Too Much of a Good Thing

Yesterday was Memorial Day.  I had a great day!  Before I get into what I did, I want to share what Memorial Day means for me.  My little brother is in Navy Boot Camp right now.  He is 19 and one of my very best friends.  I miss him dearly, but I am SO proud of him!!  He's extremely smart and dedicated to his work.  The military is not uncommon in my family, as my dad, uncle, and grandfather, (and some greats in there, too), were all in the military.    I am truly, truly grateful for the sacrifices they and hundreds of thousands of others have made so I can have the freedoms I have today.  I'm grateful that I can wake up in the morning and not have to wonder whether the water is safe to drink or the air clean to breathe.  I'm grateful to be able to walk down the street without having to hide my face because I'm a woman.  I'm grateful for the abundance of good food in this country and for the ability and freedom I have to teach people about that good food.  The freedoms I have are not lost on me and I am so very happy and proud to support the military of the United States of America.

Tangent?  Maybe, but I feel like I need to share my gratitude.

So, back to yesterday.  I had the opportunity to go to a Medieval Fair.  We saw lots of costumes and jewelry.  We saw jousters.  My friend's two kids each got a broken piece of lance, signed by the jousters.  It was cool.  After the fair, I had the opportunity to have dinner with some of the most amazing people I have ever met.  I was able to cook with and for them and spend time learning from them and sharing my own experiences.  We talked about so many different things, all over some of the most simple, incredible food!  We had grilled burgers, Italian sausage, chicken, pineapple, lots of fruit and vegetables, pasta salad.  So much food!  And, boy, did we eat!  Everything we ate was fresh and healthy and tasted so good!  My downfall:  the vegetables.  We were having such a great time, I didn't realize just how many vegetables I was eating.  Needless to say, by the time we were done, I was F-U-L-L!  Good thing it was vegetables and not sugar...

Opinions & Truths

I heard once that opinions are like belly buttons: everybody has one.  It stuck with me because it is absolutely true.  Here are some of my opinions: Celery is disgusting.  Apricot preserves make the best J-side for a PB&J sandwich.  The orange at the bottom of the Christmas stocking is the best part of the stocking.  The best way to eat a tomato is to pull it from the vine and eat it like an apple.  The best breakfast food ever is biscuits with sausage gravy.  Waffle House has the most amazing grits and hash browns, especially at two in the morning.  Deep Fried Okra and Catfish is perfect lunch for a Friday afternoon.

I know plenty of people would disagree with me on every single one of these opinions.  The flip-side of all this is that there are absolute truths in life, too: Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death all over the world.  This is the first generation of four and five year olds that are not expected to outlive their parents.  Eating fast food has serious health consequences.  Obesity is preventable.

Funny how we live in a world that fights over opinions, but rarely wants to hear the truth, especially when hearing the truth means doing something about it.