It's all about the food.

Over the past few days I've eaten some wonderful food. I'm pretty sure in another life I was a food reviewer. I just love food and I love trying new places. 

Since Tom passed away a month ago, Adam and I have made it a priority to spend more time with his mom. He calls her several times a week and we try to see her at least once a week. Last night we had a really nice dinner together at Broders in S. Minneapolis. Their pasta is amazing and it's such a nice, neighborhood restaurant. I had a the Lobster Fettuccine and the three of us shared the pumpkin cheesecake for desert. 

On Sunday, my mom and I went to La Cage Aux Folle at the State Theater in Minneapolis and had lunch at Ginger Hop in NE Minneapolis. It was the start of restaurant week so we managed to score a great lunch deal on the excellent Thai food. I had Pad Thai with tofu and caramelized onion wontons. 

On Saturday, I had lunch and dinner with two of my favorite friends. Lunch was Mozza Mia in Edina and dinner at the new Muddy Waters in Uptown. For lunch I had a pesto chicken panini and for dinner I had this amazing peanut butter mock duck pizza. Peanut butter + pizza?! I'm in love. Of course, dinner was followed by a trio of wonderful deserts. I had the pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting. 

I seem to be on an eating pattern of thai and pumpkin themed items. The pumpkin is certainly seasonal, but the Thai? I just love Thai food and eat it every chance I can. It's not one of Adam's favorites, so I take advantage when the opportunity presents itself. 

In regards to something non-food related, I'm thinking about doing the National Novel Writing Month for November. I tried it a couple years ago, and almost finished, but work got crazy and I barely had time to sleep, let alone write. Last year, work was again crazy, so I didn't even try it. I'm beginning to wonder if history will repeat itself and I won't have time again, but I want to try. I always wake up before Adam on weekend mornings, so I could get a few hours of uninterrupted writing in. I'm also have the week of Thanksgiving off of work, so if I need some extra time to write, I would have hopefully have some time to catch up then, assuming I fall behind. I estimate that work will get busier as the weeks progress, but I think I can find the time to do it. Now, I just need to narrow down and get a plan together for what I'm going to write. I can get that done in a week, right? Right?!

Cancer.

On September 20th my step-father-in-law, Tom Conley, lost his battle with cancer. He was an amazing man. So generous, so helpful and would do anything to help his family and friends. I started dating Adam just months after Tom starting dating Cindy (Adam's mom), so my entire time as a part of this family, he's been right there too. Months before our wedding, Tom was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer. I was planning my wedding and he was starting an aggressive chemo treatment. He never gave up. He always kept looking for the next research study, the next opportunity that would cure him. Over the summer, we knew things were getting worse, but defeat was never an option. We only discussed the positive side of what hospital or research study to apply to next. When the hospital told us he only had days left, it was difficult to hear. In the back our minds, we knew that the time was nearing, but hearing it makes it that much harder. I'll cry if I continue to write more, but it's been a long few weeks and I'm happy Tom is at peace now and is finally free of pain.  

Two of my friends wrote about cancer over the last day. One wrote about breast cancer awareness (which I agree, we're all aware of it, pink ribbons aren't the only ribbons to be aware of) and the other wrote about sending mail to cancer patients. Both bring up great points, we need to support all the "colors" of cancer and you never know how you can brighten someone's day with a little snail mail. I've been thinking I need to send letters to friends and family more, and today is the day I actually do it. As soon as I buy some stamps...