Hear the Buckeyes Roar & Joe Pa's leg snap

A Nightmare to be sure! Jacob in "The Scream" Some of Dad's friends. I was up by 8:15am eager to begin my day. Despite drinking only three beers the night before, I felt a tad on the groggy side. I did my usual sit-ups, push-ups, and weights before 8:30am. I headed out into the sun soaked morning air with Ykraps before 8:45am. It was a very enjoyable walk. Before my run I lazed around the house sipping a couple of cups of coffee. I left for my run close to 9:45am. I saw that several roofing jobs were underway in the subdivision – the remnants of the early October hail storm. After I returned from running, Mindy spent the next couple of hours preparing for the wedding shower that she coordinated for her friend Shelly and would be attending this afternoon. And while she did that, I spent an hour or so painting with the kids. We completed about eight water colors. Mindy helped get the kids dressed and ready for an afternoon of fun before she headed out. We’d be on our own for about four hours. We planned to visit Tuttle Mall, have lunch, and who knows what else. We each went our separate ways come 1pm. We could see that the mall was packed as we exited the freeway. We found parking on the west side of the mall a ways out from Macy’s. I forgot to review the game plan with the kids prior to exiting the car, a tactic Mindy employs to help the kids understand what’s expected of them. Truth be told, I was just a little nervous about how our mall adventure might turn out. Bella was pretty good about hanging close and holding my hand. I chose to allow Jacob a little more freedom. They were convinced we were going the wrong way to the play area, but I knew different. Oh-oh. As we approached the play are we discovered that it was under construction. Santa’s elves were busy putting Xmas land together. The kids were not too thrilled. I convinced them to make lemonade, however. We watched some of the construction and even took a few smiling pics against the already standing Xmas trees. Soon we moved on perusing the mall. Our first stop was the Discovery Store. The kids and I both gave that stop a thumbs up. No sooner did we get in the door did Bella need to potty. Of course! We left promptly promising to return and headed directly to the bathroom. We ended up in the men’s room in lieu of the family bathroom. Emergency averted! Before exiting the bathroom, the kids played against the three-way mirror. The thought of three Bella’s sent shivers down my spine! J We returned to the Discovery Store where the kids entertained themselves for almost an hour playing with some cool toys. Bella was most enamored with the musical instruments (no real surprise). Jacob liked the small gadgets. After and hour I convinced them to move on. I wanted to stop in the Bath & Body right next door to see if they had their pine tree candles out yet. Their pine candles smell very christmassey. They had them out. Last year they were in high demand and subsequently ran out early. The kids were not happy to be there and complained. In reality, were there only a minute. They wanted to move on. We continued our stroll through the mall stopping only at the department store rides down by Sears. I let them crawl about the equipment but never put any coins in. After ten minutes and some pictures, we decided to leave the mall and head for Wendy’s. We arrived at Wendy’s by 2:20pm. The kids ordered chicken nugget kids meals. I ordered a double combo. I hadn’t eaten inside a Wendy’s in years. Not much has changed. The kids were well behaved. For that I was pleased. I had to pee and was unsure how to mange such a situation. I chose to leave them unattended for a minute while I addressed the pressing matter. I considered alerting the help, but decided against announcing solo children. Mindy later informed me that she would have taken them in with her. And I suppose I could’ve disrupted their meal and did that, but I never gave it any thought. We left Wendy’s at 2:45pm to head for home. We had 45 minutes until kick-off. The kids, so far, had performed above expectations. Once back home we settled down in front of the television to catch opening kick-off. Jacob went outside to play. The Buckeyes looked strong and methodical in the first half but never truly dominated like many thought they would. Come 4:40pm, Mindy arrived home from the shower just about he beginning of halftime. Nervously I sat and watched the second half of the game. Illinois quietly began shutting down the Buckeyes offense and then snuck in a field goal to keep things somewhat close. As the 3rd quarter came and went, the Buckeyes had failed to add to their lead. The Buckeyes never trailed but did provide an opportunity for Illinois to make it close. The game ended after the Buckeyes covered an onside kick. Mindy offered to make dinner, but I was still pretty full from Wendy’s. The kids and I had a sword fight after the game that lasted up until their bedtime. After putting the kids to bed Mindy and I spent the remaining hours watching more football by a roaring fire. I had a few beers – a honey raspberry ale, a Columbus pale ale, and Mojo IPA. We went to bed just after 10:30pm.