And the Funds they are a raisin'

Tonight's fundraising dinner for the St. Bernard Project was a huge success!  I am so excited!  I love doing this type of work.  It makes me feel so good inside.  There is a warm feeling deep within my core that is fulfilled with love and compassion.  Contributing time, energy, and knowledge to such a cause helps me feel alive and connected with the spirit of life.  Tonight we served 28 dinners as part of our fundraising event which brings the grand total, including tonight's dinner and previous donations, to over $2400.  All of that money will be contributed to the wonderful work the St. Bernard Project is doing, assisting the residents of St. Bernard with rebuilding homes, mental health and wellness, as well as offering jobs as part of their "good pay, good work" program. 

The dinner consisted of six courses of Louisiana dishes, mainly New Orleans action, with cocktails, beer, and wine for the pairings.  The menu was as follows:
*Crawfish Beignets, Ravigote (Sazerac)
*Seafood Gumbo with Shrimp, Crabmeat, Crawfish (Patricia Green, Croft, Pinot Noir)
*Crawfish Etoufee (Abita Amber)
*Louisiana Shrimp, Andouille Grits, Red-Eye Gravy (Valamar, Rose)
*Slow Roasted Duck, Pepper Jelly, Cornbread Pudding, String Beans (Small Gully, Shiraz)
*White Chocolate Bread Pudding (Chicory Coffee, Bourbon Cream)

Cost was $115 per person with $40 of the ticket price going towards St. Bernard Project.

All of the seafood came from St. Bernard Parish and the dinner was fabulous.  Best Gumbo and Etoufee I have yet to make.  How thrilling!  There is a definite connection with spirit when cooking Louisiana food.  If I am a tree then my roots are deeply embedded in the culture of New Orleans, specifically with food and cooking techniques, my branches bloom flowers of beauty here in the mountains while my foundation is anchored to the music, food, and heritage of Louisiana.  I am here in NW Montana to show this part of the world what I have cultivated over the years and sharing the wonderful culture of New Orleans cuisine.  I feel this spirit of New Orleans as much a part of me as anything in my life.  I am honored to be able to share this fantastic feeling with all involved.  I am lucky to have been blessed to spend so much time in the crescent city.  I am more than happy to give back anything and everything I am able to, to assist those in need, caressing my own soul in the process.  All of this adds up to contributing to the preservation of something I hold dear.

I realized yesterday that the progress of yoga parallels the growth I've experienced with cooking.  In other words I can stand on my feet and cook all day long, under pressure, with loads of stress, multi-tasking at its finest, and twelve hours later feel like I could do it all over again if necessary.  So when I hear of these yogis who can do handstands for 5 minutes, or 50 handstands in a row at a minute a piece, etc..  I can now identify how they are able to achieve such feats with enough practice and continuous devotion.  If others are to analyze what I can do with food and my position at work, they would no doubt be amazed with what I am capable of producing each and every day.  I take comfort in knowing that if I put my mind to continuing to practice yoga, I'll be doing 5 minute handstands and all kinds of other things I never thought was possible, soon enough with beauty and smiles..  And these distance runners who run for over 100 miles at altitude with hills is no different, they have merely perfected a practice they have been doing over and over for years and years.  All good things in all good time. 

The U.S. plays Algeria with a chance to advance in the World Cup tomorrow morning.  I'll be up early cheering on the boys, hoping for a victory.  After that I will be interviewed by the Flathead Beacon Newspaper for a story regarding the fundraising work I am doing.  I really enjoy talking to the press.  A taste of fame is like a spoonful of sugar, too much and it can be to sweet and not good for you- but just a little and it helps to bring out the sweetness in life, so that we can all enjoy what we are doing with our lives.  Recognition is one of the greatest forms of success, in my humble opinion, both personally and socially.