OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO - CLASSIC ON NOBLE

Classic On Noble

(Written By Sheila Gail Landgraf)

 I wanted to tell you about a very special restaurant I discovered once upon a time as we were traveling through Anniston, Alabama.   It is called Classic On Noble, and it is located, just as the name implies, on Noble Street in Anniston, Alabama.

You will never find a more cozy and quaint dining experience.  This has become a place to go on special occasions for my family.  

We’ve always been for dinner in the evenings, but I’m told that their brunches are amazing, delicious and well attended.  I’ve had the brunch idea marked on my bucket list for awhile, and I know I will find it worth the drive when I get around to it.  Brunch seems to be the rave with the locals for sure. 

 In the meantime, my dinner experiences there have certainly been excellent. 

David and Cathy Mashburn are the restaurant owners.  It seems they were well established in the catering business when they noticed that the old Levy and Clark Building in Anniston’s historic district was for sale.  

The building was constructed in 1894, and had been boarded up and closed off since 1919.  When they first toured the dusty old building full of cobwebs, Cathy thought it was a hopeless case, but David thought it was “perfect.”  David won the disagreement.  Classic On Noble soon became a key element toward the revitalization of historic downtown Noble Street.  Cathy now openly admits that David had the vision from the start, and it has come together just as he imagined; “perfectly.”   

You enter the restaurant from the main street and step into an elegant fresh flowered entrance way that will either lead you back to many beautiful rooms of white linen covered antique tables graced by a lovely grand piano, or you can turn left and go upstairs via a winding stairwell to The Green Olive Room.  The downstairs interior has hardwood floors and is beautifully decorated in an elegant upbeat yet traditional style that compliments the building.  This is where brunch, lunch and some special receptions are held.  There is a station at the foot of the stairway where your hostess will greet you.  You may sign a guest book that is kept there if you like, and you will soon find yourself led to a pretty table and very comfortably seated and pampered by excellent service.

Classic Catering creates wonderful food art for a wedding reception, or any other special occasion.  

They have catered to small and large crowds for offices, events, and special occassions in homes around the Southeast, regularly delivering excellent services to people in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.   

They are willing to travel to you, or you may rent the space of their restaurant for your event.   

The last time my husband and I came for dinner a wedding party was just leaving their reception from the front door.  People threw rose buds at the bride and groom as they escaped to the outside sidewalk.  Once the wedding crowd cleared, we were able to enter the restaurant ourselves, walking in over a fresh trail of pink, yellow and red rose petals that had been left behind.  I felt like God had planned the time out for us to arrive just when we did.  It added a bit of whimsy to the time we were anticipating, and made for a great beginning to a wonderful dining experience.

Our table was reserved in The Green Olive, the upstairs upscale bar area that is full of unique original art, antique furniture, vintage chandeliers and beautiful woodwork.    There is an amazing antique chess set in one area, and some of the former wedding party I mentioned earlier, were having a mixed drink and playing a game of chess while waiting on their meal.  

Our cozy table by the window was all very quite though, and that is one of the things I like so much about the place, you can actually have a conversation and hear what the other people at your table are saying. 

The Green Olive Room proclaims selections from a well stocked wine cellar.  The atmosphere of the bar area might remind you of the fact that once there was a time in the early history of the building during the Prohibition era, when the Green Olive Room’s floors were covertly being used to sell alcohol.  There was also live dancing and music back in those days.  Often there were raids by the local law enforcement.  However, no such commotion is happening now.   It is quite the opposite, and there is such a peaceful, elegant, “living-room feeling” in the Green Olive Room.   

We chose an excellent wine from the wine list, although you may also order mixed drinks.   We sipped our wine in the comfort of the pleasant surroundings as our waiter took our order from the delicious choices found on the menu.  I was amused that the waiters have to carry the food up to everyone from the other floors of the building.   The building is three stories high, so I guess this means that every time they bring food they must navigate three flights of stairs.   In spite of this fact, our waiter was very accommodating and didn’t mind making extra trips for our requests.    

There are several menu choices available, and we have tried all of them on different trips.  I’ve found them all to be quite delicious.  The Chef here is wonderful, and adds an elegant, yet southern flair to everything.  I love that.  This girl is not ashamed of being Southern.  

The Nobel Salad is famous, and so is The Wedge, but my favorite salad is the Fried Green Tomato Salad.  It is very tasty, and the presentation is very pretty and unique.    

There are many excellent choices for entrée’s.  My favorites were the Shrimp and Grits, The Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and the Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cakes.

Dessert is never the same and changes each time we go.  I especially remember sharing some fried ice cream once that was” to die for.”  Whatever they are offering for dessert is always excellent and there are always plenty of special choices. 
   

I was not surprised to learn that Classic On Noble has been featured in Southern Living, Historical Restaurants of the South, 100 Places to Eat Before You Die, The Anniston Star, The Birmingham News and many other well known publications.  

Nor was I surprised to learn that many famous and well known personalities have enjoyed their fine food.  The list includes former President Jimmy Carter, US Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, Congressman, Mike Rogers, former and present Governors from Alabama and otherwise, Amy Grant, the band called Alabama, among many others.  We added some more people to that impressive list by bringing our daughter and son-in-law with us the last time we went.  They loved the restaurant too.

So what are you waiting for?  It is well worth the drive.  

Go for brunch, or an elegant dinner.  

Call them up for your next special catering occasion.   

Check out their website, it has excellent driving directions from anywhere. 

I'm told this is the perfect restaurant to visit during Christmas holidays, because it is always decorated like a winter wonderland. 

Bon Appétit!

  

THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN - JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2014

I am behind in posting about the adventures of Three Girls Out On The Town.  I am behind on everything - not just this!  This time of year always gets busy with my blog because of the numerous amounts of seasonal changes taking place.  They are articles that are timely; so I have to put off other things until I can catch up. Since Christmas I've written about New Years, Epiphany, Purim and Lent, St. Patrick's Day and Spring.  I'm working on fine tuning drafts for Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits and Resurrection Day.  I've been inspired daily to keep writing the  lessons for an on-line bible study called "Come As A Child" that I'm writing.  So far I've published 10 of these lessons and have several more in the draft stages.  They have been well received.  I've set my goal to publish one of these every Thursday.  I've also had not just a few short stories to pop into my head.  Short stories have to happen when they happen - so I have paused to quickly write them down.  The submissions of my novel "The Cupbearer's Dream, and my other blog subjects:  FUN UNDER THE SUN, THE HOUSE DOCTOR, WEEKNIGHT FAMILY MEALS (to go with their seasons) and PEN ART have all been pushed aside to meet these pressing seasonal deadlines of a timely blog about the seasons of life.  Because of all this sudden business of the seasons, THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN, a forever friendship blog, often has to wait it's turn; but that is okay because these memories stay etched in my brain and I don't ever forget them!  The pleasure of lasting friendships can be remembered off schedule and at any time that they are needed.  That is one of the things that is so wonderful about friends and friendships.   So, if you don't see my posts about these adventures right away, don't assume they are not important because they are MOST important.  I just know I can trust my friends to wait on me when I'm in a crunch.   Good friends are patient, loyal and always there just when you need them.  They don't mind waiting on you while you take care of your day to day life.  With all of that said, we've been busy!

WE MET JANUARY AT THE SUPERIOR GRILLE:  It was noted among us that our day-to-day lives have been really busy this winter!  Where do I begin?  I'll start by telling you it was cold outside that night!  In spite of the weather we sat outside in the restaurant's indoor/outdoor patio and found ourselves very warm and cozy.  

They put us at a table RIGHT next to their huge outside fireplace.  It was very charming and relaxing to enjoy sitting on a patio in the middle of winter next to a very warm fireplace.  I love the irony in that.  

Our food was delicious.

We got to catch up on each other's Christmas and New Year's fun.  TC and I hung around close to home over those holidays and had lots of family events happening.  It was TC's youngest grandson's first Christmas!  She had such cute pics of him and his brother enjoying the season.  

I got to share what a wonderful time we had at Christmas with seeing all four of our grown children and

My family minus a son, not sure where he was hiding!

spending time with them.  Our daughter from out of state brought her boyfriend with her for the holiday and he spent a week with us.  We loved being with him and it was fun getting to know him better.  He lives pretty far from her and their long-distance romance is very complicated to arrange sometimes.  We were glad to be the meeting place for this particular visit.  

I shared with Bucket and TC how much excitement was taking place at our house watching our married daughter and son-in-law entertain the idea of parenthood, as their first child is on the way.  She finally LOOKS pregnant and she is beaming and healthy and glowing.  It has been amazing watching her walk into motherhood.  

I shared how my sister-in-law and brother-in-law from out of state came for a day bringing their three teens with them.  We had a wonderful visit that was long overdue.  The kids are quickly becoming adults on us.  

Bucket finally got a word in.  She had been to the beach - of course!  She gets to enjoy the beach every holiday almost as they have a house there that they can go to whenever they chose.  She and her family had a nice relaxing Christmas spending time with their children and friends both at home and at the beach.  Bucket is the only friend I have that decorates a palm tree for Christmas.  (Now I should consider that a subject for my Christmas Season  IN SEASON blog for sure.)  

Bucket is the world traveler in our midst.  She was busy planning little excursions with her husband and several of her friends for the coming year.  I can't wait to see how they all turn out.  It is nice to get to travel through the eyes of a friend sometimes.  I find myself pretty tied down with family and work these days and it is fun listening to her care-free excursions.

I did mention to the girls that my parents had moved from my childhood home on the farm to a smaller townhouse in a rural city setting.  It was the best thing for them now that they are older and farms are very hard to keep up, but I'm going to miss the place a lot and have such vivid memories of all the wonderful family things we did there.  I love the new place they chose, and have told the girls all about it and how we are pretty much spending all our weekends for awhile helping them to get settled there.  My Mom has just turned it into a mini-version of the house they had at the farm.  

Wow, I didn't realize how much visiting we did have in January until I looked back.  A lot happened and we had much catching up to do.  I left out a lot of it!   Don't think I share everything in this blog!   LOL.

IN FEBRUARY - WE MET AT THE VILLAGE TAVERN : 

Actually,  I got to see the girls twice in February!  Before we met at the Village Tavern, they came to a Baby Party held at our house for our daughter.   I was so glad to see my two BFF's walk into my home that day.  They really put a smile on my face and it was fun introducing them to all of our other friends who showed up for the party.  

Our soon coming grand-daughter is going to be set with everything a little one could ever dream of having.  Gifts were not requested, but people kept popping in the door with more wonderful gifts.  My daughter and her husband had great fun opening everything.

 My other two daughter's helped to throw the party and they brought a pretty banner and more food to add to all the food I had cooked up.  My son showed up to give my daughter's husband moral support, as he was afraid he would be totally outnumbered by females at this party.  Wasn't so.  My husband was there and my Dad and our good friend Dr. Bob.  The male community was represented by some of America's finest!  I just wish my son had not signed the guest book "Uncle Tron."  What does that mean?   Oh well, boys will be boys.  I always suspect my son first in pranks for many good reasons that I will not go into here!   



We saw lots of people who have been so special to us over the years, but we don't get to see in our day to day lives a lot.  It was great fun!  I asked everyone to write a bit of advice on being a parent and am putting that all together in a scrapbook for my daughter to give to her after the baby arrives.  We had such sweet responses to this, and I told the girls what fun I am having putting it all together now.

A few days after the Baby Party Three Girls Out On The Town got to have our regular monthly visit at The Village Tavern.  TC surprised us and brought her son and his family.  That was a nice surprise because we had not seen them in awhile and it gave us all time to catch up with each other, plus it was sort of a birthday celebration for TC and Bucket, since their birthdays are in February.  Of course, at our age - we do tend to ignore these dates more and more.  We didn't let them do that this year.  So it was good to have TC's family join in our little birthday party.  The boys have both grown so much!  TC's son and daughter-in-law are doing a great job as parents.  It was fun hearing about the ball park adventures and the upcoming trip to Disney that they have planned.

Bucket had been on yet another trip with her husband.  They had visited the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and seen the Tennessee Aquarium.  It was nice to re-visit those places through their eyes and adventures.  They had also been back to the beach for a few days.  They say they are not going to retire there, but they seem to go at least once a month.

I was full of chatter about what a fun time we had with one of our daughters and her boyfriend at The Bill Cosby Show.  This time we met our daughter's boyfriend's son who is now five years old. He is a single Dad and a great father.  We enjoyed getting to know this energetic little five year old very much.  He won our hearts for sure.   One of our sweet daughters gladly took over the babysitting while we all went to the Cosby Show.  I have never laughed so much in all of my life!

We all loved the food and the service at The Village Tavern.

As we made our way to the car after a wonderful time TC pulled packages out of her car and handed them to us.  It was her birthday celebration, but she was giving out gifts.  That is just like TC.  It was the latest Rachael Hauck book, "Princess Ever After."  You could have heard the squeals of delight for miles!  We have been waiting for this one for a long time.  It is the last of a three part series that we have all enjoyed the first two novels from thanks to TC.  

IN MARCH WE MET AT THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY:  It had been years since any of us had been inside this restaurant.  I quickly realized as the night wore on that this was one restaurant in town that had kept and maintained its high standards over the years.  The menu was amazing - it was a BOOK, not a menu.  They certainly have more to chose from than cheesecake.  It is ALL good, wonderful, well prepared food and the service was excellent.  Their mixed drinks were very good.  Bucket ordered a Well Mannered Dirty Martini and I had a Pineapple Mojito,  TC was driving - so she did not indulge with us.  

Of course the first conversation evolved around the Rachel Hauck book "Princess Ever After."  Bucket was the only one who had actually completed it and she was smiling about the story.  TC and I have been bogged down in the drudge of tax season and have been saving it for when we have more free time without interruption.  Bucket proudly announced that she probably has more bookwork to do than either of us, and she had finished hers AND read the book.   Some people just have to be constantly showing off!

She wasn't funny.  I have learned if I pick one of these novels up I can't put it back down until I'm finished, so I decided my job at work might be important - that I needed to wait for an open window where I could absorb the story completely.  This being the case; we did not let Bucket tell us one thing about the novel.  She just kept smiling smugly - so we know chances are we are going to enjoy the book very much.

Bucket had been planning two new adventures for April - a trip to New Orleans with a good friend and a Zac Brown Band concert with her daughter.  She told us all about their plans, and I have a feeling they are going to have a blast!

TC was laughing about something that happened at her work. Really wasn't funny when it was going on - but totally hilarious when she told the story later.   I wish I could share - but it would involve talking about people I don't know.  Anyway - she made us laugh with a funny story about an "I Love Lucy" type situation in their line of business.

I had nothing on my mind but the fact that it is only DAYS until my new granddaughter arrives.  Anticipation and excitement are killing me.


I did share about a really fun weekend in March when two of my dear old friends came for an overnight visit.  One friend was from Tennessee, and one friend was from Georgia.  I had not seen the friend from Georgia for over thirty years - we had lost each other and found each other again and both of us had searched the globe to do so forever.   All three of us had been very close friends when we were single girls living in the same apartment complex.  The one from Tennessee is going to be a grandmother (a boy) about the same time that I am going to be a grandmother (a girl)!  So we all had a lot of things to say - and we said them until 3 a.m. one morning.....It was so nice to catch up with great old friends like that.  We are going to do it again soon.  TC and Bucket loved hearing about my other old friends - beyond our high school days.

So, Three Girls On the Town have been very busy!  We are meeting a Carrabba's again next month - so it may be a few months before you hear from us again, but don't worry - you will.  Keep checking.

Here's to the blessing of good long friendships and happy times!

THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN MAY, JUNE, JULY 2013

Well, I’ve been on a sabbatical from technology for a few weeks (actually months), and I’m a bit behind on writing about the once a month gathering of THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN.  Don’t worry, we haven’t gone away!

I have to tell you though, April and May were tough months for us.  June found us holding on, and July found us having gone through many storms, trials and tribulations and we are still in the process of coming out on the other side.  August will surely find us looking forward to Fall and a more peaceful, less stressful season than what we've been through this summer.  I've begun to think of this summer as a time of teaching and transition.  God is teaching us how to thrive in the midst of troubles and how to survive the hard places of life in this season of living in America.  We know we are not alone.  The whole country is suffering, yet hoping for better days to come.  Only in America will you find the spirit of survival and the need to thrive in the midst of troubled times so alive.   God is making deep friendships valuable and golden as we walk through these paths together.  I am so thankful for my life-long friends.    We have all vowed that no matter how tough times get, we will always find a way to gather together and enjoy each other's company. 

We never want to call off our time together, but we did call off our April gathering and for a very good reason.  We usually say to call off our gathering, it must be a matter of life or death.  It was.  My dear friend TC’s brother Mickey died quickly and unexpectedly, leaving a whole town morning over his absence in their lives. 

Mickey was dearly loved by all, and I was not a bit surprised to find the town’s whole football team dressed and sitting together at his funeral.  They were the pall-bearers, and the stories they had to tell really grabbed at your heartstrings.  Mickey was a legend for this small town's football activities.  Mickey was legend for all the good things about life.  Everything he did spoke a testimony of God and what is good and right.  Mickey loved sports and people.  He had given much time and effort to the care of the local football team and coaching staff of his community.  I don't mean he helped out a little, no; Mickey made this his life's work.  So many people were touched by the love and care that Mickey put into everything.  It wasn't just about the sport, Mickey did things that changed people's lives.  He was always there for anyone who needed a friend.  Football season will not be the same without him there to keep everyone organized and ready.  But it isn't just the football team that will miss him; it is a whole community of loving family and friends that were blessed every time he walked into the room. 

The legend that Mickey left behind will live on.    

Bucket and I held TC’s hand through it all, and we wished there was more we could do for her.  We mourn for her loss and pray for her comfort each passing day. 

When God closes a door He always opens a window.  The beautiful spark of happiness that kept us all glued together over these last few months of hard times was the arrival of TC’s new grandson, Hunter.  Hunter is an adorable bundle of joy!  We are so excited to see him enter this world and bless us with his presence! I'm so happy that TC has this beautiful family to surround her and make her smile every day.  We love all the pics she now shares with us of Hunter and all of his adventures. 

Hunter is a reminder from God to us that life goes on.  Morning turns to dancing.  The gift of life brings it's abundance and we are so thankful for every minute we experience.   This seems to be how deep friendships thrive, life and death happen, and we continue moving together in God's grace and love.  We hurt and we heal and we love again, each time stronger and stronger.  God always brings us through to the sunrise when we hold on through the night.

The month of May found the three of us gathering at The Olive Garden for some good Italian Food. 

We were all so glad to be getting together, however, we had another life and death situation going on in May. A beautiful child was experiencing the terror of the horrid disease of cancer. All three of us had been praying for a long time for a little boy named Thomas Sullivan who lived in Bucket’s home town.  Thomas had been bravely fighting cancer for a long time, and it was a little after we gathered together in May that his brave battle ended. 

Our prayers were only a small part of the many who had heard the story of Thomas and had daily been lifting up petitions for this dear child and his beautiful family.  The whole town where Bucket lived came out in full force to support Thomas and his family.  They came along with many others who drove for miles and miles to offer comfort and do whatever they could to help this family get through the grief of losing their precious son.  Thomas's nickname was “Superman.”  He truly lived up to the name in every way.  His battle with the horrible disease of cancer was heroic.  His story touched so many and changed so many lives.  His family still honors him with a website where they are now sharing their journey of recovering from the grief of losing Thomas until the time they meet again in Heaven.  You may wish to view this site at:  "Prayers for Thomas Sullivan.com."  The stories and the things that are shared in his honor are amazing and uplifting.

Bucket’s daughter, Katie, had a heart for Thomas's cause.  She coordinated a lot of events that helped this very lovable family.  We all watched and prayed with them day after day after day.  They had the eyes of people from all over the world on them, lifting them up before God, hoping for healing for Thomas.  He was a very brave little boy.  He seemed to love people so much, and people definitely loved him back.   

The discussion at The Olive Garden was mostly about our hopes for this family and our prayers for Thomas and our concern over how Katie would take it if God decided different than our requests for healing and took Thomas to be with him in Heaven.  We knew time was short.  We met at The Olive Garden right before the announcement of his trip to Heaven.    It seemed that Katie’s love and concern for this little fellow had changed her whole focus in life.  She had taken all the negative energy she once carried around and turned it into something very positive in rallying people to be aware and support Thomas.  It was a beautiful thing to see the two of them together.  It was a beautiful thing to see Katie's face light up with love when she spoke of her "little hero."  Our friend TC was still mourning the loss of her dear brother, and she had a lot to tell us about how wonderful the community had been in honoring his life.  I was also in a state of concern for my Dad who is battling Parkinson's disease and my Mom who is such a faithful care-giver for him.  We all had heavy things going on, but we were determined to cheer one another up and keep moving toward hope and joy.

 

So it was with mixed emotions that we tasted the great Italian fare offered up at The Olive Garden. 

The food was all good and delicious. 
Good food always helps to lift the spirits! 

I wanted a little taste of everything – so I ordered the Tour of Italy which allowed me to taste the homemade lasagna, the breaded chicken parmigiana and the creamy fettuccine alfredo.  Quite delicious! 

TC ordered the Greek Chicken Salad and it looked very tasty. 

Bucket tried the Chicken Marsala and pronounced it very good. 

No one was disappointed in their food.  We all enjoyed our meals.  Our salads were good with freshly grated cheese shredded at the table.   The service was good; and our waiter even put up with the fact that I was about 45 minutes late!  TC and Bucket were not as polite to me as the waiter.  I’ll never do it again!  My explanation would only bore you, so I’ll leave it to your imagination.

We will go to The Olive Garden again.  We all decided next time maybe we should just enjoy a coffee and dessert, because their desserts all looked good, but we were too stuffed to be tempted after our meal in May. 

One bright spot in our May conversations was hearing Bucket's stories about her vacation in North Carolina.  She had visited several of the Carolina beach towns which were the settings for some of the  Nicholas Sparks novels.  Nicholas Sparks just happens to be one of my heroes, and one of the greatest writers that ever lived.  We all LOVE his novels and the movies that have been made about them.  It was fun to hear from Bucket how all of the scenes and places looked in real life.  Of course, I think she would have had more fun if she had taken TC and I along.....LOL.  Maybe next time!  I've always wanted to tour these coastal towns, I've thought about that for a long time now.  I actually remembered telling Bucket this several years ago.  I'm so glad my friend got the opportunity to do this, and it was fun to share the stories of her adventures.  Maybe next time TC and I WILL tag along. 

At the end of our evening in May, TC surprised Bucket and I with the gift of a copy of the latest Rachael Houck novel “Once Upon A Prince.”  This brought forth screams of delight. (We all did go to school together, and occasionally we revert back to those silly school girl ways.)  I think a few heads turned outside The Olive Garden as we screamed with joy at the sight of the newest Rachel Houck novel!  It would be very accurate to say that we are definitely hooked on Rachael Houck’s writings thanks to TC; and we can’t get enough of them.  I'm still loving the last one; "The Wedding Dress."  She is an awesome writer and this new book is the beginning of a Royal Wedding Series.  So far we've read several of her series, and each of them have been so good!  We left our visit anxious to begin turning the pages of the new novel.

By June we had all read every page. and were still living out the story in our imaginations when we gathered together at La Paz.  It was fun discussing the lively characters of the book that we loved reading.  We all felt like we had visited with each one of them in person.     We agreed this last book was yet another outstanding effort from one of our favorite authors.  We were glad to hear it was the first of a series of three.  This gave us something else to look forward to in the future.  So,.....lots of happy talk about the novel went around the table as we met at La Paz. 

None of us had eaten at La Paz before.  We were not disappointed.  La Paz is a great place for casual Mexican Food with a good upbeat atmosphere.  The name means “peace.”  Their margaritas were very good.  I ordered the Barbeque Quesadilla Platter and found it enjoyable.   TC had the Beef Fajitas and they looked very tasty.  Bucket ordered the California Club Wrap which was also proclaimed delicious. 

The place was cheerful, and tastefully decorated with not-so-typical Mexican decor.  One unique feature was a huge chalk board that anyone could leave a message on.  It was a bit novel, and some of the messages we read were interesting.  We didn't write, maybe another day.

That June night, we all had the family of Thomas Sullivan on our minds.  Little Thomas had gone to heaven between this gathering and our last one. 

TC and I inquired about Katie.  We knew she would taking this very hard.  God had answered our prayers for her, because Katie had come out of the experience stronger.  Of course she was sad and misses her little buddy very much.  Her concern for this little family is on-going.  Never have we ever known of a funeral for such a young child having such an impact on a community.  The whole town rallied around the Sullivan’s. 

The fire department carried Thomas’s casket to his grave.  The life support helicopters hovered over the beginning of the service in tribute.  People floated balloons across the sky.  So many people came to say “good journey” to Thomas, and to pay their respects to his beloved family.  The church was packed out and motorcycles led the way for the procession. 

God was definitely there.  So many received Christ as their Savior that day.  We all know Thomas was watching from Heaven and would have been delighted.  Katie rededicated her life to God.  I could tell that my friend Bucket had made a few new vows too.  It seemed to be a serious, moving, mile marking day in the history of the earth.  There was not a soul in the town that wasn’t touched by this precious child who lived in such love and was such a SUPERMAN example to all of us.   We were thankful for the little time on earth that Thomas was granted.  We will all be offering up many prayers for the peace and comfort for Thomas’s family in the future.  Bucket and Katie continue to share in the worship services of this hometown church every week.  They speak of stories that paint the picture of God's kingdom.  It is encouraging. 

Our little June gathering ended on a happy note with TC showing us the cutest new pictures of Hunter.  He is growing every day!  TC is one proud grandmother!  We loved seeing the photos of Hunter with big brother Kaiden.  They were adorable together.

We left with the thoughts of meeting at J. Alexander’s in July.  We had weathered lots of life and death together in these last few months.  So many stories were going on behind the scenes of each of our lives.  We left each other hopeful that July would be a time of nothing but fun.

.......And it was!  J. Alexander's was a great place to meet in July.  I LOVE the Rattlesnake pasta.  It is not really rattlesnake, just chicken, but the spicy flavor has earned it the name.  

We were so glad to be getting together again.    

I have to say it once more;  I LOVE J. Alexander's.  I like the quiet atmosphere, the excellent service, the quality of the food and the feeling of not being crowded yet there is still a cozy feeling about their spaces.  The decor is elegant.  It is a bit pricier than a lot of the restaurants we frequent, but I think well worth the little extra cost.  

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, most of our personal conversations will not be spoken of in this blog.  One of the highest qualities of true friendship is confidentiality and my friends always have this, which may be an oddity for a writer like me!  However; it seems this group is constantly sharing quite public information on the best authors to read, and in July another great author was a conversation topic around our table.  This is something I feel I CAN share with our readers.  Bucket actually mentioned the great author named Andy Andrews.  She has read several of his books and she spent a lot of time explaining the main plots to us.  They sounded wonderful.  I had often used Andy Andrews's quotes in articles that I’ve written, and I've read articles and essays he has published, but I had not yet had the pleasure of reading any of his novels.  I had even given one of his books to my daughter for Christmas last year.   The conversation sent me on a quest to learn more about this author.  His story is fascinating.  The New York Times has written about him calling him a “modern day Will Rogers.”  He has spoken before four presidents.  At the age of 19 both his parents died, one died in an automobile accident and the other one died of cancer, all in the same year.  That started a downward spiral in Andy’s life that eventually left him homeless.  He spent lots of nights sleeping under the pier on the Gulf Coast beaches.  One day he went on a quest for answers about life.  He asked himself “Is life just a lottery ticket or are there choices one can make to direct his future?”  He headed to the local library and buried himself in the reading of over 200 biographies of the world’s most successful people.  He eventually came up with seven characteristics that they all had in common.  He called these “The Seven Decisions” and he patterned his own life after them from that day forward.  Later he wrote about them in a book called “The Traveler’s Gift.”  Later this book was documented with a PBS Special.  His book was turned down by 51 publishers before Thomas Nelson decided to publish it.  (As I aspire to become published, I find this very encouraging.)  Now his many books have topped the bestseller list for years.  It is required reading for many high schools and the subject matter for seminars for many large employers.  Now Andy is a world famous speaker who is in great demand.  He is an excellent teacher and communicator with the blessing of a wonderful sense of humor.  His speeches and writings have changed lives all across the globe.  One of his latest books is called “The Noticer.”  This book is based on Andy’s life story, and is about how a person’s perspective affects everything.  Bucket loved reading this one.  She told us a lot of the story.   As she talked about it I remembered picking it up in the bookstore last December thinking it was be a good read.  I bought it and gave it  to one of my daughter's for Christmas.  I doubt she has had time to read it yet – maybe I should borrow it back from her to read myself!  I think though, should I purchase one for myself it would be his latest novel that took a turn from the familiar route and actually displayed a lot of history of the politics of this world.  It is titled "How Do You Kill 11 Million People?"   I would love to hear this inspirational writer's perspective on the state of the leaders on planet earth, and how they have ruled and misruled and how people have responded over the ages.  This book is on my literary bucket list.  

So, once again, our conversations leaned toward literary discoveries.  I'm glad that we can share such things.  I feel thely are very important.  What an excellent subject to be shared among friends.  So far we have journeyed together through the discoveries of Rachael Houck, Fannie Flagg, Nicholas Sparks and Andy Andrews.  It has been fun sharing the gifts of these talented writers at our once-a-month outings.  The really neat thing is that none of it has been planned, these are simply people we’ve noticed and admired and love sharing in our conversations.  

One more novel highlight happened that evening as we were leaving the restaurant from enjoying the scrumptious meals and  excellent service.  We were standing together outside in the sidewalk-patio area making our way to our cars, but lingering over our conversations.  As usual we had not been able to finish saying all we wanted to share is such a short time, and we were chatting away when we noticed a limo circling the restaurant.  We watched curiously, anxious to see what famous person was going to step out of the limo and go inside.  

We pondered the plays, concerts, political events going on in town, trying to decide who it might be?????  I surely wish I could tell you.  We watched and watched only to discover that the celebrity must have snuck in the back door.  The limo circled again, empty except for the driver now, and left.  It will always be a mystery.  All I know is, famous or not, the person who went inside through the back entrance more than likely had a great meal.  You can't beat J. Alexander's.  It was quite a treat.  We all loved it. 

There is no telling what THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN will get into next!  Keep reading and watching for our upcoming adventures.

THREE GIRLS OUT ON THE TOWN DECEMBER AND JANUARY 2012-2013

Well, I'll bet you thought three girls got tired of meeting once a month for dinner, since you haven't seen me post any of our wild adventures for December or January.  Not at all!

It is just that blogging about winter activities is surprisingly time consuming!  I thought I would enjoy sleeping through winter a bit like a bear in hibernation, only writing one lazy article at a time while waiting for spring.  Actually, as it turns out, we've had Christmas, New Years, Epiphany, President's Day, Mardi Gras, Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday and Lent so far, and we are quickly headed for The Fast of Esther, Purim and St. Patrick's Day.  I just can't write fast enough during the winter season!  It is a struggle to get any of it done in timely fashion, especially since I've also thrown in a few up close and personal life experience articles, so some of it has had to go by the wayside this year.   

With that said, I have to tell you I could never leave out Three Girls Out On the Town!  I never tire of meeting up with my two BFF's for dinner once a month.  They are my anchor in the storm, the calm through the hurricanes of life, and we always have a great time together.  We were out of touch so many years between high school and mid-life that we will definitely have to spend the rest of our lives catching up on the past; but we all have so much going on in the present too, that we are just enjoying sharing our blessings of today as much as catching up on what we missed.  Now I cannot imagine ever letting a whole month go by without seeing them.

In December we met at Applebee's.  It was a great place for our Christmas gathering.  Our budgets were tight but we wanted our meeting to be special anyway, not just any place, so Applebee's fit the bill perfectly.  Well prepared food and good prices in a nice atmosphere.  I'll leave all the politics to you for this place.  My opinion is that I do not believe in forced tipping, yet, I do not believe in waitresses violating the privacy of customers and businesses either!  So you decide, we were just there for other reasons and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit!

We were able to get a booth that was quiet enough for us to talk, and there was some Christmas music mixed into all the usual sounds to enjoy in the background.  I ordered my meal from the appetizers menu and had a drink for under $15.  I had more food on my plate than TC and Bucket who ordered from the regular menu.  I forced them to share.   Our food was great.  Applebee's is consistently good with their fare. 

TC surprised Bucket and I with a beautiful gift of a bracelet and some cute new T-shirts from their business that were sold to support a local charity.  That's TC; she and her husand are two good solid citizens that always support a good cause.  Both the beautiful bracelets and the T-shirts were a sweet surprise to Bucket and I, because we don't have a formal "exchange gifts" thing going on in this group.  The whole idea is to keep things simple on our visits, but any of us are free to surprise the others whenever the notion takes over.   It is really a lot of fun, because you never know when the surprise is coming.   Often and unexpectedly one of us will decide to surprise the others with something that we know would mean something to them.  It doesn't matter when.  We were very blessed because TC was in the Christmas spirit!  I've already had about a million compliments on my bracelet and I've worn the T-shirt a lot.  

We all were in the Christmas spirit actually.  We spent most of the night discussing our family and work plans for Christmas and sharing all the busy church activities that we all have been involved with during this season.  I shared that I was making all my gifts.  I got some great new ideas to add to the list from Bucket who shared some of her sweet Mom's craft ideas with me.  We spent some time thinking about the fond memories of times shared with all our Moms.  TC and Bucket's Moms were probably looking down from heaven and shaking hands while they watched us; glad to see that we were all still getting together once a month.  My Mom is elated that we still meet with one another on a regular basis after all these years.  I constantly am reminded from these two good friends of how fortunate I am to still have both of my parents with me.  I often thank God for this blessing. 

Last year I shared a chapter a month of the cookbook I put together with each of the girls. not that they needed this; they are both probably better cooks than I am; but I thought it would be fun just to share and swap some favorite recipes.  The cookbook was also laid out like a family scrapbook, and these girls know all about my family, so I thought they might enjoy having it.  This year I decided to  share portions of the first novel I've finished writing to each of them once a month.  They are my best critics.  I love sharing my writing with them.  I trust them to tell me the truth and give me good advice.

I can't tell you how many little books and book bags and special things Bucket has passed on to us unexpectedly.  This is a giving group of friends.   

Janaury was a whole different flavor.  We went a bit "country" and met at The Texas Roadhouse.  I found it to be interesting, very reasonable for a steak house, of course you could order specially picked and prepared steak if you wanted, but that would have been a bit pricey.  We stuck to the menu specials.  If you love country music and line-dancing, this is your place.  Those are not my first choices for entertainment these days, but it is fine for a change now and then. 

Our waiter was very attentive and entertaining.  He laughed and joked with us a lot.  I have to say I did love their rolls with cinnomon butter.  Very tasty.

We all were recovering from a very busy holiday season and it was nice just to sit and relax together and share our Christmas and New Year's experiences. 

We discussed the important matter of two birthdays coming up in February, not mine of course.  That leaves two other choices.  Since that was the case, I allowed them to pick the place for February.  Wouldn't you know TC wanted to meet at Carrabas again, and Bucket agreed.  I've told you all about that great restaurant before; so all you will hear from me this time is the best of the gathering and nothing about the restaurant.  I'm not into repeating myself over and over, despite what my husband might tell you.

I would love to get these ladies over to the Southside of town somehow to enjoy some varriations on our meeting places, but it is nearly impossible given the long distance they already drive to meet me once a month.  My hushand and I often enjoy Silvertron's and Bitola's and Slice, and there are a million other good choices if we could travel further when we meet.  I would love for TC and Bucket to share some meals at these places too.  Maybe some Saturday mid-day meeting in the summer when no one has to drive at night.   I'll bring it up.

TC may bring her daughter-in-law with her when we next meet in February.  That will be a blessing for us.  She is VERY pregnant, and we can hear all about the exciting plans for the next child.  Of course Bucket and I will be envious of the fact that TC is about to have TWO grandbabies and we haven't even married off most of our stuborn grown children.  At least I'm holding out hope for one daughter who has enjoyed three years of a great marriage so far.  Maybe one day!

So that is the extent of Three Girls Out on The Town in December and January.  I'll try not to be so late in reporting in February!  So looking forward to our next gathering!