friends – The Great Kaysby

The Broken Road

There’s a song by Rascal Flatts with the lyrics “This much I know is true/That God blessed the broken road/That led me to straight to you.” The song is aptly titled “Bless the Broken Road,” and though it came out a number of years ago, it has been in my head today. I saw a post from a Facebook connection (sometimes it seems weird to me to say Facebook friend when it is someone you knew years ago that you’re not really sure if you were friends or acquaintances with then much less now) reflecting on the journey of their life and how some of the must unexpected parts yield the biggest blessings. That post moved me because I felt like it was talking to me in that most of what I thought would be my future 22 years ago hasn’t been my path at all; however, I could not be more blessed and happy than I am today on this road.

When I look back on those days, I think of a person who just really wanted people to like her. At times I felt like I would do anything just to try and get/retain friends. As a smaller kid, I was always heavy set and far from the “pretty, popular type” which meant not always having a lot of people want to be around me. Looking back, I realize that this need for people to like me could occasionally come at the cost of hurting others. It was never intentional, and since I haven’t seen a lot of those people in a long number of years, I hope they have either forgotten or forgiven the wrongs I did to them. If they haven’t done either, then I get it. Sometimes I wasn’t the nicest way back in the day.

Thankfully, a long my journey through various roads, I have learned to like me for me. I’ve met a wonderful tribe of friends along the way thanks mostly to theatre, LARPing, teaching, and Mary Kay, and a long the journey I met an even more wonderful husband! I know that Mr Kisby is the absolute best husband in the world because he’s my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, and so much more. I could keep going, but the lovey dovey overload might make you sick at your stomach. The best way to put it is we love each other and like each other. Mr Kisby is also the one who gave me the biggest blessings in the world: the baby in Heaven that taught me just how much I wanted to be a mom and the sweet little boy here on earth that calls me Mama. ❤️ As the boy and the husband lay asleep next to me, my heart could not be more filled with love and joy! Thank you God for leading me to them!

Personal growth aside, there are a lot of other parts of life that I never would have imagined 22+ years ago. You may not believe it, but at one point I wanted to be a lawyer. What can I say besides Clueless and Legally Blonde made it look glamorous? I would have been a terrible lawyer because I absolutely do not like conflict. In fact, having conflict with people has been know to make me so upset I get physically sick. Then, I started college with the intent of getting a double major in theatre and journalism with a minor in sociology. I ended up changing schools because I didn’t like the college and I missed home with all of my friends. That change led to a couple of business degrees and eventually a teaching degree. All of these led to job changes which saw me through various relationships and a lot of time LARPing (these I’m confident enough with who I am to admit publicly how nerdy I am). Each of those choices were little roads that also brought me to where I am today.

Today, I am on the best road I ever could have imagined! I absolutely love being wife and mama, and I am so thankful to be in a position where I am able to be home caring for them full time. Each day with them is an adventure, and as I am watching LilKsby grow and change, I feel like I’m also watching myself grow and change for the better each day! I love the person I am becoming, and I believe that allows me to love all of the important people in my life that much more!

I realize this is pretty deep for a Friday night, but I feel like turning 40 this year is going to be filled with a lot of similar reflective retrospection. I’m not one of those dreading 40. It’s actually quite the opposite. I feel like 40 is going to be fabulous! Since the broken road has led me to where I need to be, some of the greatest chapters are still to be written!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

100,000 Miles

You know those moments where you can always remember where you were and how you felt? Last week, we experienced one of those moments! I would tell you where I was, but some info has to stay classified; however, I will tell you that I was so excited, I couldn’t stop laughing and shrieking with glee! What was so exciting? Princess Zippy crossed 100,000 miles! Princess Zippy is the third car I’ve ever owned, and she’s the second one that I remember excitedly waiting for 100,000 miles! I’m not sure why I feel like this is such a major event. Perhaps because of all of the joy that she’s brought into our lives!

Princess Zippy came into our lives at a time when we were desperate for a new (to us) car. Old Blue had become to expensive to repair, and we needed a car that could take us on a business trip in five days. Luckily, I had started looking and test driving the last time Old Blue gave us fits. Plus, I had a dream of owning a Kia since they first became popular (you know, back when if you looked at them wrong they would dent). We were very lucky to find a Kia with extremely low mileage (she’d been a dealer car) under our budget! So the memories began quickly!

Since we got Princess Zippy, she’s traveled the country! She’s taken us to Dallas, Myrtle Beach, the Poconos, St Louis, Nashville, Gatlinburg, and more! During these road-trips, some of the best conversations have been had! For as long as I can remember, one of mine and Mr Kisby’s favorite things has been the philosophical and passionate discussions on car trips! These trips have also involved more laughter than the law should allow! Some of the best laughs have been had during those slap happy late night hours! These conversations have also seen goals set, affirmations made, and business tips exchanged! Oh, and the music! The music of road-trips has been so much fun! There’s nothing like flying down the interstate jamming out at the top of your lungs! Bonus, Princess Zippy even survived two break in attempts while in overnight parking (in a place not mentioned above). The score? Princess Zippy not getting opened up two and potential robbers zero! I cannot wait to see where else she travels!

Beyond trips, Princess Zippy is part of the greatest event of our lives: she brought LilKsby home from the hospital! Boy, talk about a terrifying drive! Never ever has 35 MPH felt so fast and dangerous. Princess Zippy has safely gotten us from the infant seat stage to the rear facing convertible seat phase to the current forward facing convertible seat saga, or as unlike to call it, “The now I can throw things at you while you drive” saga. Side note: never let anyone tell you a car seat can’t be put in the middle of the backseat of a Kia. It can too! Princess Zippy’s been a school on the road, helped LilKsby learn locations (by the way it would be GREAT if every McDonalds couldn’t be seen from like two miles away), and been a major part of his ever developing since of direction. He’s only three, but he can tell you if you’re taking the wrong (not normal) way somewhere, and he’s also mastered traffic lights, stop signs, and which roads we use the most! I love our family time in Princess Zippy!

In addition to family fun, Princess Zippy has been my main business transportation. She taught us the value of hatchbacks when I was at an outdoor vendor event, and it started raining. We literally threw everything in the hatchback and sat watching the street turn into a creek! She’s my advertisement on wheels, and she’s become a conversation piece when I meet mom’s at toddler/preschool events. How cool is that?

I realize it may be weird to be so excited about a car, but Princess Zippy has been with us through a lot. I can’t wait to see where the next 100,000 miles takes us!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Top Tips for 2022

Since just before the new year began, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting. I’ve been attempting in my spare moments to work on my vision journal, and I’ve realized that it’s meant to be a work in progress not a project completed in one sitting. That said, I’ve also come up with some other tips for 2022 that you might find helpful:

1. Minimize – clean out the clutter you don’t need or that no longer brings you joy. Trash it, put it in a yard sale, or donate it to a worthy charity thrift store. What you think of as junk might be a blessing to someone else.

2. Unplug – Find things to do that don’t require technology. Craft, create, read a book, exercise, get outside…do something besides stare at a screen. I’m preaching to myself on this one!

3. Take Baths – I’m not saying take a bath or shower for hygiene. Well, yes do that, but occasionally fill the bath, light a candle, add Epsom salts or bubble bath, and enjoy the water. It’s relaxing!

4. Renew Your Faith – if you’re a person of faith be it Pagan, Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, or another faith take time to submerse yourself in your teachings. Take time to remind yourself of your basic philosophies and renew your soul. The soul yearns for growth and renewal to stay strong!

5. Physical Wellness – get a physical, visit the eye doctor, go to the dentist, see a chiropractor, etc. You have one body that could last you for over 100 years so take care of it!

6. Quality Time – Spend quality time with those you love the most. Do so in a pandemic safe manner of course! When you’re spending quality time, make sure you’re present in the moment. This is a big one that I’m working on this year! I miss so much by being absorbed in something irrelevant!

7. Stop Believing the Internet – Say this with me “Just because it’s on the Internet doesn’t make it true.” Make this your mantra. Repeat it frequently, and when you do conduct Internet research check your sources! For example, my background is in the beauty industry, so I hope you would never believe me if suddenly I was trying to dispense brain surgery or aeronautical device!

What’s your tip for 2022?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Monday Musings

Do you ever find yourself thinking the most random thoughts? Today has been a full day of them for me! Some of the thoughts have been funny; some of the thoughts have been profound. In either case, I thought if I was having these musings on a Monday, then I might as well share them!

1. Jimmy Gibbler – A lot of Fuller House fans were perplexed by Kimmy suddenly having a younger brother named Jimmy. It’s true that Kimmy mentioned older sisters and an older brother named Garth in Full House. Though they were mentioned a handful of times, they were never seen. It should also be noted that their reason for being mentioned was because they were older and Kimmy and DJ talked about the cool stuff they did. Jimmy on the other hand is about 12 years younger than Kimmy. (Stephanie is five years younger than Kimmy and DJ, and in an episode where Stephanie is 35, Jimmy talks about turning 28 soon). This would mean that Jimmy wouldn’t have even been born until season two or three of Full House, making him only five or six when it ended. Growing up, I don’t remember any of my good friends talking much about younger siblings. I also never went over to a friends house to hang with their siblings instead of them. Likewise, I never invited over a friend’s sibling. Therefore, I think it is very logical for Jimmy Gibbler to exist in Fuller House and not in Full House.

2. Turn Signals – Why are they so hard for people to use when driving? In every car I’ve driven, they are in the same place, so it can’t be that people can’t find the turn signal. I get very frustrated when people don’t use turn signals. On the same note, slamming on your breaks, stopping in the middle of the road, waiting a moment, then turning on your turn signal is just as bad.

3. Aldi Is Amazing – This morning, 3 hours before my pickup time, Aldi messaged to let me know they were behind and needed to delay my order. Two and a half hours before the reassigned pickup time, they texted to say they’d started shopping. I also texted directly with the shopper as they shopped to approve substitutions. They ended up being done an hour before my original pickup time and two hours before the adjusted time. Aldi is amazing!!!

4. Santa Photos – A lot of kids are afraid of Santa when they are really little. I get it. I was afraid of the Slush Puppy even though my aunt was the one inside of it. Seriously, I repeatedly punched the Slush Puppy in the tail. As a parent, I’m fully aware LilKsby might also have my issues with mascot style figures. So do I hope for a good picture, or is it okay to think it would be amusing for a picture where he’s crying, screaming at Santa, or running from Santa? Does the latter make me a bad mama or mean I have a sense of humor?

5. Phrases Like “To Be Honest” – When people frequently start a sentence with “To be honest”, “If I’m being honest”, or “I’ll be honest”, do they have a history of not speaking the truth? I’m guilty of using these phrases from time to time. If I use them, I immediately think that I shouldn’t have said them. I also try to teach others to not use these phrases. If I impart any knowledge to those I teach, I hope it is the importance of honesty!

What random thoughts are you having on this Monday?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

A Secret to Happiness 😊

Do you want to know the secret to happiness? With the caveat that I’m exhausted from last night’s insomnia (see the previous blog), I will tell you a secret to happiness. Are you ready? Here goes…

The secret to happiness is to realize it is okay for the things that bring you happiness to change.

As I write this, I’m lying on bed with LilKsby while he plays educational games on Mr Kisby’s phone. Normally, it doesn’t bring me happiness for him to play on phones because I believe there is a link between screen time and attention span length (I’m a mama not a scientist, so I could be wrong). However, on a day like today when I could go to bed before bath time, it brings me great happiness to just relax with him next to me. On a normal day this might make me feel reminiscent of a sloth, but not today!

This example of day to day happiness variance is not typical; however, it is reminiscent of how what brings us happiness changes throughout life. If you think back on your lifetime, I bet there are things you can think of that used to bring you happiness that no longer do or you’ve simply out grown. For example, Barbies brought me happiness from like 5 to 12. Do I wish Barbies still made me happy? Nope, but I’m glad I enjoyed them and the creativity they fostered while I did!

From about 19 to 29, a game called Amtgard brought me a lot of happiness (along with some headaches literally and figuratively). It’s been almost a decade since I’ve been active with it because it became more of a habit than an activity of happiness. However, I’m EXTREMELY thankful for the time that it brought me happiness and the skill is learned while playing. (Side note, it was stress relieving to get to legally hit people with foam sticks!) Today, I am ABUNDANTLY blessed by the husband and friendships that came from it. Guess what? They still make me happy!

Likewise some of the things I never knew would bring me happiness when I was younger have brought me more joy than I ever could’ve imagined. I am an only child, and I was never around babies much growing up. From this experience, I was sure that I never wanted kids. That is until I met my husband, and I got to see how cool kids were with our niece and nephews. This led to me finding out at 36 that being LilKsby’s mama brings me more happiness than I ever knew possible!

And there you have it. The secret to happiness is realizing that it is okay for the things that bring you happiness to change. So if you find yourself not enjoying something like you used to enjoy it, I challenge you to try something new. Read, paint, start a blog, plan a vacation, start a side hustle…invest in yourself and make time for happiness! Most of all, if you agree with me, pass the secret to happiness on to someone!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

The Eye of the Hurricane

“In the eye of a hurricane/there is quiet/for just a moment” is the lyric that kept running through my head over and over while I worked on the pictured painting with LilKsby. The lyric is from “Hurricane”, a musical number from Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. During the last few weeks life has kind of felt like a hurricane with so much going on with the pandemic. Businesses and places have reopened, but then they’ve had to close back down. Case numbers had seemingly plateaued, but now there are more cases than ever in certain areas. Masks have gone from being recommended to having to be mandated. On any given day one person can experience so many thoughts and feelings that they feel as though they are constantly living in an emotional hurricane.

Then, there are days where you finally feel like you can breathe; days where you feel like you can finally relax. These are the days when you feel safe from all the distress of the world; these are the days when you just enjoy the life you’ve been blessed with having. These days are the eye of the hurricane for you. Currently, these are the best days! They are days of no anxiety, no doubt, and just experiencing relaxation, contentment, and joy. I think we could all agree that we need more of these days!

So what’s in my eye of the hurricane? Snuggles with LilKsby, cooking for him and Mr Kisby, baking, painting, reading, avoiding social media (that really gets the old anxiety going), exercising, writing, and watching fun videos (lately a lot of Nicholas Brendon’s lives), communicating with family/friends, and focusing on today. My eye of the hurricane is a comfort to me, and with all the uncertainties these days, it’s a good place to spend some time. In my eye of the hurricane, there is love and joy! Even though I know this storm must be weathered, it is good to just be in the moment of quiet sometimes.

What’s in your eye of the hurricane?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Big Little Women

This week I’ve been at the theatre for tech week and performances of Little Women the Musical. My school Drama Club is performing it, and I’ve been helping with costuming. It’s a classic, heartwarming tale that makes you feel the love of family and believe in the ability to make your dreams come true. It has been a joy to be a part of this production not only because of the immense talent of our cast and crew, but also because of the memories it brings back of my high school production of Little Women years ago.

The year was 1999, which I like to think of as the year of the Millennium album, and I had desperately wanted to play Beth because I had red hair like Claire Danes. I wasn’t cast as Beth, but I did play Belle at the ball and help with props. The role was fun to play and the costume was the best as I have a love of 1860s dresses. However, the best part was my best friends – Scarlet and Lily*- were also involved with the show.

Scarlet and I first met when we were 12 because her grandfather worked with my dad. We reconnected in school especially through choir and drama club. As freshman we had both been in the stage version of Awakenings. We enjoyed it so much that when Little Women rolled around the next year, we wanted to participate. We found ourselves involved in the cast, set design/construction, and prop design/construction. We were so involved that we even spent to school during some of our Spring Break and worked on the show! All of our hardwork earned us the Director’s Award for the club that year.

Lily and I first met in middle school and have remained friends since bonding over things like Kentucky basketball namely Scott Padgett, amusement parks, and the Backstreet Boys! Our sophomore year, Lily decided to join us on the tech crew and help with props. I loved having my two best friends work on a show with me! There’s a picture of us standing on the stage – me in my teal dress, Scarlet in her brown dress, and Lily in a shirt and shorts – after one of the performances that I can see perfectly in my mind. I’m not sure where the picture is, but it brings a smile to my face to think about.

We were little women ourselves working on Little Women, and now we’re big women (age wise not size). Each of us are accomplished academically, career, and/or talent wise. We’ve been blessed with new people that have come into our lives and mourned loss together (seriously because between June 2010 and March 2011 we lost five grandparents between the three of us). Today, even though we are separated by distance, we’ve been there for each other for marriages, miscarriage, childbirth, and more (thanks technology)! In some ways we’ve been there for the typical wedding vows: “In sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer.”

Without my little women – Scarlet and Lily -I wouldn’t be who I am today. I’m forever thankful for them. They’ll always be the sisters I never had!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

*Names changed to protect identities.

Goodbye Grumpy Grumps

“So no one told you life was going to be this way. Your job’s a joke, you’re broke, you’re love life’s DOA.” – “I’ll Be There For You”, The Rembrandts

Ever wake up in a grumpy mood? You might be grumpy for no apparent reason other than you want to be grumpy that day; you might be grumpy because you’ve let things pile up and they are stressing you out. For whatever reason you find yourself channeling Ross Geller from early seasons of Friends when he’d walk in and say, “Hi” with the most depressed tone of voice on the planet. (Seriously, that “Hi” alone should’ve gotten him an Emmy!) Which I suppose season one Ross is better than season five Ross when he goes all crazy over a sandwich made from Thanksgiving leftovers! Either way, some days you just find yourself in a mood where no one should mess with you!

The question then becomes, how do you shake that grump-o-saurus mood? If you’re looking for answers, then here are some of my go to things to shake a bad mood!

Daydream about vacations! I love to travel (remember why I started the blog in the first place)! The beach and the mountains are my two happiest geographical locations on the planet. So when I’m feeling grumpy, it is fun to pretend I’m planning a vacation for an upcoming break! The catch with this tactic is to not actually book a vacation because then you spend money you don’t have and get grumpy again when the bill comes!
Write! Many times a blog idea comes when I’m experiencing some sort of emotion that I want to sort out. Just putting things into words even if you throw them away, rip them up, or burn them is very therapeutic.
Brain dump! When I have a lot on my mind, sometimes I like to do a brain dump. This is especially helpful when I’m feeling overwhelmed because there are a lot of things to be completed. I will brain dump every task I can think of onto a piece of paper. Then I put all of the things into one of four categories: Urgent and Necessary, Important but Not Urgent, Delegate, or Do Whenever. I’m also known to brain dump and put things into categories like home, family, work, and self care. I find brain dumping very useful!
Turn the music up and dance like nobody is watching! Dance like Phoebe Buffay runs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-IVhJLD0sQ
Allow yourself a break from everything you need to do for a short period and do something mindless like watch TV, play a game, take a hot shower, etc.
Exercise, meditate, or do some deep breathing.
Sing loudly like you’re Alanis bashing an ex-lover back in the day! Sidebar: Is that song really about Dave Coulier?
Talk to a trusted friend who will listen without judgment.
Read my blog! LOL

Okay, so the last one might not be my greatest suggestion, but it is there if you need it. Hopefully some of these methods can help you say “Goodbye Grumpy Grumps!” If you’ve got other suggestions, then I’d love to see them in the comments!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

So Long Jerry’s

“Don’t it always seem to go/That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone/They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.”

— “Big Yellow Taxi”, Counting Crows

Today, the closure of a local icon was announced. Jerry’s J-Boy was a decades themed diner that at one time could be found scattered throughout our region of the country. For those who’ve never heard of Jerry’s, imagine a discount version of Denny’s. It was a greasy spoon with burgers and fries that went straight to your thighs, but more than that it was a social gathering place for family and friends.

I recall going to Jerry’s as a kid with my family starting sometime around 1994. I know this because I first watched Gone With the Wind in 5th grade, and I was obsessed with sitting next to the Gone With the Wind memorabilia and fish pond. By the time I was a senior in high school, I liked it enough that it was chosen as the place to celebrate my graduation with my family. As a young adult, Jerry’s would become the place that me and my mom would plot out Black Friday shopping plans. It also became a good place to go for a hearty breakfast after church. Additionally, it made for a good early morning breakfast with family after going to the polls on Election Day. I’m pretty sure it was the place of much debate the morning of Election Day 2016 when the hot topic was Hilary versus Trump. I’m very thankful for the family memories made at Jerry’s!

Jerry’s was also setting of a lot of my memories with friends as a good part of my 20s was spent there. It started as a place to hangout at all hours and talk while getting free refills. No matter how long we were there, they never seemed to mind the endless requests for more $2 soda. Then, Jerry’s turned into the post party place. For some reason the pancakes always tasted better at 2 am! This naturally led to Jerry’s becoming a post Phoenix Hill (also nostalgia filled and closed) place. There was nothing like dancing until last call, piling into a car, and watching the sun come up through the Jerry’s windows. There were even times when we all went for dinner at a normal dinner time – gasp! These times involved two memorable moments. One, it is the only time I’ve ever been told I look lumpy like blue cheese which to be fair I’m lumpy! Two, it is the only time I’ve ever seen someone sweat while eating buffalo chicken tenders! I’m so glad to have all these memories with friends!

It is sad to Jerry’s close. I’ll think of them when I eat buffalo chicken tenders with half cooked fries and cottage cheese! Jerry’s J-Boy was far from paradise, but I hope that they don’t pave it down and put in a parking lot.

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

A Reflection on Change

“The south moves north, the north moves south. A star is born, a star burns out.
The only thing that stays the same is
Everything changes, everything changes.”

-Tracy Lawerence, Time Marches On

When I began this blog a little over a year ago, my goal was to write about either a travel spot or my love of food once a week. Well, obviously since I haven’t blogged since August that didn’t quite go as planned. Why? Because simply put, things change.

There is a plaque on my living room wall that says “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I’ve ended up where I need to be.” This is a quote that I think describes my life – and probably that of many others – beautifully. When I began the blog last year, I was going through a time of loss from which writing provided me a distraction. The distraction was intensified by dreaming and sharing about all of the places I’ve been or love to eat. At the time, I needed that distraction.

Today, I’m back to blogging not because I need a distraction, but because I want to share my reflections on life. Unlike Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, I know that today is my birthday. There’s no forgetting that one for me! Also, unlike Nick I’m not turning 30; I’m turning 36. But similarly to the character of Nick, I have been going through a period that has changed the shape of my life. You see, last September we found out that God was blessing us with a rainbow baby.

This has been one of the happiest yet most intimidating changes me and Mr. Kisby have ever faced. In fact, at times – especially during those early appointments before I could feel baby moving – the changes were downright scary. But then you realize that you’re going to get to see the world through an innocent, beautiful, all wondering pair of eyes and suddenly you feel overwhelmed by how blessed you truly are!

This change has also led my mind to take a different direction from the focus of travel and food that are me and Mr Kisby centered, to dreaming of things that revolve around us and LilKsby. There are so many things I want us to share with this bundle of love:

The breathtaking ocean
The majestic mountains
The beauty of our quaint, small country church
The awesomeness that is Derby Festival
The places I loved as a child
The greatness of true friendship
The wonder of waterfalls
The fact that there are great free things to do
The adventure of reading
The joy of writing
The simple things like a walk through nature that show us the Kingdom, Power, and Glory around us

If you’d have asked me when I turned 35 if I would ever have a mind shift like this, then I’d have probably told you no. At the time, my heart was still broken and healing especially with the close timing to Mother’s Day when I had to watch as mothers were put on pedestals while I wanted to scream, “What about me? My baby is in heaven!”

But as Robert Frost once said, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” My road between May and September 2018 involved some amazing things that allowed me to be ready to be blessed by change. Me and Mr Kisby celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary (though I did tell him happy 7th anniversary) with an amazing dinner at Jeff Ruby’s and another cruise! We even tried snuba diving where supposedly there was a shark swimming near me that I didn’t even notice! I walked across the big Mary Kay stage in Dallas as a part of the Princess Court of Sales! In a fabulous dress of course! We went to the State Fair! We saw Taylor Swift in concert in Nashville! We spent a lot of time with friends and family! And shazam! We were blessed with the biggest, best change in the world: the change of LilKsby.

With our change, I will continue to blog. They might be more reflective than informational, but I’m looking forward to that. Maybe I’ll help someone else that needs a change experience one.

In the meantime, be like Gatsby…

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.” – F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

Restaurant + Love = Egg Roll House

If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting The Great Kaysby in person, then I have no doubt that you have heard me talk about Egg Roll House. For those who’ve never heard of it, Egg Roll House is a family owned Chinese restaurant nestled in what used to be the heart of Radcliff when Fort Knox was still booming and Winn Dixie and K-Mart off of Knox Boulevard were the premiere business areas. Now Winn Dixie and K-Mart are long gone, but Egg Roll House has remained. It has seen a ton of other businesses come and go, but there it sits diagonally across the street from the Gold Vault Inn. You might be thinking, what makes Egg Roll House so good? It’s simple. When you’re at Egg Roll House, you feel loved like you’re at home.

One of the many reasons Egg Roll House feels like home to me is because my family has literally been eating there for 25 years (possibly more). Before Egg Roll House, there was another Chinese place we ate at, but I was so young that prior to eating at Egg Roll House I thought Chinese food was fried shrimp and fries. Thus Egg Roll House was the first place that I really tried and fell in love with Chinese food! The earliest things I remember eating there besides delicious chicken wings were the Triple Delight (chicken, shrimp, and beef that I wouldn’t eat because I’m not big on beef), fried rice, and egg drop soup. I would also eat Sweet and Sour Chicken without the sauce. This would lead to a lot of laughs when I was in high school because for years my best friend also ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken without the sauce because I had said I didn’t like it, and then she tried it from the buffet and was like “You liar, this is good!” In my defense, I never said it wasn’t good, I said I didn’t like it. LOL

Over the years there have been a lot of laughs like the Sweet and Sour Chicken incident at Egg Roll House. We’ve had many weekly family meals there, and more summer break lunches than I can count. We’ve shared the Egg Roll House with others too. For example, when Mr. Kisby and I got married, we took our out of town family who came in for the wedding there to eat. We’ve also taken friends there on countless occasions over the years. One of my favorite more recent memories of a friends trip there was when we met another couple and their son there after church one Saturday evening. All of the adults ordered various Chinese dishes, and the son ordered chicken nuggets and fries. When our food came out, he wanted ours because it looked so good. I’m so glad that Egg Roll House could be a part of introducing a new generation to the deliciousness of Chinese food like it did me so many years ago!

As you can see for us, going to Egg Roll House isn’t just about food. It’s about going to a restaurant where you feel loved just like you were eating in your own home. There is something nice about going into a restaurant and them knowing what you are going to order to drink when you walk in the door (sweet tea for Mr. Kisby and unsweet for me). Just as nice is the owner coming out and talk to you when you come for dinner. I find it to be extraordinarily nice when they’ll ask things like “Where are your parents?” when me and Mr. Kisby dine alone or “Just two?” when me and Dad eat there and Mr. Kisby and Mom have to work. Making us feel even more loved? When we mourned the loss of my grandmother and uncle (who were also frequent customers), they mourned right a long with us. Can you imagine feeling more at home without being at home? I can’t!

For more info check out: http://eggrollhouse.weebly.com/. I highly recommend anything mentioned previously or the Egg Drop Soup with an order of Spicy Wontons and Lucky Family or Gai Sue Chicken for the entree. I hope we see you there!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby