The Dwarf House

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

When I was little one, my dad worked in Atlanta. He commuted what was sometimes over 3 hours one way. I can't really remember how old I was (5? 6?), but I remember I went with him to his office one day, and the promise of lunch was at The Dwarf House. At the time, I had no idea, and thought only short people could go. Boy was I excited! Being the youngest, I've always been the shortest (and this still holds true today), and thought this restaurant was just for me! I don't really remember the food, but I remember going in and out of that little red door more times that I could count, and being dizzy from turning around so many times just to go back through it. It cracked me up when my dad couldn't get through it easily (I think I made him try more than a few times), and I could skip through it with ease. (Wasn't I a sweet child? Yeah, not much has changed, huh? :) ) We always had to sit in the back because another of my favorite pastimes was to watch the Seven Dwarfs (yes, from Snow White), go back and forth (on a pulley) in the glass case.

I remember the time we went and I could no longer get through the door easily. Yeah, that was a hard hour. But nothing a brownie topped with IceDream couldn't fix! :)

So what is The Dwarf House, you ask? Why, it's the original Chick-fil-A!(I'd like to take this time to apologize to my international readers. Sorry to rub it in!)

Along with all the regular Chick-fil-A menu items, the original restaurant also offers additional items, like waffles, hamburgers (yes, hamburgers), and different soups.

My dad took me by The Dwarf House last weekend. It was so great to see the Seven Dwarfs again and have the waitress bring me Chick-fil-A and a waffle (yum!). And another cool thing was I found out from my dad that his brother (my uncle) used to come into the Dwarf House all the time when it just opened up. Truett Cathy (the founder) actually had my uncle and his friends taste-test some of his food a few times! The best part? My uncle told Truett that his boneless, seasoned, and fried chicken sandwich would never sell! Ha ha ha!!!!

Another cool thing is that unlike other Chick-fil-As, The Dwarf House has two sides of the restaurant - once side is for sitting and eating like you would at any other Chick-fil-A (decorated the same and everything), but the other side is filled with old-timey booths, bar stools, and waitresses. (By the way, that's my handsome daddy in the pic above in the stripped shirt paying for our meal. Thanks again, Dad! Also, you can kinda see the glass case with the Seven Dwarfs in the background of both pictures - it's on the back wall.)

Fun, food, family, and memories - it doesn't get much better than that!

Chocolate Overload Cake

I made a Chocolate Overload Cake last week. I knew I wanted something chocolate...well, everything chocolate, that is! It was devil's food cake, chocolate mousse, fudge frosting, topped with chocolate ganache, and finished with grated chocolate. I pieced it together from different recipes - baking the cake from one of my cookbooks, the mousse from a magazine, and the fudge frosting from a website. It went quickly and I heard good reviews all around. Brent, my non-chocoholic husband, even said it was one of his top 3 favorite cakes I've ever made. So I figure it must have been pretty good! :)

My Favorite Topics: Family & Food

You know, I really don't post that many pictures of my two favorite subjects: family & food. I really should work on that. :)

Last weekend I went home to GA to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. Unfortunately, I seemed to take pictures everywhere but there. So suffice it to say it was a blast! :)

The day of my grandmother's party dawned cloudy and eventually, rainy with lightening and thunder. This was also the morning my sisters, brother-in-law, and I ran a 5k that benefited Camp Hope. Aren't my sisters & I cute, despite the rain we were about to run in?? My two oldest nephews ran in the 1 mile "Kid's Run". The youngest just got to eat bananas the whole time. Don't worry, he's part of my family, so he was totally okay with it (I love how his mouth is full in this pic!). :)My sisters, me, my brother-in-law, and some people we knew all won plaques. We credit this to the idea that the fast runners didn't show because they thought the race was going to be canceled! :)

After a quick shower, it was off to my grandmother's party. Needless to say, by this time, we were more than a little tired. Isn't he precious?? (Especially when he's sleeping!!) This almost makes me want one. Almost. :)

I'm not sure if you know this fact or not, but I am of Lebanese decent. I love my Lebanese inheritance! To give you an idea, think "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", add about 20 more people, and that's my family! Love it! :)

My sisters and I were able to pull ourselves together enough to go to Nicola's (or as my family calls it, Nic's) Lebanese Restaurant for a meal with our extended family. Of course, I forgot to take pics of my family, but at least I got pics of the important stuff - the food! ;) Even despite my 2nd cousin seriously making fun of me for taking pics of the food for my blog (you're welcome!). I love me some tabbouleh, pita chips, hummus, baba ghanoush, and warm pita bread!And some stuffed grape leaves (in back) and kibbe nayeh (in front). If you don't know what kibbe nayeh is, I'm not going to tell you. You can easily Google it if you wish, but just know that my family almost fights over it it's so good, and there's never, ever any leftover. Yum-my!! :)

My plate of delicious goodness! Don't worry, this was only round 1. :)

A Few Things About Motorcycle Riding, Part II

An upside to driving into massive amounts of really gross gnats: forcing you to wash your motorcycle thoroughly right away, even though it's been on your to-do list for a while.

Sorry, but I have to brag a little...we replaced the air filter (and therefore had to rejet the carb) and gave her a good bath. Isn't she beautiful?

A Few Things About Motorcycle Riding

There's just something about riding a motorcycle. What can I say to describe it? As a passenger, it's relaxing. As a driver, it's both relaxing (usually when there's not any cars around) and invigorating. There's just something about watching the stars and moon chase the colors of the sunset over the treetops. You feel closer to space and the earth at the same time. Not so much that you can reach out and touch it (probably because you're going 65 mph), but more like they're friends you haven't seen in a long time or a favorite song or movie. I can definitely see how some people relate it to the spiritual realm. Personally, I usually pray a lot when I'm riding it (now, whether it's for the sanity of the driver of the car next to or beside me or if it's just talking to God depends on the situation!). It just seems natural somehow. And oh-so-lovely.

Until....

Until this:
Let me see if I can shed some light on that for you:
Still not seeing it? How about a close-up?
Yup, that's right. It's awesome alright - right up to the point you drive through a huge (and I mean HUGE) swarm of gnats at 60 mph. Nasty!!!!! And there's no getting them off your face shield. They just smear their little guts - even after their death they're annoying! Needless to say, it was a longer trip home than out. And an immediate load of laundry was started just minutes after walking through the door. Call me crazy, but I just love the sound of the washing machine. It's soothing somehow...

Easter, Family, & Sports

Sorry there hasn't been any blog updates lately, but life keeps on chugging along!

Easter was a blast. We celebrated with two other couples that we met through Summit Small Groups. I didn't get any pics of us, but of course I got a few of the important stuff - the food!! :)Seriously though, Easter (or as my family likes to call it - Resurrection Day) is a very important day. It's the day Jesus was raised from the dead!! What a day to celebrate, indeed!

The day after Easter, some of my family came to visit. Brent, me, my aunt, my grandmother, my mom, and my cousin went to see some sights of RDU and of course had to visit the Duke Gardens.
And of course we had to have some down time. And what's down time without a little Wii? :)My mom and me watching my aunt and cousin play Wii:The day after my family left, we went to a hockey game. Carolina Hurricanes vs Canadians:Staal (a Carolina player) was able to snag a hat trick at the game!! It was the last Hurricanes home game and they gave out free Hurricanes baseball caps to everyone walking in, so when Staal got a hat trick:
Yup, those are Hurricane baseball caps all over the ice!

The crew that went to the game:
This pic is mostly for my nephews:On Sunday afternoon we went to a baseball game at UNC. It was University of North Carolina vs North Carolina State. It was a beautifully sunny and hot day. I left with a very un-fun sun burn, but the game was a good game...the lead changed a few times and it was a close score the first 7 innings.

Shout Out: Happy 30th Birthday, Amy!

This is my beautiful older sister Amy with our nephew:Today is her birthday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go home for her surprise 30th birthday party. So Aimes, close your eyes (okay, not really, but you know what I mean) - here we go!











SURPRISE!!!!!!Welcome to your (virtual) birthday party!!!!See? Everything was thought of...party favors (including hats, too, of course! You're only turning 30!!)...and what would your party be without an obnoxious big balloon telling everyone your age? (It says "oh no, the big 30".) What fun!Happy 30th birthday, girl! I pray that the Lord blesses you with many, many more. Love you!