We woke kind of early given that we didn’t go to sleep until well after 1am. I think that I was up and about by 8:25am. Mindy, however, was already downstairs with the kids tending to their needs. I stayed upstairs to complete my push-ups and sit-ups preferring to get them done without interruption. As I ventured downstairs the house was a rockin’ with three little ones having fun. I was hopeful that Mindy wouldn’t have Ykraps carpet bomb story to share. She didn’t.
After whipping out a set of curls with my dumbbells, I leashed up Ykraps for a walk. When we returned I sipped my first cup of coffee. As I sat and contemplated the day ahead, Mindy began making breakfast for the kids. She made Maple bacon and pancakes. I didn’t eat any before my run. I never do. My culinary reward will be recognized after I finish. I left for my run just before 9:30am. I took my usual weekend route still shrouded under the blanket of thick fog. It had only begun to thin as I finished.
When I returned, I was ready for some of that scrumptious food. Lindsey pointed out that it was hiding in the microwave. We were out of the ‘good maple syrup’, so issued honey, cinnamon, and Splenda. That was good too! By the time I finished eating and cleaning up the mess, It was nearly 11am. I had promised Mindy for some time that we’d hang Jacob’s shelves today, so that was next on the agenda. After gathering the right tools, Mindy and I got started. We hung all four via anchors and screws just before the Buckeye’s opening kick-off. Once the game started I headed down stairs to enjoy the game. Mindy stayed up decorating Jacob’s new shelves with all the pirate fodder she’s accumulated over the last month or so.
The game didn’t begin well for the Buckeye’s. They looked a step slow on defense and a bit tentative on offense just s many faithful fans feared. The kids were being noisy and rambunctious so I decided to head up to my room where I could close the door and watch the game in peace. I was a tad stressed. Our room is like a retreat in itself, and thankfully quiet. I watched as the Buckeye’s slowly began to take control of the game. After sitting idle for about thirty minutes, I decided I’d get up and get cracking on scrubbing the master bath tile floor as well as the large soaking tub. For the next 1.5 hours I meticulously scrubbed the white grout with a narrow scrub brush after applying a generous coating of Clorox cleaner with Bleach and allowing it to soak in. Not only did it brighten the white grout, but it also restored the original matte finish to the tile. It literally sparkled when I finished. In addition to all the scrubbing, I trimmed the fern plant that sits in the large corner of the soaking tub. It was looking rather straggly but now it looks like new, too. And talk about the power of two. While I was scrubbing upstairs and enjoying the game, Mindy was downstairs scrubbing the kitchen and walkway tile floor. It’s white and shows dirt very easily.
After we finished the floors, Mindy went to fetch her mother for a visit. I got busy right away on replacing three small decking boards that filled the corners around my hot tub. The originals were pulled in May of 2005 so that I could raise the hot tub for repairs. After resinking the tub this past May, I had yet to put full closure to the project by replacing those three boards. Today that would change. Although the pieces were small (each about 21 inches long), they had some tricky cuts & angles. This work required my circular saw, jig saw, and miter saw. It took about an hour to completely finish the job. I felt very good about getting it done once and for all. And since I was on a roll, after I finished that I grabbed the jar of white touch up paint that pretty much covers my entire house and touched up a few nicks and smudges around the house that have been bugging me all summer.
After I finished, I sat down to relax and enjoy the rest of the Michigan vs. Notre dame game. Michigan was killing them something like 34-10 at halftime. Ouch!! Lindsey had called all upset and talked with Mindy. Out of the blue she showed up at our door thirty minutes later. She was fighting with her mother – again. We told her she could stay the night but that the kids wouldn’t be there nor would we. Lindsey and her mother fight constantly. Quite honestly, neither are very good at resolving conflict, but both are good at instigating. Of course that’s just my opinion.
Mindy left to run her mother home sometime close to six o’clock. Lindsey asked if she could go along for the ride. I stayed home with the three little ones. At first they all fussed thinking instead that they were going to get to go along with Mindy. Thinking quick on my feet, I yelled, “fishy, fishy, cross my ocean”. They all came running after me into the back yard. Lil’ Rocky continued asking for his mommy about ol’ one hundred and fifty times until I was thoroughly annoyed. But he’s only three, and knows little else other than his mommy. We’re working on that. Kaileigh on the other hand, just loves spending time with me. We played for the entire half hour that Mindy and Lindsey were gone. The last ten minutes the kids gathered round while I played guitar. I was hoping that they’d sing but they screamed loudly instead.
The day wound down and the evening wore on. Jim Manken arrived to pick-up the kids just after 7:30pm as planned. I jumped in the shower. Mindy had already done so. Tonight we were going to dinner to celebrate our one year anniversary. We had 8:30 reservations at Tucci’s in Dublin – the same restaurant we visited on our first ‘pick-me-up date’ last September 24th. Mindy looked even prettier tonight than she looked a year ago. It must be me that helps brings out the beauty.
We drove the BM’er and arrived at Tucci’s 15 minutes early. After giving our name for an outdoor table, we sat in the bar, but didn’t drink. Our table became available close to fifteen minutes later. I caught a glimpse of Cynthia Hengeli, an old friend of mine, having dinner at the first table in the door. I saw her and she saw me. Neither of us acknowledged the other, however. We sat at a comfy table outside nestled between two warm patio heaters. We ordered key lime martini’s to begin our dinner and eventually two separate appetizers – blackened bay scallops, and crab cakes. For entrees, Mindy ordered filet mignon – just like last year. I ordered the crusted grouper. After about fifteen minutes the server returned to tell me that they were out of it. I changed my order to the BLT strip steak. After ordering second drinks, Mindy ordered a bowl of their tomato bisque. I had several spoonfuls. It was delicious! Everything was tasty. And even though I really wanted the grouper, the steak they brought looked out of this world delicious too. I must be a fair food critic, the steak looked fabulous but was tougher than nails. It was very rubbery and hard to cut even with a steak knife. Still, it was good tasting and everything else was above average. The night would have been ideal and the service rated superb had they not committed the heater blunder. The heater behind Mindy went out. When we informed our server she fetched a manger since she had no idea how to reignite it. When the manager came over he was very apologetic but instead of relighting he took it away and placed it by another table. What? I called for his attention and brought to light his blunder. He did some fast talking and had a good argument but that did little to address the problem. Choosing not to make a scene we graciously forgave him since our dinner was all but done.
We left after receiving our bill, which incidentally included both the strip and the grouper. Mindy was wise enough to scan the bill for the proper charges and caught their third blunder of the night. This was a special night for us so we chose to focus more on the positive events rather than the mistakes. When we retuned to the BM’er the night air had chilled considerably. Rules are rules, however. We still drove with the top down. After turning in the heater and the seat warmers, the ride was very enjoyable. At home I thought that I was sure to get lucky. I mean, hey, Mindy wanted to hot tub and it was our anniversary, but she was crashing fast. Her pulse was soaring around 100 beats per minute. Soon she was asleep. I was OK with that. She was asleep before 11pm. I wasn’t too far behind. Perhaps a really good night’s sleep was in order.
We woke kind of early given that we didn’t go to sleep until well after 1am. I think that I was up and about by 8:25am. Mindy, however, was already downstairs with the kids tending to their needs. I stayed upstairs to complete my push-ups and sit-ups preferring to get them done without interruption. As I ventured downstairs the house was a rockin’ with three little ones having fun. I was hopeful that Mindy wouldn’t have Ykraps carpet bomb story to share. She didn’t.
After whipping out a set of curls with my dumbbells, I leashed up Ykraps for a walk. When we returned I sipped my first cup of coffee. As I sat and contemplated the day ahead, Mindy began making breakfast for the kids. She made Maple bacon and pancakes. I didn’t eat any before my run. I never do. My culinary reward will be recognized after I finish. I left for my run just before 9:30am. I took my usual weekend route still shrouded under the blanket of thick fog. It had only begun to thin as I finished.
When I returned, I was ready for some of that scrumptious food. Lindsey pointed out that it was hiding in the microwave. We were out of the ‘good maple syrup’, so issued honey, cinnamon, and Splenda. That was good too! By the time I finished eating and cleaning up the mess, It was nearly 11am. I had promised Mindy for some time that we’d hang Jacob’s shelves today, so that was next on the agenda. After gathering the right tools, Mindy and I got started. We hung all four via anchors and screws just before the Buckeye’s opening kick-off. Once the game started I headed down stairs to enjoy the game. Mindy stayed up decorating Jacob’s new shelves with all the pirate fodder she’s accumulated over the last month or so.
The game didn’t begin well for the Buckeye’s. They looked a step slow on defense and a bit tentative on offense just s many faithful fans feared. The kids were being noisy and rambunctious so I decided to head up to my room where I could close the door and watch the game in peace. I was a tad stressed. Our room is like a retreat in itself, and thankfully quiet. I watched as the Buckeye’s slowly began to take control of the game. After sitting idle for about thirty minutes, I decided I’d get up and get cracking on scrubbing the master bath tile floor as well as the large soaking tub. For the next 1.5 hours I meticulously scrubbed the white grout with a narrow scrub brush after applying a generous coating of Clorox cleaner with Bleach and allowing it to soak in. Not only did it brighten the white grout, but it also restored the original matte finish to the tile. It literally sparkled when I finished. In addition to all the scrubbing, I trimmed the fern plant that sits in the large corner of the soaking tub. It was looking rather straggly but now it looks like new, too. And talk about the power of two. While I was scrubbing upstairs and enjoying the game, Mindy was downstairs scrubbing the kitchen and walkway tile floor. It’s white and shows dirt very easily.
After we finished the floors, Mindy went to fetch her mother for a visit. I got busy right away on replacing three small decking boards that filled the corners around my hot tub. The originals were pulled in May of 2005 so that I could raise the hot tub for repairs. After resinking the tub this past May, I had yet to put full closure to the project by replacing those three boards. Today that would change. Although the pieces were small (each about 21 inches long), they had some tricky cuts & angles. This work required my circular saw, jig saw, and miter saw. It took about an hour to completely finish the job. I felt very good about getting it done once and for all. And since I was on a roll, after I finished that I grabbed the jar of white touch up paint that pretty much covers my entire house and touched up a few nicks and smudges around the house that have been bugging me all summer.
After I finished, I sat down to relax and enjoy the rest of the Michigan vs. Notre dame game. Michigan was killing them something like 34-10 at halftime. Ouch!! Lindsey had called all upset and talked with Mindy. Out of the blue she showed up at our door thirty minutes later. She was fighting with her mother – again. We told her she could stay the night but that the kids wouldn’t be there nor would we. Lindsey and her mother fight constantly. Quite honestly, neither are very good at resolving conflict, but both are good at instigating. Of course that’s just my opinion.
Mindy left to run her mother home sometime close to six o’clock. Lindsey asked if she could go along for the ride. I stayed home with the three little ones. At first they all fussed thinking instead that they were going to get to go along with Mindy. Thinking quick on my feet, I yelled, “fishy, fishy, cross my ocean”. They all came running after me into the back yard. Lil’ Rocky continued asking for his mommy about ol’ one hundred and fifty times until I was thoroughly annoyed. But he’s only three, and knows little else other than his mommy. We’re working on that. Kaileigh on the other hand, just loves spending time with me. We played for the entire half hour that Mindy and Lindsey were gone. The last ten minutes the kids gathered round while I played guitar. I was hoping that they’d sing but they screamed loudly instead.
The day wound down and the evening wore on. Jim Manken arrived to pick-up the kids just after 7:30pm as planned. I jumped in the shower. Mindy had already done so. Tonight we were going to dinner to celebrate our one year anniversary. We had 8:30 reservations at Tucci’s in Dublin – the same restaurant we visited on our first ‘pick-me-up date’ last September 24th. Mindy looked even prettier tonight than she looked a year ago. It must be me that helps brings out the beauty.
We drove the BM’er and arrived at Tucci’s 15 minutes early. After giving our name for an outdoor table, we sat in the bar, but didn’t drink. Our table became available close to fifteen minutes later. I caught a glimpse of Cynthia Hengeli, an old friend of mine, having dinner at the first table in the door. I saw her and she saw me. Neither of us acknowledged the other, however. We sat at a comfy table outside nestled between two warm patio heaters. We ordered key lime martini’s to begin our dinner and eventually two separate appetizers – blackened bay scallops, and crab cakes. For entrees, Mindy ordered filet mignon – just like last year. I ordered the crusted grouper. After about fifteen minutes the server returned to tell me that they were out of it. I changed my order to the BLT strip steak. After ordering second drinks, Mindy ordered a bowl of their tomato bisque. I had several spoonfuls. It was delicious! Everything was tasty. And even though I really wanted the grouper, the steak they brought looked out of this world delicious too. I must be a fair food critic, the steak looked fabulous but was tougher than nails. It was very rubbery and hard to cut even with a steak knife. Still, it was good tasting and everything else was above average. The night would have been ideal and the service rated superb had they not committed the heater blunder. The heater behind Mindy went out. When we informed our server she fetched a manger since she had no idea how to reignite it. When the manager came over he was very apologetic but instead of relighting he took it away and placed it by another table. What? I called for his attention and brought to light his blunder. He did some fast talking and had a good argument but that did little to address the problem. Choosing not to make a scene we graciously forgave him since our dinner was all but done.
We left after receiving our bill, which incidentally included both the strip and the grouper. Mindy was wise enough to scan the bill for the proper charges and caught their third blunder of the night. This was a special night for us so we chose to focus more on the positive events rather than the mistakes. When we retuned to the BM’er the night air had chilled considerably. Rules are rules, however. We still drove with the top down. After turning in the heater and the seat warmers, the ride was very enjoyable. At home I thought that I was sure to get lucky. I mean, hey, Mindy wanted to hot tub and it was our anniversary, but she was crashing fast. Her pulse was soaring around 100 beats per minute. Soon she was asleep. I was OK with that. She was asleep before 11pm. I wasn’t too far behind. Perhaps a really good night’s sleep was in order.
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