Jacob's Valentine

1) Mrs Valentine receiving her payoff
2) Jacob's Glyph
3) jacob's candy corn writing


I was up at 5:20am and felt fully rested. However, I would be less than honest if I didn’t say that I can feel my body adapting to the time change. Two weeks ago I could’ve woke at 4:30am and would’ve felt fairly well slept. I’ve noticed I am becoming more and more conditioned to the change. But that’s no surprise. How easily the body adapts is well chronicled.

I did my full exercise routine with no trouble. However, I could feel a smidge of tension mounting in my right shoulder. I promised myself that I would give it a break Friday morning to avoid a potential set back. Smart move! Ykraps and I headed out doors into a far colder morning that what we’ve gotten used to. It was 32 degrees on the nose. And in addition to the chill, it was very breezy, too. Like me, Ykraps has his quirky habits too. For instance, I’ve noticed that left to lead, he will almost always head east on our morning walk, but come evening, he almost always heads west. This proves that not only man seeks the comfort of routine. Animals do to. Routine, I think, more than anything signals to the body that things are safe. A radical change, on the other had, can be a sign of danger putting us into a much different state-of-mind. Something to ponder.

Back home for more good habits! I poured my coffee and relaxed in front of the PC. I took Mindy her coffee at 6:05am. I spent the next 20 minutes meditating and dressing for a run. I sought out my ear covers but opted out of gloves. I certainly didn’t want to over heat. The crisp air felt pretty darn good. It made the run easy. I’ve noticed the number of morning runners has diminished considerably since the cool weather’s arrival a few weeks ago. Sadly, those folks do not know what they’re missing. These are very favorable conditions provided you dress accordingly. In fact, I find the entire winter season to be equally comfortable.

I also find that I like running in the dark. For whatever reason, the run seems to go by much faster. My guess is that I’m forced deeper inside myself – less in tune with my surroundings. One minute I staring my run and the next I am done!

Mindy had the frying pan heating on the stove with just the right amount of olive oil. She asked if I would fry our eggs. I did. I also poured myself another cup of coffee. It wasn’t long before Mindy & Bella departed leaving Jacob and I behind. Mindy reminded me of Jacob’s parent-teacher conference at Beacon set for 5:20pm. I promised that I would be there.

I was showered and dressed by 7:45am. I’ve noticed that Jacob takes his cue to ready for the bus by me grabbing my gym bag from the laundry room. I was careful not to alert him to quickly this AM. Otherwise, we find ourselves at the bus stop way too early. I tended to a few trivial matters around the house burning up another five minutes or so. We headed out the door at 7:55am. Pat & Alena beat us by a minute or so. Jacob and I tossed the football. Pat invited us to their home to watch the big game Saturday. We have no firm plans that I’m aware of.

I arrived at work around 8:20am. It was very windy and still quite chilly. Many of the nearby trees are already barren. Winter nears.

The work day was a busy one. Even still, I was determined, no matter how busy, to get away for a lunch break today. At 1:10pm I left for a trip to Lowe’s. I had nothing in particular to buy but rather thought that I’d look at, and price out the various plumbing fixtures we’ll need for our basement finishing project. I spent an entire hour browsing the aisles of Lowe’s (that’s right, Mindy, I spelled aisles correctly!). I perused aisles I hadn’t before visited. It was like a new experience. A tri pas such always gets the creative juices flowing with all the possibilities. I truly love it! Home Depot and Lowes truly represent the land of possibilities for your home.

I found myself back to work by 2:15pm. The afternoon went incredibly slow for some reason. Things got a bit dicey, as they often do, just before 5pm. I had to be disciplined and leave even still. The all important parent teacher conference was minutes away. I arrived at Beacon Elementary at 5:15pm. Mindy was already there waiting in the hall. We enjoyed a few of Jacob’s creative pieces displayed along side the rest of his classmates’ works.

The sing said to knock if you were present and it was past your appointment time. Mindy did the honor. At first I thought it a very bold move until she pointed out the sign. I’m sure it helps keep the teachers on schedule. Mindy being a fellow teacher but also a suck up handed Mrs Valentine a care package to help her get through the evening. Apparently it contained a Pepsi, candy bar, and chips. She seemed very appreciative. She’s definitely cute! Her and Mindy hit it off. To listen to the two of tem, Jacob could do no wrong! We went about twenty minutes or until the next parent wrapped on the door. Mrs. Valentine expressed Jacob’s rare liking of both English and math. I liked hearing that, knowing how poorly many men write.

As we departed Mindy shared that she had some Wendy’s chili in the fridge for me at home. We also agreed to stop at the Hilliard Sherwin-Williams for more paint chips.
We’re still not settled on a color for the familyroom/kitchen area. It was just down the street so we stopped in and grabbed more than a few samples from the warm yellow/gold family. Homeward!

I called Tommy along my drive home to see if he received the written divorce agreement yet. Turns out, he had received it only an hour or so earlier and just finished reading it. He said that there were no surprises and that he hoped to sign and return it soon. I am happy that it’s almost over so that he can move forward with his life.

Gloria was watching the kids at home and was playing warmly with the children when we walked in. I was hungry so I went for the fridge to find the chili Mindy spoke of. I warmed it up and sat down at the kitchen table along side of Gloria. Mindy, meanwhile, whisked the kids upstairs for a quick bath. Eventually, she beckoned her mother to help her out. That ended some awkward silence, which usually doesn’t happen.

After the kids returned in their jammies, Bella suggested we watch a movie, build a fire, and pop some corn. We did all three. Gloria stayed, too. We watched Santa Claus, with Tim Allen. I saw it year ago when it released at the theatre – 1994, I believe. We shared three bags of microwave popcorn during the flick. Mindy paused the movie around 8:00pm to take her mother home and get the kids into bed. Bella cried for her maw-maw after they departed. I did my best to comfort her.

It wasn’t long before Mindy returned. She went upstairs to pass out more good night hugs. I started the movie where we left off. We watched the last 30 minutes together. Nice Xmas movie. At 9:15pm we closed up shop and headed to bed. I was eager to get a full night’s rest to help facilitate a fun weekend ahead.