You call that a steak?

The other night, I was invited to a dinner with my office at a nice restaurant here in Des Moines, some might say the finest restaurant in DM. This is the kind of place where a bowl of Mac n Cheese is $7.95, no shit, check it out. I decided to have the prime rib, not something I have the ability to get very often and I was sure it would be better here than at any restaurant I would normally go to. Plus, I don't think McDonalds carries prime rib. I know they have the McRib, which is awesome, but not the same. I decided that the "single cut" was all I needed. I don't remember how many ounces it was, but when it showed up, I was glad I didn't go any bigger. A friend at the table went with the "801 cut," which appeared to be a five pounder, but I think it was more like 26 ounces. Regardless, when they backed the truck up to deliver this slab, he was re-thinking his decision. He couldn't eat it all, so he had one hell of a tasty doggy bag. The meal was fantastic and we all had a good time, getting to know each other a little better and laughing, a lot. The next day, the news was shared that a co-worker had passed away the night before. I didn't know her very well, our jobs didn't cross very often, but she was always nice to me and asked me regularly how Marcy was doing after her hospital stay. It's always strange when you loose someone in your life unexpectedly, there seems to be a hole. It's much worse when it is a family member. I lost my step-mother suddenly and it was a shock. You think you didn't get to say something that you should of, or didn't do something that would have been nice. I think the biggest regret people have is, they didn't tell them how much they meant to them. I'm terrible at telling people that I love them, and I have no idea why or have a good excuse for it. I'm not 15 years old and trying to look cool by dissing people with a smirk when they say it to me, no, I'm telling them right back. But that isn't good enough, I need to say it for it to mean more. I'm blessed to have a great family, even those that I don't see that often, and a bunch of friends that not only tell me they will be there when I need them, they are there. To my brothers and sisters, we have been through so much together. We watched as both our mother and father took their last breath, and cried with each other until we couldn't cry anymore. We have laughed, alot, and at inappropriate times, but always with love. I know I can count on each of you, Steve, Vickie, Lisa and Brian, and I want you to know that I love you so much. I'm choking up as I write this, knowing that you love me just as much and that is an incredible feeling. Vickie, stop crying, people at work are going to think you are crazy. To my beautiful wife, thanks for being there for me. I'm so glad you didn't die, I would be lost without you. (sorry, I had to throw a in joke, although serious, because Vickie is still crying) I can't believe that we have been married for almost 10 years. What a crazy run we have had. Thanks for the three nut bags we call kids, they are an endless source of laughs, surprises and lessons learned. Sorry for all of the mushy stuff, but sometimes something happens to snap you back to reality. I leave for Africa in 16 days, and although I have no fear that anything bad will happen, if something does, I want you all to know that I love you. I'm pretty sure the only people who read this are family and a few friends, and you are who I'm talking to. Yes, you. Thanks for all that you do for me! My next post will have 1/10th of the mush, the rest will be anger.