questions about my car-- what is the Biscuit? Are you hiring? Do they pay you to drive around in that car? Even though they both seemed to be pretty intoxicated, I answered their questions like the good PR man that I am. I put them out of my mind and went about my day.

Well, a couple of hours later I was out in the garden finishing off on planting the 200 tulip bulbs. I saw sitting on the patio planting when I heard their voices somewhere behind me:

"The Biscuit man is home".. I heard one of them say.
"I'm gonna go ring his doorbell and run", said the other.
"Don't bother that man, he's gonna think we're stalkers-- he'll never hire us".
"Yes he will. I'm gonna pick some of his flowers, too. After I ring his doorbell and run".

I'm hearing all of this crazy talk and it suddenly dawned on me that they didn't see me sitting there. The toothless one ran right past me, up my stairs and to the doorbell. She rang it and then ran right back up the walkway laughing and spilling her drink. In a loud voice I announced "I'm right here!"

I shouldn't have said anything, because they proceeded to join me and learn all about planting tulip bulbs. They asked questions about the restaurant, they discussed the healthy dishes that they like to prepare, they drank their drinks and even offered me a shot of their bourbon. I learned that they had a full afternoon of going to the liquor store, buying bourbon and drinking it as they made the walk around the block. They had already finished off several bottles. Each time they passed the liquor store, they stopped in, got another bottle and made the loop around the block again.

I finally got rid of them, but a little while later the toothless one returned and told me that she didn't like my Hibiscus plants and she didn't think that they would go well with the tulips. She told me that she was a decorator and that she knows these things. She also didn't like my flower pots, my mums or the idea of growing irises. She told me that she didn't have any training in decorating; it's just a gift.

I hate that Michael missed this interesting afternoon, but he'll have a chance to meet them this weekend-- they plan to stop by with their "old men"~~ they want to sit on the patio with us and plan a neighborhood potluck dinner. They said that they would bring the wine.

One thing I can say about this street--- it's never boring!

Pictures From Yesterday

2008-09-22T18:38:00.005-04:00

We had a great time at brunch. Michael and I made quite an entrance! About a block away from the Tavern, I decided to put the top down and blast "One Day More" from Les Miserables on the stereo. This effect wouldn't normally draw any attention, but when you're having brunch with a crowd of theatre majors and musical buffs it can pay off. I was also betting on the fact that our friends would be on the patio and would notice the grand entrance. I can't tell you how many times I've approached the Tavern with my top down and the stereo blasting my entry song only to find that the patio was empty and no one noticed my efforts, accept for the crickets that I heard chirping in the background.

This time my efforts paid off. As I applied my parking brake, I saw Jeff standing on the railing of the second story dining room. He later confessed that he was ready to end it all because I made a better entry than he did. I don't know what Jeff's entry was like-- we had timed it so that we were fashionably late and the last to arrive. It's not intentional that we're always late-- I guess we operate on GST (Gay Standard Time). The only thing that could have made our entry any better would be if I had Michael riding in the back seat of the convertible, waving a huge red flag along to the music, as the cast of Les Mis had done the night before at the Fox.

Anyway, the brunch was yummy and it was great to see all of our friends again. Hell, it had been 3 days since we'd seen Stephanie and Lynn. Where does the time go? We hadn't seen Jeff and Lucia since the Inman Park Festival in April, so at least there was a reunion of sorts. I was so busy basking in the glow of a perfectly planned, last minute entry that I forgot that I had my camera with me. I didn't get a group shot until after Stephanie and Gina had departed for the Braves game. Sorry Steph!

After brunch, we came home and had a couple of hours to kill before we had to leave for Sophie's birthday party down the street. I finished off the Lawrence Sanders mystery that Michael encouraged (forced) me to read. I figured out the reason I don't like to read books-- I hate for them to end. I get so wrapped up in the characters and their dilemmas-- when I read the last paragraph/ sentence, I feel like I've lost a few friends. I wonder what ever happened to Jannie or Nick or Clara or any of the characters that I've invested months in (I'm not the fastest reader). That's what I liked about the V.C. Andrews series ("Flowers in the Attic")-- the characters evolved from book to book. They were sick and demented and full of incestuous acts, but at least the books flowed and I didn't have to say goodbye to any of the characters, except when they died from syphilis (all the inbreeding) or homicide (usually at the hands of one of the relatives).

But I digress.....being a forty-something gay male, I haven't been to a 9 year old's birthday party in years. We were only there for a little while (Michael had to go to work), but we had fun sitting on the porch with the "other" parents and drinking pink lemonade out of Hannah Montana cups. Before we left, Sophie opened our card and gift. She opened the box containing the tiny Biscuit shirt, but didn't seem to notice that her card was actually a "Get Well Soon" card. I didn't have time to go shopping for a card, but I had a stack of Get Well Soon cards, and a few Sympathy cards. I figured a Get Well Soon card would be the best choice. Hell, when I was 9 I didn't give a flying flip what the card read-- I was more interested in the gift. Sophie followed suit. When she opened the gift and realized it was clothing, she kind of threw it to the side. I wasn't offended-- I remember being a kid and getting socks, underwear and V-neck sweaters from my grandparents each year. Any type of clothing is pretty much an unacceptable gift at a Hannah Montana themed birthday party.

It just hit me that I really don't know who Hannah Montana is or what she's famous for-- I know that she's Billy Ray Cyrus's daughter (remember "Achy Breaky Heart"). I know that one of the dads at the party informed me that Hannah doesn't play any musical instruments and the she lip-syncs all of her songs. I guess she has the talent of a drag queen crossed with Milli Vanilli. I would probably like her music, come to think of it. I never understood why so many of my friends felt betrayed by Milli Vanilli when they found out that they were only front men and that they weren't actually singing the songs that they were famous for. We had all watched Charlie Brown and Lillie White lip sync other artist's hits for years at Backstreet and there wasn't a hint of a scandal.

Anyway-- I had only planned to show a couple of pictures from yesterday and leave it at that, but I obviously got carried away on a tangent or two. Thanks for joining me on this ride from my childhood birthday parties to Cabaret performers in Atlanta's finest gay bar (may it rest in peace). And Happy Birthday (and possibly "Get Well Soon") to Sophie. I wish you a speedy recovery!

Pushing the Envelope Just a Wee Bit...

2008-09-22T17:39:00.005-04:00

I visited Lowe's yesterday-- needed to pick up a few more bulbs for the gardens. You can imagine my surprise when I stumbled into an indoor Winter Wonderland!!! Yes, you guessed it-- Christmas trees are already on display! Not just trees~ no, they have all types of holiday decorations: lights, wreathes, ornaments, etc.

I can understand why craft stores like Michael's start displaying their holiday merchandise early~~ if I was going to needlepoint a quilt of the Nativity scene, I'd need to purchase the pattern months (if not years!) in advance. If I was planning a down-home Christmas where everyone is required to make their own gifts for their friends and family, I would want to start a little early. But artificial trees? Who in their right mind is out shopping for an artificial Christmas tree in September? Maybe if they were priced at 50% off or something like that it would make sense. But no, these trees were at full price. I don't get it.

I stood there in my flip-flops, shorts and tank top gazing at the array of Christmas trees before me-- some were flocked, some were tinsel, some were pre-lighted, some were on a revolving wheel, and some even spewed tiny Styrofoam balls through the base of the trunk up to the top to create a snow flake effect.

I was reminded of a letter that my father wrote to the Editor of the AJC (click on the image to the right to see an enlarged version). There is no date on the clipping that I saved, but I would guess that it was published somewhere around 1983. My father really meant it when he said that he would boycott any business that displayed Christmas decorations prior to Thanksgiving. God bless his soul, but I don't think I could ever go that far-- boycott Lowe's??? Impossible!!! It's part of my daily ritual to shop there! It would be like giving up coffee, cigarettes or sleep!

I don't know how effective my father's "rebellion" was-- probably not too effective, sine 25 years later I am blogging about the same thing my father wrote about. Oh well, he tried! And let's just hope that Dad wasn't looking down from heaven when I purchased the cutest "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" welcome mat yesterday. I couldn't resist-- I've always been a Rudolph fan!

Merry Christmas!

Jesus Appears on Ceiling

2008-09-22T17:22:00.001-04:00

ARKANSAS CITY, Kan -- He's popped up on trees, sandwiches and even a Cheeto and now Jesus is leaving his mark, so-to-speak, on a ceiling in Arkansas City, Kansas.

The image appeared at the One Stop Body Shoppe, a low-impact weight loss clinic for women, after a rain storm."A client was laying here looking up and told me, Michelle, you have Jesus on your ceiling. I just kind of looked at her, and she said you do, Jesus on the ceiling," said Michelle Beech, Manager. "I think its the silhouette and kind of a partial beard," said Dominique Sartin, Body Shoppe staff member. "She said if it had leaked a little more it would be a beard on the other side too."

So is seeing believing?"Believing is believing. Regardless of what you see," said Sartin. The tile has been there for three weeks, and whatever they decide to do with it, they say it won't be hard to say good-bye. "We're tired of cleaning up the water. Maybe he'll be the only tile we won't replace."

They're considering selling it on E-Bay. You may remember that the image of the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese sandwich sold on the site for $28,000 in 2004.

One of Those Weeks...

2008-09-21T07:25:00.004-04:00

The old proverbial social calendar was totally filled up this week. We did our usual trivia night at Oz on Thursday (won 1st place!), and followed that up with a celebration at the Tavern- complete with drop in visits from one of Michael's co-workers, and also from the waitress that waited on us on our first real date! We were both off on Friday, so it was ok to stay up late and have a good time for a change.

After lots of sleeping in late, we got dressed up and had dinner at Le Cordon Bleu with my family. We were getting together to celebrate my brother Joel's birthday. We had happy hour and gift time at Mom's house and then headed to LCB for a great dinner. Happy Birthday, Joel-- damn you're getting old!

On Saturday we had another opportunity to get dressed up~~ Michael surprised me with tickets to see Les Miserables at the Fox. We had a tapas dinner at Mitra and then walked a couple of blocks to the most incredible show ever. I've seen Les Mis at least five times, and each time is better than the time before. The soundtrack is on my Ipod, and we listen to it a lot, especially in the car when we're on a road trip. Michael and I both know our roles and sing our parts to each song. It was hard to sit in the audience and force ourselves not to sing out loud, although we both caught ourselves mouthing the words a few times!

On today's agenda~~ we're having brunch with some friends that are visiting from Columbus, followed by a birthday party for our friend and neighbor, Sophie. It should be a lot of fun.

Gas Crisis 2008 Hits East Point

2008-09-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

The Bad Guy...

2008-09-15T19:23:00.004-04:00

It was a bad weekend. I was forced to do something that has never felt comfortable to me-- I had to play the Bad Guy. I had to fire my assistant. I really should have done it a year ago, but I kept hoping that he would shape up. It became blatantly obvious last week that his heart wasn't in the job, and after a couple of major SNAFU's, it was time to bite the bullet and do what I had to do.

The night before the termination, I reflected back on all of my years of management. I tried to remember any time that I had to fire someone. My mind was a blank. I remembered all of the times that I sat in on a termination meeting, serving as the official witness; but never did I have to say the words "You're fired"~ translation: I am taking away your income and you will have to start over again. I have never been fired myself (knock on wood), but I can imagine being in that position and hearing those words. I would crumble.

It's funny that I've been in a management position for so long, and up until recently I never had anyone that directly reported to me. At CWT and ESC, I was an Operations Manager. I oversaw operations-- I didn't have the power to hire or fire. If I thought someone was doing a bad job, I could tell another Manager and they would handle it. My first couple of years at the Biscuit were the same. I didn't report to anyone and no one reported to me. I kind of liked that scenario. After catering sales took off, I needed an assistant and that's when the whole game changed. I hired a 20 year old-- I saw a bright future for him and took him under my wing. I hoped that he would flourish and I would be a great example to him. I wanted to be someone that he looked up to~~ a role model~~ someone that he would aspire to be someday. Instead, I ended up carrying him. He did help me, he did make it possible for me to take some time off here and there. But he never fully bit into the idea of being the caterer. He was less of an assistant, and more of a delivery person. But he was a friend.

So, I beat myself up and agonized over saying the two words that I dreaded. It happened Saturday morning at 5am. He came into work, I took him into the office. I told him that I had to let him go and needed him to sign off on the write-ups/ termination papers that I had drawn up. It couldn't have gone better in my wildest dreams. He signed the papers, hugged me and thanked me for the past year. He said that he was mad at himself for the stupidity that he had shown recently. And then he drove off on his scooter, wiping a tear from his eye. I went back to my desk and cried a little too.

The Porter

2008-09-08T17:23:00.003-04:00

My friend Molly just opened her restaurant/bar in Little 5 Points this weekend! I was invited to the Grand Opening on Saturday. I was also invited to another party that was there last night. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to either of these events due to some schedule conflicts. I have peeked into the windows of The Porter and it's very impressive~~ Molly has done a great job pulling this project together in a very short time! After perusing the menu and extensive beer/wine list on their website (http://www.theporterbeerbar.com/), I can't wait to check it out in person! Best of luck with this new adventure, Molly!

An Historic Week!

2008-09-06T16:52:00.002-04:00

Two GREAT things happened within the past week:

Sarah Palin was nominated as McCain's running mate at the RNC. Great news-- I love her spunk!

My roommate, Matilda, moved out. Nothing against Matilda, but since she moved in, I've been sharing a closet and a dresser with Michael. Now we have our own clothes storage spaces, and we can now enjoy the right to walk around the house naked again!

What a Bargain!

2008-09-06T15:11:00.002-04:00

I saw a sign today advertising children for sale. I've been wanting a kid for a while now, so I took interest. I almost bought one today~~~ but then I figured that it'd be smarter to go to the sale tomorrow when they are half price.

Edging

2008-09-06T14:53:00.002-04:00

We finished installing the edging on the patio this week, and started edging the walkway. We got one side finished a couple of days ago, and started on the other side today. It's a long a tedious project, but it's almost finished.

Today's pictures will show a close-up of the finished part of the walkway, and a couple of distant shots so you can see how the walkway garden continues around the new patio.

I know that most of my recent blogs have been about the patio-- sorry, I've been obsessed with this project for a month now! I promise that this phase will be over soon and I will move onto something else. I'm just looking forward to the day that we can sit on the patio and not notice anything that we've left undone. That day should come very soon!

Patio Update

2008-09-01T11:00:00.003-04:00

The patio is just about complete. The contractor has finished his part, and I've almost finished mine. I added the edging to the flower bed, removed the grass, added dirt to raise the beds, planted some mums and added the mulch. I put the finishing touches on it this morning and I'm very happy with the outcome. Of course, this project will never be finished, the flower bed will be a work in progress for years! I want to plant bulbs, pansies and snapdragons this Fall-- it's a little too early for that, so the mums are pretty much temporary, but I wanted to give myself and the neighbors the feeling that the project was finished!

I had a great idea for the patio today-- there is a big space beside the walled garden-- it's kind of a dead space right now. I had it built this way so that I could add a brick walkway leading to the backyard (someday). Today I had the great idea of putting a whisky barrel pond in that area. I think it'd be cool, and would add the water element and sound that I love so much to the patio. My other ponds are not too far away from the patio, but you can't really hear the water noise from that distance-- I'd love to have a little pond nearby, with a water fountain and some pond plants to create a little ambiance!

Speaking of the other ponds-- I have a new resident in the large pond... another frog has found it's way into my yard. He's a little shy and mostly I only catch a glimpse of him as he dives into the water as soon as I come into sight. I wasn't even sure if it was a frog, or my imagination until a couple of days ago when I spotted him actually sitting on a lilly pad! Hopefully I can get a picture of him to share with you soon.

The Wedding

2008-09-01T10:42:00.003-04:00

I'm sure you've all been sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear about the wedding I catered this past Saturday night. Maybe not~~~ but here goes!

It was a HUGE success! I have never received more compliments at a catering job. The bride and groom stopped me several times to tell me how pleased they were with the food, the staff, etc. The bride and groom were the first people to eat, and the bride enjoyed it so much that she even came back for seconds.... and thirds!

The most heard comment was "This is the best wedding food I've ever had!". I heard this from many of the guests, and from the celebrating couple several times. Even the photographers stopped to tell me that they "do" lots of weddings, and that all of the caterers try to do steak, but end up overcooking it to the point that it becomes tough. They told me that my steak was perfect, and the best that they've ever had at a wedding! Believe it or not, this was my biggest concern. When I did a tasting with the couple last month at the restaurant, the steak was indeed overcooked- it still had a good taste, but was a little too chewy. I assured the couple that it wouldn't be overcooked at the wedding. I said this with my fingers crossed and with a prayer, because I knew that we would have to cook the steak several hours in advance and keep it warm in a cambro, prior to transferring it to chafin racks. Although the steak was to be cooked to rare, it would continue to stay hot and cooking in the cambro and in the chafin rack-- we wanted the steak to be served medium rare, and that's exactly how it turned out. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Luckily, there were some leftovers, and we've enjoyed steak and chicken at every meal since the wedding!

I can't thank Michael enough for his help with this event. We never got together and discussed a game plan for the wedding, but we both just fell into our roles and made a perfect team. I had a staff of 7, including Michael and myself. Michael helped to keep everyone on task more than I could have imagined. I didn't hear any of the servers complain; even after 9 hours of arranging furniture, serving and cleaning. Actually one of them did make a comment that they were getting tired--- I reminded them that I had started working 10 hours before any of them arrived at work. I always try to lead by example, and even though I was dead on my feet 19 hours into my workday, I didn't complain and I guess the example I set must have worked-- that and the evil taskmaster, Michael, making sure that no one had a chance to slack off! Thanks again to Michael for standing by me and supporting me with this project... I couldn't have done it without you!

I brought my camera to the wedding, but didn't get any pictures-- my battery died as soon as we got there. One of the servers took some pictures with her phone and hopefully she'll share them with me soon, and I can post some pics of the best wedding reception ever (in my humble opinion!).

Vote for ME!!!

2008-08-27T20:17:00.007-04:00

I've decided to throw my hat into the ring. I hope I can count on your support! The clip below shows some of the news footage that has been airing about my campaign. Watch out Obama and McCain-- the media loves me!

Copy the link below into your browser... you'll be shocked!

www.inews3.com/play.php?first=Brian&last=Burnett

My Favorite "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Moment

2008-08-27T18:58:00.000-04:00

Classic!

Total Idiot on "Wheel of Fortune"

2008-08-27T18:55:00.001-04:00

My Favorite Judge Judy Moment

2008-08-27T18:52:00.000-04:00

Magic Act...

2008-08-27T17:30:00.003-04:00

Once again, I have the opportunity this weekend to attempt do my famous magic act of turning chicken shit into chicken salad!

I'm catering a wedding on Saturday.... this will be a very upscale event-- white tableclothes, table service, servers dressed in all black, etc. The couple getting married are very laid back and casual, but the wedding is being held in a museum, surrounded by King Tut artifacts! The couple decided to pay the $500 fee to use a caterer that is not on the museums preferred vendor list. The museum rep informed me that only top-notch, high-profile caterers are allowed on his list, after being referred by a department head. His comments made me feel like I was a bottom-feeding caterer-- only capable of tossing a couple of biscuits on a table and calling it a day.

I want this wedding to be phenomenal-- not only for the couple (because I really like them and we've been working on the plans for over 6 months), but to prove myself to the museum rep. I met him last week for the first time, and he really is a nice guy. I'm hoping that once he sees our food and service, he will be impressed enough to put us on his list of preferred caterers. I've got a great team of servers and bartenders to help me. I even recruited Michael to work the wedding, because I am confident that not only will he give impeccable service, he will help me direct the rest of the team and with his help I'm sure that I can pull this one off.

Keep your fingers crossed for me-- catering a wedding always makes me nervous. It's a HUGE responsibility and privilege.

(pictures show the space where the wedding/ prereception/reception will take place)