Christmas Trees and Crème Brûlée

I took Friday off to spend the day with Kelly on her last day of freedom before re-entering the workforce at her shiny new job. I am so proud of her. The economy in Windsor is bucking the trend of the rest of the country and we are in somewhat of a slump. But I think that is mostly in the manufacturing sector. It seemed Kelly was getting plenty of interviews and landed a job fairly quickly. I’m sure that has a lot to do with her incredibly dedicated effort, combined with her impressive resume. But it does prove that jobs ARE out there, good jobs that pay well.

Just as I was about to come downstairs on Friday morning after getting showered and dressed, my mother phoned to say she got rear-ended on her way to the doctors office. After confirming she was ok, and helping her through what to do next, I got off the phone very frustrated.  “There goes my day off!!” I muttered.  I felt cheated and I don’t like plans to change. The plan was to kick back and do whatever Kelly wanted to do. No plan essentially. But just like that, life happened. Now there was something I HAD to do, and it had the potential to suck up the whole day. Using some of the tools I have learned from Kelly (and from all of you) I was able to calm myself down and chose to just flow with it. I scarfed down some breakfast and Kelly and I drove to meet my mom at the doctor’s office. As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about, no damage whatsoever to my parent’s car beyond a scuff or two, and my mother suffered no ill effects. I called the cab company (she was hit by a cab) and advised them they didn’t need to go to the police reporting centre as we weren’t going to report it. The manager seemed a bit surprised. “What do you need me to do for you?” he enquired as though I wanted him to pay me off. If there had been damage to the car, sure, I would have wanted money to fix it. If my mother were hurt, we would surely have gone to report it. But unless the next 48 hours changes things, my mother is fine and it’s done with. Why mess with that driver’s insurance rates?

So once that was put to bed, Kelly and I had the rest of the day to enjoy. We had some fun shopping a bit, finding a store locally that carries the brand of shoes she likes. Then after resting and changing into some dressier clothes, we went out for a nice dinner to celebrate her new position. 

The restaurant we chose was one that I had not been to in 6 years or so. (If you’re in the area, it’s The Chop House, formerly Tecumseh Chop House) It had burned down and just recently re-opened after being closed for several years. I had heard the food was just as good but the prices were more reasonable. It did not disappoint. The staff was friendly and professional, service was quick, and the atmosphere was elegant, warm and friendly. I had salmon with a dill and leek white sauce and basmati rice. Kelly had sweet potato gnocchi in a blush sauce with asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. Both were fantastic. The portions were just right and left us with enough room for desert. I had a chocolate lava cake with strawberries and Kelly had a crème brûlée.  We had a wonderful time and will certainly be going back.

Today was Christmas tree day. My parents and I went out to our usual spot and picked out a nice tall tree for the family room. Kelly helped get it off the roof of the van once we got home and assisted in propping it up in the corner. It’s now happily soaking up fluids and eagerly awaiting the decorations. Christmas cards are up next for me!!