First, a little perspective

Dear Bobby,

I suppose a little history is in order before I go thru with this. It was over a year ago that I relocated my wife, some of my family to South Florida to take a really great job. I was offered the Medical Directorship of a Neonatal Unit in Fort Lauderdale. This is a large unit, one of the largest in the State. It is also where a public-traded company called Mednax got it start. The Neonatologist who their first Medical Director started the unit.

Now moving and relocating and starting a new job is a really big deal, especially when you are almost 50. Chicago had been my home since birth. I had my friends there, my wife's family was there, my kids were raised there. Having been a Neonatologist in the Suburbs for 15 years, I was ready for a change. I was offered a leave of absence and I took it. I was able to care for my father for the last part of his life and said goodbye to my mother who had been ill for years. Then I got to look for a job that offered opportunity and professional growth...Hello Ft. Lauderdale.

Sooooo...... new job, new house, both parents passed away, uproot the family, try to sell the house in Illinois... that's a lot of stuff.

Well, like I said its been a year and my wife, (by the way, not easy on her as well) has started a new company and begun to adjust to South Florida. I got to thinking, what is something I can do on a long-term basis that would improve our lives here in Florida.....

Well I have always been a very inconsistent cook. Yeah I could make a couple of things, but mostly we ate out alot. Some my friends from Darien and Lincolnshire, now they can cook, and their wives really liked that about them. So I thought, why not. Maybe I can be a great,OK maybe good cook and BBQ guy. Perhaps this is something I can do for Sue (the wife) as well as for myself. When you make a new home for yourself, you need something to ground you, to make you a part of where you are. When your young with children, your children ground you and help keep your life centered. Now with 2/3'rd's of our kids off to college and one a year away from going, it's time to explore ways to make a life and home. I'm gonna try to be a good cook. We'll see what happens after that

David