Catch up post

Well Dinners with Dad have continued, however my blogging has fallen off.  So, I am going to do some catch up all in one entry.

October with Brittany was the Olive Garden.  Fantastic food and we have continued our new trend of NOT being in a hurry which means we talked, talked and talked.  Love it.

 

 

October with Henry took another Henry-ized twist.  His idea this time was take out dinner at home followed by a movie.  His preferences were chicken and The Three Stooges movie.  Well I was able to deliver on both counts after a trip to KFC and Redbox.  We had some great original recipe with some sides of wedges and corn followed by the movie - which I must say was better than I thought it would be.  Great idea Henry.

 

 

 

November with Sara was another first.  We went to one of my favorites - Jose's Blue Sombrero.  Sara and I talked about a lot including the fact that she needs to move AGAIN.  It's her third move this year.  Lots going on in her life right now.

 

 

 November with Brittany was at Chick-fil-a.  Another novel idea that turned out great.  I have not been to a Chick-fil-a in years and it was quite good.  We hung together for quite some time, covered a lot of conversation, solved world problems and I forgot to take a picture - so I am pasting the Chick-fil-a logo here instead.

 

 

November with Henry was at Red Lobster.  Both Henry and Sara have tried to go to Red Lobster before but it was always too busy.  We finally got in this time with no lines and no waiting.  Henry said that he wanted to go there to try some new things.  He knew he liked crab legs and wanted to try other things like crab legs.  So I ordered the "Ultimate Feast" which included crab legs, lobster and two kids of shrimp and he ordered broiled fish.  We shared it all with each other and Henry found out that lobster was ok but not as good as crab legs and breaded shrimp was better than garlic shrimp.  Personally I liked it all a lot but I am partial to seafood and especially (as Lisa calls them) bottom feeders.  Conversation was fun and funny as usual making the evening fly by.

 

 

 

October and November with Joe have been delayed.  We have had trouble matching schedules with him working second shift and us busy on weekends but we have vowed to have dinner in December and do some make up dinners at some point.

 

Well all caught up for now.  More to come.  Oh ya.....Time with Sara, Brittany and Henry = PRICELESS!!!

 

October with Sara

So the Dinner with Dad schedule finally was overrun by our hectic schedule and September really did not come together.  So we have just jumped into October and we will have to make up the missed month later.

It was great to get back to the Dinner with Dad schedule.  Even though it gets hectic some times, it is always a GREAT evening when it is a Dinner with Dad evening!

Sara and I finally made it to the new Texas Roadhouse in town.  Every time that we tried this place in the past it was a very long wait.  Well I think the newness has finally wore off and we got in with no wait at all.

Dinner was very good and there was certainly service with a smile.  Sara went with the ribeye steak and I went with BBQ Chcken and Ribs combo.  Both loved our meals and the server dude was definitely a character.

Since we hadn't been out in a while, we had lots to talk about and time flew by.  Sara is now very busy with her new job and is looking at other job opportunities.  She had quite the flat tire episode last week on the way to work, but all worked out and she got to work and home safely.

Time with Sara = Priceless

August with Sara

OK, summer is really taking a toll on my Dinner with Dad schedule and also the associated blogging.  I am now 2 behind in Dinners with Joe and two weeks behind on my Dinner with Brittany - to be made up next week.  Summer in Wisconsin is something that goes by very quick and is full of one activity after another - maybe that is why we pretty much hibernate in the winter.

After being undecided on where we were going to go for dinner, Sara and I decided to go to TGIFriday's.  The deciding factor on the choice of restaurants - it was a good place to catch the first Packers pre-season game.  Another key factor of Wisconsin - you are not allowed to miss a Packer game - even if it is pre-season.

Given that I am writing this two weeks after the event, I honestly forgot what Sara had for dinner but I know she liked it.  I had the 3 appetizer platter - very good.  Sara has a lot going on these days and at times the conversation was very serious about very serious life decisions and of course some of our conversations were our typical fun humorous laughable topics.  Sara seems to be dealing quite well with a lot going on which was good to hear.  The Packers lost but our dinner was a winner - winner winner Sara's dinner!

Time with Sara - Priceless!

 

July with Sara

Sara's July dinner got pushed back a bit due to our typical summer hectic schedules but we caught up on Monday night.

Sara chose Javier's Cuisine.  Rumor has it that this restaurant was started by a former chef from Jose's Blue Sombrero, which is my second most favorite Mexican restaurant ever (after El Azteca in Kimberly).  I think the rumor must be true because the menu had a lot of similarities and the food was fantastic.

Sara had the steak tacos and I went for the seafood burritos.  This confirmed that the chef was from Jose's because the seafood burritos were just as good and totally my favorite.  Sara said that her dinner was very good too.  And of course we had to partake in "Margarita Monday."  Sara went with the strawberry blended and I with the original on the rocks.

The conversation was all over the place as usual and went by so quick.  Total date time this time was only about an hour and a half which is short for us and that time flew by.  When we got back home, baby Rose was in a playful mood and I had her giggling like crazy.  Great night with Sara and Rose.

Dinner = $39.67  Time with Sara = Priceless!

 

Sara thought the bright background made the picture more "artsy" lol.

June with Sara

Well for the first time, we actually had to move the day for Sara's Dinner with Dad to the following Monday - the summer schedule gets pretty crowded.

Sara came to our house about 6pm, but we needed to wait for Glamma to get done with her water aerobics before we could head out so that she could babysit Rose.  So while we waited Sara and I had a cold one on the neighbors deck - nice chill down on a hot night.

So we finally headed out to dinner at Famous Dave's.  The nearest location was about 1/2 hour away so we had a nice drive in our new Suburban.  For dinner I had the Rib and Chicken combo, Sara had the Hot Link Sausage and Tips combo.  All I can say about the food is that it all was very good and there was LOTS of food.  Sara was smart enough to take some home while I for some reason felt like I needed to conquer the plate - Sara definitely made the better decision :).

Sara and I decided that our dates definitely had to be longest of all the kids.  It seems like our dates streched out for hours quite often while some of the other dates with the other kids weren't as long.  Even though this date was probably the longest of them all timewise, we never run out of things to talk about ranging from funny stuff, to politics to raising Rose to jobs to religion to relationships.  Sara has a lot going on that she thankfully shares with me and looks for advice.  Not sure I always give the best advice but either way I can tell she genuinely appreciates it.

By the time we got back home, Rose was asleep on Glamma's lap.  She was woken up to go home with Mom and we called it a night.

Dinner = $49.22.  Time with Sara = Priceless

June with Joe (and others)

Well, it's been a while since the last dinner with Dad and there have been a couple of new twists.  Technically last Thursday was a 5th Thursday of the month and should have been a dinner with my lovely wife Lisa.  But instead we spent the night burying a Suburban.  Ours 2001 Suburban is still hanging in there, but a bit worn and a bit unsure for another season of camping so we upped the vintage to a 2007 Suburban and are good to go.  Quite a bit more expensive than a dinner date, but it needed to be done.

As far as the June dinner with Joe (he missed May but we could make it up some day), it actually ended up being dinner with Joe and Dad and friends.

Joe moved his date back to Sunday.  Well after church Lisa and I talked about pulling some weeds and dead plants out of our landscaping.  Next thing you know we had Sara, Casey, Sara's friend Heidi and her Horticulturalist hubby Alex and Joe all over here either helping or at least giving "advice" from the sidelines.

By the time we got done moving all the plants 1) I was exhausted and 2) Lisa had prepared a fine dinner of barbecued shreded chicken.  I asked Joe if he minded having the whole gang joine us for dinner and he graciously agreed.

Joe and I did not get much time to talk until afer everyone else had left, but on the other hand I think Joe got a taste (pun intended) on what life was like at our house and how much fun it can be to be around family and friends.  I hope he shows up for more of these days and judging by the fun he had and the comments he made, I think he will be back soon.

Special note - thank you so much Alex, Casey and Henry for all your help - could not have done it without you!

Dinner = ???  Time with Joe (and the gang) = PRICELESS!

In the picture (L to R) - Alex, Rose, Casey, Joe, Me, Henry, Lisa, Sara and Heidi.

May with Sara

I have fallen a bit behind on my Dinners with Dad because I have not been able to match schedules with Joe yet for May so that update will be later.  The dinner with Sara went on as scheduled the second Thursday of the month.  Sara let me know that her Dinner with Dad has always been on schedule so far and she is also making it a mission to do a new location each month.

This month Sara chose Salute in downtown Racine.  As I think I have mentioned before, Racine has some great Italian cuisine and Salute is another one that fits that description.  Sara went with the Gnocchi and I went with the Sauteed Penne Bolognese.  Both of us loved our dinners and were only to finish about half of it - makes for some good leftovers.

One thing I am noticing as the Dinners with Dad continue is that our conversations seem to be more animated, cover more topics and go by too fast.  We had a long wait for dinner becasue Salute was very busy for a Thursday night - I am guessing they might have been a bit understaffed.  This gave us time to cover everything from work, to relationships, to politics, to religion and probably a few other things.  Our waitress realized that our service was very slow so she offered to make it up to us by giving us one free round of drinks and ending the dinner with a shot of Sambuca.  I have always been a fan of the Sambuca but Sara did not seem to like it as much and said it made her mouth feel funny lol.

Meanwhile back at home, Glamma Lisa took Rose to Henry's baseball practice.  Rose had a good time and was fawned over by all the other moms at the practice.  By the time Sara and I got back home, Rose was sound asleep in Glamma's arms.  She woke up enough to wave buh-bye and all was good.

Dinner = $31.74  Time with Sara = Priceless!

April with Sara

It has been a while since a Dinner with Dad date.  Last one was the the 4th week of March with Henry.  Since then I had a Dinner with Mom and then a week off because Joe wanted to reschedule due to the fact that we were out of town last weekend which when his dinner would have been. So.....

The first Dinner with Dad for April was with Sara.  First choice for location was either of the new restaurants in town Texas Road House or Red Lobster.  However, just like last month - these two restaurants are still very new and obviously the place to go so very crowded (so much for "times are tough").

So we went with option three which was Buffalo Wild Wings.  I either had never been to Buffalo Wild or it's been a long time.  Thursday is of course "Boneless Thursday" so we both partook in the special.  The only difference was that Sara went with the mild sauce and I went with the medium - which made my head all sweaty.  I think we a both a bit wimpy on the spicey tolerance.

Conversation was great.  Even though Sara does come to the house quite often, it felt like it had been a long time since we last chat.  Sara is working on getting her date for her CNA test and looking forward to that.  She also moved from the upstairs flat in their house to the downstairs flat and are helping the landlord with upkeep and looking for a renter for the upstairs.  It is good to see the constant movement towards her improving her financial situation and career development.  As I told her one step at a time but keep stepping.

Dinner = $27.95  Time with Sara = Priceless!

 

March with Sara

A little late getting this post up but it's been one of those kinds of week.  Anywho...

Sara stuck for the traditional Thursday night.  Our plan was to go to Racine's new Texas Roadhouse.  However, apparently we were not the only ones with that idea.  After finding out that the wait time was 45 - 55 minutes we decided to opt for Plan B.  Racine also has a new Red Lobster - let's try that.  Parking lot looked VERY empty - Plan B could be in trouble.  Sign on the door says "Training in progress come back for opening March 12."  On to Plan C.  We ended up at Lone Star (which ironically is very much like Texas Roadhouse) which had no lines and no waiting. 

After quickly getting seated it didn't take us long to start with some beverages and choose our dinners.  I found out something interesting when Sara ordered Cherry Coke.  That is the same beverage that Joe ordered on Sunday.  Who knew?  Sara went with the "San Antonio Sirloin" medium rare with smashed potato and chili.  I went with the Steak, Salmon combo along with a salad and steak fries.  Both were very happy and stufffed.

After completing the classroom part of her CNA course, Sara did her first week of clinicals this week.  She worked at Becker Shoop Center - elderly care center.  She spoke about her experience with such excitement that I am thinking Sara has found something that she is going to do very well at.  Sara has a very kind and patient personality which fits perfect with this just as it did when she was working with kids.

By the time we got back home, Uncle Henry and Glamma Lisa had Rose sound asleep.  But then wen Sara woke her up to go home, she was as smiley as ever and was very entertaining.  A good night for all for sure.

Dinner = $40.37  Time with Sara = Priceless!

February with Sara

The timing for Dinner with Dad for February with Sara worked out to be perfect timing.  Sara has had a big couple of days and was eager to share.

Sara brought Rose over about 5:30.  Henry had Cub Scouts tonight so Sara and I dropped him off on the way to dinner which left Grandma Lisa all alone with baby Rose so it was a good night for all!

Sara chose Olive Garden for tonight's dinner.  Another fine choice as far as I am concerned.  Sara did the fantastic Soup and Salad deal and I went with the Eggplant Parmigiana.  Both were very good although I have to admit that Olive Garden Eggplant Parmigiana is not even close to how good Eggplant Parmigiana is at Infusino's.

The night started with a strange text from Sara.  She said that she picked Olive Garden as the location and she will drive.  I was not sure why she wanted to drive but started to think that maybe I have already started driving like my Dad and that was Sara's polite way of saying that she would rather take her life into her own hands.  But thankfully I was wrong.  Yesterday Sara bought a new car.  She bought a 2011 Chevy HHR.  Very nice vehicle and it was nice to have her drive (more beer for me).  Sara had a great buying experience and highly recommends Russ Darrow Mazda in Greenfield - ask for Todd.

Today was also Sara's first day in CNA class.  She has entered this 5 week course at Gateway Tech and is going for her CNA certification after that.  She shared with me this hand washing video - very cheeky.  I can tell by Sara's enthusiasm that she is going to do very well in this class and I am very excited to see her so excited about the class.

Dinner = $44.06. Time with Sara = Priceless!

January with Sara

Once again a slight adjustment to the schedule.  We moved our date to Wednesday because Thursday this week is Cub Scouts and Pinewood Derby car building night.  I also broke my own rule of letting the kids choose the restaurant.  I chose The Chancery because they were doing a fund raiser for Henry's school John Paul Academy II tonight so we had dinner and raised money all in one night :).  It was a rough night for me to go out because our big layoff at work happened today.  I had to walk two people out and watch several others leave - lots of tears and sadness.  However, a date with Sara made me forget about all the work stuff and gave me some good laughs and smiles.

I got home from work about 6 and then Sara showed up at our house shortly thereafter so that Rose (her 5 month old baby) could spend some time with Grandma Lisa and Uncle Henry - we all win :).  It had been a while since I had been at The Chancery and the menu had changed quite a bit.  Sara had an Avocado Burger and I had Fish Taco's.  We both were very happy with our choices for dinner.

Sara just moved into a new apartment on New Year's Eve so we talked about them getting settled in to the new place.  Like usual, a conversation between Sara and I wanders all over the place and we did tonight too - from taxes, to cats, to creepy old friends, to men versus women's abilty to remember things - draw your own conclusions on that one - discuss.  We talked about Sara's job and financial future.  She will be taking CNA classes next month and hopefully that will lead to some good job opportunities.  She also talked about how they are now budgeting their money in a very orderly spreadsheet (just like Daddy taught her :)).  She also made the profound statement that they budget based on 40 hour/week income now versus what they were doing - budgeting assuming overtime.  This now creates a bonus when there is overtime instead of a problem when there was not overtime.  I laughed and told her that would be good advice for the Execs at my company - long story but fitting.

I also came up with the idea of taking a picture of each Dinner but did not think of it until we got home.  So here is a piture of me and Sara back at home after dinner - obviously I ate too much. 

Back to the house we went for Sara to pick up Rose.  Rose was sound asleep in Grandma's arms while they were watching the movie "Mars Needs Moms" - I am thinking that was Uncle Henry's idea.  Sara was on her way by about 9:00 and I am exhausted.

Dinner = $35.36.  Time with Sara = Priceless!