I found the most beautiful dessert!!!!

Tonight my husband surprised me with dinner out instead of me cooking. First let me say, I didn't pose a single arguement....

We decided to try a new restaurant that YES, uses Waste Management trash services!!! Cheddar's Casual Cafe ( http://www.cheddars.com/ ) I must say, even though there was a 40 minute wait, it went quick and the food was really good. We will most certainly go back. Matthew ordered the chicken tenders platter, no lie, I think they cooked up the entire chicken and put it on his plate. He had 7, yes, 7 tenders that were huge! I got a simple steak with fried shrimp. NO, the shrimp wasn't for me but Matthew. It was the most economical way to get him what he wanted without spending an arm and a leg. Chris got a New Orleans Pasta that he said was very good. But the best part of the meal...OH wait, I have to point out the $3.95 HUGE MARGARITAS!!!! Did I mention they were huge??? Ok, sorry, got off track...back to the best part of the meal.

Dessert!!! Not all of us usually order dessert but I had decided as soon as I saw the menu that I had to try the apple pie ala mode. When we lived in Richmond, Chris and I would drive down to Williamsburg to our favorite steak house and they had the most wonderful apple pie ala mode. Well, this might have just topped that! It was sooooo good. Deep dish apple pie with cinnamon and sugar on top and then caramel on top of the pie and the ice cream. Yes, as I ate it, I could feel my hips bulging!

Matthew got a Monster Cookie Sundae which is one of the restaurants specialty. It took 15 minutes to get his dessert because they custom make them to order. Yum Yum Yum is all he said.

The real shocker though was not only that Chris ordered dessert but when it came out. OH. MY. GOSH! He ordered a fudge cake and no lie, it was as big as his hand. All he kept saying was, your Grandpa Foster would love this! It was so big, there is NO WAY my Grandpa could have finished it. Yes, we brought over half of the cake home...Chris is such a rookie when it comes to desserts-Matthew and I finished ours, well, for the most part we did!

Here's a few pictures of the desserts since that was the most exciting part of the meal. Just be prepared though, we found a new restaurant that we like and WM services so if you come to visit, save room for the chocolate cake!!!!

Matthew's monster cookie sundae and Chris' fudge cake.

This was the size of the cake AFTER Chris has eaten some of it. As you can see, he didn't even put a dent into the cake and it was still the size of his hand!!!

Matthew's first bite into his Monster Cookie Sundae

Yes ladies and gentlemen...it was THAT B-I-G

Just a little slice of heaven...

Could this possibly be a new type of exercise?

I'm sure many of you are wondering what I've been doing to pass the time. Well, lots of stuff!!! I'm getting into a really good routine and have started venturing out to do some volunteer work. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday, I'm going to start rocking babies at our church from 9:30-11:30am. They have a group called MOPS (Mothers Of PreschoolerS) that meet and they need someone to watch the little ones. I can TOTALLY do that. I can rock babies all day long and then send them home with their moms...WONDERFUL! I'm also looking into volunteering at the Animal Center around the corner. I am a little surprised though, in order to volunteer to be a dog walker for a few hours per week, you have to be interviewed and go through training. WHAT? I'm curious to know what type of dogs you could possibly be walking if you need training to do so. However, if I want to be a dog poop scooper...well, no training necessary...but I still have to interview?

Anyway, to fill other time during the week, I focus on the house and family. I'm enjoying the ability to spend the week cleaning the house, and I mean really cleaning. No clutter, no dust, no nothing (Kate would be so proud!). I've even figured out a way to get exercise while I'm doing it. Since I'm home alone, I can ROCK out the stereo and no one is bothered and much to my surprise...the dogs LOVE IT! Everytime I turn the music on and I start to dance around the house, I end up with 2 dancing partners. It's the most hilarious thing you've ever seen. Literally, as soon as the music kicks on, they are up and jumping with me. So, could this be some new type of exercise? They do cause me to work up a sweat! Of course, I could get the cleaning and household chores done in half the time if they weren't so cute! Seriously, who could possibly resist two pups who a jiggling and jiving with you??? What can I say, I'm a sucker for a wet nose...

Making the right connections

As many of you have heard, we've found a church. (www.sonrisechurch.info) It's a really nice church with really nice people. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to meet both the Teaching Pastor and the Lead Pastor. We also found out that the teaching Pastor just moved here a few months ago from Buffalo, NY and is in the same boat as us as far as having his home on the market and renting a home in Fort Wayne. Whew, we aren't the only ones dealing with this!!!


Anyway, Matthew's sunday school class is called Live 45 and once a month they meet in the evenings, which is called Live 45 Evening Edition. Yesterday they went bowling. Of course Chris and I hung out since this was Matthew first hoorah into hanging out with these kids/leaders outside of church. He had a BLAST!


I've never seen Matthew just walk into a group and instantly have friends. It's all about making the right connections isn't it? God lead us to Sonrise Church and now God is leading Matthew into this new group where he can make good solid christian relationships. He can't get that at school but low and behold, the Lord has worked in his life to give Matthew what he needs.


Truly blessed.


To make bowling even more fun, one of the leaders decided to "Go Blonde" for the bowling outing. For no reason at all, just for fun and to make the kids giggle.


Below are a few pictures of Matthew bowling with his Live 45 friends and in two of the pictures you'll see Roman Jones, his leader...and his blonde doo for the day!

How about a little Fort trivia?

So instead of posting about life today (since I'm a little stressed over Matthew feeling better and my Grandpa's surgery), I'm going to post trivia about Fort Wayne. Since many of you will be coming to visit at some point, it's important that you know about the city you are visiting. So here we go...

1. Fort Wayne was the first site for the very first Pizza Hut restaurant. The owner/founder of Pizza Hut built the very first Hut here in Fort Wayne and he still resides here to this day. He has the largest mansion in the Fort and it is built with bricks, marble, and stones from all over the world. At his passing, his mansion will become a museum.

2. Fort Wayne is known as the 3 Rivers City. The Fort is located at the junction of the St. Mary's, St. Joseph, and Maumee rivers.

3. Fort Wayne is the final resting place for Johnny Appleseed.

4. The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is one of the nation's top 10 zoos. And we only live a mere few minutes from it!!! It is home to more than 1500 animals from around the world. It also has a Jeep safari ride through the new African Veldt area. In the Australian Adventure, you can go on walkabouts or take canoe rides to view kangaroos, lorikeets, and dingoes. The zoo also contains a 20,000 gallon marine aquarium.

5. Fort Wayne has billed itself "The City of Restaurants", and the 600 eating and drinking establishments in and around the city bolster that claim.

6. Fort Wayne has 6 hospitals which include trauma centers, surgical-trauma intensive care units, a surgical care center, a cardic-medical intensive care unit, a continuing care facility, a new life center, a neonatal intensive care unit, a children's center, cancer, heart, stroke, and rehabilitation centers; and a sleep disorders lab. Luthern Hospital is the region's only heart transplant facility.

7. Fort Wayne Community Schools is the second-largest district in the state of Indiana. It has 34 elementary schools (one of which Matthew attends), 11 middle schools, and 6 high schools.

8. The Allen County Public Library houses the most extensive public genealogy research in the country. It's Genealogy Research Department has more than 300,000 printed volumes and 314,000 items of microfilm and microfiche. The main library is the 11th busiest library in the country.

9. General Motors's Fort Wayne Assembly plant is one of the top employers in the city. In 1986, it built its first pick up truck and is home of the world's first full-size hybrid pickup truck.

10. The Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory preserves rare and exotic tropical plants from around the world in its three gardens under glass.

11. Carole Lombard was born in Fort Wayne 100 years ago.

12. DeBrand Fine Chocolates is one of the world's elite chocolatiers. Tours are given that include a peek into the DeBrand Kitchens with a sampling included. (Umm, Laurie...can we say YUM!?!?)

13. All the parks in Fort Wayne are owned by a group of very rich men referred to as the Barons. Because of this, no taxpayers money is used to fund anything for the parks. The Barons are currently building a set of trails that will connect each and every park in the Fort. The entire trail will be 40 miles long.

14. Fort Wayne has many festivals. To name a few...

Windsong Film Festival, Indiana Alpaca Invitational, Cherry blossom Festival, Mastadon Run, Vera Bradley Classic, Indiana Highland Games, New Haven Canal Days, Germanfest, Mad Anthonys Charity Classic for Children, Annual BBQ Ribfest, Greekfest, Arcola Tractor/Truck Pull, Three Rivers Festival, Allen County Fair, Harambee Festival, Muddy River Run, St. Joe Pickle Festival, Fort-4-Fitness Festival, Roc N Docs, Oktobeerfest, Johnny Appleseed Festival, Pumpkin Festival, Chili Fest, Holidayfest, Festival of Trees, Festival of Trains, Festival of Gingerbread.....need I say more?

15. Fort Wayne was home to the Fort Wayne Daisies- the professional women's baseball team featured in the movie "A League of Their Own". The Daisies belonged to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and were the reigning League Champions from 1952-1954.

16. Glenbrook Square mall is the only mall in the region to house a full size carousel stretching 2 levels high.

17. The Komet's Ice Hockey team has won back 2 back Turner Cup Championships and brings in an average of 8,000+ fans per game.

18. The Tin Caps baseball team has a brand new stadium located in downtown Fort Wayne, Parkview Field. Their team logo is an Apple with a Tin Cap.

19. Headwater's Park hosts an outdoor skating rink from November-February. What better way to skate the night away then under the stars downtown.

20. The Fort is the perfect place to visit...why? Because the Evoy's are here!!!!!

Still curious?

www.visitfortwayne.com

www.fortwaynehomepage.net

http://www.fortwaynehomepage.net/

Really?

I feel bad for my little man. He and I were up practically all night last night with him coughing. I know he was in pain and it hurt and all I could do was say a prayer that God would grant him a little peace to catch a few zzzz's. Finally, at 3:30 am, my prayer was answered. Needless to say, this morning we were walking zombies. Thank goodness my husband left me some coffee. Um, could I have it with a straw please? I'm sitting here exhausted and I know Matthew feels ten times worse.

I have to say though, how frustrating it is to be somewhere new and not know any doctors when your child needs one. I was given a referral to a pediatric doctor, Pediatric Associates, for those of you who know Matthew's last doctor in Virginia, kind of ironic the practice has the same name huh? Anyway, I called them and because we weren't "established" as patients, we had to leave a message. I'll let you know when that office calls back. How infuriating!!!!! I was soooo mad!!! My little man can't stop coughing, can't breath and you can't pick up the phone and return a call? Nevermind the fact that you can't schedule a sick appointment until you talk to the new patient office. Really? I don't know how that office does business but as Chris put it when I called to rant to him, clearly that isn't an office we want to work with.

Chris took matters into his own hands (whew, insert a sigh of relief as my frustration level is beyond the ozone layer) and got a referral from one of his managers. Then, the guy who gave him the referrel called before I even had a chance and scheduled a sick appointment for Matthew. Wow! I didn't know this until I called to set up an appointment and the woman told me that a Doug had already called. I couldn't believe it. Not only did Doug get us scheduled with a doctor but it's a great office! They have several doctors in the same practice, they do OB/GYN right there, MRI's, labwork, Xrays...all of it, right there. It's pretty sweet!

So in we rushed for our 1:30 appointment (seeing how when I found out, it was already 1pm). Matthew was seen by Dr. Brennan and we were told that yep, he hasn't gotten over bronchitis. Just as I thought hence why I wanted a doctor appointment. 30 minutes later we were out the door on the way to the pharmacy with a steroid and cough medicine script in hand. Yeah, Matt's on steriods...ha ha ha...he's here to Pump You Up! Sorry, just makes me laugh. He's on 2 different cough meds, one with codine and one for during the day at school, the steroid, and the nebulizer again. Arghh. But the good news is, he should be able to go back to school tomorrow assuming he gets a good nights sleep tonight.

I'm thankful for Doug for taking the time to help us out. Not only can Dr. Brennan see Matthew, but he's also seeing Chris. I could go with Dr. B but since I'm more comfortable seeing a woman for my female fun, I'm going with a different doctor in the practice. But seriously, how nice that all of us can be at the same office and not have to have upteen different doctors all over the Fort. Things happen for a reason. There's a reason I haven't gotten a call back from Pediatric Assoc, and a reason Doug was with Chris when I called stressed out.

Once again, we've been taken care of. Amazing how God works his magic when you least expect it but really need it huh?

He's 10...right?

I've had a few days to adjust to Matthew going to the sledding hill. Sledding hill you ask? Where in the Fort is a hill? Believe it or not, in our neighborhood. This is good and bad. Good because Matthew can walk to it, bad because I can't see it from our front door. Matthew has gone sledding at least 3 times. This is the same sledding hill I lost him at when he disappeared with the neighbor lady. Since then though, he has gone without a mom. Ok, OK, OK, I can sense the OH MY GOSH's from everyone. Let me remind you that Matthew is 10 and hasn't done anything to lose our trust. Plus, he doesn't go down there without his walkie talkie. We are in constant contact. He lets me know when he gets there and let's me know when he's on his way back. So far, he's done really good with this independence. Dad on the other hand, isn't handling this well.

This afternoon, Matthew went down with the kids to sled and of course, took the walkie talkie but Dad was on pins and needles the whole time. In fact, at one point, he used the dogs as his excuse to take a walk. So off we went, dogs in tow. And I have to point out that the dogs wore their harnesses that were purchased for the move and walked so nicely. I got special kudos for making that purchase since Chris' arm wasn't ripped off halfway through the walk!!!!

OK, back to Matthew. I'm proud of him for making good choices with this new found independence and I'm proud of myself for not freaking out like mom's do. I do say a prayer each and every time he leaves the house and this I'm sure will never stop. But he's 10 and I have to let him go and grow and learn to make good solid christian choices. He can do it, he's a good boy. And Chris, he'll learn to let go a little just as I have. It's a new step in our parenting and I'm excited yet anxious to go through this with Matthew. He's got a good head on his shoulders (most days!), I know he'll do great!!!

Welcome to Canlan Ice Sports

Today was our first hockey game in the new ice rink, Canlan Ice Sports, a $14 million ice complex. Canlan Ice Sports, based in Burnaby, British Columbia, operates the new ice complex and the McMillen (other ice rink). We were supposed to have practice last night on the new ice but that was delayed due to a chemical spill. Evidently, the new zambonie that was purchased, had a leak and contaminated the ice making it impossible for the kids to skate on. Everything was good to go this morning for all games!

The new rink is simple yet has a lot of great features. For those of you who don't care for the cool chill while sitting at the ice, there is a restaurant which looks over all 3 rinks where you can sit, eat, and watch the games. As of today there were no bleachers installed but you can tell they are coming.

Below are a bunch of pictures of Matthew with his team. He received a jersey today, #13. However; I have to add that there are two #13's on his team. He is the #13 with no name on the jersey.

We also found out today from some very proud grandparents that Matthew's team is 3-1 in the league and that last session, his team won the championship!!! SWEET DEAL!

I also have to brag for two seconds (this is specifically for Pop Pop Johnson)...our Deuce played defense the entire game again. This is fine because if you ask Matthew, he loves that position and since he's the one that has to play it, than as long as he's happy, we're happy. He's becoming a very strong defensive playing and today...HE SCORED A GOAL!!!!! Not too shabby if you ask me. Only his 3rd game with his new team and he scored a defensive goal!!!!! He even got an honorable mention in the locker room. Makes a momma proud! (And a Pop Pop, I'm sure)

Enjoy the pictures. Who knows, he could be the next Sydney Crosby or Wayne Gretzky, or Ovechin...hey, a mom can dream right???

This is the view from the ice up to the restaurant that overlooks all three rinks.

This is at the McMillen rink. For those of you who know my fears of twisters....this isn't helping!!!

We hope this is where they are putting the bleachers...

Any views with netting in front are taken from the restaurant above the rink.

Warm Ups

Warm up laps

Warm Up drills

GAME ON!

Proud Dad looking out over the ice. Not a bad view huh? We had our coffee and were warm!!!

Now that's what I call a defensive pose!

Matthew is on the blue line waiting for the puck to pop out of the pile.

Matthew is in the middle going after the puck

Matthew is on the left

I didn't expect him to score so I wasn't prepared to click the camera. This is right after he did his victory celebration. He spun around in a circle with his stick in the air. I don't think he was excited at all!

Matthew is on his knees, he just cleared the puck from the zone helping the goalie block the puck



He just cleared the puck from the boards



He's the handsome pro sitting on the end

Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'...



He saw me with the camera and gave me the Aweeeee Mom look.

Into the boards they go...



And if I failed to mention...they won their game today, 7-1!!!!!