Sure. Why not. Go ahead. I can’t guarantee I will have an answer, but I will try.
Once people find out that I am married to a chef and they say their initial, “Wow, that must be amazing” comment, questions always follow. I do not mind at all, and some of them have actually been pretty funny over the years.
I don’t know what it is about the profession that is so intriguing to people, but it is definitely a great conversation starter. Everyone eats. Most people cook. There’s always something to talk about! (more…)
I’ve been married to my chef/husband for 18 1/2 years and there are numerous things I know now that I wish I knew in the beginning. One of them is that it’s OK to ask others for help. With Tom working so many hours to provide for us, there have been many times I have needed help, but too afraid to ask. I wish I could tell you I learned this early on, but it was not until recently that I really came to accept this as a fact. If I truly need help, it’s OK to ask.
When I say afraid to ask, I was not worried that my family or friends were going to yell ant me and say no. Asking for help would mean I would have to admit to others and myself that I wasn’t Super Mom, Super Wife or Super Friend. I couldn’t do everything for myself and I wasn’t willing to accept that.
I wrote the other day about how hard it was when my husband broke his back. It’s one thing to ask for help and support when you are going through a difficult time, but for the first time recently, I had to ask for help with a basic task, which not only was hard to admit I couldn’t do this, but it made me feel old. (I’m 39.) If I did not ask for help, it was either not going to get done at all, or I was going to be crying by the end of it from pain. (more…)
We all know chefs work long hours and come home exhausted. There have been many nights when I’ve been woken up by something and been surprised that Tom was not home yet. I usually call him to make sure he’s OK and then go back to sleep. There have been a few later than normal nights this last week as he has worked 7 days straight with very long hours. One of those nights I had some very vivid memories from a few years ago. Ugh. . .
August 1, 2011 was one of those late nights. I woke up around 4 am and realized that Tom was still not home. I knew he was going to be late that night, but 4 am is no longer late . . . it’s early. I called and he didn’t answer his phone right away. My mind started racing about what could be wrong. He finally answered his phone and said, “I’ve been in a car accident. I know I got off the freeway, but I’m not sure where I am. I’m OK. I’ll call you right back.”
Then his phone dies.
Seriously? We all hate it when our phone dies, but this has to be one of the worst times for this to happen. (more…)
I’ve been spending time sharing about what it’s like to be married to a chef. But what is it like to be the daughter of a chef? I personally don’t know, but I am very close to 3 little ones who do!
In order to really give you a picture of how we emulsify or combine restaurant and family life, we have to include the kids. I’ve decided to start a series called, “You Know Your Dad’s a Chef When . . .”
So today is part 1 of many posts to come.
You know your Dad’s a chef when . . .
your science fair project looks like this.
Does food presentation affect how someone thinks food will taste?
Or this.
Which frosting tastes better? Homemade or store bought?
OK, I admit, I didn’t really go to church alone this morning. As I’ve said before, I’m rarely alone because we have 3 children. What I mean is we went to church without my husband.
While there are many things the girls and I do without my husband (since he works many of the hours others are off), church is the hardest place to go without him. It seems to go in phases. He’ll be able to attend for many weeks/months in a row and then miss a few weeks/months in a row because of work. Right now it seems to be more miss than hit.
I know chefs are not the only people who have to work on Sunday mornings. I have friends who are married to police officers, fire fighters, doctors, nurses, or any profession that requires traveling, all of whom have probably felt the same way as I do at some point or another.
I was at first reluctant to write this post as I don’t want people to judge my husband, or draw any sort of conclusions about him. However, if you met him and watched him as he interacted with our family, it wouldn’t take very long for you to see his love and dedication to both the Lord and to us.
So with that being said, here’s a glimpse into my evening last night and this morning. This post is about me, not him. It’s about my feelings and what I struggle with. Please don’t judge. 🙂
