Fine dining in a gas station...

On Sunday evening Josh and I drove out to Watauga, Texas to eat at Chef Point Cafe, located inside a Conoco gas station. Yes, I picked to eat inside a gas station for my birthday dinner date! :) I have heard so much hype about this little dive that I wanted to finally try it for myself. And I must say....it was DELICIOUS. Seriously, the food and service was unbelievable. It was so funny eating a nice meal inside a gas station....half of the store still looks and acts like a convenience store. From where I sat, I had a great view of the Pennzoil display!

A little Chef Point Cafe history from their website...

Chef Point Cafe is the creation of Franson and Paula Nwaeze. The husband and wife team started looking for a way to open a restaurant in 2001, but most banks were skeptical about lending them start up capital because of their lack of experience and collateral. They discovered that they were much more likely to get financing to open a gas station and once they found a filling station under construction that came up for sale, they jumped at the opportunity...and the rest is history! A mixture of hearty American comfort food and Italian cuisine, the Chef Point Café menu includes such delectable culinary creations as crab cakes topped with roasted bell pepper, lobster bisque, and grilled sea scallops in garlic butter. Their success has been recognized nationally by Paula Dean and Food Network's Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.

If you're looking for a fun, new place to try out, you have to go to Chef Point Cafe. We had a blast and look forward to returning soon! It's definitely worth the drive out to Watauga!

P.S....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARINA!!!!!!!!!! LOVE YOU TONS!!!!

28 was not so great...

{Warning...this post mentions bodily functions...if you have a weak stomach, stop here.}

Let me start by first saying how blessed I felt on Friday by all the phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, cards and gifts I received for my birthday. Truly, I felt so loved and celebrated by my family and friends. But, I must confess...September 25, 2009 "stunk" in more ways than one.

The day started out just dandy. Josh dropped me and the pups off at Cole's school for pet day while he ran and got us coffee and doughnuts. After pet day, I enjoyed my cinnamon & sugar doughnut and vanilla latte, then got to work on details for the wedding I had on Saturday. Around 10am I started feeling a little weird. I kept on working thinking it would pass. Then the diarrhea started....and didn't stop....all day. I had a ton to do for my wedding, so I kept pressing on. I canceled my birthday lunch with Josh because I had absolutely no appetite. After running a few errands I came home and started feeling really bad. Then the projectile vomiting started....thankfully it stopped after I had thrown up 4 times. About 2 hours later when I was walking into the church where the wedding rehearsal was about to start, I projectile (and I mean PROJECTILE) vomited again...twice...in front of the best man. It was lovely. Snot and puke all over my face. After that little incident I was able to make it through the rehearsal with no unwanted bodily functions. On my way home from the church, I found out that Josh, Cole and Kalie were both hit with the "bug" too. I got home around 7:30pm to a perfectly clean house (thanks to my unbelievable husband) and we were both in bed by 8pm.

Needless to say, turning 28 was not so great.

Autumn Color Run and Fried Food...

On September 19th we all participated in the Buena Vista Autumn Color Run...Jimmy and Jill ran the half marathon and the rest of us did the 5K or 10K. Josh and I ran (and walked when needed) the 10K. 6.2 miles might not seem like a long way....but at 8000 feet above sea level, it is! I ran more than I walked, so I was quite proud of myself! Josh finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes and I finished in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

This is me about to cross the finish line. I was running so fast that the camera couldn't catch a clear shot of me. The little girl in the white jacket was amazed....can't blame her.

Jimmy and Jill right after they finished the half marathon! WAY TO GO!!!

I'm sorry, but this picture is awesome...this is my mother-in-law finishing in true Rives style!

The whole gang...

Josh, Me, Jill and Jimmy

That afternoon we all relished in our runners glory by eating crab claws, burgers and Jimmy's famous fries! We had so much fun hanging in dad's shed watching Jimmy fry...

Crab claws...

Sweet potato fries with Jimmy's famous seasoning...

My Aunt Debbie, me, Corinne and Jill...


Our time in BV went by way too fast! We can't wait to get back up there after Christmas!

09.18.09

This past Friday we enjoyed at great day in BV! We slept in a bit, sipped on lattes from Bongo Billy's, had a wonderful breakfast at the Rooster Crow, picked up our race packets, played frisbee golf at Trail West, took a drive to Cottonwood Lake, enjoyed dinner at a new restaurant in town called Eddyline Restaurant and Brewery (the pizza was divine) and played a round of our favorite card game, Shanghai Rummy! It was a fantastic Colorado day! here are a few pics...

The drive to Cottonwood Lake was beautiful (it's about 15 minutes from our house)....

I ♥ Aspen Trees...especially in the fall!

Cottonwood Lake...

In the winter, the lake freezes over so thick that we can drive our cars on it!

Julie and Wray....we were so excited that they got to come with us! It was their first time to The Elk...

My rough and tough "mountain" man...

Josh with his parents...

These bluebirds were everywhere....they have a name, but I can't remember it. So pretty...

And of course, the chipmunks were very glad we were there...they ate like kings!

Dinner at Eddylines...


I'll post pics from the race tomorrow! HAPPY MONDAY!!

The Elk...

We are back from a fantastic weekend in Buena Vista, Colorado! The weather was perfect, the leaves were colorful and The Elk was A M A Z I N G ! ! The "grand opening" of the new and improved Elk was a huge success...we had such a great time! Dad and Corinne did a wonderful job on the addition and remodel of the house. Dad wanted to keep the big reveal a secret until we saw it in person, so I've been dying to see the house for about a month now. I must say it far exceeded all of my expectations! Here are a few pics of our new digs in BV, CO....Enjoy!

The front...

The back...

The incredible view of Mt. Princeton from the back porch...I never get tired of looking at this!

The entry way...this is probably the biggest change...the old entry way was super tiny. This new space is where the an old bedroom use to be. Now the bedroom is through the door on the left.

The front door and otherside of the entry....the door to the left of the front door is a bathroom.

The new downstairs bedroom...first bedroom on the left when you walk through the front door. This room is technically MY (well, and Josh's) room....thanks Dad! :)

My bathroom...

View from the bathroom...

The new (and much larger) living area...this is a HUGE change too!

This living area is brand new...the old living room use to be where the seating area is behind the leather couch...

A view of the new living room from the old living room/new seating area....the door to the left of the new living area leads up to the new upstairs...or the "grand kids room" as dad calls it...

The dinning room...the kitchen is to the right of the table, but I just realized that I didn't get any shots of the kitchen. It was completely remodeled last year....and looks great!

The staircase leading up to the grand kids room...the new upstairs is completely separate from the rest of the house, so the grand kids can go up there and "knock themselves out" (without bothering the adults)!

Grand kids room...excuse the mess....

This room has a great view...

Bunkbeds...

Dad and Corinne's room....this room is downstairs by the kitchen....my dad added this room on about 7 years ago, but they did a few updates to it to make it more functional...

The other side of the room...

The existing staircase leading up to the original upstairs. The upstairs stayed the same for the most part...new carpet and door frames/doors were put in.

The big room upstairs...again, excuse the mess....


A view of the bathroom area leading out of the big room...

Bedroom #2 upstairs...

And last but not least, the smallest bedroom in the house, which we call "Cole's Room"...it's about the size of a walk in closest, but Cole loves it!


The Elk has come along way since we bought it 15 years ago! We can't wait to go back after Christmas! More pictures to come from our weekend in Colorado this week. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

GO COWBOYS!!! Is the new stadium amazing or what?!!

Headed to the Rockies...

Peace out folks...I'm headed to our house in Buena Vista, CO for a long weekend. We fly out tomorrow evening and return on Sunday afternoon. It'll be a quick trip, but I'm really looking forward to getting away for a bit! Dad just completed the addition/remodeled to "The Elk" (that's what we call our house), which I can't wait to see!! We're also participating the 10k Autumn Color Run in BV on Saturday morning. I'll be sure to update you on how that goes...I'm scared. :) Few other things I'm extremely excited about...drinking my morning coffee on the back porch overlooking Mt. Princeton, seeing the yellow glow in the Aspen trees and escaping the Texas humidity/heat for a few days. While we're there, the high is 70 and the low is 44. I'm definitely looking forward to sporting my fleeces for the first time this Fall! I'll post pics from our trip when we return. Have a great weekend!

Something to chew on...

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.

Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.

Basically, these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed.

Why are we so quick to forget God? Who do we think we are? I find myself relearning this lesson often. Even though I glimpse God's holiness, I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not about me at all.

-From Crazy Love by Francis Chan (Pg. 42)

I want to hold your hand....

So, I was driving home from work tonight and noticed a St. Ann's Carnival sign at a stop light in Coppell (St. Ann's Catholic Church in Coppell hosts a community carnival every September). It's hard to believe, but 10 years ago this September I was a senior in high school sliding down the super slide at the St. Ann's Carnival hand in hand with this cool guy named Josh Rives. That was the official start of our little romance....what a "ride" the past 10 years have been!

This Fall I'm Going To....

Finally visit two Dallas landmarks...

The State Fair of Texas


and

The Dallas Farmers Market

Yes, I've lived in Dallas for 14 years and have never been to the fair or farmers market....it's a darn right shame. I can't wait to try some fried butter balls...totally kidding, that is just sick nasty...but I do look forward to eating my way through the fair grounds! :) And picking some pumpkins and gourds for our front porch at the Farmers Market. I ♥ Fall!!

Sweet Dreams...

Our master bedroom is the one room that we really didn't change much when we moved into our house 2 years ago....so, I've been itching to make it "my own" for a while now. I know it will be a process to get it where I want it, but I'm hoping to start with a couple of updates this month for my birthday. On my wish list is a new chandelier and carpet. I'd also love to eventually get new bedding, paint, wallpaper, shudders and accessories. My style has definitely evolved over the years and I still don't know if I actually know what my style is. But for the meantime, I'm really digging tranquil spaces that are traditional with a bit a whimsy, warm, well accessorized and clean lined....not sure if that all makes sense together, but whatever! :) Color wise, I'm loving a mixture of turquoise, khaki, browns, blacks, reds and whites. I was perusing House Beautiful this evening and found some amazing bedrooms....I'd be happy with any of them! Take a look...

OK, so I don't know if I would actually pick this one, but I thought it was funky and fun.

This one if from Wisteria's September 2009 catalog that I got in mail last week....I think it may be my favorite look....

Sweet dreams,
Mindy :)

"The only thing that separates us from the animals in our ability to accessorize."
-Clairee Belcher from Steel Magnolias