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Mother's Day

In the past, we've always cooked out for Mother's Day, but this year, we decided to hit the town.  Trying to avoid the crowds of Sunday, we decided to celebrate a couple of days early.  The entire family, except for poor Randy who was busy responding to fire alarms throughout KPT, showed up at one of Downtown JC's finest establishments:  The Label.  We rarely go here, but when we do, the food is always great and the atmosphere is perfect.

Since I have some new camera equipment, I wanted to play around and -hopefully- capture some sweet images.  I think I succeeded.








We voted on appetizers.  Spinach Dip always wins with us.  We also had the Garlic Fries - my weakness - and the Firecracker Shrimp - super yummy!




My pretty momma!




And this is the look mom makes when Bob cracks a joke at her expense.  I've heard this look runs in the family.



Sis likes to watch Izzy's mouth move when she talks.  Sounds weird, but I've done it, too.  Apparently, Monica likes to see the word "fever" the best.  At least Izzy shows off some great /f/ and /v/ sounds now!






Playing teacher.  Always playing teacher. And we're always doing something wrong!


Wouldn't you know it?  This sweet little man was waiting for a table!  He smiles at me.  I like him even if he does think I'm funny looking.


I took a break from the family while waiting for our food.  On half price nights, Wednesday and Friday, the sushi wait can be a little long.  It's worth the wait, though!  I walked around just outside and found a few things.


Izzy!


My sushi was so good.  So, so good.  I had the Volcano Roll stuffed full of tempura shrimp, cream cheese and jalapeños. On top was a generous portion of more shrimp and scallops.  So delicious!  It was spicy enough that I didn't need any extra wasabi, but I used some anyway.  What's sushi without wasabi?  The other roll was a half price Veggie Tempura served with sweet chili sauce.  Simple and yummy.  The crunch of the asparagus was a nice textural component.

Even though I would have loved to eat this all by myself, I shared.  :)







The rest of the evening was fun, too!
























For dessert, Izzy opted for her favorite:  Sweetsie Treats!  The addition of this little gem to Downtown Elizabethton was such a good decision.  We love this place!   Birthday number six will be celebrated here in just a few short weeks.

Izzy's favorite thing to do is get a cup full of every flavor she likes.  Chocolate with Cotton Candy?  Okay.  Gross, but Okay.  I go for Pineapple Upside Cake with walnuts, waffle cone pieces, white chocolate chips, toasted coconut, cherries, and marshmallow cream.  Yummy!






Izzy's final concoction:  all the flavors, all the balls, gummy worms, chocolate turtles, and Nerds!  She loves Nerds!





Sweetsie Treats was previously known as Tweetsie Treats, but because some big shot at the wiener factory thought he would show his power, the name had to change.  The owners also had to paint over their beautiful airbrushed scene which included the Tweetsie Railroad.  What a shame.  These people were paying tribute to our local history.  My bet is the change in name hasn't hurt business at all.


A girl must accessorize.


Uncle David.  Tonight, Izzy did something I don't remember her ever doing.  She said "David" perfectly.  Yet another milestone!










Izzy was so tired.  She fell asleep on the way to the ice cream shop, but before she did, she told Hanah and me to wake her up once we got there.







#whiteshirtstains


Izzy fell asleep again on the way home.  I can't carry her inside anymore (#sadmomma), so I had to wake her to make her walk to her room.  Still yet, we had to read Scaredy Squirrel before she would even think about drifting off for the night.  

As I think about what Mother's Day means to me, I of course think about my own mom.  She is always there for me whenever I need her.  She even offers to clean my house because she knows I'm not the best housekeeper.  There is always something else I'd rather do.  She knows that but she kindly says she knows I don't have time.  Mom has passed along so many other qualities to me that I see myself becoming more and more like her.  We all turn into our mothers a least a little, so now I wonder what qualities Izzy will take from me.  That worries me a little, but hopefully, she'll get the best of me.  I know I've got the best of my momma in me.  

This evening reminded me that my family is everything.  Even though Randy was missing, her never leaves my mind.  These people I surround myself with may drive me crazy at times, but without them, where would I be?  Living in a van down by the river, I'm sure.  Nevertheless, this outing was exactly what I want my time with my family to be like:  food, laughter, a moment alone to look around, and time to waste, or fill, depending on how you look at it.   It was a good night.  

So to all of you mothers out there, I hope you have a Mother's Day filled with family, peace, love, and laughter.  I'm pretty sure that's all we want anyway.  Oh, and ice cream!  Don't forget the ice cream!  :)

Happy Mother's Day! 



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