Saturday, January 17, 2015

January 17th, 2015 I Just Enjoyed It

January 17th, 2015 I Just Enjoyed It

Sitting down in my seat at the concert and fitting in a perfectly normal way and not crowding the person next to me, was one of those silent acknowledgements that just make you smile inside. I didn't verbalize it, didn't say a word. I just enjoyed it. Really, that was the least of the memorable moments of this day and night.

The wonderful evening out with Amber was preceded by an early trip to the Y for a good cardio workout. I prepared a good breakfast before and enjoyed an unusual lunch after, before departing on this trip she and I was looking forward to experiencing.

When we're traveling somewhere, we're talking constantly. And we had plenty to discuss. Wedding plans and her teaching job were topics we needed to catch up on. And of course, we always have plenty of laughs. One of the most beautiful things I share with both of my daughters is our sense of humor. We love to laugh. And this sense of humor is similar among the three of us, so whenever we're all together, or like tonight, just two of us, it quickly turns hilarious no matter what we're doing or where we're going. When I want to write new stand-up material, the best thing for me to do is hang out with my daughters.

We decided to dine at Chipotle Mexican Grill before the big Garth Brooks concert. Amber and I share a mutual love for this place. It was fast, delicious and easy to count, calorie wise. Originally, I thought we might dine a little closer to the venue, but friends who made this concert trip before us (Garth did 7 sold out shows, tonight being the last) advised of hour and a half wait times to be seated. Chipotle worked beautifully.

My strategy at Chipotle was fairly simple: Crispy chicken tacos, easy on the sour cream, topped with lettuce--no cheese, a 3.5 oz guacamole (Chipotle guac is a must. It's the only guac I enjoy more than my own!) and an order of kids size chips. I've ordered the kids taco kit (2 tacos) on previous trips. This time I simply ordered tacos. It came with three. But as I added the calories in MyFitnessPal, I quickly realized the meal would top 700 calories with all three. I took one away and it turned out to be plenty and a more reasonable 553 calories. I was satisfied and ready to enjoy the concert.

We arrived at the concert right on time, found our seats and took a selfie, of course!
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The concert was incredible. Garth still has it and then some. His wife, Trisha Yearwood, was amazing too. When I watch Garth perform, I can't forget the first time I watched him perform live. Garth attended college in my hometown. He honed his skills at Willie's Saloon on Stillwater's strip, just off the campus of Oklahoma State University. Anyway, it was the mid 80's, five years before his career took off and he was the musical entertainment at the big Stillwater fireworks display on the 4th of July. It was just him and his guitar. The crowd of several thousand weren't really paying too much attention to him. We wanted fireworks, not some unknown guy with a guitar. What I didn't give too much thought to at the time, but did later--and will never forget, is my mom enjoying his performance and proclaiming aloud: "He's going to be big someday." Yep. Mom called it long before any of us could possibly imagine just how big he would eventually become.

The ride home with Amber was just as engaging as the trip to Tulsa. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and the wonderful father/daughter date we shared. It was special. I can't believe I'll be walking her down the aisle in just a few months. Time flies, huh? 

My Tweets Today:


























Thank you for reading and your continued support,
Strength,
Sean
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15 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 18, 2015 at 4:47 AM

    How wonderful to have this special time with Amber
    Yes time really does fly to think I have a 22 yo I mean I just blinked and it happen

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    1. Sean AndersonJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:51 AM

      It was fabulous, TR. Blink and it happens--so true.

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  2. JazzyMaeJanuary 18, 2015 at 7:12 AM

    I remember when I saw Garth for the first time. I almost pee'd my pants he was so good.... he came up from the middle of the floor on top of a white grand piano, ah.. what memories! Love special times with my kids. nothing better!
    Cheers to a wonderful Sunday!
    Rosie

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    1. Sean AndersonJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:52 AM

      He's a showman, there's no doubt! So right Rosie, nothing better! Have a wonderful day!

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  3. PJ GeekJanuary 18, 2015 at 8:11 AM

    love trisha and garth and chipotle

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2015 at 8:32 AM

    Excellent post, Sean.

    Peace ~ Bear

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  5. GwenJanuary 18, 2015 at 11:19 AM

    so glad you had such a lovely, special night with your daughter. Great memories, for both of you. You can see in her expression how much she loves you and was cherishing the experience with you. :)

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  6. Sean AndersonJanuary 18, 2015 at 11:33 AM

    It was a great day, Heather. Thank you! I do recycle, as in--refill/re-use, not every bottle, but some, especially at work and after workouts. :)

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  7. KatrinJanuary 18, 2015 at 4:37 PM

    It is so nice to read about your lovely night out with your daughter. My hubby and daughter are huge Bruce Springsteen fans. Whenever he is in town, they try to make this their night out. In fact, the father/daughter dance at her wedding was the Springsteen song "When You Need Me". It was the perfect song for the two of them.

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    1. Sean AndersonJanuary 19, 2015 at 5:23 AM

      Awe-- I must listen to that Springsteen song right away. I cherish my relationships with my girls. Now I'm thinking about my father/daughter dance with Amber... :) Thank you Katrin.

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  8. NancyJanuary 19, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    So happy you had a fantastic time with Amber at the Garth Brooks concert! You are convincing me I should work on getting to like Mexican food. Always have trouble of what to order when visiting a Mexican restaurant. Will remember the crispy Chicken tacos w/ guacamole!

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    1. Sean AndersonJanuary 19, 2015 at 9:10 PM

      Thank you, Nancy! It's a tricky thing. A few different choices and it quickly becomes a calorie bomb. Had I allowed cheese and beans, the meal would have easily topped 800 cal or more. Any more chips than a 1oz portion, and it would quickly approach 1,000. Rice? Now we're talking almost 1200 calories. Telling them "very easy on the sour cream" was a good move, too. I watched them load others up on it-- so I knew if I didn't say something, they would do the same on mine. I saved at least 100 to 150 cal by being specific in what I needed. Love Chipotle!! It does take intention and careful planning--but after a while, it gets easier to navigate!! I promise!!

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