I Went to Paris for My Birthday!

Paris Ontario, that is. I am very thankful for the wonderful partner that God has blessed me with! Last weekend she treated me to a wonderful day full of family time, relaxation and great food - she knows how to win me over!

It was raining, but that didn't deter Kristin from buying me delicious breakfast tacos from one of my favorite Hamilton food trucks, The Dirty South!

Mmmmm.... these little tacos were amazing - egg, sausage (other other two had bacon), seasoned pieces of tater tots, salsa, sour cream, cheese and arugula. What a way to start the day!

The rest of the day was spent with family and playing with the kids, although I did get some time to put my feet up to watch the Hamilton Tiger-Cats win their last game at Ivor Wynne Stadium before heading out for supper.

To Paris (Ontario) we went, for a delicious BBQ supper at Camp31! This place is a little restaurant for big appetites. It's out of the way, but worth the trip!

It's hard not to like a meal like this! With full tummies and lots of leftovers we enjoyed a movie (a rare treat!) while Grandma and Grandpa Lucas took care of the wee three.

I am very blessed with a wonderful wife who knows how to show a guy a good time, and three kids who are a daily reminder of God's goodness. James Dobson once said, "Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without." I'm glad I did just that. Thanks, honey, for a wonderful birthday!

A Fun Dinner with my Favorite People!!

Teddy has really taken to hamburgers, and he pretty much shoves it right in there!

Edit: just realized that when I post from my iPhone, sometimes the picture doesn't show quite right in an Internet browser. Click on the picture to see the whole thing!

Food Trucks!

I love supporting charities, and it's even better when I can support a local charity by eating at Food Trucks!!

Food trucks have become quite a craze in southern Ontario this year, and Hamilton is home to some of the finest! Today I had the delicious opportunity to sample some food from an out-of-town truck, Hank Daddy's BBQ from Maple, Ontario.

While my coworkers ate from the ever popular, local favorite, Gorilla Cheese, I pondered the menu at Hank Daddy's. Pulled pork sandwiches, smoked chicken wings, pulled pork parfait (pulled pork with layered mashed potatoes), and my choice for lunch - Cowboy Fries!

Yep, sweet, saucy pulled pork and coleslaw, but what the picture doesn't show is the bed of sweet potato fries on the bottom! A delicious lunch, and the portion was perfect - filling, but not stuffing. The only downside was the price - compared to similar local trucks, it was a little more pricey and the taste didn't set it apart. Foodies could get a pulled pork sandwich that was just as good for a cheaper price, if there was competition on the block.

Either way, a delicious lunch, and a portion of the proceeds were donated to the Hamilton/Burlington United Way!

Emma...

...decided she had done enough talking at church on Sunday! Fine by me... The car ride was a little quieter...

Always amusing...

.....annnnnnnd I'm back!

As many of you know, I've returned to school (part-time) to work on a Master's degree. While working on a recent history paper, Kristin encourages me to take some pressure off myself. I hast thought about it in any great detail before, but it turns out that I have high standards for myself. Who knew?

I think the same thing happens with this blog. I'm excited and anticipate a lot, but fall totally off track and then become discouraged.

So I'm giving this thing another kick at the can! This time, putting less pressure on myself, and just letting it be fun!

Time flies and life gets busy, but taking time to document and share life is important, so I'm going to try to do just that!

(... And with my new Blogger app for my phone, it might just be a little easier!)

Look forward to pictures of the kids, stories, things I'm learning and ... Food reviews! My brother might be getting annoyed with my constant text messages about what I'm cooking or eating, so I'll put it on here instead...

Hope you enjoy!