Good Morning!! As life goes on, there are days I become filled with anxiety, like everyone. My Heavenly Father always brings me comfort, peace or encouragement in different ways . The phrase that hit me this weekend? "Someone is going to be the best or make history... So why not it be me?" I needed these words this weekend. Sometimes we place ourselves in a box and limit who we are, or what we are to become. Our Father has a great plan and I want to have the heart and mind...." Why not me... If this is His plan".... No limit or boundaries put on myself or the grill. Happy Beautiful Sunday... Sometimes I feel like the pitcher on the mound and I am shaking off my catchers sign's ... I feel as if I shake off his plans for me, because I don't feel what I have to throw will be the right pitch. Dont answer him with "no I can't"... Answer him with "let's do this":) you never know, when you are going to he the one destined to make history!!
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Good Morning!!" Its who you surround yourself with or the company you keep".....As a mom of boys, I have said this to them a million times. Our heavenly father has blessed me with amazing co-workers, they make me better and they make the CIG shine. I have had to make rules over the last 5 years that have been tough for some co-workers and that has lead to hard decisions when it came to them not able to follow them. A while back I had hired a dishwasher... he was a nice kid, but had a lot of issues at home. It grew wearisome when he could not arrive on time or follow certain rules that I have in place...."One more time is all you have"..that was my words to him. One of my guys does not arrive here until 6:00, he is my prep guy....one morning he came in early and immediately started working, my mind is usually scattered in a million different directions, but I did realize as I stood in the kitchen, he was way early..."Hey Corbin, what's up, why are you here so early?" he told me he was going to have to leave for a little bit so he wanted to make sure he was not behind. I never gave it another thought until he comes back from his errand and I see him and the other guys gathered together, as if they were in a football huddle...."o.k. guys what's up?" They proceed to tell me the journey with the dish washer... major troubles at home...emotionally and financially. Each one of them had been leaving to pick him up so he would not loose his job, he had also started a night job, to try and move out of the chaos he lived in and my sweet and ornery Sam had been taking him to that job in the evening. I stood in disbelief as they shared with me the kind things they had done for this young man, only a few weeks before he had been a complete stranger. The reason they were huddle together, when Corbin went to pick him up, he was nowhere to be found and not answering their phone calls. My heart was full of joy and love for these 3 guys standing in front of me... all three of them are single dad's to their precious girls and they know how tough life can be. " Ya"ll want him to have this job more than he wants this job...sometimes offering kindness and help to others is not enough, they have to want it." I expressed my love and gratitude towards them...the dish washer called a couple of hours later and chose not to have a job here...they were trying to make a difference in this young mans life and I know they did, but they made a huge difference in mine. Happy Beautiful Friday....All of my girls that work here are special and they each have a journey, 4 of them are single moms and all of them are kind with servant's heart. One of them left school as a child to have a child, so she struggles with her spelling, she has worked at the CIG for about a year and some days her tickets are a mess, we gently try to tell her, "lets work on these tickets", the kitchen is having problems understanding what our guest want. Yesterday, I walk out front to check the special board and it looks amazing..."Who did this?" one of the girls responds with her co-workers name..."Will you please go get her"... within a second, all 6 girls are surrounding the special board... I ask her "Did you do the board?" "Umm yes, is it not good?"... "It is beautiful, you did a great job and your handwriting and spelling is perfect...good job" and then here co-worker says something to me I will never forget... "We have been working on her spelling, she wants to learn and become better" and this is who the Lord has surrounded me with...kind, loving, funny smart amazing people. If you surround yourself with amazing people, amazing things happen, that is why the CIG is what is it. I celebrate and I am thankful for each one of them....Alysha Alvarado, Sam, Cindy Terry-Thompson, Vanessa, Lacey Raschke, Mark, Corbin, Marcella Gonzales, Bri, Carlos and Katelynn Rose Jones. I am surrounded by the best....look around you....who are you surrounded by, do they reflect the kind of person you want to be? May your day be beautiful and filled with amazing people surrounding you. — at Cast Iron Grill.
Good Morning!! I have a sweet tooth like no other and I come by it naturally, I believe my daddy has a bigger one than me. Besides the fact that sugar is not good for ya, I have an allergy to the beautiful white granulated crystal. When I consume it, within an hour a massive migraine begins and there is nothing that will take it away until this white substance is out of my system, usually for 2 days and for those two days I become unbearable to my family and co-workers...pain sometimes more than I can bare. During the two days I tell myself, I will not eat sugar again, it is just too painful and I do well for awhile and then the pain a memory I consume again and the cycle starts again. During the day my amazing co-workers will see me sneak something sweet and they are automatically on me..."Teresa don't eat that, you are going to regret it...it is going to make you miserable." but of course I do not listen and I go ahead and enjoy...knowing what is to come of me. Happy Beautiful Wednesday.....isn't this just like everyday life, our heavenly father has given us free will to do the right thing and sometimes we go ahead and make choices that we know are going to make us miserable but we still do it and just like my co-workers telling me "no" our heavenly father tries to guide us the other way and to no avail we ignore him and choose what we want to do. Funny,when we choose the hard wrong path and we are miserable we fall to our knees and shout to him for help. Our heavenly Father gave us a gift when he gave us free will...he wants us to come to him on our own, not because we have too but because we want to. When the pain and regret come from our life choices our heavenly father is there to pick up the pieces, just like my family and co-workers are when I choose the wrong choice. .... On this journey of life everyone single one of us have made the wrong choice and suffered because of it but it is a blessing to know he is there to help guide us back on the right track, but we have to make the decision to do better. I had 5 donuts yesterday and today yes I am suffering in pain.....and I have already said "No more"..... but only I can make the decision to change , its free will ya'll he loves us and helps us but first we have to make the decision.r May your day be blessed and full of the right choices that glorify him....as I have said I am a huge work in progress and until I finally do the right thing and stay off sugar... this cycle will keep going just like our life choices are a cycle we create!! — at Cast Iron Grill.
Good Morning!! Yesterday I was busy at the grill but my mind was not far off from it being Veterans day. I thought about my precious nephew that is serving this great country with the United States Air Force. When I received the phone call over 5 years ago that he was being deployed to Iraq my heart skipped a beat. He left me a boy and of course returned to me a man with war stories and his heart changed because that is what war does. Over the last few years his life has changed drastically... he is now a husband and a dad...... and still an amazing soldier that I am so proud of. We talk often and always the conversation turns to where he will be going next. His time is up in Missouri and we were hoping to get him back to Texas. As I am knee deep in work yesterday my phone starts ringing, I check the number and I see it is my soldier. "Happy Veterans day my precious nephew!!"..... we talk a few minutes and then he says "My orders came in for our move....you wont believe it... its Italy." It is amazing how news can set your heart on fire, I was giddy as a kid on Christmas. Happy Beautiful Monday ya'll.... I am so proud of the kind of man my nephew is.... as all soldiers, he is prepared at anytime to leave and fight for his country. My heart is full of love for the past and present soldiers. I say thank you to them and to the families that have given the ultimate sacrifice. I am thankful for the freedom that my family and I have and it is because of ordinary sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mom's and dad's have answered the call and have accomplished extraordinary things. We are a nation that is free and it is because of these brave men and women in uniform. "Thank you" just doesn't seem enough......I pray for my nephew and his precious little family for the amazing journey that they are about to embark on & to ALL of the past and present soldiers my heart is full of gratitude...I pray safe journeys for each one of you:) May your day be full ya'll!!
Good Morning!! I received a message this week from a girl that was brought into the CIG for this first time..... "I loved the wonderful, inspirational decor; how wonderful it must be to serve God while serving others"......to work at the CIG you have to have a servants heart. This week had been pretty stressful, not just personally but for our great nation. I have read things and heard things thatbreaks my heart. I am a citizen of a great nation.....I live in a country that the citizen's falls to their knees in prayer when a hurrican hits one of our states, they send clothes, blankets, food and money to try to lesson their fellow Americans burdens. My son has the great opportunity to attend FCA, fellowship of christian atheletes....a group of teenagers, up North, got together and made a map of service stations that were functioning, so the residents in the states effected by Sandy would know where gas was available....they had servants hearts, they were allowing our heavenly father to use them.... I live in a nation that allows me to display signs that shows who I serve and allows me to pray at any given moment. I live in a nation filled with people that celebrates our men and women in uniform and grieves when we loose a brave life. When I hear church bells ringing it brings peace and joy because I live in a great nation and I know who is in control....Happy Beautiful Friday yall.... Yesterday as Capt. Rick Greer was being driven to his resting place...(only his body, he was not there) he was being driven by his fellow fire fighters in a beautiful shiny red fire truck...many cars were filled with grieving family and friends and then they all experienced the best of their fellow citizens....as the truck was approaching a work zone area they saw something that took their breath away....these men that work on our highways everyday...stopped and paid respect to a person they did not know, with their hard hats placed across their chest they stood in silence....to honor my friend Rick. This is the nation we live in......No matter what the outcome was on Tuesday. I will still bow my head and pray to my heavenly father...King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Sometimes we get so caught up with problems that we forget to see the beauty and then the Lord gives us a gift...seeing thoses strangers with their hard hats off was a gift and reminded me what a wonderful country our heavenly father has given to us!!
— withRick Greer in Idalou. Good Morning!! The first time I met in, he was my B's t-ball coach...11 years ago. The Rangers were city champs that year.....and as the team celebrated the coaches were shaving there heads, that was the deal made with these 5 and 6 year olds..."Yall win and we will shave our heads". This is a glimpse at who Rick Greer was, he loved all sports but he had a passion for baseball and football. He coached his son Ryan to city championships and superbowls. To all that knew him, he was a competetor and he wanted the best out of each child...boy could he get us mom's riled up. Over the last 11 years I experienced the worst of him and the best of him. He would load up the boys, Ryan and B, and take them camping, skiing, tubing or tailgating. B spent many weekends with the father-son duo. On a beautiful summer weekend they headed to possum kingdom...loaded up like the Griswalds they took off for a fun filled weekend....when my B returns home he had a shiny new bike.... "On the way the bikes fell out of the truck....so we bought new ones.....Rick bought it for me"..... as much as he could make me crazy,because yes he was ornary, he treated my son like a jewel. He was a retired Captain with the fire department, he was the head of a tailgating group and part of a ski club..... full of life and had a lot of opinions....in the last years he started umpiring and absolutely loved it..... Shelby and him would spend hours sitting at the CIG bar talking sports, both of them very animated and full of passion. He loved the CIG....Alysha and him would constantly go back and forth. 2 years ago when the radiation made him unable to eat he would still come in just to boost his spirits and to pray.....a million prayers and I love u have passed between Rick, Shelby and I and the last 2 christmas he spent with my family. This week my crew has been reflecting and remembering our friend.... Cindy says to me, my most vivid memory of Rick is the day he was told his cancer had returned... he sat at the bar with tears rolling down his face and with the craziness of the grill going on around us we held hands and prayed.... he was broken and angry and then the next day he stood in front of a grill and cooked for 200 people for a catering.... with a heart of joy. Happy Beautiful Thursday....today for the 2 time in weeks Shelby will have the great honor to carry a friend.... The journey with my sweet friend has taught me much...loving someone with your whole heart, that is not your family is something I hope everyone gets to experience. I am trying to remember God has a perfect plan but right now it is really hard because Shelby and I miss our friend. Shelby and I had not seen our precious friend in a few weeks, hoping to distant our hearts for what was to come... but it did not work...our hearts broken. I am so thankful we were allowed on this journey with Rick....he will be missed but I do know he is 100% healed and living in perfect peace....I pray for his son today and for his best friend Karen....she loved him unconditionally and took care of him daily. He may not be here...but he will forever be apart of me.
Good Morning!! The evening is a favorite part of my day.... I usually wait for my B to get home from football so I can drag the details of his day out of him. My B is 17 and is not a talker... the last few months our conversations turn to news that is tough, he has had a lot of things go on that can be very stressful and has effected his health in some way. We say kids are resilent and yes they are but situations affect them sometimes harder than they affect adults, we have learned how to cope through aging. Last night I had an event going on at the CIG, we had made plans for him to come up here after football so he could eat and let's face it I just wanted to be with him for a little bit. We catch up on his day, he had his first FFA competition and he was excited about the adventure....funny the thought of him in FFA makes me smile, something so different from what he has ever done and he has embraced it. I tell him of the amazing news I had received..... "B, I received a message from Alan's mom, the first preliminary tests of the tumor are benign"..... this news is of B's friend that has the brain tumor. They took a biopsy last Wednesday and we have been waiting on the results. When I saw the look on his face I realized how tough life has been lately....sometimes I forget, its not just Shelby and I that have lost friends over the last weeks but these men that have passed on or moved away have been apart of my B's life since he was young. Happy Beautiful Wednesday!!! I saw my B's eye light up like a christmas tree and there was pure joy across his face.....he was thankful. God is good all the time and watching my B react to the great news brought me back to the verse.... "childlike faith". Life has thrown a lot of lemons our way in the last year and when I was watching my B's reaction he was not surprised. What an amazing praise we are celebrating today, thank you for all of the prayers for this precious young man. Life is such a blessing and doing life with our kids...ahh what an amazing gift. Its amazing to me...when the message came to me, its was almost like my breath returned to normal for the first time in weeks, my faith and hope had been shaken but my B's had remained strong he had faith that is friend would be good. May your day be full and you have faith like a child!!
Good Morning!! Friday life was pretty crazy around here....I answer the CIG phone and on the other end was my friend Bear's boss.... I have told of his journey....jail, homeless, lived with us and just just finished his parole with the State of Texas. She asked if I had talked to Bear.... My thoughts go back to Wednesday.... I got irritated at him because he had nothing nice to say about the CIG crew in costume, he was being ornery "Not since Wednesday Janice..why?" She tells me he walked in, handed the keys to his car, brought his uniforms and asked for his check... family emergency in Wisconsin and he was leaving. My heart sank... I told her I would get a hold of him and call her back. Sure enough, Shelby talks to him, he is at the bus station heading north. His son, has been in a horrible accident, which took his grandchildren.... Bear has not been apart of his kids life's in over 20 years...prison took him away. Happy Beautiful Monday.... relationships can be heart wrenching sometimes...his words to Shelby.... "I will not be back" and that was it. As I am telling Taylor he is gone, his words.."he didn't even say goodbye" and my tears flowed. I learned so much from my time with Bear , he is my family and I love him....and I believe his time with us and his time with his boss, made him ready to have a connection with his family....My heart breaks for Shelby...it was a tough weekend for him and his sweet friends....one is dancing with angels and one is in Wisconsin with a long journey ahead of him. God is good to give us amazing relationships....I have learned more than I can possibly share....but I can say...blood doesn't make you family...love does. My heart is on the journey with my precious friend Bear. This picture I posted is of my Bear....May the Lord be with him on this journey of finding love, relationships and a connection.
While you were sleeping.... Life was going on and so many of Your friends were taking care of you. Today you sleep no more and you are truly healed celebrating with our Heavenly Father and many friends that have also left this earth. A community of friends you have left behind.... Firefighters, a baseball family and many tailgating friends... a son. My sorrow is great but I'm also full of praise for the precious time so many people had with you. Our Heavenly Father welcomed you with open arms at 1:58 this morning and I know you were giddy to speak. I pray perfect peace for his family and friends today ....
Good Morning!! These last few months I have written of so many amazing people's journey. I have asked for prayer many times and cried so many tears over these stories, sometimes I wonder if I have any left...... I have talked of my sweet Donna with breast cancer....her journey of treatment, her good days and bad days have touched me deeply. Her chemo done, her port removed and the scans show she is clear.... radiation will be next.....when I received these great words my heart was giddy... I sat in my office with tears running down my face as I share the news with Shelby and a joyous heart of praise and thanskgiving.... and amazingly as I am singing praise of Donna's healing I receive a private message.... the journey I shared of my sweet regular that was watching his second wife battle the same disease that took his first wife.... the news she has only a few months left... and in a second my giddy heart turned to anguish and sorrow and my tears falling were from a broken heart. The title of the movie..."While you were sleeping" has crossed my mind a hundred times in the last few weeks when my thoughts turn to our precious friend Rick. The choice some weeks ago to stop treatment and to let the cancer take it's course has been a tough one to see. With his 3 precious friends, that have become his round the clock caretaker's.. he is loved and made to be comfortable. A hospital bed moved into the den... he sleeps. Weeks ago he opted for no more nourishment and yet is body still hangs on, he is tired and as of recently has had less moments of clarity. His journey is coming to an end and my thoughts are to many to put into words.... Shelby and I have witnessed the best of people when we see these 3 friends that have taken on this journey with Rick. Faith is a strange thing sometimes because I never doubted that our heavenly father would heal him from this disease and now my prayers have changed for this precious friend of mine. I sat in shock as we recieved news, back in August, that B's friend was hospitalized with west nile menegitis and in the process discovered a brain tumor. This precious senior in high school was singing praise to our heavenly father for becoming sick so this tumor was discovered. On Wednesday he underwent surgery on the tumor....his precious family is waiting on the results to see where their journey will lead.... their faith is so strong. Happy Beautiful Friday...All of these journeys have different endings, some endings we do not like or understand but are the exact same because ALL of them have trusted in our heavely father for peace, healing and comfort. When I have asked for prayer for these precious friends, that yall do not know, yall have parted your lips and called to our heavenly father. Prayer is still needed... God is good all the time and I am learning absolute faith...its not my will its his will!!
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AuthorI opened the Cast Iron Grill in October 2007. Lots of changes have happened in the last 5 1/2 years. The CIG started with 55 seats in an office building located at 18th and K. After five years, we were bursting at the seams with now 167 seats, and 24 wonderful co-workers working on top of eachother to make it happen. 2012 the Lord chose a different journey for the CIG. We relocated the CIG and opened our doors on January 2nd, 2013, just four blocks away from the old location! It has changed my world completely! All of these stories are the happenings of the people and the joy and celebration that make the CIG what it is. Archives
May 2014
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