He explained the rationale behind the test.  Children between the ages of 4 and 7 were individually placed into a room with a plate containing one single marshmallow.  They were told that they could either eat this single marshmallow now or they could wait a few minutes and then if they had not eaten the marshmallow they would receive another one.

The test was to see if a child was willing to delay the instant gratification of a single marshmallow for the promise of two marshmallows at a later time.

The results were quite hilarious and I have included the link to a video clip of the study here.   

Click here to see the video 

Now let me tie this into a subject that is of great importance to many folks in the 60-66 age group.

If you are married and either are or were dual earners, then the decision of when you choose to take Social Security benefits can affect your projected lifetime payout by many tens of thousands of dollars.  We are talking about a lot more than a marshmallow at stake here.

At Castell Insurance we subscribe to a social security  software program that analyzes all the thousands of different income combinations and shows you all your choices.  We specialize in income planning to ensure you have enough funds for today and all of your tomorrows.

Please contact us today for more information if you are married between the ages of 60 and 66 and have not yet started taking your Social Security benefits.

In the last two months we have tragically lost two of our favorite Mexican restaurants, one to the economy and one to a catastrophic fire.  So with the opening of  Los Cabos in the Walmart parking lot next to Subway, we have another opportunity.  My wife and I consider ourselves Mexican food snobs, taco truck aficionados. Street vendor taquito's with pickled jalapenos, the more authentic the better.  Our daughter on the other hand is strictly a cheese quesadilla with rice, no beans kind of girl.  On a lark we went into Los Cabos for lunch.  We were very pleasantly surprised.   

The restaurant is clean and bright and my daughter commented on the "cool fans" on all the walls.  The food was GREAT.  I had a "semi soft" beef taco.  

The next restaurant has been around for a while, so I am kind of late in reviewing it.   Blondie's Plate is in the old location of Lipperts on 2^nd Street.  We had heard different reviews, so my wife and I had a free Monday evening and decided to make our first trip to Blondie's. Surprisingly, they were open and actually fairly busy for a Monday.  With the tables and chairs along the long dining room wall, it is very reminiscent of a chic Ballard eatery atmosphere.  The service was excellent and the waiter was very knowledgeable.  The main complaint that we had heard was that it was expensive. I would beg to differ. It was no more expensive than similar food I would have paid for in Seattle.  The Charcuterie plate was well presented with a good section of meat and cheese.  The Muffeleta sliders were excellent and the fried goat cheese was to die for.  The cost with wine and beer was under $60.00 for two of us.  The portion size was as advertised. We found it to be very good and would recommend this restaurant to all of our friends.

Thanks for listening to the ramblings of a retired chef. You can take the man out of the kitchen but you can never take the kitchen out of the man.

I started swimming again in March.  I am taking Aqua Zumba and Deep Water Aerobics classes at the pool in Port Angeles 5 or 6 days a week.  The pool has a wonderful selection of classes offered before and after work. I am having more fun than I thought possible and have had the pleasure of meeting several new people.  What an awesome bunch of ladies I have the pleasure of spending time with a few nights a week.

James is working out with the new cross fit gym in Carlsborg, Storm King Crossfit.  This is their second location; the original gym is in Port Angeles. The workouts sound like a lot of hard work, but James is enjoying them. He says he already feels stronger.

Christy has been working in her garden and doing yard work.  As most of us know this is a never ending task due to our mild climate.  Christy's yard is beautiful and I can only imagine how much time it takes her to keep it looking so wonderful.

John has been spending time with his daughter Ruby playing baseball.  She is beating him more often than not. He also has the task of walking their dog, Diesel. John is also working on a few projects around the house this summer and growing veggies in his garden.

Sharon is walking a bit every day and keeping all of us in line at the office.  (We are lost when she is gone)  She is also spending as much time as possible chasing after her grandsons who are getting faster and faster as they grow up.

Phil has taken on an ambitious goal of cycling 500 miles by September 21^st.  He has already put in over 92 miles on his bike, that is almost 20% of his goal and he has over 2 months to go.

As you can see even though open enrollment is still four months away, all of us here at the office are busy.  All these small changes in our lives are going to lead us to being healthier, happier and a little more relaxed once the excitement of another open enrollment rolls around.

Until next month, have a safe holiday.  Go on a hike.  Enjoy a picnic.  Take in a Mariners game.  Embrace all that summer has to offer in our beautiful little corner of the world.