Carne Asada Fries

Once every week or two, my husband and I try to make time to have a casual dinner date.  It usually costs under $20.00, and it usually involves going to Aliberto's to eat these:



Hello, Lover.

What you are looking at is something that my husband and I refer to as "Heart Attack on a Plate".  The proper title is "Carne Asada Fries".  It consists of a bed of hot french fries topped with grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and a whole lotta carne asada meat.  They're out of this world! Our good pal bought us a plate of these late one night after a hard day's work, and we were instantly addicted to them.  The problem is that they have approximately 2 trillion calories in them.  You can't eat carne asada fries on a regular basis or you would clog all of your arteries, grow a set of cankles, and take years off of your life.  But in moderation, they are a treat that we really look forward to. In fact, sometimes they are the highlight of the day!

Whenever we eat these fries together on a date, we also have a good "State of the Union" meeting about our goals.  We've got BIG plans. OUTLANDISH plans.  Plans that take a whole lot of steps to accomplish.  Some of our goals are short term, and we map out how to get from point A to point B. We discuss squeeze chutes, and buying bulls, and what we should use to fertilize the pastures this spring.

But we reserve most of our dinner date to discuss the "BIG" plans.  Goals that are so far off in the distance that we've got to start planning for them now. Goals that we may not accomplish until we have grand kids.  For instance, some day, I'd like to host a Cowboy Christmas Ball in my barn.  But to accomplish this goal, there are approximately 47 smaller steps that must be completed first.....like actually building a "real" barn that we could hold a dance in.  We even know who we'd have cater it, and what we'd serve.  When I have my Cowboy Christmas Ball, (Notice I did not say if, I said when) you will all be invited to it!

You see, I think it's really important for couples to dream together.  I love sharing a vision of the future with my husband, and imagining what it would be like to see those dreams fulfilled.  We  take those BIG ideas, and decide what tangible steps we can take to make them become a reality.  We don't mind thinking large scale, because even if we never accomplish all of our goals, we'll still be further ahead  than if we'd never dreamed at all. 

My husband always tells me, "The difference between a dream and a goal is a plan."

So I consider our little date nights to be more like planning sessions. I think that having the same goals helps strengthen our marriage...mutual goals, and the Carne Asada Fries.  Eating Carne Asada Fries together is guaranteed to strengthen your marriage. Just trust me on this one.