Written by Ryan Seeloff | 30 December 2009

What is The Fresh Market you ask?

Only the best (In my opinion and that's the only one that counts since this is my Blog) grocery store in the entire freaking world.

I encountered my first Fresh Market by chance on a trip to my hometown Virginia Beach two years ago.  My wife, kids, and I were heading back to our hotel at the beach and needed to stop at a grocery store for some stuff and could not find one.  Yes, things change in your hometown when you have been gone for more than half your life.

So, out of the dark appears The Fresh Market.  Not knowing what to expect we walked through the doors to find a very refined store full of surprises.  An enormous meat department with willing butchers on hand to fill your order, a produce department that looked like everything was just picked on the farm, a deli with some of the best rotisserie chicken to be found, a bakery that will blow just about any other away, and shelves filled with higher end products that you are used to finding at local favorites such as Petty's, Green Turtle, and Downtown Produce.

Now you might automatically assume that this is not a store for the common folk and we mere commoners would be turned away by the sky high prices.

Not so.

The prices in the bakery, deli, meat, and produce departments are in line with Publix and some items are downright bargains.  There are exceptions such as the best raspberries I have ever had that will set you back $6-7 per pint.  But you will not miss the quarter that each berry cost you as soon as you bite down on one.  If you are looking for pasta sauce don't expect to find Prego or Ragu on the shelves.  There are some pretty pricey jars of sauce on the shelves, but you will find similar prices at Publix for their higher end sauces.

There is a fine selection of wines and cheeses and a huge variety of candy that will keep your kids busy.

I never go on about a store like I did this one after we left that first time.  During that trip we went back three more times (In four days) and really were bummed when we came home thinking that we would not see the inside of the store again unless we took another trip.

Oh the wonders of the internet.  I got home and found that there were other stores in the southeast and the closest one at the time was in Orlando.  Located in the Dr. Phillips area of O-Town we soon found ourselves regulars at the store whenever we ventured over to Orlando.  We have turned my mom and step dad as well as my in-law's onto The Fresh Market, but have pretty much kept it to ourselves because it is kind of pathetic to be so excited over a store.

That has changed now that I know there is one just south of us in Vero Beach.  Went there today with my kids and it is even bigger than the one in Orlando.  And busier. The food is just as good (I had the best sweet potato of my entire life this evening from the Vero store).  I already know that a weekly trip down there is most likely on the agenda in the Seeloff household.

Pathetic? Yes.  Worth it? 100%.

Do yourself a favor and take a trip down to The Fresh Market in Vero.  You won't be disappointed.

Written by Ryan Seeloff | 22 December 2009

I had thought until this year that wishing at Christmastime was for the kids of the world.  Seriously, I can't remember the last time I truly wished for something at Christmas.

For many years I have been more concerned with making sure everyone around me got what they wanted and of course I would drop hints at what I would like.  It has been all about getting as much for my family and friends just assuming that the more gifts they received the happier they would be.

Every year I have spent the days leading up to the Christmas (Along with millions of others) making sure I had plenty of gifts under the tree for my kids and my wife.

This year something changed all of that.

In June my mom found out that her cancer was back after 18 years of being in remission.  Right away chemo treatments began and it was thought that the treatment would give her another 3-5 years.  At first the treatments seemed to be doing the trick, but as fall began it was clear that something was wrong.

In an effort to help out in my own spiritual way I told everyone that  all I wanted for Christmas was for those that were going to buy me presents to just pray for my mom instead.  I had hoped that this little statement might somehow give me a little more time with my mom.

Things took a downhill turn yesterday as my mom was admitted to the hospital because she could barely breath and has since lost her voice.  It seems that the cancer that started in her lungs and had spread into her lymph system, liver, kidneys, and bones had tipped the scales fully in its sinister favor.

Yesterday I spent the day with my and kids wandering around Disney property holding back the inevitable.  Today I saw my mom laying in a hospital bed in a really bad way.  Somehow I managed to hold myself together during the visit knowing that for her to see me hurting would hurt her even worse.  I knew that I had to be strong for her and could let it all out on my way back home.

I also know how much she wants to come home for Christmas and we are going to bring her home so that she can spend Christmas Eve with all of us.

My question is... How can a person wish for their loved one to hang on through the holidays while at the same time wishing they could stop suffering?  Is there a right answer?

My Christmas wish now is that my mom will be able to rest comfortably as soon as possible and know that we all will know that she will be with us always no matter where she is.

Remember this holiday season to say a little prayer for the family members that you have a chance to spend some time with and save a little spot at the end of that prayer for those family members that are with you in spirit.

Written by Ryan Seeloff | 16 December 2009

A lifelong Christmas tradition of mine came to an end this holiday season.

Every year as a kid I went out with my parents right after Thanksgiving to get a live Christmas tree for our house.  We never considered getting an artificial tree.  Sure my grandparents had one and every year I helped them put up their tree as well as many times I helped put up the fake tree at their church.  It's just not the same.

I am pretty sure that if I had mentioned getting an artificial tree to my dad I would not be here to share this story.

This tradition continued after I moved to Florida as a teenager to be with my mom and step dad.  There was that one year where we had the now infamous "Bucket O Christmas" (Which still comes out at their house each year and will live on after they are gone).

While living with my soon to be wife in Orlando while finishing school we still managed to get a live tree in our small apartment.

Once we moved back to Bevard and bought our first house we loved getting a huge tree each year and our kids have grown up with their own tradition of going to Lowe's (The best place to get a live tree in my opinion) on the first day they receive trees to at least take a peek.

If you have never been to a live tree lot then you are missing out.  The smell alone is worth the drive.  To me there is nothing better this time of year than smelling those frasier fir trees (The only tree we have ever put in our house).

This brings me kind of to the point of this post.  Two years ago I bought an artificial tree for my wife because we differ in how we like to decorate trees.  This way she had her tree to decorate and I had mine.  One for the front of the house and one for the back.

Mine has all the "cool" ornaments which include any that the kids have made over the years, several ornaments signed by Disney characters, little nutcracker ornaments, and lots of other "fun" stuff.  We both like white lights, but I put a string of green and a string of red on just to give it a little color.

Hers has all white lights (Already on the fake tree) and red and silver balls for decorations.  I bought her some cool silver ornaments to go on her tree and some white and silver snowflakes just to give it a little something.

Everything was working out great until this year.

Over the summer we moved the furniture in our family room to be able to fully utilize the space and did not take into consideration Christmas tree placement.  That became apparent right after Halloween when my son asked me where we were going to put the live tree this year.

Yes we could have moved the furniture back, but we really like how the room is now.  So......... We had to decide if we were going to have the front room tree decorated how my wife likes, the way the kids and I like, or compromise.  Plus, were we going to get a live tree or use the artificial tree?

The answer did not get any easier as I took my son to the tree lot at Lowe's on Malabar Rd just before Thanksgiving and got my first whiff of fresh cut Christmas tree smell.  I was so very close to getting a tree on the spot knowing that my wife would be trying to get me to just put up the fake tree.

Are you kidding me?  A 36 year run of live Christmas trees and you want me to go down without a fight?

Ha!

Well we happen to have a great looking artificial tree in our living room this year with a few "cool" ornaments here and there and I manage to take the kids out once in awhile to a tree lot so we can get passing sniff of those live trees.

Maybe next year we will get a live tree again, but then again maybe we've started a new tradition.

Written by Ryan Seeloff | 03 December 2009

Will we remember the date that Tiger died?

Okay he didn't exactly pass on, but his legacy surely has taken a plunge to depths we never imagined.

Now for the most important part.

Why do we care?

Why are we so drawn to the drama of those deemed more important than us?  How will Tiger's personal struggles affect our lives?

Not at all.

For those that say that Tiger has let down all of those including children that have looked up to him for his entire career I say get a life.

Every single one of us among the human race are capable of making stupid mistakes (Even more than one mistake).  Just look in the mirror and face the things you have done in your past.  Think of all of the other so called heros that we have looked up to in the past.  John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Kobe Bryant just to name a few have dealt with the same issue Tiger is dealing with right about now.

Did we continue on with our lives after we found out what they had done in their personal lives?

Yes we did.

We have managed to live our lives even when those we have looked up to have let us down by behaving like regular souls.

We will survive this latest hit to our hero worshipping egos and as soon as the various media outlets find another story to focus on Tiger and his family will be able to sort their own lives out while we lesser souls will continue to trudge along until the next story hits the airwaves.

Whether you are a fan of Tiger or not it is time to let this story go and worry about the things that really matter in the world right now such as the still struggling economy, the foreign wars we are involved in, and maybe we should also pay attention to our own families.

Let Tiger's tale run its course and let's get on with our lives.