You can do everything right.

You can put on knee high socks in anticipation of the colder weather.

You can bargain with the kiddo to finally convince her to wear her winter hat.

You can give your husband his birthday present a few days early, so he has a nicer and warmer coat to wear.

You can leave early and stop by Kroger to purchase discounted tickets for a fun evening out as a family.

You can drive the 45 minutes to your destination, getting your toddler all psyched up for the mountain, Christmas lights, and a visit with Santa.

You can pull up to pay for parking…and be told that they will not open that evening due to the weather. Seriously? I have lived in GA my entire life and can relate to the exaggeration of cold, snowy weather, but I even thought that was ridiculous.

I guess God has bigger plans though and knows what is best. I ended up with the worst contractions I have had yet last night. A little over 34 weeks is too early. It was scary stuff. What can I say? Sometimes plans go awry.

For my post later this evening I will be typing up a response posed to me by a fitness gear company looking for bloggers to work with and help represent them in the 2011 year. The post is an “audition” of sorts, as only 10 bloggers will be chosen from the ones they contacted. I hope you will come back to comment and support the post to help me out. Thanks! 🙂

Question of the day = has weather ever ruined something you really looked forward to? What?

We had snow flurries here today!!! That calls for some excitement in Georgia. Especially before Christmas. And on our holiday filled weekend. I already told you all about my Christmas cookie exchange party on Friday night. Well, last night we had a holiday dinner with our friends from small group at church.

We all have kids in this group and decided that spending the evening out to dinner together sounded more appealing than any one person hosting a party. We all wanted to get out for an adults only evening and a nice dinner. I would say we succeeded.

For our dining venue we chose Maggianos to do the family style dining together. Plus, Italian tends to be a meal most everyone can agree on. I had never been to a Maggianos, but I was pleased with our meal. I was also pleased with my special beverage. I got a taste of an alcoholic drink! It was non-alcoholic, but tasted great – mint, lemon, raspberry sangria. Yes, I loved it that much.

We started with appetizers and salad – stuffed mushrooms, tomato caprese, and spinach salad. And of course, soft bread. I think I could have made a dinner out of the spinach mushrooms and spinach salad. Love.

The main course included traditional lasagna, a sausage angel hair pasta, mushroom ravioli, and a chicken dish. I put a sample of the sausage pasta, lasagna, and mushroom ravioli on my plate.

Last night was one of those times my stomach feels full very quickly, so I didn’t eat much of the main courses. I really only liked the mushroom ravioli anyways, so just ate the portion of that.

Dessert, though? I saved room. Cheesecake and tiramisu? Yes, please!

I could not have asked for a better evening. I was especially happy because Peter managed to make it to dinner. He flew up to New York and back yesterday. His grandmother’s health has started deteriorating even more and he decided it would be better to visit quickly to say his goodbyes rather than go up for the funeral, whenever that happens. I can’t travel at this stage, especially with all of my contractions, and he didn’t want to leave me for long, so he made a day trip of his visit. I hated not having the option or chance to go, but sometimes life just happens that way. I hope she knows that I care and have been praying for her. Prayers matter across any distance. I’m happy Peter got the chance to go, though.

Well, we will be heading out soon for another holiday evening. Part of which occurs outside. It should be interesting for this chick who hates the cold. Stay tuned for the fun, tomorrow!

• Do you like Italian food? What’s your favorite? I actually prefer my sauteed veggie bowls with a bit of pasta and lots of marinara over things you order at most Italian restaurants. I don’t like how heavy a lot of it tastes.
• A powerful quote to share - Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things.  ~Samuel M. Shoemaker