Claim Jumper

Tonight I had my department Christmas party at Claim Jumper. Our head doctor takes us out twice a year to celebrate. All on him. Super nice man. Anyhow, the Spring dinner is at El Torito and the Christmas one is at Claim Jumper.

I never eat at Claim Jumper. I just haven't ever really loved it and I get really overwhelmed deciding what I'm going to have. I've only been there a handful of times. So knowing that this dinner was approaching I decided to look at the menu online ahead of time. I was busy so I didn't have much time. I saw a BBQ Chicken Salad and thought, "Great, that's what I'll get!". Figuring I was all set I was prepared. I know this sounds ridiculous but I am easily overwhelmed when given many options. Ok, so tonight I get to the restaurant and order my standard... Diet Coke. :) Well everyone around me is really reading their menus and oohing and aahhing. So I'm thinking that maybe I'm making the wrong choice. I better give this menu thing another glance. Oh Wow. Super overwhelmed now.

Do I want ribs? Do I want a steak? Do I want a pot pie? Do I want chicken? Do I want tenderloins? Or do I just want to stick to my BBQ chicken salad????? AAAHHHHH Ok, I'm getting the chicken... no I'm getting the tri-tip... Wait! That tilapia looks really good. Ooooh. YUM! Oh but wait I want to pick my sides and this looks like it just has rice. Hmmmm. Ok I'll ask the waitress.

This is all going on in my head. So now you know, I'm a little nuts. You're probably thinking "This is all over food????"  hahahaha I just don't want to end up w/ something that's just ok. I want something really good for dinner. So the waitress says that the tilapia comes w/ rice and green beans but that I can substitute the green beans. Ok... it's settled. I'm not a big fan of green beans so I'll go with the roasted vegetables. YAY I've made my selection.

Now dinner is being served. Across from me I see ribs and a ribs/shrimp combo and I'm thinking "oh man!". But wait my dinner is being placed in front of me. Did I mention that the tilapia had a creamy sauce (not alfredo) and shrimp??? Oh yeah, I've made the right choice! Next to me there is another tilapia dinner. He tries it first and is telling me it's scrumptious. Ok, I'm going in. OH MY GOSH!!!! This is the most delicious tilapia that I've ever tried. Melt in your mouth delicious. A few bites later I try the shrimp. I can't even speak. I just have to sit and chew slowly and enjoy every second of this shrimp.

Needless to say I am now a HUGE Claim Jumper fan and even more excited that the portion was so large that 1/2 of my dinner is in my fridge as I type. Oh and besides the food I had a great time! We did a gift exchange and after a few steals and trades (gotta love the White Elephant game) I ended up with a bottle of Patron Orange Liquer. I brought it home for Jon and he was one happy guy. :) Plus there were lots of laugh. A huge thanks to Dr C our head doc. MMUC is great place to work!!!

Katheryn

My sister Katheryn and I are extremely different on so many levels. Our political views our religious views etc... However we are so alike on so many levels. We're both very morbid and laugh at extremely inappropriate times. We both feel deeply and hurt when we see others suffering. We share a past that only the 2 of us understand.
Growing up we never got along. I was very jealous of her and I wanted to be like her. She didn't want a pesky little sister hanging around. You know... typical sibling rivalry. As we've gotten older we've had our ups and downs but mostly ups. I'm so glad that we've become friends.
I've always been a private person when it comes to my personal life. I don't even share it with my sister. However, this past year has been quite a stressful year for my and I've actually opened up and told Katheryn everything. Expecting to be judged, I was really put in my place. Because my sister has been so supportive in so many ways. I feel so selfish for always keeping to myself when she has always poured her heart out. Why couldn't I do the same? I really missed out on years of emotional support by not doing that.
So no matter what differences Kat and I have I love her. She's my sister. My friend. And just an amazing person. :)

Cutting off your nose to spite your face

We all know the old saying, "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face". However, we don't always follow it. This is what I dealt with today. The funny thing is that the laughs on them. Even if you don't like me or are angry with me or whatever, if I ask you to help me out with something to benefit someone else (not me) you would think you would do it right? Especially if this is a family member. Helping me out with this wouldn't be for me. I just wish others could see this. And not be so spiteful. I'll admit I can and have been spiteful at times but I don't think I've ever carried it on so long. I have a conscience and I have a heart so that eventually shines through my spitefulness ( I hope!). Oh well, what can I do.

Friendship

I'm just sitting here thinking about friendship. I am so blessed to have such amazing friends. Whether they are people I see all the time or a few times a year, I love all of them. I have friends that I've known for 25 yrs and those I've known for less than 1 year. But each of them bring something special to my life. I don't have a very big family. So my friends (other than my sister) come from outside. But I feel like they, too, are like family. I know there are some people out there that feel like they just don't need friends. That they are happy by themselves. And while I understand that I also feel like everyone should have at least 1 person that they are really close to so that they can share their feelings. Laugh with. Cry with. Be stupid with. And cherish. Because I really cherish everyone that comes into my life. Well except for those that I want to strangle. hahahhaha But they aren't friends. LOL!