South Kakalaki Christmas

I spent Christmas this year with my brother, Chris, sister-in-law, Patti, and their son, Cashlin. My parents and I traveled to South Carolina on Christmas Eve and returned this afternoon.

After we arrived on Christmas Eve, we immediately went to eat at Sho-Gun’s, a hibachi restaurant in Spartanburg. Chris and Patti made this their Christmas present to us and it was a good gift because the food lasted a couple of days. After dinner, we went back to Chris and Patti’s house for the evening. After Cashlin went to bed, we assembled some of his “Santa” gifts then went to bed. Christmas morning was good. Everyone awoke when Cashlin walked out of his room and started looking at all the presents. The presents were quickly distributed and opened and everyone had an opportunity to rest before lunch. Chris fried a turkey, made bread pudding, and baked cheesecake. Patti and Mom cooked the side dishes—cornbread dressing, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce. Shortly after noon and after Patti’s mom (Lisa) arrived, we all had lunch. Then it was off to resting again. Finally, to end the evening, we played a game of Monopoly, which Chris won.

On Friday, everyone took it easy in the morning. We did not stay awake too late on Christmas day, but it was later than normal for Patti and Cashlin. Around lunch, we decided to venture out on the town! We had lunch at The Beacon Drive-In, which serves more tea than any other single restaurant in the country, then went to Falls Park in Greenville. It was not a great day for walking the park along the Reedy River, but we did it anyway. On our way back to Chris and Patti’s house, we drove through the campus of Furman University—the first Southern Baptist University. The campus was beautiful. We played another game of Monopoly on this evening and this time I won!

Here are some pictures:

Cashlin Tearing In

Browning

The Beacon Drive-In

Dad's Beacon Burger A'plenty

Patti and Cashlin at the Falls

More Christmas Ideas!

I thought I might share a couple of more ideas for Christmas gifts for those who have not already purchases something from my previous list. I intended to put some of these on my initial list, but forgot. Others I just realized the need/desire for the item so decided to put them in this post when I made this edition. So here are some more Christmas ideas:

Carolina Cider—When I took a trip with Chris, Patti, Cashlin, and Lisa to North Carolina we passed a guy on the side of the road selling this cider. I though this guy made the cider in the hills and this was his way of bringing it to market; however, after reading the label, I realized it was made near Charleston, SC. Anyway, I really enjoyed the Peach Cider and the Black Bing Cherry Cider!

A Valet—This is a really cool piece of furniture. It allows a gentleman to set-out his clothes for the next day, as well as store all the items that should be in his pockets before he leaves. It also provides a place for him to put all of those things when he empties is pockets in the evening. This would be really helpful since I started working dress clothes to work instead of scrubs!

Camera Lens—I saw this lens as I was perusing bestbuy.com. It’s a cool—it has the shift and tilt built into a wide-angle lens. It is cool, but it is expensive.

And for the “Anonymous” poster who said I should ask for a wife. Obviously, that individual is more interested in me finding a wife than helping me find one! After all, I did post a description of the kind of girl I’m looking for (it’s like a job description)! Maybe Santa will bring me a wife—just not Mrs. Clause, she seems like she is past childbearing age.

My Christmas Wish List

This is the gift giving season—the time of year you can either (a) tell everyone what you would really like to have by this time next month or (b) not tell them and get a lot of lame gifts, like socks. I have opted for plan (a) and decided that I would use my blog as the forum for expressing my desire for those gifts. I hope there is a gift for all of my friends to give whatever their budget. Hey, I’m looking after you during these difficult economic times.

• Shave Cream—I really like this shave cream from Jack Black. A 7 oz. jar usually last about 6 months, so this gift could last half of next year. Other Jack Black products that I use are the Face Buff and the Post Shave Cooling Gel.

• UL Shirt—I have been trying to purchase one of these at the football games this season but the guys from the bookstore seem to bring every size but the size that I wear (XL). You can purchase on-line or by visiting the bookstore on the University of Louisiana campus (it's item MA17).

• Kevin Harvick Jacket—I am not that big of a NASCAR fan, but I have followed the races this past season after a trip last fall to Daytona, where I visited the Daytona International Speedway. I chose a favorite driver (Kevin Harvick) because he drives a Chevrolet and because Shell is his sponsor—two products with which I identify. Also, because other people I know had already selected other drivers like Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, etc.

• Steaks—I gave these steaks from Allen Brothers last year and heard they were great. I’m thinking that I would like to try them also.

• 007 DVD Box Set—I’ve not really tried to watch all of the James Bond movies, but I have thought about it lately. Many of these movies were made before I was born, but I think it would be interesting to watch the movies in order of release and see both the evolution of the plots and characters throughout the series.

• Hat—Every gentleman needs a hat. It completes both his business and casual attire. mrhats.com has an array of hats they sell from a downtown Memphis shop. I have identified this hat as the one I would like to begin my collection. I think I would like it in black and 7 ¾ size.

These are the gifts that I would like. If you want to get me one of these and don’t want others to duplicate your gift, post an anonymous comment and let everyone know that you have decided to get me this gift. Don’t see anything you want to give me here, then get me a tie or some socks.

Christmas is in the Air

I spent this weekend at my parents’ house in St. Martinville and we had slew of events planned. On Friday night, our church’s choir performed their Christmas presentation at the Opera House. This is an annual event which allows the community to enjoy a religious theatrical production outside of the church.

Saturday was spent with Benji, LeAnne, and Logan at Logan’s soccer tournament. Logan’s team won the league championship by going undefeated during the regular season. We had high expectations for them in the tournament, but they lost their first game and had to battle back through the loser’s bracket. They did get to the championship game, but they lost.

At church on Sunday, the choir presented their play again during the worship service. This performance went a little smoother but lacked some of the flair that accompanies any production at the Opera House. In the afternoon, I went to begin my Christmas shopping in Lafayette and, since I was there, I went to the UL basketball game. Well, actually, I went for the basketball game and since I was there I did a little Christmas shopping. To help, I posted the pictures below on the day I took them.

Presentation at Church

The Man from Bethlehem

Cowboy Christmas

Parent’s, do you know what your
kids are doing during church?

Parker Paul (P³)

At the Opera House

Gift Return

Quite a Family Picture

Fruitcake Etiquette

Christmas St. Martinville Style