Beyond Words

Are you, like millions of Americans, planning a Fourth of July get-together?  Even with record heat, people coast-to-coast will be pulling out boats and barbecues and inviting friends and family over.  Everyone loves a good, old-fashioned outdoor cook-out and every year Independence Day northerners and southerners alike make it the most popular day for barbecuing in the U.S.A.

Whether you’re bar-b-cueing or grilling, do you really know how many hot dogs you can expect each of your guests to eat or the best way to set up a buffet?  Just in case, here are some tips to make your Red, White and Blue party the best on the block.

Plan on each of your guests eating two hot dogs a piece and one hamburger. Ribs, brisket, and sausage are a whole different story as everyone has their favorites. Just make sure to have plenty of all, including sides like beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and the likes for each of their likes.

Crate and Barrel

Drink wise, each of your guests will use an estimated four “Red Solo Cups” and two paper plates. For a two-hour party, estimate one bottle of wine for every guest just to be safe and two bottles or servings of beer per person for the first hour. In general, plan on two drinks per guest during the first hour of your party, and one each hour after that.

Good Housekeeping

Be sure to have plenty of bottled water and non-alcoholic drinks on hand to, as you can never have too much.

If your cook-out consists of a buffet, consider the following ideas:

Mark the beginning of the line/table obvious by placing a tall stack of plates at it.

Make the buffet servable from two sides to keep the traffic flow going.

Don’t forget plenty of empty saucers/spoon rests for the guests to use after serving themselves.

Make the serving bowls and trays both attractive and accessible by placing them at various heights.

Food description cards are always a nice touch, especially on dishes that aren’t easily identifiable like dips or cheeses.

Place food that you have the least amount of at the end of the buffet.  Guests are less tempted to serve much of these items as their plates have filled up.

Place napkins and serving utensils at the very end of the buffet line so guests don’t have to fidget with them while serving themselves.

Gray Malin

If your party is a potluck, and whose isn’t these days, and guests bring dishes to share, a good and simple rule is to return their empty dish with something delicious inside that you’ve made.

As an invited guest, if you don’t know what to bring as a hostess gift, consider a bottle of wine, festive or theme-related coasters, cocktail napkins, a nice bottle of olive oil, a scented candle, or decorative tea towels.

Lastly, please don’t forget your pets as you celebrate the Fourth. Fireworks are very scary for many dogs so please plan ahead for their safety and comfort as well.

And it goes without saying that it’s important to remember why you are having a party: to celebrate our great country! So, as you set up and cook out, keep in mind our freedoms to do so and maybe even say a special prayer for God to keep blessing the USA.

If you’re looking for some fun board and drink ideas, here are a few that I love. Stars and Stripes forever and Happy Birthday America!

During a meeting I was in last week the leader asked us to think about something. She invited us to ponder that if you wrote a book on your life, which chapter in your story would be something you’re proud of and which chapter would you like to rewrite? Good one, write? I mean right?

Stephanie Jimenez

Let’s start with the good stuff. The first part of the question is somewhat easier as we can all probably think of a few chapters in our lives that make us proud. For me, I’d have to start with my family. I’m super proud of the young lady our daughter has turned out to be and it all comes back to being proud of who I married and the life we have created during our 37 years of marriage. I think that chapter in my book would be entitled “It’s Not Always Easy” though, as we’ve faced many challenges and have had many up and downs but have somehow held on and have ridden the waves.

I’m also proud of the career I enjoyed and that allowed me to do things I never imagined I could as well as turning my life around in college, which brings me to the chapter I’d like to rewrite…

Yeah, the toughie: what chapter would I like to rewrite? Probably my first year out of high school (and probably some of high school itself) when I was in college but up to no good. I made some bad choices but somehow my Guardian Angel got me through it and I ended up in the second chapter of what I’m proud of: a new university and a new me. Yay me!

I always joke that the name of my book would be “How to Ruin a Good Drive” because it’s the story of my life on the golf course. In truth, I think my book would be called “Growin’ Up” and it’s no coincidence that that is the title of my all-time favorite Bruce Springsteen song. Much of the lyrics are my life, as “when they said sit down, I stood up” and “my feet they finally took root in the earth and I got me a nice little place in the stars” and because I continue to grow and grow up even as I mature in age.

A Daily Cloud

I would actually love to write a book and I even penned a children’s one years ago about our daughter’s beloved stuffed duck she called Puddles. She still has Puddles but the book is still only a dream.

Writing a book is achingly hard and slow as I recently discovered when I welcomed childhood friend and best-selling author Marjorie Herrera Lewis to my neighborhood book club. It was so much fun and I was in such awe hearing all about her process in getting pen to paper for “When the Men Were Gone.” If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend following your dreams as Marjorie has. A long-time sports journalist and now college professor, she’s proof positive that if you set your mind to something and work hard at it, you too can perhaps see your dreams come to life.

And while I’m on the subject, another fun idea I recently read about related to books was to revisit and remember a book you loved in high school and/or college. High school for me is for sure “Go Ask Alice.” I remember reading it like it was yesterday and I still have a copy of the haunting tale about a teenage girl who develops a drug addiction at age 15 and runs away from home on a journey of self-destructive escapism written in diary form. As for college, I’m not proud to admit that the book of the time was “The Preppy Handbook.” LOL to even think about now. I also remember loving F. Lee Bailey’s “The Defense Never Rests” and even named my dog Bailey after the book and George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

But, let’s put yesterday behind us and instead contemplate writing the chapters of a book on just this year. We’re about halfway through 2023 so it’s a good time to reflect on what we are proud of and what we maybe regret or at least would like to change. Me? I’m not happy that I haven’t been able to lose the weight I gained during the pandemic after losing so much and feeling so proud and healthy but I am proud that my commitments to golf, yoga, walking, being myself, and prayer have remained solid and even increased in some ways. I hope to continue doing so in the remaining months of 2023.

Author and inspirer Matthew Kelly recently posted a good idea on this topic of asking yourself what he calls “Life Changing Questions.” They are:

1. Who and what are you most grateful for this year?
2. What have you accomplished this year?
3. What have been your biggest distractions
4. What personal qualities are preventing you from accomplishing what you want to accomplish and become the person you earn to be?
5. Who have you helped more than anybody else this year?
6. What is taking up your time, effort, and mental energy that needs to be firmly placed on your not to do list?
7. What truth are you refusing to face?

Yikes! Good ones for sure and great points to ponder.

So, as you ponder the chapters in your book of life, dive in, keep turning the page, book it, and write that happy ending you’re hoping for. It’s never too late.