Gem of a day

I didn’t get out of bed until 545am – a bit later than I had hoped. Still, that left plenty of time for me to complete my morning routine. By the time I finished exercising, my blood was flowing and my energy level high. Being uncertain of the temperature, I grabbed a jacket on my way out the door with Ykraps. But as it turned out, it was warm enough to be jacket-free. The stars & moon were in full view against a crystal clear sky. I knew then that today would be a BM’er day. As usual, I took Mindy her coffee when I went to wake her. She commented feeling a bit out of sorts. I carried on with my routine of making lunch and cooking breakfast. When it was time for Mindy to go, the kids were, for all practical purposes, still asleep. Neither of them seemed to enthused about the day ahead. The walked to the mini-van in a daze. After a shower and a fast grooming exercise I was downstairs making final preparations for departure by about 7:41am. I didn’t leave the house until just before 8am. The drive was great, especially given that the sun was shining, I was in my BM’er, and it was warm. I arrived at work with a skip in my gait. I walked into the center with my head held high after a Viking victory the day before. Sometime during the mid-morning Mindy left a VM indicating that she was on her way home. At the time I wasn’t certain if it were really from today or perhaps instead one I missed from the weekend. I later learned it was from today. She wasn’t feeling good enough to remain at school. She reported going home and sleeping for three hours before spending some time alone on the deck in the sun. I left for a run around 1pm. The sun was in full force and the temperature was a balmy 82 degrees. I ran without a shirt allowing the sun’s rays to envelop me. It was a very enjoyable run. I returned to my desk showered and ready for an afternoon. I tinkered with the idea of sneaking away for 30 minutes to get a hair cut, but ultimately decided against it due to workload. We were busy. I worked hard accomplishing everything I wanted to finish before quitting time. I left the office around 5:10pm, and because 270 looked backed up, I decided stopping for a hair cut was worth the gamble. I stopped in at my old Saturday’s location in Mill Run. To my surprise there was zero wait time. Courtney took me right away. I hadn’t seen Courtney here before even though she reports working there since May, but come to think of it, I haven't stopped in this branch for several months. Anyway, she seemed young and tentative at first, but as time went on she did fine. It didn’t take long. It never does. After all, it’s not like I have a complicated hair style – short back and sides, and some length off the top. I tipped her well and then was on my way making the entire stop no more than twenty minutes. I took the back way home down Old Dublin Rd to avoid the I-270 traffic snarl. Lindsey was at our house when I pulled up. I immediately felt for Mindy since I knew she had come home sick. The kids were playing and a little loud but everyone was in good spirits. I greeted them all and began going through my nightly ritual. Mindy insisted on walking Ykraps with me alone. I thought that was perhaps her forum for unloading some not so good news, but it wasn’t. She just wanted some Jimmy time. :) Lindsey had stopped by primarily to settle up on her baby sitting tab which we cover upfront. I was pleased that she handled it properly this time. She also paid me back some money she borrowed on Saturday. When we returned, Mindy served up dinner. She made sloppy joe’s. Bella and lil’ Rocky didn’t want them. Instead, they wanted hot dogs. Tonight I learned that Mindy’s family always uses hot dog buns for sloppy joe’s because they’re neater. OK - I guess because of the seam??? Tastes the same, so no worries! After dinner we had some leftover chocolate sheet cake that Gloria sent home Sunday night, which was still delicious. Lindsey left shortly after dinner. Mindy and I pursuaded the kids to an early bath. They didn't know the difference. They were in bed and asleep before 7:30pm. After blogging and viewing the weekend's pictures, we tuned into the Monday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens. Defense was king. When I fell asleep, the score was tied 3-3.