Lunch Dates with My Foxy Friend
Posted on June 18, 2020 by Ching under Food and Drink.
I don’t know why “Karens” get such a bad rap. All of the “Karens” I have ever known have been warm and kind and generous. This is why I wasn’t surprised when Karen Fox and I easily struck up a friendship. Then again, Brian will counter that I shouldn’t be surprised because I think everyone is my friend even if they’re a complete stranger who smiles or winks at me one time.
I’d seen Karen before at various pickleball events. She even attended the pickleball-birthday-slash-Halloween-party that Matt Mayfield hosted for me last year. She actually wanted to have a Halloween party but Matt was throwing a pickleball birthday party for me at the West YMCA so they agreed to combine the two parties and just have one party. We knew each other then and I would have considered her a friend then but the pandemic has really brought us closer together.
You know how Jumanji and detention (The Breakfast Club?) have this weird way of bringing people together who probably wouldn’t normally hang out? I think that’s what COVID-19 did. I started doing the #BruceLeeAbsChallenge during the stay-at-home mandate because the lack of social connection (and lack of anything to do period) was taking a huge mental toll on me. I asked if others wanted to do it with me and she volunteered. We created a group text for accountability and we texted everyday. Sometimes the conversations weren’t even about our abs workouts. They would just be random (absolutely hilarious) conversations. I was also doing ZOOMba during this time and Karen couldn’t figure out the ZOOM thing (or just didn’t like how the technology worked) so she came over to my house to do Zumba in my garage with me. I totally thought she was joking until she sent me a text that morning asking for my address. Karen holds the record as my first pickleball friend to have ever set foot inside my house. Matt, my first ever pickleball friend, has never even been to my house (despite having known him the longest). I guess disasters have a weird way of bringing people together. And because she was there for me during the lockdown we got really close. She even invited me and Brian over for a delicious lasagna dinner at her house one evening. (SIDE NOTE: They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Well, it works the same for me. The best way to become my favorite person is to feed me.)
Besides meeting up for pickleball dates (we’ve arranged mixed doubles matches and womens double matches with other friends), we’ve also met up for lunch dates. Most of the time it was just sharing a burger at TJ’s which is conveniently next to our favorite park but the other day (when I say the other day, it usually means any time between yesterday and a few weeks ago – LOL) we both finished with our appointments at the exact same time so it worked out that we could meet for lunch. We decided to meet at Homegrown.
Here are a couple of pictures of our food.
Most of the time I just see pickleball friends while playing pickleball and there’s not really much time to visit and get to know each other on a deeper level. Lunch was nice that way. While we still mostly talked about our favorite sport, we visited and chatted about all sorts of other things too. It was great!
Here’s a picture of my Fox-y friend at TJ’s one day while we had lunch and rootbeer floats. We typically grab our lunches to go when we’re playing at Seneca Park but that day, while we were waiting to order our food, I was a rootbeer float go by and it called my name. So I talked Karen into dining in so we could enjoy some rootbeer floats with our lunch. Plus, it’s a lot easier to eat when you have a table. I don’t even have a chair sometimes when we’re at the park. My folding chair is always in the car but I only bring it out occasionally (when I expect to sit around a lot like on #SangriaSundays but most of the time I’m playing the whole time so it’s kind of pointless). I’ve learned not to pull it out all the time because I don’t even get to sit in it most of the time. And there’s always plenty of other chairs to rest your butt on because we’re rotating in and out and most people are willing to share.
Anyway, it’s been really nice getting to know Karen better over these last few months. As someone who has been playing pickleball a lot longer than me, I really appreciate her guidance and all the knowledge that she’s willing to share. I feel like she’s kind of taken me under her wing and has been almost like a “pickleball mentor” of sorts. As someone who is hungry to learn anything and everything, I have really enjoyed this time immensely. I suppose that is the one silver lining that has come out of the pandemic.
I guess that’s all for now. Big day today as it’s the day I get to spend all day learning from Ben Johns. Gotta start getting ready. Until next time. GNG.
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Rio Grill & Cantina
Posted on June 13, 2020 by Ching under Food and Drink, Reviews.
Finally had the opportunity to check out Rio Grill & Cantina in Andover. They took over the old Las Palmas space in the strip at Central and Andover Road. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. The food is great!
I went for an Andover Rotary Club board meeting. It was our first in person board meeting since the pandemic began. We’ve been holding the board meetings via ZOOM until this one. The funny thing is, I’ve been on the board for a year now and I could never make the meetings. I think I’ve only attended one meeting during my first year as PR chair because something would always come up. That is, until the pandemic began and then we had a state-wide stay-at-home order. The ZOOM meetings were a lot easier to attend because then I didn’t have to budget in the drive time, which always seemed to be the challenge on days that meetings were back to back. For instance, if I had a meeting from 11 o’clock to 12 noon, there was no way I could drive to Andover to attend attend a meeting so I would just have to miss it. With the ZOOM meetings, I could quickly go from one meeting to the next without having to worry about driving.
Anyway, I’m still working from home so, even though this last one was in person, I was able to attend. Rather than having to drive from my office in downtown Wichita, I came from my house which is only about 5-10 minutes from almost anywhere in Andover.
I’m so glad I was able to attend this one because, not only is the food good, but it also happened to be Alison’s birthday. Huge thanks to Stephanie for picking up birthday cake on her way to the meeting.
Besides celebrating her birthday with us, Alison also celebrated her final board meeting. After ten years of being on the Andover Rotary Club board (in one role or another), she finally gets a much-needed break. We are sad to see her leave the board because the club wouldn’t be what it is today without her service. She’ll still be part of the club so I’m pretty sure she’s still be helping us with lots of things but at least she won’t be required to attend the board meetings. At least for the time being. We are a very small club so who knows how long this break will last? She might be back again before too long. LOL.
I always try to take pictures of food whenever I eat out and most specially if I’m eating somewhere for the first time but I didn’t want to be too nerdy so I only got a couple of pictures this time. I got a picture of Norm’s nachos (above) and my California burrito (below).
My burrito was amazing. Easily the best burrito I have ever had. It’s got pork inside (which we all know how much I love pork), smothered in delicious green sauce, and topped with some avocado slices. It was so good, I can’t wait to have it again.
Once grandma is finally able to venture out of Victoria Falls, we’re going to have to eat lunch here because I think she’ll really like it.
Until next time. GNG.
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Chris Wilson’s Birthday Weekend
Posted on June 12, 2020 by Ching under Hobbies, Things to Do.
Last weekend was Chris Wilson’s birthday. We had a nice little patio party after our regular Friday night pickleball. Brian come out and brought chicken for our taco bar and a chocolate cake. The others brought taco bar fixin’s and chips. Kimberly made homemade salsa. Chris’ wife nina even came out to join us.
Here’s a picture of Chris with his wife Nina.
It was the perfect night for a patio party.
We ended up staying out way too late that night but it was totally worth it. It’s always fun hanging out with the Friday night pickleball crew and it’s even more fun when we have something to celebrate.
I had the opportunity to play more pickleball with Chris that weekend because we agreed to meet up for mixed doubles with Rick and Karen. I brought a dozen birthday donuts which included a few apple fritter ones. They are Chris’ favorite.
Anyway, we were supposed to play at Seneca Park but, by the time I got there at 7:30 AM, all the courts were already full. Fortunately for us, I always have a backup plan. I had my portable net in the car so we just drove two minutes South to Aley Park where there are six lined pickleball courts. The biggest caveat about Aley Park is there are no nets so you have to bring your own. That’s pretty much why no one ever plays there. It worked out great for us because, being the only ones there, we were able to play for two hours uninterrupted.
I hope Chris had a great time celebrating his birthday weekend. I sure did!
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Post Pickleball Cookout at Nahola
Posted on June 8, 2020 by Ching under Events, Hobbies.
Since Nahola has reopened, we’ve resumed our Friday night play. Here are some pictures of the Friday night crew in action.
It was Greta’s first night rejoining our group so we had a cookout in her honor. Also, Robert who has been filling in became a permanent part of the Friday night crew so this was the first night that we were full string with no subs.
Brian joined us that night and was our grillmaster.
People didn’t get the memo about just bringing their own meat and brought meat for everyone to share. We had way too much food.
Here are some pictures of our group, hanging out on the patio, enjoying our food, wonderful company, and the cool night air.
This group is so fun. I’m so glad that I’m part of it.
The funny thing is, I almost wasn’t part of it because, when Debbie started the group late last year and asked me to be part of it, I could not commit because I had just begged David New to open up Friday nights at FLC to lower levels. Originally he had it for 4.0+ and then, after several others including myself convinced him that 3.5 players needed a place to play on Friday night, he opened it up. I wanted to make sure that the attendance was up so I told Debbie I couldn’t join them at Nahola as I would be playing at FLC instead.
Besides contributing to the attendance, FLC had other advantages too. For one, it was cheaper ($3 vs. $10). It was also only a couple of minutes from my office and closer to the house. It was the perfect place for me to play, at the time. Anyway, Debbie kept me on her sub list and would contact me in case a spot was open.
I stayed pretty committed to FLC in the beginning but as the attendance got stronger I felt that my absence wouldn’t be felt so one momentous Friday I finally agreed to fill in at Nahola on Friday night. It was one of those weird nights. I lost every single game I played but I had the most fun ever. I remember calling Brian on the way home and telling him how amazing it was and I hope to get invited again because it was so much fun. I didn’t win a single game but the challenge was stimulating and I enjoyed every minute of it. I asked Debbie to please let me know any time there was a vacancy because I couldn’t wait to play with them again.
I think I didn’t play at FLC again after that because it seemed like someone else was always missing. Then when some people fell out of the group for one reason or another, I ended up becoming permanent.
It cost more to play with the group (we each pay $10 for the court reservation) but the court surface is better — real outdoor court surface vs. wood gym floors at FLC. Also, there’s less waiting in between games. We always have ten people on the roster. Between the two courts, you don’t really have to wait very long for the next game. And, winners always stay so if you’re winning, you rarely have to wait. Winners stay and split is my favorite format. And, Debbie runs a really tight ship. She has a very specific sub list (everyone on her sub list is really good — I was amazed I made the cut) and ensures there’s five women and five men each week.
I’ve actually said to the group many times, “You guys must really like me because you let me play with you even though I suck.” I’ve won some games since that first night but in the beginning I lost more times than I won. It didn’t bother me though because I felt myself growing and getting better each week. This group was actually part of the reason I decided to start lessons. Most people aren’t like me — I can have fun even when I’m losing. For most, they don’t have a good time unless they’re winning so I didn’t want to be that person that nobody wants to play with because you always end up losing when you get paired up with them (because they just suck so bad). I wanted to get better so I would be more fun to play with.
I always joke that I make up for my lack of pickleball skill with cute outfits but cute outfits can only get you so far. If you really suck, no one will want to play with you. So at the beginning of the year, I focused on improving and started weekly lessons with Chris Heck. It’s actually making a difference. I can tell people enjoy playing with me because I am getting invited to play with people I normally wouldn’t play with and, when I ask people to play, they actually consider it instead of laughing me off. Also, I noticed that I can get some shots past the guys sometimes and that feels really good when it happens. And also, I noticed that I can actually keep up with the players who used to have to “baby sit” me when I first started playing.
Anyway, the lessons are paying off. I still need to work on a lot of things and build confidence but I am so much more comfortable now than I was last fall. And, my third-shot drops have gotten better. Everyone I play with on Friday nights is so good, it’s really helped me out a lot. My favorite day of the week will change from time to time (there was a time I absolutely loved Sundays because of all the calories I would burn between teaching multiple workout classes and playing tons of pickleball) but, I have to say, right now, Fridays are the best.
I specially like it now that we are hanging out after playing. The previous weekend, my friend Steve got to fill in because Kimberly and Eric were in Kansas City for the weekend and Brian brought pizza and wings from Ziggy’s for us to enjoy after we finished playing. The weather was perfect that night too.
Friday night pickleball is definitely something I look forward to each week. I guess that’s all I’ve got time to share for now because it’s bed time. Until next time. GNG.
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Pickleball and Lasagna Day
Posted on June 3, 2020 by Ching under Food and Drink, Hobbies.
I completely took advantage of day time pickleball play during my time off work last week. Karen and I managed to arrange a pickleball play date with Jimmy and Michael by bribing them with her delicious lasagna.
Anyway, the day before our reservation, Jimmy asked me if I could reserve the second court because Tavon was in town and wanted to play. He said if I reserved the court, he could find three other players to complete the roster.
I knew of Tavon (because he’s a really good player) but I hadn’t met him personally yet so naturally I jumped at the chance. I quickly got the second court reserved and told Jimmy to proceed with finding the three other players.
I also immediately texted Karen and told her that we would be playing with Tavon. She was utterly confused because our appointment was with Jimmy and Michael so I had to explain the whole reserving the other court thing and then I asked if there would be enough lasagna for everyone. LOL.
Jimmy invited Han, Mark, and Cody to round out the roster. However, Cody had to work so I asked if Chris could take his place instead since I had a lesson with Chris that afternoon and he was coming early to eat lasagna with us anyway. Basically, he would just come a couple of hours early to play with us also.
Not only did I get to meet Tavon last week but I got to play with him too. And, it’s not very often that Chris is available to play with just regular folk so it was a real treat. Even playing with Jimmy and Michael is a privilege because Jimmy can be really picky with who he plays with (often you have to bribe him with food or drinks to get him to play – unless you’re one of the super elite guys).
Here are some of our photos from that day…
This was a pretty stellar group. I can’t believe I got to play with these guys (from top left: Chris Heck, Karen Fox, Tavon Morrow, Hanbeen You, Mark Narongvate, Michael Cheung, and that’s Jimmy Cho on the floor).
When Karen and I planned our outfits, we had no idea that we would accidentally coordinate with Tavon too.
Karen thought of everything. She even had individually wrapped utensils for everyone. And, she brought Ferrero Rocher chocolates for dessert.
I was good and only ate one piece. I would have had seconds normally but I didn’t want to be a pig in front of everyone. Also, I had my lesson after so I didn’t want to overeat and feel bad during.
Karen’s lasagna is amazing. We ate every bit of it until there was nothing left.
We hung out and visited while we ate. It was super nice because I don’t normally just get to sit and chat with people. Most of the time we’re in the middle of a game and don’t really get a chance to visit. It was really refreshing.
After lunch I had my solo lesson with Chris. He is such a great teacher. I have learned so much in the time that he’s worked with me. I feel like I’ve improved so much since that fateful date in January when I took my first lesson with him.
Anyway, I had a couple of errands (met with my group fitness coordinator at VASA to get brought up to speed on resuming our group fitness classes and the procedures we are to follow to ensure everyone’s safety; and then had my first post-COVID waxing at Beau Monde) before going home to feed the girls and freshen up before my next pickleball appointment.
Pickleball that night was at Chicken N Pickle with Mark Smith, Gregg Smith, Kim Shea, Brooke Ayala, and Kim Knotts. We had a pretty good rotation. However, while I was waiting Brad (another pickleball friend) grabbed me to play with them because they needed a 4th to play with them while they were waiting for one of their other friends who was coming all the way from the West side. As I was playing with this group, guess who walks by — Tavon. Apparently, he had multiple pickleball play times scheduled that day too.
This was the most perfect day of pickleball I’d had in a long time. It wasn’t even that I played particularly well because I didn’t. It was just so nice spending time and playing with these wonderful people. I feel so blessed that they let me play with them. I sometimes wonder how I got so lucky because I know I am definitely not getting invited because of my skill. I often joke that what I lack in skill I make up for in cute outfits. It might just be my way of overcompensating. I’m like the guy who drives a fancy car because he has a small penis. LOL.
I’m taking lessons though, so I am getting better. But now the cute outfits are kind of part of thing. Extra bonus when my friend Karen and I match. I just enjoy everything about pickleball, from playing to friendships to matching outfits.
That’s all for now. Until next time. GNG.
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