Being here in Panama City Beach has made me break out of my comfort zone a bit and order some food I wouldn't typically order - I truly believe in eating local food when on vacation (or on a work trip, ha).
Yesterday, I went out to dinner with some of the coaching staff to Dusty's Oyster Bar & Dining - a smaller "homey" restaurant with delicious seafood, friendly and busy wait staff, and dollar bills pinned to the ceiling from patrons from all over! Very cool! To start off the meal, some got a crab and lobster dip that, when paired with pita chips, was amazing! I also was adventerous and took the plunge and tried out oysters. First oyster I had was raw but dipped in cocktail sauce, horesradish, and was served (lightly termed) on a saltine cracker. It was actually pretty good and went down smoothly! From there, I tried a baked oyster: garlic and parmesean, delicious! Because I was being "such a trooper" the next, and most logical, step was to try one raw. So, after a little bit of deliberation and letting it sit in the shell on the table for a bit, I slurped it out like a champ :)
Today was a great day. We had practice in the morning which went really well. It was a bit chilly at first, but then the sun really started to beam up and it was great. The team had an awesome, but really hard practice and came back to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the day! I was fortunate that I came back and had a little bit of lunch then suited up and took 2 hours of my day to sit like this....
After a "little" nap, I saddled up with some of the coaches again and off we went to dinner ((I just got back from it and I CAN'T remember the name for the life of me, if I remember, I'll edit)). I enjoyed some fried pickles for an appetizer with the rest of the table and then got a red snapper sandwich (delicious and fully of flavor) complete with FRIED OKRA!!!!!
I LOVE when I can go to places, especially in the south - makes me think of my beloved and truly missed, Mam-ma. My Mam-ma made the BEST friend okra, fried chicken.... anything. She was such a great cook and always made cooking look effortless. So many of my memories of my Mam-ma involve some sort of food or restaurant. Every time we were in Kansas City, she had Cinnamon Toast Crunch waiting for us, never failed. I remember her being in the kitchen, spending so much time at the stove (using pans that were way too heavy for her) in order to prepare meals for us. One summer, Mike and I stayed back at Mam-ma's while my parents took Brian back to Michigan for surgery on his knee. On this trip, Mam-ma (must have been sick from cooking) and she made Mike and I this AMAZING meal consisting of cheesy noodles and hamburger - SO GOOD! We went back home and raved to mom about the food and she asked Mam-ma what she made... turns out it was Hamburger Helper. haha :) Sooooo simple (and nutritious ;) ) and we loved it because it was at Mam-ma's!
Just thinking about her now brings tears to my eyes thinking about all of the fun times we shared just her and I, her with my family, and the entire family together. She was such a loving, caring person who would do anything for any of us - we were so fortunate to have her in our lives.
While thinking about blogging about
my Mam-ma, I decided that I would do a Google search to see what comes up. I
looked at images first and was creeped out when I saw a picture of a headstone
that looks almost identical to my Mam-ma and Grandads... weird! It wasn't, but
definitely did take me back. When I looked at the regular search results, I
found some geneology tree that said that my Grandad is still alive! (updated in
10/11) WOW! This is news to me.... maybe he's similar to Tupac, Elvis, Whitney,
and Michael Jackson.... everyone said they were gone, but I still have my
doubts ;) It was still cool to read around a little bit and explore more about
my family. So many good memories - I wish I could have known my Grandad more -
I was 4 months old when he passed away - but I know that he has always been
with me. It comforts me even more to know that my Mam-ma, Grandad, and my daddy
are up there reunited - I'm sure they're enjoying each other's company more
than I can even imagine.
Minnie Margaret (Arthur)
Sims
George Richard Sims
June 15, 1922 - March 21, 2044
June 16, 1921 - December
30, 1986
At this point in life, my family is trying to figure out how to take the next step... part of this next step is to sell Tara - the cabin that has been in our family since 1988 and holds so many dear memories of our family, friends, and most importantly, my dad. One year, my dad went out on a hunting trip with his brother, my Uncle Paul, to Montana. He came back with a beautiful buck and an elk. An elk! The elk was shipped out to Michigan, traveled up to West Branch and took place on the wall in my parents bedroom. The elk, or "Elka" as my mom so coined it was a bit of a creepy thing (like the Mona Lisa) but gave so much character to the room. With the selling of the cabin, Elka is going to be heading to Arizona to hang in my Uncle Gary and Aunt Tab's cabin. They have been working on this cabin for several years and I believe it is finally near completion! I am really happy to know that it will be hanging there and staying within the family - I'm sure my dad would be really happy about that.
I love this place and I always will.
I'm sure I'll write more when it's sold.
