Day 19 Special Events And Good Shoes

Day 19

Special Events and Good Shoes

This weekend will be the third so far and it will definitely present some new situations and circumstances. Being able to maintain focus and determination during any and all circumstances is one of the many keys to success. We'll really encounter this in November and December during the holidays. But it doesn't have to be a holiday to present some out of the norm situations. I haven't been to an OSU football game in years. I just found out that a friend of mine has two tickets and I'm going to the Texas A&M game tomorrow at the newly redesigned Boone Pickens Stadium! I'm so excited! Oops, I just realized I don't have any orange in my wardrobe. What kind of a fan am I? This new Saturday plan means a complete change of schedule. I'll have to walk my mile early—even though I know I'll probably get a bunch of exercise walking from the parking to the stadium and up the stadium steps, oh my! The stadium steps! I really don't think I could have made it up those steps 19 days ago. I'm serious. I could barely walk a quarter mile 19 days ago, now I'm up to a mile and have been for the last week or more. I don't think it'll be too much of a big deal. What about the tailgating? Hmmm. I know some people that will be grilling all kinds of good stuff outside the stadium. I'll approach it the same way I handled the cookout last weekend. It'll be easy. And I'm not a beer drinker, so that's no problem at all. During the game I'll probably enjoy a Diet Coke or two. I'll let you know how it went with my Day 20 blog that I'll post late tomorrow night. Then on Sunday we're visiting with family for a little bit before heading out to see some friends of ours. Rachel and Neil have made several trips to Ponca to see us and I don't think we have ever made the trip to see them (it's honestly been so long I can't remember the last time). We're planning on visiting a little while then we're having dinner at...brace yourself...”The Hideaway”...Oh no! This is the place I've talked about before in previous blogs. You know, the place with those incredible fried mushrooms, the fried mushrooms that make all other fried mushrooms completely inadequate. We're going there on Day 21! So I talked with the manager of The Hideaway today. I had two very important questions: 1. How many calories are in the mushrooms? 2. How many calories are in the pizza? Let's start with the pizza. By the way did I mention that their pizza makes all other pizzas wish they were from the Hideaway? It's made with a special high end mozzarella/provolone blend that they special order from a Wisconsin cheese maker. And the crust? Thin and crispy with an original flavor like no other! The pizza: an average slice of supreme pizza is 310. But that's with all that pepperoni and sausage. I'll make it a veggie and that drops the calories to around 250 per slice. I can handle that! The mushrooms: approximately 30 calories in each one. So for 740 calories I can have two slices of Hideaway pizza and eight fried mushrooms. That's the plan! If I wanted to make it an even 800 I could dip a few in some Ranch, and I may, but really...They're so good, I'll enjoy them just as much without any dipping. These two events this weekend are the types of things that will come up from time to time for the rest of our lives. Learning to enjoy events like these without over indulging in the food and drink is a skill that is important forever, not just because we're counting calories. It's like the cookout last weekend. I focused on enjoying the company, the breeze, my iced tea, and oh yeah we had food too. Making the food NOT the most important thing is something that I'm just now learning.

I completely destroyed a nearly brand new pair of shoes the other day. I've always been a big believer in buying quality shoes because they last much longer. But as we find ways to be more economical and stretch dollars we sometimes buy something because of the price and not the quality. About seven or eight months ago Irene bought me a new pair of shoes for ten bucks. I didn't like the size of the tongue, so they stayed in the closet never worn until a week and a half ago. I needed a shoe that would better support me on the walking trail so I dug them out. After ten days the soles have become detached from the upper and upon further investigation the actual supports inside the soles have disintegrated. Turned to rubbery powder. I'm not kidding! Wow...I guess they weren't rated for 500 pounds walking on them every evening. What have I learned from this? A good pair might cost more, but will last much longer! And if you're walking and working out everyday you really need a good pair of athletic shoes. Plus, with a little looking around you can usually find a half-off sale. Irene found a brand new pair of New Balance walking shoes for her job not long ago for twenty bucks. They are easily sixty or seventy dollar shoes. You just have to hunt for the bargains, cause they're out there!

I made a trip to Wal-Mart this evening and narrowly escaped a very embarrassing situation. I was shopping for more zero calorie water flavoring pouches and other zero calorie soft drinks when the phone rang. It was Irene letting me know she arrived at her destination safely. As I talked I held the phone to my ear and had the other hand pushing the basket. It was a busy evening at Wal-Mart and I had to keep that basket moving. Only one problem: My pants kept trying to fall down! There I was pushing the basket and pulling up my pants...pushing and pulling, over and over, until I got into a lane of people that I had to maneuver very carefully. I couldn't take my hands off the “wheel” here and I didn't want to hang up on my wife, so I walked slowly and then...Oh no! There they go! Hurry...grab them! I did grab them just in the nick of time! I guess that's a good problem to have huh? It's time to see if those smaller belts I've never worn in the closet will fit. We're headed to the walking trail! Day 19 is in the books. One day at a time we're getting there! It feels so good.

Good Choices,
Sean