The end is near ... finally!

Kitchen splattered with sunshine lush as lush gets! Up and attem right at 5:30am. Holy Smoke! The sky was crystal clear. That was the first thing I noticed when I found my way down stairs and glanced out the deck door Monday morning. I hadn't seen such a clear sky in many, many days. I was in awe of the view but a little taken back by the crappy weather over the weekend and the suddenly beautiful weather upon us now. I still manufactured a snotty discharge from my nose and throat after completing my exercise routine. I was, however, marginally better than the day before. Hopefully my symptoms will be completely gone in a couple of days. I have been carrying cold symptoms through most of September save for my birthday weekend, although my body was still tired and run down from the first week's cold. I had a little skip in my get-along this morning knowing that I'd be off work on Tuesday to address two personal appointments. I went about my work prep as usual, and Mindy left the house at her normal time leaving me alone for thirty minutes or so. I should’ve driven my BM’er to work but I didn’t. The work day went as planned and without anything too exciting taking place. I did have a one on one with my boss but that too was rather uneventful. I spent a good 4 hours in some online training that ate up the middle of my day. Sandwiched in between, I snuck out for a run. The weather was supremely better than most days of late. It was sunny and 75. I could’ve run without a shirt but wore one. I left work around 5:10pm and bee lined for home. I had grand plans to complete my weekly lawn chores after getting settled in. While I worked in the yard, Mindy would be tinkering indoors. I finished my lawn chores by 7:00pm. The lawn looks absolutely fabulous thanks to lots of rain, cooler temps, and a timely application of fertilizer. Just a couple weeks ago the lawn was looking beyond stressed. All the bare brown spots have sprouted new growth. Provided we avoid an early frost, which typically stops the seasons grass growth, I should have a very healthy lawn headed into winter. The kids returned home just as I was finishing up. Before going in, I put the garbage out. Finally, my work was done. I played with the kids for a few and then ran to the shower to wash away the bits of grass and sweat that always accumulate about my body after a mowing session. After my shower Mindy had our warmed leftovers ready for dinner. We had Roast Beef and roasted red skin taters. It was even better tonight than the night it was fresh. I helped process the kids for bed and soon Mindy and I had an evening alone. We decided our time would be best spent watching the Monday Night Football game from New Orleans. The NFL and ESPN were milking this for all it was worth. Green Day and U2 did a pre-kick-off concert. The crowd was crazy wild. The game was played the same way. New Orleans, a perennial loser (save for a few years in the late 80’s) looked awesome. They won the game over Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons.23-3. We, however, only watched till halftime. We were both tired. What as most surprising to me was the fact that Vick could do nothing – run or pass.