First day of the Road Trip --

We packed and loaded the Honda Element ... picked up Rick's check at Ballard's ... and got on the road headed north by northwest -- somewhere around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon ... :-) ... At times it seemed almost like a conspiracy against us going ... we took a step forward into leaving, and then 2 steps back. But, we did get it all done ... and on the road :-) ... Thank you God!!!  

We drove from Sulphur Springs, TX to Oklahoma City, OK - made it just north of OKC for a fuel fill up around 6:30 p.m. Not bad time at all. As we were getting fuel, it started raining/snowing. We were already tired and stressed from the day, hungry and now cold and wet. So rather than fight it all any longer, we just called it a day. Got a hotel room at the Days Inn - everything was unloaded into the room. And we went out for supper. 

Decided on The Cracker Barrel, just up the road from the Days Inn. Walked in and it was warm and inviting. The people were very friendly. We were seated at a comfortable table. Mary was our waitress. Her first question was if she could start us off with something to drink. We both ordered tea. Before she could walk away to get the tea for us, I told her to "be prepared" ... it had been a long and hard day, we were cold and hungry, and I was THIRSTY!!! She smiled and said that was fine - she liked a challenge! LOL Right then we knew we had a good waitress! LOL 

Rick ordered a steak and veggies ... I wanted to order the chicken and dumplings, but didn't know how they tasted. I asked Mary about them, and she said that she would get me a sample. :-) ... Oh my word!!! Awesome! Absolutely awesome! Made me think of my momma :-) ... So, i ordered the chicken and dumplings with a sides of broccoli, baby carrots and mashed potatoes. 

The meal was the best that we have  had anywhere in a LONG time!!! Rick is VERY particular about his steak - and he said that this one was perfect! Cooked to his standard of perfection, seasoned to where it melted in his mouth. My chicken and dumplings? Well, I felt held and comforted. 
Oh, and the tea glasses? Well, they stayed FULL!!! LOL 

After we ate, Mary asked if everything was good ... we told her better than good, better than excellent. Just awesome!!! 
My only complaint? Why did she bring me so much tea??? LOL She just laughed. And then gave us both a great big hug!!! 

We complimented her to the "in charge" people. Mary was great!!! So, if you are ever headed north on I-35 out of OKC, take the 137 exit, go to the Cracker Barrel and ask for Mary :-) ... tell her we said HI! :-) 

---

Just a bit of trivia -- 
*Oklahoma City, OK is the capital of the Oklahoma, and its largest city. 
*It is also the county seat of Oklahoma County. 
*It ranks 29th in population of all US cities, as of 2012 599,199 people called OKC home. 
*OKC features one of the largest livestock markets in the world.
*OKC is situated in the middle of an active oil field, and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds. 
*OKC was founded during the Land Run of 1889 and grew to a population of over 10,000 within hours of its founding. 
*Some of the "famous" OKC people -- 
--Johnny Bench, baseball Hall of Famer
--Lon Chaney, Jr, actor
--Vince Gill, singer and songwriter
--Anita Bryant, singer
--Toby Keith, singer
*OKC is 621.2 square miles large
*Sits at an elevation of 1,201 ft above sea level
*Oklahoma is based on Choctaw Indian words -- "okla" meaning "people" and "humma" meaning "red". 
*Recorded history for the name "Oklahoma" begins with the Spanish explorer Coronado in 1541. 
*Oklahoma became the 46th state in the United States of America on November 16, 1907
*Nickname is - Sooner State
*Motto - "Labor conquers all things"
*State bird - Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
*State flower - mistletoe
*State tree -Redbud
*State song - Oklahoma 

---