My Life on the road | Peaches Prattlings

{October 19, 2017} Oh my yum!

Today, I went to two and very different places for great meals.

The first was Ritz’s, a small, very casual place open for breakfast and lunch. A very locals place as I found out listening to the conversions going on around me as I sat at the counter.

It is wide open, a bunch of square tables and a small counter that could seat maybe six people. The kitchen is open, then menus are paper and an old Pepsi signboard shows their specials, which around here are the horseshoes. The horseshoe is an open-faced sandwich originating in Springfield, Illinois, United States. It consists of thick-sliced toasted bread, a hamburger patty, French fries, and a “secret” cheese sauce. And that is as far as I go with that, we know I’m not eating it, as much as people rave about it! Make it vegan, I’ll give it a shot!

I ordered an egg sandwich and looked at my surroundings. I loved the menu ideas in the napkin holders. The atmosphere is relaxed, the kitchen had AC/DC playing, the cooks were having a good time and when one of them saw me taking pictures, started posing for me!

This was a good neighborhood joint, I’ll be going back!

For dinner, a different experience. Augie’s Front Burner in downtown Springfield.

This is a farm to table restaurant that featured good hearty food, definitely farm to table, lots of steak, lamb, salmon, good dairy like goat cheese, not the first choice for a vegan, but I loved looking at the creations they offered.

When I got there, one of my co- workers I was meeting had already told our server that there was a vegan coming, thank you, I so appreciate the people I work with! The server told me the chef was working on something for me and checked with me on s few things, thank you again!

The food came and oh my! I started with a beet and carrot salad with a cranberry relish. It was fabulous! I bet it would have been amazing with the lemon ricotta or some goat cheese, sigh.

My next course was so pretty. It looked like a flower of vegetables! Each was some sort of baby or small vegetable, seasoned and sauteed, laid out around rice with something sweet in it, like cherries, no idea, but yum! And it was topped with a few sweet potato chips and greens. This was fabulous!

A place I would go again, if I could have this, or something equally fabulous!

{October 12, 2017} Happy FIRST birthday CDL!

My baby had a baby.. and now he’s one! What?! I remember when I became a mom, a little different than “the normal channels” so to speak. The wasband had two kids, a girl, TYL, ne TYH, and a boy, WCH, we called him by CH, which is what he’s known as. She was seven and he had just turned eight. I remember when they started spending the night, I had new mom syndrome and loved it! By that I mean when I couldn’t sleep, and at the time, I could sleep! I was constantly checking on them, watching them sleep, and when I did sleep, it was a very light sleep because I would hear them turn over in their sleep! Forgot about hearing them cough or sniffle! The time we weren’t in each other’s lives was the hardest for me, but when we reconnected, wow! Ok, I could talk about them for days, but I need to tell you why we’re here! My baby, TYL, is a mom of a ONE year old! What! One minute he’s there, growing inside her and the next minute…a wonder! I met him when he was a few weeks old and like all my grandbabies, the second we met, I was in love! Well, from the sonogram, but seeing him, holding him, the sweet new baby smell, wrapping his little fingers around my hand and my heart. He didn’t do much at that stage, they don’t, except capture your heart and mind, watching him look at everything with wonder and curiosity. Seeing TYL as cool and collected mom, thinking she was a mess, but she was beautiful, that day and everyday, but this is a new kind of beauty. She is the mother of an amazing little person! CDL is a smart, precocious, precious, funny, silly, goofy, smart, curious, inquisitive, cautious, fearless, fabulous, little person. He embodies the best of his parents, I even see his uncle, CH, in there. He loves his mommy and daddy, he loves to laugh, play, snuggle, explore, learn, try. He’s a wonder and today, October 11th, he’s one! Happy, happy first birthday CDL, I love you and I can’t wait to watch you grow and smile and celebrate so many birthdays together!

{October 11, 2017} Three new vegan meals in two days? Yum!

I’ll take it!

One of my favorite vegan restaurants in Chicago, Native Foods has launched its new menu and I have tried a few things between yesterday and today.

I couldn’t believe it, vegan bagels, lox and cream cheese? What?! Yup! A bagel, unfortunately plain, but wait! The cream cheese was made from cashews, it was creamy and light and tasty. The lox was thin sliced carrots, but it’s the way they marinated it smells and tastes like lox, wow! They offer it just like a ‘real’ lox platter with capers, lemon and onions. Doesn’t it look fabulous?!

Last night, I ordered from True Foods, we’ve talked about it before, I hope you remember! I ordered a pizza with butternut squash, onions, spinach, cranberries and almond ricotta! Wow!

I also ordered guacamole with chips and Winter Squash toast, this had brussel sprouts and toasted hazelnuts. Yum! Think I was able to come close to finishing? Not a chance, guess what was for lunch!

Tonight, I went back to Native Foods, with LJ this time. I ordered plantains with two different dipping sauces and for dinner, chicken and waffles! The syrup was maple siracha, a little too spicy for me, but the ‘chicken’ and waffles, tasty!

Dessert was our favorite oatmeal cream cookie, which we shared, so rich!

Don’t the pictures make you hungry!

Day 5 of 7 Challenge!

{October 7, 2017} Challenge accepted.

I was challenged yesterday and I accepted.

The challenge was this:

Seven days. Seven black and white photos of life. No people. No explanation. Challenge someone new each day.

I thought it was interesting and decided to give it a go. I was challenged by CWB and then I challenged GES’ sister- in- law, AS. She’s a great artist, I think it will be fun to see what she posts. And…I get to challenge a new person each day.

Here’s my entry for today, day 1. Remember, black and white, no people and no explanation. I wonder what I’ll photograph tomorrow and who I’ll challenge! Whatever it is, I can’t wait to see what they do!

Look out, it could be you!

{October 3, 2017} It really pays to say something

I’m a legacy! Wow!

Ok, let me explain what a legacy is and then how I am and why it pays to say something.

As you know, this weekend I did the Hot Chocolate 15k in Denver. This was my fifth Hot Chocolate race, two 15k’s, the rest 5k’s. The majority were in Atlanta and some in Denver.

A few months ago Ram Racing, who sponsors and puts on the Hot Chocolate Race, among others, sent out an email to all participants about their new Legacy Program. You would get an a medal, pin, beanie, picture frame and a special bib to wear, in addition to your race bib showing that you’re a legacy.

The legacy categories are three, five and ten years. Three is bronze, five is silver and ten is gold.

I got the email and rushed to check, yup, I have five! You know me and my bling!

Then… they send an email changing the policy… you have to participate for those years… in the same city.. what?! Now I’m just annoyed…

So… Have you met me? You guessed it, I went to guest services and said my peace. The woman I talked to, Serena, was very nice and understanding. She looked up my name and saw that I had participated in at least five Hot Chocolate races.

And… ready… She told me that the organizers are going to honor those that received the original letters that said three, five or ten years in a row. What? Really?! I wasn’t trying to get something, I wanted to voice a concern. But… yrs, they are going to honor my five years!

So…I got a five year silver medal, in the shape of a mug, a silver five year pin, a picture frame and my legacy bib! There is also a beanie, which they are mailing to me. I got it!

Now, if I decide to do this race again, which I have a feeling I will continue to do, I participated in the inaugural race in Atlanta in 2013! I will be sure to do the race in the same city.. if I want the legacy to continue.

Thank you to Ram Racing and The Hot Chocolate Race for honoring what you said and recognizing those of us who made it.

It really does pay to say something!

{October 2, 2017} Hot Chocolate 15k!

What a day!

So, you know my goals when I participate in a race: Start the race…check! Finish the race… check! Have people behind you… check!

That last one was touch and go! I totally admit, I had not trained, totally on me and I don’t know if it has anything to do with it, but fasting the day before, probably not the best thing for a race. As we’ve talked about before, I’ve done all different race lengths, from 5k to half marathon and only once, when everyone else was a runner did I come in last and didn’t like it.

So… along the route, I kept with people and then I was behind and then more behind and more behind. But I was doing it. I was tired by mile 7, ok, by mile 6, but that was a 10k, I’m doing this. Mile 7, I can’t quit now! It’s on my 2.3 miles left!

But… just before mile 7, the sweeper van was right there! The cop behind me, the end of the race, I ignored, he can’t do anything, but the sweeper van! I’ve told you about getting swept before, not a great feeling! I heard that door open and I ran for it! Just beat him!!!

Then I was with the other 6-10 stragglers. We were all motivating each other! It’s only 2 miles to go! Do you see the 8 mile? The 9 mile marker? One girl, this was her first and she said she was going to cry! I said go for it! My first 5k, I cried! And the first one I ran the whole thing, you bet your bippy!

We were so close! I was not giving up! I put my sweatshirt back on so they could see my bib number when I crossed the finish. Here are some of the advantages of finishing towards the end. Serious cheering! They can look up your bib number and say your name and where you’re from!

Now, when you look at my stats, feel free to laugh, I couldn’t stop! Overall, out of 2831 participants, I was 2827! Out of 2140 females, I was 2136! Now, in my age group, saved the best for last! I saw that and could not stop laughing!

So… Start… check. Finish.. check. People behind me… check! Get medal… check!

I’m a happy girl!

{September 27, 2017} Pie’s the Limit…YUM!

Oh happy vegan!

One of the things I like about traveling for work is finding new places to eat and one of the places I like to order food from in Springfield is Pie’s the Limit.

This is a local chain, local to the Springfield area. It’s a ‘regular ‘ pizza place, each pie made to order and can feed two people, I guess if I was really hungry I could have eaten the whole thing. I have lunch for tomorrow!

I had a pizza with olive oil and garlic on the crust, layered with vegan cheese, roasted garlic, spinach, artichokes and pineapple. I know that last one might seem odd, but I have to say, yum! The salty with the sweet, it works!

The cheese stayed melted and it was creamy and tasty and just yum!

Looking forward to lunch tomorrow! Come join me, plenty left!

{September 26, 2017} It’s not October…

Please stop with the Halloween decorating!!

I get that it’s fall, officially. Halloween is in October, I don’t know if you know this interesting fact. I know once fall comes, it’s time for pumpkin spice and fall decorating, I’m good with that.

If you know me, you know I la,la,la love Halloween and used to have the biggest, most fabulously decorated house. I loved decorating, setting up for trick-or-treating, seeing the kids faces when they walked the path to come to the door for candy.

What’s hard is seeing all the decorations for Halloween is that my birthday is in September and I always refused to decorate for Halloween before October!

I know the decorations are in the stores in July, I’m just never ready to put it out until October 1st!

I’m not ready, so please stop! You only have to wait six days! Then, go for it, I cannot wait to see what you do!!!

{September 22, 2017} Wow, status really helps!

United pulled one out for me tonight!

Flying to Boston on Delta tonight, flight goes from 630pm departure to 748 pm departure. Well…that doesn’t bode well for my 9pm connection in Detroit. Hmm..

Call the travel company, there is a 730pm on United going to Boston, great, I’ll take it! Less stress because of the traffic I am now sitting in with my Uber driver.

I get to the airport, drop the bag, go through security and pass gate C20 with a flight leaving for Boston at 715pm. Hmmm, I wonder. Just about that time I get a notification that my 730pm flight is now delayed to 847pm due to air traffic control. Ok…

I overhear the gate agent tell someone there are still seats on the 715, ooh! I book it over, get in line, with everyone else… doesn’t look good for me. First, there is a $75 charge for the standby seat, if I get it. Ok, I just want to get there. Then, the next sentence is, with your status, there’s no charge! Score one for United.

I look at the board with all the standby names and I’m thinking no way. Then, they start calling standby names and mine is the second or third called! Exit row ok? Yes! New ticket issued, I am on my way to Boston!

The flight should have left at 715pm, but… weather, air traffic, whatever. We don’t leave until almost 9pm.

The most important thing…I made it to Boston, I get to see my family and United came thru. Go United!

The pictures have nothing to do with flying, they were just there, on the street in Chicago and they made me happy! I hope they make you happy!

{September 22, 2017} Oh what a night! Actually two nights!

What are the odds, two fabulous nights in a row?! Well, with my folks, 10000000%! Tuesday I got a text from ST that he was going to be in Chicago last minute for work, great! Tuesday night we met up to grab some dinner and DLP joined us! I’ve told you that ST and I used to work together and he’s my work husband. So… work wife met work husband! All we needed was WIS, work girlfriend and PSM and we would have had the full enchilada! Could you imagine! We met at the bar at my hotel for a drink, then on to dinner at Rosebuds,a great Italian restaurant about two blocks from the hotel, recommendation from the hotel staff. Sorry I don’t have pics of everyone’s food, I had a treat happem, I got to talk to GES for a bit. That was the way to start the new year, dad in the morning, sister in the evening! So excited to see them this weekend! We had a great time at dinner, DLP and ST hit it off like gangbusters, it was as if they’d known each other for years. I love how my friends can do that! Tonight, ST and I met for dinner again and he said he wanted to go to Lou Malnati’s for deep dish pizza. We put our names on the list, I don’t think there’s a night the famous places for deep dish aren’t crowded! ST went to the bar to get a beer and get me a water, comes back out ahs tells me he has a seat at the bar and he’s made friends. With two Patriots fans! Seriously!? I had seen the one guy walk by, I noticed his shirt, the old Pats logo, which I like. We started talking and found out they were from Maine and… get this… in town for the same conference as ST! What are the odds!! After a bit we were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to change our individual two top tables to a four person table, awesome! We had such a good time chatting, getting to know each other, sharing pizza and beer. Well, pasta, salad and water for me! We talked through a few pitchers, laughed, told jokes, swapped travel and business stories and passed the time until it was time to head out. We walked back to my hotel, the guys promised to find each other tomorrow at the conference and we all went on our merry way. Now I’m talking to you, avoiding thinking about packing tomorrow morning and hoping to get a good night’s sleep! I almost forgot! For lunch, I got to go to one of my favorite places, Eleven City Diner! Look at that egg salad sandwich, on challah! Oh my!!! Two stellar evenings, go me! Night!

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?