So last night, we were give the rare treat of attending a dinner given for the parents of the graduates of the culinary arts chef apprenticeship program. The students, including our son cooked us a lovely meal. The first coarse was a refreshing Caesar salad with a Parmesan cheese crisp. (Which I just love!)
The salad was followed by a tomato gazpacho which was cool and spicy.
The main course was a pesto encrusted halibut with a mushroom risotto cake served with sprigs of steamed asparagus, cherry tomatoes and sundried tomato garnish. YUM!
Finally came the incredible dessert tray. On the left is a chocolate mousse topped with fresh seasonal berries (strawberries, blueberries and blackberries), in the center, a blueberry tart and on the right a decadent fudge brownie with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. It was all heavenly, though I drew the line at the brownie because I am not a sweet tooth. (My husband got to enjoy it!) The dinner was a wonderful way to wrap up my son's final week of school.
Tuesday night, I managed to keep a volunteer commitment I had made when I was between chemos and feeling optimistic about what my energy level would be like. I went with my son to the Russell Peters concert to help sell Bands of Hope bracelets to raise money for the MS Society. Russell Peters generously agreed to allow us to do this, as Russell's brother, Clayton's wife has MS so their family supports the MS Society. We were happy to have the opportunity to help.
Yesterday morning I emailed Russell to thank him for allowing us to fund raise at his concert and for supporting the local MS Society. (And by extension me and my family.) His brother Clayton emailed me back last night, with a generous offer of tickets, however we were out at the aforementioned dinner and didn't get home till after we knew the concert had already started, so we missed out.
I emailed him back to thank him from the bottom of my heart though-it was incredibly sweet of him and I appreciate the gesture more than he could know. It's not something I was expecting and it just made me feel so blessed that he would be so generous. So Clayton, if you happen to read this, just know that even though we missed out, you totally made our day with your thoughtfulness. THANK YOU! And THANK YOU Russell Peters for being so decent. If you get a chance to take in Russell's concert, I know you will have a fabulous time and probably laugh till your face hurts. I'm not sure where he's headed next, but you can check out his tour schedule.
Other good things I have to share are these:
My gal pal Deb has an incredible soon-to-be-released line of Western themed shoes and handbags. You can take a sneak peek at the shoes here, here and here. If you love handbags, there's plenty of styles to choose from: Totes, messenger bags, wallets, cosmetic cases, pouches, wrist bags, & coin purses oh my!! I am so excited for Deb and I hope her line is wildly successful. Hat's off to you pardner!
I also managed to sneak away a couple times from the hospital grind to pop into the mall for a little bit of retail therapy. I desperately needed something to read, so I picked up a copy of The Third Man Factor, by John Geiger, which is along the lines of mountaineering, an armchair passion of mine.
I also treated myself to a pair of Sketchers, which I've wanted for ages. They are so comfy and light it's like not wearing shoes at all! I have to say though, finding them is like a treasure hunt-they sell out fast here in Canada and I had to go to 8 stores before I finally tracked a pair down. I would still like to get a pair that look more sandal like with the little straps over the top. I'll keep looking.
And finally, I wanted to take a moment to say thanks to all the peeps who commented or emailed with movie and book suggestions and well wishes for my health. I really appreciate it. I've noted down all your recommendations and will access my library database and see what's available. I tend to "browse" online and reserve my reading materials-that way one of my guys can swing by and pick things up for me as they are available. (Evil genius at work!)
Copyright Tattered Edge 2008