Mardi Gras / Ash Wednesday

Since yesterday was officially Mardi Gras, I decided to take the guys out for some beer and wings. There were 5 of us, and we split about 60 wings, a pound of crawfish, and a couple of pitchers of Shiner Bock. After that, some of us went down to lower Greenville here in Dallas for a few more beers and an evening of pool. We got in late, but it was worth it to blow off a little steam.

Now it's Ash Wednesday, though, and time to slow things down a little -- prepare for Easter. I decided that I'd make a point to study the saints that would have relevance to my life (like St. Joe for fathers; St. Christopher for travelers, etc) and try to keep in mind the examples from their lives that would help me be a better person. So that's my big Lent thing this year. Not sure if I'll give up beer, or something else, or whatever, but I've never thought that the 'giving up' part really helped me as much as the 'doing something positive and lasting' part does.

Ian and I attended mass today at lunch at St. Michaels parish down the street in Bedford. Really close to the office here. This is the 4th Ash Wednesday we've celebrated together on the road in 5 years. Hard to believe that it was already a year ago that we went to see 'The Passion' on Ash Wed night.

Anyway, one more day in Dallas, then it's home for a bit. Looking forward to going to Jackson's school on Friday morning for his class' Donuts with Dad.