Conley Update

Tonight I was reading my favorite magazine and they had an article about the Georgia Guidestones? Have you heard about these things?

Essentially some guy (we don’t even know his real name) representing an anonymous group of people wanted to build a monument in rural North East Georgia. What is the monument? It’s the ten commandments for the new world order.

What?

Yeah, exactly. Also called America’s Stonehenge, these massive slabs of granite were put together in such a way to survive an apocalyptic event. The purpose of the guidestones are to be the rules for the post-apocalypse civilization. Here’s the Wikipedia entry.

I totally want to go see these things. They’ve been in place since 1980. Although I didn’t live too close to these things, why have I not heard of them? Perhaps I’ll see them on a future roadtrip! It’s not really on the way to anything, so the next time I’m in Georgia and I have absolutley nothing to do for 10-12 hours, I’ll venture out to cross these off my “things to see” list.

Okay, before you roll your eyes and dismiss this post, please here me out. This soap has changed my life and it could possibly change your life as well.

Okay, that was just a little dramatic. Before I met Sara I was a bar soap kinda guy. It’s all I ever knew. Men don’t use them sissy, flowery body washes, right? Then Sara brought her body wash into my life and I’ve been living life differently. When I watch those commercials where they talk about soap scum, residue and sticky film left behind by bar soap, not my head in agreement. I’ve been converted.

I think what normally drives Sara’s choice in body wash selection is price. She gets whatever is on sale. Currently we’re using Soft Soap’s Honeysuckle and Orange Peel. It’s good, but it doesn’t compare to what we just finished. Seriously, as much as moving to body wash changed my life, this product changed my life again. It’s Soft Soap’s Pomegranate and Mango. I’ll be honest. I don’t really like mango and I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten a pomegranate. However, every time I used this stuff, I wanted to eat it. I didn’t because it was soap. But if you poured this stuff in a jar and gave it to someone, they’d want to drink it becasue it smells that good. You; however, would be a jerk for getting someone to drink soap though.

So, if you’re at the store and you see a bottle of Pomegranate and Mango, do yourself a favor and get a bottle or three. I’m praying it goes on sale again soon. Now you know what’s going on my Christmas list this year.

Titus has always been a Cheerios kinda kid. Initially we thought it was cute when he’d go to the pantry and bring us the box of Cheerios. It got less cute when he would  grab the box and dump all the contents onto the floor. Step two was to roll aound in it experiencing a pure Cheerios pleasure. We usually got to him before step two. We also didn’t find his insatiable Cheerios munchies so cute. He’d finish a decently large meal and once he got down from his chair he’d head directly for the pantry for his comfort food.

Well, last week Sara picked up a bag of Marshmallow Mateys. This is the knock-off brand of Lucky Stars. This was a college staple for me. Like his daddy, Titus loves his Mateys. LOVES them! He loves every little bite, but I know it’s the marshmallowy goodness that has him addicted. He craves it. He thinks about it. He dreams about it. I’m just not sure how far this might go. Have we created a monster? I feel it’s power on me too. I’ve already had two bowls of it myself this morning. So, if you’ve got a two-year old, hold off on the Mateys as long as you can!

Sara and I love to travel and experience new things, even if those new things seem trivial to others. However, we do like to take advantage of where we live. Not that we’ve done so on purpose, but in the ten year we’ve been married, we’ve lived in four differnt cities in three differnt states (more if you count our six month stint in Georgia). So the thing we’ve learned is that we have to take advantage of seeing everything there is around us while we’re there. Otherwise, we may regreat never having seen ________ or not having visited ________. Personally, I’d be real happy to stay put for now. I love what I’m doing at Gateway and we love where we live. Plus, there are enough things to do around her to keep us buys for a decade.

So, in addition to our BBQ challenge, we’re taking on the Swimming Hole Challenge as well.

One thing we noticed since living in central Texas is that people around here love their swimming holes. More than any other place I’ve ever seen, these people love their rivers, lakes and stream. I guess it’s making up for the fact that Texas doesn’t have the best beaches. I was first exposed to this when we moved here and we saw Barton Creek in Zilker Park. Just south of downtown is a HUGE, beautiful spring fed swimming hole that people swim in year round (the temperature of the water is 68 degrees year round). Then we started to hear about all the people who tube down the Guadalupe or swim in the Frio. Then last summer Texas Monthy, the same magazine that ran the BBQ competition, had an article about the best spots to swim in Texas. Most of these swimming holes are close to where we live, so Sara and I (Titus too) are going to plunge in to all that we can.

Below is the list from Texas Monthy:

1. Barton Springs - Austin.
2. Blue Hole - Wimberly
3. Brinks Crossing - Cedar Point
4. Balmorhea State Park - Toyhavale
5. Hamilton Pool - Travis County
6. Garner State Park - Uvalde County
7. Schlitterbahn West - New Braunfels
8. Deep Eddy Pool - Austin
9. Medina River - Near Bandera
10. Fort Clark Springs - Bracketville
11. Krause Springs - Spicewood
12. Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area - Ratcliff
13. City Tube Chute - New Braunfels
14. Lake Raven - Huntsville
15. Utopia City Park - Utopia
16. Burger’s Lake - Fort Worth
17. The Quince - Camp Wood
18. The Slab - Kingsland
19. Cypress Bend Park - New Braunfels
20. Lake Fryer at Wolf Creek Park - Perryton
21. Rio Vista Park - San Marcos
22. Hunt Crossing - Hunt
23. Village Creek State Park - Lumberton
24. Blanco State Park - Blanco
25. Hancock Springs Pool - Lampasas

In addition to this list, I found another list of top swimming spots. I won’t include repeats from the previous list:

1. Lake Whitney
2. Pedernales Falls
3. Mustang Island State Park
4. Guadalupe River State Park
5. Colorado Bend State Park

There you have it. That’s 30 swimming holes. There are a few that may be a little futher out of our way and aren’t as high of a priority. However, we’re going to hit as many of these as we can. We’ve already been to Hamilton Pool and we anticipate going there again soon. Between our busy schedules and all, I assume that this will take us 2-3 years to complete. So, if you’re in the area, you like to swim and are up for a bit of adventure - let us know and we’ll put it on the schedule!

I first heard about Hamilton Pool last year. With moving into our house and 5 longs months of unpacking, we never got out to any Texas swimming holes. But today was the perfect day. We had nothing planned and it was HOT! Perfect! Hamilton Pool is only 45-60 minutes from the house. After an $8.00 entry fee and a 1/4 mile hike down to the actual pool, you’re at one of the coolest places I’ve seen in Texas.

Supposedly the pool and grotto was formed over a thousand years ago when the dome of an underground river collapsed. The result is a beautifully secluded pool with a 45 foot waterfall feeding the pool. On our visit today, the waterfall was more of a trickle. The preserve only has parking for 75 cars (we had to wait 15 minutes for a parking spot today). It’s a good thing the lot doesn’t park more as the pool was busy with people. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was plenty full.

This was Titus’ real first time swimming this summer. He did really well. We were in the water for about an hour. The water was cold, so he clung tight to me for the first ten minutes or so. Later he got in his inter tube (reluctantly at first) and we floated out to the middle of the pool. Last of all we tried on his new life jacket. He wasn’t as wild about the life jacket or being in the water without something to hang on.

We had a lot of fun splashing each other, spinning around, throwing him up in the air and dunking him (just kidding, there was no dunking today). Overall, it was a beautiful day in a perfect location and everyone had a blast. Sara and I kept remarking how it really felt like we were in some far-off and tropical get-away while only being 45 minutes from home. Yeah, we love where we live.

I feel like we’ve just entered the BBQ big leagues. Several week ago Sara and I decided to hit the top five BBQ joints in Texas. They’re all within an hour or so of Austin, so it’s a great challenge.

Today we caravaned with with two other couples from our church to head down to Lockhart, TX. Since all of us had kids, we had to ride in three separate cars. Lockhart is actually home to two of the top five BBQ joints. Smitty’s Market was the original and either the brother or sister of the owner branched out and started Kreuz Market right down the road. It’s amazing such a small town has room for two BBQ giants.

So I’ll give you my general impressions. If you want the detailed review, check out Sara’s blog at Dixie Gypsy for the lowdown.

We walked in the back of the resturant where you pick out your meet. It was a dark and smoky brick room (the brick was all black from years of smoke. As soon as I came around the corner I was met by intense heat. Why, there was a fire on the floor about four feet from where I was standing. No, this isn’t the place to let your two-year old run around… there is FIRE ON THE FLOOR! The two fires were heating the two pits filled with meat.

Sara ordered a 1/4 pound of lean brisket and I got 1/4 pound of fat brisket. I also got a hot ring and a pork chop. I’d heard the pork chops were good. As bad as I wanted one, I resisted the prime rib. It seems that the serious BBQ joints here in Texas serve prime rib (which happens to be my favorite cut of meat). In case you don’t know (I didn’t), a hot ring is a link of sausage. The ends are tied together forming a ring. The hot rings are pulled off the pit and the cold rings are not… so they’re cold.

We paid for our food (amazingly it was less that $20 and walked into the air conditioned eating area. I made one of two possible mistakes. After sitting down I asked a worker who walked by where I can get a fork. “We don’t have forks.,” was his response. They did have plastic knifes, but no forks. You eat with your hands. Can you imagine eating brisket or prime rib with your bare hands? The meat was so tender you didn’t have to worry about cutting it with your lone knife. I didn’t make the second mistake as I already knew about it. Don’t has for BBQ sauce. They don’t have that either. I guess it’s like the way I grew up. My Dad always told me that a good steak doesn’t need any steak sauce. I guess the same is true of good Texas BBQ. It was kind of wierd not having the sauce to dip the meat in. However, I’m not complaining. It was incredible BBQ and I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. Not having BBQ sause makes it easier to eat with your hands I guess.

So, I certainly recommend BBQ. Yes, it was some of the best BBQ I’ve ever eaten. We’ll see how it fares with the others.

Today I’m doing a wedding. I’ve been counseling the couple for a few months and I’m excited to finally be performing the wedding. The wedding is being held at the beautifu Zilker Botanical Gardens. So what make’s it a wedding cookout?

The heat. Looks like we’ll reach the hottest point of the day at 5:00 PM. What time does the wedding start? 5:00! We’re doing the wedding in the rose garden. It’s beautiful, but there’s no shade. Actually the groom, bride and I will be under an arbor, but everyone atteneding will be in the sun! Good thing the wedding’s only 20-25 minutes. Looks like I’ll be drycleaning my suit after this wedding.

Last year Titus had a cupcake. He loved it. This year he got his very own “arf arf” cake.

Titus usually isn’t super quick to try new foods. I started to feed Titus a piece and he wasn’t thrilled. I got him his own spoon and he started digging in. Between the dog cake and his own bowl of ice cream, Titus downed more sugar in one sitting than he has at any other time in his life. He loved it!

Take a look at the puppy casualty.

It didn’t even stand a chance!

I remember exactly what I was doing this time two years ago.

Every year on my birthday my phone rings usually before I wake up. It’s always my mom. Whether I try to sleep a little longer and let her leave a message or wake up to get my birthday greeting, it always starts with the same message. “I remember exactly what I was doing (insert number of years old I am) ago.” I always love it.

Its funny now that I’m a dad and it’s all I can think about right now. Second to my wedding day, June 11, 2007 was the most amazing and beautiful day of my life. It was one day before Titus’ due date and Sara went into labor. Funny thing though, Sara didn’t know she was in labor. We checked in to the hospital right after lunchtime. A little after 9:00 PM, less than three hours before his due date, Titus came into this world.

I don’t know where all this love came from, but I love that boy like crazy. As much as I can’t wait for him to grow up so we can go on hikes, play games together and swim in the pool together, I’ve LOVED every stage. I love my time with him before he goes to bed. I lay on my bed after I bush his teeth and he brings me a book we can read together. I sing to him and if he’s in the mood, we have a little wrestling match. After giving mommy a kiss goodnight, I put him to bed. Before putting him down, I pray for him and let him snuggle in my arms for a little while. Usually before putting him in his bed, I’ll give him some kisses under his chin which always make him giggle. I love this routine. I love my little boy. Then several hours later before I go to bed, I go in to check on him. I put his blanket back on him and put some toys in his bed for him to play with when he wakes up. I love watching my boy peacefully sleep. I love this boy, I love this boy.

So, I remember two years ago like it was yesterday. My life changed forever. I love being a dad. I love my Titus. Happy birthday son!

About two months ago Sara and I went and ate some good BBQ. Really, it was some of the best BBQ I’ve ever put in my mouth. You can read about it here.

Cooper’s BBQ (where we went to get such good BBQ) is voted the best BBQ in Hill Country and among the top 50 BBQ joints in Texas. I was curious. What’s the best BBQ in Texas. A quick google search revealed the top 50 BBQ locations in TX by Texas Monthly Magazine. This review was from 2008, but who really cares if it was last year. What was most intriguing was that the top five BBQ spots in TX are all within an hour of Austin.

You know what that means, right?

So, the BBQ challenge is that over the next 2-3 months, Sara and I (Titus too) are going to visit the top five BBQ restaurants in Texas. Being that Texas style BBQ is far superior to the other variations of BBQ, these places could possibly be the top five in the world.

So, we’ll be keeping you posted on where we go and when. I’ll write about the visit and adventure here on www.kennyandsara.com and Sara will probably write her detailed review at www.dixiegypsie.com. Our first appointment is already scheduled for mid-June. We’re hitting Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX. Yum, I can’t wait.

Here’s a link to the top 50 BBQ in TX.

The #1: Snow’s BBQ in Lexington
Top 5: Kreuz Market in Lockhart
Top 5: Smitty’s Market in Lockhart
Top 5: City Market in Luling
Top 5: Louie Mueller Barbeque in Taylor