'Cue Lunch!

During the week, I usually eat lunch at my desk. So when I get the chance to go out for lunch, I jump at it — especially if its with my family.

Today we all lucked out. I needed to go to Birkdale Village to work on a story for the December issue, and I had just edited Holly Becker's upcoming story about Midwood Smokehouse (also for the upcoming December issue). Holly's copy is always solid, but her descriptions about the cuisine at Midwood Smokehouse grabbed me and would not let me go — especially when she mentioned Southern Living voted Midwood's mac and cheese the best in North Carolina. All through the week I kept mentioning how a new barbecue place at opened at Birkdale, hoping that someone would suggest we should go.

A little background here. I grew up helping prepare barbecue for my church's yearly barbecue in nearby Cabarrus County. I married a barbecue snob that turns his nose up at any barbecue that is not vinegar based. In addition, we have a close family friend who's traveled the region judging barbecue. In other words, I know good 'cue when I eat it. 

Back to Midwood. My family decided to tag along with me to Birkdale on Saturday, so I suggested (really demanded) that we try Midwood Smokehouse. They were up for it, so off we went. As soon as we walked in, I knew we had made a good choice.

The interior was spacious and hip with all kinds of vintage beer ads and pig art on the walls, and the smell was divine. We quickly ordered, as we couldn't wait to sink our teeth into lunch. My children ordered kids' barbecue sandwiches with mac and cheese (note: kids 10 and under eat for $5.50). My husband ordered a barbecue sandwich with collard greens, and I went all out by ordering brisket on Texas toast with pimento cheese and a side of baked beans.

Before lunch arrived, we snacked on a basket of sweet potato fries, which were fantastic. Then our plates arrived. From the first bite, we were all in love. Graydon announced that his mac and cheese was the best he'd ever tasted - high praise from any 7-year-old, as that's one of their food groups. Margot said, "We are definitely coming back here." My husband was too busy devouring his sandwich and collards to say anything, and I couldn't eat my meal fast enough.

That said, if you like awesome 'cue, you owe it to yourself to try Midwood Smokehouse. Our family will be back, and who knows? I might leave my desk during the week and go have lunch there by myself. It's that good.

Go Vote!

Though we don't cover politics in CURRENTS, we are strong believers in voting. It is a privilege to vote, and it is one that should be honored. Please remember the men and women who have made sacrifices so we can cast a ballot. Whatever your party, whatever your beliefs, go vote today and let your voice be heard.

Smashing Statesville!

One of the best things about my job is that I learn a lot about local events. When I wrote a piece about downtown Statesville for the September 2017 issue of CURRENTS, I made a note about the town's upcoming Pumpkin Festival. I'd heard about this festival for years, but after spending time in Stateville's beautiful downtown area (it really is lovely), I knew this was the year for the Tate family to head north on I-77 and check it out.

We talked about it for weeks, as the website listed all sorts of fun activities from rides to a classic car cruise-in to live music. But I have to say that it wasn't until I saw pumpkin smashing listed as an activity that I was in. Ever since I saw the Modern Family episode about pumpkin chunkin', which involves catapulting a pumpkin across a field, I've been interested in the pumpkin disposal arts. Obviously you can make a pumpkin pie, but smashing one seems like way much more fun. My children were just as excited as I was.

When the day of the Statesville Pumpkin Festival arrived, it was overcast outside and the forecast predicted rain. We didn't let that stop us. If it rained on us, we decided we'd have a nice lunch downtown and explore the best we could. Luckily we missed most of the heavy rain and were able to explore all the art and craft booths, as well as listen to Rockie Lynne perform on the main stage. I had the honor of writing about this country singer songwriter/Statesville native in the May 2017 issue of CURRENTS.

As soon as we walked into the festival, we saw remnants of where previous pumpkin smashing had taken place. We vowed to come back later to take a turn.

While we walked around, we took at the architecture of downtown Statesville, and my kids got temporary glitter tattoos. Later we had a delicious lunch at Broad Street Burger that fueled us for some serious pumpkin smashing. When walked back to the pumpkin smashing area, people were obliterating pumpkins left and right with huge wooden mallets. For $1 a pumpkin, you could release all of your stress in just a few blows. I was plain giddy.

My husband, John, helped our son and daughter smash their individual pumpkins, as the mallet was fairly large. When it came my turn, I cleared my family away so I could cross pumpkin smashing off of my bucket list. My first whack didn't do much damage, but my second whack made a dent. The more I hit it, the more my pumpkin exploded into little pieces. While it might sound barbaric, it really was just fun, simple fun, that you don't get the opportunity to experience that often.

As we made our way down I-77 to Cornelius, we all talked about how much fun we had. Despite the rain, we were able to spend a fall day frolicking in a new place, and none of us will ever forget how fun it was to smash a pumpkin.

Learning from Mistakes

"It's not a mistake if you learn from it." I tell my children this all the time because I want them to see how mistakes should be teaching moments instead of a gateway into self loathing and negativity. It's a beautiful thing to say, and it's a beautiful thing to watch when they take what I say to heart, but it is so incredibly hard to do.

When I make mistakes, which happens frequently, it's hard for me to take my own advice. Take yesterday for example, when I discovered I had made an exquisite mistake. I didn't catch the misspelling of a local community in the November issue. Not only was this a community that's in the town I live in; it's a community in which I've volunteered and drive past every day. It's a community I'm always telling my neighbors about when they say they've never heard of it. It's Smithville, and in the article about Honora Ruggiero on pages 25 and 26 in the November issue, you'll see that the community is spelled Smithfield.

Smithville is a primarily African American community in downtown Cornelius off of Catawba Avenue, and it has been here way longer than Lake Norman. In fact, its roots date back to around 1869. The area was originally known as Limley until 1910. To learn more, visit the Smithville Community Coalition page on Facebook.

Even though I proofed this copy many times, I didn't catch the misspelling. Once someone pointed out the mistake to me last night, I proceeded to beat myself up for a few hours, completely forgetting the advice I constantly share with my children regarding mistakes.

Finally, I came to a moment of peace when my wise mind decided to intervene. Yes, correct spelling in the magazine is my responsibility. Yes, my mother has been pointing out mistakes to me in publications ever since I could walk, and yes, I can't stand to see a mistake in print (Thanks, Mom.). And extra yes, I know how to spell Smithville.

Regardless, these things happen, and remembering this mistake will only encourage me to read copy a few more times and even more closely.

My 7-year-old daughter tried to give me my own advice last night, as she walked over to me and put her hand on my arm. If anything, that's the silver lining in this. At least she knows how to handle mistakes.