Crazy Days

You know that saying "Is the glass half full or half empty?" That's what I've been asking myself about my day. I was trying to see it half-full. I had a really good morning, and then a few things happened that felt like road blocks. Then it was good again. Then it kinda slumped a little. Ever have one of those? If you had to classify that kind of day, what would you say? Would you say it was a good day or a bad day? Or would you average it out and say it was just an OK day? I'm going to say it was a good day. Even though I want to complain, I'm going to focus on the positive aspects. Yep. It was a very good day.

The positive thing that happened had to do with my new venture. Next year, I am branching out and teaching science classes on my own. AND, for the first time I will charge for these services. It is a scary feeling. I put all my info on a website and passed it around to a few people I know. Then you wait and see how many people actually look at the website. Those sweet people passed it on and today my website has 195 hits. So let's subtract 25 from me checking it out and still my home page has had 170 hits. YAY!! Here is a link to it if you want to check it out. And if YOU know of anyone who has 5th - 12th grade home schooled students who need a science class, send them the link. I am in Apopka and would love to see that number go even higher. Even better, I'd love to start getting some sign ups.

http://web.me.com/jeffhaig/EPIC_Science/Welcome.html

OK so here is the random part of my day. On our way back from Alex's speech therapy class I saw another new business up on 436. It was for a self service dog wash. That struck me as funny. I mean why would I drive somewhere and pay someone else to let ME wash my own dog? No offense to anyone and if you've used it, let me know what the benefits are. I am really curious. Then two minutes later I saw a mobile groomer. Now THAT is a service I'd pay for.

Have a great week.

Pastavino's MMM MMM Good!

So we were supposed to meet my parents and brother tonight for dinner but my mom was ill and my dad was checking to see if my brother wanted to head to his place for the evening. So we took Autumn to her sleepover and decided to go out to eat at little place called Pastavinos.

I am no restaurant critic but let me tell you it was delicious. We had calamari to begin with and it was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. Usually calamari needs marinara but this time it had a great flavor that just a touch of marinara did the trick. It was fried to a beautiful golden brown and was crisp but not greasy.

For our main course, Jeff and Alex both ordered Stromboli and Paige and I split a steak and cheese white pizza. WOW was it delicious. What made it so good? The fresh bread. The crust was so tasty and crisp. The steak was not dried out and the sauce on the pizza... YUM- MEE! Again, not greasy at all. What a great meal.

On our way out, we were given a breakfast menu as they trying a new market and are promoting their new menu. The owner, Don, was at his computer in the lobby area (cleverly hidden behind a painting) and he was researching donuts and how much to charge for fresh, handmade donuts in this area. He also asked us whether we thought there should be a bakery up near Park Ave. or back toward Rock Springs. We got to talking about his other restaurant Nicky D's up closer to where we live. He asked for our names and even gave us a container of handmade cinnamon rolls to try tomorrow morning.

THAT my friends, is how you run a business. I was impressed with his friendly manner and his accessibility. Maybe they don't have the space for an office area in the back but having him up front is GENIUS. I was also impressed that he cares enough to find out how his customers like his food and their opinions on things like, where to put a bakery.

Finally, I was impressed by his entrepreneurial spirit. He had a bakery in Eustis and it didn't fly. So instead of packing it in, he opened a restaurant here in Apopka. Pastavinos has been in business since 1994. Pretty good in a time when chain restaurants are driving out the mom and pop establishments.

What a great experience we had tonight. I highly recommend you check them out if you haven't been. If you haven't been in a while, go back. I know we will be headed here more often. Thanks Don and staff for making our dinner a real pleasure!

Pastavinos. On the corner of Rock Springs Road and Kelly Park Road. Rock Springs is no longer under construction and it is now a nice four lane road! Hope you visit real soon!

Please don't diminish those who serve...

Today we had a sermon about the church being like the body. Many parts, all working together for the good of the whole. Some people are better with children, some with youth, some with adults, some with the elderly. Some are better at teaching, nurturing, leading, building, funding. And where one would go, another would never follow. So let that other go elsewhere. Go where they are needed. Go where they are called. God created each of us uniquely, with different skills, talents, temperaments, interests. I believe His hope is that we use those SOMEWHERE.

Haiti NEEDS our help. If you are called to help over there, then do so. If you are called to help in the local homeless shelter, then do so.

My opinion... Go where God leads you. Help there. If we would all just do THAT, what an amazing world this would be. Instead, we concern ourselves with what everyone else is doing. We question whether what we are doing is the RIGHT thing.

-Do I give that homeless guy the dollar in my console? He may buy liquor or drugs, not food.

-Do I give to that charity? What if they are misappropriating funds?

-If I send this stuff overseas, will it get to who needs it?

I don't think God is so concerned about that. I do not believe when I get to heaven and stand for my accounting, I will hear, "Well Fran, you did ok. You gave $124,389.26 away to people who needed you. However, unfortunately $1234 was given to homeless people who bought drugs so that doesn't count. $24000 was given to charities that squandered your money. Well sorry, you don't qualify for the $100,000 club so you only get a mediocre mansion. What? That money was given to XYZ charity? Oh well that charity is less than deserving in my book so off you go. Now your house is overlooking the golden streets. No upgraded view for you."

I am not a preacher, I am a teacher. I am not rich woman, I am able bodied and strong enough to work and serve. I am not comfortable with adults, I love children and youth. That is who I am. And so help me, if GOD calls me to Haiti, then it means I go to Haiti.

The only thing I hope I gain from serving is to stand before the Lord on my day and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Dinner for a year....

Hello all. It has been awhile and this will be short and sweet. I am a college student again and I am finding it hard to concentrate. I always try to do ONE MORE THING before I start working on my classes. For example: updating my blog. LOL. Oh well. I promise I will keep it short.

This Haiti thing is really bugging me. I am just so sad to see what is happening over there. I hope I can go when they allow people to come in to rebuild. We will see though. On the upside though, our church really came through. We asked for items to make health kits for UMCOR, a Methodist organization that helps out when disaster strikes and in areas that need help year round. So they donated enough items (or gave cash to purchase extra items) that we made 204 health kits. YAY. Our Mission Possible Kids put them together last night with the help of our amazing youth. If you all are reading this.... WAY TO GO!!!

I saw this report today about a woman who made a year's worth of dinner menus for her family. Jeff and I are going to try to take this on. Maybe we'll be done with it by fall. So if you have any GREAT recipes, let me know. I'm not doing 365 different meals. But dinner can get boring so if you have ideas, let me know. I'd especially like regional recipes, you know from all over the country. Different ethnic food would be good too. We don't do really spicy though. Just FYI.

Hope you will respond. Gotta eat and get back to school work. AHHHH....