Ron Bridges

Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet opened a couple weeks ago in Sumter, SC, and today I finally got to try out lunch at the new restaurant.  Well the first thing that strikes me is the new parking lot.  Yes, stop laughing, the new parking lot with no pot holes or huge cracks.  We were greeted by a friendly staff and immediately shown to a table.  On the way to the table, I noticed how the mood of the restaurant is bright but pleasant.  Even though there is a buzz from diners talking, it is not abnormally loud or annoying.

Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet has all the normal fare expected in an Oriental style restaurant with one big exception.  The Grill has just that, a Hibachi Grill.  Use your imagination and get any combo you can from the selection of vegetables and meats, take your selections to the hibachi cook who then cooks your food right there while you wait.

If you prefer the normal buffet items, there are over a hundred items to select from.  One of the items I especially liked was what was called Chinese Steak.  It had diced steak cooked inside of a hard bread that was moist and tender.  All the normal items, fried rice, pepper steak, sweet and sour chicken, hot and sour soup to name a few, are all there.  A very nice sushi bar is available also and we can't forget there is ice cream available also.

By the way, yes, I even noticed the restrooms were very clean and well maintained.

The Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet is open at 11 am and is open through the dinner hours.  There are children's prices and adult prices.  Military and Seniors get a discount on their meal.  It is located on Broad Street across from Wal-Mart.

My recommendation, give it a try, we really enjoyed our lunch there today.

Recently Kingsbury Elementary School announced they had been chosen to participate in the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.  The school was chosen along with 50 other schools in SC to split $1,172,650 in grant money from the USDA along with the SC Department of Education and the SC Department of Agriculture.

The program gives grants to selected schools to encourage healthy eating habits and to help in the fight on childhood obesity.  The fresh fruits and vegetables are passed out to the classes in the mornings as healthy snacks instead of cookies, crackers, etc.  I chuckled when I first heard the children would be given grape tomatoes, broccoli, celery, grapes, orange slices, to name a few.  To my surprise though, the children have tried many of the items and so far are giving the snacks a thumbs up.

Kingsbury Elementary School has partnered with Walter P. Rawl & Sons, Inc. Pelion, SC, to supply the fresh vegetables and fruit.  The Rawl Brand features small bags of several different fruits and vegetables that are marketed as Sports Candy, which I found to be very fresh and tasty.

It will be interesting how brocolli and sweet potato chips go over.  My hat is off to all involved with this important and (at least to this observer) tasty program.

For more information check out the following links.
Rawl Brand:  http://www.rawl.net/ 
USDA:  http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/ffvp/ffvpdefault.htm

On this day of remembrance of the events that transformed the nation, it is fitting to also look at the service that has carried the war of the skies to the enemies of the US.  The US Air Force became a seperate service on September 18th 1947, and will be 62 years old on that date.

Up to 1947, the Air Force was an arm of the US Army and was the US Army Air Corp.  Since 1947, the USAF has been an intergral part of every operation conducted by the US Military.  The Air Force helped protect the troops from the skies in Korea, Vietnam, and was instrumental in keeping America safe during the long years of the Cold War.  The ground portion of the Gulf War only lasted 100 hours after days of attacks by the Air Force along with planes and helicopters of the Army, Navy, and Marines.  Today, USAF aircraft are involved with operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, whether it is a manned or unmanned aircraft.  Along with the pilots, the Air Force has thousands of men and women that provide the support to operations at home and in deployed locations.  

As we look to the future, the nature of air combat is changing with stealth technology and the ever more important unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV.  As time moves forward the Air Force will remain the protector of the skies for many, many years to come.

Take time to thank members of the Air Force for their service during this month of their 62nd birthday. 

On September 25th, Main Street will once again be closed for the 8th Annual Sumter-Shaw Street Fest.  What is that?  The Sumter Community honors our military at Shaw AFB for their service through an event where Shaw and Sumter get together for a street party.  A time to bring the entire family and enjoy an evening of music, food, and kids activities.

There will be 2 bands, Terrace Loron & The Untouchables and Virtually Unshockable as well as an a larger kids area with free inflatables, train ride, children's crafts and games.  Something for the whole family.  So bring your lawn chairs and have a great evening.

Please no coolers and parking will be on Harvin and Sumter Streets.

For more information see the Sumter website. 

Sumter@Six is winding up another successful year.  Sumter@Six is a free concert held every 2nd Thursday, April to October.  As the name indicates it starts at 6pm and last about 2 hours.  This is an outdoor concert held in downtown Sumter, at the Brody Pavillion on Harvin Street.  Bring your lawn chair, get some great food and drinks from local restaurants and enjoy the beach music.  Maybe even get in a line dance or some shagging.

The remaining Sumter@Six dates and bands for 2009 are below.

September 10:  Still Cruzin.
October 8: The Tempest

http://www.sumter-sc.com/VisitingUs/Festivals_SumterAtSix.aspx 

I broke the cardinal rule of time management.  Took on too much and could not get anything done.  I would look at my planner and see 3 too many appointments, 3 too many meetings, and 10 too many task to be done.  Then you guessed it, I didn't get anything done and fell further and further behind.

I had to make some very tough decisions and work to get things back in order.  I had to start planning and making sure I stayed with the plan, and I had to do things when I planned and stop putting things off.  Have you ever heard that you work harder getting out of work than if you just went ahead and did the job?  Well, I can tell you that is true, I worked hard putting things off and then still had to look forward to doing it anyway.

So what have I learned?

• Put together a plan and stick to it.
• Only agree to things you can do.
• Do not put off things, go ahead and do them.
• You can't please everyone, you can only do what you can.
• Don't max yourself out so that you get nothing done.

Now I can get back to AR and some of the other things I had to let go for a while.  Feels good to be back.

The Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race is being run at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC.  At 3pm, President Obama had asked for a moment of silence to honor those military that have sacrificed for our country.  NASCAR decided to honor the request and completely stopped the race, had the drivers cut their engines off and asked the crowd to honor this request.  The link below is a clip of that time.  What a great tribute by all of those at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Sorry, could not find an embed at the NASCAR.com site.

Moment of Silence at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The iris is the star of the Swan Lake Iris Festival in Sumter, SC.  The Iris Festival concludes today but the flowers will be still blooming for the next week or 2.  If you have the opportunity, visit Swan Lake and take in the beauty of the lake.  Swan Lake is located on East Liberty.

Marian Wright Edelman was born in Bennettsville, SC in 1939.  She grew up in the pre-Civil Rights years and was active in the Civil Rights Movement.  She finished her education at Yale Law School and became an attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.  She has been and is now a strong advocate for children and she founded the Children's Defense Fund.  Marian continues talking and working for the children today.

Marian wrote an open letter to her three grown children and included the 25 lessons of life to drive home what her and her husband had been teaching their children.

You ask how this applies to Real Estate.  The 25 lessons of life have as much meaning today for everyone that works in this business as it does for each and every person.  Applying her 25 lessons will not only build us as people but will build us as business people also.

Let's take a minute and read these lessons and see how we can apply them to our lives as business people and families. 

1.   There is no free lunch.  Don't feel entitled to anything you don't sweat and struggle for.
2.   Set goals and work quietly and systematically toward them.
3.   Assign yourself.
4.   Never work just for money or for power.  They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.
5.   Don't be afraid of taking risks or of being criticized.
6.   Take parenting and family life seriously and insist that those you work for and who represent you do, too.
7.   Remember that your wife (husband) is not your mother (father) or your maid (servant), but your partner and friend.
8.   Forming families is serious business.
9.   Be honest.
10. Remember and help America remember that the fellowship of human beings is more important than the fellowship of race and class and gender in a democratic society.
11. Sell the shadow for substance.  Don't confuse style with meaning.
12.  Never give up.
13.  Be confident that you can make a difference.
14.  Don't ever stop learning and improving your mind.
15.  Don't be afraid of hard work or of teaching your children to work.
16.  Slow down and live.
17.  Choose your friends carefully.
18.  Be a can-do, will try person.
19.  Try to live in the present.
20.  Use your political and economic power for the community and for others less fortunate.
21.  Listen for "the sound of the genuine" within yourself and others.
22.  You are in charge of your own attitude.
23.  Remember your roots, your history, and the forebears' shoulders on which you stand.
24.  Be reliable.  Be faithful.  Finish what you start.
25.  Always remember that you are never alone.

May these simple lessons bring success and happiness to each and everyone of you.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has a program called the Weatherization Assistance Program that gives up to $6500 in rebates to lower income families to help them cut down their energy usage and save money in energy spending.  To qualify for the rebates, the average family of 4 must not make over $44,000 in the lower 48 states, $55,140 in Alaska, and $50,720 in Hawaii.

The DOE Weatherization Assistance Program web site says, " The weatherization funding will improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families by adding more insulation, sealing leaks, or modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment, at a cost of up to $6,500 per home."  The site goes on to say weatherization could help a family realize a savings of up to $350 a year in utility bills.

In our day to day dealings with the public, we each have an occasion to talk to lower income families and we could let them know of this program.  If we could help them save money on their utility bills then they would benefit and the earth would benefit as well.

The web site for the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program is:

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/news_detail.cfm/news_id=12346