thank YOU for your support! buttery mashed potatoes helped a little too.
i cannot express how amazing it was to put myself out there yesterday with my article “my war with anxiety” and receive overwhelming support. i truly appreciate all the texts, emails, blog comments and facebook messages- it really made me feel supported and happy to hear other people have sought help and are doing well. thank you.
after i published my article, i raced off towards downtown to have lunch with friends to celebrate houston restaurant weeks (it’s a whole month long). it’s where you can eat a fancy restaurants at a good price and some of the proceeds go to the food bank. eating while giving back…yes please.
i discovered that the only thing more stressful than the act of driving on the freeways of houston is when a flipping SPIDER drops down from the roof of your car and you crazily bat it away while not crashing into the cars that are swerving in and out of your lane at 85 miles per hour. i didn’t kill it so throughout the rest of my drive i thought i felt it 1) between my toes 2) on my neck 3) in my ear and 4) on my arm. none of this has been confirmed but i’m really hoping the ear one was only my imagination. talk about anxiety-inducing.
we ventured to “sorrel urban bistro” and had a great waiter who informed us everything was local and fresh. it made me feel like we were back in portland, oregon and i almost asked to see the profile on the chicken i was going to order.
they describe themselves as “a casual fine-dining experience” and i think that pretty much sums it up. i opted for the roasted organic chicken and they even let me sub out the peas that came with it for mashed potatoes (which were some of the mashed potatoes of my life) so two thumbs up for that!
the fun thing about being married or in a relationship is that you get a whole bunch of new friends! these two ladies, caroline and sarah, have known ravery for over 10 years and now i get to be friends with them! it was also funny when i told my husband i was going out with them, he said, “um, i don’t get to come?! they were my friends first!” he was mostly joking but nope-ladies only.
see that TV behind us? it’s actually a camera so you can watch what the chef is cooking up! we didn’t utilize it because we were right next to the action. caroline ordered one of the best looking sandwiches i have seen in my life. it had an egg, avocado and a ton of different cheeses. she said it was out of this world. she’s a fellow blogger so check out her other good eats here!
with the restaurant week deal, you got an entree AND a dessert for the lunch deal (or you could have a salad…but i would honestly like to know what percentage of people choose salad over dessert) so i tried the grilled pound cake because it sounded interesting. not gonna lie…i wouldn’t order it again because it was pretty dry the sauce and berries were tasty!
thank you again for all the support, it was really amazing to get done with lunch and look at my phone and see all the positive things you said. i hope your thursday has been grand and mine is getting even better because…
MY MOM IS COMING TO VISIT AND SHE GETS IN TONIGHT! yayayaya! i better go shower, clean my room and eat some veggies in case she asks!
the new wifestyle: it can be scary to put yourself out there but typically the outcome is supportive. thank you!
questions:
1) does your city have something along the same lines as “restaurant week?” have you participated?
2) favorite way to eat potatoes…mashed/french fries/twice baked/scalloped? (mine is twice baked)
3) what are you looking forward to most this weekend?
Heather Hawkins
August 15, 2013 at 7:03 pm
1) I don’t know, I’ll have to ask Nick.
2) Potatoes are my friends. And I learned just recently, that because of my insulin resistance, I’m supposed to cut down my potato eating so I can learn to deal with sugars correctly again. 30 days without to get the baseline to see how much it influences my blood sugars. Very, VERY upsetting to me. But I’m surviving.
3) We haven’t decided yet what to do this weekend, but probably the farmer’s market.
chelsea
August 17, 2013 at 9:56 am
i’m so happy to hear that you are surviving going without potatoes but i too would be very upset about that process. i hope you have a blast at the farmer’s market!
Vivien
August 15, 2013 at 8:40 pm
1) YES! It’s been just over ten years now for Dine Out. It is roughly 2 weeks every February where participating restaurants offer three course meals (Appetizer, Entree, Dessert) at three set prices (they’re fantastic deals) depending on the fanciness of the restaurant. It’s always a huge success. In the beginning I think the Dine Out program was for dinner, but now a fair number of restaurants also do the event for their lunch times too. Some restaurants have also chosen (individually) to extend their own “Dine Out” deals past the main event. They also have suggested wine pairings to go with your meal, and also Dine Out dinner with a one-night hotel stay.
I could go on and on about it, but I love it so much. Last year alone I went at least eight times during the two week period. Can you tell I like it? 🙂
2) Usually mashed or french fries.
3) Studying…and trying to write my first article for How to Be a Speaker 🙂
chelsea
August 17, 2013 at 9:59 am
ohhh “dine out” sounds excellent! that is so amazing that you went 8 times last year during the 2 week period-haha love it and it sounds like quite the event! good luck with all of your studying and the first article for “HTBAS” woohoo! can’t wait to read it!
chuckmen
August 16, 2013 at 7:40 am
1. The Dallas/Fort Worth area has a huge “restaurant week” during the month of August. $7.00 of each $35 (fixed price) meal goes to the Lena Pope home for adoptions. My wife and I have a great time dining out at all the different restaurants we haven’t tried previously.
2. Probably one of my favorite ways to eat potatoes is scalloped with lots and lots of cheese!
3. This weekend is a solid Toastmasters weekend with a club meeting on Saturday morning, helping to conduct training Saturday afternoon, then our District’s Annual Awards banquet Saturday evening! I can’t wait!
Keep up the super blogging.
Chuck
chelsea
August 17, 2013 at 10:02 am
that is excellent to hear that dallas/fort worth has a huge one going on now too! i loooove trying new restaurants, especially the fancier ones at a more affordable price. mmm cheesy potatoes are the very best! sounds like an action packed weekend, chuck! i hope you have a blast with all of your festivities! thanks for the comment 🙂