Last Day of our Summer Staycation...plus a dining adventure at O'Charley's

Happy July 13!

Today was Day 3, our final day of our summer staycation.  After going lots of places the past 2 days, we had a more leisurely day today.  Even did alittle damage control at home, so I can start tomorrow feeling like the house is in shape.

First up, breakfast!  One thing I've enjoyed this week is trying out the new ceramic skillet my mom-in-law recently bought me.  It's dreamy for cooking eggs!  Just a tiny spray of cooking oil, and the eggs cook perfectly with NO sticking.  They say you can wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel when you are done...but I use hot water and soap.  Love that the skillet is flat on the bottom, so there is a large flat area for cooking.  Thanks Mom Hayden!

We left home today about 11:30 to go to lunch.  Eating out every day has been my favorite part of our staycation.  :)  Loved having a break from cooking.  We decided to go to O'Charley's (it's free pie Wednesday, after all!) but we had quite a weird adventure there.

We'd been seated and served ice water, when the 2 hostesses at front of the restaurant began coughing violently.  It caught my attention and I watched and wondered.  Then the table next to them began coughing.  Right after that I smelled it...a strong, chemical smell wafted past my nose and immediately made me feel like coughing.  I said,"Uh oh.  There's something going on.  Do you smell that?"  My husband immediately got up and said, "Let's go!"  Independent soul that I am, I sat there, because the smell seemed gone, and I hoped it was some kind of short lived episode.  I watched as different tables of people began coughing, and others stopped coughing.  The manager chatted with my husband up by the door, but didn't know what was going on and didn't call 911.  Then the smell came back, and I actually tasted it.  That's when I knew we wouldn't stay.

Our throats stung, we tasted a metallic taste, and my husband's asthma started to kick up.  So we left!  Honestly, we've continued to feel that sting in our throats today, and wonder what happened.  Our neighbor, a fire chief, heard our story and thinks it was chlorine gas coming through the HVAC system.  I sure do wonder if the restaurant had to evacuate or do anything to remedy it?  He said they should have called the fire department, because they have equipment that can tell what gas is in the air.  Maybe they did after we left. 

Plan B, turned out great!  We went to Biaggi's, a fine Italian restaurant, and had an amazing lunch.  Tanner loved his pasta with meatballs and Alfredo sauce.

                   John's baked ziti with seafood was terrific.

 
And my pasta dish and spinach salad was too.  Their unsweetened raspberry iced tea is a t*r*e*a*t!  Happy tummies!  And tomorrow it's back to my low sugar and low carb eating plan...totally blown the past 2 days.  :)  

We did some fun shopping, and I scored denim capris at Marshalls.  Yippee!  Then home to chill and do laundry til bedtime.  The day ended with a literal bang.  This severe T-storm blew in about suppertime.  It was beautiful, and thankfully it was fast and furious with no harm done.  A beautiful display of God's glory and power.

Tomorrow we hit the ground running!  An appointment at 8:15am, and then my first meeting/lunch for my new job.  Yes, after being a stay at home mom and homeschooling for 23 years, this lady has a job teaching Preschool!  It will be an adjustment, but so much fun.  I'm thankful!  And if I still have some energy after that, it's off to Ivy Tech to meet with an advisor to get Tanner set up with classes. This fall has so many changes ahead for us...but we know that the Lord will be our strength and help.  A new chapter in life!

Thanks for reading!  Blessings and sweet dreams!

Donna