Restaurant Review and Counting my blessings

RESTAURANT REVIEW:  My friends got me out of the house on Saturday night and took me to the new steakhouse in Baltimore called Sullivan's.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to eat.  I was in a steak mood - so steakhouse it was.  Food was excellent - the calamari was not as good as the Capital Grille's, but my steak was juicy and tender (and of course, I only eat it well done, so juicy and tender is not always expected!)  Waiter was excellent and knew when to leave us alone so that we could enjoy our conversation.  Atmosphere was a bit loud and a bit boring.  The place needed something.  It was great to get out and do something sort of "normal" and celebrate with good friends.  It is nice to have the kind of friends that really know you and know how to have a good time.  My only regret was that I wanted a martini so bad and couldn't have one!  

  

BLESSINGS:  I have become quite the morning person!  How come I could not pop out of bed for work like this?  Anyway, I awoke having the most beautiful dream - which really wasn't a dream, it was a snippet of my real life.  As most of you know, 10 years ago (August 18, 1999 - weird the dates that stick in your head) I had my first chemo treatment - back then it was CHOP, this time the name is too fancy to spell!  Well, probably the best memory that I have from the last ten years happened somewhere between my last chemo treatment and the middle of radiation - I was getting stronger and the cancer was pretty much beaten and I could drive again and was working a few hours a week, so life was getting back to normal.  The phone call came in the wee hours of April 28th - my mom's frantic voice telling me that my sister was at the hospital and there wasn't much time.  I grabbed a few items and ran out to the car and drove like a mad woman and barely got there in time to stand beside my sister and her husband as Hannah was born.  Dave and I had on pink T-shirts because we were hoping for a girl.  Soon after the delivery, Dave went to pick up Ryan and Megan so that they could meet their new sister and I stayed behind with mine - me with my 1|4 inch of hair wrapped in a pink scarf (I was also quite fashionably thin) and my sister with the biggest smile that could fit on a persons face.  When the nurse came in the room and saw me and my sister and I was holding Hannah, she congratulated us on our new arrival.  My sister laughed, picking up what was going on immediately, and said "we are sisters" and the nurse said, yes, she realized that.  Well, Bonnie was laughing so hard as she said "no, we are the biological kind of sisters!"  Being there for Hannah's birth was one of the happiest moments of my life.  Hannah is now 9 and the most delightful child.  She drew me the most beautiful picture of the two of us looking like American Doll's to hang in my hospital room.  (I owe her a trip to NY to the American Doll Store, so I really need to get better soon - it is not nice to keep a 9 year old waiting!).  Anyway, I woke up thinking about all the blessings that I have had in the last ten years, and remembering how fortunate I have been.  Ryan, Megan and Hannah are the absolute joys of my life.  I even like helping them with their homework!  We have had some great family vacations - I think that I loved Disney more than than the kids did!  Last May, we spent a week in VT together.  Yep, I am a lucky girl!