Success Starts Here!

Last night I had the great pleasure of watching the 2011 Ironman World Championship triathlon from Hawaii. I've watched the documentary ESPN puts together since 2007 and it is absolutely amazing. The video doesn't just concentrate on the professional athletes at the front of the race, but spends more time telling the stories of the "everyman" if you will. The regular people for whom just finishing is the greatest win of their lives. In this particular special, they highlighted a woman who at her heaviest weighed 320lbs. When she crossed the finish line, forever to be known as an Ironman, she weighed 150. She wasn't some game show contestant on the Biggest Loser or any other show. She was just a regular woman who chose to change her life, and then did the most important thing, she "acted" upon it. She just put one foot in front of the other and started to move. In doing so, she lost an entire human being of weight and found the human being she had always

Boy I love me some barbecue. I love weekends dedicated to barbecue. Not only because of the food (which I love btw) but because there is something about cooking over an open fire that brings families and sometimes even communities together. I often wonder (because I do that way too much) whether the camaraderie felt around an open fire is somehow genetically linked to our ancestors. It probably is. As most foodies know, the kitchen is the heart of most homes. And when you take the cooking to the next level out onto the patio or back yard, well then, it just becomes the soul of the home. As you may know, I am all about getting the most out of each moment or at least trying. Thus, I encourage all my friends who enjoy my blog (or are kind enough to read it to humor me :) to take advantage of this weekend, and use that barbecue grill or pit to spend quality time with those who matter. Finally, I hope you won't forget the reason for the holiday. I plan to toast to our men and women