Chicken Fry

Well, we left early on a little trip to see family just so I could mark this one off of the list.  I FINALLY got to Mary's Cafe in Strawn and had the large Chicken Fried Steak. Honestly, I didn't eat breakfast, and I ate a light lunch so I could order this bad boy:

Yeah, that's it.  Notice the mashed potatoes and gravy in separate bowls.  To be honest, I have been looking forward to this dish for years, ever since I went looking for the best Chicken Fried Steak in Texas.  Was this the best Chicken Fried Steak in Texas?  No.  Maybe I caught them on an off night, but while it was a great CFS, it wasn't the best I have ever had.  There are two things this steak had going for it.  First, the large order is actually 3 adult sized Chicken Fried Steaks served overlapping on 1 plate.  That's a lot of food!  Second, probably the best part of the meal is the bowl of gravy that is served on the side that can be slathered on to your heart's content.  The gravy was amazing - not too thick, not too thin, and an amazing flavor.  Overall, the dish was top notch, but it came up a bit short.  I guess if I am going to pay what I paid for this, and if the cafe is going to be reasonably slow (less than 15 customers in the place) the steak has to be top notch.  The steak itself was a little on the bland side, and for me the best Chicken Fried Steak in the state should be able to be the best whether or not it has gravy on it.  In short, the steak should stand alone, and unfortunately it didn't.  Was it good?  Yes, absolutely!  Would I eat it again?  Maybe.  Did it mark one more thing off my list?  You bet your taters it did!  Overall an experience I'm glad I had

Big Weekend

Well, as things go, this was a pretty big weekend for my 40 by 40.  We were forced to go to Lubbock for the little one's specialist appointment on Thursday.  So, because we were going to be eating road food all day, I weighed one day early so as not to have the water weight from fast food salt throw anything off.  At my Thursday morning weigh-in, I was down 6.8 lbs for the week which puts me at just shy of 15 lbs in the last 2 weeks.  In other words, I have accomplished 12% of my 125 lbs goal.  Not too bad for two weeks in, but the real excitement this week are the things I did accomplish.

Let's start with the biggie.  This year, thanks to the new addition, we got a tax return for the first time.  When I added this to my school paycheck for subbing, I was able to pay off the credit card.  It's done, finished, adios!  Whew!

Also, once we got to Lubbock, we decided that we were too close to a couple of there things on my list to not do those.  So we spontaneously decided to go and take a family day.  So, I can mark "take a spontaneous trip" as completed.

As for where we went, well, let's just show you.



Yes, the Groom cross is completed.  It was a beautiful haven, and I would have spent much more time there, but the weather did not get as warm as they were forecasting and we did not have the clothes to stay out in it.


My other accomplishment:

Yep,  end scene of Castaway!  Long trip.  Long day.  But four down in one day is a pretty good start to this list.

First steps down a long path

Well, I finally took my first steps down this path of my Top 40 Countdown.  It took me a few days to get things set up and in gear, but I am on my way.  For those who don't know, our life has been a flurry of activity lately as we get ready for the specialist appointment next week for our almost 2 month old.  We will have to travel to Lubbock to see an orthopedic surgeon for possible hip dysplasia.  So, while we got everything settled, I really didn't have the time or energy to start anything.

Last Friday we began the process for a few of these goals - mainly the running a mile, participating in a 5k, and losing 125 lbs.  The beginning was easy enough, although it took great willpower.  We cut out all sugar, all sugary drinks, and we began to watch our portion size.  I do say we because Carrie has started these things too because she wants to lose a little baby weight.  Overall, that makes this process easier, but they are still big changes from when we were constantly eating toward Carrie's pregnancy cravings.  The good news is this seems to be working.  As of this morning, I have lost 8.5 lbs in the past week.  Only 116.5 lbs to go!  Also, this week I have taken to walking home from school and to church.  Those aren't big starts, but they're something.

Monday also saw me begin my trek to read the Bible straight through.  I should probably explain that I have read the entire Bible many times, but I cannot recall ever reading straight through cover to cover.  So, that is the reasoning behind this goal.  I have a pretty good start under my belt since I am already about halfway through Genesis just by reading for 15 minutes every morning.

This is my start.  These are my first steps.  I am hope in the near future to begin to mark several of these off of my list, but for now these small steps will suffice to begin a long journey to a new decade!

Here it is...My 40 before 40

Took me a few days to actually finalize my list, but here it is. Over the next few days, I will explain a few more in detail. For instance, I will give the reasons why I picked what I picked. So now you have it. My Top 40 Countdown.

40 THINGS TO ACCOMPLISH BEFORE TURNING 40

1. Hike to Enchanted Rock
2. Run a mile without stopping
3. Participate in a 5k
4. lose 125 lbs
5. Read the Bible straight through
6. Paint a landscape
7. Hike Clingman's Dome
8. Write letters to the top 5 people who have impacted me the most
9. Do 30 days of random acts of kindness
10. Take a class on something I normally wouldn’t take
11. Get a new wedding ring made
12. Attend Grapevine Christmas including ICE
13. Read a Classic American Novel
14. Take an overnight retreat
15. Record an album
16. Go to the theater
17. Make Angel Food Cake from scratch
18. Take a digital detox
19. Take a spontaneous trip
20. Pay off credit cards
21. Drive to middle of nowhere and watch meteor shower
22. See the Marfa lights
23. Go to a professional sporting event
24. Go to the Texas State Fair
25. Get my handgun license
26. Make my own root beer
27. Swim at Balmorhea
28. Go to Big Bend National Park
29. Watch the bats at Congress Avenue Bridge
30. Finish a jigsaw puzzle
31. Bury a time capsule to be dug up in 20 years
32. Visit the Groom Cross
33. Go to the intersection at the end of Castaway
34. Visit the Aurora Space Crash
35. Eat a Chicken Fried Steak at Mary’s
36. Send a message by balloon
37. Read a book on a subject I normally wouldn’t
38. Take a picture good enough to frame
39. Take the kids to a pumpkin patch
40. Meet someone famous
41. (bonus) keep a blog updated!

Today I Start!

You may be thinking what in the world did he start?  He's been going for years!

Years is right!  Today I turn 39.  It's not a big milestone, and I'm actually not dreading becoming 40, but today I have begun to look back at my life.  I'm not complaining because I love my life and everybody in it.  As I looked back, however, I have noticed one trend.  Because of family obligations and God's call on my life, I have spent an extreme amount of the past 39 years taking care of everybody else.  Sometimes this has occurred at the cost of my health.  Other times this has occurred at the cost of me accomplishing things for me.  All of this has added up to me not doing things I have always wanted to do, and not attempting things that I may have been afraid of.

Well, this year I hope to change all of that.  This is the year of my Top 40 Countdown.  This is my 40th year bucket list.  This will be the place where I share with the world me trying to accomplish a list of 40 things before I turn 40.  I am still working on my list.  I will post it shortly.  My real goal is to have a well balanced list of things that are easy that I just have never done, as well as, things that will be a great challenge to accomplish throughout this year.  I may or may not finish the list, but I have 366 days to try (this is a leap year).

I invite you on this journey with me as I laugh, cry, celebrate, and mourn all of the things I will accomplish or fail at along the way.  Follow this blog for updates and posts about my progress.  This ought to be a great year or great things.