How did I get here...really.

I do wonder that sometimes...how did I get here.  No, not 'that' "How did I get here...Where did I come from...", but really - how did I get to where I'm at...today...at this point in time.  Sometimes I look at this project of mine and begin to realize that hey, this is a pretty big project...a pretty big undertaking here (you do know that I'm talking about my restaurant...right?).

You know, when I first thought about running my own restaurant, I can't remember if I really had any set plans on how big/small it would be...I just knew that I wanted to create and run my own place and that I would be successful at it.  I also seriously didn't think that I would be doing this right now, I mean, I didn't lay plans down years ago saying that I'll have my own place in the year 2011.  Don't get me wrong...this isn't something that I'm just trying to throw together hoping that it'll work - I've been working on plans and details for over a year now, but still...how did I get here.

When I was young and growing up, I can tell you that my dreams were not to grow up and be a cook.  I didn't want to be a Dr. or Lawyer either, maybe a cowboy...  Actually, what I really wanted to be was a baseball player.  I loved baseball...and was pretty good at it too.  Well, the baseball route obviously didn't work out...but good things happened along the way.

One of those good things was meeting my wife LuAnn!  Had I made the baseball team at Ricks (now BYU-Idaho), or had I decided to go to BYU (Provo) in the first place, I don't think I would have ever met LuAnn...that would have been a mistake.  I can't imagine my life without her...she's my friend, my biggest supporter, my example...my everything!  No, we haven't had the 'perfect' lives as we've had our share of ups and downs with layoffs, moving around a lot, different jobs and such, but through it all, it has been a GREAT life!!

Still, how does that get me to where I'm at today?? - simple - it's with the Love and Support that I receive from LuAnn and the rest of my family!!  Early last year, 2010, LuAnn really did not want me to get to serious about starting up my own restaurant...now, she's asking me how come it's taking so long to get open (I know..others of you are asking the same question).  So again, the answer is simple.  With the Love and Support that I have from LuAnn and the kids, and with the knowledge set that we have through our life's experiences, we're not looking at this venture as a 'challenge', instead, this is really just another day for us.  Yes, going through all the construction and building process is new to us, but the closer we get to opening our doors, that's when we are in our comfort zone...that's when we can role up our sleeves and dig into the work!

So with Faith, Knowledge, Love, and Support, I continue to move forward.  Everyday is a new experience in this process...how do I want my floor to look, what kind of lights should I have, what color booths do I want, what kind of kitchen equipment should I have, what kind of bacon do I want to serve...and the list goes on and on and on.  How did I get here? - actually, I'm still getting there but I'm enjoying not only the ride, but the company too!! - 143 Honey!!