Trick-Or-Treat: guising

Peter Pan! G.D. Kaileigh in costume - pink pixie! Our pumpkin in costume Our pumpkin after too much coffee Just as I am supposed to, I leaped from my bed at 5:30am a sharp. Again, it’s so easy to get up during the early “fallback” phase. I completed my usual host of morning activities. Nothing out of the ordinary. The day began remarkably cooler than it was on Monday, and those lovely sunny skies wouldn’t be repeated either. Instead, it was expected to be a crappy rainy day. And as Trick-or-Treat befalls, the temps are supposed to drop into the upper 30’s. I wore my blonde wig, shorts, an old OSU sweatshirt, and water shoes to work for Halloween. Many asked who I was supposed to be, but I was no one in particular. As it turned out, I was the only one in the building dressed up. Hmmm? As the work day progressed the weather did nothing but worsen. By run time it was raining and raining pretty good. By the time I finished I was soaked to the bone. I left work on time and hell bent on being home to play Trick-or-Treat. Before the events began, I took Ykraps on his nightly walk. I was still in costume. Mindy’s ex, Jim M. showed up just before 6pm to take the kids out begging. It seemed a little strange for him to be at our house making himself at home and such but I was happy to accommodate and know it’s what’s best for the kids. Jim and the kids headed out the door shortly after 6pm. It was raw and rainy. I was almost certain that our numbers would be down due to the weather. But as it turned out, we had plenty of visitors. Jim and the kids returned a little after 7pm with their bounty. Jim stayed while they sorted their haul on the family room floor. We all took our cut. J He left for home about 15 minutes later. Mindy coaxed the kids upstairs to ready them for bed. I blogged. And just like always, I joined them upstairs for the tuck in process. We skipped reading since it was late. Mindy and I retreated to the family room. Mindy laid down in the middle of the room and fell asleep within minutes. I leaned against the big reading chair and did the same. I woke about an hour later, secured the home, filled my water glass and took an anti-inflammatory. When I returned to wake Mindy, she was already awake and heading upstairs. We were asleep before 10pm.

Carving pumpkins and the Vikings defense

Jacob and I did the one on the left, and Mindy n' Bella the one on the right. The autumn sunshine. A fella could get real used to this “fall back” thing. I woke Monday morning with extreme ease. Of course Mindy and I went to bed a little after 8:30pm ET, too. That equates to almost 9 hours of sleep. I was cheery and ready for a Monday. It didn’t hurt either that the weather was expected to be superb – sunny, warm, and almost 70 degrees. I was determined to drive the BM’er. And if that wasn’t enough to energize my Monday, knowing too that the Vikings were playing on MNF was icing on the cake. I went through my usual routine well before 6am. That’s the first time I can say that in a long while. In turn, I had lunch packed and breakfast prepared even before 6:45am. It was nice too that it was daylight by 6:30am again. And the sunrise was spectacular. And just as you might expect, I was ready to depart for work even before 7:30am for the first time in a long while. After the weekend I had I was 10 times better off than I expected. Work was a bit chaotic but controlled, if that makes any sense. I responded to a few emails from family related to step-mother Sheila’s illness. I talked to my dad who was with her in the hospital today, and the days’ news was far better than earlier. Number one, the cancer is now thought not to be pancreatic, but instead of the lung. Neither is good but given a choice, lung cancer is far more survivable. She’s slated for some radiation today and chemo tomorrow. If that wasn’t enough to weigh on my mind, I had to deal with Lindsey too. She was being very difficult even as Mindy and I are trying to help her through her problems. God knows I can handle all of this, however. My run was timely and good. It was nice to run in shorts in the sunshine all the while sorting through life’s challenges. The afternoon brought some plenty more activity at work. The good news is that the day just blew by. I was carefully watching the clock and sky since I had what I would deem a “daylight only” task ahead at home, and the sunlight was already waning by 5pm. I had to stack my firewood. I left for home at 5:05pm. I had originally thought about stopping at Kroger for some back-up Halloween (Trick-or-Treat candy) since what Mindy bought would likely earn an egging in my subdivision. J When I arrived home Lindsey was there. I was a little surprised given her attitude in email all day. She’s upset with something Mindy said to her. Some times the truth hurts! Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice a nasty scrape along the entire back half of her Honda’s passenger side. This didn’t please me at all. Once inside I greeted everyone then promptly asked for some explanation. And in typical Lindsey fashion, she got very defensive as well as rude & obnoxious. She claims she hit a parked car at the Doodle Bug concert and phoned her mother who told her to drive away since she didn’t have any paper & pen to leave her contact info. Brilliant! Of course she claimed no ownership. Before we knew it, she was swearing like a truck driver and gathering her things to leave. Honestly, I was OK with her departing. Probably best, but I didn’t like her ripping Lil’ Rocky away from the fun we had planned. We were going to carve pumpkins and he was so looking forward to it. Not to mention the increased chance of her getting in an accident being so irritated and in a huff. In the end, there was little Mindy or I could do to convince her to leave Rocky with us. She and he left in whirlwind. After she left, I got the tractor out and pulled the wood trailer to the foot of the driveway making for easy loading into the John Deere trailer for transport to the woodpile. We made it into a family event. Mindy got out her portable spot light and I used the tractor head lights to provide – well, light! The kids helped load and stack and were paid with tractor rides back to the mother load pile in between. It was fun and we did the job quickly. We wasted little time. Back inside we got right to carving our pumpkins. I remember thinking, as busy as we seem to be, it's just a warm up act for the fast approaching holiday season. Two more weekends at home, which are already jam packed, and then off to Oregon for TG. After that, back home for Xmas. The kids tested my patience. Mindy was fine. Bella loves playing in the pumpkin muck. We survived it. We ended up with two pretty cool jack-o-laterns. After wrapping up the carving Mindy did the bath thing while I cleaned up the mess. I was more tha nready for the MNF game. I was stoked that the Vikings were playing on MNF and playing the New England Patriots. The game went the patriots way fro mthe outset. We never were really in the game. They kicked our ass! I was a bit ashamed. I watched the whole thing even still. I stumbled to bed just after 11:30pm.

Fall Back

1) Olivia at rest 2) The early morning sunshining brightly 3) Jacob loving Bella 4) Lemon poppyseed muffins with the drizzle! Because we were given the gift of "falling back”, we got up earlier than unusual. It was 7:15am ET when we rose. To, we were greeted by a beautiful sunny morning. Both of us had gotten up through the night to feed and change Olivia. I got up at 2:30am EDT (1:30am ET). But Mindy got up too to help me get her settled back into her outfit and chair. Mindy got up by herself for the next event sometime near 4 or 5am. Neither time did Olivia cry. We instinctively responded to her stirring before it lead to an emotional cry. As we greeted the new day we were both more than pleased at how well she slept. We left Olivia sleep while we began our morning. Mindy began taking care of Jacob and Bella’s early morning demands, and I began exercising. Soon I was outdoors with Ykraps. On our walk we ran into a strange new dog who befriended us. We could tell he was a “kept” dog. He had all the tell tale signs. He had a license and a bandana. After some sniffing and liking, we parted ways. I was more than anxious to suck down some coffee, so once I returned home I did just that. It was more than good! I had a plan for the day but not nearly as aggressive as Saturday’s plan. Today I hoped to run, stack new firewood, visit Sheila in the hospital, have Kaileigh over for a visit, and dinner at Gloria’s. I left for my run by 8:30am – doing all I could to remain on task. It was nice to run in the sunshine. I was home before 9:20 – just in time to enjoy some maple bacon and lemon poppyseed muffins covered in a tasty lemon glaze. They were delicious! After breakfast I helped ready Jacob and Bella for church. That was no small task and netted Bella a timeout for being unruly. But after some coaching from Mindy, I got Bella to be a cooperator! Just before they left for church, Ashley showed up to get Olivia. I was hoping that she’d forget about her. Darn! After they left I began cleaning up around the house. That took a while. As soon as I finished I took a shower and did a load of running clothes. As I stated earlier, it was beautiful and sunny, but the temperature was still very cool. Despite the chill, I grabbed the BM’er keys and left for Giant Eagle. My plan was to pick-up some flowers and a card for Sheila, as well as flowers for Mindy. Once in the BM’er I realized that I needed gas in it too. I filled up for $2.16 per gallon - most likely the last tank of gas in the BM’er till next spring. I found some lovely live mums for Sheila that I knew she’d love. I found some white roses for Mindy – her favorite! I headed home. On my way home I was once again pulled into a big problem at work. I spent the next hour back at home helping to coordinate that. Some time close to 1:00pm Mindy arrived home from church. She had dropped the kids at hr mothers so that we could visit Sheila in the hospital. We arrived at Mt Caramel West around 1:30pm. Margie and Brenda (Sheila’s sisters) were there at her side. They left the room while we visited. Sheila looked surprisingly well for being so sick. I was happy. She even had on make-up and pretty purple pajamas. We visited for about an hour. I was most impressed with her positive take charge attitude. There are two ways you can go. You can take the high energy approach and demonstrate a determination to fight, or you can take a more low energy, woe is me approach. We talked about her faith and beliefs and the possibility of a misdiagnosis. She also shared her treatment plan, which included volunteering for any experimental drugs or procedures. I was so proud of her. We told her that we loved her, gave her hug, and then we left. While we were in her room, Kaileigh called to confirm our plans to pick her up. We told her we would be there around 3pm. Judging by the clock, we were right on schedule. It was 2:40pm when we got into the Trooper. We arrived at Kaileigh's right about 3pm, just as planned. She seemed excited to spend time with us, and I know I was excited to see her. We went directly to Mindy's mother's from there even though we had earlier discussed going back home and stacking wood. But how much fun would that have been for Kaileigh especially given that Jacob and Bella were at Mindy's mom's. We arrived at Gloria's just after 3pm - an hour earlier than usual. We took advantage of the alone time with just the kids and her mom. We watched a little of the Bengals game while the kids played. Not long after, others began arriving. Todd and Larry were both on duty today, but their wives showed with their kids just the same. Craig and Jeff came too. If I didn't mention, Todd was in a horrible fire Friday that took four lives. He and his peers were lucky to escape the inferno themselves. In fact, two of the firemen went to the hospital with severe burns. We had ham, macaroni salad, and tater tots. The ham was a Kroger ham juiced up via Gloria's own special recipe of fruit juice, cloves, and brown sugar. It was as good as any Honey Baked ham. Dinner was delicious, and just as usual I ate too much. Dessert was spice cake with topped with cinnamon flavored Cool Whip. Again, delicious! We hung out until just after 7pm, but don't forget, it was really 8pm EDT. The kids were cranky and tired. Gloria, bless her heart, gave each of the kids a Halloween goodie bag. Kaileigh fits in well with everyone is such a pleasant little girl. We dropped Kaileigh off first. I'll miss her. Homeward. We arrived home and just like always, I walked Ykraps while Mindy began the bathing/jammie process. When I returned I headed up and did the read and tuck thing. After all of that we chilled by the television and watched a smidgeon of the SNF game. Not too much downstairs. Mindy convinced me to go to bed just after 8:30pm. We were both tired so we headed to bed where we could watch football and snore.

Tight Schedule

Ring-ring. Ring-ring. My Blackberry was ringing at my bedside. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was just after 4am. By the time I answered, the caller had hung up. I checked for a VM and they had left one. It was work. After acknowledging the message I went back to sleep for what I planned to be another couple hours. That didn’t happen. Not 30 minutes later my Blackberry rang once again. Suddenly I was up and working before 5am. That’s earlier than any normal day. I worked for a couple of hours before going back to sleep for another couple of hours. It now seemed clear that my weekend was going to be a doosey! I woke again around 8am and leaped to my feet. I didn’t feel that good but had to get up and get moving nonetheless. The house was already rockin’ with little ones – Jacob, Bella, and Lil’ Rocky. I found some space to do my exercises and logged back into my work PC too. We were dealing with a big issue at work that required some of my undivided attention. In addition, I had a very aggressive personal agenda that included the following: running, retrieving my dad’s trailer, going after a half cord of firewood, picking up the boat and taking it to be winterized, going to Lindsey’s apartment to clean, and then coming home to spend time with baby Olivia. All of that had me just a little stressed since successfully executing the agenda required close attention to the clock. I stayed on tasks even after waking an hour after I desired and adding in the work stuff. I left for my run by 9am and was back before 10am. I left to get the trailer and wood by 10:20am. I was back with the wood by 11:20 – a full 40 minutes earlier than I had budgeted. I was on track. I failed to mention that Lindsey left our house this morning sometime after my run in a huff after we tried advising her about certain meds and the way she’s been interacting with Lil’ Rocky. She never has accepted criticism well. We said what needed to be said for everyone’s well-being. I was very pleased and a little surprised to be on track. I contacted my team at work to check on our progress with the issue at hand. They were doing as good as expected. I tried to get Jacob to go along with me to address the boat winterization. He normally likes going to the storage unit and what not. Today he didn’t want to go. I picked up the boat and headed north to Paul’s Marine. I had a 1:20pm appt but arrived at 1pm sharp. Almost on queue, it began to spit snow just as I pulled up. I couldn’t help but find humor in that! J They gladly took my boat right in and began the process. Meanwhile, I went into the lounge area to try and catch some college football on their big screen, but sadly, I couldn’t get it working. After looking at a couple new boats, they called my name either to alert me that my boat was ready or to tell me there was a problem. Good day! My boat was finished. I paid my fees and headed back towards home. I dropped the boat at storage, stopped for gas, and was back home by 2:30pm. I was 30 minutes ahead of plan. We took our time preparing to leave for Lindsey’s. We gathered the kids and our tubs of cleaning supplies and tools and left the house just after 3pm – still on schedule. Once at Lindsey’s Mindy headed into the kitchen and I headed upstairs to deal with the hallway and bedroom. They were both really dirty. The most difficult piece was dealing with Jacob and Bella who were a bit high maintenance. They were constantly hungry and playing a little rough. Somehow though we muddled through. By 6pm we finished the major cleaning. All it needs now are some finishing touches and lots of ongoing TLC. Lindsey should be proud of it. We took several pictures to show off our work. I wish we had taken some before hand, but didn’t. As we departed, Ashley contacted Mindy to change our plans slightly. She requested that we pick Olivia up instead of her bringing her over. We were more than happy to oblige. The sky was very pretty as we headed east. I asked Mindy to snap some pictures. We arrived at Kelly’s around 6:30pm and retrieved our little bundle of joy. Jacob was surprisingly good at helping feed Olivia on our trip home. As usual, once we were home I ordered pizzas from Minelli’s and then walked Ykraps while Mindy and the kids dotted over Olivia. While at Minelli’s picking up our pizzas, I ran into my old friend, John Raugh, my best man. He and I go back to my wild days hanging at the Al Rosa Villa, Agora (Newport, and Sugar Shack). John was my roommate and played in several big hair rock n’ roll bands. He’s changed a lot. We discussed hooking up and sometime soon. What a throw back. I took the pizzas home and ate dinner with the family. Olivia slept while we ate. Afterwards, Mindy gave Bella a bath and I helped Jacob with a shower. Olivia hung out in her chair. Around 8:30pm we put the kids to bed. They went right to sleep. I poured myself a beer and Mindy a glass of wine. Olivia had other ideas. Despite eating around 7pm, she cried and cried. We decided to try feeding her again. And surprisingly, she ate like she was starving! Come 9:30 she began fussing again, which was just a half hour after eating. This time we knew she wasn’t hungry. Mindy gave her some gas medicine and put some quality lotion on her sore looking bottom. That seemed to help but not fully. Whatever we did, she didn’t seem to want to sleep. Both of us were completely exhausted from our long day. I could see the worry in Mindy’s and her in mine. We hoped beyond hope that she would finally fall asleep. As she started to dose we put her in the guest room in her bed (pack-n’-play). We turned the baby monitor on and wound the mobile. It worked for only about 15 minutes. Incidentally, those baby monitors are unbelievable. It sounded like she was in our room! That being said, we decided to put her in her more than comfy carrier chair and bring her in our room. Almost miraculously she stopped crying and fell asleep, and so did we.

Rain and lots of it

I got up and going by 5:45am Friday morning. I had the benefit of not needing to prepare a packed lunch for Mindy or myself. Mindy often has a friend bring her lunch on Friday’s and we were having a pizza day to celebrate our 6 new hires. It wasn’t raining when I got up but it was cloudy, but the weather forecast & radar validated that the rain was coming. Aside from a handful of banner days, October’s been a very rainy month. To put it in perspective, September & October are often two of our driest months. We have had almost 8.5 inches of rain the last 60 days. In comparison, Portland, Oregon has only had a smidge more than 2 inches over the same time period and they’re often thought of as a very wet city. While poking around at the official weather stats I couldn’t help but notice that Portland averages almost 6.5 inches of rain in November. I found that surprising given that I’ve visited the past five Novembers and can’t ever recall an overtly rainy visit. Instead, what I remember most are some beautiful blue skies. Because we were having a pizza lunch today at the office I left for my run early – 11am. I planned to finish my run by noon and then cruise to the Hilliard Pizza Pan by 1230pm to pick-up our nine pies. I carried out my plan like clock work. But by the time my run closed and I left for the pizza it was raining pretty good. In fact, it ended up being a very raw and rainy day. The temperatures struggled to rise above 45 degrees. I decided to check on Ashley on my drive to pick-up the pizzas. She confirmed her intentions to have Mindy and I watch Olivia Saturday night, and she gave me a happy update on Olivia’s vitals after her first visit to the pediatrician. When I arrived at the pizza shop the pies weren’t quite ready. To kill time I decided to call my dad to see if I could borrow his 4X8’ trailer Saturday morning to pick-up some firewood. I had been putting off contacting him for confirmation all week long for no good reason. When I reached him, I wasn’t at all prepared for what he was about to tell me. And in usual dad fashion, I couldn’t get a word in before he began telling me about my step-mother Sheila and her current medical condition. He went on for about five solid minutes describing some very sobering bad news. I was floored. I couldn’t breathe very well at all. She is seriously ill. Before hanging up I remembered why I had called and went ahead and confirmed that it was OK for me to use his trailer. I stood outside pondering the news for another five minutes before the pizzas were finally ready. My thoughts naturally turned to my own children and how they would handle similar news about their parents. I decided to call Ashley back and share what I had just learned. She was very somber and sad, too. Back at work I put my personal life aside for a spell and enjoyed some pizza with my team. Later, I sent brother Glenn and email asking when a good time to call might be so that I could share some news. He said 1:15PDT (1:15 EDT). The rest of the afternoon was like most Friday’s. We were very busy. My focus was a bit keener since I would be the on-call manager over the weekend. It’s never easy getting excited about the weekend when I am on-call. Instead, I generally dread what knowingly lies ahead. At 4:15pm on the dot, I gave Glenn the news. I left the office just after 5pm. On my way home I called Mindy then brother Tommy to share the somber news. It’s not like I wanted to gossip, but the news needs shared and shared in a timely fashion. I arrived home before 5:30pm and went about my usual Friday chores. The house needed a little picking up since Mindy had to leave in a hurry with the kids in costume to her school Halloween party. I spent about 15-20 minutes doing that after walking Ykraps and then settled down and relaxed best I could. Lindsey arrived just after 7pm just as planned. She had to work some overtime which she was more than happy to get. If I didn’t mention it, Mindy had Lil’ Rocky with her at the Halloween party. Once Lindsey was settled, I shared the news with her. Sometime around 7:30pm Mindy and the three kids arrived home. After the initial excitement, we began getting the kids ready for bed. Our plan called for getting them in bed before leaving for the Barley’s Halloween party. We got them in bed and to sleep by 8:15pm. They were exhausted after a long action packed day. Lil’ Rocky and Lindsey planted themselves on the couch while Mindy and I prepared to depart. We chose not to get into costume after the day we both had, but instead we went simply to enjoy a relaxing evening out. We arrived close to 8:30pm. I ordered a beer off the firkin – Jack Frost. It was hard to drink. It had zero carbonation and a bourbon-like finish. I couldn’t wait to finish and get my usual IPA. Mindy bought us three OSU football pool squares. We ordered food. I had Gates of Hell wings and sauerkraut balls. Mindy had salmon. We hung out with Jeremy and Courtney most of the evening. Bob and Mary Ann were absent. And yes, it will be noted on their report cards! We left Barleys sometime after 11pm. We arrived home very tired so we went right to bed.

Obigatory update

Pictured above are Mindy and her sibling's as well as her brother-in-law, whom I graduated HS with.

Below: my little angel's feet.

I got up ... blah, blah, blah. I tell you what - I'm not going to bore you with a step-by-step review of my day. Instead I'll leap up on my soapbox and spout off about what was different about today. The weather? no - still shitty. Different work out? no - same routine. Did I have a different breakfast or lunch? nope. All of it was the same. Work - was it any different? again, no. What was different about today?

Glenn confirmed his intentions to come home for Xmas Lindsey stopped by proactively to pay her child care fees Mindy, the kids, and I had an unusual quiet evening at home We played Topple on the family room floor We went to bed at 9:05pm

I'd tell you that we had wings for dinner, but that falls into the usual category, as does the ESPN Thursday Night College Football game we watched.

Possum Come A-Knockin'

I seem to be testing my ability to move a little quicker in the morning by waking several minutes late. I didn’t find my way downstairs until 5:50am this morning. I I allowed this to create a heightened sense of urgency. Even before starting my exercises I threw on my jacket and took the garbage to the curb. They’re most often there just a couple minutes after 6am. I didn’t want to risk missing them while I exercised. After completing my exercises I grabbed a jacket and leashed up Ykraps for our usual walk. The 6:00am sky was magnificent. It was completely star filled and clear. Needless to say, it was a bit nippy, too. Just like most other mornings, I made tow cups of coffee. One with hazelnut creamer, whipped cream, and cinnamon for Mindy, and mine with vanilla caramel creamer, whipped cream, caramel topping, and cinnamon. I took Mindy hers in bed. Minutes later I could hear her getting in the shower. Meanwhile, back downstairs, I went about the painstaking process of making breakfast and lunch. I finished up and had our morning meal ready for consumption and on the island counter by 7:10am. Soon, we went our separate directions. Mindy left for work and to drop the kids, I went to the shower. I dressed in business casual – dress lacks and a button down shirt. That used to be everyday, but anymore that’s the exception rather than the rule. I made time to strum my guitar for a few minutes prior to leaving. I am always in a better frame of mind after that. Everyone who encounters my presence during the day will benefit. Work was busy – very busy. I was immersed in something all day long. And once again, I wasn’t able to escape for a run until just after 1pm. But when I did I enjoyed myself fully. How could I not? It was sunny and mild by this month’s measures. It was 52 degrees. Today my legs felt fresher than they have in a couple of weeks. I go through times like these. My afternoon went fast, too. But I made a concerted effort to leave on time and to be home by 5:30pm. Tonight was a Mindy Wednesday and we only had until 6:45pm because of Mindy’s choir practice. I left the dinner question up t Mindy. We could’ve gone out or stayed home. She chose staying home. We walked Ykraps together, and while we walked we strategized further about the best way to help Lindsey. We’re fast approaching some deadlines. Back home we decided on a simple dinner. Chili dogs – no buns. They were delicious and quick. It wasn’t long before it was time for Mindy to leave for choir. I was feeling so full form the chili dogs that I felt like I needed a nap. I laid on the family room floor for a spell. I got up minutes after Mindy left knowing that the kids would be home soon. I went to spend the last few quiet minutes updating my blog but found that my entry wasn’t in my email inbox for some reason. Hmmm? Jim arrived with the kids just after 7pm. Mindy had left pretty clear instructions on how our evening should be spent and informed me that she discussed this with them. I just didn’t want a reoccurrence of last week. After Jim departed I began implementing the Mindy plan. The plan called for Jacob to create his “About Me” book. He had to list his favorite foods, colors, moment, birthday, and address. He also had to draw a picture of his family. He did surprisingly well for a kindergartener. I know that I couldn’t write or reason things out as he does at such a young age. While Jacob worked away with my help, Bella colored nearby. You don’t just give Bella a crayon and turn her loose unless you want your home redecorated. J By 7:30pm Jacob finished his project and we raced upstairs to get our jammies on. They were both very cooperative. Only Bella was a bit slippery but ultimately cooperated. After brushing our teeth we read. First Jacob read his required book. Then, I read two books. One that Mindy gave me to read (can’t remember the title), and then “Possum Come a- Knockin’”. Jacob insisted. They’ve selected that same book the past few nights. It’s very cute. They went to bed surprisingly well. Bella asked only once if her momma was really coming home. She trusted my answer and went to sleep. By the time I got my own jammies on, brushed my teeth, and headed down the stairs, Mindy was home from choir practice. I could tell that she was relieved to return to a quiet home. We printed off some pictures I took of the kids tonight to add to his “About Me” book. Mindy and I talked for the next hour – right up until 9:30pm. We headed up to bed shortly after that.

An Olivia Day

I was up and downstairs by 5:40am. To my amazement, the sky was somewhat clear. I could actually see stars! Wahoo! That hasn’t been the case at least for 75% of the month. That alone helped elevate my mood. I carried that with me for the rest of the day. I arrived to work a little late but as the day would unfold, that would become insignificant. Once again, I worked hard and was unusually busy. For several reasons, I wasn’t able to escape for a run until after 1pm. But when I did it was refreshing. I was a little chilly but a bit warmer than the day before. With my gear I was comfortable. Our weather has been much more November like all month. Upon my return to the office I encountered even more “stuff” to get involved with. And as it turned out, I wouldn’t see the parking lot until after 7pm. That used to be almost every night but not so much over the past two years. The most discouraging thing was that we had plans with Ashley and Olivia. They were coming over for dinner. I was looking forward to the visit. Instead, Mindy happily entertained them and even went ahead and ate without me, which I was happy they did. When I arrived home I was exhausted. After dropping my gear I held Olivia which helped foster a calmer, gentler Jimmy. In the meantime, Mindy warmed my dinner. I had a cheese burger, salad, and green beans (we eat a lot of green beans). After eating I held Olivia some more. I ended up feeding her an entire bottle. It’s hard to believe that she’s a week old already! Ashley looked like she could fall asleep. I encouraged her to do so. She didn’t. She left somewhere near 9:00-9:30pm. I was happy they visited and hope to see more of my new angel. Mindy and I laid by a roaring fire for another 45 minutes or so before heading to bed at 10pm sharp. Before rolling over and going to sleep we checked our blood pressure just as we do every night. Hers was something like 132/83 73 bpm. Mine was 127/66 47 bpm. Good night moon!

Having the Seahawks number

Autumn amongst us. I woke later than desired but certainly not late enough to drastically alter my routine. I was up and at my exercise ritual by 6:00am sharp. I was admittedly sluggish but found the strength to muster through it. Finally, after ten minutes of excruciating exercises I was ready to hit the great outdoors with Ykraps. We reentered the home at 6:23am – almost a full 20 minutes later than usual. I readied a mug of coffee for myself and another for Mindy. I took hers upstairs. She was still asleep. I woke her and headed back down to begin the rest of my daily routine. Truth be told, I did a poor job of meditating this morning due in part to the perceived time crunch and an overly busy mind. Regardless, I was feeling good basking in the glory of a Viking victory yesterday over the slipping Seahawks. We gave them an old-fashioned butt whoppin’ – 31 -13. I did the usual lunch and breakfast prep thing with one exception. I didn’t make Mindy anything since she didn’t have to be at work today. She scheduled a ‘sick day’ to take Bella to an eye exam. Still, she was down stairs readying the kids since the appointment was set for 8:50am. I took my shower and readied for work by 7:50am. Traffic was backed up headed south on Wilson, I noticed. Thankfully, I don’t go that way. I was at work by 8:15am. The work day began as many others save for a meeting with my boss. It went pretty well. I managed, as usual, to leave for my run at close to 12:50pm. It was only in the upper thirties with a stiff breeze out of the NW. But I was prepared. I had my light winter gear and used it all. The run went well. An emergency squad followed me into the lot on my return with blaring siren and lights a flashin’. They went to the front entrance while I ran around to the back as normal. I wondered what was up. I went about my business and returned to my office after a wonderful hot shower. I intercepted my boss and a few others in the hallway. It seems that one of our new guys had succumbed to some sort of seizure and an ambulance had to be called to administer some medical attention. We scrambled to get them the information they needed before taking him to the hospital. It wasn’t pretty I’m told. The afternoon was busy beyond busy. I struggled to get out of the office even by 5:30pm. When I finally departed I made a beeline for home. Mindy and I had thought about doing dinner out, but because of the late hour we opted for leftovers. We had just about an hour to ourselves before the kids returned. After their return we got them ready for bed in a jiffy then completed the usual read and tuck. Back downstairs we tuned into MNF to watch the Dallas Cowboys face off against the NY Giants. It was good hard hitting game. We watched downstairs until halftime then went upstairs to bed to catch a little more.

Calabaza!

Mindy marveling at my p.pie prowess. Now that’s more like it! I was able to get out of bed and begin my day at a much more reasonable hour. I was out of bed and down the stairs by 7:45am. Sadly, the beautiful weather from Saturday was no where to be found. Instead we were once again stricken with CCGD. I did my best to ignore the less than desirable weather and pushed forward with my routine. By the time I had brewed coffee, exercised, and walked Ykraps, it was 8:15am. Not knowing what time Mindy wanted up, I didn’t bother making her a bed side cup of coffee. I did verify that she was planning to attend church. I tinkered in the kitchen until about 9:00 whipping up some homemade pie crust. I placed the baseball sized doe ball in the fridge for the prescribed 4 hours and then headed upstairs to ready for a run. I wasted little time and headed out the door minutes later. I took the outer loop east on Trabue and south on Hague ave. Traffic was thankfully very light compared to recent runs. When I finally found my way back home I could smell the maple bacon baking in the oven. Too, it looked like Mindy was making French toast form scratch. While she cooked I played. I decided to run Windows security scan and to upgrade to I.E. 7.0. Breakfast was ready minutes later. I knew the PC would take a couple of hours to run the full scan. I was comfortable with that. I went and joined Mindy in the kitchen for breakfast. The French toast and bacon was very good – top notch! It has been a while since we’ve had a big Sunday breakfast. I asked Mindy when she was leaving for church. She apparently decided not to go. They’re not going to be all that pleased with her, I am sure. After breakfast Mindy disappeared upstairs for what I assumed was a nap. Come 12:30pm (fours after placing the doe ball in the fridge) I removed the doe ball to began rolling it into a useable pie crust. Problem… I couldn’t locate the rolling pin. Mindy, it seemed, had opened a drawer to verify we had it earlier in the day. I searched high and low. I had no choice but to interrupt her nap. She insisted it was in that very drawer, but I had looked at least three times and it’s not like that drawer is crammed full. It is not. As she came down the steps I looked a gain only this time I could see it at the very back. I had mistaken the wooden rolling pin for the back of the wood drawer. Emergency averted. I carefully and slowly rolled out my crust admittedly nervous having not done this but one other time with marginal results. This time, however, it seemed to go much better. Soon I had what I felt was a good crust at the right thickness. Mindy inspected it too, and agreed. I carefully placed it in the glass pie pan and formed the usual edge. I set it aside to begin mixing the pumpkin filling. I had a handful of recipes available but ultimately decided on a very basic concoction – the one on the can. I took my time preparing the mixture wanting my pie to be a success. By 1:30pm I completed the mixture and poured it into the ready and waiting pie pan. I baked it at 425 degrees for 15 minutes then another 45 minutes at 350 degrees. I removed the pie around 2:30pm. I could only hope that it tastes as good as it looks. While the pie cooled, I watched football. Sometime close to 3:30pm Jim brought the kids back home after their weekend away. At about the same time, I got in the shower. Come 4pm we left for Gloria’s house. We took our pie along for dessert. We arrived at Gloria’s a little earlier than normal and learned once there that we would be the only dinner guests. We had thought that Joe and Lindy would be joining but that wasn’t the case. We watched the finish of the Bengals game. They won. I had hoped the Viking Seahawk game would be up next even though FOX 28’s webpage said otherwise. Nope, they ended up showing the Indy vs. Washington game instead. Just as well, I figured. I didn’t want to be ranting and raving at the TV in front of Gloria. We sat down to a nice quiet dinner around 5pm. We had fried cube steak, a’ gratin potatoes, and baked beans. For dessert Gloria made a Boston cream pie & I made the aforementioned pumpkin pie. Everything was good as expected, including my pumpkin pie. However, if I had it to do over I would bake the pie five minutes longer (note to self). We stayed at Gloria’s until almost 7:05pm when we loaded up the kids and the gear and headed home. Once we were home I took Ykraps on his evening walk right away. Mindy began bathing the kids. After a bath we did reading night and a quick tuck in. They were in bed just before 8pm. We retreated to the family room to watch the World Series. Come 9:30pm we went to bed.

My tummy is queasy and I'm sleepy

Are you kidding me? Holy Smoke! It was 9am and I still wasn’t ready to get up. I felt terrible, but I didn’t have a headache (thanks to taking the 3 Advil before bed). I was very tired and my stomach felt a little queasy. I took a Tagament and two more Advil and jumped back in bed until 10am. At 10am I still didn’t feel right but knew that the only cure would be a bout of exercise and good long run. The thought of that about killed me but it had to be done. I was already bummed that I had wasted my favorite part of the day. I bolted out of bed and found my way to the kitchen where I first engineered a pot of coffee and then choked down a vitamin. Soon, I was crunching out my sit-ups and push-ups. I felt a little better after I got my juices flowing. Still, I had that undeniable hangover feeling that would only be cured by another night’s sleep. Somehow I’d just have to endure the day’s activities. Lindsey called around 10:30am asking if I would fill her gas tank if she stopped by. I obliged. Mindy offered to cook a big breakfast but I didn’t feel up to the heavy meal. I snacked only on fruit prior to my run. I was just about to leave for a run when Lindsey finally pulled up. It was after 11am already. I went ahead and took her car to Thornton’s real quick and filled her tank. After returning her car’s tank on full, I left for my run. I stayed in the subdivision in part because of the late hour. I knew that traffic would be on the heavy side along Trabue and didn’t feel up to dodging all the crazy’s. By the time I returned from my run, Lindsey and Lil’ Rocky were gone. I tuned into the Buckeye game while Mindy showered. It was another slow start for the Buckeyes. After listening to the first two drives, I got in the shower. After showers, Mindy and I gathered everything we’d need to spend a day at Lindsey’s apartment cleaning. We also made a list of things we’d need from Lowes. Our plan called for heading directly to her apartment and then I would leave for Lowes while Mindy got started. On the way there, I agreed to return with lunch. By now I was starving. I needed some junk food & was craving high octane soda. This was the first time that I had ever seen the upstairs of Lindsey’s apartment. And just as Mindy had inferred, it was really dirty and disorganized. The bathroom was about as bad as anything I have ever seen. The good news was that all the fixtures were in good working order and simply needed a deep cleaning. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so much soap scum, hair, and trash in a bathroom. In the livingroom, there was chocolate spilled on her stereo, and there was a sticky film on almost everything else in the room. The good news was that after a little TLC and elbow grease this place would be looking very respectable and even cute. At Lowes I bought some screws and anchors, curtain rods, and some large storage tubs. One of Lindsey’s problem is that she had nowhere to store Lil’ Rocky’s toys and other miscellaneous items. Ultimately this stuff becomes clutter quickly. I stopped at Wendy’s on my way back and got us lunch. I ate fries on the way back. They were tasty. The Buckeyes were up 28-3 by then. Mindy worked on the kitchen while I started scrubbing the living room walls after pulling out the entertainment center. After the walls I moved upstairs to hang curtains and begin on the bathroom. I disappeared for about two hours in the bathroom. Even though I was using Clorox cleaner with bleach, I had to go over the shower stall three times to cut through the hardened soap scum and grit. That was after pitching all the unnecessary trash and hair. Speaking of which, there was enough hair in the tub and on the sink to make a wig. By the time I was done the bathroom was sparkling. Equally, Mindy had the living room and kitchen sparkling too. After hanging some decorative pieces the place actually looked cute enough to live in. Even I’d stay there. It’s amazing what a little elbow grease will do. We invested about 4.5 solid hours cleaning today. And that’s coupled with the two or three Mindy spent last Saturday. Sadly, it still needs another four or five to finish the hallway and Lindsey’s room. We both agreed, we’ll only do this once. From here it will be Lindsey’s job to keep it clean and organized. And we’re expecting it. We called Ashley as we left (5:45pm) to let her know that we were finally on our way. Earlier, we made arrangements to pick her and Olivia up on our way home. They were coming over for dinner and a visit. Both of us were excited to have Olivia and Ashley over where we could give them our undivided attention. We arrived at Kelly’s where Ashley greeted us at the door already prepared to depart. Kelly doesn’t seem open to having us in. In fact, she never does. I suspect, at least in part, that she’s embarrassed of her house. We never press. We happily loaded up baby Olivia and Ashley and were on our way. We were surprised to learn that Lindsey wasn’t home working on her laundry as she had implied. We moved on. It was good to finally be home. I walked Ykraps while Mindy got everyone settled. Olivia seemed comfortable and probably had no idea where she was. However, I’m sure she could feel the love that oozes from our home. I shared in the joy of holding my newest granddaughter Olivia while Mindy wrestled us up some dinner. She had put some roast beef and noodles in the crock pot before we left the house earlier, and took the time now to whip up some real nice garden salads. I was once again starving. Mindy was perfectly happy holding Olivia while Ashley and I ate. I felt a bit selfish thus took a few breaks to feed Mindy while she used her hands to hold and feed Olivia. After dinner, Olivia and I had our first bonding experience. Mindy took Ashley to Target and Kroger for some baby things while Olivia and I stayed back, snuggled, and watched football. It was a pleasurable experience. They were gone only about an hour. Olivia rested contently the entire time. Somehow, however, even though she was sleeping, that time builds an unbreakable bond as evidenced by the relationship I share with Kaileigh after several similar experiences. Not long after they returned home Ashley requested I take her home. Mindy asked to come along. I was glad that she did. We dropped Ashley off just before 10pm and were home by 1015pm. By 11pm Mindy insisted on going to bed. I planned to join her provided she didn’t mind me watching the Buckeye replay on ONN. She agreed. Unfortunately, when I tuned the bedroom TV to ONN a message was posted directing us to channel 100 on the digital service. That meant the only way I was going to see the replay was to go back downstairs. I did. I tuned the digital set-top to channel 100 and kicked back on the sofa. Five minutes or so into the game I was sound asleep. So much for catching the replay.

A firkin COTA Day

I was up early and ready to complete the five day business cycle commonly referred to as a work week. The morning would flow a bit easier given that Mindy didn’t need to be up since today was a COTA day – not exactly sure what it is but assume it has something to do with taking the bus. :) I went about my routine with a high amount of energy. I was more than eager for this to run its course. Early on, the day did not resemble anything close to a picture perfect autumn day. Instead it remained CCGD – cloudy, cool, gray, and dreary. This might end up being one of the crappiest October’s on record. We spent the majority of our days under clouds in the fifties with lots of rain. We’ve had two different severe storms that included tornado warnings, and even had an afternoon with snow. We’ve had everything but a couple nice boating days sprinkled in. Last year I was easily able to boat deep into October. This year’s been the complete opposite. My last day on the lake was September the 9th. And while we’ve had one or two nice days since, they were either on work days or conflicting with other more pressing events. In either case, I’ll be winterizing the boat come next Saturday and won’t see my boat until May of 2007. L I left for work amongst the gloom but arrived feeling ready for whatever the day had to offer. As it tuned out, the day was very busy for me but no busy for my team. I had an inordinate number of issues fall on my desk. That aside, I still enjoyed my Friday. I left for my run a smidgeon early (about 12:30pm) and had to endure a little bit of a chill. I wasn’t phased. After my run I planned a quick run to the Tuttle Best Buy to look at new MP3 players since my current RIO went on the fritz. The options were many, but I left empty handed. I left empty handed in part because I don’t really need all the bells and whistles available on these players and was a bit overwhelmed. I’d rather make an informed decision after some extensive research. I was equally surprised to see that regardless of the player I buy, I’ll need to spend another $30 on a sports rig for runners. Back at work the afternoon was fast and furious. I ended up staying on the job until 5:30pm. But once I left I did my best to put work on the back shelf. Not only did Mindy have the afternoon off, Jim came and got the kids at 330pm for the weekend. He’s taking them to the new Frontier indoor water park. In the meantime, we’ll have a weekend alone. Because Mindy was off, she went by Lindsey’s rental office and attempted to make arrangements to have her apartment rekeyed. Turns out, they wouldn’t act for anyone but Lindsey directly. Problem! Lindsey’s job doesn’t permit her to miss and the office hours are a paltry 1-5pm M-F. Seems like a conflict to me. Also, Lindsey asked if she could come over for a short visit tonight too. Mindy and I talked and agreed that while she could certainly visit, we weren’t going to allow her to stay the night so that we could have a night alone. We had agreed to spend our Saturday at her apartment cleaning again. Lindsey and Lil’ Rocky were already there when I got home. For some reason, Lil’ Rocky didn’t seem to keen on interacting with me. He was exhibiting old habits. He tried to avoid me at all costs. We took the opportunity to have a discussion with Lindsey about her situation and pushed a few significant issues that we both agreed need addressed if we’re to continue helping. First, I requested that she complete a monthly budget to show us where her money goes. And number two we once again requested that she get some counseling and meds if necessary. She was reluctant to do the budget thing but decided to rough a simple budget on paper while there. Shockingly, she has more disposable income than me (free cash after necessary expenses). Something isn’t adding up. What could it be, we wondered. Could she be squandering money as even she implies, or is there a bigger underlying problem? One thing’s for certain, I will not continue to help someone who’s not helping themselves. Lindsey didn’t stay much longer. Her and Rocky left by 7pm after we played cars together. Mindy and I readied for an evening at Barleys. We were excited to have an evening out. On our way to Barleys, Mindy’s friend, Kari called to let us know that she and her boyfriend were going to join us. Moreover, Tommy called letting us know that he was going to join us too. It wasn’t crowded at all tonight, and from our perspective that was good. Kari and Kevin arrived about an hour after us, and Tommy showed a half hour after them. Bob & Mary Ann were there as were Jeremy and Courtney. We hung out all night. I committed the ultimate mistake. I didn’t eat anything to go along with the five beers I drank from 745pm to 12:30am. That I’d pay for later. Everyone else ate a hearty Barley’s meal. At the time I simply didn’t want to feel full from eating. More often than not, we’re home from Barleys before 11pm. But tonight for some reason we stayed extra late. Time just flew by. We managed to talk Bob into staying late after taking Mary Ann home. We haven’t got to hang out and raise hell in quite a while. Before we knew it, Lee was cleaning up the bar while we stayed around talking. He booted us out when he was ready to go. I gave Mindy the keys since she hadn’t been drinking since 8:30 or 9pm. I had a pretty good buzz. Of course by the time that we got home I was starving. I ate several handfuls of junk but nothing of any substance. I was wise enough to choke down three Advil prior to bed.

Riveting

This time I was up at exactly 5:30am which afforded me an opportunity to bask in the luxury of a slowly evolving morning. I took my time in all phases of my morning prep. Once again the work day was all but a blur given the abundance of activity. I hardly had a chance to catch my breath. I did manage to check with Ashley around noon to see if she made it home form the hospital. Turns out she had just walked in the door. Home without incident. My run was completed around the normal time. It was drizzly-rainy for the entirety. I wasn’t phased by the weather, however. The afternoon flew by and soon I was on my merry way home. Tonight I would be arriving to an empty home. Mindy had parent teacher conferences that were expected to carry on until almost 9pm, and the kids were with their daddy. In reality, I only a little under 90 minutes of free time, though. I was expecting Jim to return the kids at 7pm. I made the most of it in any case. I begrudgingly folded the laundry on Mindy’s wish list, completed my usual after work chores, and then worked on my MP3 player that just went on the fritz today. The kids arrived home while I was playing guitar – at about 7:05pm. Things went swell for the first thirty minutes. I let them play and relax before readying them for bed. Jacob played computer games while Bella snuggled on my lap. From there it went downhill fast. After a wash cloth bath, getting them into their jammies was a bit of a challenge, but ultimately happened. Somewhere while I struggled with Bella to get her dressed for bed, Jacob snuck downstairs and called his momma on my cell phone. When I called for him to come upstairs to bed he refused. I went down and got him. He was in the midst of a full blown crying tantrum and proceeded to manifest one in Bella. Soon I had two small children hysterical for their momma. Jacob was only getting worse. I left his side to work on Bella. She wanted my attention. I was able to calm her rather easily (thankfully). Soon she was playing by the rules and all but asleep. Meanwhile, Jacob began ranting about wanting his mommy and daddy and refused to cooperate in any way shape or form. I tried using a calm, understanding approach but that and nothing else worked. I had no choice but to close his bedroom door due to the screaming. I was admittedly rattled! Mindy called around 8:45pm to let me know that she was on her way home. I let her know how rattled I was. We talked about it more when she got home. We went to bed around 10pm with game 7 of the NLCS tied at 1 to 1.

Am I really 47?

Everybody joined the welcome party. I didn’t miss a beat. I was up and going at it by 5:40am. Mindy could hardly take it. :) Kidding – I was going at my morning exercises. I had an extra skip in my get along due in part to the thought of my new grand daughter and all the positive energy she brings into the world. I readied like any morning and soon was at the office doing what I do best – working hard. I had a very busy day with three scheduled meetings sprinkled amongst everything else I had to accomplish. All of that made the day fly by. My run was tempered by a gloomy forecast but at least no rain. The afternoon went very fast. The day was done before I could hardly catch a breath. Mindy knowing that I’d want to visit my new grand daughter again today, made alternative child care arrangements for tonight’s choir practice. Her friend Tara and her son Chris would come over and watch Jacob and Bella while she sang and I visited Olivia and Ashley. Before all of that, however, Mindy had made some homemade hot wings. They were extra delicious! I cleaned up our mess in a hurry, helped with the kids bath, then headed out for the hospital. On my way, I talked with a former Lead Engineer of mine who’s contemplating coming back to work for me. We talked about the current environment and the fit. When I arrived at the hospital, Ashley’s friends were just leaving. It was now just Ashley, Olivia, and me. I held Olivia for about 1.5 hours in part so Ashley could get a break and simply because I wanted to. She’s so adorable! She was good the entire time. Some time near 9:00pm my dad and brother Bobby showed up unannounced. I was glad they stopped in. They got to hold and see our new gift. I could tell it made Ashley happy. Bobby and wife are expecting a bundle of their own in just 6 short weeks – baby Bob Evans Wright. We stayed until almost 10pm. I was tired. Ashley fed Olivia just before we left and I snapped several pics. She’s expecting to check out tomorrow AM. On my way home I called my mom to give her the news. I had forgotten to let her know until my dad mentioned it. When I arrived home the house was quiet and asleep. I spent a little time making sure things were in order hen hopped in bed. Mindy was still awake. We chatted about our night and then fell asleep a short time later.

Olivia's here!!!

Today, Tuesday, October 17th, 12noon Baby Olivia arrived weighing in at 6lbs 1oz. and only 17.5" long. Her head was 13" ( a rather small pumpkin). :) Tuesday began like most other Tuesday’s and for that matter, like most other work days. However, unlike all other Tuesday’s this one will be forever embedded in memory as the day my third grandchild, Olivia Taylor Wright was born. She joined the world at exactly 12 noon. She’s a mere 17.5 inches long and weighs only 6lbs 1 oz. She is very pretty and so far very quiet and unassuming like her mommy. Mindy and I shuffled our schedules to allow daughter Lindsey an opportunity to visit Ashley and Olivia after work by watching Lil’ rocky. Lindsey in turn watched Jacob and Bella while we visited later. In all the excitement I almost for got that this was our 13 month anniversary, too. I stopped on my way home and bought Mindy and Ashley flowers. I bought Mindy large white roses and then bought Ashley a batch of orange mini-tea roses. I was excited about going to the hospital to visit my new grand daughter. She was staying in room 680 West. We were pointed in the right direction by a kind older woman (probably 80 years of age) working in the gift shop. She not only walked us to the right hallway, she gave us each a large Musketeer candy bar. When I thanked her for taking us, she quipped that she was to old to “take me”! I was flabbergasted! We eventually found our way to Olivia’s room. There she was with her mommy and a couple of Ashley’s life long friends. Amanda Schirtzinger and Brittany. I remember both girls from Ashley’s kindergarten class. I held Olivia almost immediately and so did Mindy. She’s a quiet bundle of joy. We snapped many pics of the experience. We visited for about 1.5 hours. Before leaving I called my dad to inform him. Once we arrived home I posted pics of Olivia on my blog immediately. Went to bed within an hour after arriving home.

Are you ready for some football?

I rolled out of bed under a dark sky full of clouds but at the time, no rain. I guess you could say the sky was fitting for a Monday. It was 5:40am by the time I had my toes neatly tucked under the lip of the sofa and began grunting out my sit-ups. I could see that the wind was cranking up outside as evidenced by the swaying weeping willow tree. As I walked Ykraps I determined that it wasn’t going to be the nice fall day they had one promised it be. Back at home I made some coffee for Mindy and I and delivered hers bedside. Again, she is so spoiled. Downstairs I spent about ten minutes meditating. I needed it sorely. At 6:30am I had to get on with my routine so not to fall too far behind schedule. I whipped through the lunch & breakfast prep process and soon had a piping hot breakfast ready for myself and Mindy. And once again, she is so spoiled! Soon the kids were downstairs enjoying a little breakfast and readying themselves for school, too. As usual, Mindy and the kids departed close to 7:15am leaving me alone to shower, dress, and sing at the top of my lungs. I left for work around 7:50am and battled unusually heavy traffic on the freeway. I arrived at work by 8:05am. The pace of my work day picked up quickly. We had four new hires starting today and there was lots to do to get them going. We managed through without any trouble. I left for a run at 12:50pm. The temperature was barely 53 degrees and the sun was obscured by clouds. It was chilly. I ran in shorts, a long sleeved run shirt, and thin pullover wind shirt. That was just about right. What was most notable was the extreme wind blowing out of the south west. What a difference once it was at my back on the return. After a shower I returned to eat my packed lunch. I was hungry and made quick work of my food supply. The pace of the afternoon was fast and furious. I could hardly believe that it was 5:00pm but it was. This was a Mindy Monday, which meant no kids until 7pm. The house was calm, clean, and organized upon my arrival. Mindy was waiting with a smile. We walked Ykraps together even though it began to sprinkle. When we returned we decided to not make a big dinner and instead eat a couple of hot dogs – no buns. But don’t think for a minute that I didn’t ingest some carbs. After my hot dogs I enjoyed a huge brownie. Yummy! We spent the next 15 minutes chatting in the living room until we heard the kids return. As expected, the house went from peaceful to chaotic in a matter of minutes. Without the noise one would never appreciate the peace & quiet. Jacob walked in sporting a new haircut. His dad was kind enough to address the problem b taking him to have it done. Jim told us that Jacob tried getting out of it by saying he didn’t feel well. In fact, Jacob even called Mindy from dinner to try it out. Mindy didn’t buy it. Even though I like Jacob’s hair long, it looked really good. They did a nice job. Soon it was tub time. While Mindy gave the kids a scrub, I blogged and surfed. Minutes later I was beckoned to Jacob’s bedroom for the nightly read and tuck. The kids went down fast. They were asleep by the time we got back downstairs. It often amazes me how fast they fall asleep. We tuned the television to the Monday Night Football game and built a fire. The rain was coming down fairly heavy. Mindy rubbed my back for about 30 minutes making all gone with my knots. I was excited about tonight’s game because the Bears were playing. I hate the Bears and always root for them to lose. They are supposed to be the best of the best this year. We’ll see. By halftime, the Arizona Cardinals had made them look silly and were up 20-0. That’s as much as I saw even though I joined the game later from our bedroom. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow and as quickly as the kids.

Sunday was my guess

I slept like a rock, and when I finally woke and rolled over I was surprised to find that I was flying solo. That’s right! Mindy was already up and out of bed, and by the sound of it, fully engaged in the unfolding morning. It was 8am sharp when I leaped to my feet, brushed my teeth, and meandered down the stairs. Mindy had begun making blueberry muffins for the kids. What a wonderful aroma. The Starbucks coffee didn’t hurt either. As I always do, I largely ignored the sweet smells and instead focused my immediate attention on my workout routine. I did my usual 55 sit-ups, 55 push-ups, and finished with 40 curls. Before it was 8:15am I leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk. Our walk was a pleasant one as the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was mild as compared to many recent mornings. I made and enjoyed a cup of coffee upon my return. Mindy asked what was on my agenda and if I wanted to attend church. I had no real agenda but didn’t want to attend church. Instead, I was happy to have a leisurely day that encompassed little more than a run, a few miscellaneous chores and then some football. After Mindy left for church I readied for my run. I ran inside the subdivision, which seemed quite peculiar. I was back home by 10:35am where I spent the next ten minutes cooling down and surveying the yard and the fruit of yesterday’s labor. I feel really good about what I accomplished out of doors yesterday. I am about a month ahead and actually did work in the flower beds that I typically do in early spring. I guess the storm that toppled most of my flowers was the impetus for that. Back inside I choked down a few pieces of cheese & fruit. I then decided to work on the cable outlet in the guest room again only this time starting in the attic where the wiring scheme would be easily viewable save for the insulation. (Breaking news: as I type this update on Tuesday, 12:37pm EDT, Oct 17th I received a call that Ashley gave birth to a little girl at noon sharp. Welcome to my world Olivia! I love you!!!). I hadn’t been in the attic since I wired the additional outlet in that same room. That was Christmas Day 2001 – I think. I was almost worried what I might find up there. In the past five years I have had a new roof put in place as well as new trim boards. The old trim was falling off and allowing birds and other small critters easy access to my home from the outdoors. Popping open the hallway access revealed nothing out of the ordinary save for the tell tale signs of a new roof (lots of roof grit lying atop the white fluffy insulation). As I followed the cable TV wires I also gave the attic and roof a thorough inspection. Everything checked out OK! As I followed the CATV wiring it all came back to me how I wired in the new outlet. That made converting it back easy. I had simply spliced it through behind the original wall plate. From there it went back up into the attic and then down into the new wall cavity. After leaving the attic I made quick work of the conversion in the room. We now have CATV service available to our bedroom guests without a wire running across the floor. After that small chore I picked some tomatoes from the ever producing tomato plants. For the next half hour I updated Friday’s blog entry and then took to reading more of Deepak Chopra’s interpretation of the Kama Sutra until Mindy arrived home. Mindy and I found ourselves with a few hours of rare peace and quiet. The kids went to Mindy’s mom’s after church and asked to stay for the afternoon. We took a long afternoon nap while watching the Bengals football game. Come 3:30pm I rose from bed and took a much needed shower. I dressed in some comfy clothes that would be appropriate for Sunday dinner. We left for Gloria’s just before 4pm. I took my camera along and took a handful of pictures while driving (see attached). Great Western, Holly Hill. We arrived at Gloria’s just after 4pm and were warmly greeted by the children. Everyone was present this evening except for Craig and Jeff, who were in Washington DC for pleasure. I know the trip included a Babs concert. Mindy’s niece, Julie, who lives in DC was in town for the Columbus Marathon and was walking around a little stiff legged. I was impressed that she was up and walking around, though. I couldn’t wait for dinner. We were having pork chops, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Finally, we sat for dinner and the food was as good as advertised. After allowing our food to digest for about thirty minutes, it was time for dessert. We had three selections: chocolate chip cookies, fudge, and quadruple chocolate brownies that I baked and brought along. I had two brownies and about four cookies. I stayed away from the family favorite – the fudge- because I don’t care for peanut butter fudge. Never have. Needless to say, I was stuffed. After a little social time it was past our usual departure time. We loaded up the Trooper and headed for home at 7:25pm. Immediately upon our arrival I took Ykraps on his evening walk. Jacob joined me. We had a nice little walk. When we returned, Mindy got the kids ready for bed and soon called on me for the family read & tuck. As always, I obliged. After the kids were in bed Mindy and I tuned into Sunday Night football – The Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. Oakland looked terrible. To bed by 9:30pm.

Where's Olivia?

I slept like a baby all night Friday waking only once to pee and then again around 7am to take a couple of preventative Advil. I stayed in bed until almost 9am getting the rest I needed and deserved. The price of sleeping late meant that there would be no peace while carrying out my morning routine. Everyone was up and moving about – Lindsey, Lil’ Rocky, Mindy, Jacob, and Bella. I pushed through my exercises all the while trying to ignore the distractions. My walk with Ykraps was a pleasant one albeit a little cold. I poured myself a cup of coffee to get my juices flowing and then took to the computer mostly to avoid the noise and crowd. The kids were all eating French toast at the table and being a bit noisy. I decided to be productive and begin blogging Friday. In the back ground I could hear bits and pieces of Mindy’s conversation with Lindsey. Lindsey’s logic is best described as childlike. There’s very little adult mindedness to it. To hear some of her viewpoints is enough to put me over the edge. I recognize that that is my issue to deal with. For now, I manage it best by avoiding it. Mindy talked with me and asked how I would feel about her offering to go help Lindsey clean her apartment. I thought that was fine but was not too excited about the prospect of being left at home with the three kids given my list of to do’s. Mindy calmed my fears by agreeing to take the kids along. God bless Mindy. I left for my run sometime around 10am and took the more scenic Trabue Rd. route. When I returned Mindy began gathering cleaning supplies to take along to Lindsey’s. She was armed with almost everything one would need to tidy up including the vacuum & swifter. Suddenly, I found myself with some peace and tranquility. I moved into project mode almost immediately. I planned on not only addressing the lawn chores but also doing landscape winterization, which included trimming/pruning all the shrubs, thinning and trimming the English ivy, clearing all the dead debris tucked amongst the front beds. For the next 2.5 hours I edged, trimmed, thinned and pruned. I drug a full tarps worth of yard debris to the back compost pile. Next, I mowed the lawn and then blew the clippings and trimmings off the walk and drive. That work took me right up until the opening kick-off of the Buckeye game. The game started slow but the Buckeyes finally made Michigan State look like most other 2006 opponents- inept. At half time Jacob and I went out back to further thin the dead thistle and brush blocking more valuable composting space at the end of my property. We did a thorough job in about fifteen minutes. Mindy gave us a holler when the third quarter began. After the game ended, Mindy headed off to the grocery, I think in part to get some peace and quiet of her own peace as well as to restock our dwindling food supply. She really wasn’t gone too long though. She was back before dark. After she returned and we carried in all the groceries, I took Ykraps on his much needed walk. Soon after Mindy finished putting away the groceries, she had the kids in the tub getting ready for bed. In the meantime, I watched a little Lawrence Welk while waiting for the Michigan game to begin. Just before 8pm Mindy requested I join in for the family read and tuck-in process. I gladly obliged. Mindy and I returned to the downstairs. I poured myself a glass of pumpkin ale and Mindy a glass of wine while we began enjoying the Penn State/Michigan game. Through the evening I had two more beers, a Spanish Peaks Honey Raspberry Ale and then a Columbus Pale Ale. Mindy wanted to hit the sack early for not feeling 100%. We went to bed after halftime - somewhere close to 9:30 or 10pm.

no more summer left in the season

I was eager to engage and fully participate in the conscious world beginning at roughly 5:30am. And more than ever, I was ecstatic that it was finally Friday. As I began pushing through my calisthenics I caught myself wishing that the work day were already over. Sadly, I have been doing that often even though I know that's like wishing part of one's life away. Of late, I feel a bit like Herbie - a mis-fit. Mindy was up a little earlier than usual as was Jacob. By the time I returned from walking Ykraps and took her some coffee, she was already playing in the shower. I left it on the bathroom counter and went about the rest of my morning routine. Over night we had another light frost. The temperature dipped to 32 degrees. The upside was that we were blessed with clear skies and the promise of a brilliant autumn day ahead. After making my lunch and Mindy her snack, I went about making some scrambled eggs and fruit for both of us. After we finished our breakfast Mindy went to start her mini-van after learning it was caked in icy frost. I cleaned up the breakfast mess and headed up for a shower. Soon, Mindy and the kids were on their way and I was reaping the rewards of a hot, steamy shower. I wore my much broken in jeans that were lying in the closet on the floor. I've worn them about 5 or six times. They're very comfortable like that. I backed out of the driveway close to 7:50am and was at work by 8:05am. The morning was pleasant but fast paced, as usual. I headed off to the fitness center for my run at 12:50pm. I bundled in my light winter running gear with music playing in my ears. The wind was stiff and consistent blowing strongly out of the southwest. It made a huge difference once I had its full force at my back. After my shower I decided to run a quick errand instead of hurrying back to the office. I got in the Trooper and drove to Sam Ash Music on Morse Rd. to look at hard shell guitar cases. I have been wanting one to enable safe travel for my guitar. I found one that I liked for $69. Sadly, the sales dude said that they didn't have one for dreadnaught guitars in stock, but that they did have a "much better case" for only $30 more. My choice was to order one online and wait or go ahead and take the up-sale bait. I asked to see the "better case". I liked it. It was definitely strong and probably way more guitar case than I'd ever need but I went ahead and made the purchase. Now my guitar can travel wherever with me as long as I keep the number of bags I travel with to a minimum (for me that's never been easy). I was back at the office by 3pm. I was gone an hour almost exactly. I spent the afternoon working through a couple of escalations which made the time fly by. I forgot to mention that Mindy called while I was traveling to work this morning to let me know that Lindsey had called on her way to work to ask if she could spend the night at our house tonight. Mindy and I agreed. I remember thinking when I saw the missed call from Lindsey and then an immediate call from Mindy that Ashley might be in labor. Nope! As I was preparing to leave for the day one of my engineers stopped in to talk. We talked until 5:30pm. By then, I was more than eager to head home and have a weekend. When I arrived home Lindsey and lil' Rocky were already there. She had picked-up Jacob and Bella from Grandma Sharon's enabling Mindy to have a little quiet time after school. That proved helpful for me too given that Mindy had already cleaned up the few dishes and walked Ykraps, ensuring my leisurely pathway to the weekend. We had originally planned to stay home and perhaps do some movies with the kids, but with Lindsey's visit we toyed with the idea of visiting Barley's after all since we now had a built-in sitter. After a short discussion, we decided to do just that - go to Barley's but only after we had the kids settled, bathed, and in bed. For the next half hour I toiled with the cable television line in Lindsey's old room trying to get one of the other two outlets working. I couldn't readily recall how I configured the wiring, which made the challenge that much more difficult given that everything's fished into the walls. I tried using my old toner but I suspected the batteries were too weak. I gave up after 30 minutes and instead made a 25' jumper and ran it across the floor so she could enjoy cable from bed. She's so spoiled! Meanwhile, downstairs, the kids were being rather noisy and rambunctious. Missing from my Friday evening was a peaceful chunk of time to unwind after a stressful week at work. It manifested itself in me attempting to isolate myself in my own home. I spent a considerable amount of time just surfing on the PC but really just needing some time. Mindy, I could tell, was not real excited about that. Soon the clock worked in our favor and eight o'clock was upon us. The kids went to bed rather peacefully and Lindsey and lil' Rocky settled in on the sofa while Mindy and I prepared to leave for Barley's. We left a few minutes later happy for the break. Mindy stated as we walked from the car to Barley's that she still didn't feel 100% and didn't really want to stay too long. The bar wasn't as crowded as it's been the past few weeks. We spotted a few of our favorite folks barside. Bob was there minus Mary Ann (she had to work till 9pm). Steve and Josh were there too. I had one Pale Ale off the firkin then two IPA's. For dinner in had my usual Gates of Hell wings and a side of onion straws. I hadn't had them in an awfully long time having forgot just how tasty they are. Mindy had her usual pulled pork - no bun sandwich with cheesy fries. Around 9:30pm, and old co-worker from MCI - Sarah Meade showed up. She worked for Barley's for spell too. She was in rare form cracking on everyone and filthy too. I think that she's funny and don't mind her taste for humor at all. Many others, however, were a bit taken back with her words. Admittedly, she's a bit abrasive. Just before we were leaving, Jeremy and Courtney arrived form the Grandview football game. They were happy because Grandview finally won a game - their first of the season. Mindy chatted with them for a spell and then asked if we could leave. She was tired and had wanted to leave even earlier. We left around 10:30 and were home by 10:45pm. We cleaned up a little and instead of carrying on we both headed to bed. Conclusion...we must be getting old.

First Snow

Purposely slept later than usual allowing myself a few extra minutes of blissful sleep. All of that amounted to beginning my morning routine just before 5:50am. As I do most mornings, I glanced out he deck door looking towards the sky to validate the weather. I could see that it was clear, and it looked cold – just as predicted. After belting out my 55 sit-ups, 50+ push-ups, and 40 curls, Ykraps and I bundled ourselves and took to the streets. Because I anticipated the chill, I wore long legged flannels s well as my fleece jacket. I needed every bit of it too. Once back, I checked the temperature and found it to be a brisk 33 degrees according to the weather bug. My finger tips, as they often do in the winter, already ached a little from the chill and dryness. Too, they were still burning a little from handling the habanera peppers last night. Once I began preparing our lunches and had rinsed my hands a time or two, the heat only intensified from handling those damn peppers. It was merely a nuisance but still worth mentioning. I don’t recall such a phenomenon happening before. Off to work Mindy went, and eventually me too. The day was much to my liking sky wise, but the temperature as mentioned earlier was still nippy. Just before leaving the house I slipped onto the deck to sneak a few sunrise pictures, Slip was the key word. That’s right! We had ice. Even though weather bug said 33 degrees, it must have been colder on my deck. There was ice on the boards and ice in all the water pools left behind by all the rain. I nearly busted my ass, but I didn’t. I left the house with work on my mind. I was hopeful for a calm day at the office and a calm day with family matters. I both cases I think I was successful. My run was a real eye opener. It was brutally cold! The temperature was supposed to be 40, but the wind was blowing/gusting to 26 mph making it feel much colder. I ran with my light winter gear and needed it. I also ran with music in my ears. After my shower I decided to make a quick run to Dick’s Sporting Goods to find a new gym bag. As I walked to my Trooper we were hit with a freak snow squall. The earliest I can ever recall seeing snow. It was a white out for a few minutes. I found the bag I wanted and detoured directly across the street to the Wine Vault immediately after. Bill Gray turned me on to this place, having found my Honey Raspberry Ale there. I was lucky today. They had one six pack left. I didn’t say anything to the attendant but their stock is from the old brewery no longer in business. That means the beer is probably a year or more old. The six pack Bill bought me tasted good though, so I don’t care. The afternoon blew by. Today ended up being the last day for one of my engineers. His talents will be missed. I left for home just after 5pm. I arrived home to Mindy making some stove top chili. The kids were with their daddy since he was unable to have them Monday night. We walked Ykraps together then enjoyed some chili together. As we cleaned up our mess Jim returned with the kids. They were wound up. As usual, Mindy coaxed them upstairs not long after their return. I blogged until she called for me to join in on the night’s readings. After a quick tuck in we were back down stairs together. We chatted briefly then while Mindy caught up on my blog I began reading the Kama Sutra. I fell asleep while reading. When Mindy came into the family room she informed that she was going to bed even though it was only 8:30pm. I chose to stay up and read for a while longer. I wished her a good night and began reading more of my book. Like always, I read and dosed, read and dosed. At 9:35pm I secured the home and went to bed myself.

Ashley, Salsa, & Storms...again

I woke up Wednesday morning at 5:30am – right on time. I stumbled downstairs, took my vitamin, and began my exercise regiment. Too, I could easily see all the cloud cover out the deck door. Although it was cloudy, it wasn’t yet raining but it was expected to start anytime. Ykraps and I were fortunate enough to enjoy a dry walk. As soon as we returned from our walk I went straight to the garage to get the trash out of the large can since trash day had been moved to today. They always come by my home just after 6am like clock work. Mindy had given me instructions when I rolled out of bed not to wake her. She wasn’t going to school today due to her pregnancy, ahh, I mean illness. :) Truthfully, she’s got a sinus infection that’s carried over for a third week and the recent antibiotics she was taking didn’t help much, so now she’s on prednisone. I went about my morning with an even more casual approach than ever. Mindy didn’t need anything prepared, and I didn’t need to make my own lunch since we were having an Italian potluck at work. Consequently, I leisurely enjoyed some coffee, meditated, and then made some eggs. That’s about it. Mindy continued slumbering in bed while the kids defied any logic and were up running about the house well before they would normally be awake. Mindy still planned on dropping the kids at Grandma Sharon's while she gets some much needed rest. I took my shower and prepared to leave the house by 7:45am. Just as I was preparing to depart, the skies opened up and dumped oodles of rain. It rained so hard that I thought better of going outdoors for the moment. We even had some thunder. I waited for a few minutes and the rain did lessen some. My plan "B" was to exit out the garage giving me quicker access to the Trooper and less time in the downpour. It wasn't going to let up so that's what I did. I hugged Mindy goodbye and left for work through the garage. It rained all the way to work, and it was still pouring down when I made my way from the car to the building. I was hopeful that the weather would clear somewhat before my lunchtime run. I settled in at work and got lost within my tasks. And just like always, it was runtime before I knew it. Thankfully, the rain had stopped a little earlier leaving a window of opportunity for a dry run. I wore only shorts and my new running shirt. I was plenty warm. It was still 60 degrees. I talked with Mindy during the day - can't recall if it was before or after my run. Anyhow, she advised that Ashley called apparently very upset with Stephen who had called her to tell her he no longer wanted anything to do with her. In the meantime, here sits Ashley 8 and 3/4 months pregnant. Great! According to Mindy, Ashley was so upset she could hardly speak. Today, as it turned out, was also supposed to be her final doctor's appointment before the birth too. Mindy offered to come over and take her but Ashley declined. She said her best friend Brittany was taking her. Mindy asked her to call again later and perhaps go to lunch. She did and they did. Without question, I'm certain Mindy gave her some sound advice. Advice similar to what I might have intimated only with a softer, kinder, gentler spin. Bottom line, I never once accused Stephen of being a "character guy". He's a young, lost slacker, who has no sense of accountability. Sadly, this is probably best for everyone including baby Olivia. I just don't like the idea of this added stress on an already stressful situation. I am also grateful that Ashley called Mindy for advice instead of someone else. The afternoon passed with little activity different than any other day. Soon it was 515pm and I was ready to head for home. I headed home to a Mindy Wednesday. The kids were with their daddy like most other Wednesday's. Along my drive home it began to sprinkle a little. Colder weather was predicted for later tonight. After walking Ykraps and completing a few other chores I prepared Mindy a bowl of chicken broth with some added touches. I was still full from the potluck. About then we heard what sounded like tornado sirens. It was only a week earlier, last Wednesday when we last heard them. The results are well documented. Mindy checked the doors and validated the tornado sirens. I tuned into the weather radar, and sure enough, there was a tornado warming for Franklin County including Valleyview, Grove City, New Albany, etc.. This time, luckily, we were spared. Others were not. A tornado hit in both Westerville and Grove City. Not only was it rare for it to happen two Wednesday's in a row but for it to happen twice in October is even more rare. Our skies brightened while we could see darker skies south and east. Once again, Mindy phoned her ex to check on the well-being of her children. They were fine. They arrived home sometime near 7pm - just when the warnings expired. Mindy asked if I would care to give the kids their bath since she continued feeling like shit. I agreed. By 8pm they had their baths and were tucked into bed. We never heard another peep. Downstairs, I decided tonight was the night to finally make salsa. I have had peppers and 'maters picked and ready for over two weeks. I used Mindy's manual chopper for the slice and dice part. It worked even better than my electric mini-chopper. Fifteen minutes later I had a batch of salsa - a combination of 'maters, bell peppers, California peppers, red chili peppers, habanera peppers, red onions, lime juice, and vinegar. I broke the batch into three containers and froze the two smaller ones, remembering how I had to throw out so much last year and the same the year prior. Having it frozen will likely guarantee fresh salsa into winter. After I finished cleaning up, which took as long or longer than making salsa, I relaxed by the fire I built for Mindy with a honey raspberry ale and a bowl of popcorn. After some snuggling, Mindy dashed off to bed at about 9:25pm. I chose to stay up and watch some of the ALCS as well as begin reading my new Deepak Chopra book. As always, I read and dosed, read and dosed. I went to bed at 10:30pm.