I have a confession to make. We ate kolaches for breakfast again. And lunch. And dinner. Yes, they were that good. And no, this is not normal for me. I don’t usually eat dessert three times a day. Or even three times a week. In general, I have a fairly healthy diet. But when I go on vacation, I have a tendency to make allowances. I mean, eating the local cuisine is part of experiencing a new locale and when I travel, I like to partake a bit more freely than I might at home. So yes. Kolaches three times today. But at least the ones we ate for breakfast had eggs, sausage, and ham so they were more than just empty carbs. 😜 (And FYI-because of how they are baked, kolaches from Pearl Snap are square.)
One of the reasons we scheduled our trip for this week is that the Fort Worth area is in the path of totality for today’s total solar eclipse. Based on their experience when Kevin took our boys to Wyoming to see the last total solar eclipse, we opted to just hunker down at the hotel and watch the eclipse from here. Many other guests did the same, so we were definitely in good company. Nathan’s need for some good Texas BBQ was not fulfilled by our dinner on Saturday evening, so we picked up some BBQ for lunch and brought it back to enjoy at the hotel while we watched the first part of the eclipse. There was even a small serving of green beans included with our order, so I had a few veggies. I’m not sure they were the healthiest veggies I’ve ever had as they were cooked with bacon, but they were tasty!
When all my men folk went to see the last eclipse, Malia and I stayed home. The big reason for that was the fact that it was August and since getting overheated is one of my migraine triggers, I knew that being outside all day in the middle of nowhere was going to be a miserable experience. I did check Malia out of school so we could watch the eclipse from here, but there is a big difference between 90% and totality where a solar eclipse is concerned. My boys came home with some amazing tales and spectacular pictures, but honestly, having seen a full solar eclipse with my own eyes, pictures can never do it justice. We were afraid that the weather would not cooperate today, but we lucked out and it was clear up until about a minute into totality when a cloud drifted over. So, while we didn’t get to see the full 3 ½ minutes of totality, we were lucky enough to experience some of it! And it was pretty darn cool!
I know there are plenty of people who think that the world and the universe are just one big fluke, a random event that just happened to end with people walking the earth, but I can’t believe that. For instance, the moon is the exact right size and the exact right distance from the sun so that a total eclipse is possible. If the size of the moon or the distance between the moon and the sun were even just a tiny bit different, it would be an impossibility. And I just can’t see things like that happening as a result of the big bang. As the Alma taught, “All things denote there is a God.” (Alma 30:44) And major celestial events like this are yet another reminder of the mindful creation that put us where we are.
This afternoon we just hung out at the hotel. It was basically the relaxation portion of this vacation. I watched part of a movie, took a nap, and read for a while before we ate dinner. And guess what I had for dinner? BBQ? No! Potato salad? No! Kolaches? No! (Well, yes, but after my main course. 😉) A nice big salad? YES! And it was delightful. There is a Panera Bread in the parking lot of the hotel and that was our dinner stop. It made me soooooo happy!
To wrap it all up, Nathan’s dream came true today. He worked on homework while we waited for the eclipse, so he did in fact do math in Texas. 😂
