Best Christmas surprise ever!..............................

My oldest (who lives out of state) came home last night to surprise me. Normally she goes to her dad's house for the day before the day before and Christmas eve (the day before in case you were confused) and I don't see her until 10:00 PM on Christmas Eve. It was such a great gift to have her home just to hang out. She may be grown and have a life of her own, but she is still my baby and I feel wonderful when I have all my little chicks under my roof again, if only for one night.

When her sister got out of work the three of us went to the new bar and grill in town (the old bar burnt down sometime last year) which was suppose to be upscale from the old place. It was the first time any of us had been in, and it was kind of sad for the oldest (she had worked there for a second job during her summer vacations while she was in college) but the place really is very nice.

The grill has a chef that has worked in New York city so I put him to the test and requested that he make me something raw for my dinner. The waitress brought me a lettuce wrap, and I felt like a celebrity when the chef came out of the kitchen to explain the dish to me, and make sure I liked it. He told me that I had caught him off guard with my request (I am so good at catching people off guard with things that I say and do) and that he hasn't been ask for a raw dish since leaving the Big Apple. Then he came back to our table after I had time to eat to make sure he had satisfied me. Coupled with being with my girls it was one of the coolest dining experiences I have ever had and I only had to drive two blocks from home for it. Pretty cool.

The dish, in case you are interested, was fairly simple, but his addition of fresh herbs and the way he seasoned it created a taste out of this world and mouth thought she had died and gone to heaven.

We came home and sat outside in the hot tub to continue our girl-talk ending the evening with lots of extra hugs and promises of a combination of good (fresh veggie juice from my new juicer) and bad (french toast made with home made cinnamon bread) carbs for breakfast. Who could ask for more?