by Kent Whitaker
posted January 6, 2009
 Kent Whitaker and a friend |
I started putting together a few thoughts on what I should write about. After all, 2008 was amazing. Well, it depends on your definition of amazing. We had a historic presidential election. Several famous people died, several events around the world captured the media headlines and the Falcons made the playoffs. For one game that is. But they made it!
For my first column of 2009 I decided avoid a list of things I hope to improve in my own world. Lord knows that list would be a long one. At the top would be trying to back away from Chinese food. But with the economy the way it is, I would hate to put those restaurant people out of business.
Instead I've decided to recap the adventure Ally, my wife, and I had on New Year's Eve with some great friends from Nashville at the Choo Choo. We all bought the package that includes room, dinner, party tickets, favors, brunch and a few other items. When we arrive we were informed that they sold us the wrong package, we didn't get the promised meals, and we were in the older train cars instead of rooms. That's great, we had a wonderful time and due to some bad room service ended up getting one of the pre-paid for meals we were promised.
"It's ok," Ally stated. We had enough trouble getting here. And the trains will be an adventure. They made a mistake, no big deal." The trouble she was talking about came in the form of me being late getting to the house, me losing her cell phone, me forgetting my black shoes (actually they were in the trunk of the car but I couldn't find them), making sure the sitters were lined up for the pups, touching base with our son and eventually us leaving the house. We were ready to go.
By ready to go, I mean we were not ready to go. I packed the car too quickly and misplaced a few more items. Ally had also decided that leaving with some rollers in her blonde hair while wearing a mink- leather coat was fine. After all, we didn't need to stop… unless you're me and are planning on running by the teller for cash and grabbing some cold beverages at the store.
Ally had already packed a huge basket filled with my beverage of choice, mixed and a few bottles to pop at the top of the hour. She also packed snacks, glasses and party hats. On my end I forgot the bank and Miller Lite. So we stopped, twice. The first stop at the teller was smooth.
The second stop was actually the third because I decided to pull over and look for her phone and my dress shoes. With classic comic timing I did this across from a police officer. I unloaded coolers, alcohol and such from the trunk in search of the missing items. I found them, packed things back and looked up to see an officer watching me. He watched and waved. I waved back and Ally nodded her curler covered head and smiled. We drove off for stop three which was originally stop number two.
This stop came just as my phone rang. It was one of our momma's. While I talked Ally jumped out saying she would grab ice and Miller Lite. She headed into the store in curlers, mink and fluffy pink slippers. Several minutes later she came back to the car slightly mad looking. Here is a tip for married men. When your wife is having a stressed day, don't point out that she forgot the ice. Just let it go.
Ally said that when she opened the door of the cooler, some idiot had leaned several items against the glass shelves stuck to the doors with suction cups. Of course, the cans on that shelf and a few others decided to fall to the floor, one by one, row by row, can by can. Again, with classic comic timing of somebody who did not want to draw attention to herself, Ally had all eyes on her while she chased cans around the floor of the Kangaroo market.
We all made it to hotel, which had its trademark sign gleaming "hoo Choo," for all to see. We found our train car, enjoyed a beverage, dressed and met up with Todd and Kelly and our other friend Shelly, all part of our regular Helen Georgia Oktoberfest outing. We proceeded to start the evening.
Like any other group having fun that night we had several pictures taken by the event photographer, all were progressively more fun as the night went on. At the stroke of midnight Ally and I kissed, we hugged our friends, headed back to the table for a few minutes and were asleep in the historic train car by 12:45. Despite a rough start, we ended up having a great time. We know we had a good time, because we keep talking about it and showing people the pictures from the evening.
The next morning we all met for brunch. We ended up paying for the breakfast we had already paid for. We ate, hugged, waved goodbye and Ally and I were back home in time for football and nap time. Eventually football lost my interest and I ended up watching a string of TV shows about morbidly obese people while eating corn chips and melted white cheese dip. There has to be something wrong there.
Regardless, Ally and I had a wonderful New Year's Eve. Our son called and said he had a great time, as did our neighbors. My brother Scot called from Nashville to tell me he set the clocks around the house two hours back and played a recorded ball dropping on TV. My two year old niece counted down the New Years at ten and was in bed two hours early, non-the wiser, but completely fulfilled. Ally and I may do that to ourselves next year.
A Late Happy New Year to everyone.
(Kent Whitaker is an author and writer living in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His cookbooks, The Tennessee Hometown Cookbook, The Georgia Hometown Cookbook, The Texas Hometown Cookbook, The Alaska Hometown Cookbook, Smoke In The Mountains – The Art of Appalachian Barbecue, Checkered Flag Cooking and his children’s books, Big Mo’s Tennis Ball Hunt and Why are the Mountains Smoky? are available at bookstores and shops across the country or via the web by visiting sites such as Amazon or www.thedeckchef.com.
Kent also writes for The Chattanoogan, The National Barbecue News and Tailgater Magazine. He also hosts a weekly show on a growing number of affiliate radios stations across the country. Kent and his wife Ally have one son, Macee, and two dogs Moses and Lucy Lu.
Chattanoogan readers can contact Kent via email at thedeckchef@hotmail.com)
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