Range of Emotions

I was eager to begin the weekend. The weather gods promised very good things. I could see the sun trying to break the thin veil of clouds still lingerng above. By 8:30am I completed my exercises and had our coffee brewing. Ykraps and I hit the streets. It was getting lovlier by the minute. By our return the sun busted out making a warm spring morning even better. I enjoyed a hot cup of coffee & got caught up on the headlines. Eventually I made my way out to the deck for some guitar and coffee - more of a summer ritual.

I woke Mindy around 10:00am telling her how beautiful it was outside. She soon joined me. We spent some time together on the deck soaking up the early sunshine. We didn't have all day, however. I had to run and Mindy had to ready for her 'fun' day. She had a massage scheduled at 11:30am at Penzone's and then lunch with her friend Teri. While I ran, Mindy whipped up some bacon and scrambled eggs. I am always amazed at how she can calmly apporach a deadline. I returned from my run by 10:50am. Mindy ate pretty fast since she hadn't yet made herself presentable for her massage. She left at 11:10am.

I had the rest of the morning and pretty much the whole afternoon all to myself. I chose to take care of lots of small things. I reestablished several lawn ornaments that were leaning a bit after their winter slumber, tuned and cleaned my weed wacker, swept out the garage, tinkered with the Trooper - looking for a loose vacuum hose (never found one), swept the kitchen the floor, sprayed for ants, and shopped online for garage cabinets. Mindy called to let me know that she worked out details for dinner with Pat & Lisa. They'd be meeting us at our house around 7pm - after the Buckeye game.

Mindy returned home sometime around 4pm. She shared stories from her day of fun. She got a great massage, had fun with Teri, visited old neighbors, and shopped. After sharing her stories it was time for the Buckeye game. We watched the entire first half. I swore at the TV a couple of times. The Buckeyes are good but often hard to watch because they leave a lot of points on the floor. On the other hand, unless the opposition is hitting three-pointers from long range, their defense is consistently stellar. We were up at the half, but not by much.

During the second half I became frustrated after watching us build then squander a nine point lead. Soon we were trailing by 5 with just under 12 minutes to go. I could take no more. I figured it no longer good for my health or sanity. I decided to shower for our dinner out. I did everything I could to keep the noise level to a point where I could not hear the game. I didn't want to know. After I was showered and dressed I took Ykraps on his evening walk making sure once again to drown out any sound from the TV. By the time we returned from our evening walk Mindy was down stairs talking with the kids via her cell. I decided it was time to check the score. Just as I focused on the TV they flashed the score and game highlights. The Buckeyes won by 16 points! Holy Crap! They must have got hot. It was just after 7pm and the second game was about to begin.

We were all ready to go. Now we were just waiting on Pat & Lisa to show up. I decided to pick-up my phone and call my dad to check on Sheila. The news wasn't good. Shawn answered the phone in tears. My fears were confirmed, Sheila had passed away minutes prior to my call. There was obvious struggle in his voice through our short conversation. I told him that I loved him and that I would hang up so that he/they could carry on with whatever needed to be done, but to tell my dad to call when he could. I told Mindy but she already knew. We had a quiet moment and both said a short prayer just as Pat & Lisa arrived.

We had a quick drink before heading to Courtney and Jeremy's. On our way there my dad called. Mindy talked with him while I drove. Mindy expressed our sorrow and told him that we'd be over sometime early on Sunday. Bob & M.A. were already at C & J's. We were a few minutes behind. We chatted briefly and visited with everyone. Mindy shared the news about Sheila. Just then my cell rang. It was brother Glenn calling from Washington state. I shared the news with him too. I told him to look for flights but that I had no other details on the arrangements. Shortly after our call, we all departed for Mitchell's.

Because there were eight of us, we took two vehicles. Pat & Lisa rode with us. C & J rode with Bob & M.A. After one pass around Mitchell's we decided to valet park. It was a lot easier. Our reservation was ready. It was surprisingly crowded for 8:30pm. Because we had eight in our party we had to sit at two tables, although side to side. There was an isle in between the two tables so we were in effect cut off from one another. However, we made the best of it and had a fabulous time dining together. And just like always, the steaks were terrific.

It must have been after 11:00pm when we finally left Mitchell's. We tipped the valet dude after the Trooper was hand delivered and parted ways with half of our dinner guests (Bob, M.A. & Jeremy & Courtney). Pat & Lisa rode with us. We bidded the Schultz's a farewell in the dirveway. They were as tired as us, I am sure.

Before going to bed we contacted Glenn to see what his intentions were relative to Sheila's funeral. I told him that I would check airline rates too. I called Northwest & asked about the bereavement policy/rates. Sadly, the rates we were able to find online were cheaper than their stated bereavement rates. The young lady apologized stating that with it being spring break there just weren't many options.

I went to bed after asking Glenn to shop for flights on Priceline.com. We agreed that he wouldn't purchase the flight until we had firmed the funeral arrangements. I crawled in bed around 12:30am but couldn't sleep so I got back up for an hour. Finally, come 1:30am I was tired enough to sleep.