#3 Eighter Food Truck Challenge

 I love a good food truck!  So why wouldn't I want to attend Decatur's 5th Annual Eighter Food Truck Challenge with Cindy?  And it was such a fabulous day!  Temps in the low 80s with just the right amount of cloud cover to keep things cool. There were probably about 12 trucks at the Wise County Fairgrounds each with a signature dish.  After buying our tickets, we walked the line of trucks to consider our options and come up with a game plan.  Here's what I finally settled on.

Burnt End Tacos from Willett's BBQ

The Caribbean from Chriseli’s Latin Food Truck - rice & beans with sweet plantains & avocado with guava sauce

Chicken Bacon Ranch Potato from Kousin’s Potatoes
Mushroom Bacon Swiss Burger from Big Kat Burgers

Korean BBQ Confit Duck Bao from Blind Fox

Pecan Praline Cheesecake from Addie Cake and Lily Pie

Blueberry Cheesecake Doughnut from Doughnut Snob

My favorite dish was The Caribbean and my favorite sweet was the Blueberry Cheesecake Doughnut.  The big winner of the day was Blind Fox's Korean BBQ Confit Duck Bao with Lotus, Cilantro, Mint & Basil.  That one was super yummy with all sorts of fun flavors & textures. The Pecan Praline Cheesecake won the best sweet.

#2 Eggsiquisite

My first new restaurant of my #50by50 challenge was a breakfast spot in Southlake called Eggsiquisite.  I met my bestie there for a late breakfast.  We actually ate there way back in late March, I just forgot to write about it.  I didn't think to take pics, but I promise, it did really happen.  I do remember that I got the Bacado omelet - bacon, spinach, tomatoes, and baby Swiss cheese, topped with sliced avocado.  Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds.  All those flavors coming together!  Yum!  What a great way to start the day and my challenge of 50 new experiences by the time I celebrate 50 next March.

#1 Lavender Ridge Farm

The first thing I did to kick off my year of new adventures and experiences was to visit Lavender Ridge Farm in Gainsville, Texas, with my sweet friend, Sandra.  I had heard about this place for a few years and been wanting to visit, so Spring Break seemed like the perfect chance.  Because it was mid-March, nothing was really in bloom yet.  But we picked up some fabulous plants to bring back home for the yard as well as some lavender scented goodies.  In addition to lavender, there were goats, chickens, and lemurs to be had.  And a trip to Lavender Ridge Farm wouldn't be complete without a glass of Lavender Tea.  I'd like to go back in June when the lavender is in bloom.  Can you imagine walking through a field of it and picking your own to take home? Exciting!

While it wasn't a new experience, Sandra and I did venture over to Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard in St. Jo to enjoy a beautiful spring afternoon tasting wine and enjoying the view.  It was a good reminder that new experiences are meant to be fun and even educational, but what's more important are the people you share an experience with.

     

50 is Right Around the Corner

A few days after my 48th birthday, the world shut down to the Covid-19 pandemic.  To say the least, it's been a challenging year for everyone.  We've done work and school from home in ways that we've never imagined.  We put our life on hold, not going to restaurants to be with friends, movie theaters shuttered and live events a distant memory.  In the Fall, we reopened schools with very stringent protocols in place, but much of our social life remained at a standstill.  As 2020 turned into 2021, the promise of a vaccine buoyed our spirits with the thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  Shortly before my 49th birthday, I was fortunate enough to receive my second vaccine.  This past year has given me plenty of time to be reflective about past and thoughtful of the future.  Since 50 is considered a milestone birthday and we seem to be at the end of the pandemic, I want to make the year leading up to 50 a year of new experiences and adventures.  My goal is to have 50 new experiences over the next year and a half.  I don't want to got to my 50th birthday in March and be like ok, that's it.  I want this year leading up to and the months following this monumental occasion to be full of adventures and new things in my life.  I'm still working on my list, but here's what I've got so far.

Let's start with Fort Worth.  I've lived here for 5 years and have yet to really explore Cowtown.  It's a great city with so many fun things to do.  It seems like the perfect time to learn what all it has to offer.

• National Cowgirl Museum
• Visit the Stockyards
• Hike at Eagle Mountain Lake
• Brunch at Hotel Drover

I am from DFW.  I grew up in Farmers Branch and have always considered myself a Dallasite.  But there are a few things I'm embarrassed to admit I have yet to do on that side of the Metroplex either.

• Sixth Floor Museum (I know . . . it's crazy that I haven't been there, ever!)
• Bonnie & Clyde Tour
• Lay a wreath at the DFW National Cemetery in December
• Trammel Crow Park
• Southfork Ranch
• Drinks at the top of Reunion Tower

And all around DFW there are interesting things to see and do:

• TX-Ture Farm
• Goat Yoga
• Tulip farm (Waxahachie or Pilot Point)
• Pecan Creek Strawberry Farm
• Lavender Ridge Farm
• Gingerbread Home Tour (Waxahachie)
• Go to a Texas Rangers game at the new ballpark
• a day in Granbury
• Ponder Steakhouse

Beyond DFW, there are some other things I've told myself will happen over the next year.

• Visit the Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M and the LBJ Library at UT (actually I'd like to go to all of the presidential libraries, but let's start small)
• Visit a part of Texas I've never been to, so this summer, I'm headed to West Texas!  And I've got a lot of new experiences planned for that trip.  I can't wait to share it with you.

I'd also like to visit a state AND a country I've never been to.  I'm thinking that will be in 2022.  Let me know if you've got any suggestions.

• Headed to the Dominican Republic in June 2022 with my college roomies
• Going to Cabo for Spring Break 2022

But I also want to do & learn new things, not just visit a new place.

• Make a pie from scratch, including the crust
• Knit or crochet
• Different lettering styles
• Heartwork Journaling
• Volunteer Deputy Registrar
• Walk a 5K

A part of my new experiences include going to new restaurants (that is one thing I have really missed during the pandemic . . .  Door Dash just isn't the same).  The are so many phenomenal restaurants out there . . . DFW is home to some amazing chefs!  So I'm going to try really hard to avoid chains this year and eat at local restaurants that are new to me.  I've got a list started if you want to check it out.  And if you've got some ideas for me, let me know here.

I'm also continuing on my journey to be healthier.  In October, I started my Lose 50 lbs. by 50 journey and I'm excited to say I'm almost there.  I've lost 35 pounds and have 15 to go.  Once I hit the milestone, I'll decide how I feel and if that's a good place for me to be.

I've already done a couple of these things; be looking for an update soon.  If you have an idea for me that you think I would like, or maybe even something that will challenge me and help me grow, I hope you'll share your ideas with me.

Looks Like You're Gonna Make It After All

As I was eating dinner tonight, a special about Mary Tyler Moore came on.  Not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden I found myself crying.  Then an image of Carrie Fisher pops into my head and I cried some more.  I paused to think about the legacy of both of these women and you guessed it, I cried a bit more. 

I was five when I first met Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia on the silver screen. In fact, Star Wars was my first movie I saw in the theater and I loved it!  I'm not sure why I connected with it, but to this day it remains one of my favorite movies.  Yes, Leia was "sass underpinned by pure steel" but what did that really mean to a little girl from the 'burbs?  Over the years, Carrie proved to be an honest, open person who faced her struggles head on.  And the characters she played were just as tough and just as funny. Remember Marie from When Harry Met Sally?  

I'm fairly certain my memories of The Mary Tyler Moore Show are all from reruns.  It aired on Saturday nights, from 1970-1977, so I can say with certain confidence I wasn't watching it then. Even when I watched it in reruns, I was still a kid, so how much did I really get and understand?

As I watched Princess Leia and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I didn't have all these grand thoughts of what I could do with my life or the things I wanted to accomplish.  I don't know that I can pinpoint any monumental decision in my life to either of these icons.  So why the tears?  As I've read about both of these women and watched specials on their lives, I've had a realization.  How often are we living in a moment, not truly understanding the impact it has (or will have) on our lives?  How often have we read a book, watched a movie, or had a conversation that leads us down a certain path without us realizing it?  Perhaps there has been so much change and progress since that particular moment in time, but because we live through it (sometimes easily), that we don't understand the true impact of a person or event until years later.  Sometimes there are so many little forces that by themselves don't make a difference, but collectively, they have the power to influence a generation. Or what is happening behind the scenes that we don't see that has such an impact? Watching this special, there was a reference to the number of female writers on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  One third of the writers were female, unprecedented for a sitcom at the time.  It was important to Mary, because the show was about a strong, single successful woman - how meaningful would a man's contribution be to this script?  One of the major influences these women writers had? Making sure Mary and Lou did not end up together, which confirmed the crazy thought that you could be a single successful female without having to depend on a man for happiness. 

Then I think about a specific part of Hillary Clinton's concession speech - 

"and to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."

How powerful is that message?  Whether you voted for her or not, the message that her candidacy and these 35 words sent was impactful to people all over the globe, especially young girls.

Some final thoughts . . . 

While Mary Richards was a feminist, Mary Tyler Moore often said she didn't consider herself one. Carrie Fisher, most definitely a feminist, was able to turn her infamous bikini costume into a point of pride.  (Read this article if you're a bit intrigued.)   I don't know if they would agree with me or not, but I feel like both of these women, and even the characters they portrayed, left behind a legacy we may not know the full extent of at this point.  Maya Angelou once told Oprah Winfrey, 

"You have no idea what your legacy will be. Your legacy is what you do everyday. Your legacy is every life you’ve touched, every person whose life was either moved or not. It’s every person you’ve harmed or helped, that’s your legacy.’ I don’t think about it. I just try to live it."

My question to you is, what do you do everyday to impact a life?  And can you impact the people around you for the good?  How will you be  remembered?

Weekly Blessings

One of the things I've resolved to do better this year is to really reflect on what happens in my life and to find the blessings in everything I do.

One of my greatest blessings is my family.  Not just my immediate family, but my extended family. Every year my dad's side of the family gets together for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It's actually pretty amazing.  Nearly every year, the vast majority of us are able to come together for food, fellowship, and usually football.  There are four generations of us!  At Thanksgiving, there were 29 of us; this past Saturday, I think we had 20.  I mean, really, how cool is that?  We all contribute to the meal of the day, which is usually the traditional holiday meal: turkey, dressing, potatoes, pecan pie . . . the whole spiel!  For Christmas though, we did something really fun!  Heavy appetizers (and desserts, of course).  Such a great, stress-free idea!

While the food is important, what's really important is the time we spend together and the connections we have.  And the day is always great.  We're very low key, and we spend a lot of the day just catching up and talking about life.  So thankful and so blessed to have the family, near and far, that I have.

What blessings have you experienced this week?

It's Been Awhile . . .

Wow!  I can't believe it's been 4 years since I've posted something for this blog. Because that also means it's been 4 years since I flew to Ethiopia with my sister-in-law for a court appearance in the adoption of two of my nephews. That just boggles my mind - so much has happened in the last four years.

I actually have a few other blogs going, so I guess it's time to ask the question, what is this blog really about and do I keep it going?  Currently I have Burger Babes and Brunchilicious which are really have really specific content - burgers and brunch!  Professionally, I also have Gifted Texan Girl. Admittedly, I'm not that good at maintaining any of them.  I mean, two of them are contingent upon my eating habits so there's that.  I know serious bloggers have schedules and such, including it in their planners and calendars.  I'm not sure I'm that committed, but maybe I do a need a little structure.

Who of my friends is out there blogging their little hearts out?  Do you have a specific focus?  Or is it more of whatever happens to be on your mind at the time?  Share your thoughts with me.