Deb: Embarrassed at the Restaurant…or, What Kept Me From Hurtin’ Em?

This is so gratifying to me personally, and I have to say what a great start to my day this is…and it’s all because of you guys, our readers. The warmth and love all of you have shared with Dub and I, is simply amazing! Thank you all so very much! I would like to share a story with you today about our two sons, Josh and Mark. When we first started our business some time ago, times were really tough. I’m sure those out there who have started up a business from scratch know exactly what I’m talking about. The first step in this process is quitting your normal go in at 8:00 go home at 5:00 job. This immediately stops your guaranteed income of that family member, in our case, Dub. I was a manager of Hardees during our initial business start-up, and there were many weeks we had no idea how we were in fact going to make ends meet living off only one salary. Somehow, though, the good Lord always provided for us, and Dub would land a small job or two, and that would see us through…one more time. Anytime I wasn’t scheduled to work at my job, or the boy’s weren’t in school, we all pitched in to help out in whatever way we could. This was “our” business, and we all saw the opportunity this would provide for us down the road. So in whatever way, or whenever we could, we pulled together…as a family, and you know what…looking back, we’ve done okay! So using my example of us starting, persevering through, and staying focused on our goal of making our business opportunity work out for us, though not easy, and with plenty of emphasis on the “not easy” part, we did in fact survive! How? By working together as a family! Using an old cliché as my summary, it was, “All for one, and one for all!” This is what “Ridin’ Out the Recession With Dub and Deb in Miz Judi’s Kitchen” is all about. We all are…a family! With that being literally the case, we can, without a doubt make it through these tough, tough times. Just like Dub and I, and our two boys, we made it through, as once more, a family. This once again, is Dub’s and my goal. We’re all going to pull together, to ensure that each and every one of us, get through these times! How? As a family, that’s how! Shoot, I kinda pulled a Dub this morning didn’t I? We better get on with my little story I was gonna share with you, hadn’t we?

Embarrassed at the Restaurant…or, What Kept Me From Hurtin’ Em?

As we talked earlier, we discussed how we’d all pulled together during our business start up. So when school was out, or on weekends, Dub, I and the two boys would work at night, and we always would stop and eat when we’d finished up. This one particular night we stopped for a bite to eat, and of course the two boys weren’t hungry! Although this was rare, it wasn’t completely out of the question. Being little guys at the time, sometimes they’d be hungry while other times they weren’t. We asked them three or four times before ordering, even after we’d already put our order in… we’d stop and ask, “You guys sure you don’t want anything…you’re not hungry?” No Mamma, we’re just not hungry right now, Mama, okay? Okay boys, if you’re sure you don’t want something, it’s alright. I’m sure some of you parents know what I mean. But, this night, when we got our food, they started taking food off our plates like they hadn’t eaten in a month! Well, Dub has always been a big man, and you wouldn’t believe the looks Dub and I were getting from the other customers that were inside that place! They were literally at their own tables whispering to one another, steady looking in our direction. It was obvious that their mumblings among themselves was in regards to those two grownups eating their meal, but in fact not letting those children order something to eat, too. “Look,” I could almost hear them saying, “those poor little fellows are having to beg those two for what little they’re letting them have off their plates!”It was bad I’m here to tell you! On top of all this, we had been out working all night, striping parking lots actually, and in regards to our clothing, well let’s just say…I’ve seen better dressed “winos!” So that wasn’t helping us out any either! So there I sat suffering through the ordeal, me mad as a hornet at the boys, and not just mad at them, but also worrying ole Dub was gonna get enough and tell everybody just what he thought, or worse yet…where to go! We got outside and I crawled those two boys over their little antics they’d just pulled on us. All of a sudden, Dub and the boys just died laughing, they thought the whole little scenario to be funny! Here I’d sat for nearly an hour on pins and needles! First off worrying Dub was gonna “blow a gasket” over those people staring at us and whispering like they were, him and his little shy, bashful self. Then mad at the boys for putting us (ME), in such an awkward position in regards to the other customers too. Here I was in a dern tizzy, and those three dying laughing at me? I swear, ladies, I’ll never truly understand men…big ones, and evidently little ones either! Never again, though, have I stepped one foot inside a restaurant, if we all went out to dinner together, without everybody understanding…we all four order, or nobody goes in! Thank you all again, and keep a smile on your face, and one in your heart! God Bless each and every one of you.