Grilled Cheese at the Lakeside Cafe with the American Red Cross!

The American Red Cross staff in the town I live in has invited me time and time again to help out with the fire disaster team. There's nothing more fulfilling then helping others, especially with the prevention of fires. This past Thursday I spent most of the day helping install smoke alarms in people's homes and informing them of ways to prevent fires in their homes. It was my training day and I had the wonderful guidance of a staff member named Maya.

Things were running smoothly until we got locked out of the SUV. I had pressed the lock button as I walked out of the SUV, the engine was still running and Maya closed the door with the engine still running not realizing I had pressed the lock button. We were stranded on somebody's driveway with all of our belongings in the SUV. Fortunately another staff member was in a separate vehicle. Since we had to wait over an hour for somebody to come and open the door, we all decided to go get something to eat.

                                                            Grilled Cheese Sandwich

                                             

Enter the "Lakeside Cafe" a cozy cafe overlooking a lake. The three of us were greeted by the friendly servers and given a table facing the lake. Maya had a burger, Scott had the breakfast special and I went with a grilled cheese sandwich. The portions were generous and the food so good. I got to meet the cook in the kitchen and he certainly had a way of making everything taste so special as if you were his personal friend.

Maya and I had no money since all of our things were locked in the SUV but Scott gave us a loan and said we could pay him back later. The three of us enjoyed the warmth of the "Lakeside Cafe." It's not often these days to find a cafe where everyone is treated like family. I even got a complimentary cup of coffee.

With my stomach full from the GRILLED CHEESE sandwich I didn't feel so stressed anymore, neither did Maya or Scott. We drove back to the house where the SUV was parked and minutes later somebody from the American Red Cross office arrived with the SUV keys and we were able to unlock the doors.

Lesson learned; things will go wrong in our day, it's just part of life. Fortunately Maya, Scott, and myself were able to make a negative things into a positive thing. We were able to eat a lovely meal at the Lakeside Cafe and have plenty of energy to continue installing smoke alarms to residents needing them.

SMOKE ALARMS CAN SAVE LIVES